Black and White

The sounds of the audience faded as Dark Angel got further away from the arena. Most of them were jeers rather than cheers but the girl really couldn't care less. Her arms and legs were very sore, but she would never have shown that weakness in public. Particularly, her right ankle may have been slightly sprained, but the doctor would be the judge of that. She had landed on it in an awkward way, and it certainly didn't help that she followed that by using it to kick her opponent several times while they were down. But that was all in the past. She entered the locker room carrying the discarded parts of her robe and threw them to the side.

Luckily, the room was empty. Last match of the night has its pros, she thought to herself. She half-limped over to her locker and let out a great big sigh. As she opened it, Angel inevitably noticed the blood on the knuckles of her right hand. "Hah..." She had forgotten about that. Casually wiping off the blood of her opponent's nose, Angel smiled underneath her mask and shook her head. Maybe she should have felt guilty. The girl couldn't defend herself yet she kept punching and punching. But she could have tapped out. It was how she always justified situations like that. Her opponent knew exactly what was going to happen to her, yet her pride or something prevented them from giving in.

Akashi Tanikaze had been putting in a late night work out. She had a lot to do in preparation for the new year. She had many goals and one of them was to get back her spot as Friction champion. She threw a towel over her neck as sweat dripped down her body. She was in a pair of tight fitting Lycra shorts and big dark green sports bra. Her long hair was straight from sweat and it made her back feel hot.

She was juts looking forward to a shower and then to settle into a nice bed back at home. She was passing by the locker rooms when she had saw Angel. It was pretty rare to see a girl with a mask on, but Akashi thought that if she was new, she could say hello tot he girl and welcome her to the AFW. Akashi veered towards the girl and put her biggest smile on, ready to greet the masked wrestler when she noticed that the girl's mask was a Kitsune.

She stopped as she considered it. She'd seen it before. A girl dressed like a Miko with a Kitsune mask.... It had been with Cassie! She had watched that promo, naturally and frowned at the girl's words when the two got into a small exchange. It seemed like the girl had a point to prove here in the AFW. She remembered watching the girl's first match. It had received a lot of publicity because the girl she fought had been put in the hospital and nearly died.

Akashi clenched her fists as she looked at the girl, her face turned into a scowl and she approached. She lifted up her hand and clamped her hand down hard on the girl's shoulder and squeezed it tightly.

"Wlecome to the AFW, Dark Angel-san." She said in a low growl. "I hope you are able to work your way up through the ranks of this company so that you may face true tests of your strength. I am sure it must grow tiresome to have to constantly fight against the weak and unfortunate. We cannot grow stronger unless we are challenging ourselves, right?"

Angel had just been taking off her elbow pads when she heard footsteps enter the locker room. She didn't mind sharing it with this newcomer, even if she didn't exactly like, well, anyone. But she quickly regretted that initial thought. As the footsteps got closer, Angel instantly recognized the scent of the woman that roughly put her hand on her shoulder. Despite the strength of the grip, Angel did her best not to budge nor show any sign of pain. Her shoulder was already sore, however, and it was more difficult than she hoped. She grunted angrily as one of her hands reached up to grip Akashi's wrist tightly.

"Actually...no it doesn't get tiring..." she muttered as she tried to remove Akashi's gripping hand. "Besides, some of us aren't interesting in finding ourselves...as much as we're interested in helping others find themselves," Angel said with a hidden smile as she turned around to look at the woman. She crossed her arms and shook her head. "Besides, it's not their fault I make them look weak, and they are everything but unfortunate. They bring about their own dis-fortune when they refuse to acknowledge their limitations." But she didn't want to reason with this sumo.

"You could learn from that too, Akashi Tanikaze..."

Akashi let Angel shrug her off as the masked girl began to speak. She was shocked by the words. She understood why she was hiding her face now. Anyone who was so brazenly sadistic HAD to hide their face around here. Someone who liked to cause pain would find her eventually and see if she could take it as well as she dished it out. The AFW food chain could be as vicious as any in the animal world. Maybe moreso. These girls, as it seemed was the case with Dark Angel, didn't kill except for pleasure.

When Angel was finished, Akashi grabbed her by the collar and shoved her against the lockers. "You are lucky that I was the one to find you, Dark Angel-san." She said, pushing her face up against the girls so only the mask separated their touching noses. "I will give you some advice. You are going down a bad road. The girls who sign up in this league, they understand the risks. Humiliation is an unfortunate part of this place sometimes." She snorted a hot breath into the girl's face. "But one day you'll run into someone who is like you. Only they will be much stronger and they will turn the tables upon you."

Akashi let go and stepped back. "And no one will pity you when you're trapped in their claws, begging for mercy. Except." She said as she turned her head. "When that day comes, I will come save you if that happens just to show you that no one deserves the fate you bring to girls so joyfully. Not even you." Akashi shook he head and then pointed her finger at Talia. "But if you ever put another girl in the hospital again, if you ever threaten the life or career of another girl, I can't guarantee the one you face in the ring, who will be giving you that punishment won't be me. Understand?" She said the last part coldly.

Even Angel was surprised when Akashi grabbed her by the top of her robe and shoved her against the locker. Both her hands jumped up to tightly grip onto Akashi's hands. "Let...me...go," she stated very flatly to the sumo girl. She had no patience for Akashi from the start. She wasn't about to get into a conversation about good and bad with someone whom she already hated. When Akashi finally pulled her face away from hers, Angel breathed a sigh of relief. It wasn't because she was intimidated or anything. She just knew that she so badly wanted to headbutt the woman, and that would've happened if Akashi stayed close for just a few more seconds.

"I don't need pity from you or anyone else," Angel growled as she then got right back into Akashi's face. She wasn't nearly as tall as Akashi so it wasn't exactly easy. She was even on the tip of her toes while staring into Akashi's eyes. "You waste your time trying to help those who can't even help themselves...and look where it has gotten you..." The smaller girl shook her head at the taller one. "The great Akashi...once the best AFW wrestler of all time has been dragged down to being a nobody." It was an unfair observation but she doubted Akashi would even be offended by it. "You team up with a brat and waste your efforts on a doomed team and end up losing your championship. You waste time sleeping with every girl you come across and then you wonder why you're not good enough to win the hentai belt."

"Don't give me advice on things here in the AFW, Akashi. You're the last person I'd listen to.," Angel muttered as she turned around to look back at her locker. She bent over and started removing her knee pads. "I wouldn't even want to be saved by your fatass. Then everyone will think we're fuck buddies or something."

Akashi watched as the girl got back in her face. She heard the words and was surprised at how venomous they were. The masked girl was speaking as though Akashi had affronted her personally. It was unusual but when she was finished, she stared at the girl. A smile suddenly formed across her face.

"If where I am now... is being a nobody... Then I am happy to be a nobody for the rest of my days." She said with a light tone. "None of my time here has been wasted. And all that blood, sweat and pain has gotten me fame and fortune that I could never dream of. But even more importantly, I have developed special bonds with people I would never have met if I hadn't come here. And now I have a great family who I love more than anything.

"What you are after, is trying to fill a hole, a void that can never be filled by doing what you're doing. You don't want my pity, Angel-san? What else can i give you. My heart breaks to see that you have been reduced to feeling such a state." Akashi turned her head. "The wolves that roam the halls of this place will find your scent eventually, Angel-san. But I hope you realize the mistake you're making before it's too late. I have seen your tale too many times and I know how it ends."

Angel really didn't have a reply to Akashi's comments on what she had found. If she tried to argue with her on that level, the sumo might get suspicious of why Angel would have been so bitter towards very specific people in Akashi's life. And she didn't want to risk anything like that just yet. So she just took off her pads and then her boots with her back still turned to Akashi. Though noticeably, Angel was very amused and laughed rather heartily when Akashi mentioned her heart breaking. "Yea. I'm sure this is tearing you apart," she said with deep sarcasm. "You have no idea why I'm like this, so stop pretending to know something which you clearly don't. You're just embarrassing yourself."

"If you really wanted to do me a favor..." Angel started and finally turned around to face Akashi again. She got into her face once more and poked the sumo forcefully right below the neck. "...you'll get out of my face. And never talk to me again during down time." Despite her very tough tone initially, there was surprising distress in the girl's voice in her last two sentences. She wasn't being cute for character sake, she was clearly serious and possibly distraught about something. She turned back around and to pull a gym bag from the locker. "And don't look at me the way I already know you look at other girls. It'd be a shame if I had to break that pretty face of yours for looking at me the wrong way."

Akashi was getting tired of this girl's attitude. Whatever bug was up her ass, Akashi wised that the two of them could fight it out in the ring. She didn't flinch when the girl roughly poked her. And when she was threatened, Akashi remained calm. "It doesn't matter why you are the way you are. The fact that you are that way is enough." She said as her voice tried to remain as even as possible.

"I think..." She said in a soft tone when Angel turned around. "That the favor would be done by yourself, not to happen into a place where I'm at."

"And... one more thing before i go." She said. "About my pretty face..." Akashi reached out to spin Angel around, pulling her head back while she did and threw her head forward to smash it into the masked girl's when she was fully turned around.

Dark Angel almost laughed when Akashi brought up her pretty face. She was surprised, though, when the girl then grabbed onto her shoulders and spun her around. Safe to say, she was even more surprised when Akashi's head smashed right into hers. "Unh!" Angel's head shot back from the impact and she fell backwards. Her back hit the lockers with a loud metal clang. Now that was something she hadn't expected. Not in the least bit. Sure they both had hard heads figuratively. But Akashi's was literally harder.

Angel slid down the wall of the locker as her hands moved up to her forehead. "What the fuck..." she whispered under her breath as she sat on the floor. She was still so sore after her match and had completely checked out of fight mode. She was not ready for that.

"Keep that as a reminder, Angel-san." Akashi said in a low growl. "I'm a caring individual and my heart is big. But think tough love is the best love. Ask around. Sarah Gatt... Natalia... those girls you said were the best when you busted into Cassie-san's promo. Both of them have been on the receiving end of it." Akashi stepped away, ready to leave the girl where she lay. "It's ok though, I won't have to worry that with you. I'm sure that Cassie-san will do a good job. She loves people way more than I do." Akashi smirked and bowed her head towards Angel before turning and leaving.