Nihoooon- GO!

Akashi opened her mouth to answer but before she could answer, Jacob pulled off her and flopped her onto her back. She hit with a grunt and stopped when he rested on her chest. She furrowed her brow. Did he want a conversation or not!?

"They don't let girls into sumo!" She said with a huff. And an Onii-chan is an older brother. I have four of them..." She added. "I'm Taylor's Onee-chan." She added. "It sounds the same but it's not."

Akashi suddenly began to feel the soft breaths against her fairly exposed chest. She furrowed her brow once more and lifted up her free hand. She grabbed his hair tightly and then forced his face deeper into her cleavage. "Oh, like you've never been this close to a pair of boobs before!" She said, playfully growling at him as she tried to turn her body and flip him back over on his back with a tug of his sandy blonde hair.

She then pulled her kimono over her chest, covering up more of her boobs with a blush suddenly coming across her face. She suddenly felt the need to explain herself. "Consider yourself lucky." She said suddenly. "I don't usually let boys get this close to me. I. don't. like. them." She said the last bit in a tone that was firm but not harsh, emphasizing each word as she eyed Jacob with serious eyes that tried to fight off a grin creeping across her face.

"That's dumb. There's no women's sumo thing here? That sucks. You should just start one. You're a big enough deal, right? I dunno how it works in Japan, but just come to Canada or the-h-HEY!"

Jacob flailed and struggled as he faceplanted into Akashi's breasts. He tried to push himself free, but couldn't find a place to put his hands that didn't seem weird. He was almost relieved by the yank on his hair that put him flat on his back.

He gazed up at Akashi with a dazed look in his eyes while he caught his breath and his bearings. "That's the most action I've had in a while..." He said humbly, with a smile.

"That's too bad, though," he said. "You're pretty comfy." He surprised himself with a big, unexpected yawn, and he stretched his arms and legs out before looking back at Akashi.

"So... you don't like me?" He asked. There was an innocence in his tone that was unmistakeable.

Akashi sat up and adjusted herself once more, looking at Jacob and yawning when he did. "Stop that!" She growled playfully and then flipped her legs around so she was sitting on her legs in the traditional Japanese style with her hands folded in front of her.

"You're telling me that a lady killer like you hasn't gotten more than a face full of boobs in a while? I don't believe it!" She grinned. "I almost feel bad, maybe I should at least let you sleep on my lap or something." She said as she grinned even wider.

She then closed her eyes and took in a soft breath through her nose. "What do you mean don't I like you? We've only just met, it's certainly not enough to judge. I've enjoyed our company so far. I don't see what there is to dislike." She opened her eyes and gave him a shy look. She then turned her head away from him and grinned. "For a boy, you aren't so bad." She said and grinned slyly while she looked away from him.

Jacob blushed, though he tried to cover for himself by grinning through it. "I'll take that as a compliment." He said.

"Well, good. I like you too." He said simply. "For a girl, you're pretty awesome. I'm just glad your English is so good, I was kinda worried I wouldn't really get to talk to-" He was overtaken by another yawn.

"Sorry," he said like a Canadian. "Long flight. It's like a hundred o'clock now, right?"

He glanced up at Akashi with a tired out buy boyishly handsome smile, and then turned so he could pillow his head on Akashi's legs. He stretched again.

"Great thing about mats, right?" He said. They were alright as a bed, too.

Akashi eyed him with a carefully placed wry look as Jacob spoke. She fought off a second yawn with a tight closing of her jaw. She felt almost stubborn about trying not to let it claim her.

"Ari-gatou?" She said and dipped her head in thanks, using the Japanese word to answer him. "I've had a lot of practice. Mymother and father were always serious about teaching it to me. Oddly enough... we're a very traditional family but they understood that I couldn't just be a xenophobic Nihonjin even if we liked to live like the sakoku was still in effect." Akashi gave a slight chuckle as Jacob leaned against her thighs.

She let out a soft sigh. "Alright..." She whispered and leaned her hand up and ran her fingers through his hair as she closed her eyes. She said as he stretched and made himself comfy. She lowered her head "Hai..." She whispered softly, content to let him rest for the moment while she sat in silence. It was peaceful after all and he had had such a long flight. As the host, this was the most appropriate thing to do, even if she suddenly found her cheeks to be blushing.

Jacob closed his eyes and made a small sleepy noise while he nestled his head, and breathed a very slight sigh. Even on the other side of the world, he was home. His sister's house was just as much home as mom and dad's, and Akashi being there only made it better.

"Hey," he said without opening his eyes. "Did Cassie ever tell you why she's Cassiebear? You might think it's because she's Cassie and she's everyone's little teddybear, but there's more to it. She's not always a teddybear, anyway," he laughed softly. "She has a temper just like anyone. But anyway, I called her Cassiebear because this one time I had a date with this girl, and she..." He dipped momentarily into sleep. "[size=90:jljcbvaa]And she..."

Then he was sound asleep, leaving only Akashi's breathing and the faint sounds of dinner that lofted up the stairs.


"Thank you so much, everything's delicious." Rachel smiled, and rested her fork on her plate. Marc nodded in agreement. "The two of you make a good team." She added, with a smile just for Mamouru.

"Yeah..." Cassie kept her eyes on her food.

"So Mamouru, how did you two begin working together?" Asked Rachel. Of course, Cassie had told her every detail, but she was particularly interested in Mamouru's version. Marc listened quietly, with attentive eyes.

Akashi softly stroked Jacob's hair as he drifted off to sleep. Was this what it was like to be an older ... brother? Sister? Mom? Something else? She didn't know but she didn't question it. She laughed as she heard him drift off.

"Yeah, I've seen it..." She opened an eye and saw him softly sleeping. "Earlier today..." She muttered softly as she turned her head, her nose twitching as the smells of a tasty dinner wafted through the house.

Mamouru had felt his stomach turn into knots the whole time he and Cassie had made dinner. When it was finally over and the two were sitting together with Cassie's mom and dad, it was like a weight was lifted off his shoulders.

He ate quietly, pleasantly until he was addressed. He lifted up his head and gave Rachel a deer in headlights look. The woman was disarming., yet inviting. He didn't even know what to do around her. He blushed and smiled and nodded his head. "T-Thank you." He said and bobbed his head. "I like to think so as well." He said as he gave a glance to Cassie who was face down in her meal. He groaned internally.

My brother and I had a match with Cassie-san and Taylor-san. After the match, Cassie and I started talking. I showed her around Kyoto. My mother was a a fairly successful wrestling manager here in Japan and so I always thought I would be good at it. My brother Junichi was always the more athletic of the two of us so it seemed only fitting that I could have a passion within the industry that allowed me to be more cerebral. Managing seemed perfect. Cassie was new tot he league, I was new to managing. Despite both of us having excellent pedigrees." Mamouru smiled at Rachel and Marc.

"It seemed like an easy choice for us both to work together." He added finally. "Things haven't gone perfectly, but I believe in Cassie-san's skill and am committed to her. I think that she'll be able to be one of the top competitors in no time. She certainly has the talent for it."

Rachel tilted her head at Mamouru's adorable compliment. She imagined that he found himself to be pretty smooth with girls around his age. What a little charmer!

"I'm so glad." She said, and reached over to pat Mamouru's hand. "It's good that she's got you in her corner. Cassie's never been a lone wolf."

"Learning how to lose is just as important to learning how to win as anything else," Marc said. The experience and wisdom in his voice was palpable. "You'll see young guys who start out a career undefeated, and they have their run but eventually everyone loses. Often, those guys, five and oh, ten and oh, twenty and oh, when they hit twenty and one they slide. They lose the blind confidence that got them through the first twenty. Talented or not, it's somewhat by accident that they end up winning, and when they lose that thing they can't get it back because they never realized what it was."

He looked over at Cassie. "Cassie's made of stronger stuff than that." He gave her hand a squeeze. "Whatever she does, it will be beautiful. In it's own way." He said with a smile. There was a light in his eyes that suggested laughter, as the thought of beauty and his daughter fighting tooth and nail to beat up another girl going together would have been so foreign a concept to another family. Meanwhile, Cassie was glowing.

"So Tomomi Watanabe is next?" He said to Cassie. "She was one of your friends from Drake's stable, is that right?"

"Yeah. I like her." Cassie said, with obvious reservation. Her mother watched her while she sipped her tea. "She's really nice... and stuff."

Marc looked at Mamouru for more information.

Mamouru blushed when Rachel patted his hand. Though he could say that he was used to that kind of motherly contact. His own mother was never one much for the normal Japanese idea of personal space.

He quickly turned and listened to Marc. He understood what the man said. He had been around wrestling his whole life and had personally grown up with a slew of contenders, pretenders and champions. His mother was pretty good at sniffing out talent and he liked to think that he had inherited her skill in that sense. Cassie seemed proof enough.

"I think that Cassie-san has a good chance against Watanabe-san. Watanabe has talent, sure, but I think that she will underestimate Cassie-san. And, to be truthful, Cassie-san's more disciplined and focused than Watanabe-san. It will be a good match for her. I am looking forward to it. I think this time she will even let me come to ringside." Mamouru said with a grin, looking at Cassie. Maybe some light hearted playing about would help ease things.

"I can't see why she wouldn't. You'd be there to give her encouragement and to look handsome, so it seems like you're the guy for the job. Don't you, Cassie?" Rachel gave Cassie a look with a twinkle in her eye.

"Mom..." Cassie said, without looking up. She'd forgotten how much more embarrassing her mom could be in person.

"I think it'd certainly be a good idea. You'd never have competed at home without the rest of the gym there with you. It's important to have support." And protection, he wanted to say. Cassie's last match almost made him sick.

He sat for a moment before continuing, unintentionally showing what he hadn't said. "You know, I've half a mind to find this Dark Angel girl and set her straight myself."

Rachel raised her eyebrows and nodded. Cassie was quick to chime in.

"No, I can handle her. She just cheated really badly the first time, but I'll be ready for it next time. I'm not going to let myself get put in situations where she'd be able to cheat like that." She said, hoping it's what her dad wanted to hear. What was it Angel had hit her with under the ring? A shovel? No, a pipe. She unconsciously reached up to put a hand on her head where the pipe hit her.


By the time they had finished dinner, the parents were more than ready to turn in for the night. Cassie went up to check on Akashi and Bucky and found them both fast asleep, so she assembled some leftovers and put them in the fridge. She made up the guest room and made sure her parents had everything they needed, and then she was alone again with Mamouru. It was awkward again, but different.

"S-so..." She said. "Do you like them? You didn't really get to meet Bucky, but you'll like him to. He's more like Johnny. Nicky's more like you."