Our Little Secret

Johnny could feel his heart practically break when he saw Cassie cry. But the way she tried to muscle through it was what was worse. When she mentioned Taylor, Johnny grinned as though there couldn't possibly be anything wrong.

Johnny stood up suddenly and grabbed Cassie's hand to pull her out of the booth and into a tight hug. He wrapped his strong arms around her and squeezed very tightly. He knew she could endure it and thought she might appreciate it.

Johnny's hand pushed through Cassie's moppish red hair and forced her head into his chest. "I can't see you cry again, Shorty. It ain't just on your shoulders anymore. Things ain't gonna be rough forever, Squirt. Things'll be cool again."

Johnny pulled away as suddenly as he embraced her. "Let's bring Taylor home some sushi, dude." He said as he stepped to the counter and began ordering like they had just walked in.

Cassie held her breath, partly just to keep from getting squished. She couldn't help but be on edge as Johnny held her, though she didn't pull away. She craved it, the affection, the closeness, and while Johnny helped reassure her that the Talia problem would work out he created a new problem.

She silently followed behind him to the counter, and while he ordered her phone buzzed again. She expected another text from Taylor, but instead there was a text from Talia.

"I finally apologized to Taylor"


Cassie unlocked the door and pushed it open. Johnny followed behind her holding the bags with the sushi. "Taylor? Are you- Aiiiee!" She shrieked, as a blonde-haired blur tackled her from the side and knocked her down.

"It's about freaking time, Bear!" Taylor flattened Cassie out on her back and tickled her sides. "Did you get lost?!" Cassie could only clutch her arms against her body and squirm while she tried not to giggle. Taylor lifted her up and threw her over her shoulder, and then took off running around the living room.

"Taylor! Stop!" Cassie pleaded with a girlish shriek.

"Bears don't talk, silly bear," Taylor said playfully, and completed several more laps before dumping Cassie back down on the floor. She continued to manhandle her, lifting her up to a sitting position and pulling her in a headlock. She sat down in front of her and wrapped her legs tightly around the smaller girl's waist, so that she was thoroughly stuck.

"Oh, hey Killer," she flashed a grin at Johnny.

Johnny was thankful that Cassie was the one who got tackled. Taylor very well could have gone after him and then there's be a mess of sushi everywhere. He grinned as Taylor played with Cassie and then when she looked up at her, his eyes widened a bit more.

"Yo, babe!" He said and lifted up the bag. "Picked up some sushi for ya!"

Suddenly there was a rumble from upstairs and a thunderous noise rolled down the stairs as Akashi hurriedly stomped down the stairs and burst from the staircase. "Ohaaaaayooooo!" She chirped and looked around, seeing Taylor grabbed hold of Cassie and Johnny holding a bag. "Ooooh! Johnny-kun did you come to feed us girls?!" She said. "And it looks like you picked up a stray along the way." She said as she slipped over to Cassie and ruffled the captive girl's hair. "Hai, I think we can keep her!" She said and flashed a grin at Taylor. "What do you think, Imouto-chan?" She asked with a wide grin.

"Well, my stuff is still in the guest room from last time, right?" Taylor said.

Cassie made a low noise like an irritated cat, and Taylor responded by shaking her back and forth so that her voice warbled up and down until the giggled. "Knock it off!" She said, her voice muffled by Taylor's arm. "What happened to all that talk about fair fights?"

"Not against you, you'd kick my ass." Taylor let go and pretended to bite Cassie's head before standing up.

"You brought food!" She exclaimed, holding her arms out as if she was going to hug the sushi. "Is that for all of us, or just Kashi?"

"There should be enough. But.... we should probably take ours first."

"Ooookay, well, get it out and I'll get the stuff. We can eat American style! Ya know, in front of the TV. I want to watch Friction and see if they talk about me." Taylor laughed, and headed for the kitchen for some plates and napkins and chopsticks and soy sauce.

Cassie straightened herself out, and then looked around. "Hi, Akashi," she said, and waved. She wasn't sure what to do.

Akashi huffed. "It WILL be all for me if you keep talking like that. I'll make you skinny bitches wither away!" Akashi pulled down her eyelid, stuck out her tongue and then giggled. When Taylor pranced off, Akashi swooped in and gave Cassie her own tight bearhug.

"So, you were out picking up strangers, huh?" She teased. "Well, just this once but next time we'll have to send them away!" Akashi giggled again, released Cassie and grabbed the remote. She turned it on and began to flip through the stations until she found the AFW channel, briefly stopping when she saw a Sumo match and whining to herself before continuing on. When she found it, she flopped onto the couch and looked at Cassie. She then patted her lap. "Come! Sit!" She said with a wide grin.

Johnny took the opportunity to slip past the two and head to the kitchen. He set the sushi onto the kitchen table and quickly head over to Taylor. He squeezed her tightly while she was trying to fish out utensils, hugging her like it had been days since he saw her. "Yo." He said and kissed the back of her neck, nuzzling her as his body pressed up against her.

Cassie sternly wagged her finger at Akashi. "NO."

"Hey, babe," Taylor turned around with a big, pretty smile for Johnny. She put her arms around his neck and took her time with a slow, soft kiss, savoring the moment. "Remind me to tell you about Talia. Later. I need your advice." She gave him another little peck on the lips and pushed him back so she could carry things into the living room.

Cassie sat on the far edge of the couch. She wanted to leave room for Johnny to sit next to his good buddy Akashi. While commercials and promotional spots played, Taylor distributed the dining tackle and found places to put trays of sushi. She made sure to put twice as much in front of Akashi, and poked her in the belly for good measure, before making herself comfortable on the floor in front of Johnny's spot on the couch.

Taylor made sure to snatch the remote away from Akashi. Not long ago, Cassie had dislocated Bunny Bomber's arm in a match, and she wanted to be on her toes in case AFW saw fit to flaunt gory images of the scene, although what would she do? Just change the channel? Wouldn't that be a little obvious?

She picked up a piece of a salmon roll and dipped it carefully in a little soy sauce. While she chewed it, Friction finally got around to airing some actual live content. The cameras panned around for some wide shots of the arena and the fans while the commentators chattered on about the upcoming matches.

"So, Kashi," Taylor began. "How's things going with Miss Wormwood?" She teased. "Are you learning a lot?"

Akashi grinned widely at Cassie. it was always worth a try. One day she'd get some lovin from the orange haired girl.

Johnny returned Taylor's kiss with an equally deep and slow passion. If he had less tact, he might try to do something mischievous with her right then and there but as she pulled away, he reluctantly let go. He smiled at her until she mentioned Talia and then his face blanched. It drooped and her turned his head away quickly. Why would she mention Talia's name at all? Johnny's fists clenched as Taylor strolled out of the kitchen. His gaze turned towards Casie and he stared hard at the back of her head as if he could somehow transmit a message to her. After a few futile seconds, he gave up his attempts at ESP and sighed. Talia went right TO Taylor and did who knows what? Probably sweet talked her. Probably tried to make out with her or something. He couldn't handle this one bit but sucked it up and went tot he front room, plopping on the couch between Cassie and Akashi.

Akashi eagerly took her double helping of sushi and bit the air in front of her when Taylor poked her in the belly. "Ahm!" She then laughed and smiled at Johnny when he sat down. She saw the subtle look on his face and her mouth formed a curious O. But she shook it off when Taylor asked her a question.

"Grrrr.... That woman is insufferable! She's even more no fun than you or Cassie-san. I know she likes girls, but she won't even make out with me! And then she's just constantly shoving her boobs into mine! Talk about mixed signals! I wish I could go back to just beating her up. This whole situation is dumb." Akashi took an angry bit from her sushi and crossed her arms. "She's someone I could never get along with! She's a prude and... and she thinks we have things in COMMON!"

Akashi shook her head and sighed. "Ahhh..." She began as she looked at the television screen to show two wrestlers, a purple clad girl being grapevined by a black haired girl scantily clad in red. "Emily Nelson Vs. Justice Asuka? Maaaaaah." She groaned. "Nelson-san let herself get played. She shouldn't have lost to Asuka-san. Though it did get a little steamy there at the end." Nelson tried a desperation headbutt to escape Askusa's hold but the smaller fighter didn't take to it and pinned Emily after yanking her around like a ragdoll and setting her up for a powerbomb.

"When are they gonna show a match instead of highlights!" Akashi demanded. She loved the AFW but she was glad she was a wrestler and not a fan. They sure knew how to stretch out an hour's worth of time to make it feel like it had been going on for three days.

Taylor had butterflies in her stomach when Emily hung in the air for that split second before Asuka slammed her down into the mat. It thrilled and terrified her and made her feel a little sick, enough to want to hit the gym and practice her throws.

"Hm." She made a sour face. "Kashi, I want you to know that I'm not including you in this category, because you know how to keep this shit separate..." She said. "But can't these motherfuckers keep their goddamn hands to themselves? Fuck AFW, man, everybody just treats it like it's a fucking zoo. These bitches don't know the first goddamn thing about... fuckin'... honor, and shit. The ring's honor. Ya know?" She glanced back at the three on the couch. "I might be the only one, but to me fighting in that ring isn't about... you're not just fighting like animals. It's a passionate expression of will and spirit and art, and if we're fighting you damn well better keep your fake-ass titties out of my face." She recited the phrase from memory. It was written on a page in the notebook she kept on her nightstand, that she jotted little notes into while she read. Most recently, it had been a book about the history of pro wrestling compared to sumo or other fight-sports. "You didn't see me trying to get all gay on Iron Maiden."

"That's..." Cassie said, slightly taken aback by Taylor's unexpected eloquence. It was totally out of character, but maybe Cassie didn't give Taylor enough credit. "That's a good way to look at it..."

But she didn't believe it. As far as Cassie could tell, the girls in the ring really were animals, and AFW was a zoo. Fighting in AFW was to fight for order amongst chaos, and it was as far as she could tell entirely futile.

"Man," Taylor mused, a bite of sushi waiting in her chopsticks. "I just, like... I never feel more alive than when I'm in a good fight. That really pushes you and makes you give it everything you've got. But... one sided fights? Sometimes, ya know, the girl getting beat up is still in it and just looking for her moment. Like Bear, man, I know that no matter how it looks, if the match is still going you're still only a few seconds away from tapping to some crazy shit. Because Cassie's got it, she's got the will. But when you see a girl just... you know she's just dying in there, ya know, suffering..." She shook her head, silent for a moment. "I just want to help." She went back to eating.

Cassie's face reddened slightly. She hesitantly pulled out her phone and pulled up Talia's text. She nudged Johnny with her elbow and showed it to him, down low so that Akashi wouldn't notice. "I finally apologized to Taylor". She looked at him for a moment before Taylor called their attention back to the TV.

"Aw, man! Junko made me train with that girl, that's Mamouru's new..." Slut. Wrestler? Client? Girlfriend? "Can you pass me that?" She pointed to a plate of some other kind of roll that she hadn't had any of yet.

On the screen, approaching the ring, was Talia Wilson's blonde-haired sister, Aurora. Cassie watched, wide-eyed and speechless, while the girl [url=http://afwrpg.informe.com/forum/afw-promo-f44/stopping-a-monster-t9354.html:3618yq7h]declared her intentions[/url:3618yq7h] toward her. Taylor laughed when she called her Cassie "The Crippler" Elliot, and grinned back at Cassie, but she dropped it when she saw Cassie's face. She turned back to watch.

"You are a bear! But not rabid..." Taylor said, and then Aurora started to let her words fly. She unfairly trotted out Cassie's last three matches, that for one reason or another all ended with her opponents being injured. Called her a "psycho sadist" and a monster, and promised to take her out.

Taylor carefully put down her sushi, because otherwise she'd have thrown it at the TV, and then she was on her feet. "Dude, Bear..." She said. Cassie remained frozen in place on the couch, her face was white, her hands still clutched her plate and chopsticks.

There it was. Aurora had made things perfectly clear. She had been waiting for it, anticipating it. She wanted to make sure that if Aurora had to come after her, that she would do so within the confines of the ring, with a referee and rules and some kind of safety. Now that she had her chance, though... she realized how badly she wanted it all to just go away. She didn't want to fight Aurora.

"Cassie, are you gonna go set her straight?" Taylor asked. "You can't just let her say shit like that about you. That's bullshit! Let's go right now, and you can kick her ass and be done with it."

Cassie just shook her head. Taylor was confused for a moment, but shrugged it off.

"A'right, well, fuck it. I'll fight her. I'll call Diao-chan right now and we'll set it up. She can't just fuckin' say that shit about whoever she wants. That's really unfair. And I trained with her, I know what she's got. She's a psycho, but she's got nothing. I'll put her in her place and be home in time for the next match."

Cassie shook her head again. "No," she said dejectedly. "I have to fight her." She looked over at Johnny. "Maybe it's time for us to see about... doing that?"

"Except for the time you made out with and fingered me in the ring." Akashi said with a straight face before eating her sushi roll like she hadn't said a word. But through her chewing a grin unfolded on her lips. "But I don't want to argue with you about that, since I agree. The ring is a place for honor. And I feel alive when I'm in the ring. I don't want to be anywhere else. I just think that there can be honorable combat between two women that is also sexual, but." Akashi shrugged. "Some girls are just sluts and shame even THAT." Akashi sighed. "And that's coming from] a slut..." Akashi added dryly and then shut her mouth with more food before she was forced to eat more of her foot.

Johnny had just been listening when Cassie nudged her. All their words made sense but he didn't feel like he had any room to talk. No matter how honorable he tried to make it sound, he couldn't deny the fact that it was difficult to spin his profession to sound anything other than 'Beats up women for money,' even if his opponents knew what they were getting into and most probably deserved a good ass kicking. He was thankful for Cassie's distraction until he SAW the text.

Johnny's eyes widened and he tried to make it look like he wasn't looking at Cassie, even though he clearly was from the corner of his eye. 'Does Taylor know?' He mouthed silently to Cassie, hoping she could read his lips. His heart started beating quickly and he didn't know what to do. Johnny glanced at Akashi who was still eating and made sure that Taylor wasn't looking as well before he reached over and gave Cassie's leg one quick squeeze as if to tell her 'be cool'.

Akashi watched the promo and furrowed her brow. Everything about it was so horribly wrong. The things Aurora was saying about Cassie, the things Aurora was saying in general. Akashi felt like she was a crusader at times as well, but this girl? This girl was so very wrong. "Mamouru-kun?" And why was he there? Akashi didn't know and wasn't going to wait around for the other three to invite her into the topic.

"Cassie-san!" She said and leaned forward to look at her. "Why ISN'T Mamouru-kun your manager anymore?" She asked. She felt like she was being left in the dark and she didn't take too kindly to it in her own home.

Cassie could only offer a shrug in response to Johnny's question. It was more a question of which part Taylor knew.

She glanced over at Akashi and quickly looked down. She had successfully avoided the topic for so long... "I fired him," she said, but that wasn't the answer Akashi was looking for. Her voice took on a thin, weary, strained quality as she explained. "I... He was trying to protect me from Dark Angel. He wanted to give me easy matches where I wouldn't get hurt. That wasn't his job, and if I didn't stop Dark Angel, then he could've got hurt again."

Just talking about it made Taylor ready to fight. She could hardly hold still, standing on the balls of her feet, poised and ready as if there was a chance Aurora would just barge in through the front door. "Cassie," Taylor said in a low voice. "Now he's managing this chick, who just happens to be on some fucking witch hunt for Cassies?" She shook her head and clenched her fists and paced like she was considering tracking him down right then and there. "No. No, no, no. Johnny, he's your brother. You should kick his ass, because you love him, and because if you let me at him I'm going to make your mom cry. And Mamouru." Her voice rose angrily, colored with her NYC accent. "That mothafucker. I'll call Diao right now, I'll fuckin' book both of em, I don't even give a fuck."

Cassie remained cemented into her place in the couch. At least there she had the relative safety that Johnny provided. "Taylor..." She gently cautioned. Taylor spun to face her.

"What?"