Upward

"I'm not real into headphones," Taylor shouted over the music. "And I like to drive so I get to pick the music, but you have to help me find something... special, ya know? For Johnny."

Taylor was admittedly a little distracted while she navigated the congested Tokyo streets in her modest little Fiat. She had one hand on the wheel, the other on her CD player, and she leaned over toward her mother-in-law in the passenger seat to improve the odds of her voice carrying over what was, at the time, Deftones. It was likely that Junko wasn't used to the same exuberant volume levels that Taylor, and Johnny, preferred, but Taylor had decided early on that, while she would try to meet her halfway, Junko was going to have to accept her as she was.

It was a sentiment echoed by her shirt, another from her burgeoning personal business. It was a thin, clingy, white t-shirt, washed to a dirty, grungy gray, with the words "AS IS" sprawled across it in bold, defiant, sloppy letters and her "RSG" logo shadowed behind them. She also wore tight jeans and a brown belt with a conspicuous, shiny belt buckle and a pair of decidedly cowgirl boots, with the usual eyebrow ring and nose stud, and a stud in each ear. She lifted her hand and shook her assorted brightly-colored bracelets down on her wrist, and continued to jab at the stereo while the first few seconds of an unending stream of songs, ranging from raucous punk to electronic dance music to sensitive folk to Sinatra, blared from the speakers.

"Whatya ya think?" She glanced over at Junko, as if the woman should have any idea what she was talking about.

Junko did her best to maintain a smile through Taylor's cacophonous music as she blasted it in her car. The smile was a little forced, and half hearted at best, but she was diligent in trying to maintain it.it wasn't even the music, really, even though the blonde kept it at uncomfortable volumes. It was the fact that Junko wasn't even sure if they had listened to a single song in its entirety yet.

Finally she couldn't take it and reached out her hand and placed it on Taylor's so she could. Gently push it off the stero's controls. "Let the radio do its job Taylor-chan." Junko said in an easy tone. "I know you think I'm an old fogey that can't handle obnoxious music but I've been around people who have been listening to it long before you were born. And Junichi-kun is my son, remember? One of the girls that was wrestling when Junichi was young gave him a record for his birthday. She loved Amerucan musica and he wouldn't stop bugging her about it. I was shocked she gave him the record." Junko smiled "But not as shocked as Junichi-kun, fufu~" it was Dead Boys' 'Young, Loud and Snotty' and it still crackled loudly through the new Higurashi household just as it had for years previous. It was one of the few 'things' that Johnny considered prize possessions.

"Junichi-kun was never tough to shop for." She said. "I could get him anything and he'd be satisfied and grateful. Mamouru was always the tricky one. Even though he acted the part well enough, I could always tell if a gift was unsuccessful fairly easily. He couldn't hide things from me, fufu." Junko tilted her head. What's the occasion? How are you getting along in your new place?" She asked. She had received the news with bittersweet feelings. They'd be closer than tthey had been in Kyoto but still not in Tokyo. She gave Taylor a wry smile. "But now you have a good home for my grandchildren, fufufu. And when I'm getting along in years, I'll have somewhere to go. I was getting a little worried. But that's a long ways away. I'm more fit physically and mentally than most girls your age, fufu."

Taylor laughed. "Oh, yeah, I know that album veeeeeerrry well..." She nodded. It was one of the albums that helped her warm up to the old school, though Johnny had a way of wearing out its welcome. She couldn't complain too much, given how frequently Rise Against filled their house.

"Oh, I kind of told you. It's for a... thing. Ya know. A special thing. That I wanted to do for Johnny."

Taylor had been locking herself in Junko's gym, away from Johnny, for certain training that she wanted to keep from prying eyes. She found herself just a little embarrassed about it, really, or at least a little self conscious. She didn't want to say too much too early, in case it turned out to be a really terrible, stupid idea.

[url=http://youtu.be/rOV6I4fYnvQ:22y3an9p]The song that remained[/url:22y3an9p] on the stereo after Junko's intervention set Taylor's eyes alight, and she quickly changed the subject. "Ohmigod, this song, I don't ever care." She grinned at Junko and quickly inched up the volume. "You have to do Cassie's part. Ready?" She waited until the right time, and then threw one finger out to cue Junko and began to sing loudly. "I'm biting my tonnngue!" Two fingers! "He's kissin' on youu!" Three! "Oh, why can't you seee?" She pounded her fist in the air above the steering wheel and wiggled in her seat. "One! Two! Three! Four!"

Taylor giggled and danced in her seat while she pulled into the AFW parking garage. Parking was okay at AFW, it was remember where you parked that was a total nightmare.

Junko raised her eyebrow at Taylor. The girl's words were not as clarifying as she was hoping they would be. "You didn't though, Taylor-chan." Junko said shaking her head and smiling. "You just said what you just said." Was the girl up to something? Even if she was, it probably didn't have anything to do with Junko. She had noticed Taylor had been training a lot in her gym, which is exactly what she wanted, but there were also times when she wasn't training WITH Junko. The older woman didn't pay much attention to it. If Taylor was training hard, then it didn't matter what she was doing. She'd been around some pretty quirky wrestlers in her day and someone wanting to train alone sometimes didn't even really qualify as a quirk so Junko ignored it.

But before Junko could contemplate it further, Taylor had cranked up the music. Junko shook her head as Taylor tried to get her to sing. She waved her hands but was giggling. "Taylor-chan! I don't know any of this!" She said. How could she even sing? She wouldn't sing a song she knew, most likely.

She stepped out of the car quickly when Taylor pulled up, letting the loud radio blare and echo into the parking garage for a moment before she closed the door, still hearing it thump and thud for a few moments. She sighed, pressing her hand against her chest, a faint smile still on her lips. She then looked around. She had come here a million times before and soon she would be here to try and sign Taylor up for another match. It all seemed very mundane but as she looked at the car, there were a few things that she couldn't help but feel were far more thrilling than ordinary.

After the whump of the closing car door, Taylor's muffled voice could still be heard outside, singing along at the top of her lungs.

"THE WORD'S ON THE STREETS, AND IT'S ON THE NEWWS! I'M NOT GONNA TEACH HIM HOW TO DANCE WITH YOU!"

She usually had some difficulty cutting a song short, but she wouldn't keep Junko waiting. It'd be there waiting for the trip back. She turned the key and the car vibrated to a stop, and silence like a refreshing breeze returned. She jumped out and skipped to walk next to Junko on their way in.

"A'right, so what's the plan?" She asked cheerfully. She could hardly move slowly enough to keep pace with her mother-in-law, and so she danced in place with each step. "Are we gonna go after the second biggest chick in Friction? Well, actually, I guess Tomko's the biggest man-or-woman in Asia right now, but maybe we can talk about that after I take some flying lessons and find a biplane with an anti-King Kong machine gun. Do you have a plan?"

Junko chuckled softly as she walked with Taylor. The girl was always so full of energy. It reminded her of her youthful days. She was still quite vivacious but after two kids and a long marriage, she'd learned how to keep her energy in check.

"Welllll, I do like the idea of you being a giant killer, Taylor-chan." She said as she strode through the AFW building towards the offices. A much different beast than the parts of the sprawling complex that were made for the wrestlers, though no less labyrinthine. "But I feel you're bigger, better than that. You're a real talent. You should be champ. We can have you fight big girls but I don't want you to be pigeonholed. I think the next match should be against a high caliber opponent."

Junko stepped into an elevator to take them up a few more floors. "Fufu. I set up an appointment. I know it sounds like i have a real pkan but right now i just want to browse who's available. What about you, Taylor-chan? How' that super secret training coming along?"

"Leave off the giant, man, I'm a killer. It doesn't matter how big they are," Taylor boasted evenly. "And I'll be champ pretty soon. I'm not real worried about it. I just want to get back in there as soon as possible."

She stood next to Junko in the elevator and glanced over at her. "Oh, it's going. It's not gonna help me in the ring, though." An inscrutable little smile played across her lips, and she breathed a laugh. "Or maybe it will, who knows. I feel good though. Like, really good. About everything. I feel like everything's really together with me, Johnny, Cassie... now that the Dark Angel thing is all done."

And Akashi and the school teacher lost their big tag match... not that she felt particularly good about that. "Right now, I feel like a walking fucking catastrophe for anyone in a ring. Ya know? I am a bad fucking day. I'm a natural goddamn disaster. I'm an act of god. I've got fire," she tapped her chest and looked Junko straight in the eye. "In here. And every match you're gonna see the flames start to crawl a little more until no one can even bring up Friction in conversation without talking about me." She grinned, big and bright. "Ya know?"

The elevator dinged. Taylor put the tip of her index finger in her mouth and then wiggled it quickly into Junko's ear, and then skipped out into the halls. "How's that for a promo?" She sang back over her shoulder.

Junko nodded to Taylor. "mmhmm." She hummed in agreement. Taylor would definitely be the champ one day. And Junko expected it to be sooner rather than later. Junko shifted her glance to a wry one when Taylor teased her about what her secret training may or may not do. Now she was starting to get intrigued. "Good, good, good!" Junko said, brimming with cheer as she clapped her hands together. "I like the attitude Taylor-chan." She said and nodded along with the spirited girl.

She felt like she was as pumped as Taylor until something wet and slimy stuck in her ear. "Egyaah!" She shivered and squealed. She marched out of the elevator and tried to fiddle with her wet ear. "What the hell!?" She barked. Her tone was light but scolding. "A whole building full of people and you do that to and you're a brat to your okaa-chan!? I ought to drag you down to the meeting by your ear!" She snorted and crossed her arms before undoing them and fiddling with her ear again.

She walked hurriedly to catch up with Taylor and pulled out her fan. She wrapped Taylor's head gently with it and waved it at her in a scolding tone. "Your promo was very good, Taylor-chan." She said. "Now don't waste it on someone like me. Keep that inside of you until you're out in front of the crowd!" She smiled at Taylor She then turned as she made her way down the hall. "We should set up another promo. I'm a little curious to see what might come of it. Sometimes the best way to get what you want is to ring a bell and see who shows up for dinner, fufu~"

Junko then pushed her fan against her lips. "Maybe you should fight an up and comer. Just really put the business on her to show that you only want tough contenders now. Or maybe someone who might be in line for the title. Or maybe Angel herself. Fufu..." Junko grinned. "So many delicious options. It's too exciting!"

Junko pulled open the door to Rally Fortuna's Office. Inside was a pink haired girl, clacking away at a keyboard. She stopped when she heard the door open. "Mrs. Higurashi." She said with a polite smile. She then tilted her head. "And Mrs. Higurashi!" She said to Taylor. "Eheh, heya Taylor." She said and gave a friendly wave. She then turned and pulled out a large book and let it flop on her desk. "Everyone who is on the "accept any match" list that isn't also on the "too injured to accept a match." list."

"Ow." Taylor rubbed her head where she was brutally clubbed with the folding fan. "Hey, if the rookies want a piece of me, they know where to find me. I'm not gonna call out some nobody. Fuck that. They already kinda set me up for that with the whole Tessa Price thing."

She turned the corner into Rally's office, but the sight of Mercy made her pause. To her recollection, the last time they were in the same room, Taylor threw Mercy bodily against a wall. Or was it a door? Or... no, the last time she saw her, she dragged her out from under a crazy bitch dog-pile on TV. That wasn't so bad then.

"Sup." She glanced down at the book. She didn't really have any ideas for who she wanted next, aside from maybe Angel. But she wanted to make sure that when she got her shot, no one could try to say she didn't deserve it. She wanted to earn everything, and not just get good matches because she had a smart manager.

But she did have a smart manager, which was probably a good thing. Taylor herself couldn't scheme her way out of a paper bag. It was a miracle she managed to sell t-shirts.

"Hey, so who's the scariest chick in AFW right now?" She asked no one in particular.

Mercy looked between Junko's smile and Taylor's nonchalant greeting. She was fine with the atmosphere and decided it would be best to get down to business. "Um... well.." She said, addressing Taylor. "It depends on what you mean by scary? That Iron Maiden girl might still be but you kicked her butt. Angel's at the top of the food chain, so some might consider her to be. Then again, some might say it was Cecilia Northman." Mercy tilted her head. "But it could be Brittany Luvve too. She's beaten you AND Cecilia and is the hardcore champ. With her and that red head running around, a lot of girls don't want to end up lost in the AFW building these days." She said, trying to be as earnest as possible.

Junko pushed her lips against her fan. She shook her head. "We're not looking for those kinds of matches. Sure, if it gets a little rough, Taylor-san can handle it. There's no issue there. But just a hardcore match? No. We're not doing one of those."

Mercy frowned and looked down at a piece of paper in front of her. She pulled out her pen and began to draw quick, sharp lines. "I guess that leaves out Reika Suzuka, Liberty and Sabre then." She said. Mercy then turned her head and smiled slyly. She waved her hand dismissively. "You could always wrestle Kelly. She's getting a little too big for her britches. She's been really annoying since she lost her show too. Somehow she has managed to get more obnoxious. But somehow she's also managed to get a little better at wrestling, it seems." Mercy shrugged.

"Uh..." Junko said. She wasn't sure. Would it be a good idea? She always thought Kelly was a side show with more ambition than talent. She turned and looked to Taylor.