Post by Deleted on Sept 7, 2019 18:28:29 GMT -8
Angel flicked the zippo open and lit the end of her cigarette. Fresh out of the shower, she stood on the balcony of her hotel room, taking in that first drag as the cool night breeze kissed her skin and ran through her damp hair. She was dressed comfortably in purple sleep shorts and a white tank top, watching the sun set over the horizon. I won, she thought. She won her debut in Sanatorium. Her second opponent was a man named John Blade. She knew him. Well, of him. Her friend, Shelley Silver had mentioned him before, with a bad taste in her mouth. Now, Shelley was flooding her email with video links to the man’s previous matches for her to study up on him. He was big. He was tough. But Angel was fast and knew how to hit. I can beat him. I will beat him. I HAVE to beat him! If she did, she was first in line for a shot at the Demolition Championship. Going on to win that title meant more money. Money was what she needed, right now. Thinking of that reminded Angel and she checked the time. It was eight thirty at night, and Japan was twelve hours ahead. Angel stepped back into the hotel room and got settled in on her bed as she opened up her laptop and opened Skype. She highlighted “Fumiko Kusanagi” and hit “Call” once she saw she was online. The screen lit up with the face of her mother, barely even fifty, herself.
“Ah! Yukiko-chan! Good morning! Or, I should say evening there, yes?” Angel’s mother’s face lit up with a smile as she greeted her daughter.
“Hi, Mom.” Angel said, reaching over to grab her ashtray she kept with her to drop ashes in. “It’s passed eight at night, here.”
“I thought you quit?” Angel’s mother remarked with concern and disappointment.
“I did.” Angel replied simply as she pulled the cigarette from her lips and smirked at the older woman on the screen.
Fumiko gave a playful frown and swatted at the camera. “Oh, listen to you! Sarcastic like your father!” She smiled, then. “We miss you.”
“I miss you, too.” Angel said with a sad smile of her own. “How’s Dad?”
Fumiko smiled and rolled her eyes. “Working as always.” Her and Angel, or Yukiko as her family called her, laughed together.
“And Yujiro?” Angel asked, inquiring about her little brother.
“He’s…. He’s well. Just going to school.” Fumiko said, sighing and trying to keep her smile.
Angel frowned. She knew when her mother was hiding something. “Is he still hanging out with those boys?”
Fumiko nodded, hesitantly. “That boy won’t listen to me, anymore, Yukiko-chan. I wish you could talk to him. I bet he would listen to you!” Fumiko frowned sadly, worried about her youngest.
“I wish I could, too.” Angel felt a sting in her heart that made her think of her family. Yujiro just never seemed to be home or awake whenever she did call when he was home. Something occurred to her, then. Her face lit up. “Wait! I might be able to! There is a tournament next month taking place there! I have signed up!” Angel watched her mother’s face light up with excitement. “I will try to come and see you!”
“Oh, that would be wonderful!” Fumiko’s face lit up and she brought her hands together. She gave an excited little dance in her chair at the idea of seeing her daughter. “Speaking of! Didn’t you have your first match in a new company? How did it go?”
Angel smiled a little arrogantly as she thought back to her match with Sarah Frost. “Well, I won. So there’s that. I think this place offers win bonuses per match so, more wins means more money!”
Fumiko brought her hands to her heart and smiled sadly. “That’s good. I’m glad you’re doing well.”
Angel saw the look on her mother’s face and her own smile dropped. “Have you talked to Tsuki-chan, lately?”
Fumiko just shook her head and looked away from the camera. She wiped a tear away as it fell down her cheek.
“Mom.” Angel said sternly and placed her fingers on the screen where her mother’s face was. “I’m going to do this. I know you don’t like the idea, but I’m going to get the money we need. Things will be fine. I promise.”
Fumiko looked back up at the webcam and managed a smile. She nodded, reluctantly. “I believe you, Yuki-chan.”
Angel nodded. “Good.”
Angel and her mother talked for another hour or so before Angel decided to say goodnight. When she was finished, she lit up another cigarette and poured herself a glass of sake that Shelley Silver had brought back for her from a recent trip to Japan. Angel brought the glass out onto the balcony, sipped at it and smoked her cigarette as she opened up her with Shelley and began tapping on links. Each one was of her next opponent, John Blade’s previous matches and promos for other promotions he had been in. Angel frowned as the process of watching each video began to feel more like a chore than even studying up on him. All of his segments are the same. She thought, as she watched with a bored frown. It’s like he’s reading from a script and just swapping out names and cities. She shook her head and looked through a couple of his highlight reels. This bored her even more. This fucking gaijin is way too flashy and a showoff. I’m supposed to be worried about him? Angel tapped out of the video and texted back to Shelley Silver in the best English she could. ‘He fucking joke.’ She locked the phone and sat back to enjoy her cigarette. I hope you’ve improved, Blade. Otherwise, you may as well just hand me that number one contender-ship for the Demolition Championship. She thought with a grin. I promise.
“Hi, Mom.” Angel said, reaching over to grab her ashtray she kept with her to drop ashes in. “It’s passed eight at night, here.”
“I thought you quit?” Angel’s mother remarked with concern and disappointment.
“I did.” Angel replied simply as she pulled the cigarette from her lips and smirked at the older woman on the screen.
Fumiko gave a playful frown and swatted at the camera. “Oh, listen to you! Sarcastic like your father!” She smiled, then. “We miss you.”
“I miss you, too.” Angel said with a sad smile of her own. “How’s Dad?”
Fumiko smiled and rolled her eyes. “Working as always.” Her and Angel, or Yukiko as her family called her, laughed together.
“And Yujiro?” Angel asked, inquiring about her little brother.
“He’s…. He’s well. Just going to school.” Fumiko said, sighing and trying to keep her smile.
Angel frowned. She knew when her mother was hiding something. “Is he still hanging out with those boys?”
Fumiko nodded, hesitantly. “That boy won’t listen to me, anymore, Yukiko-chan. I wish you could talk to him. I bet he would listen to you!” Fumiko frowned sadly, worried about her youngest.
“I wish I could, too.” Angel felt a sting in her heart that made her think of her family. Yujiro just never seemed to be home or awake whenever she did call when he was home. Something occurred to her, then. Her face lit up. “Wait! I might be able to! There is a tournament next month taking place there! I have signed up!” Angel watched her mother’s face light up with excitement. “I will try to come and see you!”
“Oh, that would be wonderful!” Fumiko’s face lit up and she brought her hands together. She gave an excited little dance in her chair at the idea of seeing her daughter. “Speaking of! Didn’t you have your first match in a new company? How did it go?”
Angel smiled a little arrogantly as she thought back to her match with Sarah Frost. “Well, I won. So there’s that. I think this place offers win bonuses per match so, more wins means more money!”
Fumiko brought her hands to her heart and smiled sadly. “That’s good. I’m glad you’re doing well.”
Angel saw the look on her mother’s face and her own smile dropped. “Have you talked to Tsuki-chan, lately?”
Fumiko just shook her head and looked away from the camera. She wiped a tear away as it fell down her cheek.
“Mom.” Angel said sternly and placed her fingers on the screen where her mother’s face was. “I’m going to do this. I know you don’t like the idea, but I’m going to get the money we need. Things will be fine. I promise.”
Fumiko looked back up at the webcam and managed a smile. She nodded, reluctantly. “I believe you, Yuki-chan.”
Angel nodded. “Good.”
Angel and her mother talked for another hour or so before Angel decided to say goodnight. When she was finished, she lit up another cigarette and poured herself a glass of sake that Shelley Silver had brought back for her from a recent trip to Japan. Angel brought the glass out onto the balcony, sipped at it and smoked her cigarette as she opened up her with Shelley and began tapping on links. Each one was of her next opponent, John Blade’s previous matches and promos for other promotions he had been in. Angel frowned as the process of watching each video began to feel more like a chore than even studying up on him. All of his segments are the same. She thought, as she watched with a bored frown. It’s like he’s reading from a script and just swapping out names and cities. She shook her head and looked through a couple of his highlight reels. This bored her even more. This fucking gaijin is way too flashy and a showoff. I’m supposed to be worried about him? Angel tapped out of the video and texted back to Shelley Silver in the best English she could. ‘He fucking joke.’ She locked the phone and sat back to enjoy her cigarette. I hope you’ve improved, Blade. Otherwise, you may as well just hand me that number one contender-ship for the Demolition Championship. She thought with a grin. I promise.
