Chaos/Calm
Sept 1, 2016 19:59:46 GMT -5
Post by Fujiko Mine on Sept 1, 2016 19:59:46 GMT -5
"Refocus."
Two short claps ring out, and a small light pushes back the darkness. The lens does its best to heed the command of the voice that preceded it, and once it is able, it focuses upon the face of the FGA Pride champion. She smiles a confident smile from the close up. The camera dollies back, taking on the full view of the woman known as Lady Luck.
"That’s what I have to do. After the disappointment of going to a time limit draw with Savannah Taylor, my ideas of winning the Frontier Lions’ Cup were dashed against the cruel rocks of fate."
A pan of the camera to the right shows that she is standing behind a pair of curtains. They have white tape on them, fashioned in the shape of a star. Fujiko is in attire similar to the one she wore when she defeated Johnny Karma a few months back. The Pride championship is fastened over her chest, gleaming proudly.
"My words, as they pertain to Savannah Taylor, ring true. She has watched her stock rise significantly, even though she was a second away from losing to me. But I’m sure she isn’t the only one thinking that they deserve a shot at the Pride championship."
The camera tracks her as she tosses aside the curtain. It moves into position behind her, and she stands facing away from the camera, her hands behind her head. Despite her imitating her entrance, there is no music playing, and no one is in the arena.
"But before I get there, I have an an amazing opportunity. One match, with Pride Rules, against the one and only Riley Owens."
Fujiko turns to face the camera, which is still tracking her. She stops in the middle of the ramp, and the camera zooms in on her until it captures her from the mid thigh up. She drops the facade of being in the middle of her entrance. With a reach behind her own back, she unstraps the Pride title and maneuvers it to hang over her shoulder.
"There is this idea around wrestling that showing respect is cardinal sin. That disrespect is the name of the game. There are few people who suffer from this lame idea than Riley Owens. Take a look at the FGA career of Riley Owens, and you will see that he did quite well for himself here. He managed to win the Pride championship, and did so from the likes of Jimmy Page."
Fujiko’s eyes flash a little bit, as she gives thought to her own battles with Jimmy Page.
"Not only did he hold this championship, but he held the record for most successful defenses until Tony Carmine recently broke that record this year. Riley Owens defeated future world champion Cyncity and former Pride champion Kevin Hardaway among those defenses. Not only that, but he’s challenged for the FGA World championship. He has had success here, and beyond; yet so many are quick to downplay his career, as if he barely did anything of note. They treat him as if he was Mike Bisignano, Jake Wylde, and Alec Sage, men who came here thinking that they would dominate, but quickly realized that they were not up to the challenge and departed."
Fujiko takes a few slow, deliberate steps back towards the empty ring behind her. This time the camera does not move.
"I get it though, some of you feel like you need to make others look bad in order to make yourselves look good. But you don’t realize how short sighted that approach is. It’s selfish and ignorant that is. But don’t worry, I am going to teach you all." Fujiko gives the camera a cocky smirk. "Without Riley Owens, I might not be here right now as your Pride champion." She gives a glance over to the title on her shoulder. It’s a look of love, and for lack of better words...pride.
"Riley has taken time out of his busy schedule to help me improve. He has taken time and effort out to help pick me back up when I felt like I was at the end of my rope. I don’t care what everyone else has to say, but Riley Owens was, and will be an integral component of Frontier Grappling Arts. To try and minimize his contributions here, or in the now defunct LDFC are foolish."
Fujiko hops up onto the apron, and an alternate shot comes in. Fujiko steps through the ropes, and looks into the new camera, just over the far ring post.
"That said, I am honored to face the former record holder. I am not interested in sitting here and tearing down the legend of Riley Owens. It would be a far more daunting task than most would have you believe. Rather than try and tear Riley Owens down, I am going to instead tell you about me."
There is a flash in Fujiko’s eyes as she slides the title off her shoulder and hangs it over the top rope.
"Riley thought it necessary to tell me about him, as if I didn’t know. Riley, I too, have had success outside of FGA. I’ve been a multiple tag team champion, in both the fabled High Impact Wrestling Federation, and in the Gateway Wrestling Organization. I was branded an eternal tag team specialist. No one ever thought I’d be able to go out there and find success on my own."
Fujiko loses any sense of amusement from her face.
"After failures in Platinum Dynasty Wrestling and Femme Fatale Wrestling. I thought that I was staring at the end. I thought everything was over. I told FFW officials that I was done. I was going to try my hand at modeling, and leave my wrestling boots behind."
Fujiko turns away from the FGA Pride championship, leaving it hanging on the ropes behind her. She angles her head towards the mat, her brunette tresses shielding her face from being seen.
"But then someone helped me realize it wasn’t over yet. Someone made me realize that I could recover from that low point in my life, and redesign my career."
She runs her hand over her hair, exposing her face towards the camera. She looks at it sideways.
"You did, Riley." Fujiko picks her head back up, and then turns to face the camera. "Watching you rise like a phoenix and claim the title that I now hold proudly inspired me to start back at square one, and accomplish my goals no matter what stood in my way!"
She stares into the camera intently, unmoving otherwise.
"I clawed and scratched my way up the ranks in both Ladies All-Star Wrestling and Frontier Grappling Arts, weathering the storm. I got hit with massive setbacks in both. I won and lost the Mid Atlantic Legacy title in short order, and then lost my chance at the Marquee title over in LAW."
She grits her teeth for a moment, choking down the bitter memory of some more recent failures.
"Even as I floundered here in FGA, I pulled myself to the very top of LAW. I won my first World championship. I did it, alone. No tricks, no fast ones. I showed shades the resiliency that I am now well known for.
Fujiko glances at her Pride title between and inhale and exhale.
"But I decided I wanted to focus on one thing. I wanted to focus on where the real competition was. I wanted to focus on a place that believe has the very best talent, bar none, in all of wrestling. I wanted to focus on Frontier Grappling Arts. So, I left LAW behind, and I put all my chips on this table. At first? I lost."
She rolls her eyes, knowing that the story is well known by now.
"But you know the rest of the story by now. You know what’s happened. You know that despite what everyone says, I am one of the best things in Frontier Grappling Arts right now. Regardless of what people say to try and distract; I am great. I am loved, and I am important. These words aren’t some affirmation to try and boost my own ego, these are complete facts. I will repeat this until my last breath, until I get to the top. I have pushed Zero McHannon to his limit, regardless of what he tells you. There’s footage to back up my claims. I took Johnny Karma to his limits, and I’ve beaten him to claim this title. I’ve taken Johnny Cannon to his limit, and he’s needed help to beat me. I’ve taken Tony Carmine to his limit, even after he ambushed me. Have I lost? Certainly. There are no excuses. I don’t sulk and pout after a loss. I didn’t sulk and pout when Savannah and I eliminated each other. I didn’t sulk and pout when I came up short at the Gold Rush Rumble. I got back on my feet and went back after what I wanted. I have proven that there is nothing that can truly stop Fujiko, and I am going to showcase exactly that in a few short days at First Wave."
Fujiko approaches the camera, and places a hand on the Pride championship.
"Riley, I can’t thank you enough. You, Tj, Kayden, Arkia, my family. My friends. You all have made me possible. You’ve made this…" She tilts her head towards the championship. "possible. So no, Riley. I obviously don’t think you’re a failure. But thanks to you? I am a success. And the best way to thank you is to show you what you’ve done for me...and to show you that not even you, as great as you are; can stop me."
She slowly pulls the Pride championship back into her grasp, before backing away from the camera. She looks up at the ceiling, and a single light shines down upon her. She looks up at the last of the light around her, and then back into the camera before the scene dissolves into the FGA logo, copyright 2016.
Fujiko stepped out of the studio at Times Square, feeling the nerves still shaking her mood. She wasn’t a deer in the headlights when it came to non-wrestling assignments, that was miles behind her by now. But she didn’t have the natural acting talent that her mentor, Tj Jones did. She held her own, but she was still a ways away from making waves for any Academy Awards.
As she stepped out onto the pavement, someone lifted a black umbrella over her head. She squinted for a moment, looking up into the sky to see that rain began to fall down around her. It chased away the humidity that accelerated the sweat that escaped from under the band on her bra.
Kylie, the makeup artist assigned to her, did wonders on making sure that she didn’t break out into a sweat on camera. She stayed looking calm and dry from the neck up. Underneath her dress, though, she was sweating like she was ten minutes into a grueling match on Vertigo. A byproduct of her lack of experience behind the camera in a non-wrestling setting.
"Did you have an enjoyable time?"
Fujiko glances over at Hiro Nagashima, who owned the arm that held the oversized umbrella which gives them both shelter from the rain. Fujiko gives him a wide smile.
"I did! Everyone was super nice and encouraging. I mean, I was nervous as heck but it was a ton of fun!"
Hiro offers her a curt nod in response.
"I can provide confirmation to their claims. I thought you did quite well, Fujiko." His comment strikes a chord with her, bringing enough joy to her heart that the rest of her nerves were chased away. The two of them walk in silence for a few moments, and then Hiro speaks up again. "I noted that outside of your introduction and a short vignette, you were not asked any wrestling questions. Did that bother you?"
Fujiko stops for a moment, forcing Hiro to do the same. She focuses on the traffic splashing rainwater all over for a moment. She then nods.
"It was...nice.For once I didn’t have to focus on defending my legacy, or anything like that. It reminded me that despite everything...I don’t have to let my life be consumed by it all. I can let my personal life be separate from the Fujiko that has to be the goddess of the ring. They treated me as an equal. Basically it was nice to not have to constantly defend myself for a few hours."
Hiro took her words in and then slowly began to usher her forward. She noted that a few of Hiro’s shadows were nearby. She wouldn’t notice them if she hadn’t seen them daily, but watching them blending in with the surroundings made her smile. Anyone that planned of giving Fujiko any sort of trouble would have more people descend upon them than they would know.
"Do you suppose you will follow the route of Jones-san? To one day leave the wrestling life behind in favor of other forms of entertainment?"
The thought actually had crossed her mind several times. She recalled at the beginning of her career how she was determined to use wrestling as a platform. She wanted to use to to gain notoriety to where she could make a living as an actor, or singer. She didn’t mind which. But that changed. It changed a long time ago, when Fujiko left cozy confines of the Jones family and struck out on her own in Texas. She was ashamed to even inwardly admit that she felt that way once upon a time. Now, they would have to pry her away from wrestling. She was, and is, above everything; in love with it. She believed even more so than anyone on the FGA roster.
"No. That’s what I used to want, but not anymore. I’m glad to have the ability to do things like this, but not because I want these for myself. It’s because I want to be able to represent FGA as their best champion. The appeal is in being one of the best in the best wrestling company that the world has ever seen."
Fujiko taps her chin as they walk. Hiro keeps his eyes forward, but his occasional wiggling right ear told her that he was listening intently.
"So while it’s nice to get away, and just be a human for a little bit, doesn’t mean I am not ready to get back to the ring already. I am going to Vertigo to try and find an opponent for the Pride title, and then I’m going to fly to the beautiful Hawaiian islands, and further build upon my legacy in beating Riley Owens. But do I want to leave wrestling? No. Not likely. Once upon a time, I did. But wrestling has my heart, and I don’t think it will ever let go."
Hiro gets as close as he possibly can to a smile without actually smiling. Fujiko picks up on it, and raises an eyebrow.
"Are you asking that for mom?" Fujiko trains her eyes forward, not giving Hiro a hint at how her question is meant to be phrased. "Because I really thought we’d gotten past that point…"
Hiro dismisses her comment with a wave of his hand, which makes her cross for a moment. Only a small bit of surprise crossed his face. The relationship between Marcia and Fujiko bloomed tremendously ever since their last conversation, but for even a small bit of distrust to linger? He supposed that was the small scar that was leftover from what was a gaping wound.
"No, the answer to the question is for my curiosity," He states, plainly. "I see how much of your blood, sweat, and tears have gone into wrestling. I watched the heartbreak that you tried to hide from everyone else when you were eliminated from the tournament in the first round. I know it hurt your heart, and I just hope that you are not ultimately consumed by stress and hatred."
Fujiko takes in his words and let them swirl around her head as they continue to walk.
"There have been many who have let their passion for the business corrupt their purpose. Riley applauded you for not turning your back in lieu of your mission. You have the support of all of us as well. But do not become corrupted, as they have. You are better than that, better than them for staying unselfish and true."
They continue to talk side by side, rather than making eye contact. They way they conversed without eye contact gives Fujiko a little discomfort, but she powers through it. If Hiro was beginning to try and tell her to hang up her boots and quit while some thought she was ‘ahead’, he was going to have another thing coming. More than he bargained for, that much she was sure of.
"I don’t feel the discouragement. I don’t feel bitter or any sense of resentment. If anything, it made me more determined to deny any potential challengers from taking my Pride title away from me. It made me want to make this title the one to watch here in FGA. It makes me want to leave this title much, much better than when I found it."
Hiro gives out a single chuckle, and then turns right around a corner. Fujiko does a stutter step in order to keep up. Hiro slowly drifts towards the curb, and reaches out until his fingers grip the handle of a nondescript black car. The door opens upon his insistence. Fujiko gives him a slight bow as she enters, and he closes the umbrella before entering himself.
Fujiko scoots over to allow him entry, and then clicks her seatbelt in place. Hiro does the same, and she immediately begins to peer out the window away from him. He raises an eyebrow at her for a moment, but then sighs and allows her silence for a few moments. The sounds of the rain deflecting off the car and the tires displacing the water on the road lull them for a bit, until Fujiko suddenly speaks up.
"Dad, I look forward to being in this exact position in a few months, either with the Pride title firmly in my possession, or with something more." A slight pause. "I just feel an odd sense of peace, even though I know Riley and I are going to fight each other like we both are staking our lives on the outcome. Even though I know my next challenger is lurking in the shadows. And even though I know there are idiots out there who can do nothing but take idle shots at my expense. I just feel like even though there is chaos waiting for me on the other side of this trip, I just feel really….calm."
Hiro kept his eyes forward as she spoke, listening to every syllable that came from her and lingered in the air. After she finished what she had to say, he let silence become a buffer. He wanted to make sure that his reply was of appropriate weight. He knew that to her, he was the master. He taught her everything she knew. He would continue to be there for her. More than Riley Owens was. Or Kayden. He was there before Nevaeh, Arkia, Crystal Millar, and even Tj Jones himself.
She was his life’s work...and he was proud to say what came next.
"With that mindset, my little bird...you are ready."
Two short claps ring out, and a small light pushes back the darkness. The lens does its best to heed the command of the voice that preceded it, and once it is able, it focuses upon the face of the FGA Pride champion. She smiles a confident smile from the close up. The camera dollies back, taking on the full view of the woman known as Lady Luck.
"That’s what I have to do. After the disappointment of going to a time limit draw with Savannah Taylor, my ideas of winning the Frontier Lions’ Cup were dashed against the cruel rocks of fate."
A pan of the camera to the right shows that she is standing behind a pair of curtains. They have white tape on them, fashioned in the shape of a star. Fujiko is in attire similar to the one she wore when she defeated Johnny Karma a few months back. The Pride championship is fastened over her chest, gleaming proudly.
"My words, as they pertain to Savannah Taylor, ring true. She has watched her stock rise significantly, even though she was a second away from losing to me. But I’m sure she isn’t the only one thinking that they deserve a shot at the Pride championship."
The camera tracks her as she tosses aside the curtain. It moves into position behind her, and she stands facing away from the camera, her hands behind her head. Despite her imitating her entrance, there is no music playing, and no one is in the arena.
"But before I get there, I have an an amazing opportunity. One match, with Pride Rules, against the one and only Riley Owens."
Fujiko turns to face the camera, which is still tracking her. She stops in the middle of the ramp, and the camera zooms in on her until it captures her from the mid thigh up. She drops the facade of being in the middle of her entrance. With a reach behind her own back, she unstraps the Pride title and maneuvers it to hang over her shoulder.
"There is this idea around wrestling that showing respect is cardinal sin. That disrespect is the name of the game. There are few people who suffer from this lame idea than Riley Owens. Take a look at the FGA career of Riley Owens, and you will see that he did quite well for himself here. He managed to win the Pride championship, and did so from the likes of Jimmy Page."
Fujiko’s eyes flash a little bit, as she gives thought to her own battles with Jimmy Page.
"Not only did he hold this championship, but he held the record for most successful defenses until Tony Carmine recently broke that record this year. Riley Owens defeated future world champion Cyncity and former Pride champion Kevin Hardaway among those defenses. Not only that, but he’s challenged for the FGA World championship. He has had success here, and beyond; yet so many are quick to downplay his career, as if he barely did anything of note. They treat him as if he was Mike Bisignano, Jake Wylde, and Alec Sage, men who came here thinking that they would dominate, but quickly realized that they were not up to the challenge and departed."
Fujiko takes a few slow, deliberate steps back towards the empty ring behind her. This time the camera does not move.
"I get it though, some of you feel like you need to make others look bad in order to make yourselves look good. But you don’t realize how short sighted that approach is. It’s selfish and ignorant that is. But don’t worry, I am going to teach you all." Fujiko gives the camera a cocky smirk. "Without Riley Owens, I might not be here right now as your Pride champion." She gives a glance over to the title on her shoulder. It’s a look of love, and for lack of better words...pride.
"Riley has taken time out of his busy schedule to help me improve. He has taken time and effort out to help pick me back up when I felt like I was at the end of my rope. I don’t care what everyone else has to say, but Riley Owens was, and will be an integral component of Frontier Grappling Arts. To try and minimize his contributions here, or in the now defunct LDFC are foolish."
Fujiko hops up onto the apron, and an alternate shot comes in. Fujiko steps through the ropes, and looks into the new camera, just over the far ring post.
"That said, I am honored to face the former record holder. I am not interested in sitting here and tearing down the legend of Riley Owens. It would be a far more daunting task than most would have you believe. Rather than try and tear Riley Owens down, I am going to instead tell you about me."
There is a flash in Fujiko’s eyes as she slides the title off her shoulder and hangs it over the top rope.
"Riley thought it necessary to tell me about him, as if I didn’t know. Riley, I too, have had success outside of FGA. I’ve been a multiple tag team champion, in both the fabled High Impact Wrestling Federation, and in the Gateway Wrestling Organization. I was branded an eternal tag team specialist. No one ever thought I’d be able to go out there and find success on my own."
Fujiko loses any sense of amusement from her face.
"After failures in Platinum Dynasty Wrestling and Femme Fatale Wrestling. I thought that I was staring at the end. I thought everything was over. I told FFW officials that I was done. I was going to try my hand at modeling, and leave my wrestling boots behind."
Fujiko turns away from the FGA Pride championship, leaving it hanging on the ropes behind her. She angles her head towards the mat, her brunette tresses shielding her face from being seen.
"But then someone helped me realize it wasn’t over yet. Someone made me realize that I could recover from that low point in my life, and redesign my career."
She runs her hand over her hair, exposing her face towards the camera. She looks at it sideways.
"You did, Riley." Fujiko picks her head back up, and then turns to face the camera. "Watching you rise like a phoenix and claim the title that I now hold proudly inspired me to start back at square one, and accomplish my goals no matter what stood in my way!"
She stares into the camera intently, unmoving otherwise.
"I clawed and scratched my way up the ranks in both Ladies All-Star Wrestling and Frontier Grappling Arts, weathering the storm. I got hit with massive setbacks in both. I won and lost the Mid Atlantic Legacy title in short order, and then lost my chance at the Marquee title over in LAW."
She grits her teeth for a moment, choking down the bitter memory of some more recent failures.
"Even as I floundered here in FGA, I pulled myself to the very top of LAW. I won my first World championship. I did it, alone. No tricks, no fast ones. I showed shades the resiliency that I am now well known for.
Fujiko glances at her Pride title between and inhale and exhale.
"But I decided I wanted to focus on one thing. I wanted to focus on where the real competition was. I wanted to focus on a place that believe has the very best talent, bar none, in all of wrestling. I wanted to focus on Frontier Grappling Arts. So, I left LAW behind, and I put all my chips on this table. At first? I lost."
She rolls her eyes, knowing that the story is well known by now.
"But you know the rest of the story by now. You know what’s happened. You know that despite what everyone says, I am one of the best things in Frontier Grappling Arts right now. Regardless of what people say to try and distract; I am great. I am loved, and I am important. These words aren’t some affirmation to try and boost my own ego, these are complete facts. I will repeat this until my last breath, until I get to the top. I have pushed Zero McHannon to his limit, regardless of what he tells you. There’s footage to back up my claims. I took Johnny Karma to his limits, and I’ve beaten him to claim this title. I’ve taken Johnny Cannon to his limit, and he’s needed help to beat me. I’ve taken Tony Carmine to his limit, even after he ambushed me. Have I lost? Certainly. There are no excuses. I don’t sulk and pout after a loss. I didn’t sulk and pout when Savannah and I eliminated each other. I didn’t sulk and pout when I came up short at the Gold Rush Rumble. I got back on my feet and went back after what I wanted. I have proven that there is nothing that can truly stop Fujiko, and I am going to showcase exactly that in a few short days at First Wave."
Fujiko approaches the camera, and places a hand on the Pride championship.
"Riley, I can’t thank you enough. You, Tj, Kayden, Arkia, my family. My friends. You all have made me possible. You’ve made this…" She tilts her head towards the championship. "possible. So no, Riley. I obviously don’t think you’re a failure. But thanks to you? I am a success. And the best way to thank you is to show you what you’ve done for me...and to show you that not even you, as great as you are; can stop me."
She slowly pulls the Pride championship back into her grasp, before backing away from the camera. She looks up at the ceiling, and a single light shines down upon her. She looks up at the last of the light around her, and then back into the camera before the scene dissolves into the FGA logo, copyright 2016.
Fujiko stepped out of the studio at Times Square, feeling the nerves still shaking her mood. She wasn’t a deer in the headlights when it came to non-wrestling assignments, that was miles behind her by now. But she didn’t have the natural acting talent that her mentor, Tj Jones did. She held her own, but she was still a ways away from making waves for any Academy Awards.
As she stepped out onto the pavement, someone lifted a black umbrella over her head. She squinted for a moment, looking up into the sky to see that rain began to fall down around her. It chased away the humidity that accelerated the sweat that escaped from under the band on her bra.
Kylie, the makeup artist assigned to her, did wonders on making sure that she didn’t break out into a sweat on camera. She stayed looking calm and dry from the neck up. Underneath her dress, though, she was sweating like she was ten minutes into a grueling match on Vertigo. A byproduct of her lack of experience behind the camera in a non-wrestling setting.
"Did you have an enjoyable time?"
Fujiko glances over at Hiro Nagashima, who owned the arm that held the oversized umbrella which gives them both shelter from the rain. Fujiko gives him a wide smile.
"I did! Everyone was super nice and encouraging. I mean, I was nervous as heck but it was a ton of fun!"
Hiro offers her a curt nod in response.
"I can provide confirmation to their claims. I thought you did quite well, Fujiko." His comment strikes a chord with her, bringing enough joy to her heart that the rest of her nerves were chased away. The two of them walk in silence for a few moments, and then Hiro speaks up again. "I noted that outside of your introduction and a short vignette, you were not asked any wrestling questions. Did that bother you?"
Fujiko stops for a moment, forcing Hiro to do the same. She focuses on the traffic splashing rainwater all over for a moment. She then nods.
"It was...nice.For once I didn’t have to focus on defending my legacy, or anything like that. It reminded me that despite everything...I don’t have to let my life be consumed by it all. I can let my personal life be separate from the Fujiko that has to be the goddess of the ring. They treated me as an equal. Basically it was nice to not have to constantly defend myself for a few hours."
Hiro took her words in and then slowly began to usher her forward. She noted that a few of Hiro’s shadows were nearby. She wouldn’t notice them if she hadn’t seen them daily, but watching them blending in with the surroundings made her smile. Anyone that planned of giving Fujiko any sort of trouble would have more people descend upon them than they would know.
"Do you suppose you will follow the route of Jones-san? To one day leave the wrestling life behind in favor of other forms of entertainment?"
The thought actually had crossed her mind several times. She recalled at the beginning of her career how she was determined to use wrestling as a platform. She wanted to use to to gain notoriety to where she could make a living as an actor, or singer. She didn’t mind which. But that changed. It changed a long time ago, when Fujiko left cozy confines of the Jones family and struck out on her own in Texas. She was ashamed to even inwardly admit that she felt that way once upon a time. Now, they would have to pry her away from wrestling. She was, and is, above everything; in love with it. She believed even more so than anyone on the FGA roster.
"No. That’s what I used to want, but not anymore. I’m glad to have the ability to do things like this, but not because I want these for myself. It’s because I want to be able to represent FGA as their best champion. The appeal is in being one of the best in the best wrestling company that the world has ever seen."
Fujiko taps her chin as they walk. Hiro keeps his eyes forward, but his occasional wiggling right ear told her that he was listening intently.
"So while it’s nice to get away, and just be a human for a little bit, doesn’t mean I am not ready to get back to the ring already. I am going to Vertigo to try and find an opponent for the Pride title, and then I’m going to fly to the beautiful Hawaiian islands, and further build upon my legacy in beating Riley Owens. But do I want to leave wrestling? No. Not likely. Once upon a time, I did. But wrestling has my heart, and I don’t think it will ever let go."
Hiro gets as close as he possibly can to a smile without actually smiling. Fujiko picks up on it, and raises an eyebrow.
"Are you asking that for mom?" Fujiko trains her eyes forward, not giving Hiro a hint at how her question is meant to be phrased. "Because I really thought we’d gotten past that point…"
Hiro dismisses her comment with a wave of his hand, which makes her cross for a moment. Only a small bit of surprise crossed his face. The relationship between Marcia and Fujiko bloomed tremendously ever since their last conversation, but for even a small bit of distrust to linger? He supposed that was the small scar that was leftover from what was a gaping wound.
"No, the answer to the question is for my curiosity," He states, plainly. "I see how much of your blood, sweat, and tears have gone into wrestling. I watched the heartbreak that you tried to hide from everyone else when you were eliminated from the tournament in the first round. I know it hurt your heart, and I just hope that you are not ultimately consumed by stress and hatred."
Fujiko takes in his words and let them swirl around her head as they continue to walk.
"There have been many who have let their passion for the business corrupt their purpose. Riley applauded you for not turning your back in lieu of your mission. You have the support of all of us as well. But do not become corrupted, as they have. You are better than that, better than them for staying unselfish and true."
They continue to talk side by side, rather than making eye contact. They way they conversed without eye contact gives Fujiko a little discomfort, but she powers through it. If Hiro was beginning to try and tell her to hang up her boots and quit while some thought she was ‘ahead’, he was going to have another thing coming. More than he bargained for, that much she was sure of.
"I don’t feel the discouragement. I don’t feel bitter or any sense of resentment. If anything, it made me more determined to deny any potential challengers from taking my Pride title away from me. It made me want to make this title the one to watch here in FGA. It makes me want to leave this title much, much better than when I found it."
Hiro gives out a single chuckle, and then turns right around a corner. Fujiko does a stutter step in order to keep up. Hiro slowly drifts towards the curb, and reaches out until his fingers grip the handle of a nondescript black car. The door opens upon his insistence. Fujiko gives him a slight bow as she enters, and he closes the umbrella before entering himself.
Fujiko scoots over to allow him entry, and then clicks her seatbelt in place. Hiro does the same, and she immediately begins to peer out the window away from him. He raises an eyebrow at her for a moment, but then sighs and allows her silence for a few moments. The sounds of the rain deflecting off the car and the tires displacing the water on the road lull them for a bit, until Fujiko suddenly speaks up.
"Dad, I look forward to being in this exact position in a few months, either with the Pride title firmly in my possession, or with something more." A slight pause. "I just feel an odd sense of peace, even though I know Riley and I are going to fight each other like we both are staking our lives on the outcome. Even though I know my next challenger is lurking in the shadows. And even though I know there are idiots out there who can do nothing but take idle shots at my expense. I just feel like even though there is chaos waiting for me on the other side of this trip, I just feel really….calm."
Hiro kept his eyes forward as she spoke, listening to every syllable that came from her and lingered in the air. After she finished what she had to say, he let silence become a buffer. He wanted to make sure that his reply was of appropriate weight. He knew that to her, he was the master. He taught her everything she knew. He would continue to be there for her. More than Riley Owens was. Or Kayden. He was there before Nevaeh, Arkia, Crystal Millar, and even Tj Jones himself.
She was his life’s work...and he was proud to say what came next.
"With that mindset, my little bird...you are ready."
