Beginning to Bloom: Kyoko & Reiko

[Misfit_Alien]

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- 5:00 A.M. -
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The blaring alarm sound coming from the phone posted on the nightstand marked a new day for the phone's owner and recent LAW Young Lioness, Kyoko Matsumoto. She woke up with a groggy start, rubbing her eyes and whining. "Whyyy-...why do I have to wake up so early!?" She said, balling up underneath the covers after turning off her alarm. "Hmph!! Why can't 'Oni-senpai' just let me relax, uwah-!!!" She whined further. "It's bad enough I don't have any friends or a roommate yet, but waking up so early for training? This sucks...but I don't wanna quit either." She said, letting out a brief sigh. "If I don't hurry now, Oni-senpai will kick my butt again. I don't wanna disappoint this time." She said, rising up out of the covers, shaking her head, and getting out of bed a few minutes after her alarm. She was clad in a t-shirt that was a size too big for her, it nearly draped over her scantily clad bottom half as she was wearing nothing but panties along with the shirt. She stretched her body and turned her phone's alerts on, having the built-in voice read out her notifications, texts, and recent news.

Kyoko Matsumoto then went over to a little nook in the corner and she tapped the floor, soon some footsteps could be heard as a small white cat with colorful fur would emerge. "Morning Mochi~, it's good to see my baby!! Who's a good girl, who's a good kitty?" She said, taking some food pellets out of a bag and feeding them to her beloved cat. "I'll be gone for a while so keep guard of my room, 'kay?" She told the cat who continued to eat away at the pellets. "Aww, you're such a softie~!!" She said, soon getting sidetracked...for almost an HOUR.

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- 5:40 A.M. -
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"OH GOSH WHERE DID THE TIME GO!?!?! HOW DID I LOSE TRACK OF TIME, MOCHI!?! THIS ISN'T GOOOOD!!!" She yelled, the young woman would soon move on to brushing her teeth, getting her round of hygiene done, and hopping into the shower. After a nice cool shower to wake her up, she stepped out and flopped onto the bed with a sigh, having some second thoughts. "Maybe...just five more minutes?" She said, petting her cat as it hopped onto the bed before burying her face into her pillow. "Hmm...Mmm...ugh, NOOOO. I can't be lazy if I wanna be a wrestler, plus Oni-senpai might track me down." She said, getting back up and then getting dressed.



She packed up her gear into a gym bag, and she began to race to the door, sprinting through the halls in order to make it to the gym before the clock reached six...usually a ten-minute bus ride from where she was...if one ACTUALLY CAUGHT THE BUS. Instead, it'd be a thirty-minute sprint that she would have to do in less than TWENTY.

Kyoko races down the stairs and through the lobby, quickly spotting something in the corner of her eye. Usually she'd be sidetracked but this was actually something important...MUFFINS...She needed to eat but also, she saw a rare sight: A PLUM MUFFIN

"A PEACE OFFERING!!!" She said, quickly snatching two complimentary muffins, one blueberry and the other being the previously mentioned plum muffin and continuing her race to the gym. By the time she got there, she was out of breath and almost already sweating as she reached the door by the time of...

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- 6:03 A.M. -
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Kyoko let out a frustrated sigh and she looked around. "M-Maybe, she isn't here yet? As long as she doesn't suspect anything, I may be able to get off scot-free this time!!" She thought to herself, ignorantly hoping and thinking she may be safe from consequences...and ultimately being incorrect in her assessment of the situation.

[dlamp]

"Nope, you're practically a half-hour late and not even that muffin is gonna' save you from me."

Reiko voice came from right behind the gym door as it immediately shut behind Kyoko in a loud slam. She moved herself in front of the door, arms crossed and frowning. This had to be the third time Kyoko was late to a private training session, and it was starting to get more than a little annoying. Reiko wasn't exactly a trainer for the Young Lioness program, just an assistant. She didn't have the belt rank to be recognized as a teacher of any of the martial arts she knew, nor did she have a teaching certificate. It wasn't just that her LAW contract said she wasn't a direct trainer, Reiko couldn't be a trainer, she lacked the proper credentials for it. But that didn't stop every other Young Lioness from calling her Oni-senpai and asking for private training sessions. And so long as it was just general sparring and advice as specifically a LAW wrestler she'd be in the clear, at least legally (Himeko was right, contracts were a massive pain).

And so here Reiko was, in her white gi and dark blue hakama, waiting for nearly thirty goddamn minutes for an supposedly eager trainee wanting to get their hands dirty in a private session with the Demon, only to show up late and thinking a mere muffin would have the flames of her irritation wane. And as tempting as trying a plum muffin was, it wouldn't save her training partner this morning. "Seriously Kyoko-chan, I know it's early, but you gotta' get ready for it. I have these sessions so early so it doesn't eat into my training time." She explained, walking past Kyoko to the the center of the gym on the mats. One of the nicer things of being a contracted wrestler with a training job was that she got the keys to the gym to use as she saw fit, along with a private area for her own use. "Well..." She looked over Kyoko, noting her sweat and panting. "It looks like you're already warmed up." She grabbed a water bottle from the edge of the mats, handing to to Kyoko. "Eat your breakfast and drink this. We'll start when you're finished with that."

[Misfit_Alien]

Kyoko's entire body shivered upon hearing Reiko's voice from behind her followed by the slam of the doors to the gym. She let out a scared yelp, hopping back and away from Reiko as she screamed. "R-Rei-...Uhm, I mean-...Oni-senpai, you scared me!!" She replied, head already in the clouds somewhat. "W-well I thought that today's session was at six and stuff...I'm sorry, please forgive me!!! Wahhh~!!!" She whined, bowing profusely and offering the muffin still...it wouldn't save her but she could at least still give it. Due to her bowing her head and frantically whining, she was soon smacked on the head by the water bottle, letting out a small squeak and then catching the bottle upon having it rebound off the top of her cranium. "Ahh, my head." She said, shaking it and having some petals fall out, but it didn't even look like there was any difference in the number of sakura petals plaguing her hair.

"I'm truly sorry Oni-senpai, I got sidetracked but I tried getting here as quick as possible, honest!!! I promise, it won't happen again, just please don't give up on me!!! " She exclaimed. "I'll...I'll be right back!!" She said, going to the locker rooms to eat and change into her clothes. In about eight minutes, she had eaten and cleaned up, returning to the private room in her gear now, partially blushing as she stood before Reiko, seeing her dressed in her own gear. "Uh...have I told you that you look just as pretty today as last time, Oni-senpai?" The floral-themed kouhai said to her senpai.

[dlamp]

Seriously... Reiko resisted rolling her her eyes, taking the muffin offering before switching it out with the water bottle. She watched the girl run off the back rooms, taking a moment to eat the little bribe her kouhai gave her. "Hm, not bad..." She didn't know what to expect from a plum-flavored muffin, but it was definitely better than what she expected, and washing it down with the water was surprisingly smooth. That girl's real different from me... To this day Reiko still shuddered a little at being called Oni-senpai. She had no idea how that name stuck to her, and she was even more frazzled by how many Young Lionesses and newer LAW wrestlers earnest called her that title. "Ugh... can't believe I'm actually doing this..." The realization had been setting in for weeks now, but she was really feeling the pressure with these little private sessions. People looked up to her. People wanted her attention. People now saw her as a wall to overcome. "How does Ane-san and Onee-san do this?"

Her eyes trailed along the trail of flower petals on the mat, immediately scowling at them. Nerves or not, that was definitely something that always annoyed her about training Kyoko specifically. Petals. Everywhere. Every drill she ran the girl through, her throw, toss, or strike exchanged left a mess of petals and flower scents all over the place. I'm so making her clean this up later.

Soon Kyoko came out in her proper wrestling attire, and almost immediately she tried complimenting and pandering to Reiko. She only gave her dear kouhai a sickly sweet smile in turn. "You have, Kyoko-chan." She mused, her smile soon turning to a sharp scowl. "Four times. Whenever you're late and wanna' see if buttering me up will get you less punishment." She crossed her arms again, sighing. "I'm not totally awful, Kyoko-chan. I won't give up on you until you give up on yourself. Just show up on time and then we won't have to cut these sessions short." Plus... the muffin she gave her was tasty. It'd be a shame to lose a periodic free snack.

"Alright then." Reiko rolled her shoulders. "I don't have a plan for you today, so is there something you wanted to work on?"

[Misfit_Alien]

Kyoko giggled, hiding the slight blush on her face from the view of Reiko as she covered her cheek with her hands while stifling her laugh. "I don't compliment you to butter you up...that's what the muffin was for, silly Oni-senpai." She said. "I compliment you...cause, I really do think these things about you. I've got nothing to gain if I lie, after all. B-but before I keep on rambling, I've got work to do!!! I kinda had two things I wanted to work on with you today, Oni-senpai." She said, trailing off a bit. She found the fellow lightweight to be so intimidating yet...weirdly approachable, in a sense. Ever since she had met her, Kyoko always felt like she was at her best whenever she was near Reiko, it was a strange sensation that she couldn't quite put her finger on. Even when they began to train and Kyoko continued to get her ass kicked EVERY. SINGLE. SPAR....it didn't bother her, she still looked up to Reiko, and she was determined to make her proud someday.

Still, even though her dedication her faults were still her faults...she still had that partially timid and airheaded nature of her's but she was steadily overcoming that when it came time for action inside the ring. She was becoming more focused and steadily reaching a level of competency, on top of becoming a better wrestler one step at a time. These harsh drills really helped her out over time, and it was showing!! She had Reiko to thank for that...she wanted to let her senpai know how much it meant to her, how much SHE meant to her...but she didn't know how to do so. So she pushed the thought back into her head and proceeded on with her words.

"I was hoping we could go through our usual sparring routine for a round or two and then....transition into, um..." She paused. "W-well you see, I've got this match coming up, i-it's for my debut, finally...But, it's a 'hentai' match...and I've never even heard of those outside of LAW. So...if you have any pointers or experience, a sort of 'hentai'-spar could help..."

[dlamp]

Reiko's expression turned serious as Kyoko explained her goals for the morning. A hentai spar. If not for the explanation beforehand Reiko would had thought her kouhai just wanted to have sex with her like Tanner awhile back, and given all the high-profile hentai matches with her PPV against Eirina and her participation in the H1 Climax she had been getting several DMs, emails, and letters wanting to challenge her in those kinds of matches from several newbies and rookies. But no, Kyoko's interest were much more clear. Her debut would be a hentai match, and that thoughts alone had Reiko worried. Her mind went back to her own first match, the ruthless last-woman-standing hardcore match that had her old yellow kimono dyed red from all the bleeding her and her opponent did. A brutal affair that might had encouraged a weaker rookie to retire right then and there, especially after such a big loss. But it was also a match that Reiko was proud of surviving and still sticking with LAW.

But... Kyoko was different. She was still in training, and Reiko knew being thrown to the wolves like that would be a nightmare for someone as shy and reserved as Kyoko if she went in unprepared. "Hm..." She bit her lower lip, thinking on it. Reiko might have had a record of hentai matches, but that record was filled with losses and near misses. She wasn't exactly sexually experience, only sexually willing to throw herself into matches like that and do her best in them. She... really didn't know if she could give good advice on this like Nanase could. Still, she had to try. Her kouhai was asking this after all. "Okay Kyoko-chan." Reiko looked Kyoko in the eye, her eyes sharp with serious intent.

"We'll do a quick warm-up round to loosen you up, then we'll work on hentai stuff." She said, rolling her shoulders. "Hentai matches are a way different beast than normal matches, but I'll try and give you a quick crash course. Now..." She took a short breath before taking her stance, arms up and legs apart.

"Come at me!"

[Misfit_Alien]

Upon hearing Reiko accept her request, Kyoko's smile grew as it stretched across her face. "Ohhh!!! Thank you-thank you-thank you Oni-Senpai!! I'll be sure to bring you a WHOLE six-piece of plum muffins for this, I won't' disappoint you!!!" She declared, almost jumping in then and there to give Reiko a big ol' hug, but now wasn't the time for cuddles of friendship between senpai and kouhai, now was the time for ACTION...for a FIGHT!!!

"Whoopsie, almost forget." She said sheepishly before she backed up and began to stretch, eyeing up Reiko with a small blush. She was always intimidated by the woman, even when she wasn't in character as Amano. Something about that 'aura' of hers just radiated this presence that evoked fear within the Young Lioness. Although it WAS terrifying, it was good for her, if she didn't have fear she couldn't overcome it. Over the past few training sessions, Kyoko had become slightly less timid. She still had plenty to work on but she was steadily becoming more focused and serious in the ring, it was like a switch going off in her head, activating her 'In-Ring' mode, so to speak. Kyoko let out a deep breath, remembering Reiko's very own words when she performed as Amano Jaku, the Rascal Demon:

"Come at me like you wanna' kill me, 'cuz that's the only way you're gonna' win!"

Well, Kyoko didn't want to KILL her but she wanted to kick Reiko's butt, for the past...what was it...Three? Five? Six!!! For the past six sparring sessions, Kyoko had been effortlessly taken down in the span of around two or so minutes. Reiko DID NOT mess around and Kyoko appreciated that...if she was ever to fight with some of the best, she HAD to be prepared to fight anyone as if they operating at a 110%. She got her stance and focused her gaze down on Reiko's body, quickly rushing in and going for a classic Collar-and-Elbow Lock-Up grapple...but it was actually a feint, a trick!!!

This little move was something she had been drilling during her free time. If Reiko fell for it, Kyoko would quickly slip around her and go for a Waist Lock, wrapping her arms around her senpai's lower body, squeezing her tight, interlocking her fingers to get a nice grip, and pressing her weight onto Reiko's back. While similar to a Bear Hug, this Waist Lock would prove to be way easier to transition into moves from for a beginner like Kyoko, but it was still a rookie's move nonetheless.

[dlamp]

After a quick stretch and moment to collect herself, Kyoko soon entered her battle mode, rushing forward for a lock-up. And Reiko... found herself scowling at the sight. Really Kyoko-chan? In fairness, the girl was still a beginner, and practicing the straightforward, easy stuff was for the best, but Reiko figure after six spars and six hard losses the girl would realize a straightforward approach with Reiko of all people would be a death sentence. Guess I'll have to drill that into her head even harder. Reiko braced herself, leaning forward as the distance closed. The plan was to unsettle and unnerve Kyoko with a headbutt in the middle of the lock-up, a standard technique Reiko often used in the ring against straightforward types like Kyoko. From there it's be a bit of grounded wrestling before she set up a submission.

But that didn't happen.

"Ah-?" No, Kyoko did learn something after her six losses. She didn't just run forward like an idiot, she actually dipped out of Reiko's range and slipped behind herself, getting her arms locked around Reiko's waist. "... ... ..." She blinked, glancing back at Kyoko with raised eyes. Huh. It was a pretty good trick, Reiko was so use to her being straightforward that the small feint caught her off guard. It was honestly a technique worthy of someone that had frequent spars with Reiko.

But...

"Not enough!" A good move from a Lioness was an average move for Reiko, and it'd take more than a sly trick to get her down. She reacted fast, quickly moving her foot around Kyoko's leg and ankle to try kicking it out from under her and make the girl lose balance.

[Misfit_Alien]

She got her...SHE GOT HER!!! The move had actually managed to successfully dupe the far more experienced wrestler. Kyoko had gotten the woman to drop her guard to any other approach from her kouhai. Kyoko was completely lost in the moment as she smiled, continuing to press her weight down on Reiko's back, making several attempts to find the right position she wanted to swap her into, but Reiko was proving difficult to wrangle...it was already a challenge thinking of how she could approach the woman, but it was an even bigger struggle just trying to keep her steady for long enough so that she could actually DO something if she succeeded in Step 1.

"Waaah!!!? It worked...I mean-, uhhh...!!!" The Young Lioness exclaimed. "H-Hah!!! Gotchu!!!" She said, grinning as she tightly squeezed her. "Just gotta....get you to....hold still Oni-Senpai!!!" She yelled, trying to keep her immobile but the woman was too sly...too rowdy. Kyoko couldn't keep up with the amount of resistance that Reiko was showing.

This fact would become more evident after Reiko snapped back into the fight, did she pause earlier because she was actually taken by surprise? Did she space out and is that why Kyoko was successful? Was she pausing because she realized that Kyoko was actually learning? Or maybe...it was a mix of different things? Either way, it didn't matter much as she was back into the swing of things, quickly finding holes in Kyoko's maneuvers and making a way out for herself by trying to hook her leg around Kyoko's and make the girl trip and lose her footing.

She was almost successful at it too...but Kyoko was ready with a follow-up. She was GOING to beat Reiko and show her that she was learning...that she was committed to getting better. She would make an attempt to use Reiko's counter against her. She lost her balance alright but she moved with it to build momentum for a Russian Leg Sweep, sliding herself to the side of Reiko. She would proceed to push Reiko and herself into a Front Roll, which would lead to a Body Scissor Roll-Up position, Kyoko quickly locking in a PIN ATTEMPT as she tried to fold Reiko's legs over her body to keep her pinned, shouting as she counted up to three.

"ONE!!!"

[dlamp]

"Like I'm gonna' just let you!" Reiko snarled back, refusing to stay still and give her junior further opportunity. Her attempted at a leg sweep seemed successful at first. But her kouhai was, and as the two tipped forward she was readying herself to try and slam Kyoko hard on the mats as payback. But... her junior was starting to take notes from Reiko's method of aiki and using an opponent's momentum, stubbornly clinging to Reiko and turning her leg sweep into an outright reversal. "Whoa!" And rather than a slam Reiko found herself to tipping forward with extra momentum into a roll. Another clever maneuver by her kouhai, and one that had an even quicker follow up as Kyoko wrapped a leg over Reiko's waist and quite literally rolled her up into a pin, her legs dangling above her as she heard Kyoko shout the first count.

"I don't think so!" And immediately Reiko started bucking legs forward to try and break the pin. She wasn't going to just let her kouhai literally roll up on her this easily.