Fox Hunting

[BlackAkuma]

Oof. ‘No father, no sister’. That was a raw nerve, right there, one that AKANE was trying to shut down before it got touched again. Keith held her gaze for a moment, trying to see if he could read anything there,but all he got was a look cold enough to freeze blood. He was tempted - sorely - to give that road one more step, but Tia cut him off as the past, trying to steer him away. It was honestly a little touching, how much effort the Aussie put into protecting her partner.

That way was shut, he wouldn’t get more from AKANE - at least, not on that particular subject. There was one that he thought might get more of a reaction, though. A little risky, and Aika's words were starting to bounce around in his skull, but he felt like he was in a good enough place to try it.

”Right, right. You guys’ve got a list, I don't doubt it. That actually brings me back to one of the bigger names on it, too - Kyoko Akan.”

Keith leaned in and put a hand on his knee as he sat on the edge of his seat, a more offensive posture. ”So, recap, let me know if I miss some details, but…you, AKANE, had a match with Kyoko Akan, you won, but the title match, well…” He trailed off letting that sentence finish itself in whatever way they liked.

”What I - and a lot of people - are curious about is what came next. It wasn’t a POW match, as far as I know, but Kyoko’s minions or whatever, they carried you both to the back. Could you shed some light on what happened back there?”

[Weonna]

Akane didn’t answer right away.

For the first time since she’d sat down—her composure cracked...just a little.

Her eyes flickered. Not with anger this time—but something else. Something far less comfortable.

Her lips parted slightly…then pressed together.

Her gaze dropped.

And for a brief moment—just a moment—there was hesitation.

Embarrassment.

Her fingers tightened against her arm.

“…That—”

she started, but the word didn’t fully come out.

A small breath through her nose.

Her face shifted—subtle, but noticeable. Not red, not exaggerated…just enough to show she felt it.

That question hit her hard...

“…I don’t…”

she tried again, voice quieter now.

Another pause.

Her head tilted slightly away, avoiding direct eye contact for the first time since the interview started.

“…I do not want to talk about that.”

[BlackAkuma]

On the surface, Keith kept things cool, focused, calm, but inside her jaws were watering. AKANE hadn't exactly been a fountain of emotions since they started, but this line seemed to finally strike home in a way that got something genuine. Fear? Discomfort? Something more? There were a lot of questions swirling about that day, and her reactions were already giving away a few answers.

His first reaction was to pull back, withdraw, but he was peeking inside Pandora’s Box, now, and he just had to open it a little more…

Keith shifted in his seated and leaned forward, getting a better look at her on the other side of Tia. ”Hey, I understand. POW matches - well, it wasn’t a POW match, officially, but still. The whole concept of getting dragged to the back by your opponent, then who-knows-what happens, there’s a lot of controversy surrounding that whole scene in LAW. I got a clause in my contract against it, but I know that’s not an option for everyone.”

He looked Tia’s way, trying to see if she would be more forthcoming. ”I know Kyoko’s the champ, but she can’t get away with everything, right? Was there ever any sort of discipline, any clapback against her, or was it all just…under the radar?”

[Weonna]

The second Keith brought up POW clauses and what happened backstage—

Tia’s expression changed.

Not fully.

But enough.

The playful grin she’d been wearing most of the interview faded into something tighter as she leaned back against the couch again, one arm still stretched behind Akane protectively.

"You’re pushin’ it a bit now, mate,”

she said, voice calmer than before which somehow made it more dangerous.

Tia exhaled slowly through her nose before continuing.

“Look,”

she said, rubbing her thumb against the bottle in her hand,

“LAW’s got its own way of handlin’ things.”

A small shrug.

“Some people get away with more than others. Champions especially.”

Her eyes flicked up toward Keith again.

“And Kyoko?”

she scoffed softly.

“She knows exactly how far she can push before management suddenly pretends they didn’t see nothin’.”

A beat.

“You don’t become queen of the division by playin’ nice.”

The room felt heavier now.

Less like a podcast.

More like a warning being exchanged politely.


---

Keith’s mention of contracts made Tia’s brow raise slightly.

“Oh, you got yourself a clause?” she asked, tone faintly amused.

“Smart.”

Then the amusement faded again.

“Not everyone gets that luxury.”

Her fingers tapped lightly against the bottle.

“And some people…”

she glanced sideways toward Akane for the briefest moment,

“…care more about winnin’ than what happens after.”

Akane’s hand tightened slightly against her own arm...No words.

Tia leaned forward now, elbows on her knees, looking directly at Keith.

“But if you’re askin’ whether anyone stopped Kyoko?”

A humorless chuckle escaped her.

“Nah.”

She shook her head slowly.

“People complain. People whisper. But once those cameras stop rollin’?”

her eyes narrowed slightly.

“Funny how quiet everyone gets...And if someone does speak up too loud?”

A slight tilt of her head.

“Well…”

The grin returned.

But there was no warmth in it this time.

“They better be ready for the smoke that comes after.”

[BlackAkuma]

And AKANE was back to clamming up again. Tough nut, this one.

Keith could appreciate what was going on, here. Whatever their relationship really was, Tia seemed set on protecting AKANE, keeping her emotionally stable. It was touching in a way - she might play the big, bad, Aussie, but it was easy to see where her weak spots were like this, and he was definitely poking at the right places.

Or wrong places. Depended on your point of view.

Still, this was a thread he wanted to pull just a little more, even though there was some obvious tension in the room. A quick sideways glance showed the trepidation from his crew, with some of them even moving to put a couple of feet of space between them and the women, as if they expected something to pop off. The risk was there, but he was always a ‘no guts, no glory’ sort of guy, so…

”That sort of stuff is definitely a problem, though…” He rubbed his chin, considering his words for a moment before he pressed forward. ”Some might say you’re part of that problem. Maybe you’ve never done the POW thing yourself, but you’ve definitely been known for taking things out of the ring, like you said before. Some might say what happened with Kyoko - whatever she did to you both backstage - some might say you had that coming. Live by the sword, die by the sword, you know? Reap what you sow.”

He held up his hands and shrugged. ”Don’t shoot the messenger, I’m just saying…maybe you had it coming?”

[Weonna]

The second those words left Keith’s mouth—

The room changed and Tia stopped moving entirely.

There was no grin and no playful comeback this time...
Just a long, still silence as she stared at him.

Beside her, Akane’s head lowered slightly, fingers tightening hard enough against her arm for the tension to show clearly now.

The crew shifting around the room didn’t help.

Everyone felt it.

Then Tia spoke...

"Careful.”

One word.

But it landed heavy.

She leaned forward slowly, elbows resting on her knees, eyes locked onto Keith now—not playful anymore.

“See, there’s a difference between askin’ questions…”

she said calmly,

“and talkin’ like you know what happened.”

Her accent thickened slightly as irritation crept in.

“You don’t and you definitely weren’t back there.”

Akane still said nothing.

But her breathing had changed—slower, sharper.

Controlled anger.


---

Tia tilted her head slightly.

“You wanna say we’re aggressive? Sure...You wanna say we start fights? Fine. We ain’t exactly saints.”

A humorless chuckle escaped her.

“But don’t sit there and act like that means anybody gets to do whatever they want to us after the bell rings.”

Her eyes narrowed.

“Those are two different things.”

Akane finally moved.

She lifted her head just enough to look directly at Keith again.

And there was absolutely nothing soft left in her expression now.

“…You talk too much.”

She said very coldly,

“…You think because there is camera, people laugh, drinks…” her English slowed slightly, but every word hit harder because of it.

“…you can say whatever you want.”

Her jaw tightened.

“…You cannot.”


---

Tia exhaled sharply through her nose before leaning back slightly, though the tension never left her body.

“Mate,”

she said, voice low now,

“you were doin’ real good up until that one.”

A small shake of her head.

“Should’ve left it alone.”

[BlackAkuma]

Keith swore, you could almost taste the change in the atmosphere. The same way you could feel that change in the atmosphere before a rain came on, if you knew exactly what to look for. The way things suddenly got cooler, that earthen, ozone scent, the faint wind coming in. Even though he was new to wrestling and fighting in general, even his senses were pricking up.

The unmistakable sense that a fight was about to break out.

If he didn’t sense it, he could’ve figured it out from the words coming from Tia and AKANE now. Veiled threats, the tenor of their voice, the little fire underneath. The pot hadn't boiled over just yet, but it was whistling, bubbling, steaming. He could either turn down the temperature or deal with the mess.

The smart thing would’ve been to dial things back. Take a chill pill. Tone down the rhetoric.

But the profitable thing? Keith had a reputation. Backing down would mean the floodgates would open and the accusations would fly. He’d be the subject of a thousand Reddit threads. It would be a hit to his clout, and these days, that could snowball. One thing could lead to another…

He was on this train. Like it or not, he had to ride it to the end, whatever that end may be.

”I can say whatever I want,” He leaned forward now, pressing towards AKANE with some aggression of his own. [color=#8000000]”Because it’s my show. That’s kind of how things work.”[/color] He canted his head to the side and looked between the two of them.

”You talk about people doing stuff to you after the bell rings, like they don’t have the right. But neither of you guys are exactly saints, by your own admission. It just comes off as a little two-faced that you complain about a system you’ve both benefitted from and paint yourselves as the victim.” He shrugged. ”No offense, but I just don’t see either of you as victims. I don’t buy it.”