Another Day, Another Story (Open Thread)

[RedShinigami]

Addicted

Harmonia Edelstein was an addict.
No on knew about that black stain in her glamorous life.
Indeed she was hooked when she was 12. It started small, they presented it to her, gave it to her, later she had to pay.
Her income as international Supermodel provided her with the needed money to afford her dark desires.

Even now as her career and relationship started to bloom, the blonde could'nt surpress her urges. She needed it, on a monthly basis now. And the fear of getting caught grew and grew with each day that passed.
She wanted to tell her loved ones but how could you confess something like that to your family.
She should have known better, should have stopped when they stopped giving it to her for free and charged her for it.

But that thrill!
Sitting in her secret room, sealed with three big locks, she sat almost every friday evening and did it. Every week she went to her dealer, sometimes he dropped it at her house, hidden under a bush in the front yard.

It was friday evening again. The austrian beauty sat on her table in her private room and was all alone, the bright light of a lamp breaking through darkness.
The skin of her ivory forehead dripped with sweat as she grabbed for it, took it between her slender fingers and bit her lower lip.
She did'nt want it to stop, the rush should never stop!

She smiled a tired smile and proceeded, it was almost 12pm and her body was close to giving in as the thing dropped out of her shaking hand and onto the floor.
"No, no, no!", Harmonia screamed and jumped out of her seat.
"Where is it, where is it?"

Harmonia Edelstein gave a pathetic performance crawling on the floor but that was, what an addiction made out of you.
"If I don't find it... Then..."
Harmonia felt something touching her fingertips and sighed.
"Thank god... Thank god..."

The blonde got back into her chair, her arms on the table.
Carefully she lowered the item, sighed satisfied when it touched the surface and pressed with her thumb on it.
"Oh... Yeeees... Gooood...", the blonde Wrestler grinned and sank back in her chair.
It was finished...

Her new Lego Ferrari was finally done.
Yes, Miss Edelstein was addicted and nobody could know about it as she sat, surrounded by various expensive Lego Sets in her own private room.
Lego.
Not even once.

[LowDefinition]

Mayhem

Yuzuha was seen lifted with her arms restrained by two security officers. She tried her hard to get herself free from their grasp, her legs kicking out frantically. "OI! The fuck did I do to get treated like this ha!? I'M A FUCKING PAYING CUSTOMER YOU KNOW!?" She shouted out as she was dragged away from the supermarket. "You can't do this to me! I'm not the one who started this you fuckwit!" She continued her complain. Her face was bruised slightly from a brawl.

Behind her lay the trails of the crime scene. The supermarket was in a state of a mess with bodies laying around various places. Men, women, customers, retail clerks, some security guards... All of them were victims of the mayhem in the supermarket. But not all the place were in a mess. It all followed a path. A path that leads to the butchery section of the supermarket.

Following the path from the entrance... One could see a clerk hanged on a trolley with his upper body inside it, it was like a comic book thing gone real. Groaning out in pain as he was unable to move out of the trolley. Continuing on, bodies lying against the aisle rack, one's head were covered by a plastic shopping basket. All of them are either unconscious or just unable to move without help. Before reaching the butchery section, one would have to pass the fruits and vegetables section.

The scene was horrible, stains of fruit and vegetable juices covering the floor, more bodies laying around the market concentrated here as it was the nearest of the place that caused it all. But luckily everyone is not seriously wounded. Just bruised pretty badly or knocked out cold. Reaching the butchery, there lies the one that caused this brawl in the market.

In one of the refrigerated displays, there was a package of beef steak. Not just any beef steak, it's the beef that is known as the holy grail of beef. The Matsusaka Wagyu Beef steak. It was the last one in stock and it was sold in a hugely discounted price. Beyond the refrigerated display lays pile of unconscious bodies of people who were fighting to buy that last package of beef.

"My... Wagyu Beef..." Yuzuha looked down in defeat as tears welled up in her eyes. All that she wanted was a taste of the expensive beef for her dinner. "Fuck this market..." She lamented as tears flowing down her eyes while she is dragged away from the supermarket. Painfully accepting that she won't get to eat it on the cheap. And that she might face some repercussions for participating in this mayhem.

The aftermath though... Yuzuha was able to get away with it without any charges pressed on her. If anything, the supermarket that did the special sale essentially dug their own grave. As the victims piles on lawsuit actions against them, along with the stocks that got destroyed in the brawl... And that the Wagyu Beef that they sold in the sale was in fact, not a Matsusaka Beef as marketed, it was Wagyu but it's not a Matsusaka Beef or even any of the other big three Wagyu brands in Japan. The supermarket also got sued for false marketing and in a month after that mayhem... The supermarket put up a clearance sale before closing down for good due to losing too much money.

A month later, when Yuzuha heard the truth about this... She punched a passerby's face so hard that she knocked them out in one punch. "MOTHERFUCKER!" She cursed as she storms off in her anger.

[CaptainL]

Well...it was a living. She just wanted to find one job she didn't have to be embarrassed about.

When an English pub in downtown Tokyo by the name of the Wolf and the Bunny put out an announcement that they were looking to hire new waitresses, that message went out to LAW's email servers. After a much-publicized confrontation between Finella Edelstein and Chelsea Forster had taken place there, the pub's owner felt the LAW connection was good for business, particularly when he lent the company his services as a manager. When he needed the help, he felt the LAW roster was a perfectly fine place to reach out to. After all, the promotion was full of eager young ladies who wouldn't balk at the chance to make a few extra yen, and it would keep the fans coming if it meant the possibility of meeting one of their favorite wrestlers in the flesh.

And of everyone on the LAW roster, if anyone couldn't say no to the promise of money, Mizuki Sakura had to be high on that list. A chance to get some extra cash to help put herself through college wouldn't hurt, and even if the pay was low, at least she wasn't risking a concussion waiting tables - she hoped. But...did the uniforms have to be this skimpy?

Spoiler

"H-Here's your drink, sir..." Mizuki muttered in her soft voice, setting a frothy glass of ale down on a table. "Are you...h-happy with everything..?"

"Mmhm," came the response from the patron, a husky man whose voice was more than a little bit slurred. "Thanks, sweetheart~"

Mizuki blushed, straightening herself back to her feet before turning toward the counter. As soon as she got up, though, she felt a run form in her stockings and sighed. If they weren't this tight, she thought to herself, this wouldn't be such a problem. Either way, she leaned over to straighten them out...in the process sticking her bunny-tail-adorned behind out toward the man she was serving. She didn't realize where she was up until she felt a firm grip around her cheek, and her face went beet red.

"E-EEP..!!" Mizuki cried out, the sound of her voice causing every head in the bar to turn toward her. She fell forward, and promptly went toppling over another table, spilling the glass on it in the process. No sooner had she felt her landing that she picked herself up, turning with wide eyes toward the man sitting at the table she'd landed on. "I'm sorry!! Oh, I'm so sorry-! It was an accident, I'll get you another one-"

But a moment later, Mizuki took a pause, and her eyes went wider. She knew this man - it was one of her professors at school. "K-Kurata-sensei..!? What...are you doing here?"

The professor blinked a few times, tilting his head to look at his waitress with a raised eyebrow. Then, he realized it. "Yoshina-san, is that you-?"

Mizuki gasped, holding a finger up to Kurata's lips. Her face went red, and she bit her lip nervously, sweat trickling down her brow. As if this hadn't been bad enough, she just had to go and speak up. If she hadn't, he wouldn't have recognized her. Now, how was she going to explain this!? "Shh..!! N-Not so loud, please..!"

"Ah..." It wasn't long before Kurata realized what she was getting at, and he nodded his head with an understanding look. "Don't worry," he continued in a softer voice. "I'm not going to tell anyone."

"H-Huh..?!" As Mizuki straightened herself from the table, out of reflex holding her arms at either side of her chest and leaning over closer - if nothing else, she'd taken her training about how to hold herself to heart, and if there was anything she could say in favor of her outfit it was that it did a good enough job of making even her look like she had a decent bust - she stared back at him in shock for a few moments. "You...you mean...you're not mad, or anything..?"

"Huh? Why would I be mad?"

Mizuki cleared her throat. "Just, uh...that I'm, you know, here. As a waitress. Wearing, uh, this. I know you'd probably wish I had a more...respectable job, or something..." She blushed a little harder, hoping the topic of LAW didn't come up. She didn't know what she'd do if it did.

But Kurata shook his head. "Don't worry, Yoshina-san. I know that raising tuition money is hard, and you're just trying to make ends meet. You're a very bright young woman, and I'm sure you'll do fine. We all do things we're not proud of when we're your age, you know?"

"You...you think so?" She sat up a little straighter, smiling wider. "T-Thanks a lot, Kurata-sensei-! I don't know how to repay you..."

"No need. I'll pay you for the other beer, too. Consider it my tip, okay?" He pulled out another bill, setting it on the table. Mizuki stared down at it in shock for a few seconds before picking it up. Even when she held it in her hands, Mizuki could hardly believe anyone would be so generous to her. "You r-really...don't need to..."

"It's my pleasure," he insisted. "Really. And don't let the perverts get you down, okay? If you ever feel unsafe, don't be afraid to speak up. Folks only get handsy when they think they can get away with it. But that's what the bouncers are for."

Mizuki blushed harder, with a smile steadily growing across her face. When she took this job, she thought it'd be demeaning and shameful, the kind of thing she wouldn't tell her parents about even if she was still in touch with them. And...to some degree, it was, but she was happy to know someone could still care.

She cleared her throat, straightening herself from the table. "U-Uh, anyway..! One beer coming up!" Mizuki picked up the glass and turned to leave - but it was just then that Kurata spoke up again behind her.

"Oh, by the way! You think you'll be around for the jello wrestling?"

"W-WHAAAT!?" Mizuki stopped in her tracks, blushing harder - and blushing harder still when she realized how loud her exclamation had been. After all she'd heard from her professor tonight, she wasn't expecting to be hit with that.

"Hey, now," Kurata chuckled, "just because I respect women doesn't mean I can't appreciate them too!"

[Deskfan45]

Rise and Shine...

Skylar Jones woke up in a hotel room, her arms and legs sprawled about and her blanket kicked aside, barely even covering her left leg. The sun shined through the window, which she was closest to. The brunette leaned up, her long brown hair tangled as she let out a long yawn, before turning her head to admire the sunrise. Her mother once told her she was named for sunrises and sunsets. Turning her head to the right, she was face to face with a sleeping Cecilia Lombard, her tag partner curled up in her blanket like a burrito.

Skylar Jones

Cecilia Lombard

Looking at the sleeping beauty, Sky smirked, getting an idea. Slipping out of her bed, she put on a white tee-shirt, before stealthily pulling a Bluetooth speaker from her backpack. Fending off her laughter, she placed the speaker in front of her sleeping friend's face, before pulling out her phone, and starting a song...

The song

"WHAT IN THE FUCK!?" Cecilia jolted awake, screaming as the bass dropped. In a frenzy, she grabbed the speaker, and threw it against the wall, silencing the obnoxious music. As she calmed down, she glared at Skylar, now giggling hysterically. As she noticed her friend's glare, Sky stuck her tongue out mockingly. Cecilia sighed, settling back down under the covers, pressing her pillow against her ears. "Goddammit, Sky...if I wasn't so tired right now, I'd smother you with this thing." She muttered with a slight growl, resting her eyes. As Skylar's giggling subsided, she rose to her feet, putting on some jeans before going out to grab some breakfast...

[FreestylePoet]

A cadre of five women stood backstage, each of them in various states of disarray. For once, Julie Dykstra-Liao wasn't the most relaxed of the bunch. Her pre-fight shadowboxing routine almost looked intense; while she still maintained her characteristic looseness, she exhaled sharply with every jab, hook, and uppercut. The linoleum tiles below squeaked as she shuffled her feet in time with the swivels of her hips.

"Hey, careful." Off to the side, her manager, Dr. Christina Morgenstern, spoke softly. She was probably the most nervous one in the room, but only just. Somehow, the weight of the occasion had almost turned Julie as fretful as her caring worrywort of a manager. "Warming up is important, but you do not want to hurt yourself."

Julie glanced over at Christina, briefly tightening her muscles for a moment before sighing. She dropped her stance. "Hehe… Of course you'd notice that I'm going too hard, Doc."

"Yeah."

"Yeah."

Suddenly, an orange-haired woman piped up, her loud voice echoing across the locker room. "I dunno what you're so worried about. You've worked hard to get here, y'know?" Leonie Bowen, the deceptively caring powerhouse of their team, clapped Julie on her shoulder.

"I know! I'm not even that nervous, really. More amped than anything. It's just… This is kinda important to me, right? More than even a regular Pay-Per-View match would've been."

"You mean for your contract stuff." Louise Vandenbroeck stood a ways away, leaning coolly against the lockers with her arms crossed.

Julie nodded at her statement. As of now, her contract didn't allow her to stream inside any LAW buildings or events. She could only take pictures in the locker room – not even the rest of backstage! It was well known that, over the past few months, the Notorious JDL had been on a mission to convince LAW to change that. She'd taken on new match types, pulled off publicity stunts, showed new skills, flashed new attires… And now was the time to put it all together. The make or break moment.

The former basketball player shrugged. "They already look stupid for not letting you stream your stuff. Just do what you do best: Make them look even dumber." Louisey always did know how to cheer her up.

"Yeah!" An assenting chirp rang out, punctuated by an excited jogging of sneakers against the tiles. Shiori Takeda, the newest and youngest member of their team, scurried over. "Just think of it like a big show! You're great at those!" Julie couldn't help but smile widely at the intern's praise. Coming from her – not just a cute voice but also an avid watcher of streaming and wrestling alike – it was genuinely a great compliment.

Beaming, Julie pinched Shiori's cheek. "Aww. Flattery will get you everywhere, Shiori-Chan!" She stepped forward, ruffling the shorter girl's green hair.

"Ow, quit it!" Shiori didn't push her away though, instead giggling at the tousling. "Uh, by the way, Ryotaro said they're ready for you."

"Oooh~ Ryotaro…? Isn't that the hot green-haired guy who runs the show some nights?"

"Uhhhh…"

"Awwww! Does Shiori-Chan have a cruuuuush?"

"N-No!" Shiori's face suddenly went into full bloom! "It's not like that, we just- I just-!"

"Just wanna fuck him?" Leonie draped herself over Julie's shoulder, grinning cheekily at the intern.

"NO!"

"You can admit it, you know. He is a rather attractive man." Doc followed suit, finally closing her trusty binder full of notes.

"DR. MORGENSTERN!"

"If even Dr. Morgenstern can see it, it must be true." Even Louise chimed in, though she didn't move from her spot on the lockers.

"You guys…!" Now all Shiori could do was pout. The whole team started to laugh, and honestly? The whole thing was like a weight off of Julie's shoulders. The girls were just what the kickboxer ordered before the biggest night of her life.

Still, there was something missing. Or more accurately, someone. "…" She looked off to the side, where there was a notable gap in their formation. "Brooke should be here."

Sighing, Christina nodded. "She should be. And she will be… with time." The rest of Team Stanza had nothing to add. They all knew that Brooke had been having a rough time recently, and though they tried to reach out to her, they hadn't had much luck in that regard. Now, this was their biggest night as a team, and Brooke couldn't even muster up the will to attend. Julie frowned at the thought. "Still…" Christina sighed. "If they say it is time to go out there, then it is time to go out there." She gave Julie one more once-over. "You are ready. You know you are ready."

"Yeah! Go Julie!" Shiori pumped her fist into the air with a cheerful cry.

Leonie crashed her knuckles together. "She's got no chance! You've been trainin' for this, and now it's time to show this Annette chick what you're made of."

"Aww, thanks, Lee- OOF!" Her thanks were interrupted by a crushing hug, courtesy of said redhead! "H-Hey! Hands off the merchandise, Lee!" Grinning from ear to ear, she wriggled out of the redhead's grasp.

Then she turned to Louisey. Good old Louisey. Not the kind of gal who was into lewd stuff like this! In fact, she was a bit of a tsundere, when it came down to it. Waggling her eyebrows, the streamer grinned cheekily and bit her lip at her friend.

A beat passed as they stared at each other. Then another. Finally, she offered a resolute fist. "Go fuck her up. Then fuck her. Or whatever."

Julie's balled fist tapped atop Louise's. Louise's did the same to Julie's before they finished with a bump of their knuckles. The Californian winked at her teammate. "Aww, Louisey! Does that mean you're gonna watch?"

Despite Louise's unimpressed eyebrow, she couldn't stop her face from matching her trademark scarlet streak. Still, she nodded. "Just don't get any funny ideas out of it. And don't call me Louisey."

"Wouldn't dream of it!"

And with one more wave to her teammates, Julie Dykstra-Liao made her way to the entrance ramp.

To be continued at We Are LAW 5!

[RedShinigami]

Not enough

Nico Cardona watched herself in the mirror wearing her brandnew wrestlinggear, a daring leotard with a good ammount of cleavage in the colors of her favourite Football Team. The Logo was imprintet prominently on her left breast and the new outfit complimented the catalonians athletic and sexy body. In the background a Simpsons Episode was running, as always...

"Moe. It's called a Flaming Moe. That's right, a Flaming Moe. My name is Moe, and I invented it. That's why it's called a Flaming Moe. What, what are you looking at Homer? It's a Flaming Moe, I'm Moe.",she quoted without looking at the screen.

It was one of her favourite episodes and why not? It had all you could wish for in an episode of the golden Era simpsons. She still could laugh when Homer searched another bar, when Steve Tyler of Aerosmith named Springfield St. Louis and especially when Barts latest prank call went terribly wrong considering that a certain Hugh Jazz was at Moes at the time.

Yes, she could laugh about it and it never grew old. Nicos life was mostly filled with sports. Not that her mother or anyone else had forced it on her but Nico had energy to spare and so she always was restless, her mother even believing for some time that she suffered from one of these made up concentration illnesses that were promoted to sell pills to children.

No, Nico was totall fine she just was a healthy young girl that wanted to explore the world. But then there was the other Nico, who could spend nights binging Series, Movies and playing games while eating every sweet and salty garbage she could find, she just trained the calories away the next day. So Nico had a real good life, did'nt she?

Well at least she believed that, since she came to Japan so much things had changed for the Catalonian. She arrived and immediatly was pitched against a seasoned veteran who had hurt her badly. She entered the Young Lioness tournament only to lose her second match. All in all her record now was not impressive and she felt more then a little bad about it.

She came here to make everyone back at home proud, her mama, her abouelos, her aunts, uncles, cousins...
From all this people Nico was the most promising one, everyone giving their last euro to help the girl achieving her dreams. Of course the money her father sent helped too. All in all Nico was settled, thats why she allowed herself to get this costumemade leotard to present it in her next match!

Yes all had high hopes for her and behind her cheerful, happy-go-lucky facade, Nico felt more then a little pressured by it. No one in her family of course would ever put pressure on the blonde girl but still, Nico felt as if she would betray the hard efforts of her family and father if she was not giving it 100%.

Suddenly her cellphone played the Nightmare on Elm Street theme.
"Mama!", she cheered and grabbed the phone, jumping on her bed.
"Mamaaaaa, com estàs?! Si? Si, all is great. Si, Mama, I eat enough, I eat too much! They have such good food here mama, you must visit me here some time, si, I miss you too mama..."
Nico sat on the bed and pulled her legs closer to her body.
"I think of you every day and when I pray I think of you too! So god watches over you! Si, it is nice here. The weather is a bit colder as at home but thats ok. Si, I got some friends already, there are girls here from aaaall around the world Mama! It is sooo coooool! Yes I practice Flamenco once a day Mama... Uh... Hello? It is part of my fighting style. Don't worry, no, no I won't get hurt. Of course our bodies are on the line but most of the time it is'nt that bad! ", she smiled and nodded.

"Mhm, oh no... Uncle Fernando did what? How many? And has he caught them all again?", she laughed and tears flew down her eyes. This was the longest time she was separated from her beloved mother and she missed her every day.
"Si, I take care. I miss you Mama, Mama no, stop crying, please. It is good. I made the right decision. I am were I am supposed to be.", she smiled.
"T'estimo mama, cuida't! Adeu!", she said sniffling and put down the phone. Well...one parent down, another one to go...

She took a deep breath and searched "Papa" in her phonebook before lingering with her thumb over the call symbol.
Her father usually did not wish for Nico to call him except for emergencys, he would call her but she wanted to speak to him, hear his voice and wanted to tell him all the exciting news she had...
She sighed and grabbed for her most precious posession. A 15 year old football with enough patches to make him look like a round rubickscube. She smiled and put in her lap before she find the courage to call him. She pressed the symbol and held the device to her ears. her heart was beating and her mouth went dry before she finally heard a voice. His voice.

A smile crept onto Nicos face.
"Papa? Guten Tag! Hallo!", she smiled.
"Ja? Oh, uh, nothing I just wanted to tell you that I have arrived in Japan... Two months ago. You said you would call so... Nein, neij, it's ok I know you are busy. I feel good, danke! Mhm, I found some friends yes, there is Tanner for example, she worked in a circus. I dunno if she feels the same way too but I like her, hehe. Oh and Teuila, what? TEU-ILA, Papa, nein, neeein, oh gosh you are bad in this! Danke, your money has arrived. Ja, Wrestling is fun, I really like it. Japan? What? Papa stop that's racist! Nein, they are ll friendly and the food is great and the weather is nice and Tokyo is so great! That reminds me uhm...i am turning 20 soon and maybe some time you want to see me in the ring? I mean live and... Hm? I... I know... But I had hoped...it is my birthday... Nein, not a new ball, the old one is fine. I... I would like it of you would... Ok... Ok... I... I... know... I just thought now that you're other children are grown up that... Ok, nein, it's ok... It really is. Ja, money is alright then... Danke...Papa...ich hab dich lieb...",she said and her hand with the phone fell limply to the matrace.

Tears were streaming down her face as Nicos beautiful face became a red grimace of pain.
"Why! Why! Why! Why! What is wrong with me!", she screamed and slammed her fists into the matrace, screaming at the top of her lungs while tears fell in endless streams from her green eyes.

"Why doesn't he want to see me... Whyyyy....all I ask... Is a day...", she whispered through chokes of tears and pressed her face against the wet pillow.
"Why am I not good enough? Why won't he visit me!", she shouted and threw herself around in a tantrum of sadness and anger.
"I just...just...want to meet him...", she choked.
"For a day, half a day, for a fucking hour!", she whimpered and looked at her ball, gritting her teeth.
"Fine...FINE! If he doesn't want me then I don't want his stupid presents!", she screamed and smashed the ball against a wall where it landed with an audible smack, falling back on the ground, tapped a few times and came to a halt.


Nico looked at it and the tears started even more.
" No, no, no!",she said panicked and grabbed for the football, her most precious posession and put it in her arms.
The Catalonian laid back on her bed, the ball in her arms, curled like a shrimp around it and next to her, her favourite yellow family made all kinds of fun, but Nico would'nt hear it. She had closed h er eyes and thought about why she never would be enough..

Spoiler

[dlamp]

This was stupid. This was extremely stupid.

When Nanase suggested Senso no Hana did a training session at her personal dojo in the countryside she expected things to end somewhat amicably. A few exercises here, some kata and sparring practice there, and then order some takeout and turn the rest of the night into a sleepover of sorts. But instead...

"PIZZA!"

"CHINESE!"

Instead, she was forced to play referee to two children having a brawl.

In all honesty Nanase brought it on herself. Himeko and Reiko couldn't decided between ordering pizza or Chinese food to close out their session. The ending bit of their joint training was supposed to be a fun night of pulling out the TV and watching one of the B-list action films Nanase took part in while in China, laugh at some of the cheesy dialogue and Nanase's decent (if heavily accented) Chinese and examine a bit about some of the kung fu styles she learned while filming. But... the disagreement soon turned into a full blown argument, and when Nanase suggested the two spar it out they accepted without hesitation. Not a surprising result given how headstrong and determined Himeko and Reiko were, especially toward each other in the right situation. And to their credit it started well enough. It was to be a pure striking match, mostly since Himeko could easily best Reiko in a grappling match. And while it was accepted that Reiko could wear protective gear she refused. If her leader and older sister wasn't going to protect herself then Reiko was going to follow her example and not let Himeko cry foul if she won. And Himeko, in some silent respect to her kouhai, hadn't used anything more complicated than a few feints and took every one of Reiko's punches without blocking or dodging. Whether to prove she could handle it or just give Reiko a fair shoot Nanase didn't know. She figured the fight would end after two minutes at most. It was agreed that the first knockdown would end the fight, and given Himeko's endurance and stubbornness Nanase knew Reiko honestly couldn't last long.

And then Himeko cut Reiko's cheek thirty seconds in, and they were out for blood for the last ten minutes.

Ten long, bloody minutes of the two taking literal turns punching each other. Himeko would give Reiko a right hook, Reiko would return it with the same speed and power she could manage, and Himeko would then use a different type of punch, as if to test Reiko's ability to copy her. This went on for ten. Goddamn. Minutes. Ten minutes. Ten minutes of watching these two punch each other to the sixth hell. It was humorous the first two minutes, concerning after five minutes, but now... now it was just dull to watch. Nanase was tempted to pull out her phone and check her twitter timeline after six minutes, and then she did pull out her phone once the eighth minute passed, checking various social media platforms and only occasionally looking up as the rhythm of punches shifted to see if the two were still standing. But after ten minutes the two seemed to be taking a break to catch their breaths in some impromptu ceasefire.

"Haa... haaah... fuckin'... go down... runt..."

Nanase had to admit, Himeko looked pretty battered. Bruises all over her face, a swollen black eye, and a busted lip. She was surprised Reiko could do all that to her. Reiko had a bit of a reach thanks to her height, but it was a minuscule advantage compared to Himeko's steel body and iron will.

"Haaa... H-Haaaa... never... you... stupid princess..."

Reiko however, looked much worse. The bruises on her face were much more swollen, and for every mark Reiko gave Himeko, the princess gave her twice as many. Even more surprising was the scar on Reiko's forehead. The scar from her death match had healed a little, but it was still clear on her forehead as her bangs started to fray and open up, as if it refused to heal properly by Reiko's own will. The poor girl's swollen face was starting to mirror an actual demon.

Honestly... Nanase sighed, shaking her head. "We can just order both and split th-"

"NO WAY!"

Of course... Nanase sighed again, pinching the bridge of her nose as she turned off her phone. So much for a middle ground.

"This ends when that runt's fuckin' kneeling for mercy!" Himeko growl, glaring daggers at Reiko.

"Big talk for a rich girl that can't eat shrimp!" Reiko snarled back, making Himeko's eyes narrow.

"I'M ALLERGIC YOU COCKY BRAT!" Himeko slammed a straight punch right into Reiko's nose, making blood drip onto the tatami.

I just cleaned that last week...

"AND CHEESY FOOD MAKES ME SICK!" Reiko collected herself, swinging forward and forcing Himeko to take the punch and bloody nose that came with it.

And still, the two remained standing, glaring at each other with furious eyes as they took another minute-long break to find their bearings. This was the climax. The two could barely look straight without swaying. All the hits were finally starting to pile on. The next blow would likely be their last, and the two knew it. They both paused, giving each other a moment to fulling straighten up, then with one final battle cry charge at each other, crossing punches that practically echoed throughout the dojo as bone and flesh collided.

And Reiko went falling flat on her back with a loud thud, Himeko still standing on shaking legs.

Finally... Nanase put her phone down, standing up. "Alright, Himeko wins then." She walked toward the center of the dojo, catching Himeko was she soon dropped to her knees and nearly fell forward herself, panting and gasping as she finally let her true fatigue show. It wasn't much doubt that Himeko would win. Even in striking the princess was a force to be reckoned with thanks to her kickboxing and sanchin training. She could take a near-inhuman amount of punishment for a woman her size. Still, Reiko's efforts were nothing to sneeze at. The girl was a true hellion... even if the whole battle was rather pointless.

"Fuckin' hell Maizono... who taught you how to punch like that..."

"You..."

"... ... ..."

"Oh yeah... I did..."

It was a battle for Nanase to not roll her eyes. It seemed the hostilities cooled down after the battle. "Yes yes, a well fought match on both side." Nanase said. "Now then, shall I call the usual pizza place?"

There was a pause, Himeko looking over Reiko and Reiko refusing to met Himeko's eyes, embarrassed and bitter at her loss. "Actually... call that Lai Restaurant place and make a carryout order. Send Suzuki for it. Just don't order anything with shrimp."

Reiko looked up, looking in disbelief. "Really?"

"Yeah... I need something thicker and more balanced than pizza after that, and I want my own box anyway."

"O-Oh... okay."

"... ... ..."

"Are you kidding me?"

[winner3]

The following is an excerpt from the tail of an episode of Lexy's Lexinomicon, the talk show of beloved LAW interviewer Lexy Alan. The interview takes place just moments before the public reveal of the card for We Are LAW 5.


"Phew! We've certainly covered quite a lot, haven't we?" Lexy smiled as she looked across the interview table at her three guests, the LAW World Tag Team Champions, The SWAT Cats.

"No kidding! I could use some water! Good interview so far, though! Make sure the cameras as getting my sides!" Tracy Canon would wink to the cameras while posing with her elbows on the table and her chin resting on her fingers.

"It is, it is! Always a pleasure, Lexy! It's refreshing for you to inquire about each of us individually rather than as a group. It's been fun exploring each of our backgrounds like this." Aurora Estrella followed up. As she spoke, she gradually pulled Tracy's elbows off the table one at a time. Tracy would stick her tongue out at Aurora, but she cooperated nevertheless.

"Pleasure's all ours, Lex!" Katherine Hart would smile at the show host and nod in agreement.

On the table rested the pair of golden championship belts. They were positioned in the center of the table between Lexy and her guests. They all sat on the same side of the table to allow the cameras/viewers to view them all from the front and all in one shot. The production lights reflected off the shiny, golden belts, no doubt attracting the attention of tag teams in the division that had their eyes on the prize if they scoured LAW's social media to find this segment.

"Absolutely! We've covered a lot of ground! As always I appreciate you three for always allowing me to ask you anything and for always drawing in those sweet, sweet views and ratingsssss~" Lexy finished in a melodic tone as she looked up at the ceiling comedically in appreciation. The hostess returned her attention to the papers in front of her. She ruffled through them as she noted what they had discussed.

"Okay, so we've talked through Tracy's upbringing and her time in the circus as a performer. Talked about the at length." Lexy lifted her index finger to begin counting. Tracy raised her hand briefly to cutely acknowledge the remark. Lexy lifted another finger to continue recapping.

"We've discussed Aurora's odd journey into wrestling. We understand she's picked up a lot from training with Kat and Tracy here, but we can discuss more on that that some other time. We're almost out of time for this interview, actually." Lexy would look into the distance for just a second or two as she contemplated how to cap things off.

"What say we do a little hot-and-cold questioning to finish things up?"

"A little what now?" Tracy interjected with a squinting expression.

"Hot and cold, Trace." Katherine responded by tapping Tracy's shoulder.

"It's what Lexy calls it when she wants to wrap up an interview by first going into a serious question before finishing up with something a little more lighthearted." The heavyweight explained to her tag partners.

"Yep! And we're gonna direct the serious question to you, Super Kitty! Since we haven't drilled into you as of yet!" Lexy exclaimed excitedly as she tapped the edges of her stack of papers against the table repeatedly.

"So Kat! A while ago, you and Alaina appeared on another episode of Lexy's Lexinomicon! You both announced your intentions to compete with Astrid Ostberg in the hopes of winning the LAW Heavyweight Championship...." Lexy began explaining. Katherine's eyebrows raised as her interest peaked. The blonde nodded briefly in anticipation of the question that would soon come.

"Yourself, Alaina Sanders, Astrid Ostberg. The three of you are no doubt some of the most prominent faces in this company. I can't think of a more notable set of "good guys" or "heroes" in LAW's heavyweight division."

"Kat, how do you feel you compare to these two women? Do you have any thoughts on the idea of people kind of...grouping the three of you together in their minds?" Lexy asked.

Aurora and Tracy contemplated the question, themselves. Aurora curled her index finger under her chin and thought it over.

"Hey, the only 3 woman group that's at the top in wrestling right now are The SWAT Cats, baby." Tracy would say with a smug grin. Kat would soon interject.

"Easy, Trace haha. For sure we are, but I'll answer this one." Kat began. On The Super Kitty's face was her usual confident smile.

"Alaina Sanders and Astrid Ostberg are two women that I have an immense amount of respect for. I'd go into each of them at length but your question was about how we compare, and I assume contrast, with each other?" Kat nodded and motioned to Lexy for confirmation.

"That's right."

"So I'll try to focus on that. I could very easily see how people would kinda group us together in their minds. For my money, we're all really upstanding wrestlers and people. We're all standouts in the heavyweight division and in this company in general. And while I haven't had the pleasure of meeting Astrid face to face, I think I'd get along with both her and Alaina just fine. Alaina and I get competitive sometimes but we love each other. And I have no doubt that I'd love hanging out with Astrid either. I'd have wanted to wrestle her at some point even if she wasn't champion. The three of us are good folks. There's enough beef on us to open up a butcher shop. We're all either champions or championship contenders. We're all faces of this company...." Kat had started off with an even pacing and cadence, but she began to trail off a bit.

"But I think that if you scratch just a little bit past the surface....you do see differences...between us." Kat looked off into the distance. Lexy's ears began to perk up. She pulled out her phone and began to take notes. Aurora and Tracy leaned in and listened more intently.

"It's really easy to see us as comparable but there's a lot that's different between us on every level. Like, let's start with the superficial stuff. Astrid, in my view, has carried and conducted herself with all the poise and all the respect that I'd want from a heavyweight champion. She embodies what the champion of my weight division should be to a tee. And that includes physically. That woman is not small, and that's obvious. It should dawn on people that in a league of Titanesses, she's the premiere Titaness. Ostberg is 6-foot-one and about 190 pounds."

"Alaina's only got an inch on me in terms of height, but we've all seen me next to her in the ring together. You've seen her and I sit and stand side by side in that interview, Lexy. Alaina has size on me. She always has. On record, she's only one pound lighter than Astrid. One pound. But Alaina's got almost 15 pounds me."

"Meanwhile, I only make weight in the heavyweight division by just 5 pounds. Trace and 'Rora make fun of me for it all the time but I eat a ton and I work out a ton. And I'll let you all in on the secret as to why that is. It's because my natural weight would probably land me towards the higher end of the LAW Middleweight range. I choose to bulk so that I can fight the heavyweights in this company. And making weight is not always easy for me. I've come close to accidentally dropping below 170 a few times, heh." Kat shrugged, hoping to move on before Lexy could ask her to expound. By the look on the luchadora's face, it was plain to see that it was a sore spot for her.

"Like I said, if you keep digging for those differences, you'll find them. Alaina and Astrid are both built like tanks. They're both powerhouses and they wrestle like it. Sure, I can lift them and I am plenty strong myself. But I don't expect to beat them in the power department."

"I think watching any of our matches will show you the immediate clash in styles between the three of us. When's the last time you've seen Alaina or Astrid hit a Rolling Thunder? An Octopus Hold? A Hurricanrana? A Moonsault? A dive to the outside of the ring?"

"I could talk at length about where our contrasts lie, I mean I have already but let's ignore that."

"But the takeaway for me is this."

"I both respect and like Alaina Sanders and Astrid Ostberg. But I think it's very plain to see that the two of them have a lot more in common with each other than they do with me."

"And if the two of them happen to listen to this or catch wind of it, I hope you'll invite this outsider to your little heavyweight title fight party. I hope you invite me to the dance.....Because I've got a few dance moves I'm dying to show you." Kat finished with a wink to the camera. A pause followed as everyone took in her words. Lexy would be the first to break the silence.

"My, that was quite a lot. Insightful as always, Kat. I actually hadn't considered much of what you said. We'll see if Alaina and Astrid take your words to heart.

"That's the last time in a while that I try to question you seriously." Lexy sighed. Aurora and Tracy giggled s bit.

"Why don't we move on to the "cool" line of questioning. Something fun and silly. Something the audience is probably dying to know about you guys."

"Oh, it's a question for all of us?" Aurora asked with excitement in her tone.

"Mhmm!" Lexy nodded.

"Lay it on me!" Tracy leaned forward with both hands on the table.

"Okay! How would each of you.....say you identify as far as sexual orientation?" Lexy finished with a sly grin.

"Huh?!" Kat would exclaim with a slight blush on her face.

"Easy! I'm bi! Always liked girls and boys! I feel like you can't really go wrong with either." Tracy interjected.

"There's like, exactly zero shortage of hot women on LAW. But some of the boys do be looking positively delicious to Mama Tracy!" Tracy would look up and swoon.

"I find men and women attractive as well." Aurora interjected.

"But I haven't really worked out a label yet if any apply. I want to say I'm leaning towards identifying as pansexual, but I'm still figuring a few things out. I am still pretty young, after all...." Aurora contemplated aloud as she leaned back in her chair.

"Mhmm!" Lexy noted down. A pause followed. Slowly, everyone's eyes gravitated towards Kat, who was looking away, seemingly unwilling to answer. When it became obvious that everyone was expecting an answer, Kat began to fake whistling.

"Kat, no one's buying that." Lexy Alan said sternly.

"Aw man." Kat replied.

"Come on! There's no pressure, I just want to know if I have a chance to get a little closer to The Super Kitty's super kitty!" Lexy joked in a sarcastic tone.

"Not before I do!" Tracy snapped. The blush on Kat's face only grew redder.

"We'll make it easier on you, Kat. Kill the cameras, please. We'll wrap up. We'll do the rest of the interview off the record so that Kat can tell us privately without the whole world hanging on her every word. That's better right?"

"That, I can do." Hart would answer with a reserved smile. Little did anyone know that as the production crew turned off their equipment, Lexy started the voice recording app on her phone, leading to the leaking of the rest of this interview regardless! After a few minutes, when much of the staff began to head out, Lexy leaned forward and asked again.

"Okay so, Kat. Just for my own sake because I'm beyond curious and dying to know....how do you identify?"

"Well...." The Super Kitty began.

"Growing up, I always thought I was straight. And I do like men. I like the idea of a guy I can wrestle with. But I've spent a lot of time in the wrestling industry, you know? You spend a lot of time....up close and personal with people of your same or similar gender.....and it's made me reconsider.... some things." Kat stumbled through this with some effort.

"You don't say?" Lexy asked, with some intrigue.

"At this point, like I've told these two, I'm willing to say that I'm heteroflexible. I'll do some stuff with women, but I've really gotta think about it and it has to feel right, you know? I'm sure it sounds silly."

"Not silly at all! You know we support you, Kat!" Aurora exclaimed, hugging Kat from the side. Tracy would approach from behind and hug Kat. The two got out of their seats to show their love and support for their fellow SWAT Cat.

"I probably couldn't go steady with anyone for a little while anyways. Imagine dating a wrestling champion and finding out every heel on the roster wants to jump her 24/7. If I dated someone, they'd just get jumped, too." Kat lamented. But Tracy and Aurora shushed the amazon and rubbed her shoulders and head to assure her things would be okay.

"You guys are so wholesome!" Lexy commented.

Suddenly, all at once, everyone's phones went off. Lexy was the first to check her alert. She looked at her phone with curiosity at first, but soon her expression became a thousand-yard stare.

The SWAT Cats continued their cuddle puddle. But due to their positioning, it would be Tracy that managed to dismount and reach her phone first. She skimmed the notification.

"Oh snap! Kat! 'Rora! The card for We Are LAW is out! Looks like we all got the matches we wanted. You two against the Thundergirls. I'm up against Camie Young...."

"That sounds good." Kat nodded.

"Hold on.... Aurora..." Tracy began. Aurora's ears perked up. Tracy would zip her arm over Aurora's shoulder and pull her in close.

"Look at this! You're in the main event!"

"Oh! What an honor! That's fantastic!" Aurora exclaimed with a smile. But Tracy would respond by immediately bursting out into laughter.

"Hahahahahahahaha! No no no, look here a second! This is beyond fantastic!" Tracy would exclaim as she swiped through her phone. The expression on Lexy's face darkened.

"Okay, so check this, guys! 'Rora! You're number one contender for the Lightweight title, right?"

"Yes."

"But you're MAIN EVENTING OVER the chick that you're the number one contender for! Dude that's gotta be the ultimate disrespect! Imagine losing the main event slot! To your number one contender! Because they were ACTUALLY DEFENDING THEIR OWN TITLE!" Tracy continued her hysterical laughter after this. The other SWAT Cats reacted not knowing that this conversation was being recorded.

"Oooof. When you put it that way ...kinda hard not to see this as a huge statement."

"Well, I can't deny that things certainly worked out this way for good reason."

"Dude, do think Rose Gold is gonna be mad about this? I'm pretty sure she'll be pissed."

The SWAT Cats back and forths would be interrupted by Lexy aggressively collecting her belongings and packing her things.

"Dude, you know how Lexy gets when you mention Rose."

"It's not my fault the card came out! I feel like it's kinda hard NOT to talk about this, you know?"

"I guess, but-"

"AURORA..." Lexy interjected.

"Sorry, I lost my composure...." Lexy continued, but in a tone that suggested she still didn't have all her composure.

"Do you truly feel that your match being in the main event is deserved? Do you feel like you earned this? I don't."

A pause followed. Aurora looked at Lexy with a deadpan expression. Her tone helped convey this.

"Personally, I don't really see the relevance." The Galaxy Cat shrugged.

"I had nothing to do with the decision. Management chose it. DeFranco signed off on it, clearly. If you feel my match being the main event is unearned, why not take it up with your boss?" Aurora answered. But Lexy was still seething. The interviewer grit her teeth. She clutched her bag.

"That's the political answer but I'm tired of dancing around this. Lexy, you asked that we not discuss Aurora's eventual title challenge with Rose. You made it sound real clerical. You didn't want to invite the chance to be biased in your journalism, sure."

"But do you think that I'm going to stand here and let you accuse one of my best friends of not being worthy to main event We Are LAW?! Aurora's fighting women across all weight classes! Aurora's undefeated! She hasn't lost to any lightweight or anyone else for that matter! She's s fighting champion just like the rest of us! And you're mad at her for EARNING her chance to shine?"

"I'm in that same match, too! Do you think I'M not deserving of a chance to main event?"

Lexy paused for a moment before clearing her throat.

"I think this will be our last interview for a while." Lexy would say before she hurried off.

The Cats shook their heads as they let her leave. Little did they know that the interview in it's entirety would be made available. Though Katherine, Tracy, and Aurora had all wondered whether or not they accidentally burned their bridge with Lexy, they'd all find out later that Lexy was more than willing to burn her bridge with the tag team champions!

[Fairy Dragon]

It felt strange wearing anything like this, Kyoko Akan had been wearing the same outfit since she was 22, and she'd been wrestling since she was 18. 10 whole years and she had changed so much. Now 10 years into her career she had a new look, one that would only be used rarely but one that she planned to wear for her match with Ryori. She both loved it, but it also made her nervous. Only 2 members of her family had won World championships, On her mom's side Ayane Yamamoto and she never shut up about it. While she was teaching her every time Kyoko complained about anything she said or did Ayane reminded her of that fact, as if it made a difference. It was clear that Ayane's big wins were all that mattered to her and while she gave her good advice all the time her attitude was something to be desired, and her teaching. The other person was her dad, Denji Akan who when he won it for the first time, dedicated it to his daughter the birthday girl and most important thing in his life at the time.

To her...Biggest day of his life and his first thought was that he was glad she was watching. Every time she thought about that day she felt sadder and sadder with every passing year. He was 27 when he pulled that off, Kyoko was now 28 and while she had come close she had never won a world title. Ayane won one even younger, something else she bragged about any time she brought up her father. Both would be ashamed of her now, Ayane would say she wasn't ruthless enough, that she let her honor get in the way, while Denji would ask why she hurts people to get her way when she could be the sweet girl he knew she was deep down. He'd be wrong and everyone would know that of course, but he'd say it and believe it because like everyone, even her mother said, Denji was a blind fool.

Yet that was exactly why she loved him, his never ending hope in the hopeless, the hopeless like her. She came from two talented families and inherited none of it, she had the looks of them but growing up she knew that she was behind for being the older sister, Hideo excelled at the basics Ayame could squash people who Kyoko would need to do everything to take down, Sheena was a damn prodigy but too stifled by her dad to ever use it and Mimi was throwing people around with minimal training like she had been doing it since she was born, all of them would be champions soon she knew it and it made her happy...She just wished she could be as good as them, that it didn't take her years to look half decent and not just like some gimmick, or that she could be respected like they would if she wasn't around, a mark of shame to the name that made it okay for everyone to just ignore her families wishes and insult her loved ones just because 'Kyoko's bad so it's okay to mock everyone she loves' she could handle insults thrown her way but the fact that people would threaten family made her realize just how little she mattered to anyone. She knew that if Ayane told people to stop in her prime they would have listened, when someone called Denji a poor father he threatened to break the man's limbs if she so much as glanced as his family...no one ever did again. A heel and a face commanded respect with their words but she couldn't.

"Still feel like a Queen?" She asked herself, the mirror didn't answer

Now she was standing here dressed up in a dark version of her grandmother's attire and checking herself out, a gift she had refused to year for years Ayane handed it to her when she turned 21 saying she needed to present herself better, Kyoko turned it down not wanting any gifts from her after the way she spoke about her dad. It wasn't until years later she learned from Akiko that it was Denji who had it made for her and asked Ayane to give to her, her father knew what path she would take before she could even walk. She looked good, it fit perfectly even after 7 years, Akiko's work always excelled. She even added the Queen nickname when Kyoko asked her to her own little touch to it, to make it more hers and less like a purple knockoff of what Granny Ayane wore. "Dad...Do you still think I can do this?" Kyoko asked, truth be told she was unsure. As time went on things got harder, wrestlers got better right out of the gate putting on performances a novice her couldn't pull off, she was only 28 but she didn't think she was getting that much better in her 30's and if she didn't improve she would just be something left behind. What kept her going besides her love of it? This outfit, some strange string of fate from a long deceased man who knew her before she even knew herself? "What am I saying? Why would I stop, even if the world gets tougher...that just means...we have to adapt. Right?" Kyoko said looking away from the mirror, feeling dumb as if she was actually talking to her father and suggesting something that outrageous. "Its...It's unfitting of a Queen to doubt herself, and an Akan. I have a match to win and then I'll get to Apex even if I have to crawl and then...then maybe I can be seen as someone worthy of being your daughter." Kyoko said before stepping out her face turning from nervous to stern just as she opened the door and leaving behind the message that came with the outfit.

To the star of the world, the only one that matters and the girl who can never let me down. She knows who she is.
- Denji

[pu-level-up]

Laura hadn't been to Tokyo Narita Airport in over two years, not since she first arrived in Japan to become an idol. She didn't recall much about her initial trip, having been so jet-lagged when she landed that she slept the whole way into the city. Now that she was going to the airport alone, she realized just how troublesome it was to reach without a car. It took her almost two hours to get from her apartment in the city all the way out, transferring between subway lines and trains, nearly getting lost several times before finally arriving. She was worried that she might be too late as she rushed into the arrival terminal. But she needn't have worried though, as one look at the flight schedules told her that she was in fact right on time.

As Narita serviced international flights from and to Tokyo, the airport was always packed with people from all over the world. Laura was a little afraid that she would get lost in the milling crowds as the doors to the baggage claim area opened and a flood of people poured forth. She stuck out a little bit, her blonde hair distinctive amongst the primarily black-haired crowd, but with the sheer number of people walking around it was too easy to lose her. Luckily for her though, the person she was waiting for was almost impossible to miss.

Laura's blue eyes widened as she saw her sister make her way out from the baggage claim. Standing several inches taller than everyone else, with her long blonde hair tied back in a neat ponytail, dressed smartly despite having just come off a 13 hour flight, Jean cut quite a striking figure. Laura raised her hand, waving at her sister to catch her attention. It only took a moment for Jean to find her sister. The two of them made their way through the crowd, arms outstretched, embracing each other in a tight hug.

"I can't believe you're actually here!" Laura said as she hugged her sister tightly, burying her face against Jean's chest, "A part of me thought you were just joking when you said you were coming to Japan. I really missed you!"

"Hey, when have I ever broken a promise to my little sister?" Jean said. She squeezed Laura tightly, her hug belying some of her own troubled feelings. "I missed you too!"

After breaking their hug, Laura quickly took one of Jean's suitcases, her own tiredness from the trip to the airport forgotten as she helped her sister take her bags out to the taxis. Jean travelled light, with only one large suitcase in tow. Though the older sister felt exhausted after such a long flight, seeing Laura gave her a burst of energy as she chatted eagerly with her sister.

"You're looking well!" Jean said, "I'm still surprised you joined a wrestling league, of all things, after the idol thing didn't work out for you. I saw some of your recent matches... It looks like you're having fun!"

Laura snorted with laughter. "Fun's one way of putting it," she replied, "Wait... how much have you seen?" They were outside the terminal now, by the street. Laura waved her hands to flag down a cab.

"All of your matches actually," Jean replied, "As well as some of your livestreams. 'Sparking Idol's Punishment Games'? Really?"

"Hey, don't judge me!" Laura said, "I've seen the stuff you were up to as well while you were in university!" She stuck her tongue out at her sister, who was suddenly blushing at the mention of the underground intercollegiate mat wrestling matches she took part in during undergrad. "Come on, help me with your bag." The two sisters lifted Jean's big suitcase into the trunk of the car, then threw in her carry on and the backpack she wore.

After getting into the car, Laura gave her address to the driver, and they were on their way. Jean sat back in her seat, visibly deflating a bit as she relaxed, the rumbling of the car's movement making her feel all sleepy again. "Feel free to take a little nap," Laura said as she pulled out her phone, "It's a bit over an hour to my place. I'll wake you when we arrive."

"Thanks Laura," Jean said, barely able to suppress a yawn. In a moment, she was fast asleep.

It barely felt like she had slept at all when Jean felt a push at her shoulder. "Wake up sleepyhead, we're here!" Laura's voice was bright and chipper, in stark contrast to how Jean felt. The older sister grumbled a bit as she sat up, rubbing the stiffness out of the back of her neck before looking out the window. They were right outside a pretty typical Tokyo apartment building.

"Before you get out, I want to show you this," Laura said, turning her phone to Jean. On it was a picture of her sleeping face, mouth open and drooling on her chest. Jean looked down to see a wet stain on the front of her blouse. "Delete that!" she said, taking a swipe to grab Laura's phone. She was too slow to stop her little sister, who slid out her door cackling like a bratty child.

After taking Jean's luggage out the trunk, the two sisters made their way up to floor 15. Laura led her sister to her unit, using her key to open the door. "Welcome home sis!" she said brightly, leading Jean into her apartment. She had a few things set up for her sister, some decorations she bought from a party store strung up along the walls, some sweets and chocolates set out on the table. Jean smiled, feeling very grateful that her sister was so thoughtful.

"Thanks Laura, you really didn't have to," Jean said. Laura beamed, showing that trademark idol smile.

"Oh don't say that!" Laura said, waving her hand to dismiss the thought, "Anyways, I've set up the spare bedroom for you. I'll be in the room on the left, you're in the room on the right. The bathroom is at the end of the hallway. You can see the living area right here, and the kitchen is on the left." She pointed to another door on the side of the living room. "That's where I do my streaming," she said, "It's a bit of a mess in there since I just moved in, so please don't go in there right now!"

Jean nodded, though she couldn't help but be a little curious to see what was behind that door. It would have to be for another day though, as she was just too tired to care. "Thanks for letting me stay Laura," Jean said, "I promise that once I get settled, I'll be out of your hair. I won't impose for long!" She turned to grab her bags, but before she could make a move Laura had grabbed her hand.

"Or you could just stay," Laura said, her voice losing its playfulness, "It'll be nice to have you around again. I mean... we haven't been together since high school... it would be nice if we could go back to the way things were like back then..." She looked down, blushing a bit as she revealed some of her innermost feelings.

Jean smiled, a look of relief on her face. She scooped Barbara up in a big tight hug. "That would be nice," she said, pressing the nose into the top of Laura's head, "If, at any point, you don't want me around anymore, just let me know."

"I always want you around!" Laura said, hugging Jean even tighter. These years in Japan made her realize just how much she missed her sister, whom she was so close with when they were younger. She felt that they had missed several years together due to their parents separating. Now that they had a chance to be together, she wasn't going to let that go. Jean felt how Laura felt through that hug, their sisterly bond reforming in this instant. She let out a small sigh, feeling happy for the first time in a long time.

"I'll be right here Laura," Jean said. They held the hug for a moment longer before releasing. "Alright, I'm going to take a quick shower before turning in," Jean said, taking her bags to bring them into her room, "Hopefully I can get over this jet lag before the LAW auditions!"

"You'll do great!" Laura said encouragingly, "Go get some sleep, see you in the morning!"