Now What? Satsuki & Yuki POW Aftermath

[FreestylePoet]

Every step was a mile as Satsuki Hayano trudged into the locker room. Her limbs felt like lead, and her body was pockmarked by bruises that flared with every move of a muscle. Her match with Yuki Kazikura had gone the distance, with both wrestlers trading blows and hopes until the former Lightweight Championship Contender kicked into her highest gear yet. Seemingly at the flip of a switch, Yuki shrugged off every bit of whatever was weighing her down. While their final exchange did a number on both wrestlers, Yuki's prowess, experience, and newfound willpower proved decisive.

Now Satsuki entered the locker room with a sore body and nothing else to show for it. Long rows of lockers, stacked two-high with benches in between, stretched throughout the room as if in a high school. This was one of LAW's larger locker rooms, meant to house the litany of rookies, developmental talents, and other faceless wrestlers that filled house shows. That also meant it was the emptiest room in Korakuen Hall. Most of the wrestlers competing tonight wouldn't be caught dead in digs like this. A perfect place to start the second half of this most interesting of nights.

As for the night itself, Satsuki should have been displeased at the sitaution. Hell, she should have been furious. Not only did Satsuki lose to someone who, twenty minutes ago, didn't even look like she was taking the fight seriously. Now she was meant to be the girl's prisoner -- her trophy. That would have been a bitter disrespect for anyone, much less the supposed Queen of Clubs.

And yet? She couldn't find it in her.

Even as her adrenaline subsided to reveal the brutal aches below, Satsuki's spirit did not bear bruises to match. She was disappointed at her loss, maddeningly so, but even that indignant fighter's fury paled in comparison to the afterglow of their battle. Hers was a feeling like being burned by the last dregs of a cigarette. The nicotine of facing Yuki Kazikura at her peak still set her nerves ablaze, far more than the stinging embers of defeat.

That, she decided, was enough for now. Satsuki laid her weary body onto the bench, supporting her head and neck with two folded hands. Her muscles loosened, as if she'd just drawn a warm bath. Both eyes drooped closed, and her lungs filled with a soothing breath. She looked more like a college student lazing about ten hours before a due date rather than someone who'd just been in a mortal struggle against a #1 contender.

Still, she knew that the catharsis of her heart was only the calm before the storm. A false denouement before a second climax, so to speak. And as she laid silently, relaxed on the bench, Satsuki couldn't help but await the first word from her erstwhile foe...

[CaptainL]

At last, it was over. And Yuki had actually done it. She'd gone into the match hoping she was able to prove herself worthy of her place on the card, of reclaiming her position as one of the Lightweight Division's perennial main eventers - but when she had faced such a long string of failures and disappointments in order to get there, she didn't think it would actually work. For most of the match, anyone could be forgiven for assuming that this was destined to end up in much the same fashion, with Yuki's best efforts to equal her competition ultimately petering out when she proved unable to keep up. After all, she'd been thrown back and forth across the ring, charged right into devastating blows, and been knocked near-senseless, leaving her wide open for Satsuki to move in for the kill.

But then, at the very last moment...Yuki had found it in her to turn it all around. In the blink of an eye, she'd gone from taking a beating to dishing out a flurry of offense that moved too quickly for anyone to keep track of. And finally, when the time came to count the pin, it had been Satsuki's shoulders against the canvas.

At long last, Yuki Kazikura had won.

She could remember the cheers calling down for her from the top of the bleachers. She could remember the roaring and the beating of feet and the streamers being flung from the stands. She could remember the smile going wide across her face as she looked out toward the cheers, and the tingling sensation that ran through her from head to toe when she stood there and realized that all her hard work and effort had finally paid off.

Yuki hadn't come away from the match unscathed, either. Her body was bruised, her hair stuck to her brow with sweat, and her muscles were aching and sore. But it was that thrill of victory - a victory that had been so long in the making, that she'd promised for so long, that had at last come against such a fearsome opponent - that never left her. Even now, as she limped her way to the locker room, occasionally stopping for breath or leaning against something for support, that tingling sensation was still there.

At last, she came to the locker room. Her weight slumped against the steel of the locker door at her side, and one foot slipped across the tiles beneath as her body buckled under the fatigue. But she still looked down, and her gaze settled on Satsuki, who fell limp against the bench, barely able to keep herself up. Yuki's breaths slowed at the sight - now, in her moment of weakness, Satsuki seemed so much more vulnerable, more human, than she ever had before. Yuki had always seen her as an implacable force, a terrifying visage whose commanding presence followed her everywhere she went. But this...wasn't that. This was a woman who had been humbled and bested, and who now had nothing to bounce back with.

Yuki had done all that. She could do all that. The thought of it stirred something in her stomach, as her back straightened and her lips began to curl into a smile...

And, all the same, she remembered the stipulations of the match. Now that Yuki had beaten Satsuki...the Queen of Clubs was, officially, her prisoner. She could do anything she wanted with her.

Yuki...had no idea what she would do with this.

Winning the match, proving she could win the match, had been enough. That was all the reward she needed. She'd only agreed to the POW stipulation because it was what Satsuki had wanted, and she wasn't going to back down from a challenge like that when to do so would surely crush her reputation. But she hadn't given a single thought to what she would do with Satsuki if she won. She had never been in a POW match before, and she didn't know how to handle it. And all the options that came to her mind seemed either too cruel, too lewd, or both - it tickled her cheeks with a blush just thinking about them.

An awkward pause ensued as Yuki's gaze lingered in Satsuki. For a moment, she stood there, leaning against the lockers, and a part of her hoping that a good enough answer would come to her sooner rather than later. But when it never did, it became clear she would have to speak up.

"...So," Yuki said with a sigh. "What do we do now? I can't say I have much experience with...this kind of thing."

[FreestylePoet]

Satsuki might have fallen asleep if she weren't on Cloud Nine right now. Between her physical fatigue and her mental catharsis, the drawdown was nearly too much. Only her still-thrilling heart kept her awake -- that, and the rather uncomfortable bench beneath her. Yuki soon followed her into the locker room, at least if the footfalls and eventual clank of a body leaning up against steel were anything to go by.

More time went by after that. She thought Yuki might have been resting or preparing or possibly taking photos to commemorate the occasion. Instead, however, Yuki took several more moments before finally speaking up, the apprehension all but dripping from her voice. Satsuki opened one eye, listening to Yuki dance around the elephant in the room.

With her own sigh, Satsuki rose into a sitting position. The Queen of Clubs hadn't expected her opponent to be so reluctant to take her winnings, but she supposed the nervousness didn't surprise her. Yuki seemed like a straighter shooter than most, after all. Still, even people like the Dynamite Schoolgirl had their vices. Maybe Yuki just needed a little push.

Satsuki beckoned at the bench across from her. "C'mon," she urged, "sit, sit. I'm gonna tell you something." She took a breath. When her former opponent complied, Satsuki leaned forward so that her nose and forehead were almost touching Yuki's. Another pause.

"If I had won tonight, I would have fucked you silly in that ring, whether you liked it or not… actually, no, I would have made you like it." Satsuki stayed in that position, unblinking, her pink eyes boring into Yuki's brown ones. Her words came out slow and measured, not an ounce of malice to be found within them. Just pure, unadulterated fact.

"I would have used every last bit of you in front of all those people. I would have taken you home and done it over and over again. I would have bound you nude against the window of my Tokyo high-rise, ready for any pervert with the newest iPhone to zoom in and snap a memento of the occasion. I would have made everything that's happened to you in your career so far look like a prank, and you probably would have left LAW altogether." Satsuki continued to stare, the following silence designed to ensure that Yuki absorbed every single word.

And then she leaned back, adopting her casual, slouched posture once more. The withdrawal was punctuated with a shrug.

"But I didn't win tonight. You did, Yuki. Whatever else you might think, you put me down in the end." She gave a wry smile, reflecting on the irony of the situation. "And, like any fair bet, it's only right that I accept the same 'courtesy' I would have given you. Whether it's in the same form or another." Satsuki brushed her hair back over her shoulders.

"So, Yuki Kazikura… How will you take me?"

[CaptainL]

When she saw Satsuki offer her a spot next to her at the bench, Yuki nodded her head before stepping up to take it. She moved slowly - in part due to the fatigue setting into her muscles; in part due to how she wasn't quite sure what awaited her, or what she was supposed to think of it. Still, she had won. By the rules of the match, Satsuki was her prisoner, and she could do whatever she wanted to with her with no fear of recompense - it was a thought that caused her to blush, but it was the truth nonetheless. Even someone who lived on the edge as much as Satsuki did surely wouldn't jeapordize her standing in the company by making any move against Yuki now. And when she took things as seriously as she did - when she had all but begged Yuki to fight her at her strongest, to not hold back, just so that she could boast having a battle worthy of its place on a supercard - she would surely honor the rules she herself had decided upon.

But when Satsuki leaned in close against Yuki - forehead to forehead, close enough for each of them to feel each breath against each others' faces - that was when the dark-haired girl's eyes went wide, locked in intently on those in front of her. She couldn't look away; she knew this was too important to miss even a second of. And the more Satsuki went on, the more she described each of her plans for Yuki, outlining every depravity she had had in store for her, the girl could feel something drop in the pit of her stomach. At first, she blushed, thinking of just how degrading and humiliating things could've been for her - even the relief of knowing that it didn't happen that way did little to take her mind off the subject. But as Satsuki continued, and her descriptions didn't stop, only growing more lurid and more scandalous, the color drained away from Yuki's cheeks, until she was staring straight through Satsuki, glassy-eyed and with a paper-white face. Had she really dodged a bullet this big?

And now...did Satsuki want to do all that to her? Yuki fidgeted nervously in her seat, her hips shuffling from side to side as she squeezed her hands together. "Er, well..." she said, "I...don't know if I'm the kind of person to do...that," she said with a sigh. "I don't...hate you. And I don't think you're beneath me, either. Sure, you said some pretty nasty things, but...in the end, it was what I needed to come around, so in some weird way, I should probably thank you. But...you have honor, you know? You know you lost, fair and square." An awkward pause ensued before Yuki at last mustered the courage in her to say what was really on her mind, in highlighting all of Satsuki's respect for her: "You're not...Rose Gold, you know?"

Yuki winced ever so slightly as she brought that thought back into her head. Rose had been the person she was running from all this time. She had been the one to make Yuki start doubting herself, who had been the start of her fall, and who had poked at her and needled her with every single loss that followed, driving her deeper and deeper into the pit of despair she dug for herself. Yuki sighed, glancing away, but a few moments later, her eyes returned to Satsuki's.

She knew that Rose would never do this. Rose probably would try to cheat her way out of being someone's prisoner of war. She had no respect for anyone but herself, and she could never see them as her equals - let alone as victors. But on the other side of the coin, Rose would show no mercy and no restraint to someone she did have power over, no matter how much they respected her. Both of those things made Yuki sick to her stomach. The night she lost to Rose Gold had been the worst night of her life. She wouldn't dare wish that on anyone else.

"I guess what I'm getting at is...I want to respect that. I don't want to be too...harsh on you. Because...I'm not Rose Gold either."

[FreestylePoet]

Satsuki's face set into focus as Yuki said her piece. Every word out of her mouth was another tell. Hate, condescension, honor. None of them were inherently part of their match or even a POW session, but they were clearly on her mind. Puzzle pieces clicked into place, one by one. And even behind those hints at the weight on Yuki's shoulders, there was something else. Something subtle, something ironic...

"AHHHAHAHAHA!"

Something that made her throw her head back in laughter!

Satsuki must've had some tells of her own! It was actually pretty impressive, the way Yuki read her. She wasn't sure she'd call it honor, but what was the point in winning a game without following the rules? It was like Yuki said: Satsuki had lost fair and square. There wasn't a thought in her mind that told her to renege. Even the Rose Gold comparison was spot-on: While she didn't mind brutality or mercilessness, Rose's reputation of challenging those without a snowball's chance in Hell suggested that their current Lightweight Champ missed the point entirely.

Eventually, she calmed down, meeting her former opponent's gaze once more with a smirk. "Damn, so all of that and I'm not even getting laid tonight. Shame. I was almost looking forward to it." She winked in a way that suggested she was being more wry than flirtatious. "But you don't need to hate me to do all that, you know. Sure, it can be a little sweeter when they hate the fact that you're doing it to them, but stakes and prizes are just meant to make a girl feel like a winner. That's it, no malice necessary."

"So I totally get it if you're not into taking me for a ride, but..." She narrowed her eyes, remembering how Yuki's body language had looked more resigned than simply defeated. As if she'd seen all this before and had accepted another trip into some pit of despair. "I feel like you need something like that." But what? This was a big match, a big win. Yuki seemed like she was at a loss, and if she wouldn't take her prize from Satsuki's body, then they'd need something equally rewarding.

Suddenly, Satsuki snapped her fingers. "Tell you what. I'll make you a deal. Gimme 24 hours before I'm yours, and I'll put something together that'll make you really feel like a winner."

"You just need to do two things. First..." Satsuki raised her index finger as she turned to glance through their surroundings. She hummed in approval a few seconds later, picking up a discarded receipt and a pen that had probably been used for some autograph or another. "Gimme your number, LINE ID, and a good address for me to pick you up at." She handed the duo to Yuki, purposefully withholding her second demand for now.

[CaptainL]

After she had spoke, Yuki looked back at Satsuki, waiting for her response. She blinked a few times, seeing the expressions that crossed over her opponent's features, and she was left wondering just how she was going to answer. And when the answer came...it was with Satsuki bursting into a peal of uproarious laughter.

"H-Huh?!" Yuki winced, a blush rising in her cheeks as she leaned back from Satsuki. Had she said something wrong? She'd never won a POW match before, of course, but she knew that what she had just offered - to let Satsuki go, and to forget about the stipulations - was unheard of. She didn't want to make Satsuki miserable - certainly not in the way the gambler had just threatened to do with her, had the tables turned. But now, she was worried she'd committed some grand faux pas in the unspoken code of wrestling.

Yuki only blushed harder when Satsuki winked to her - even if she was joking, it was still enough to leave the girl biting her lip to try and quell the nervous stammering rising in her throat. Just the thought that Satsuki might have been interested - well, she wasn't sure how to deal with that. But then, Satsuki went on. And as she did...Yuki raised her eyebrow curiously.

"Feel...like a winner..."

She repeated those words to herself. And, as she did, she let them sink deeper into her. She couldn't deny that Satsuki was right about that. She hadn't let herself feel like a winner.

Through her whole career, Yuki had prided herself as being the ordinary everygirl, the common person you could pass on the street and not even recognize. She wanted to be the example that made people want to do something with their lives. She could be anyone's classmate, or the girl next door - but when she got in the ring, and pushed herself to the limits of her body and mind to achieve a victory worth taking pride in, she became something all those classmates and girls next door could aspire to. Sure, her discussions with Reiko Maizono had called that into question, but it was still what Yuki had always thought of herself.

And to that end, she had never been the type to live things up. She didn't go out drinking, she didn't party, and she didn't throw money around. Usually, after a match, she would take the train home, catching up on homework along the way if she wasn't too exhausted to, and pass out in her bed as soon as she got back to her room. Then, the next day, it would be business as usual - waking up for breakfast with her family, going to school, and stopping by the gym for a workout on her way back. Rinse and repeat. She never took the time off from that, because that wouldn't be her. Besides, she didn't have time to go out anyway.

And the more Yuki thought about it, she realized that maybe she really did need that. She could remember all those times she came home late at night, having gone straight from school to the arena; she'd said goodbye to her parents early in the morning, and by the time she got back they were already in bed. She never cared then, she told herself. No matter how much her body ached, no matter how tired she was, no matter how little she saw her own family, she was still doing what she loved. That was enough for her to be fulfilled, and she didn't need anything else but the thrill of the match itself.

That was what she told herself, anyway. But she couldn't deny the toll it had taken on her. The aches and pains the next day, the times she'd nearly nodded off in class...maybe she was being too hard on herself. It was only just then, she realized, that she really hadn't let herself had a day off in longer than she could remember.

Since she had graduated, she didn't need to worry about the burden of work-life balance any more. Wrestling was her full-time job now. She'd never given any thought to doing anything else with her life, because wrestling was somewhere she felt she belonged. Yet, she was still treating it like some hobby, even when she had just won a match at the company's flagship supercard after a long and painful losing streak. Maybe Satsuki was right. Maybe...she really did need to feel like a winner. God only knew she deserved it now.

At last, Yuki stood a little straighter, stepping up to Satsuki with a nod and a smile as she accepted the piece of paper to write down the information. "Okay...it's settled. As my POW...my orders for you is to take me out and make me feel like a winner!"

[FreestylePoet]

Satsuki pressed her lips into an impressed expression, nodding as she took the piece of paper. Honestly, Satsuki didn't expect Yuki to take her up so readily. Theirs was a brutal match, and Satsuki made it a point to demand more from her opponent at every turn. At the very least, emotions had run high and spirits had run hot, even if there wasn't any real malice behind it all. It wouldn't have been too surprising if her vague promise of a fun night was blasted back with a string of curses.

Either way, she had both Yuki's trust and her orders. Her pride as a competitor was on the line now; if Satsuki couldn't live up to whatever expectations her victor had, then her end of the wager would go unfulfilled. She smirked at the thought of a new, really weird challenge before suddenly getting up and dusting herself off.

"It's settled, then," she said in a huff. "Go home, take an ice bath or a shower or a big fat sleep, whatever you wrestler types do after getting beat to hell. And in 24 hours, your Prisoner of War is gonna personally hand-deliver your prize."

Satsuki turned on a heel and made to leave. Then she stopped for a moment, right at the edge of this row of lockers. "Oh, and the second thing I'll need you to do before then?" She turned her head back towards Yuki with a devilish grin on her face. "Pick something nice to wear. Something flashy."

"Something you'd wanna be seen in."

[CaptainL]

"Yeah, heh..." Yuki ran an arm along her brow, wiping off sweat from her forehead as she shook out her hair. She let out a huff as Satsuki went on to discuss her needing to go home and rest - after the adrenaline rush that could only come from attaining a long-awaited victory, Yuki had almost forgotten about how sore she'd left her body after pushing it to its limits. But as soon as Satsuki reminded her of it, all those aches and pains came back to her, and all of a sudden she felt like she had ran a marathon. She winced as she rubbed at her shoulder, but when she looked back up at Satsuki, it was with a smile, and a sigh of relief. She might have hurt, but the fact she did hurt was a sign she had put in the effort - effort that had just paid off. "Whew...you're right. I think that'd do me good."

Then, Satsuki mentioned her needing to look nice - and at this, Yuki took a pause, a blush rising to her cheeks. This...was starting to feel like a date. Was that what the gambler had in store for her? She knew she was out of her element, that she was going into something with no idea of what to expect, but this was certainly unfamiliar to her. "You want me to...get dressed up?" Yuki was never the type to doll herself up in public. After all, she was a modest person, and she wasn't the type to flaunt; that would mean she was trying to hold herself above anyone else, and she couldn't stand people who did that. For that matter, she was so used to stretching her time to its limits she rarely had the chance to put that much effort into her appearance. Back when she was in school, she rarely even had the time to change out of her uniform before heading to the arena. She looked the world like any other high school girl; no one who didn't recognize her could have thought she had taken on the Lightweight Champion.

But then, Yuki thought back on what she had achieved tonight - how she had finally pushed through every road block in her way, and came through to the other side, grinning in triumph. It had been a long time coming. She might have had great success in the indies, but it had been so long since she'd been able to recapture that spark that now, feeling proud of her accomplishments felt...off, somehow. But now, that was all in the past. Now, Yuki was ready to turn the page on a new chapter in her life. If there was anything that deserved a special occasion...this was it.

She smiled back at Satsuki, and she nodded her head. "Well...I'll see what I can do. I bet if I look around I can find something that'll work."

Then, Yuki yawned and stretched, once again reminding herself of how tired she was. Her body was starting to grow heavy and her eyes glazed over, and she realized that it was time to turn in. After all, a big new day awaited her on the horizon.

"But yeah, I think...I'll do that. You know where to find me...so I'll see you there, okay?" Gathering her bags from the locker, Yuki went to a corner to change, and then set her sights on the exit. But as she was leaving the building, she looked back at Satsuki over her shoulder, smiling to her with a nod. She might have been nervous as to what the future would bring...but it was time to greet that future.

[FreestylePoet]

24 hours later, the wrestling world was reeling from the events of We Are LAW 5. Every sports network, video sharing site, and social media channel was covered wall-to-wall with a multitude of takes on the night's events. Much of LAW's staff and roster took the opportunity to rest after their most successful event yet. Korakuen Hall laid silent, ever so slightly more hallowed now than it was before.

Just over 40 kilometers away, a limousine rolled down the meandering asphalt of Yokohama's suburbs. Cookie-cutter houses lined the streets, and well-to-do cars only added to their curb appeal. The jet-black limousine was the odd piece out. It cut through the neighborhood like an arrow, sleek in its profile and deadly in the way its very presence threatened the community's easy order.

One side-street here, another there, and the limo pulled in front of the house of one Yuki Kazikura. Satsuki peered at the abode from behind the tinted window: It was hardly special in its design, standing just like any of its neighbors. "Humble" wasn't quite right – she reserved that word for boxes and tarps – but it was unassuming. Her driver pulling up to the front curb must've been the most interesting thing to happen here for a long time.

ignore the people

She waited for the night's company in the back of the limousine. Chin in her palm, fingers drumming across her cheekbone. Being early had its downsides, but the Queen of Clubs would never leave a dance partner waiting. When the door to the horrifyingly domestic image before her finally opened, it perked Satsuki right up. The front half of a pair of double doors swung open, revealing two rows of plush leather facing one another. Simple but stylish, just like her attire for the night: A matte leather jacket that covered an off-white cami top. Her shirt cut just above the line of her worn denim jeans.

Satuski Hayano, the Queen of Clubs

"Yuki Kazikura!" she called out with pride, beaming as she left the car. She stepped to the side, making an exaggerated bow with one arm and a wide sweep towards the open door with the other. "Your chariot has arrived."

[CaptainL]

Upstairs, Yuki Kazikura stood in front of the mirror, trying her best to keep herself still. But that was no easy task. She fidgeted anxiously back and forth, even as she tried to squeeze her hands tightly shut in order to keep herself grounded. Her mind was racing with thoughts of what was about to happen. With her life constantly torn between trying to keep up with her training and trying to keep up with her GPA, Yuki had never had the opportunity to be the most social. She had never gone out on the town like this, and she'd never experienced anything quite like a date - not in public, anyway. Satsuki had never used those words, but Yuki almost had a gut feeling it was what she was in for one way or another. And when such a time came, she had no idea how to handle it, or what to do. Until that time came, all she could do was fidget nervously.

Which wasn't the best of things for her to be doing, considering that her mother, Kanae Kazikura, was standing behind her trying to brush her hair out. "Yuki...please, try to sit still. You're making it hard to get it straight..."

"Sorry, Mom..." She leaned over to where she had everything set out for her makeup and applied a bit of blush to her face. As she did, her own cheeks blushed even harder on her own, something that caused her to bite her lip in an attempt to stop it so that she wouldn't apply too little, not knowing how much was from her face and how much was from the makeup - and when she did that, she realized she had messed up her lipstick, and she let out a groan. Yuki had never even worn makeup like this before. But she figured this was an occasion that deserved it. Satsuki was rich and powerful, after all, and she was doubtlessly going to take her some place exclusive. She needed to look the part. She just didn't know how.

Kanae sighed, putting the finishing touches on her daughter's hair. "Just...promise me you'll be careful, Yuki. I know you're an adult, I shouldn't be making these decisions for you, but...when I see what you get yourself into in your matches..."

Yuki's eyes turned to the floor. Her shoulders tensed up a little at the thought of all the times she'd been hospitalized as a result of her matches, and all the times she'd had to go home bloodied or limping. She knew how much her parents worried about her. She remembered the aghast looks on their faces every time they came to visit her in the hospital, and she saw the state she was in. It always made her feel guilty that she was doing this to them, but she knew she couldn't turn away from the life she was meant to lead. And there was no turning away from this, either - to back out now would be betraying the promise she had made. At least this time, with Satsuki, she was pretty sure she wasn't going to do anything too crazy.

"Don't...worry, Mom. Maybe I'm saying this too soon, but I trust Satsuki..." But she shuddered all the same as soon as she'd said that. She trusted Kelsea Rose, too...

Then, they heard the sound of the limo pulling up to the driveway, and both sets of eyes turned to the window. "T-That's her-!" Yuki blurted out, stepping away from her mother. "Sorry, but...I gotta go!" Yuki knew exactly how out-of-place the exquisite limousine looked in the middle of her unassuming neighborhood, and the thought of the stares it was going to get made her heart quicken. She just wanted to get out of there before anyone asked too many questions, and she was quick to hurry down the stairs, opening the door to face her ride...

Spoiler

Immediately, Yuki blushed at the sight of Satsuki's attire, realizing how overdressed she was for the occasion. It seemed that wherever Satsuki was taking her was not nearly as formal as she'd expected. But she blushed even harder when she proudly announced herself, and when she beckoned for the door. So much for not wanting to have too much attention drawn to her, she thought.

"You...don't have to be so loud," Yuki muttered, but she followed after Satsuki, slipping into the limo. She took a look around, getting a sense for what she'd be dealing with. "So...where are we headed?"