A Promise Fulfilled (for Dragonofdarkness)

[CaptainL]

At Aoi's questioning, Yuki sucked in a breath. For a moment, she went quiet, and she stared off into space, turning those words over in her mind. Why do you fight? It seemed like a simple question, but for Yuki, it meant so much more. Her parents had asked her that question time and time again. She'd even asked herself that, at times - when she was lying in the hospital bed, nursing another injury, thinking about how she had brushed off every other option in her life, like college or another, more stable job. How, if wrestling didn't work out - if she suffered an injury so bad she couldn't do it any more - she would be left without a place to go. The future was a yawning abyss of uncertainty. And there were times Yuki had to ask herself why she'd let it be this way - if she could've just gone in to something else, she wouldn't need to worry about these things. Wouldn't that be better? But...she couldn't. Because none of those things were her.

"The truth is, Aoi...I fight because it's where I feel like I belong. Yeah, I've tried other things, I have hobbies and all, but...when I'm in the ring, that's what clicks with me. There's something, deep down, that tells me that I'm doing what I was always supposed to. And I want to pursue that. I want to succeed in wrestling because it's the only thing that's really resonated with me. It's what I feel good at. It makes me feel like I have a reason to be on this planet. I don't know why that is, but ever since I was in high school and I was getting all the attention as a wrestling prodigy, that made me feel...satisfied, like nothing ever had before. I don't want to let go of that."

She grit her teeth a little as Aoi mentioned wanting to protect her friend. And she remembered, again, that that was what had led her here - standing up against people who had hurt those she cared for. It made Yuki's eyelid twitch and she clenched a fist tighter, remembering it all; she was sure Aoi was hit just as hard by that flood of bad memories as she was. But, she reminded herself, through it all, Aoi was staying strong. Yuki had to stay strong too. No matter how much she might've wanted to shrink back, that wasn't an option any more. She cleared her throat and sat straighter.

"Aoi, I...don't want my last encounter with Rose to be what I'm remembered for. I don't want to be someone who runs away, or someone who can't beat her. I don't want to be held back by my own limitations. I want the world to see that - that's why I fight." She didn't think it was corny at all. In fact, Aoi had gotten through to the very question that had guided Yuki through every step of the last few years of her life.

[Dragonofdarkness]

Aoi looked at yuki, the girl was in deep thought by the question. good Aoi didn't want a half ass answer she wanted to know why yuki pushed her self so hard when she felt yuki can do anything else. Hearing those words aoi smiled a little bit and nods. then hearing the rest she nodded. "because you feel like you belong and to show the world your not a coward.. hmm we can work with that." Aoi smiled. "those are very good reasons. " Aoi stated she knew Yuki was Rose's first victim part of Aoi regerted not rushing our to save yuki during that but aoi knew it wasn't right she hardly knew yuki only having on match, but aoi's regret was the same. "alright yuki lets see what we can do. first well focus on your good points and improve the parts you bad. You're a high-flying type, jumping from ropes and turnbuckles using speed to its finest?" aoi asked

she tried to think on how to improve yuki when they fought she felt yuki was good enough to be a champion on her own but seeing that yuki doesn't have the same confidence, aoi was trying to see how to polish her to where she would have that confidence. Aoi had a template in her head on how shadow trained her so she was going off things like that on a lightly hard degree. "lets work on your stamina and speed then by doing excrises for them for about a week and then well work on you be able to take a hit and throw a hit back. " aoi said. "hmmm being able to counter is a good idea mostly cause that what i try to do is counter form getting hit even though it hurt. " Aoi was really thinking on all of yukis points that she remember from their match as well as her pass matches.

[CaptainL]

Hearing Aoi summarize her thoughts, Yuki nodded her head - yes, that got to the core of the issue. She smiled a little to herself. It felt oddly satisfying, oddly vindicating even, to see Aoi Fukiwara, a woman she had looked up to for such time, understand where she was coming from so well. Was she really thinking something like that about a girl who was the same age she was, she asked herself? Maybe that was her issue - she needed to have more faith in herself. Maybe Aoi wasn't truly so distant and so unreachable as she had grown used to telling herself she was. Had she reached Aoi's level a long time ago? Was she only now coming to realize that?

Still, it was no time to sit around pondering that - it was time for her to train. She nodded her head to Aoi again. "Yeah, that's right. I've always been quick on my feet, and my reflexes are pretty good. I've always focused on that when it came to my style. Focus on what I'm already good at, you know?" It seemed as though Aoi had a similar idea when it came to how she was going to train Yuki, figuring out what she did best, and focusing on honing those areas even further.

Though, when she brought up focusing on those exercises for a whole week, it made Yuki's eyes go a little wider. "A week..?" She had just gotten out of the hospital, and she was going to commit to such an intensive regimen? But she shook that out of her head a moment later - yes, of course she was going to train that intensively; what was she thinking? She was going to take on a champion, and she needed to treat things like she wanted to.

Besides, when Aoi mentioned Yuki needing to counter, that made the dark-haired girl stand a little straighter, sucking in a breath and holding it in her lungs. It wasn't lost on her that, in that first match against Rose Gold, she had left herself open and allowed Rose to take advantage - and the Sinister Siren was well known for her counter discipline. Something tensed in the pit of her stomach at the thought of confronting that again. And that was before Rose had become a champion - she was surely even better now! But, as Yuki reminded herself, the next time that happened, she would be ready for it. As long as she took Aoi's lessons to heart, she wouldn't need to be afraid again.

Sucking in a deep breath, Yuki raised her head, looking Aoi in the eye and nodding to her. "Alright. All of that sounds good...I'll defer to you. I'm ready to get started."

[Dragonofdarkness]

Aoi saw the look in Yukis eyes about the counter and week training laughing a bit. "i meant doing some easy excerised for a week that build on the foundation of what you know its wont be something so intense shadow had me jog for 3 hours to work on my stamina so i say 2 hours for you and a 30 min rest then some training on reflexes and i know counter can be a pain but being able to take a hit then immediately using it against other is a fighting one oh one type of thing" aoi remarked

she also had a bit of a smirk at Yuki as she figured yuki thought a week of intense training with now breaks that while that might seem good in animes Aoi knew resting helps a lot more. " aoi knew Yuki was more talented then the girl thinks the only think yuki didn't had was confidence. " anyways you also wanted to emulate some of my fighting style right?" Aoi asked feeling wary about teaching someone her style since she did some slams nd the light but she worked very hard to keep looking petite while being able to carry girls her weight class.

[CaptainL]

Almost as soon as the words had left her mouth, Yuki's cheeks flushed red, and she glanced off. Of course it was going to be this intense; what was she thinking? Here she was, trying to hold herself to the standards of a champion-level wrestler, and going to that champion herself. She had been used to squeezing in whatever training she could between school and her other commitments, but Aoi was on another level. Did she expect that Aoi would get to where she'd gotten to by taking the easy route? It almost seemed foolish - so much so that Yuki felt ashamed of herself that she'd been this surprised. She didn't want Aoi to think she was that short-sided, or that she was lazy. She told herself she was serious about this. It was time she acted like she was that serious.

Still, her eyes went a little wider when Aoi mentioned that Shadow had had her jog for three whole hours. Her legs wobbled a little bit just at the thought of such a grueling regimen. Was she even capable of doing that after recovering from a leg injury? But a second later, she shook that thought aside. She couldn't hide from the pursuit of self-improvement. If it was going to take three hours, then she would commit herself to those three hours. That was the only thing she could do. If anything, when Aoi brought up all the other exercises she would do, Yuki was halfway tempted to ask to do the three hours anyway. She didn't want Aoi to go easy on her. But then, if Aoi figured she knew what Yuki needed most, Yuki couldn't get in the way.

She sucked in a breath, readying herself for the jog - she reached down at her leg, rubbing it a couple of times just to make sure she'd be able to withstand the demand she would be asking of it. "Okay, just tell me where," she said, kneeling down low and preparing herself to break into a run. Just before she was about to take off, though, Aoi spoke up - and at that sound, Yuki looked back toward her.

"Huh?" She paused - suddenly, it hit her. What would Aoi think about her efforts to emulate her style? Did she approve? Was she going to be mad at her? Yuki had been afraid that she wouldn't be able to compete, and that she was thus filling a vital role by stepping into Aoi's shoes. But Aoi was improving rapidly, and now it seemed she could well return to the ring some day. That raised the question - what would she do, if Yuki was already doing whatever she was? Was she encroaching on her own friend's territory? Was she just dooming herself to comparisons?

"...y-yeah..." Yuki bit her lip, looking off with an anxious chuckle. "I mean, I hope that's okay! Right..? If there's anything you don't want to do, I won't..." But deep down, with this being as important to Yuki as it was, she was - however selfishly it might have been - hoping Aoi wouldn't object to anything she did.

[Dragonofdarkness]

Aoi looked at Yuki as she wonder if her training with shadow was really intense. she looked at Yuki who rubbed her leg. "yeah i have that some feeling i don't even know if i can do my speed trick any more." Aoi admit as she rubbed her own leg. "anyways about emulating me i mean im not against it but why would you want to use moves i use i might have been a champion but i don't think i'm worthy of such honor." Aoi stated as she crossed her arms. "and i a speed and small power technical fighter i use speed and some power moves like suplex's or power bombs. " Aoi said.

she would look at yuki. "but i am honored you do want to use some of my techniques even if i feel im not good enough for that." Aoi stated as she smilded abit. she would had to think on some times to training yuki nad make her training plan abit more solid she never was good at Planing.

[CaptainL]

It made Yuki's eyebrow raise when she heard Aoi admit she wasn't sure if she could move quite as quickly as she did after her injury. When the two girls faced off, Aoi's speed was the first thing Yuki had noticed about her, and it was definitely something that kept her on her toes throughout the entire bout, forcing her to adapt quickly to the rhythm of the action. "Really? What...what will you do then?" She could hardly imagine an Aoi who wasn't so blindingly quick.

Even more so, Yuki was shocked to see Aoi cast such doubts on herself when she declared she wasn't worthy of being a former champion. She had been there to visit Aoi in the hospital right after the match - and there, she had seen how much the blue-haired girl disparaged herself. Losing her title had dealt a blow to her spirit, one that, Yuki was now discovering, she had never quite recovered from. It pained Yuki to hear that then, and it pained her to hear it now. She could feel something sink in the pit of her stomach; her jaw hung open, and the color drained from her face. No - she couldn't be hearing that. She wouldn't accept that someone like Aoi Fukiwara, who had impressed her so much with her speed and skill and left her on a razor's edge from the very start of the match, could ever say such things about herself. Let alone believe them.

"No, Aoi...you know that isn't true!" Yuki leaned closer, setting her hand on her shoulder. "Believe me, I've faced some really tough opponents in my career, but you're one of the toughest. I had to pull out all the stops to adapt to you. I mean, I had some of the biggest wrestling journalists calling me a prodigy before I was even out of high school, and you still beat me! That should count for something, shouldn't it? Even if you don't think your moves are anything special...I still think they're great! And if you don't know if you'll be able to do them still, at least let me keep the spirit alive..."

The smile on Yuki's face grew a little wider as she leaned in closer to Aoi. Even when she described her style - noting the focus on power moves, an area Yuki had never done all that much with - it still wouldn't do anything to dissuade her. Maybe the thought was a little intimidating, but for Aoi's sake, she was willing to put herself up to the task. She couldn't let Aoi's style die with her title run. She couldn't let Rose Gold win.

[Dragonofdarkness]

Aoi sighes asked that question. "not sure really i might try keep a slower pace tho many of my fans might miss me using my speed to its fullest. " Aoi stated as she would hear Yukis words of comfort. it did help some but it wasn't that thought of losing or being unable to continue her normal fighting style. the reason she was lamenting so much was that she couldn't face Rebecca she couldn't get revenge for her and infact she bared her in the dressing room and refused to see her after the match. she hasn't seen Rebeccca since. shes been cooped up and avoided all the places Rebecca would go to.

she looked at Yuki her eyes shes aw determination the same eyes she and Rebecca had. she clenched her fist abit as the thought her her not being with Rebecca pained her but she couldn't face her she was not good enough to be by Rebecca to protect her. Sighing she nodes to Yuki. "okay will i got what i needed as i said shadow will help me abit were by making sure we both rest well and recover while training. hes very adaminate on proper rest " Aoi chuckled

"_{yes and its getting late now so you two should head home}" Shadow said appearing almost out of nowhere. "wha!" aoi yelp. " I TOLD YOU TO NOT DO THAT!" Aoi said punching at shadow who blocked it and fliped aoi on her back almost effortlessly. luckly they were on a mat when shadow sent aoi on her back. "fine fine well head home. come on yuki." Aoi said "dont want shadows customers to know he keeps young women in the basement " she stuck her tongue out at Shadow and took yukis hand as they headed upstairs. "well do the proper training tomorrow just rest for today okay?" Aoi smiled at Yuki.

[CaptainL]

It was only by a little bit, but Yuki could still see the sorrow in Aoi's eyes recede when she saw the passion the dark-haired girl held onto. And that made her stand a little straighter as her smile grew wider. Aoi had definitely been through a lot. She'd lost her title, she'd been taken out of action, and no doubt she was still grappling with the fear that she had let everyone down...but there was still the same old Aoi in there, still holding onto hope. That told Yuki that everything was going to be fine. That told her it wasn't all lost.

Yuki had been so lost in her thoughts that she didn't realize Shadow was hanging so close by - but when he spoke up, it came as just as much of a shock to her as it did to Aoi. She jumped back with a yelp - and if the surprise wasn't bad enough, she could only stand and watch as the masked man grabbed Aoi effortlessly and flipped her to the ground! It would've been an incredible display of his quick reflexes and knowledge of counters, were he not doing it to a woman who was already injured! "C-CAREFUL-!!" Yuki screamed, diving in toward where Aoi landed; she looked her over to make sure all of her joints were still bending at the right angle. "Oh, god-! Are you all right, Aoi-!?"

As Aoi straightened herself, Yuki stepped back and rose to her feet, clearing her throat. She was still a little shaken from what had just happened, but at least Aoi wasn't seriously hurt. "Yeah, yeah, uh...r-right. When you put it like that, it's, er...nothing," Yuki muttered. "Resting. Yeah. That sounds like a plan." She nodded her head to Aoi, staying close to her as she led her back upstairs. "Same place tomorrow, I take it?"

[Dragonofdarkness]

Aoi laughed abit as she and yuki headed out side when yuki asked Aoi same place. shaking her head. "no the park over thats close to here would be better. "Aoi said. "were gunna start jogging there even though shadow has treadmills he said having a good scenery helps mentality." Aoi said. "well take it slow till our bodies are fully healed then try to push out self more little by little. after the job well head her for some counter training." Aoi said getting the plan down for yuki. "after that well try and see if you can handle my move set " Aoi said trying to smile at yuki. she knew yuki was worried for her cause of her mentalily and injury but aoi didn't want people to worry for her to much.

"see you tomorrow yuki." aoi said heading home for the night and the next day

At the park aoi was in jogging attired as she examined her leg making sure it was good. "*sigh* can i really do this mentor thing... can i even continue fighting like i used to." Aoi said stil having alot of doubts but tried to bury them. she wanted yuki to not worries and she had to fine a way to face rebecca again but anxity and fear kept her fomr even calling her bestfriend.