Post by toukaze on Feb 18, 2024 7:07:08 GMT
Charlie leaned back in her chair at her desk, the video still playing but the sound muted, as she pondered what to do. The mess that had ended Sacrifice on Tuesday night was at the forefront of her mind.
The Murder was worse than the NRA, the faction Neo-Honshu had for their gaijin outside the enhancement corps where she and Rini had basically lived for six years. Maybe it was because Neo-Honshu had such strict rules for presentation, or maybe because IWF was more relaxed, but The Murder was running rampant and invalidating matches by their interference.
Admittedly, she didnât approve of backstage attacks like the one that had hospitalized several of their members either, but from all she could see, the Murder had brought such actions on themselves.
Sheâd had no qualms about wading into a fray to help break up the fight, but there was little she could do alone against such numbers. As time had shown, Charlieâs preferred aerial style was little good in full melees. That Rini would follow her in, Charlie didnât doubt, but again, they were only two against more than twice that⊠Rini would last longer, thanks to her technical skills, but, as before, the numbers were the problem.
In a way, this three-on-three match with Shea OâHara on her side was something of a blessing. She knew that Shea would be busy for a while with her shot at Jennie Fenix and the Womenâs championship, but she needed alliesâŠ
Charlie sighed in disgust with herself. Who was she kidding? She needed friends. Her siblings could understand the struggle of only being seen as half of who they were, but theyâd all found their own ways to cope with it. Dave remained silent as a stone, allowing everything to roll off of him but wearing him away slowly. Hannah bubbled like a brook around, over and through, blessed by genetics to take more after their fatherâs family than their motherâs, so while she still encountered issues, they were not the same as what Dave and Charlie faced. They were also her brother and sister, with all the annoyance that familiarity gave them. She herself burned and raged through her obstacles until her anger was spent.
Her maternal cousins, or the few relatives from her fatherâs side who stayed or came to the States, didnât understand what it was like to be stuck between two worlds, trying to find ways to balance or integrate them when there was no wish for integration on one side. What sheâd found with Rini had opened Charlieâs eyes to what sheâd spent most of her life missing; someone who understood and embraced everything she was, even the parts she wasnât sure of yet.
Shea had proven remarkably understanding on that front. Rini was blessed with such a personality that sheâd never had any problems making friends, so sheâd never truly comprehended how much like an outsider Charlie had felt like. Oh, Rini understood that there were differences between them, but those had never mattered to her, so why should they matter at all? That wasnât to say that Riniâs outlook wasnât appreciated, because Riniâs staunch defense of Charlie, never caring how others saw the haafu, was also needed at times. But it was also nice to have someone who saw the differences, acknowledged them, and even felt the same.
Charlie idly wondered if Nat would be interested in joining some form of an alliance against The Murder. Just as quickly though, she dismissed the thought. Rini and Nat were too new to the company to be thrown into the deep end of grudges and feuding factions just yet, and it looked like Nat had her own issues starting up with Serenity. Not that Charlie could blame Nat there. Serenity was as pompous and arrogant as any second-generation wrestler could be, and more so. If she didnât already have shit to settle with Brooklyn, Charlie mightâve joined in on that, since Serenity had so glaringly forgotten about or dismissed Charlieâs one win over Stepanov prior to getting in the ring with her (and choking on those words, thanks to Shea). Feuds had been started over less than ignoring a victory in the professional wrestling world.
Though if anyone thought they could attack Rini with impunity, Charlie would be the first to show them how wrong that thought was.
âDeal with whatâs in front of you, Una. No need to borrow more trouble than youâve already got,â she thought to herself.
Itâd been almost seven years since Rini and Charlie had been in each otherâs corner, but the pieces had clicked back into place like they were back at HachimangĆ« Dojo. It may have been against a pair of sisters who didnât get many bookings, but nothing could detract from the elation of teaming with Rini again.
Charlie worried how adding Shea into the mix would affect the dynamics, since Rini and Charlie worked so smoothly together⊠but again, dismissed the thought. It would be worth it.
âDo you miss home, Rini-san?â
Charlieâs father, Aiden Shimizu, had caught her before the post-dinner games could start after their weekly family meal. Searching as hard as she might, it was only quiet concern for her that was shown in his face, heard in his soft question, asked in their hereditary language. It wasnât a way to keep everyone from understanding should they be overheard, since Rini knew that all the younger Shimizus were fluent in Japanese, but the matriarch was ensuring that David, Charlie and Hannah were suitably distracted, arguing over what game to play.
Her heart ached. Her Chichi and Haha had finally washed their hands of her years before, but being back among a family, even one as different from her own as the Shimizus were, had reminded her of the earlier times, before the familial bonds had been strained to the breaking point.
âYes and no,â Rini finally answered. âItâs been years since I had anyone other than Una, so Iâve mostly missed her, Shimizu-san.â
âAiden offered her a small smile that was quietly sympathetic. âI know my daughter is poor consolation for one raised under the rising sun. My own family is strained by how my parents' generation responded to the incarceration of our kinsmen, and my choice of wife has only made it worse. At least I have not lost all contact with them and they remain polite to me when the need for contact arises.â
Rini stared at the man, pieces finally clicking into place. âI thought it was only because your family would not welcome her as a haafu that Una wound up in SapporoâŠâ she murmured softly.
The Shimizu patriarchâs smile turned rueful. âThat certainly didnât help her case. It is ironic that the daughter that would most likely escape the worst of the prejudices was the one who listened to the warnings and accepted Charlieâs offer to visit her instead.â Aiden shook his head, seeming to dismiss the line their conversation was going. âYou do miss them though.â
He didnât need to say who âtheyâ were. Rini knew he referred to her parents. How could she tell him that her parents had always been disappointed in her? If it wasnât her poor academics, it was her choice of hobbies and friends. All this was made worse by the fact that she was their only child. âThey preferred my cousins. Iâm sure weâre all happier where we are.â
âYou are very skilled at not answering my question and avoiding unpleasant topics,â Aiden retorted, his tone amused. âFrom your non-answer, I can tell it pains you, and that you are an only child, which must make your apparent defection from them feel that much worse to you.â
Rini stared at her friendâs father in a mixture of amazement at his perception, bemusement that he could understand so much that she didnât say, and almost angry for him revealing herself so. Rini had no doubt either that Aiden could sense the growing tension.
âYou should call them, Rini-san. It is time you tell them where you are, and what youâre doing now, donât you think?â
Part of her wanted to deny the suggestion. After the rancor that had prevailed in their last meeting, Rini had wanted nothing more than to never hear from her parents again, and they had seemed equally resolved that their estrangement should be permanent. It wasnât as though she had changed her phone number before sheâd left Japan. They could have reached out at any time. They still could, through LINE. They were the ones with the problem. Why should she have to be the one to reach out?
Just as quickly as the resentful question formed in her mind, the answer to it came as well; because they were her parents. It was her place to seek reconciliation, not theirs.
âYou will always have a home with us, Rini-san, but you can no more ignore your parents than my children can ignore that they do not fully belong to either of their parentsâ worlds.â
Aiden left her then to join his wife and children at the living room table in the game theyâd finally agreed to. Rini hung back a moment, pulling out her phone and opening the LINE app.
Her parentsâ numbers, and the numbers for her extended family, were all there, transferred from her old phone. Her thumb hovered only a moment over the number for her parents, then she closed the app and joined the Shimizus in their game.
She convinced herself that she was just waiting until her career with IWF was more solid, and that was the only reason she wouldnât call them that night. Maybe after OdysseyâŠ
The reason felt hollow, even in her thoughts.
The feed opens to show Rini and Charlotte wearing workout gear in Charlotteâs home gym. While their postures are casual, itâs clear theyâre ready for anything coming their way.
âWhat do you think about our opponents, Maasu?â Rini asks, her tone almost innocent.
âWhat is there to think about them, Muun?â Charlotte retorts, a smirk on her face. âOh I suppose I should be nicer about it⊠How long has it been since any of them had a match?â
Out of⊠somewhere, Rini pulls out a small piece of paper with writing on it. Her dark eyes scan it briefly before answering. âLet us see⊠Mimi had a singles match back in June of â22, but Erin forced a submission quickly⊠and Nancy and Candy attempted to have a match against Rowan MacDonnough and Vivianne Rodgers back in August, but as you might expect, it ended before it really started. OH! That was right around the time we told Neo-Honshu what to do with themselves!â
Charlotte accepts the response with a slight nod to Rini before returning her full attention to the camera, her eyes seeming to stare right out into the viewerâs souls. âSo what Iâm hearing is that the hottest new tag team and the next challenger for the Women's Championship are being tossed into a ring against girls that wonât last longer than a teenage boy on prom night⊠That sound about right?â
âProm night?â Rini repeats, her brows furrowed in confusion.
Charlotte blinks briefly at her partner before shaking her head. She beckons Rini close and whispers in her ear. Riniâs eyes go comically wide at whatever Charlotteâs explanation is and her hand covers her mouth over a gasp and girlish giggle.
âWakarimasu ka?â Charlotte asks, her words no longer obscured by her hand or low tone. Rini only giggles again, nodding.
âSo that sounds about right then, doesnât it?â Charlotte prompts again.
âYes.. It -â But Rini canât finish her agreement, and falls onto a bench, giggling hysterically. Charlotte merely sighs with an expression that many older siblings would recognize; the one that wonders if theyâll ever be able to take the younger sibling anywhere.
âSo letâs leave our opponents to the side for the time being,â Charlotte continues, speaking louder to be heard over Riniâs laughter. âIâll admit to some concern here as to how adding a third person to a team like East Wind will turn out⊠But I also know Shea OâHara, and if thereâs one woman in this company Iâd trust to be in East Windâs corner, itâs easily Shea.â
This seems to finally calm Rini down. âWe will be fine, Maasu. Nothing will keep the East Wind from blowing through the Imperial Wrestling Federation,â Rini says with an easy smile.
âWell you have to admit itâs something weâve not done. Not even back at the Dojo,â Charlotte counters, still looking pensive.
âI have faith in us, Maasu, and I have faith that you wouldnât trust anyone that would hurt our chances,â Rini avers with a firm nod that spoke to her absolute conviction.
Charlotte smiles a bit ruefully. âOkay, thatâs a fair point⊠Either way, hereâs East Windâs notice to Mimi Simpson, Candy Kane of No Relation, and Nancy Pailson-Carlson: Weâre going to win, but itâs up to you how we win. Fight us how you want us to fight you.â
âFight clean, and we will pick you up afterwards.â
âBut fight dirty?â
Rini and Charlotte share a brief glance and turn back to the camera with matching smirks. âWe will bury you.â
Charlotteâs hand comes up and covers the lens of the camera. The feed cuts.
The promo is later released in Japanese.
The Murder was worse than the NRA, the faction Neo-Honshu had for their gaijin outside the enhancement corps where she and Rini had basically lived for six years. Maybe it was because Neo-Honshu had such strict rules for presentation, or maybe because IWF was more relaxed, but The Murder was running rampant and invalidating matches by their interference.
Admittedly, she didnât approve of backstage attacks like the one that had hospitalized several of their members either, but from all she could see, the Murder had brought such actions on themselves.
Sheâd had no qualms about wading into a fray to help break up the fight, but there was little she could do alone against such numbers. As time had shown, Charlieâs preferred aerial style was little good in full melees. That Rini would follow her in, Charlie didnât doubt, but again, they were only two against more than twice that⊠Rini would last longer, thanks to her technical skills, but, as before, the numbers were the problem.
In a way, this three-on-three match with Shea OâHara on her side was something of a blessing. She knew that Shea would be busy for a while with her shot at Jennie Fenix and the Womenâs championship, but she needed alliesâŠ
Charlie sighed in disgust with herself. Who was she kidding? She needed friends. Her siblings could understand the struggle of only being seen as half of who they were, but theyâd all found their own ways to cope with it. Dave remained silent as a stone, allowing everything to roll off of him but wearing him away slowly. Hannah bubbled like a brook around, over and through, blessed by genetics to take more after their fatherâs family than their motherâs, so while she still encountered issues, they were not the same as what Dave and Charlie faced. They were also her brother and sister, with all the annoyance that familiarity gave them. She herself burned and raged through her obstacles until her anger was spent.
Her maternal cousins, or the few relatives from her fatherâs side who stayed or came to the States, didnât understand what it was like to be stuck between two worlds, trying to find ways to balance or integrate them when there was no wish for integration on one side. What sheâd found with Rini had opened Charlieâs eyes to what sheâd spent most of her life missing; someone who understood and embraced everything she was, even the parts she wasnât sure of yet.
Shea had proven remarkably understanding on that front. Rini was blessed with such a personality that sheâd never had any problems making friends, so sheâd never truly comprehended how much like an outsider Charlie had felt like. Oh, Rini understood that there were differences between them, but those had never mattered to her, so why should they matter at all? That wasnât to say that Riniâs outlook wasnât appreciated, because Riniâs staunch defense of Charlie, never caring how others saw the haafu, was also needed at times. But it was also nice to have someone who saw the differences, acknowledged them, and even felt the same.
Charlie idly wondered if Nat would be interested in joining some form of an alliance against The Murder. Just as quickly though, she dismissed the thought. Rini and Nat were too new to the company to be thrown into the deep end of grudges and feuding factions just yet, and it looked like Nat had her own issues starting up with Serenity. Not that Charlie could blame Nat there. Serenity was as pompous and arrogant as any second-generation wrestler could be, and more so. If she didnât already have shit to settle with Brooklyn, Charlie mightâve joined in on that, since Serenity had so glaringly forgotten about or dismissed Charlieâs one win over Stepanov prior to getting in the ring with her (and choking on those words, thanks to Shea). Feuds had been started over less than ignoring a victory in the professional wrestling world.
Though if anyone thought they could attack Rini with impunity, Charlie would be the first to show them how wrong that thought was.
âDeal with whatâs in front of you, Una. No need to borrow more trouble than youâve already got,â she thought to herself.
Itâd been almost seven years since Rini and Charlie had been in each otherâs corner, but the pieces had clicked back into place like they were back at HachimangĆ« Dojo. It may have been against a pair of sisters who didnât get many bookings, but nothing could detract from the elation of teaming with Rini again.
Charlie worried how adding Shea into the mix would affect the dynamics, since Rini and Charlie worked so smoothly together⊠but again, dismissed the thought. It would be worth it.
âDo you miss home, Rini-san?â
Charlieâs father, Aiden Shimizu, had caught her before the post-dinner games could start after their weekly family meal. Searching as hard as she might, it was only quiet concern for her that was shown in his face, heard in his soft question, asked in their hereditary language. It wasnât a way to keep everyone from understanding should they be overheard, since Rini knew that all the younger Shimizus were fluent in Japanese, but the matriarch was ensuring that David, Charlie and Hannah were suitably distracted, arguing over what game to play.
Her heart ached. Her Chichi and Haha had finally washed their hands of her years before, but being back among a family, even one as different from her own as the Shimizus were, had reminded her of the earlier times, before the familial bonds had been strained to the breaking point.
âYes and no,â Rini finally answered. âItâs been years since I had anyone other than Una, so Iâve mostly missed her, Shimizu-san.â
âAiden offered her a small smile that was quietly sympathetic. âI know my daughter is poor consolation for one raised under the rising sun. My own family is strained by how my parents' generation responded to the incarceration of our kinsmen, and my choice of wife has only made it worse. At least I have not lost all contact with them and they remain polite to me when the need for contact arises.â
Rini stared at the man, pieces finally clicking into place. âI thought it was only because your family would not welcome her as a haafu that Una wound up in SapporoâŠâ she murmured softly.
The Shimizu patriarchâs smile turned rueful. âThat certainly didnât help her case. It is ironic that the daughter that would most likely escape the worst of the prejudices was the one who listened to the warnings and accepted Charlieâs offer to visit her instead.â Aiden shook his head, seeming to dismiss the line their conversation was going. âYou do miss them though.â
He didnât need to say who âtheyâ were. Rini knew he referred to her parents. How could she tell him that her parents had always been disappointed in her? If it wasnât her poor academics, it was her choice of hobbies and friends. All this was made worse by the fact that she was their only child. âThey preferred my cousins. Iâm sure weâre all happier where we are.â
âYou are very skilled at not answering my question and avoiding unpleasant topics,â Aiden retorted, his tone amused. âFrom your non-answer, I can tell it pains you, and that you are an only child, which must make your apparent defection from them feel that much worse to you.â
Rini stared at her friendâs father in a mixture of amazement at his perception, bemusement that he could understand so much that she didnât say, and almost angry for him revealing herself so. Rini had no doubt either that Aiden could sense the growing tension.
âYou should call them, Rini-san. It is time you tell them where you are, and what youâre doing now, donât you think?â
Part of her wanted to deny the suggestion. After the rancor that had prevailed in their last meeting, Rini had wanted nothing more than to never hear from her parents again, and they had seemed equally resolved that their estrangement should be permanent. It wasnât as though she had changed her phone number before sheâd left Japan. They could have reached out at any time. They still could, through LINE. They were the ones with the problem. Why should she have to be the one to reach out?
Just as quickly as the resentful question formed in her mind, the answer to it came as well; because they were her parents. It was her place to seek reconciliation, not theirs.
âYou will always have a home with us, Rini-san, but you can no more ignore your parents than my children can ignore that they do not fully belong to either of their parentsâ worlds.â
Aiden left her then to join his wife and children at the living room table in the game theyâd finally agreed to. Rini hung back a moment, pulling out her phone and opening the LINE app.
Her parentsâ numbers, and the numbers for her extended family, were all there, transferred from her old phone. Her thumb hovered only a moment over the number for her parents, then she closed the app and joined the Shimizus in their game.
She convinced herself that she was just waiting until her career with IWF was more solid, and that was the only reason she wouldnât call them that night. Maybe after OdysseyâŠ
The reason felt hollow, even in her thoughts.
The feed opens to show Rini and Charlotte wearing workout gear in Charlotteâs home gym. While their postures are casual, itâs clear theyâre ready for anything coming their way.
âWhat do you think about our opponents, Maasu?â Rini asks, her tone almost innocent.
âWhat is there to think about them, Muun?â Charlotte retorts, a smirk on her face. âOh I suppose I should be nicer about it⊠How long has it been since any of them had a match?â
Out of⊠somewhere, Rini pulls out a small piece of paper with writing on it. Her dark eyes scan it briefly before answering. âLet us see⊠Mimi had a singles match back in June of â22, but Erin forced a submission quickly⊠and Nancy and Candy attempted to have a match against Rowan MacDonnough and Vivianne Rodgers back in August, but as you might expect, it ended before it really started. OH! That was right around the time we told Neo-Honshu what to do with themselves!â
Charlotte accepts the response with a slight nod to Rini before returning her full attention to the camera, her eyes seeming to stare right out into the viewerâs souls. âSo what Iâm hearing is that the hottest new tag team and the next challenger for the Women's Championship are being tossed into a ring against girls that wonât last longer than a teenage boy on prom night⊠That sound about right?â
âProm night?â Rini repeats, her brows furrowed in confusion.
Charlotte blinks briefly at her partner before shaking her head. She beckons Rini close and whispers in her ear. Riniâs eyes go comically wide at whatever Charlotteâs explanation is and her hand covers her mouth over a gasp and girlish giggle.
âWakarimasu ka?â Charlotte asks, her words no longer obscured by her hand or low tone. Rini only giggles again, nodding.
âSo that sounds about right then, doesnât it?â Charlotte prompts again.
âYes.. It -â But Rini canât finish her agreement, and falls onto a bench, giggling hysterically. Charlotte merely sighs with an expression that many older siblings would recognize; the one that wonders if theyâll ever be able to take the younger sibling anywhere.
âSo letâs leave our opponents to the side for the time being,â Charlotte continues, speaking louder to be heard over Riniâs laughter. âIâll admit to some concern here as to how adding a third person to a team like East Wind will turn out⊠But I also know Shea OâHara, and if thereâs one woman in this company Iâd trust to be in East Windâs corner, itâs easily Shea.â
This seems to finally calm Rini down. âWe will be fine, Maasu. Nothing will keep the East Wind from blowing through the Imperial Wrestling Federation,â Rini says with an easy smile.
âWell you have to admit itâs something weâve not done. Not even back at the Dojo,â Charlotte counters, still looking pensive.
âI have faith in us, Maasu, and I have faith that you wouldnât trust anyone that would hurt our chances,â Rini avers with a firm nod that spoke to her absolute conviction.
Charlotte smiles a bit ruefully. âOkay, thatâs a fair point⊠Either way, hereâs East Windâs notice to Mimi Simpson, Candy Kane of No Relation, and Nancy Pailson-Carlson: Weâre going to win, but itâs up to you how we win. Fight us how you want us to fight you.â
âFight clean, and we will pick you up afterwards.â
âBut fight dirty?â
Rini and Charlotte share a brief glance and turn back to the camera with matching smirks. âWe will bury you.â
Charlotteâs hand comes up and covers the lens of the camera. The feed cuts.
The promo is later released in Japanese.
Well howdy there pardner.