After The Snow Settles

Hospitals sucked.

Well, no. Being in hospitals sucked. It was nice that they were there when you needed them, but needing them sucked. It was even worse when your friends or your family needed them, and, for some reason, particularly in a foreign country.

Taylor knew Akashi was alright, but that didn't stop her from feeling sick to her stomach when she walked in the door. After everything else that had happened that night... The fight, having her nose broken, getting savagely beaten up by Angel, and ultimately winning the title... Kelly Conway almost stealing it away from her before she could even leave the ring. Taylor was spent, physically and emotionally.

And she was starving. She stopped at a convenience store on the way and bought little bags of chips, some jerky, a can of coke, a big bottle of unsweetened jasmine tea, a prepackaged cinnamon roll, some chocolate, and a big soft pretzel from a warm glass case. It was the most shocking act of rebellion she had perpetrated in a long time. Almost none of it was food she would ever consider eating while training, but goddammit, they earned it.

Geneva was quiet by the time she made it to the hospital. It was a welcome break from the noise and the static of the night... The cheering, screaming crowds were great to get your energy up, but when it was time to pack up and go home, peace and quiet was irreplaceable.

And no one knew who she was in Switzerland. She was a celebrity in Tokyo, but here, she was just another blonde girl. She fit right in. It was weird.

She stepped into the room where Akashi was lounging on a bed and held up the bag of snacks. "Hey," she said with a concerned, wan smile, and gave the bag a shake. "I brought food."

Akashi wasn't sure how long she had been out after her match. When she woke up, she was already in the hospital. She'd been cleaned and dressed and checked and rechecked and she did not envy whoever had to do all of that. She was a big girl and she knew the task was mighty.

Her head still throbbed and her memory was fuzzy. She had gotten another concussion but it didn't quite feel as bad as last time. Now she was just recovering but Avalanche had long since been over by the time she had become cognizant.

When Taylor came in, Akashi's eyes lit up. She started to giggle and pointed at Taylor. "Haaa! You look like shiiiiiit!" She said. "Gimmie food!" She was mostly happy to see Taylor but she was afraid to ask how the match went. The nurses had known but she wouldn't let them tell her. She wanted Taylor to do it.

"Come here and let me squeeze you, Imouto-chan."

Taylor kept smiling and lowered her eyes. There was no covering up her crooked nose and bruises and tired eyes. At least she wasn't covered in blood anymore.

She tossed the bag at Akashi and shuffled over to her. "Kashi, please, please don't kill me," she pleaded, and laid her head down on the sumo's big shoulder to hug her.

For Akashi's part, all she had was cut across her forehead with stitches in it. Most of her aches and bruises were internal, for better or for worse. Akashi's ams slipped around Taylor and she squeezed her as gently as she could.

"Mmmmmm...."

Akashi purred while she hugged. "Did you win, Imouto-chan?" She said softly. "I was still out by the time your match was over and I wouldn't let them tell me. I wanted to hear it from you, Taylor-chan."

Taylor swung her legs up onto the hospital bed and squeezed in next to Akashi, sitting with her back against the headboard.

"Well..." She said, and poked at the bag. Her first instinct was to go for the tea, the only healthy item in the bag, but she stopped herself because goddammit she was going to eat junk food. She grabbed the cinnamon roll.

"Angel wrecked my face, obviously..." She gestured around her broken nose while she worked at opening the wrapper. "It was a, uh... kick. Uh... superkick. Fucking superkick, man. And she hit me with a chair, and then slammed me on top of it, so I'm rockin' a nice little back injury right now. THAT hurt."

Neither her face nor her tone betrayed anything at all about the result. She barely had the energy to do anything else.

Akashi reached for the chips and tore the bag open. She began to greedily devour them like a good lil sumo should!

Akashi lifted her hand and gingerly touched Taylor's cheek, caressing it softly and trying not to touch any of the sore spots. "I don't think I've ever actually been hit with one of those." Akashi said as she looked at Taylor. "but, it's not like I'm going to remember right now anyway." She wrinkled her brow and smiled dumbly. She then slapped Taylor's thigh.

"Just tell me if you won or not, dammit! I'll headlock you if you don't!"

"Mm." Taylor grunted and took a bite of her factory-made cinnamon roll. It was gross and plastic-y and waaaay too sweet. It was awesome.

"I don't remember a lot of it. I might not even watch it back, 'cause I kinda just want to let it be what it was, ya know? Some things you only want to live through once..."

She took another sugary bite.

"I remember jumping off of the chairs on the risers and hitting Angel in the face with a flying knee."

She glanced over at Akashi, and the slightest little hint of a lopsided smile tugged at the corner of her mouth.

This time Akashi just punched her in the leg.

"I might not be able to remember any of MY match, but I'm pretty sure I have enough energy to kick your ass right here!" She growled through her smile.

Akashi stuffed another handful of chips in the mouth and chomped them at Taylor, as if to protest her behavior. She then stuck her tongue out and wiped her greasy hand down Taylor's chest.

"You won, didn't you?" Akashi said. "You wouldn't be being a ho if you lost!"

Taylor coolly weathered Akashi's greasy offensive and bit her rapidly depleting cinnamon roll. With a tired, but uncontainable smirk, she nodded.

"YATTAAAAAAAAAAAA!"

Akashi flung herself at Taylor. She squeezed the blonde with all the effort she could muster and nuzzled her affectionately. "The champ, eh!? I'm so proud, Imtouto-chan!" Akashi said as tears began to well up in her eyes. She never stopped squeezing.

"Sugoooooooiiii!"