Dinner, Drinks, and Chance Encounters

As fortune would have it, there was a fairly decent bar and grill situated near AFW("Double Inoue's," a name that made Kyo smile at the wrestling history reference) It was a favourite haunting ground for many AFW wrestlers, though still classy enough to only be frequented on special occasions. By Kyo's count, he guessed that this was one such special occasion.

He was wearing a buttoned-up silk black shirt and dark jean, some of his tattoos still visible at the edge of his sleeve and under his unbuttoned collar. He leaned against the edge of the front entrance, waiting patiently. He had already texted Haruka about the possibility of meeting up here. Now all he had to do was wait for her to show up. Hopefully, this wouldn't take long.

A part of him was still uneasy about the whole thing. If what he had heard about Haruka Tenou was true, then why was she suddenly taking an interest in him? She didn't seem like the type to play cruel tricks on people. As uneasy as he felt, however, another part of him wanted to just relax and let things take their course. A beautiful woman has expressed an interest in you, he thought to himself. Don't question your good fortune.

Sighing, he leaned his head back against the wall. Either way, this was the first time he had had a date resulting from a match. From what he'd heard, that wasn't uncommon in Tension, but...he'd never dreamed of it happening to him. He wondered if Toshio and Makie had seen the match, and what they thought of this whole thing.


******

Not for the first time since he'd seen the match on TV, Toshio muttered to himself "Wow, Kyo. Just...wow."

Makie whirled around on her idiot brother as she removed the last of her bandages. "Toshio, can you stop thinking about that match for three seconds?" Since her brutal match against Midori, she had fully healed, and had no intention of wearing her bandages longer than she needed to. Besides which, they reminded her too much of just how badly she had been defeated.

Turning from where he was watching other matches and sipping on a can of soda, Toshio grinned back at her, in a way which he knew irritated the hell out of her. "Oooh, what's the matter, sis? Jealous of Kyo's good fortune?"

"Fuck you," Makie said with a grin, grabbing one of her shoes from near the door and throwing it at Toshio. As usual, he dodged it.

"You're gonna have to work on your aim, sis," Toshio replied, leaning over and mussing up her hair in one hand, in a way which, again, he knew aggravated her. His face turned serious as he noted the bandages on the floor. "Feeling better now?"

"Yeah," Makie said as she slid a white t-shirt on. She was already wearing some form-fitting jeans and sandals. "The soreness is gone, and so is the bruising."

Toshio grinned at her-- this time, in a way not intended to irritate her. "That's the spirit!" he said, giving her a thumbs up. "You'll be back in the ring and kicking ass in no time!"

Makie turned and looked at her brother. She wasn't smiling. "I'm not ready yet," she sighed. "I need to train...I need to prepare before I go in there again, I...I..."

Toshio frowned. "Hey," he said, cutting his sister off and pushing up on her chin to get her to look at him. "What's our family motto?"

"Toshio, look, don't--"

"I'm serious. What's our family motto?"

Makie gave a defeated sigh. "'Bloodied but Unbroken,'" she said, echoing the words her father and mother had taught her-- words which, if her parents were to be believed, dated back to the Tokugawa era.

Toshio nodded. "Don't let one defeat discourage you, sis," he said. "It's one thing to lose a match, but if you let that defeat scare you away from the ring...then you've been broken. The next time you go into the ring, you'll be ready, because you know what a loss feels like, and it won't hold the same fear for you the second time around."

Makie slumped her shoulders. "I guess you're right," she said.

Toshio grinned widely. "Of course I'm right! I'm your all-knowing, wiser big brother!"

This comment made Makie chuckle, returning her good mood. "I'm not so sure about that last part. Are we still going to Double Inoue's?"

"My treat," Toshio replied with a nod.

Makie's smile brightened. "Great! Can Midori-senpai come with us?"

"Sure, she--" Toshio paused. "Wait...Midori-senpai?"

"Yeah! I've accepted Midori-san's offer to train me!" Makie frowned at her big brother. "What, didn't I tell you?"

Toshio gaped at his younger sister. "Wait...you...only a few days ago she beat the crap out of you, and now you're calling her senpai?"

Makie gave Toshio a pleading look. "Toshio-san...please...I know you don't like her for hurting me, and I know it bothers you that I'm going to her for training! I'm not doing this because I think you and Kyo trained me badly! I just need to broaden my experience, that's all! Please, just give her a chance!"

For a moment, Toshio's face was stiff and unresponsive. Then, slowly, he gave a defeated sigh. "I hate it when you use your sad puppy-dog face," he grumbled.

Stars shone in Makie's eyes. "Is that a yes?"

"Yes, it's a yes," Toshio sighed. It's not the end of the world, Toshio, he thought to himself. At least the waitresses at Double Inoue's will be pretty.

"Great!" Makie exclaimed. And with that, she pulled out her phone to text Midori with an invite...

Midori would receive the text from Makie and would actually be waiting for her when she and her brother exited the ring. She was dressed in a hoodie and jeans.

"Heya Makie, is that your brother?"

Makie nodded, and gestured to her Toshio, who was wearing a plain white buttoned t-shirt and jeans, with the shirt untucked and his sleeves rolled up. Even when dressed casually, Toshio still looked like a brawler at heart. Which, Makie thought, explained why he enjoyed being in the ring so much.

"Midori-senpai, this is my big brother, Toshio," she said. "Toshio, Midori-senpai." With a teasing tone to her voice, she added "Be nice, shake hands."

Toshio pretended not to hear his sister. "Yo," he said, extending his hand to shake.

Midori gave him a friendly smile in return and gripped his hand strongly.

"...Hey. I got my car parked out back. Shall I give you all a ride?"

"Uhh, sure," Toshio said. He was going to offer to drive himself, but now that Midori had offered, he wasn't about to refuse. "Lead the way."

I'm taking my little sister to dinner and drinks with the woman who beat the crap out of her a few days ago, he thought to himself. As far as weird nights out go, this is pretty damn weird.

Shortly before Midori arrived there with the group, a young man with blonde hair approached Kyo near the restaurant.

"Hey there, sport."

Of course it was actually Haruka Tenou. Outside of the match she dressed more conservatively in her men's clothes consisting of a formal shirt, green khakis and a tie. She had a ajcket thrown over her shoulder in case it got cold later that night.

Kyo raised an eyebrow, wondering who this guy was until she actually spoke. "H...Haruka-san!" He blushed, having expected her to dress a little more...well...feminine. "You, uh, look nice. I hope the spot I picked is to your liking?"

Haruka shrugs. It certanly wasn't any place ritzy that she and Michiru would go to but as a wrestler she knew to take what she could get.

It was around this time that Midori had parked the car in the restaurant parking mlot and was walking up the sidewalk with the others in tow and could see Kyo and Haruka standing outside the restaurant.

After a short ride, Makie, Toshio and Midori ended up at Double Inoue's. Exiting from Midori's car, they all began to walk to the bar and grill.

"I'm glad you could come along, Midori-senpai," a beaming Makie said. "I wanted to thank you for offering to train me. I just want you to know there's no hard feelings between us after our last...last...match..."

Makie trailed off as she saw a familiar figure in the distance. She and Toshio both stopped, speechless, as they saw Kyo and what appeared to be a blonde-haired young man near the entrance. "Bro?" Toshio called out.

At that moment, Kyo turned to see Toshio, Makie and...Midori, of all people...approaching together. "Toshio? Makie? What on earth are you doing here?" Well, this was certainly awkward.

Haruka examined the trio that approached with interest.

She recognized Midori Himeno, a powerful woman warrior who she felt could give even her a run for the money. Then she saw the leering young man and almost immediately discounted him entirely. She knew his type well enough and usually would have nothing to do with him but since he seemed to be part of the group she would be cooly polite. Then she noticed the boy with them. However it wouldn't take Haruka long to notice she too was a young woman and a fairly attractive one to boot.

Midori for her part recognized Kyo from the other day and nodded politely. She did not know Haruka as well so did not comment.