So Much It Hurts

"I dunno, let's just... walk or something. We can head to the nerd store." Taylor said. She dabbed at her eyebrow again and shook her head. That was a good reminder, if she ever had a match with Akashi, under no circumstances should she let her headbutt her. Or bearhug her.

Taylor started strolling down the hall, quickly at first to distance herself from the scene, but then she slowed to a meandering pace. She was quiet for a while.

"Kashi..." She said slowly. "If I lived in New York again, would you come see me? Would you ever visit or work there or whatever? I know you've got Mina here and everything, that's cool. But like... if I weren't here, what would you do?" She asked with an almost pained expression. It was obvious that there was something else she wanted to say.

"Yeah..." Akashi said as she looked at Taylor. She let her walk out and go at her own pace. Akashi walked a little slower, lumbering a bit and looking at Taylor from the back. She smiled but then sighed. She then sped up when Taylor slowed down and Akashi looked at her carefully.

Akashi's eyes widened when Taylor spoke. She gasped audibly and turned her head, putting a bit. She then looked back. "O-of course I'd visit!" She said. "I wouldn't just stop talking to you, Taylor-chan!" She then furrowed her brow and looked sad. "I'd miss you..." She said. I don't know what I'd do..." She really didn't. She grabbed Taylor's shoulder tightly. "W-Why would you leave!? Why would you go back there?" She said with a rushed tone. "I-Isn't everything you wanted here?! Y-you just said that place wasn't your city!"

"W-well, I'm not leaving." Taylor assured her. "It's just... well, here's my thing. I'll just kind of say it."

She slowed almost to a stop, but then kept walking. "So... my dad died." She said, as if it was the weirdest thing ever. She didn't sound upset. "I guess it happened like almost 2 weeks ago and I didn't know... I called my mom after the match with Natalia, just to, like... I don't know, check in. I hadn't talked to her since I moved and everything. I called her to ask her for a phone number for my dad, because the one I had wasn't his number anymore, and she told me he died. Heart attack, somewhere in Phoenix. I guess he was trying to get as far away from my mom as possible too.

"Well, I asked her if I should come home, or whatever, and she said no, so... I'm here now. This is me. I dunno, I'm not upset about it, I'm not, it's just weird. Like... Kashi..."

She didn't know what else to say. There was something she wanted to say, but she didn't know what it was. Her hands wandered around and played with the hem of her shirt. She looked up at Akashi with cautious blue eyes and pushed her bright blue bangs out of her face. "If you'll have me, like, I need a family. I guess... Are you my sister now?" She asked with heartbreaking hopefulness, choking a little on the word with how stupid she thought she sounded.

Akashi's heart was pounding in her chest as she waited for Taylor's answer. The response given made her sigh in relief and then gasp again. Taylor was way too casual with her family. Akashi turned her head, ashamed. Akashi and her family could get very contentious and she wasn't always the nicest to them. She loved them, but aside from her youngest older brother, they didn't get a long. They had barely accepted Mina and the lifestyle that Akashi had. A lifestyle which Akashi bitterly blamed them for despite enjoying it so much.

But she couldn't help but feel sorry for Taylor a little bit. She bit her lip. She lifted up her head to set it on Taylor's shoulder but then brought it down before it was raised too high.

When Taylor looked at her, her heart stopped she clenched her cheeks tightly in her mouth, biting them down hard to keep from smiling. She looked down. "Taylor-chan... I can't..." She put her hand on Taylor's shoulder and turned her head.

"Hey.. don't move for a second.. ok? Akashi slid behind Taylor and grinned widely.

"H-hey, don't look..." She said trying to not burst into a laughter. She then ducked down and snickered quietly and sized up Taylor. She then pushed forward and shoved her head through Taylor's legs and with a grunt, forced Taylor off her feet so the blue haired punk was riding on her shoulders.



"I can't believe we both had the same thought!"

Akashi then raised her arms in the air and began sprinting forward as fast as she can. "Yaaaataaa!" She declared loudly. "Oi! Everyone! Look! Look at my sister! Everyone look at her!" She bellowed loudly, expecting Taylor to hang on as tightly as possible, presumably to her long twin tails. She then stopped abruptly and grinned up at Taylor.

"Taylor-chan." She said in a serious tone, despite her grin. "I'm not taking you to see my family, yet. I barely survived doing that with Mina-chan." She then chuckled like a creepy perv and ran her hand up Taylor's shin. "Oh, and don't thin this is going to keep me from trying to plow you either. Now that it's even more forbidden, that just makes me want it sooo much more!"

It wasn't quite the reaction Taylor was expecting. Akashi seemed a bit happier about the situation than she thought she would be. Taylor's dad had just died, and there was Akashi...

Picking Taylor up on her shoulders. "Ack!" Taylor's arms flailed wildly for balance and she eventually held on to Akashi's hair. Taylor immediately blushed redder than she ever had when Akashi began to show her off, even though no one really cared beyond the novelty of a girl riding on a giant girl's shoulders.

"Oh, yeah, I don't know if I'd want to meet them and all. I think one is enough for now. And dude, you can't plow anything! I know you're not a hemafr... whatever that's called, where you have the man-junk too. Besides, Johnny would push you in front of a train. Or maybe I would, I'm not sure."

Taylor laughed. She thought it was weird that now SHE was in high spirits. But... she totally wasn't upset about her parents. It had been so long since they were even around in her life, it didn't matter anymore. Whatever. She had a better family now, anyway.

"So... onē-san... take us to that nerd store! We have junk to peruse and shit."

"You don't." She said simply. "I can barely go over there without getting into a fist fight. I'm sure that it would be impossible if you were there too, no offense." Akashi said with a chuckle. "Maaaaybe I'll let Hitachi-kun meet you one of these days. Or something.." She muttered and rolled her eyes at herself. "Mina-chan's the one who's afraid of dicks, Taylor-chan. I have ways of plowing you, fufufu. Johnny-kun's free to try and stop me but I'll bet he'd be too busy watching and begging to join in!"

Akashi declared her words proudly and was about to stomp forward when Taylor spoke again. "Ahh... ah..." She squeezed Taylor's legs tightly and leaned against it and let out a sigh. Her knees felt weak and her heart fluttered. She closed her eyes and smiled for a moment, smiling as she took a few seconds just to think about what Taylor had said trying to hold back more blubbery tears.

"Yosh!" She brightened up suddenly and marched forward with a new determination. "We're otaku now, Imouto-chan!" She said as she pumped her fists and barged her way into the store.

Taylor couldn't help but grin. "Don't cry, Kashi." She said with mock reassurance and patted her on the head. She laughed.

"Kashi, I have something else to show you, and it's really dumb. It was kind of... a big risk I guess. Maybe. Just let me get-- hey, whoa! Wait!" Taylor smacked solidly into the lower-hanging part of the wall over the entrance to the store, and fell backwards off of Akashi. She tried to grab onto anything she could, but hit the floor on her back in a tangle of limbs, once again flashing her underwear to half of Japan in the process.

"Ow." She sat up. "Duuude." She whined. "Be more careful! I'm in a delicate state right now." She got up to her knees and tugged the collar of her shirt away from her neck. On the side of her neck, at the base and a little toward the back, were the two Japanese characters for the word 'imouto', or 'little sister'.

She looked up at Akashi to gauge her reaction. "I got it after Avalanche." She said, and then just watched Akashi's face intently.

Crash. Thud.

Akashi felt Taylor topple off of her when she managed to knock the girl off of her shoulders. She turned around and gasped. "Woah, are you ok, Taylor-chan! I'm so sorry! I just got.. I ..." She looked last Taylor seemed ok and then turned her head a little. "Sweet panty shot though..."

Then Taylor sat up and pulled down her shirt. Akashi was surprised, having no idea what Taylor was doing before she saw the tattoo. Her mouth fell open and she covered it. She then turned her head and blushed. "T-Taylor-chan..." She whispered. Dammit. She felt like some girly shoujo girl who couldn't keep control of her emotions. She fought these tears back and won this time.

"Ahh!" She said and clenched her fists. "Dammit! We... we're going to have to do something about that! I.. can't have it stand that the only tattoo on my body comes from a drunken night with fricken Sarah Gatt when I have people much more deserving of such an honor right in front of my face!" Akashi then blushed."But... uh... I haven't done that with Mina-chan yet, either though... but.." Aashi smiled and held out her hand. "It's... I'm speechless, T... Imouto-chan... It's wonderful..." She bowed deeply. "A-Arigatou..."

Crash. Thud.

Akashi felt Taylor topple off of her when she managed to knock the girl off of her shoulders. She turned around and gasped. "Woah, are you ok, Taylor-chan! I'm so sorry! I just got.. I ..." She looked last Taylor seemed ok and then turned her head a little. "Sweet panty shot though..."

Then Taylor sat up and pulled down her shirt. Akashi was surprised, having no idea what Taylor was doing before she saw the tattoo. Her mouth fell open and she covered it. She then turned her head and blushed. "T-Taylor-chan..." She whispered. Dammit. She felt like some girly shoujo girl who couldn't keep control of her emotions. She fought these tears back and won this time.

"Ahh!" She said and clenched her fists. "Dammit! We... we're going to have to do something about that! I.. can't have it stand that the only tattoo on my body comes from a drunken night with fricken Sarah Gatt when I have people much more deserving of such an honor right in front of my face!" Akashi then blushed."But... uh... I haven't done that with Mina-chan yet, either though... but.." Aashi smiled and held out her hand. "It's... I'm speechless, T... Imouto-chan... It's wonderful..." She bowed deeply. "A-Arigatou..."

Taylor beamed. For such a weird day, it was turning into such a great day. Things were changing today. Taylor felt brand new.

"Oh, stand up. I'm white, dude, you don't bow to white people. I'll bow to you, if you teach me how, and like, when to do it. Um... You're welcome." She grinned. "We'll get you a tattoo, don't worry."

She dusted herself off and walked into the store with her head held high. She gave a flirty wave to the guy behind the counter and skipped her way into the side of the store amidst racks of wrestling paraphernalia. Her eyes floated over a rack of DVD's to a book-like display of posters. She started leafing through them.

"Ooooh. Manami." She said, and admired a poster of Manami Yoyota in her prime, posing on a turnbuckle in her black leotard. Taylor always admired and looked up to her. She turned the page.

"Kashi! Kashi!" Taylor called excitedly. "It's you!"