Post by Alex Kiseragi on Jul 31, 2009 18:48:06 GMT -5
Two Weeks Ago
The crowd still roared as he was finally able to drag himself away from them and disappear behind the curtain. He smiled like an idiot. He had been for the last five minutes. Sheer exhilaration lent strength to his exhausted limbs and soothed the pain of a hundred bruises. The light weight and friction of leather and gold over his left shoulder filled his mind with memories of better times. Of the days he was on the top of the world. He caught another glimpse of the belt from the corner of his eye and his gaze fell firmly upon it. Seconds that felt like hours passed as he was unable to look away, entranced as he was by it’s magnificence.
He heard her before he saw her. Something between his name and the high pitched squeal of a drunk Sorority Sister filtered down the corridor, breaking through the little world the Dragon had been living in since the pin fall and drawing his eyes down the hallway. He had barely had the time to register who it was when he felt the impact of her cheek hitting his chest and her arms squeezing him around the abdomen, seemingly unperturbed by the sticky perspiration that still coated the whole area.
“You won!” Katie squealed excitably.
Alex looked down at her, one hand still firmly clasping one the GIW Tag Team Title belts as if to let go would be to lose it forever. The other hand awkwardly hovered over her back for a moment before he let it fall and rest below her neck. “Yeah, we sure did.”
Back in the real world, Alex became aware again of his accomplice stood nearby to his right hand side. Brandon looked between The Dragon and his part time valet curiously for a moment before shrugging it off.
“Seems we make quite the team huh?” Alex said, raising his hand to offer a classic fist bump.
“Seems so.” Brandon replied, reciprocating the gesture before turning to walk away.
“You heading off already?”
“I’ve got two weeks off and a time machine. It’s time for a party.”
“Ooooook.” Alex nodded. “I’ll catch up with you later…Champ.”
Brandon didn’t say anything as he walked away and disappeared into the bustling backstage crowds. As Alex turned back to the young woman still firmly attached to his mid-section and almost jumped as he found her big brown eyes now looking up at him. Whether she noticed or not he wasn’t sure but something had left her smiling broadly up at him.
That smile.
“So…” he hesitated as he gently tried to prise her hands apart. They resisted for a moment before allowing themselves to part as Katie straightened up, brushing herself down and quickly fixing her clothes. “…I wasn’t expecting you to be here.”
Katie blushed, averting her gaze in the vein hope the subject may be dropped and forgotten about.
“I mean-” Alex started.
“I wasn’t sure either.” Katie cut in, catching Alex off guard. “But after last week…” she bit down on her lip, trying to find the words, or at least the courage to say them. “Last week, when you helped an old rival, just because it was the right thing to do. It was like- I mean- Not many people would do that you know?”
“I guess not.”
“That’s when I realised you were back!” she blurted, jumping on the spot and clasping her hands together, as if in prayer.
“I hope I am.” Alex replied with an uneasy smile.
“I know you are. And you need me around. You said it yourself.” Stating it out loud seemed to give the young woman a great deal of satisfaction.
Alex crossed his arms. “Yeah. I suppose I did.”
There was a short pause that seemed to stretch out longer then it had any right to.
“So you’re back then?” Alex asked.
“I’m back.”
“For good?”
“For good.”
-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
A Few Days Later
He remembered the way, mostly anyway. He had had to stop to ask a Nurse for directions once but it was quickly coming back to him. Something about the plain door in the plainer corridor was burned into his mind and from the wide selection of identical entrances, he knew the one. Room Thirteen. At the door, Alex collected himself, a deep breath in, a slow breath out. He adjusted the title belt resting on his shoulder and stepped inside.
Scarlet jumped, either startled by his arrival or simply coming to from a likely unscheduled nap across the patients lap. She wiped her eyes and glared him down as Alex froze for a moment at the door.
“You can’t make me leave you know.” she snapped, clearly irritated by the interruption.
“I wasn’t going to.” Alex replied.
“I have every- oh. Ok.”
“On the subject though, don’t you have school or a job or, you know, family?”
Scarlet gave him another unimpressed and somewhat blank stare before turning back to watch the still unconscious Ezekiel.
“You’re right. None of my business.” Alex added with a dismissive wave. Scarlet didn’t respond. He took a few steps into the room, scanning it for another seat which he found behind the door. He grabbed it with his free hand and dragged it to the side of the bed opposite the young woman, the leg scrapping noisily across the floor drawing another dirty look. He apologised bashfully and sat down. The pair sat silently for several minutes until, to Alex’s surprise, Scarlet spoke.
“This isn’t my fault you know.” she said, not turning to look at him.
“I didn’t say anything.”
“I wouldn’t do this.”
“I didn’t come here to accuse you.”
“Oh. Thank you. I’ve been getting a lot of that recently.”
“I only know what I saw. You threw that flask and Raenius caught it. Maybe it was on purpose. Maybe you can’t throw for shit. I don’t know. I’m not going to pass judgement on you.”
“Well thanks.”
“…yet.”
There was another pause, more tense than the first, the threat lingering in the air between them.
“Do you mind if I speak to him?” Alex asked, fully intending to do so either way, but hoping the thought might diffuse some of the tension. She simply nodded. He had hoped she might stand outside to give them some privacy but seemingly had no intention of doing so. Alex didn’t want to push the matter. Forcing the feelings of embarrassment down as far as he could he began.
“Hey Ezekiel.” he said, pausing, as if the sedated and heavily bandaged young man was going to respond in kind. “It’s Alex.” Somehow it seemed both ridiculous and utterly essential to add and Alex looked to see if Scarlet had responded to it in any way. She hadn’t and he continued. “Check it out…” he started and shrugged the Tag Title belt off his shoulder. “We won. Brandon and I. Beat the hell out of those Covenant bastards.”
Alex looked at the belt for a moment as he cradled it, then held it out, lifting Ezekiel’s hand with one arm and placing the belt beneath it with the other before laying the hand back down. “How’s that feel? Not sure if that was yours or Marek’s. If there’s any way to tell them apart I haven’t worked it out yet. I’m sure you can tell though. Ah, you should have seen it man. Me and Brandon, felt like we just gelled ya know. You should have seen the end too. We knocked Dirge out with like a double GTS, it was beautiful. I’m going to have to buy you the DVD.”
Alex smirked a little, uneasily. Scarlet remained impassive. “Feels good to be a champion again. Not sure if it feels better to be the champion or just to know the Covenant aren’t, but either way I like it.”
He leant back, stretched his arms out to his sides and drew them back in, one hand stroking across his chin as it did so. He leant forward in the chair. “Do you ever think about Marek anymore? I know you guys had some kind of bust up but you made it pretty clear you still care. Maybe Xavier will turn something up. But how does this sound. Me and Brandon will hold onto these…” Alex reached forward and lifted Ezekiel’s hand to remove the belt again. “…until you guys get back. Then there’s a title shot waiting for you. Could you imagine it? The return of War and Peace vs. GIW Tag Team Champion Alex Kiseragi and Brandon Brown. Maybe we’ll even get lucky and we’ll be able to do it at Horizons.” He shook his head slowly. “That may be slightly too wishful thinking. The offers going to be there though, whenever you’re ready.”
With that, he got to his feet, leaving the chair where it was and taking a few steps towards the door. “Get well soon.” he said, and left.
-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Yesterday
“Yo homies. It’s the main man Jason Reeves, coming to you worldwide from GIW.com once again. Today I’m talking to one half of the GIW Tag Team Champions. The real ones that is. Alex Kiseragi.”
The shot pans across to reveal both the Dragon and the ever present, ever reliable GIW interview back drop. Alex stands in street gear, the title belt slung, as usual, over his shoulder, a mic in his free hand. “Thanks for having me J.”
“Whoa. Mind what you’re saying there. People are gonna start talkin’.”
“Yeeeah. Funny.” Alex replied flatly.
“So Alex, you’re coming off a win at Toxic Intent and a two week break to defend your titles against Michael Cappeli and GIW debutant Robert Montana. What’re your thoughts?”
“Well, honestly I’ve underestimated guys before. I mean, I lost to Osiris in his first match and maybe I had other things on my mind but a loss is a loss. So, tempting as it is to write this off as an easy defence, I’m going into it like any other match. With everything I’ve got.”
“How was it anyway?”
“What?”
“You know, your break.” Jason asked, trying not to seem too interested.
“Fine.” Alex replied with a confused frown at the out of place question.
“Go out at all? Drinking maybe?”
“Not really. Um, this part of the interview?”
Jason coughed loudly and his voice returned to normal. “Rumour backstage is that Katie Piper will once more be back in your corner.”
Alex nodded slowly. “We’ve had our differences but I think that’s all behind us. I’m looking forward to having her support from ringside. I’ve always thought it’s taken my game up to the next level.”
“Are you, you know?” Jason asked suggestively, his voice hushed.
Alex looked down at him, unimpressed. “Stick to the proper questions hey?”
“Yeah, sure AK. With Battleground looming. Do you feel like becoming tag champs hinders the opportunity the event offers?”
“I’m kind of split on it. On one hand, hey, maybe I won’t have to. I could still get a qualifier and maybe I’ll get in. If there’s any time it’s worth pulling double duty, Battleground is it. Even if I don’t get that shot, the Tag titles are a whole new opportunity. An opportunity to try to bring tag team wrestling to the fore of GIW and show people what these titles are about. As for the Battleground match, sure it’s great opportunity. But as one of the few people who’s been there before, trust me when I say, you’d hesitate on a return visit.”
“Ok so finally, now we’re on the winding path to the Horizon, do you have any predictions for the rest of the year?”
“Just one. The Dragon and the Most Resilient Man in GIW are going to hold these belts all the way to Horizons. So anyone out there who thinks they have what it takes, you have plenty of time to prove it. If you want to fight the tag team champions on the biggest night in GIW history, you have to show you’ve got the talent and the integrity to do so. So get out there and show us what you’ve got. Good luck.”
As Alex finishes, the camera pans back to just Reeves by which point everyone has stopped watching. The scene fades to black.
The crowd still roared as he was finally able to drag himself away from them and disappear behind the curtain. He smiled like an idiot. He had been for the last five minutes. Sheer exhilaration lent strength to his exhausted limbs and soothed the pain of a hundred bruises. The light weight and friction of leather and gold over his left shoulder filled his mind with memories of better times. Of the days he was on the top of the world. He caught another glimpse of the belt from the corner of his eye and his gaze fell firmly upon it. Seconds that felt like hours passed as he was unable to look away, entranced as he was by it’s magnificence.
He heard her before he saw her. Something between his name and the high pitched squeal of a drunk Sorority Sister filtered down the corridor, breaking through the little world the Dragon had been living in since the pin fall and drawing his eyes down the hallway. He had barely had the time to register who it was when he felt the impact of her cheek hitting his chest and her arms squeezing him around the abdomen, seemingly unperturbed by the sticky perspiration that still coated the whole area.
“You won!” Katie squealed excitably.
Alex looked down at her, one hand still firmly clasping one the GIW Tag Team Title belts as if to let go would be to lose it forever. The other hand awkwardly hovered over her back for a moment before he let it fall and rest below her neck. “Yeah, we sure did.”
Back in the real world, Alex became aware again of his accomplice stood nearby to his right hand side. Brandon looked between The Dragon and his part time valet curiously for a moment before shrugging it off.
“Seems we make quite the team huh?” Alex said, raising his hand to offer a classic fist bump.
“Seems so.” Brandon replied, reciprocating the gesture before turning to walk away.
“You heading off already?”
“I’ve got two weeks off and a time machine. It’s time for a party.”
“Ooooook.” Alex nodded. “I’ll catch up with you later…Champ.”
Brandon didn’t say anything as he walked away and disappeared into the bustling backstage crowds. As Alex turned back to the young woman still firmly attached to his mid-section and almost jumped as he found her big brown eyes now looking up at him. Whether she noticed or not he wasn’t sure but something had left her smiling broadly up at him.
That smile.
“So…” he hesitated as he gently tried to prise her hands apart. They resisted for a moment before allowing themselves to part as Katie straightened up, brushing herself down and quickly fixing her clothes. “…I wasn’t expecting you to be here.”
Katie blushed, averting her gaze in the vein hope the subject may be dropped and forgotten about.
“I mean-” Alex started.
“I wasn’t sure either.” Katie cut in, catching Alex off guard. “But after last week…” she bit down on her lip, trying to find the words, or at least the courage to say them. “Last week, when you helped an old rival, just because it was the right thing to do. It was like- I mean- Not many people would do that you know?”
“I guess not.”
“That’s when I realised you were back!” she blurted, jumping on the spot and clasping her hands together, as if in prayer.
“I hope I am.” Alex replied with an uneasy smile.
“I know you are. And you need me around. You said it yourself.” Stating it out loud seemed to give the young woman a great deal of satisfaction.
Alex crossed his arms. “Yeah. I suppose I did.”
There was a short pause that seemed to stretch out longer then it had any right to.
“So you’re back then?” Alex asked.
“I’m back.”
“For good?”
“For good.”
-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
A Few Days Later
He remembered the way, mostly anyway. He had had to stop to ask a Nurse for directions once but it was quickly coming back to him. Something about the plain door in the plainer corridor was burned into his mind and from the wide selection of identical entrances, he knew the one. Room Thirteen. At the door, Alex collected himself, a deep breath in, a slow breath out. He adjusted the title belt resting on his shoulder and stepped inside.
Scarlet jumped, either startled by his arrival or simply coming to from a likely unscheduled nap across the patients lap. She wiped her eyes and glared him down as Alex froze for a moment at the door.
“You can’t make me leave you know.” she snapped, clearly irritated by the interruption.
“I wasn’t going to.” Alex replied.
“I have every- oh. Ok.”
“On the subject though, don’t you have school or a job or, you know, family?”
Scarlet gave him another unimpressed and somewhat blank stare before turning back to watch the still unconscious Ezekiel.
“You’re right. None of my business.” Alex added with a dismissive wave. Scarlet didn’t respond. He took a few steps into the room, scanning it for another seat which he found behind the door. He grabbed it with his free hand and dragged it to the side of the bed opposite the young woman, the leg scrapping noisily across the floor drawing another dirty look. He apologised bashfully and sat down. The pair sat silently for several minutes until, to Alex’s surprise, Scarlet spoke.
“This isn’t my fault you know.” she said, not turning to look at him.
“I didn’t say anything.”
“I wouldn’t do this.”
“I didn’t come here to accuse you.”
“Oh. Thank you. I’ve been getting a lot of that recently.”
“I only know what I saw. You threw that flask and Raenius caught it. Maybe it was on purpose. Maybe you can’t throw for shit. I don’t know. I’m not going to pass judgement on you.”
“Well thanks.”
“…yet.”
There was another pause, more tense than the first, the threat lingering in the air between them.
“Do you mind if I speak to him?” Alex asked, fully intending to do so either way, but hoping the thought might diffuse some of the tension. She simply nodded. He had hoped she might stand outside to give them some privacy but seemingly had no intention of doing so. Alex didn’t want to push the matter. Forcing the feelings of embarrassment down as far as he could he began.
“Hey Ezekiel.” he said, pausing, as if the sedated and heavily bandaged young man was going to respond in kind. “It’s Alex.” Somehow it seemed both ridiculous and utterly essential to add and Alex looked to see if Scarlet had responded to it in any way. She hadn’t and he continued. “Check it out…” he started and shrugged the Tag Title belt off his shoulder. “We won. Brandon and I. Beat the hell out of those Covenant bastards.”
Alex looked at the belt for a moment as he cradled it, then held it out, lifting Ezekiel’s hand with one arm and placing the belt beneath it with the other before laying the hand back down. “How’s that feel? Not sure if that was yours or Marek’s. If there’s any way to tell them apart I haven’t worked it out yet. I’m sure you can tell though. Ah, you should have seen it man. Me and Brandon, felt like we just gelled ya know. You should have seen the end too. We knocked Dirge out with like a double GTS, it was beautiful. I’m going to have to buy you the DVD.”
Alex smirked a little, uneasily. Scarlet remained impassive. “Feels good to be a champion again. Not sure if it feels better to be the champion or just to know the Covenant aren’t, but either way I like it.”
He leant back, stretched his arms out to his sides and drew them back in, one hand stroking across his chin as it did so. He leant forward in the chair. “Do you ever think about Marek anymore? I know you guys had some kind of bust up but you made it pretty clear you still care. Maybe Xavier will turn something up. But how does this sound. Me and Brandon will hold onto these…” Alex reached forward and lifted Ezekiel’s hand to remove the belt again. “…until you guys get back. Then there’s a title shot waiting for you. Could you imagine it? The return of War and Peace vs. GIW Tag Team Champion Alex Kiseragi and Brandon Brown. Maybe we’ll even get lucky and we’ll be able to do it at Horizons.” He shook his head slowly. “That may be slightly too wishful thinking. The offers going to be there though, whenever you’re ready.”
With that, he got to his feet, leaving the chair where it was and taking a few steps towards the door. “Get well soon.” he said, and left.
-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Yesterday
“Yo homies. It’s the main man Jason Reeves, coming to you worldwide from GIW.com once again. Today I’m talking to one half of the GIW Tag Team Champions. The real ones that is. Alex Kiseragi.”
The shot pans across to reveal both the Dragon and the ever present, ever reliable GIW interview back drop. Alex stands in street gear, the title belt slung, as usual, over his shoulder, a mic in his free hand. “Thanks for having me J.”
“Whoa. Mind what you’re saying there. People are gonna start talkin’.”
“Yeeeah. Funny.” Alex replied flatly.
“So Alex, you’re coming off a win at Toxic Intent and a two week break to defend your titles against Michael Cappeli and GIW debutant Robert Montana. What’re your thoughts?”
“Well, honestly I’ve underestimated guys before. I mean, I lost to Osiris in his first match and maybe I had other things on my mind but a loss is a loss. So, tempting as it is to write this off as an easy defence, I’m going into it like any other match. With everything I’ve got.”
“How was it anyway?”
“What?”
“You know, your break.” Jason asked, trying not to seem too interested.
“Fine.” Alex replied with a confused frown at the out of place question.
“Go out at all? Drinking maybe?”
“Not really. Um, this part of the interview?”
Jason coughed loudly and his voice returned to normal. “Rumour backstage is that Katie Piper will once more be back in your corner.”
Alex nodded slowly. “We’ve had our differences but I think that’s all behind us. I’m looking forward to having her support from ringside. I’ve always thought it’s taken my game up to the next level.”
“Are you, you know?” Jason asked suggestively, his voice hushed.
Alex looked down at him, unimpressed. “Stick to the proper questions hey?”
“Yeah, sure AK. With Battleground looming. Do you feel like becoming tag champs hinders the opportunity the event offers?”
“I’m kind of split on it. On one hand, hey, maybe I won’t have to. I could still get a qualifier and maybe I’ll get in. If there’s any time it’s worth pulling double duty, Battleground is it. Even if I don’t get that shot, the Tag titles are a whole new opportunity. An opportunity to try to bring tag team wrestling to the fore of GIW and show people what these titles are about. As for the Battleground match, sure it’s great opportunity. But as one of the few people who’s been there before, trust me when I say, you’d hesitate on a return visit.”
“Ok so finally, now we’re on the winding path to the Horizon, do you have any predictions for the rest of the year?”
“Just one. The Dragon and the Most Resilient Man in GIW are going to hold these belts all the way to Horizons. So anyone out there who thinks they have what it takes, you have plenty of time to prove it. If you want to fight the tag team champions on the biggest night in GIW history, you have to show you’ve got the talent and the integrity to do so. So get out there and show us what you’ve got. Good luck.”
As Alex finishes, the camera pans back to just Reeves by which point everyone has stopped watching. The scene fades to black.
x2
