Post by Alex Kiseragi on Sept 2, 2009 17:50:54 GMT -5
Sentinel - After Alex and Brandon’s victory.
Kickstart My Heart could still be heard behind them, blended in with the cheers of the fans packing out the GIW arena. Alex had thrown his Gi jacket back on on his way up the ramp and it swirled about him as he spun around and threw his arms into the air. Brandon watched him with a broad smile and Alex opened up his hands. Brandon quickly recognised the gesture and high-tenned his partner with a satisfying slap.
“Woo! Yeah!” Alex cheered loudly, balling his hands into fists and bringing them down to head height, accenting it with a short fist pump. He spun back round, looking down the corridor and throwing his arms out wide. The few gathered crew this close to the ramp that weren’t too busy running the show stopped to applaud the two of them and Alex took a long deep breath, trying to soak it all in. With a slow breath out he calmed himself, gently suppressing the adrenaline that surged through him and bringing himself back under control. He closed his hands together into a prayer position and opened his eyes. He bowed politely to each side of the hallway and smiled.
“Thank you.” he said, quietly and politely before straightening himself up again.
Behind him, Brandon seemed ever so slightly taken aback by the sudden and uncharacteristically loud outburst from his tag team partner. He stroked his hand down his chin as Alex turned back to face him.
“Feel better?” Brandon asked.
“Oh yes.” Alex replies with a slight huff, his own cheeks reddening slightly with embarrassment at his loss of composure. The two of them made their way down the hall, Alex a few steps ahead and walking backwards, occasionally looking back over his shoulder to make sure his path is still clear. “You’ve gotta admit, that felt good. The Covenant may be scum but man, they know how to fight.”
Brandon nodded his agreement and pointed to a low chest Alex hadn’t noticed, just in time for the Dragon to skirt around it and avoid further embarrassment.
“Thanks.” Alex said and took a few more steps before letting out a throaty grunt. “Argh. I’m just so…pumped right now. Are you pumped? I’m pumped.”
“Stop saying pumped.”
“Sorry. But hey, the nights young, we’re in L.A. Why don’t we go party or something? Drink so beer. Get some girls-”
“Don’t you-”
Alex quickly raises a finger to silence Brandon. “You know full well that’s not true. I’m not even entirely convinced you didn’t start that rumour in the first place. What do you say though? Big B can come along. I haven’t seen that guy in ages.”
“Can’t do it.”
Alex’s face drops in disappointment. “What? Why not?”
“I’m PG now.”
Alex holds up his hands, palms out in front of him and two come to a halt in the middle of a corridor. “Whoa, whoa, whoa. Hold up. You can’t be PG.”
“Why not?” Brandon asked, cocking his head to the side, quizzically.
“Because…” Alex clasped his fingertips to his chest. “I’m PG. Well, mostly. You’re supposed to be the outrageous one. We balance each other out. If we’re both PG we may as well get a slot on the Disney channel.”
“Maybe you could be the crazy one for a while.”
“And how I do that?”
“You could su-”
Alex held up his finger again. “I’m not Superkicking Oprah.”
“You’ll like it.”
“No.”
Brandon sighed and started walking again, Alex falling into step beside him this time. “So, only a week to go now. You nervous?” he asked.
Brandon shook his head slowly. “About what?”
“Um, our tag title defence.”
“You and me?”
“Well, yeah, who else are the Tag Team Champions?”
“I was wondering why you were carrying that belt.”
“So are you nervous then?”
Brandon shook his head again. “Nah. You?”
“Nope. As long as we keep our heads on straight and don’t look past it we’ve got this match in the bag.” Alex replied confidently.
“Amen to that.”
“Amen?”
“Censors love Jesus.”
“Ah, fair enough.”
The two of them get to a junction and Alex heads towards the locker room while Brandon silently heads the opposite way. Alex stops as he realises he’s on his own.
“Hey, where’re you going?” he calls out.
“Gotta see some people about a rating.” Brandon called back.
“Oh, so uh, see you in San Antonio?”
Brandon gives a quick thumbs up, turning it into a brief wave before turning back the way he was heading and out of Alex’s eye line, leaving a bemused Dragon to ponder his partners state of mind and start making his final preparations for the week.
-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Since man first crawled on his belly out of the Sea he has been in conflict with his brothers. When he first discovered how to work stone for his use he built it into a spear to better slay his enemies. War, for millennia has been the driving force of progression. The inspiration for humanity’s greatest accomplishments, as well as it’s darkest shames.
Hachiman, the Shinto deity once worshipped by peasants as the god of Agriculture was adopted as the protector of the Minamoto clan of Samurai and with it, became the god of War.
Sometimes it seems strange how normal men can become the mightiest of warriors, but at the time, all men start life as helpless children.
I did.
But years of training have brought me here. A body once no different to any newborn baby has been forged in the fires of battle into a vessel of destruction. An embodiment of honour, determination and martial prowess. It is through this vessel that I exist. It is through this vessel that I fight and it is within this vessel that I travel to Battleground.
One year ago a youth, inexperienced in the ways of battle at the highest level came seconds away from making the biggest upset this company had ever known.
But now, one year on, he stands before you, experienced, having been as high as any could go and once more he waits to arrive at the Battleground. But this year it’s different. Though I have grown the competition has not and when I once faced the strongest this company had to offer, this year I face it’s dregs.
There can not be a doubt as to the result. Alex Kiseragi and Brandon Brown are only beginning their reign. We have just begun to restore these titles to the glory they deserve. So on this day, I, the Dragon, call upon Hachiman, watch over us warriors upon the battlefield and relish in the victory he grant in your honour.
For the fires of battle have been reignited and they shall burn for eternity.
Kickstart My Heart could still be heard behind them, blended in with the cheers of the fans packing out the GIW arena. Alex had thrown his Gi jacket back on on his way up the ramp and it swirled about him as he spun around and threw his arms into the air. Brandon watched him with a broad smile and Alex opened up his hands. Brandon quickly recognised the gesture and high-tenned his partner with a satisfying slap.
“Woo! Yeah!” Alex cheered loudly, balling his hands into fists and bringing them down to head height, accenting it with a short fist pump. He spun back round, looking down the corridor and throwing his arms out wide. The few gathered crew this close to the ramp that weren’t too busy running the show stopped to applaud the two of them and Alex took a long deep breath, trying to soak it all in. With a slow breath out he calmed himself, gently suppressing the adrenaline that surged through him and bringing himself back under control. He closed his hands together into a prayer position and opened his eyes. He bowed politely to each side of the hallway and smiled.
“Thank you.” he said, quietly and politely before straightening himself up again.
Behind him, Brandon seemed ever so slightly taken aback by the sudden and uncharacteristically loud outburst from his tag team partner. He stroked his hand down his chin as Alex turned back to face him.
“Feel better?” Brandon asked.
“Oh yes.” Alex replies with a slight huff, his own cheeks reddening slightly with embarrassment at his loss of composure. The two of them made their way down the hall, Alex a few steps ahead and walking backwards, occasionally looking back over his shoulder to make sure his path is still clear. “You’ve gotta admit, that felt good. The Covenant may be scum but man, they know how to fight.”
Brandon nodded his agreement and pointed to a low chest Alex hadn’t noticed, just in time for the Dragon to skirt around it and avoid further embarrassment.
“Thanks.” Alex said and took a few more steps before letting out a throaty grunt. “Argh. I’m just so…pumped right now. Are you pumped? I’m pumped.”
“Stop saying pumped.”
“Sorry. But hey, the nights young, we’re in L.A. Why don’t we go party or something? Drink so beer. Get some girls-”
“Don’t you-”
Alex quickly raises a finger to silence Brandon. “You know full well that’s not true. I’m not even entirely convinced you didn’t start that rumour in the first place. What do you say though? Big B can come along. I haven’t seen that guy in ages.”
“Can’t do it.”
Alex’s face drops in disappointment. “What? Why not?”
“I’m PG now.”
Alex holds up his hands, palms out in front of him and two come to a halt in the middle of a corridor. “Whoa, whoa, whoa. Hold up. You can’t be PG.”
“Why not?” Brandon asked, cocking his head to the side, quizzically.
“Because…” Alex clasped his fingertips to his chest. “I’m PG. Well, mostly. You’re supposed to be the outrageous one. We balance each other out. If we’re both PG we may as well get a slot on the Disney channel.”
“Maybe you could be the crazy one for a while.”
“And how I do that?”
“You could su-”
Alex held up his finger again. “I’m not Superkicking Oprah.”
“You’ll like it.”
“No.”
Brandon sighed and started walking again, Alex falling into step beside him this time. “So, only a week to go now. You nervous?” he asked.
Brandon shook his head slowly. “About what?”
“Um, our tag title defence.”
“You and me?”
“Well, yeah, who else are the Tag Team Champions?”
“I was wondering why you were carrying that belt.”
“So are you nervous then?”
Brandon shook his head again. “Nah. You?”
“Nope. As long as we keep our heads on straight and don’t look past it we’ve got this match in the bag.” Alex replied confidently.
“Amen to that.”
“Amen?”
“Censors love Jesus.”
“Ah, fair enough.”
The two of them get to a junction and Alex heads towards the locker room while Brandon silently heads the opposite way. Alex stops as he realises he’s on his own.
“Hey, where’re you going?” he calls out.
“Gotta see some people about a rating.” Brandon called back.
“Oh, so uh, see you in San Antonio?”
Brandon gives a quick thumbs up, turning it into a brief wave before turning back the way he was heading and out of Alex’s eye line, leaving a bemused Dragon to ponder his partners state of mind and start making his final preparations for the week.
-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Since man first crawled on his belly out of the Sea he has been in conflict with his brothers. When he first discovered how to work stone for his use he built it into a spear to better slay his enemies. War, for millennia has been the driving force of progression. The inspiration for humanity’s greatest accomplishments, as well as it’s darkest shames.
Hachiman, the Shinto deity once worshipped by peasants as the god of Agriculture was adopted as the protector of the Minamoto clan of Samurai and with it, became the god of War.
Sometimes it seems strange how normal men can become the mightiest of warriors, but at the time, all men start life as helpless children.
I did.
But years of training have brought me here. A body once no different to any newborn baby has been forged in the fires of battle into a vessel of destruction. An embodiment of honour, determination and martial prowess. It is through this vessel that I exist. It is through this vessel that I fight and it is within this vessel that I travel to Battleground.
One year ago a youth, inexperienced in the ways of battle at the highest level came seconds away from making the biggest upset this company had ever known.
But now, one year on, he stands before you, experienced, having been as high as any could go and once more he waits to arrive at the Battleground. But this year it’s different. Though I have grown the competition has not and when I once faced the strongest this company had to offer, this year I face it’s dregs.
There can not be a doubt as to the result. Alex Kiseragi and Brandon Brown are only beginning their reign. We have just begun to restore these titles to the glory they deserve. So on this day, I, the Dragon, call upon Hachiman, watch over us warriors upon the battlefield and relish in the victory he grant in your honour.
For the fires of battle have been reignited and they shall burn for eternity.
x2
