MD 120: Kagura Ozhora vs. Logan McAllister | WrestleZone Forums

MD 120: Kagura Ozhora vs. Logan McAllister

Status
Not open for further replies.
Kagura stared down at the book on her lap. The ordeal in Glasgow had left her shaken. In the back of her mind she could still recall the incident like it had just happened moments before. Dr. Derrick Housman was present beside her. The young man was doing his best to reassure the young woman of her safety. Though quite difficult, knowing that a Yakuza sect had set its sights on the girls head. The two were currently held up at a WZCW funded safe house of sorts. Because of the added risk with her travel Kenneth Bank had seen that more security had escorted Kagura wherever she went. The company was keeping the incident as quiet as possible and not many people outside the norm knew what was going on. Many of the other wrestlers in the company as well as wrestling analysis had simply misinterpreted the attack as a mugging. WZCW’s legal and polity teams were determined to settle the domestic matter before things spread out of control.

“What should I do?” asked Kagura in her native tongue. Giving Derrick a look at betrayed any sort of confidence.

Seated to her left the historian and researcher just stared off into space. He was contemplating how to answer such a question. For her safety, of course she should return the book to the museum. Ayamo Miyamoto and her department was currently under investigation, but the museum itself would work out the deal. On the other hand he still believed firmly that the book should belong in a place where everyone could see and enjoy it. It was history. He wasn’t exactly sure why this particular Yakuza sect wanted it.

Before he could answer the door opened as Sasuke Gozaburo entered. Derrick had come to know him as some kind of father figure towards Kagura, as the girl spent many months away from her family in Ise, Mie.

“Kagura, Kenneth Banks would like to speak with you.”

She nodded and stood. She continued to hold onto the book in an iron grip; a force of habit at this point. At the door she was met by two Dublin constables. The Dublin police authorities were aware of the situation and did their best to accommodate the resources to ensure the safety of the WZCW performers on this night. Especially considering the monkey wrench that was recently thrown into the whole equation…

Sasuke stood and followed Kagura out the door, his mind racing back to what had transpired a few days ago.

---​

It was the night after the Roulette Rounds. Kagura had already left Scotland was heading to Ireland for the next show. She was exhausted and was just looking forward to a good night’s rest. Dr. Housman had ensured her that he would stay with her until she finished her tour of the UK in August. He had no obligations to the museum as of the moment, and his research was frozen. Sasuke observed the two becoming friendlier allot faster than he imagined. Perhaps it was the fact that Derrick was allot closer to her age than he was, or perhaps it was some sort of girlish crush that she had on the man. He had been the one that rescued her from the ordeal outside Kelvingroove Park. What he was trying to wrap his mind around was the explanation that the book was cursed.

“What do you know about this curse on the book,” he recalled asking Dr. Housman as he confronted the younger man with the information while Kagura had been dozing off.

“This particular Shinto book contains rituals that if they are misused can bring a curse onto the one that performed them,” he stated.

“That’s what I’ve gathered.”

“That seems too risky for even the Yakuza,” Sasuke retorted.

Derrick shook his head, “Those rituals can be used to curse others if they are performed correctly, and that’s what I’m worried about.”

“What exactly is this book?” asked Sasuke.

“The book contains a collection of rituals and prayers that can either be used to bring good or ill fortune depending on how it’s used. In Shinto the Kami are the mediums to bring blessings and curses, and this book channels the ‘soul’ of the Kami preceding over these rituals.”

“So by ‘channeling the soul’ you mean possession?”

Dr. Housman nodded.

“Correct. It’s considered to be a Shinto dark art. It’s likely the reason why the book is no longer used. Modern priests and priestesses only perform simplified versions of these rituals today. I’d wager there is only a handful that could understand how these ancient rituals were truly performed.”

Sasuke nodded. “I suppose not very priest can perform exorcisms if he were to try. Sort of like that analogy?”


“Right. But my research doesn’t reveal in what capacity such rituals could be used for. Just the rituals themselves.”


“Kagura’s father is a renowned priest in Mie, maybe he would know more about the book?”

Derrick nodded. Contacting the girl’s grandfather was worth a shot. What he feared the most is that the Yakuza sought the book because they understood how to use its power. Many people in the world did not believe in the supernatural; but he did. And it wasn’t just ghosts or evil spirits. There were both benevolent and malevolent forces that existed in the world; in a place that ordinary humans could not quite understand, but was connected by every single type of belief system. And with this book one could wield the power of either side and bend it towards his whim. Hypothetically… of course.

They sat in brief silence until the sudden jostle from a phone cut off their trains of thought. Sasuke’s hand instinctively reached for his pocket, but he didn’t recognize the ring tone. Derrick fished his phone from his pocket and gazed at the number with a bemused look on his face.

“That’s odd. This is Ayamo Miyamoto’s number.”

“Is that the woman that Kagura contacted in Tokyo a few weeks ago?”

He nodded, “She was once my boss, or at least temporarily. Her division was funding my research on the book. But she’s under investigation right now. The Yakuza dealings were dirty and underhanded. And the museum’s board was not happy with the deal becoming public knowledge.”

He clicked the answer button and put the phone to his face, “Hello. Miyamoto-san?”

“Dr. Housman-san I presume,” answered a voice that he did not recognize.

“Who is this?” he inquired.

“You can call me Chun,” replied the voice.

It was flat and almost monotone, with no real personality behind it, like a robotic speaker.

“Why do you have Miyamoto-san’s phone?”

The man laughed finally hinting at some sort of humanization, “She was gracious enough to lone it to us when we paid her a visit at her office last week…”

Derrick mentally swore, but continued to listen.

“… she told us about the girl, Kagura. She has what we want, but unfortunately our attempts to apprehend her in Scotland was a failure."

“You son of a…”

Chun cut him off, “It was never our intentions to harm the girl, as we certainly would not like for her employer to come seeking retribution. But next time I cannot promise that my men will be so gentle.”

“You leave Kagura alone. She’s not part of this!”

He stood and shouted. Sasuke who was intrigued before with the conversation, was immediately on edge.

“We cannot do that, Dr. Housman-san. My boss has paid a large sum of money for the book. And he is intent on adding it to his collection.”

Derrick sighed and sat back down, “What do you want?”

“We’re following the girl’s travel schedule online. She should be in Ireland right now, correct? In two weeks she’ll return to the UK. I want to set up a meeting between her people and mine, to return the book to us. No one has to get hurt here Dr. Housman. I strongly suggest that you consider your options.”

Derrick grunted, “Fine. But we make the switch under police surveillance, understand?”

“Crystal. Farewell Dr. Housman-san. I will contact you in the future with further details.”

And as abruptly as he had called, he hung up. Dr. Housman placed his phone back into his pocket and turned to Sasuke who met him with an expectant gaze.

“It’s them,” he replied.

“They want Kagura to return the book to them.”

---​

Fast forwarding back to the present, Sasuke had filled in Kenneth Banks on the situation, and he and his legal team had since come up with the plan moving forward. Banks was quite eccentric and probably saw this as an adventure of some sorts, but first and foremost he sought the safety of Kagura, Sasuke, Derrick, and the other performers in his company first. To the media, this was being spun as some sort of attempted assault, which it was, but for a purpose entirely different than the sexual norm.

As Banks approached Sasuke positioned himself between them so that he could translate more efficiently. Kagura still did not speak English, though she could understand most of what was being spoken to her, but in this case Sasuke needed her to be sure she knew that her safety was not at stake.

“Good evening Miss Ohzora,” said Banks with a cool, yet confident tone.

Kagura had met the man before, but it was rare for anyone to meet the owner of the company in a manner she found so informal. Nonetheless she greeted him respectfully.

“I’ve been informed of the situation. We’ve arranged for the constables in Wales to accompany you. We’ve selected a location for the trade. The media knows little about what is going on, so don’t fret for your public imagine.”

She shook her head, “I’m not worried about that, it’s just… should I really… give the book back?”

Banks looked slightly aghast after Sasuke translated, “You don’t really have choice here. Your life could be on the line. I don’t really know much about the Yakuza besides public slandering, but they aren’t the type of group that will stop just because you draw a line. They’re just like any other organized crime unit. I just never imagined that I’d have them breathing down my back. The Italians maybe, but not the Japanese….”

“Sir…,” interrupted Sasuke.

He coughed, “Right…”

“… You’ll be under police supervision. Your acquaintance, the man that saved you in Scotland - what’s his name?” he asked drawing a blank.

“Dr. Housman.”

“Housman,” Banks feigned as he had never met the man.

“We’ve arranged to accompany you as he knows a great deal about this book.”

He stared at it briefly still nestled in Kagura’s arms. Its cover was made of wood that he could not identify and the pages looked dated. It looked quite old, and possibly valuable. He could see the intrinsic worth in the object as something that was sought after pretty highly, but otherwise he gave no thought to it.

“In the meantime, you will wrestle as normal?”

“Yes,” Kagura replied.

“I plan to fight to the best of my ability, Banks-san. And to snag any opportunity that may come my way.”

He laughed, “That’s the spirit. With the Lethal Lottery coming up we’ll need everyone to make it the best show possible. Let my legal team worry about this mess.”

He stopped and shook their hands, as Kagura bowed in consideration. As busy a man as he was never in a place for more than a few minutes at a time he left them right in front of their car to the hotel. The constables were to escort them back.

Kagura turned as Dr. Housman walked up behind them.

“Would you like me to escort you back to the hotel?”

Kagura nodded, as Sasuke shot him a glare.

“Just no funny “business” boy, I’ve got my eye on you.”

Derrick smiled, “Of course, I’m a gentleman after all.”

Sasuke rolled his eyes as he watched him place an arm on her lower back as he led her to the car. The girl was smitten with him and Sasuke did not like that at all. There hotel suite had three rooms, so he wasn’t that worried. Kagura was a good girl, and the wrestling world wasn’t like how it was years ago. In the morning it would be business as usual and he would train her into the ground like he always did.

---​

Later that night Kagura found herself on the balcony of the hotel room starring up at the stars. She silently wondered how many times she found herself doing this. She wondered if her grandfather were looking at the same sky. It had been almost a year since she had last seen him. Over that time period his health had improved, and he had returned to his duties at the shrine. She missed that too. There were some nights where she would just gaze into those stars and lose herself. It was her nature, and that’s why ‘Cosmos’ was such a fitting name for her. She had to giggle at the irony, if only a little bit.

She turned when she heard the door open as Sasuke made his way out onto the balcony to join her.

“You couldn’t sleep either?”

She shook her head, “Just enjoying the fresh air. It’s really clean here.”

“The beer isn’t bad either,” he laughed.

She sighed, but giggled a bit herself.

“Where’s Derrick-san?” she asked.

“Asleep. You really do like him, don’t you?”

She blushed, “Well I-I don’t know. He is quite handsome. And smart. And charming...”

She started, getting lost in her words. Her face reddened even more. “We’re partners, until this whole mess gets sorted out.”

“Are you worried?” he asked.

“Well Derrick-san is a busy man, I wouldn’t suppose he would want to continue traveling with me…”

Sasuke palmed his face, “Not that you idiot. Are you worried about the Yakuza.”

Kagura deadpanned, “Oh…”

“No, I trust Derrick-san and the authorities will keep me safe. The book has some sort of energy, Sasuke-san, and I’d be lying if I said I couldn’t sense it. To be honest I‘m a little frightened; I don’t know what’s going to happen at all.”

“Well that’s natural I guess. Are you ready for your next match? You’ve still got a job to do, and many fans that you can let down. Such is the nature of this industry.”

She nodded, “I know. They booked me in a match with a young man named Logan McAllister. I don’t know much about him.”

“Neither do I,” replied Sasuke.

“I overheard him blabbing about opportunities and the usual for a young buck like himself a week ago in Scotland. He’s new and he won’t be looking at this match the same way you will. I know you don’t care about winning or losing. But to him he’s out to make a name for himself, and he won’t show you any mercy just because you are a woman.”

Kagura nodded, “I figured. But I don’t care. I’m not the sort to lay down for anyone, Sasuke-san.”

He sighed. She didn’t normally refer to him by his first name unless she was tired and weary. The last time she did so was when she was training so hard before her Elite X title match. This whole ordeal with the book was slowly eating away at her and he could tell. It probably wouldn’t be long before her drive started slipping. So he had to keep her motivated at all costs. Maybe a match with this young rookie Logan McAllister could give her a boost. She’d need it for when the Lottery rolled around. He hated to think about her mindset then with all the stress she was currently suffering.

---​

Back in Japan the man known only as Chun entered his boss’s headquarters. He was not a man that liked to be kept waiting. Armed thugs clad in their best formal wear to disguise any bystanders that this business outfit was run by legit businessmen stood outside keeping watch. They waved him in as he approached, not bothering to ask for identification, as they knew him well.

Chun opened entered and saw his boss seated at his large mahogany desk his back to him as he starred out his large bay window overlooking a bay below.

“It’s been taken of sir; the book should be yours soon.”

“Excellent,” his boss replied as he turned around in his chair to face him.

“But remember to proceed with caution. There’s no need for any unnecessary roughness.”

He was cut off by the sound of laughter, as Chun turned as a figure stepped out of the shadows. She was a Shinto priestess clad in formal garb ceremonial, similar to the ones Kagura would wear, but it was clear that this woman was of a higher ranking and likely far more skilled in the art.

“And where would the fun be without some unnecessary roughness, Yamato-san?” she replied.

The boss smiled, “With the book in your hands Ryuumi-san, our plans will finally be realized.”
 
***Backstage after Meltdown Madness***​

The locker room was trashed. Logan McAllister had came here post match and lost it. He was furious. Furious that Scumm managed to escape the beating of his life with a win, but he was more mad at himself. "Another loss due to a 'rookie mistake.' I had that fight won. And i let it slip away. Not again."

While Logan sat stewing in frustration as he waited for Hayden to return from another autograph hunt, there was a quick tap at the door before Stacey Madison walked in. She took a look at the locker room, then at Logan before rolling her eyes at the mess. "Ugh. Let's get this interview done so i can get the hell out of here."

"Get out." Logan stood up and mived towards Stacey. "Rude! I'm here to interview you....Leon refused to interview you so they sent me." The look on her face said she was going to have words with Leon later about this.
Logan placed his hands gently on her shoulders n escorted her out of the locker room. "Interview? Na. Not tonight." Logan slams the door shut in Stacey's face.

Hayden came running into the room shirtly afterwards, eager to show off his next set of signatures. "Dad! I got a few more!" He opened his book to show his dad. "Look! I got Ramparte, and Max Steele, and Chris K.O.! Still bummed Eve Taylor wasnt here....i settled for Kagura though. She was nice!" Hayden showed his dad before helping Logan grab their stuff as they left the building. "On to the next one buddy."

***A Few Days Later***​

They had been in Dublin, Ireland for about a day now. Logan was actually enjoying his time here thus far. Logan and Hayden had just came back from having dinner at a restaurant close by the hotel they were staying at. "Go hop in the shower buddy. Afterwards you can play some of your games for a little bit before bed." Logan was getting into more comfortable clothes as Hayden ran off to the shower. Logan plopped on the bed and checked his phone. There was a missed cail and voicemail from his dad, Thomas. The estranged father and son duo had been talking recently and things seemed like there was a chance the two could have a relationship in the future. Logan hit play on the voicemail. "Hey Logan, just saw your match from Meltdown. Don't get down on yourself. You had that punk rock wannabe right where you wanted him. Brush it off and focus on the next one. Call me later son. Love you."

Hayden finished his shower and after getting dressed, ran to go play some Ultra Street Fighter IV. "Hey dad? Think I could come to the ring with you for your next match? It's versus Kagura Ohzora. Saw it on WZCW.com."

"Kagura huh? Good fighter. I don't know Hayden, I'd rather you stay backstage. It's too dangerous out there." Logan didnt mind facing Kagura. So far he has fought nothing but veterans and established superstars. Logan liked that he was being thrown into the deep end and not being coddled or brought along slowly.

"Come on dad! This is the best time for me to come down!! Your debut match was a lumberjack match, so that's obviously a no-go. Against Scumm? Understandable. But dad, Kagura Ohzora is a good honorable fighter. She wouldn't intentionally try to injure a kid." Hayden paused his game and turned to his dad, but before he could continue, logan cut him off. "It's still not safe Hayden. I can't watch you and still defeat a quality opponent." Hayden showed the frustration on his face as he sunk down on the couch. "I could help though....how about we play for it dad? Best of 7 Street Fighter duel. I win i come down to the ring with you.....unless you're a scaredy cat?" Logan thought about it for a second. "Deal. Pick your fighter. I'll use Ryu." Logan sat down next to Hayden and scrolled thru the fighters. He made his selection and the battle loaded up......

images


***Night of Meltdown 120***​


Logan is waiting near the designated interview spot waiting for Stacey Madison to show up. Finally, 15mins late, she walks quickly over, sighing as she sees who she'd be talking to. "Typical woman. Always late" Logan quipped. Stacey glared at Logan before composing herself.

"Ladies and Gentleman, I'm here with Logan McAllister, the winless rookie, as he prepares for tonight's match versus the lovely and dangerous Kagura Ohzora."

"Wait a second Stacey. I will not stand here and deal with your stuck up attitude. You will show me respect, or I will have to make you show respect." Stacey's face showed signs of fear and anger as she kept her composure and continued.

"Tonight you face Kagura Ohzora. Another established wrestler in this organization. How do you feel about not getting fed any so called 'squash victories?'"

"I love it. Im not here for easy. I'm here to provide for my son Hayden. Facing off with these veterans has allowed me to showcase my skills on a higher platform then if I'd have been given Jim from accounting as a debut."

Stacey looked at Logan before replying with a sarcastic tone. "Skills? All the WZCW fans saw were hot air and empty promises as your shoulders lay flat on the mat. Twice. You sure you're not in over your head Logan?"

Logan let out a laugh before cornering Stacey . "Wow Stacey, you sure don't listen huh? This disrespect will get you hurt Barbie doll. Your job is to look pretty, something you already fail at, and let the actual wrestlers do the talking." Logan was making Stacey as uncomfortable as possible as he continued on.

"Yes Stacey, I've yet to win a match here in WZCW. I went toe to toe with Mikey Stormrage, and I battered that poor excuse of a punk rocker Johnny Scumm. Yet i lost due to rookie mistakes. Well that ends tonight. Tonight I'm going out there, and there will be no mistakes. Kagura, sweetie, I'm coming down there to hurt you and beat you. I will back up my words and i WILL provide for my son. Kagura, you are a formidable fighter, but you lack the fire that i have. You don't have a son to support. Tonight, Kagura Ohzora becomes the first stop on my path to greatness. Oh and Stacey, tonight i have a surprise for Kagura....."

Logan motions with his hand as Hayden walks on screen. "WZCW....tonight marks the debut of my son Hayden McAllister accompanying me to the ring. So you see Stacey, I can't lose tonight. Not in front of my boy." Logan backed away from Stacey Madison and turned with Hayden. "We're done her Stacey. Don't talk, just walk. If you speak again I'm afraid I'll be getting terminated from this company."

Logan and Hayden walk away as Logan hypes up his boy. "You ready Hayden? Time to go start my journey to greatness"

Hayden looked at his dad and smiled. "Dad....Time to get that first W"
 
Status
Not open for further replies.

Users who are viewing this thread

Members online

No members online now.

Forum statistics

Threads
174,846
Messages
3,300,837
Members
21,727
Latest member
alvarosamaniego
Back
Top