Chapter 1
He walked into the familiar tattoo shop, the one he'd gotten virtually all of his work done in.
"Hey man," one of the men called to him. "How ya been," he asked returning his eyes to his work.
"Good. You," Punk asked without looking up from the book of tattoos laying on a counter.
"Good, good. I'll be with you in a minute. Just fillin' in a couple more spots."
"It's cool. I'm gonna be home for a couple days. I'm in no hurry," he said as he moved to a seat that faced the inside of the shop, taking the book with him. "Busy, huh?"
"Yeah, had to hire a couple of artists," he answered after a moment.
Punk flipped though the final pages of the book and stood to return it to the counter. He stopped when his eyes landed on one of the people he assumed was a new artist. He placed the book on the counter carefully before turning to his friend.
"What you looking to get," his friend said as he cleaned up his work station.
"I was just wanting to do some more work on the sleeve we talked about last time," he spoke.
"Oh yeah. I remember talking about that now. I told you I wasn't your best person for that though," he said shaking his head. "I can free hand but that's not something I'm willing to test my skills on," he said as he removed his gloves.
"I forgot that part... Well, I really wanna finish it."
"I can do it but I'd rather you choose someone who will do the work better than I can."
"If you insist... So, who is she?"
"That's Axel's sister," he laughed.
"Axel's little sister?"
"Yeah, I hired her a few weeks after your last visit," the artist responded, watching the young woman work on a small Japanese character on the back of a woman's neck about her age and obviously not Asian. "If you really want that work done she is the one you should talk to. She is amazing at free hand."
"Axel's sister, huh..." he thought out loud.
"That's it doll. You're all set... No swimming, no spray painting, no loofa, no a lot of things," she said as she wiped the area once more.
"I got the list," the girl said a little annoyed.
"Good. Follow those instructions carefully or you'll be back for a rework in no time," she quipped.
"Got it." The girl gathered her things quickly. "Thanks."
"Later," the small half German, half Japanese girl responded as she stood up and looked toward the front of the room, shooting the owner a look. Her eyes swept across the room freezing on Punk. She smiled and turned to the task of cleaning her work area to avoid staring.
"Go talk to her... She doesn't bite," the older artist nudged Punk.
Punk stood still for a moment before starting her direction.
"Ry," the owner called. She spun around, her long black hair floated on the air accentuating the white and teal streaks in it.
"Yes," she said, her hands full and her long bangs in her face.
"This is Phil Brooks. He's a client of mine and a friend of your brother's in high school. He was wanting some work done that's right up your alley," he said before turning away to greet another person who'd walked through the door.
"I'm fully aware of who he is," she grumbled. Punk heard it but acted as though he hadn't. He could tell her day hadn't been going too well by the expression she had wore while working on the woman's tattoo. He decided it best not to press the issue.
"You can call me Punk," he said with a smile. "I hate to be called Phil," he pointed out.
"Alright then," she said. "Feel free to take a seat over here if you'd like to talk," she said as she washed her hands.
He followed her instructions and took the seat near her tattooing table. He noticed her dark grey eyes and her lip ring before anything else.
"So what are you wanting, Punk," she asked as she continued to clean up her station. She was small, around five-feet-two or three and just barely broke one hundred pounds.
"Well I really just wanted to finish this sleeve but it's got free-handing in it," he said pointing to the area that had been left empty for some time.
"I see what you're saying," she said before sanitizing her all of her equipment. "When do you want to do it," she asked him.
"Well, tonight or tomorrow if you're available," he said.
"I'm available later tonight or tomorrow but I have an appointment now to get some work done." She swallowed quietly before continuing, "You see, my best friend, also a excellent free-hander is coming to visit this week in the shop to see is she wants to move to the area," she explained. "So, I'm her first client of her trip... If you hang out we can talk more about what you'd like to do, though," she said apologetically.
"Oh, well, I won't interfere with that," he smiled. "I would like to watch though if you really don't mind discussing my tattoo while getting yours done," he'd noticed the nervousness of her explaination but summed it up to the possibility of her being a fan, even though they knew each other.
"That's fine," she said shyly then proceeded to take a seat in her own chair.
Punk watched her carefully, as he did most people. He'd always been interested in the human psyche but prefered to observe rather than study it actively.
"How long have you been tattooing," he asked to keep conversation going with the young woman.
"Nearly two years," she flushed slightly, arousing his curiosity once more.
"How old are you," he continued.
Her face went pale and she swallowed again. "Twenty."
"Really," he asked, though it hadn't suprised him. "Thought you were older... I got my start in wrestling at your age," he smiled. "You probably think I'm an old man," he joked.
"Thirty isn't old," she said quitely.
"So you do know who I am," he said, watching her expression.
"Yeah... Doubly," she said turning her face towards the door, the opposite direction of him.
"How's that?"
"You are CM Punk, professional wrestler and also a old friend of my brother... He's gone now," she said just above a whisper.
"Gone?"
"Yeah, died a few months ago... Hit by a drunk driver," she covered her face with her hands.
"I'm really sorry to hear that. He was such a good guy when I knew him," Punk said, before shock and his own grief took his breath away.
"He was still a good man when he died," she forced a ragged breath. He could see the tears roll down her cheeks but he heard no sobs. He knew that for her it was the kind of pain that would likely never be expressed by sounds or words. He remembered how close they'd been when he and her brother hung out. She went everywhere they did and their parents had the theory that if she shouldn't be there neither should their son. It was a policy Punk and Axel had stuck to, though they took her to all the local punk shows they went to and where ever else they avoided the afterparties, opting to go back to one of their houses to hang out.
"Ryoko, I am so sorry," he said from his seat. Though as a child Ryoko would often come to him when she was upset and didn't want to tell her brother, he wasn't sure what the woman would want or allow from him.
"You remember me," she asked, surprize capturing her attention for a few seconds. She shook her head almost as soon as she'd realized what she'd said. He guessed that it was because she had missed the cues in their conversation that should told her he remembered.
"Yes, I remember you. You were the cutest little punk kid at all the shows," he smiled as she flushed. "Your brother used to have me dress you up until you decided you'd pick your own band tees... Then we had to take you shopping because your parents didn't want to tell you no to the clothes you liked but they secretly hated them."
"I remember," she said wiping her tears away. "I figured that's why they sent us out to shop instead of taking me," she smiled at the memory. "Then you started wrestling and out grew us... My brother went the opposite direction and cleaned up his look and got a high paying job and a window office," she shook her head... "He forsook himself for the money but he was still a good man."
"Some people feel they have to do what's best for others... Last time I talked to him I got the feeling that was what he was doing it for the good your family," Punk said, trying to tell her the truth without making her feel guilty. "I didn't mean to leave you guys behind either... I just got so wrapped up in this life that I live that I forgot practically everyone except my immidiate family," he admitted, upset with himself.
"I understand. We really missed you though," she answered after a few moments, skirting around the first part.
"I am sorry about that. How about I promise not to lose touch with you again," he offered, knowing the reason she avoided responding to half of his last spill. She did feel guilty for Axel's betrayal of himself but Punk wasn't entirely convinced that it was just his love for his family, her in particular that made him change. The betrayal of himself may not have been a betrayal at all.
"That sounds alright," she gave him a weak smile but said nothing else.
"Hey, trouble," he heard from the door.
"Hey," Ryoko said as she looked to the woman who looked to be a few years older than her and at least part Native American. She was pierced and tattooed much like the punk girl who sat between them.
"You ready," she asked looking her friend over. Punk noticed a hint of concern in her expression but not enough that she would voice those concerns.
"Whenever you are," Ryoko responded. "You're the one who is late," she teased, clearing the emotional fog slightly.
"Yeah, yeah... You'll survive," the friend teased back.
"Excuse me but I have a client waiting for me because I was waiting for you," she bit back. He could tell she was only playing with the woman though. Her expressions didn't seem harsh enough to be anything but playful.
"Well I could always skip you and do his work," the woman quipped.
"No," Ryoko said forcefully. "I'm doing his work."
It was obvious to him that she hadn't intended to cross over to true feelings but she had. The outburst promted her quick clarification, which also expressed more than she'd intended.
"Fine, pretty boy can be your client," the girl teased, causing her friend to blush.
Ryoko didn't respond though. He wasn't sure it if it was was to prevent saying anything else she didn't intend to or to avoid saying something she thought was misleading but she remained silent for a while.
"So... Which one are we working on today," the friend who's name remained a mystery to him inquired.
"My sleeve," she said as she unzipped the black hoodie, revealing a hot pink and black striped halter top with "sXe" in bold white letters across her C cup breasts. It was obviously something she'd made or had gotten someone to make it for her. He'd never seen anything like it before and he knew her to be a very creative artistic person so he guessed her to be the maker.
"Ah, yes. Working on filling in... Glad the lines are done... that took forever. How much do you want to do today?"
"Do you mind hanging out for a while," the young woman looked to him.
"I don't mind at all. I wasn't really looking forward to hanging out by myself all night," he laughed.
"We very well could be here all night," Ryoko's friend shook her head.
"Oh, Raine, don't be so dramatic..."
"You'll sit here and let me tatoo you until tomorrow if I could stay awake that long," the older woman pointed out. "I know you better than that. Besides, you have a client."
"That I do... I should just do your work for you," she said sitting up in the chair.
"No worries. I'd rather watch you get your work done for now. Like I said, I'm in to hurry."
"You sure?"
"Yeah, go ahead," he smiled. He certainly had missed the girl, though she'd changed almost beyond recognition, at least physically, she was still a lot like the little punk rocker they'd toted to all the shows.
"Thanks. I'm totally being selfish but I want this done," she blush slightly.
"You are so impatient. I can't do it all in one sitting," Raine shook her head.
"Yeah but it'll be so much prettier when it's completed."
"Most people will think it's hideious because it's on a chick," her friend laughed.
"That doesn't matter. What matters is that I'll love it," she pouted.
"Gonna be hard to get a date with this thing but we've gone too far to turn back now," she teased again.
"I don't know about that," Punk said with a smile. He knew full well that his comment had been bold but it was his style to be blunt.
Ryoko looked at him for a moment with furrowed eye brows. He smiled allowing her to process his comment before returning his attention to the tattooer.
"If you don't start working soon we'll be here longer than all night," he pointed out.
"No we won't," the owner laughed. "You may be but I'll be sleeping in about... oh, I'd say five hours."
"We should get to work," Raine noted as she moved her cart of tattooing impliments closer.
"Here goes nothing," she smiled as she picked up the gun, filling it's well with a deep purple.
"I seriously need some music," Ryoko said quietly as her friend touched the gun to a spot on her arm for the first time.
"Where's your MP3 player," her friend asked.
"In that cabinet," she pointed with her free arm.
"I'll get it for you if you like," Punk offered. He'd spoiled her as a child but he realized as soon as the offer came out of his mouth that he would be so much worse now, especially since her brother had passed away.
-