Disclaimer: All rights to the name "Kokoro Connect" belong solely to Sentai Filmworks and their affiliates. I neither own this franchise nor do I profit from this story. Characters pertaining to the World Wrestling Entertainment also do not belong to me.
Author's Note: While I throughly enjoyed this anime very much I always thought it interesting that The Undertaker was a constant presence in the anime even if it was a poster of him. Honestly I thought for sure that there was going to be an episode where the gang was going to attend a pro wrestling event. Since it didn't happen I'm doing it in this fic. Anyway enjoy.
For the past year Inaba had become enlightened to matters pertaining to her boyfriend, Taichi Yaegashi. Some of these were very welcome additions to Taichi's character that Inaba was previously unaware of. One of these was the fact that Taichi was very protective of his little sister.
While initially suspicious Inaba soon found out that Taichi wasn't one of those creepy young men that had inappropriate thoughts about his siblings. He loved her but in a purely paternal way that endeared Inaba to her boyfriend even more. While it was embarrassing of her she already started to have thoughts about their lives after high school and the marriage that was sure to come. Inaba was sure that she would love no man like she did Taichi.
There were other aspects of Taichi's character that made the black haired young woman just face palm in embarrassment.
The main one was his current obsession with pro wrestling.
Inaba thought it childish that Taichi still retained his love for pro wrestling. Everyone knew that wrestling was fake and Inaba couldn't get how Taichi could get so excited over something that was not real.
This was the source of many silly arguments where Taichi would defend the honor of the wrestlers and explained that despite their pre-scripted outcomes the bumps were very real. Inaba could only roll her eyes. While she was confident in her abilities to out manuever anyone in an argument there was simply no winning against Taichi when it came to pro wrestling. In that he was very stubborn.
Despite that Inaba was happy that she was in a healthy relationship with the selfless young man. He never failed to brighten her day. In some ways Inaba wondered just how she got along with her life before having Taichi by her side.
The members of the Cultural Research Society continued to meet and spend their afternoons in a less than productive manner. Not that any of the members minded. Despite it being their second year in high school they felt no pressure in trying to impress anyone into joining their club. Theirs was a close-knit group and though they did not outwardly say it they did discourage newcomers into joining.
Heartseid had been thankfully absent for the past few months and the group was more than happy in keeping things that way. While their first year in high school was going to be a time in their lives that they would never forget they certainly did not want to relive it anytime soon.
Today, however, would prove to be reminiscent of those strange times they had experienced the school year before. It started with their advisor, Goto Ryuzen, 'Mister Go' to his young students, crashing into their room with a stupefied grin on his face.
"Guess who has tickets to the upcoming in-house WWE event coming up?"
Inaba Himeko could already feel a headache coming. She turned to find that both Taichi and the other male student in their club, Aoki, look at their advisor with equally ridiculous expressions.
"Y-You don't mean you actually got them! Since when? I'm so jealous!" cried Taichi.
"Oh but I do have them and what's more is that I was courteous enough to grab tickets for all of you since you fought so hard to keep me as your advisor. I was truly touched. Consider this as a small form of repayment." said Goto as he grinned stupidly his hand showing off the six tickets in his possession.
Both Taichi and Aoki seemed to have been dumbstruck and left without words. In an instant they were bowing down to their advisor as a subject does for his lord. Inaba looked over at Yui and both rolled their eyes. Sometimes their boyfriends could be such kids.
"We are truly not worthy!" said both Aoki and Taichi in unison.
"Alright that's enough you two." scolded Inaba before turning her attention to the club advisor. "I'm sorry but we are going to have to decline. We need to get some more research done at the abandoned shrine outside of town and then-"
"We could do that next weekend! There is no way I'm going to miss out on this. I mean, the WWE is the biggest pro wrestling circuit in the world! Anyone who is a pro wrestling fan cannot miss out on a once in an opportunity like this. If I were to miss an event like this then I couldn't call myself a wrestling fan!" protested Taichi.
"I agree. While I may not be as big of a fan as Taichi is I still enjoy it nonetheless. I wouldn't want to miss out on a live event especially if we don't have to pay for it." said Aoki.
Inaba sighed in frustration. She didn't get what the appeal was seeing two meat heads slamming each other into the mats were.
"Well quite frankly I don't think we should go. I mean if you want to see some action, REAL action, you should just stop by the dojo I attend." said Yui Kiriyama.
"It's not the same. I mean, really Kiriyama, have you EVER watched a pro wrestling match live?" asked Taichi.
"W-Well I can't say that I have but-"
"Then how can you knock it before you even seen it?"
Yui didn't know how to respond to this. The selfless young man did raise a good point. Even so that didn't mean she wanted to spend her Saturday evening watching men knocking the snot out of each other.
"I don't know..."
Inaba loved Taichi, she really did, but she would not go to this event. She didn't like pro wrestling and the only reason why she even tolerated the wrestling posters in the club room was because it made Taichi happy.
Even so she didn't want to come across as a tyrant. While her coarse behavior had softened since the year before she did not want to regress into bad habits again. Doing her best to keep her irritation in check she spoke out in a calm, reasonable voice.
"Look we're going nowhere. How about we hold a vote amongst the club members. Majority rules. I vote that we don't go and continue with our research as planned." said Inaba as she raised her hand.
"I also vote 'no'. While I don't hate wrestling or anything I think they are other things we can do that we can all enjoy not just the boys."
Iori Nagase, who had been quiet this whole time, raised her hand and proceeded to stun the entire group.
"We should totally go!"
Both Inaba and Yui looked over at the purple haired girl in stunned disbelief. This betrayal caught them completely off guard.
"D-Do you even know what you are agreeing to? I mean only little boys watch stuff like wrestling. It's something girls shouldn't-"
"Didn't you tell me that I should live life the way I wanted Inoban? Well I have never watched a pro wrestling match before and it sounds really interesting. Besides can't you see just how happy Taichi is just knowing he has a chance to attend an event like this? Are you so selfish that you would deny him this once in a lifetime opportunity?"
Despite her overly optimistic disposition Iori Nagase could really make her point come across when push came to shove. Inoba felt like a little girl getting scolded by her parents. Only Iori could make her feel like this. She was right. Who was she to deny Taichi the opportunity to watch this wrestling event? More than once did Taichi go out of his way for her it was only fair that she do the same for him.
"Alright fine! We can go to this stupid wrestling thing."
Inaba felt Taichi crash into her as she hugged her so tight that she found it hard to breath.
"Thank you so much Inaba! I always wanted to go to an event like this and what better than to watch it with you?"
With those words Inaba felt her resolve melt away. Taichi had the uncanny ability to make her feel so giddy at the worst times.
"I-Idiot! It's not like I want to go or anything but if it makes you happy then I guess."
"And once again Inaba falls prey to Taichi's irresistible charm." said Aoki with a stupid grin. The rest of the club members started to laugh much to Inaba's embarrassment. She promptly hid her face on Taichi's chest to hide her reddening face.
"That settles it! We are going to watch the WWE!" exclaimed Gotu excitedly.
The event was being held at a small stadium downtown and it was completely packed. The Cultural Research Society found themselves hard-pressed to find their seats but soon were able to get themselves settled. The seats were not front row but they were not in the back either. In all a decent location considering they were here without having to pay.
"I swear the concession prices here are criminal." muttered Inaba as she took her seat next to Taichi. She hated being in crowded places and this place was making her feel a bit claustrophobic.
"Well I did tell you guys to eat something before coming. I said I would pay your way in but never did I say I was going to get you guys snacks either." said Gotu with a mischievous smile.
"I'm surprised you are even able to afford the tickets considering most teachers gripe about their less than stellar salary." replied Inaba coldly.
Gotu's face fell from the harsh rebuke.
"There's no need to be so grumpy Inaban! Remember you're doing this for Taichi." said Iori.
"I know, I know! No need to remind me." griped Inaba.
They were joined by Yui taking her seat next to Iori and poor Aoki, whose arms were filled with a big box of popcorn, two chili dogs, an extra large soda and some gummy worms. Yui saw the astonished expressions of her peers and blushed slightly in embarrassment.
"What? I have eaten clean for the past six months. I've been dying to just pig out for once. I figured now was as good a time as any." said Yui.
"I didn't say anything." replied Inaba with a scowl.
Taichi looked over at Aoki's depressed form and there passed a mutual understanding between them. If there was something that Taichi was concerned about was the fact that Inaba was always uncomfortable with him treating her. She would always insist in paying half the bill or even pay the entire sum on their dates. Now, however, he was secretly glad. He wouldn't want to be in Aoki's position. He was more than sure that he used up his entire allowance just on those snacks alone.
Without asking permission Iori reached over and started to grab at the popcorn from the box on Aoki's burdened hands. Yui didn't mind as she started to eat out of the box itself.
"So when is this going to start?" asked Iori as she was munching on her popcorn.
Before anyone could answer her the lights about the stadium suddenly darkened and a rush of fireworks exploded out of nowhere. The inhouse show had now commenced.
Taichi had never been so excited in his entire life. Each and every single match was like a work of art to him. These wrestlers were the real deal. The match between Sin Cara and Rey Mysterio was so full of action and excitement. The way Rey Mysterio flawslessly sold Sin Cara's hurricanranas or how Rey Mysterio was able to land a moonsault while minimizing injury to both himself and his opponent while still making it look like a spectacle.
The matches continued, from where Seamus took his bumps well against his opponent, The Miz. Then there were the powerhouses as the Big Show put his strength on display as he lifted Chris Masters, a man that weighed at least two hundred and fifty pounds, over his head and held him up for a good three seconds before letting him drop.
Iori, Aoki and even Yui soon started to get into the spirit of things as they were genuinely enjoying the matches before them. Iori, especially, started to act with giddy excitement as it seemed that every move captivated her. When a wrestler was slammed on the map she would rise and and exclaim 'Boom!' all the while smacking poor Aoki who was sitting next to her in accident.
Yui knew that what she saw wasn't true martial arts but she couldn't help but get drawn in as well. Before she would have been frightened at the sight of these giant men pounding each other but now she couldn't help but marvel at their athleticism.
Unfortunately Inoba seemed to get surlier as time went on. Each and every single time Taichi would exclaim in excitement she would mutter, "It's all fake why are you getting so worked up over it anyway?"
This was the only dark spot in Taichi's evening. Inaba seemed to truly be bored and he felt somewhat bad that he had forced her to come. As time continued on Inaba's bad mood worsened until the time of the last match which pitted Taichi's favorite wrestler, The Undertaker, versus Batista, a great hulk of a man.
"Geez it's about flippin' time this bore fest is about to end. Seriously Taichi I still don't get how you enjoy this at all."
Taichi had done his best to maintain his spirits and though they rose at seeing The Undertaker live he was shot down once more by Inaba's sour mood.
"Give it a rest already Inaba. Can't you stop griping and let him enjoy the matches?" replied Iori harshly.
"I didn't want to come here and I made that perfectly clear. If you expect me to be all smiles then you're dead wrong."
Iori's eyes narrowed in anger. The rising tension was becoming palpable even among a crowd of ten thousand spectators. Both Aoki and Yui were feeling uncomfortable.
"What's with you? Can't you see that you're ruining Taichi's day by acting so grumpy?"
"You seem awfully concerned about Taichi now aren't you? I mean if you were so adamant about making him happy you wouldn't have shot him down the way you did last year am I right?"
Taichi, Aoki and Yui cringed at the low blow Inoba directed toward Iori. What's more was that the argument was beginning to attract unwanted attention despite the match going on below them. This had to stop before they ended up having a match outside the ring.
"How dare you Inaba...how dare you bring that up!" cried Iori as she raised her hand.
Inaba saw the incoming slap and was about to prepare to stop Iori from hitting her when, all of all sudden, she found the world upside down as she felt herself getting slammed hard down her back. She looked up and saw the face of a muscular man who she swore was the wrestler, Batista, staring down at her with malice. In a matter of seconds she comprehended just what had happened.
Shit...not now!
Mark Calaway had lived a long time and seen alot of shit that most other people haven't seen. It was hard to surprise him nowadays but that was to be expected.
He didn't like getting old but he had to face the facts. His time in the WWE was coming to a close. It almost seemed liked yesterday when he debuted back in 1993 with his manager, Paul Bearer. In those days he had wrestled with the likes of Hulk Hogan, Diseal, Yokozuna and many other wrestlers that were either dead or retired now.
Today, however, he was in for a very big surprise and one that, to this day, wasn't even sure that even happened. Perhaps Dave Batista had been too stiff that night and had given him a severe concussion that distorted his view of reality so much that he honestly felt like he was spirited away from his body.
For when Batista had him on a vertical suplex Mark was preparing for the impact on the mat and instead he found himself with his cheek stinging smartly in pain as he was face to face with a very pretty Japanese girl in front of him.
There was a feeling of disbelief at first and, for a moment, Mark Calaway wasn't sure what to make out of his situation. He was expecting to see Dave's ugly mug not this girl's face, who, for some reason, seemed to be very pissed off at him.
Dear god don't tell me she might be a long lost child of mine. Then again I don't ever remember doing anything here in this country. I don't know. Hunter does have a way of inviting me to parties that I don't remember attending.
Before he could speak another word the girl in front of him tried to slap him again only this time he caught her wrist and soon spoke.
"Look girl I don't know why you are so pissed off at me but I have a match to go to otherwise-"
It was at this moment that Mark Calaway froze. Something wasn't right. His voice sounded WAY too feminine for his own liking. What's more was the curious lack of pain. Years and years of wrestling had worn his body to the point to where he lived in constant pain. His knees ached on good days and on bad ones he couldn't even walk. There was always a slight twinge on his lower back and the arthritis on his hands was downright unbearable at times.
Now, though, he realized that almost nothing in his body was hurting. Sure there was a hunger in his stomach that wasn't there before but for the most part he was pain free. If this wasn't enough to tip him off that something was very wrong there was also the fact that he was dressed completely out of character. He was wearing a what looked like a young teenage girl would wear. He was NOT The Undertaker at the moment.
What completely tipped him off, however, was the weight on his chest. A foreign weight that he never felt. In slight hesitation he touched his chest and instead of feeling the hard pecs of a man that could bench press four hundred pounds instead he felt a globe of fat that he knew he never had.
The girl in front of him seemed to have a horrified expression on her face. He looked around and saw two young men and another girl also giving him the same expression. At the far end was a frumpy looking man with a placid expression on his face. He looked down to find, himself, down at the ring struggling against Dave Batista.
But that couldn't be. How could he be down there if he was up here?
What the hell is going on?
Iori knew something was wrong the moment Inaba had referred to her as 'girl'. What was more was the fact that she seemed totally embarrassed by the sound of her voice.
She, and the rest of the Cultural Research Society, realized just what had just happened. Memories of their first year flooded back as they knew that a personality swap had just occurred.
"Ah yes now this is very entertaining indeed."
At once the group turned to find Gotu with the eerie, placid expression that they often resented and feared.
Heartseid.
"Why are you here? What did you do with Inaba?" barked Taichi harshly.
"You're girlfriend? Why I just wanted to help push your relationship a bit further is all. What I did was give her a better understanding of this so called 'wrestling' that you enjoy so much by having her swap personalities with your favorite wrestler. You know who I am talking about."
The entire group froze as they stared at Inaba, or at least, Inaba's body. If what Heartseid said was true then...
"You don't mean-"
"Why don't you ask 'him' yourself?"
Taichi and the rest of the group could not believe this was happening and in front of so many people. It was a good thing that everyone was interested in the match but even then Taichi was worried. Inaba had no clue how to wrestle and she could get herself seriously hurt if what Heartseid said was true.
Then again.
"Y-You wouldn't happen to be The Undertaker, would you?" asked Taichi to the body of his girlfriend.
"I don't know kid you tell me. I'm supposed to be down there not up here. And why the hell am I in a girl's body?" barked Mark angrily.
Taichi's face went from concern to instant giddiness.
"W-Well if that's the case can I have your autograph?"
This was the wrong thing to say as Taichi felt a harsh slap on the back of his head. He turned to find Iori eyeing him angirly.
"Now is not the time Taichi! We have to find a way to get Inaba back otherwise-"
There was a loud groan going through the crowd. The group looked down to find Inaba, in The Undertaker's body, getting herself slammed harshly on the mat from a perfectly executed spear tackle from Batista.
Inaba was panicking.
Why was she here in the ring? Why wasn't she with her friends and why was she facing off against this monster of a man?
While this was something that she had not told Taichi just yet she was still traumatized from the time those three hoodlums had captured and held her against her will in the abandoned warehouse. One of them had even wanted to rape her but was held back by his more reasonable friends. It was a miracle that they still had thought transmission at the time so that her friends could save her.
For the first time she understood the pain that Yui Kiriyama went through when she nearly got raped. She was so scared and the only reason why she was able to return to normal was because of Yui. Even so she still had nightmares from that time and even though she loved Taichi and trusted Aoki she kept her distance from the other boys in school.
And now here she was having to wrestle against this monstrous man in front of her. The trauma started to surface as memories of her captivity entered her mind. At once she felt the man behind her grab her harshly.
"Mark what the hell is wrong with you? Get with it. Irish whip me and make for a big boot. I will duck and proceed with a pump handle slam? Got it?"
Inaba knew that the man was speaking English and yet she understood him perfectly. Contrary to what Taichi believed Inaba did know SOME wrestling manuevers. She researched them, under the table of course, just so that she could have a better idea as to what Taichi was talking about.
She didnt' hate wrestling but she felt that sometimes it got in the way of her relationship with Taichi. Inaba didn't want to compete for his attention but even so she did what she could to understand what pro wrestling was about. So far she wasn't impressed.
But now she would have to put her limited knowledge to the test.
Without saying a word she whipped Batista to the ropes and realized just how stiff this body was. The increased height of this new body warped her senses a bit. She was only five foot and three inches in her normal body. This man was at least six feet and ten inches tall. Her head felt way too high above the ground.
As she stretched her stiff leg out she saw the muscular man duck underneath and then grab her from behind.
"Pump-handle slam Mark! C'mon help me out here. Give me your arm!"
Inaba felt outraged that she felt this man's hand near between her legs and turned around and slapped him harshly without meaning to.
"I-I'm so sorry I didn't mean to-"
"Seriously Mark what the hell?" growled Batista in anger as he then speared his opponent harshly into the ground.
Pain exploded all over her body as she was slammed to the ground. Never had she felt so much pain in her life. Her knees felt like they were going to pop out, her back was on fire and she couldn't even breath. She felt the other man grab her hair roughly as she was pulled up.
"I don't know what's with you Mark but you owe me a cold one after this. Now again I'm going to pump-handle slam."
Listening obediently Inaba placed her hand between her legs as she felt Batista grab at it roughly.
"Okay on the count of three jump up. One...two...three!"
Inaba jumped as high as this stiff, clunky body would allow her to and felt the man suddenly turn her body into his and slam her into the ground.
Again her world exploded in pain and this was even worse than the last stunt. She was seeing stars. More than that she could hardly believe how strong this Batista person was. The body she was in had to weigh at least three hundred pounds and yet he was able to lift her off her feet with almost no trouble.
Is this what these wrestlers have to go through? Who in the hell is crazy enough to do this?
She felt the other man place his body on top of hers as she heard the ref start to count.
One...two...
"Damn it Mark kick out! Kick out!"
On instinct Inaba heaved with all her strength and pushed the other man off. She sat up to her haunches, much to the cheers of the crowd around her. She got up as she faced the man before her.
At once he grappled her and, at this point, it was a contest of strength versus strength. She knew that the other man was insanely strong and yet, at the same time, she could not help but feel empowered by the fact that she was at least as strong as he was. She couldn't make him budge but he couldn't make her budge either.
You know...this is kinda fun. I'm beginning to see why Taichi enjoys this wrestling stuff so much even though it hurts.
It was then that Batista suddenly yanked himself away from the grapple and harshly tugged her towards the ropes. Inaba could not help but feel her legs move on their own from the momentum before coming face to face with Batista outstretched arm.
"So let me get this straight. You're telling me that I'm currently in this Japanese girl's body and that she is in my body at the moment?" asked The Undertaker in disbelief.
"That just about sums it up." replied Taichi.
"Wow. Now I know I must be dreaming. Shit what the hell did Hunter put into my drink last night? I swear the next time I see him I'm going to-"
It was then that Heartseid came up to them and started to speak.
"This is not a dream. Currently you, Mark Calaway, are in the body of Inaba Himeko. I do deeply apologize for the inconvenience. You see I have taken an interest in this group and it is in my interest that Inaba Himeko take your body."
Mark wasn't sure what to think at this point. If this was a dream then he might as well go along with it.
"I don't believe that you could do something as outrageous as that but let's assume you're right. Why would you do it?" asked The Undertaker.
"Because I wanted to be entertained."
It was then that Mark got angry.
"Well I hope this is entertaining enough for you!"
With that he got up and, with all the strength he could muster in this girl's body, tried to sock Heartseid on the cheek but his punch was intercepted easily. He tried to pull his arm back but the man before him was much stronger.
"Don't try to fight me. In that body you are no stronger than a normal, teenage girl. If you are not careful you might hurt yourself."
The Undertaker scowled in anger. While it was nice to not be in constant pain he couldn't deny the fact that this girl was really weak, physically. In fact he couldn't even remember the last time his body had felt so soft and feeble. Sure his old body was stiff, injured and full of pain but in that body was decades of strength training behind it. There was pride in his strength and the confidence it gave him in taking care of his family.
"So what now?" scowled Mark.
"We wait until the match is over." replied Heartseid before turning his attention away.
Meanwhile Taichi, Aoki, and Yui were hesitant to come near this Mark person. While The Undertaker was Taichi's favorite wrestler he was afraid that if he said something stupid he might get his favorite wrestler into hating him.
Strangely enough it was Iori that started to make conversation with The Undertaker in Inaba's body.
"I know that you might think it weird that I should comfort you but you shouldn't worry. This has happened to us before. It will be over soon."
"I'm not scared but I won't lie. I am pretty freaked out right now. I mean-"
With that Mark Calaway started to grope himself much to the embarrassment of the other members.
"It's not everyday that I'm a teenage girl." smirked The Undertaker.
It was then that Taichi gathered his courage and came forward.
"I know this is weird and all but you're my favorite wrestler. I have watched you as far back as I can remember. I only wish I wasn't born so late. I watch some of your older matches and wish I could have watched them live."
The Undertaker smiled.
"After all these years it never fails to amaze me that there are people who genuinely enjoy watching me perform. It is for that reason that I have stayed as long as I have. You should know that my time is coming to a close. I have worked for the WWE for over twenty years and have wrestled even before that. However I would never think I would be in such a strange predicament. Then again I remember Terry Funk telling me of something eerily similar happening to him and Mick way back in '96 but I thought they were just bullshitting me. Goodness if this is a regular occurrence here in Japan perhaps I'll sit out the next tour here."
Taichi's eyes widened in amazement.
"Y-You have spoken to THE Terry Funk?"
"Spoken to? We go way back kid. In fact if you're interested I can tell you a few funny stories that-"
Aoki, Iori and Yui all shrugged their shoulders. While it was indeed concerning that both Inaba and The Undertaker switched bodies to see Taichi this happy almost seemed worth it. Perhaps this was Heartseid's way of thanking them? They weren't sure. Perhaps they should do something but then again Heartseid did say that the switch would end when the match did. Heartseid was many things but he did keep his word.
It was then that the crowd roared in applause.
The match, it seemed, was at its end.
Her body felt like it was going to fall apart. Then again the man before her seemed to be just as beat and tired out as well.
"You've been awfully quiet today Mark."
"J-Just thinking of things."
"Problems with Michelle?"
Inaba wasn't sure why she was even talking to this Batista person but throughout the match she realized that despite his fearsome appearance he was a pretty nice fellow. He was just REALLY stiff when it came to his wrestling.
She knew had she confronted this man yesterday she would probably have peed her pants. The memory of her capture by those thugs was still very fresh. Yet, here in the ring, she realized that appearances were deceiving. In some way her fear towards men other than Taichi and Aoki was beginning to fade.
"Y-Yeah." said Inaba in a complete guess.
"It's fine. I'm having troubles at home too. Still we have to finish the match. Now just like we practiced. I'm going to try and use my special move on you. I will try to pick you up but you will reverse it and heave me over your back. After that pick me up and Chokeslam and then end it."
"Okay."
They grappled once more before Batista hit his forearm on her back. She bent over as she tried to sell the hit as well as she could. Inaba then felt Batista push her head between his legs and tried to lift. Just like instructed she did not budge and, instead, used all her strength to heave her way up.
Batista was a heavy man and this act was easier said than done. However she managed to flip Batista over her and was satisfied to hear his body slam on the mat. Looking down she say him sprawled out. She grabbed him by the head and pulled him up.
"Chokelsam now Mark. On the count of three. One...two...three!"
With all her strength she lifted Batista as he jumped into the air. It was then that she held his body aloft on one arm while supporting him by placing her other hand on his back. She was amazed that she could hold him up in suspension like this. She couldn't do anything close to this in her old body. It gave her a newfound respect for people who put in the time to train their bodies to attain strength like this.
She held him up for three seconds before slamming him hard on the ground. Inaba could hear the crowd roar as she placed her body on top of Batista. The ref immediately came to start the count.
"One...two...three! It's over. It's all over! The Undertaker is the winner!"
Inaba stood up as she saw the cheers of all the people around her. For so long she had been an introvert and avoided contact with other people if possible. However being held in such adoration by total strangers was...nice. She could see why some people would do something as crazy as professional wrestling their entire lives.
"G-Good match Mark. Though that last Chokeslam was stiff as hell." said Batista from the ground.
Inaba was about to retort smartly before she found herself face to face with Taichi, who seemed to have tears in his eyes from laughter. She looked down to find herself back in her old body.
"I-Inaba! You're back?" asked Taichi in hesitation.
"Y-Yeah." replied Inaba.
With that he hugged her tightly much to her embarrassment.
"Stop that. Everyone will see."
"Who cares. I'm just happy that you're back with us and that you're not hurt."
The black haired vice president of the Cultural Research Society looked around to find her group members looking just as relieved at having her back. While being in The Undertaker's body was interesting she was so happy to be back to her regular body.
Meanwhile Mark Calaway found himself in the middle of the ring as he 'won' the match even though he did nothing but just recite old stories about Dusty Rhodes and his adventures with Booker T to one of his biggest fans.
His body felt like hell, worse than usual, but all things considered that girl handled herself better than he expected. He wasn't worred all that much but even so he was glad that everything was back to normal.
As the show ended and he and Dave Batista made their way backstage he couldn't help but think just how far his life had come. Today had been very unusual and, chances were, he would probably convince himself tomorrow that it was all just a dream.
Even so he could not help but have a new found appreciation for being back in his old skin. He had griped to his wife before of all the pains and aches but now he was going to bear them with pride. It was through those pains that he was where he was at right now.
His conversation with one Taichi Yaegashi was interesting. It had been a long time since he sat down with a fan and just talked. The boy confided his some of his insecurities and while they seemed childish they were problems that he, too, had confronted at that time of his life. He gave him the best advice he could give him and hoped that everything worked out for him.
Perhaps next time he would have another sit down with a fan and just talk to them. It was easy to forget that the reason he was so successful in the WWE was because the fans loved him. He had nearly forgotten but now he was reminded about why he wrestled in the first place.
He would go back home with a different view of life and, in the same respect, wished Taichi Yaegashi the best of luck.
Since that day of the wrestling event both Taichi and Inaba's relationship had grown even closer. The joy of being able to speak personally with his favorite wrestler was surpassed by the fact that Inaba became a wrestling fan herself.
What surprised him was the fact that her favorite wrestler in the WWE was Batista, the same one that she wrestled with when she was in The Undertaker's body.
Taichi wondered what happened during that match that changed Inaba's opinion of wrestling but that was fine. He was just happy that he was able to share his joy of wrestling with Inaba.
Inaba herself had changed. She started to become more conscious of her health and, instead of living in fear of that day that she was captured, decided to do something about it so that it wouldn't happen again. Much to Yui's surprise Inaba asked her for training.
Yui tried to explain that she was not an instructor but Inaba would not take 'no' for an answer. She was too embarrassed to join a dojo on her own so Yui caved in. Inaba took to the training really well especially when she lost three kilos in just one week of training. Sure it was hard training and her body hurt all the time it seemed but Inaba knew that through it she would come out a stronger person.
Heartseid had been gone since the day of the wrestling event which was fine with the club members. If he never showed up it would still be too soon.
"I just want to apologize for being so stuck up Taichi. I know all I was doing was ruining your day and-"
Taichi didn't give Inaba anytime to finish as he gave her a quick kiss to her lips. He pulled back to see her blushing madly.
"There is nothing to forgive. In the end everything turned out for the best. The only thing is that I'm kinda of jealous that you actually got to wrestle in The Undertaker's body. That must have been so cool." said Taichi.
"I'm not going to lie. His body was stiff and I was hurting all over and while it was nice to know that I can lift a three hundred pound man off the ground with just one arm I think I'm happier in my own body thank you very much. Still, since that time I have a newfound respect for the men and women who choose to do this for the rest of their lives. While it may be 'fake' those bumps are very real. Just thinking about it hurts."
It was then that Taichi caressed Inaba's cheek.
"I'm happy that I can share my joy of wrestling with the one I care about the most."
"I-Idiot. You're just happy that-"
Inaba was interrupted once more as Taichi kissed her again.
Only this time they did not stop.
Author's Note: I'm sure that anyone who has seen this anime realized the number of appearances The Undertaker has made in the club room. For this reason I decided to include him in this oneshot. Very weird and probably doesn't make sense but still. Hope you all enjoyed.