*Makes a small snowball and then pushes it down a hill and watches it build.*
Let's do this.
Chapter 16
When she opened the door, the first thing that assaulted Mei was the smell of disinfectant, sweat, accompanied by the noxious scent of body spray and deodorant.
It was so bad that Mei nearly gave up so she could go home and shower until a middle-aged man with mid-length silver hair came out of an office and smiled at her. He was reasonably fit and wearing casual attire consisting of shorts and a slightly loose tee-shirt and seemed welcoming enough with warm purple eyes that Mei was sure gave him an unfair advantage when dealing with clients.
"Good afternoon," he said politely and seemed to sincerely mean it as he approached a front desk and waved her over. "It's all right if you want to come in. I take it it's your first time coming here? I haven't seen you around before."
"Ye...yes," coughed Mei as she inhaled again, wondering if the scent tasted as bad as it smelled. "I'm sorry, it's just that the..."
"The smell," said the man curling his lip and nodding. "Yeah, it's not great. Usually, it's hardly noticeable, but our HVAC crapped out on us this morning, and they're trying to fix it. The AC is working great, but everything else is kind of...not. I'm sorry if it's a turn-off, and I'd understand if you wanted to come back in a couple of days once it's fixed. And if you were interested in joining, I'll even throw in a couple of free weeks for the inconvenience."
"No, I'm not interested in joining," answered Mei abruptly, causing the man's demeanor to go from hopeful to downcast. "I'm sorry that was rude. What I mean to say is that I have a..."
Mei hesitated for a minute and felt her ears burn as the man looked at her curiously, with arms crossed.
"You have an appointment? A lesson?"
"What I mean is," she started again, feeling her face flush at his penetrating gaze, "is that a friend of mine is here, and she asked me to meet her here because we were going to get drinks when she finished her work out or lesson. I'm not sure which."
"You're Mei," chuckled the man, nodding in understanding, aiming a grin at her that made Mei flush even more in embarrassment.
"Ye...yes." Mei nodded and adjusted her bag, "and since you know my name, I take it Yuzu told you I was coming."
"She said someone with your name may stop by and gave me a basic description of you." The man stepped out from behind the desk and extended his hand. "Touma Tachibana or Tom if you prefer. Owner of this fine establishment and Yuzu's manager."
"Her manager?" Mei's eyebrow arched, and she gave Touma a curious look, not even batting an eye that he'd switched to Japanese or that she hadn't hesitated to switch along with him. "Manager for what?"
"I'll let you see that for yourself," laughed Touma, giving Mei a cautious pat on the shoulder. "By the way, you speak Japanese very well. Better than my daughters. You grow up speaking it? When'd you move here?"
"Born and raised here in Chicago, actually," replied Mei, not flinching at the contact. "My father and mother were fluent despite being raised here, and my grandfather was born there and insisted that I learn it before English. So I had a pretty thorough home education. My kanji is decent, but I'm better with Katakana and Hiragana. However, my best friend who grew up there is helping me improve it."
"I understand." Touma stuffed his hands in his pockets and nodded his approval. "I find ways to use it, so I don't forget it. My parents and grandparents were similar, but it's kind of hard to keep up with it when it's not the norm. But luckily, I found ways at home and here to work on it. Online book ordering certainly helps."
"That's not a bad idea," said Mei as she made a mental note. "I'll add that to my learning plan and try to fit that into my daily routine. Thank you for the suggestion."
"No problem, and honestly, if you didn't speak or read it too well, I wouldn't give you any shit for it, so don't feel like you have to speak it around me." Touma let out a sigh and waved at the doors marked for group-based and full-body activities and said. "She's behind that door. If you want, I can take you back there or...oh wait; I got a better idea. Hey, Sara!"
Mei looked at a large group of people coming out of the door. Mei noticed a petite girl with long hair similar to Touma's with the same purple eyes wearing an outfit similar to her father's but more fitted, with a towel wrapped around her neck telling everyone what a great job they all did in her class.
"Sara, honey? I need you for a minute. Thanks for coming in folks, we'll see you all in a few days!"
"Jeez, Dad," said Sara, her friendly smile betraying her annoyed tone, "I've never seen you kick them out so quickly. What's the matter? Not making the sale like you normally do?"
"Funny," snorted Touma, flicking a finger at his daughter, which she dodged easily. "And no, smartass, I need you to take someone back to the sparring area. Yuzu has a guest, and I gave her the okay to come and hang out while she finished up with Nina and the others."
"A friend of Yuzu's eh," Sara turned to look at Mei, giving her the once over and shrugging. "Frankly, you're more my type than hers, but hey, who am I to judge."
"Sara." Touma rubbed his knuckles on his daughter's head, making her groan in pain. "That's none of your business; you know that. Besides what happened with..."
"Not here, Dad," stammered Sara, her face turning beet red as she pulled away and rubbed the spot where he'd ground his knuckles. "I was joking, and nothing's going on there. I missed the mark."
"Then keep quiet and do this favor for me before you clock out. I got a meeting in ten minutes, and then I gotta deal with this air situation, and your mom needs you to grab some stuff from the store for dinner tonight."
"Yes, sir." Sara snapped a salute, and Mei chuckled, earning her a glare from Touma and a smile from Sara. "But remember, I'm going to be out of town next week; I already put in for it, so I need someone to head to my place and feed and walk my dog."
"It's on the schedule," said Touma as he walked away. "It was nice meeting you, Mei. Don't be a stranger!"
"I'm sorry about my comment earlier," said Sara once her father was out of earshot. "I wasn't trying to be rude or anything; I just said it for some reason."
"I've heard worse," said Mei with a wave of her hand. "I have a friend who's constantly saying things like that, so no offense taken. But you may be right. Most comments like that have some basis of truth, and if Yuzu is so familiar with you, you'd know better than me."
"Glad to know I stand a chance." Sara brushed some hair behind her ear and gave Mei a nervous smile that had the taller girl blushing. "But that's not what you're here for; you're here to see Yuzu, and she's right behind these doors. Follow me."
Mei remained silent, unsure of how to take Sara's comment, and waited as the girl used a keycard to open the door.
Immediately Mei was assaulted by the sounds of booming, muffled speakers, clacking weights, the sound of fists hitting bags, people yelling, and so many other sounds that she was wondering how people didn't go deaf in this environment.
"Sorry about the noise," explained Sara, shouting over the noise. "But this is our main training area."
Sara pointed at a walled-off section where a man was standing on a small platform and leading people in what Mei guessed was an aerobics workout.
"That's where I train people. I do yoga training two days a week and aerobics another two. We close early on Fridays; that's when me and Nina, my younger sister, help out with office and admin work. She's going to be in the next section."
As she looked around, Mei was surprised at the array of services the gym offered. Everywhere she looked, people were doing more exercise in five minutes than she got in a month, and every one of them looked like they could crush her.
Immediately, her artistic senses kicked in, telling her that this would make for excellent reference material if she were ever to work on a military-type game. She began reaching for her camera when she remembered she didn't bring it and figured that the people in the room wouldn't like having their photo taken without consent.
"So what all do you teach here," asked Mei as she watched a man knock another one to the ground and wrap his arms around his opponent's arm and begin to pull.
"Well, MMA is a big draw, mixed martial arts if you aren't familiar with the term. So that means we get people here who teach Taekwondo, Muay Thai, Jiujitsu. Most people go for Brazilian, but we do traditional Japanese Jiujitsu as well. My dad teaches both to some of the younger kids and older folks who come in looking to get in shape or protect themselves."
"Is there that high of a demand to learn that kind of thing?" A lot of the kids we get here are from the South Side. So we help them with after-school stuff and coordinate with community leaders down there for funding to offset their training costs here. We do fundraisers and even have some donors for it."
"It sounds like a lot of work," said Mei as she looked around and realized that there was a sizable number of children and younger teens off in one section with a couple of older trainers. All of them looked serious, but she could tell by the smiles and how the teachers were talking to them that they were having fun.
"It is," Sara nodded in agreement before greeting a friend who was leaving. "But it's important to my dad. He grew up around there and had a rough time, so he learned to defend himself. Luckily he got out, and he's trying to help the kids down there by making it a little better for them."
"Do you train with him," asked Mei as she made several mental notes of some of the stances and techniques being used so she could sketch them later at home.
"No," laughed Sara as they rounded a corner. "I'm not a fan of that stuff. I don't mind getting sweaty, but I don't like getting sweaty like that and touching other people. Plus, I'm way too short for most martial arts, but that doesn't mean I don't like what I do. The stuff I teach is more my speed and fits in more with my personality. Calm, rational thoughts, centering yourself, remaining focused, but also being able to cut loose and have some fun."
"I can see the appeal," agreed Mei with a smile. "But is all you do is train people? Your dad said something about managing people?"
"Oh yeah, we manage a few fighters here." Sara stopped just outside what looked like an area designated for boxing. Two rings looked to be set up for adults, while another had teens and kids gathered around it. "Some are low-level pros, while others are higher ranked amateurs. We train them here too and roll their membership fees into the twenty percent we take of their purse when they finish their match. That way, we recoup some loss, and they get a bigger cut of their winnings."
"What do they normally make?" Mei stopped walking, looked at a large calendar on the wall, and began deciphering it. "Twenty percent seems a rather large amount."
Sara turned around and joined Mei at the calendar and sighed, "Well, it's better than what they'd make with a separate trainer and manager. Between those two, that can easily be thirty to forty percent, and most fighters pay for their training out of their own pockets, and depending on the purse, they can walk away with almost nothing. So yeah, it might seem large, but at least they leave with most of their money, not some of their money, and we never ask for extra. But if they're having a good month, they might give us a bigger cut."
"Sorry." Mei's eyes shifted to Sara, and she gave her a shrug. "I seem to be putting my foot in my mouth more than you today."
"It's all right." Sara smiled and nudged Mei with her elbow. "You didn't know, so it's understandable. It's tough to do what we do, but we manage besides..."
Sara pointed over her shoulder at one of the rings where a large number of people had gathered around to watch a tall, lithe woman and a shorter, more well-toned woman dressed in training gear begin to spar.
"With people like my sister helping train, I'd say we're in good hands. LET'S GO, NINA!"
At Sara's shout, the taller woman turned and waved at Sara and smiled while the shorter woman, who'd also looked stiffened and looked away. Mei was confident she'd looked at her but ended up getting distracted by the crowd, who were all talking loudly to one another.
"I got fifteen on Nina," said one woman in a full black set of boxers shorts and a tank top. "After last time, there's no way she's gonna lose."
"I dunno," said her friend, a well-toned man with crossed arms and wearing a similar outfit that was blue instead of black. "She's been getting pretty hungry since she got that big match. I heard it's gonna be a pretty big payout regardless of the outcome. But you know her, she's going to go all-in, come Hell or high water. Which is why I'm putting fifty on Yuzu. Yo, Jackie! You taking bets still?"
"That's Yuzu in the ring," asked Mei as the bell rang and the two women moved forward. Their feet shuffled as they threw cautious punches toward one another, their faces and torsos bobbing to avoid blows that didn't even make contact.
"You didn't know?" Sara pointed over her shoulder at a spot next to the calendar where Mei saw a poster of Yuzu smiling and another woman with a stern face staring back at them.
Mei read the poster and saw that Yuzu trailed the woman by two losses and that the fight was to be held in a month and would be televised on one of the premium channels before the main event bout.
"Yuzu's one of your professionals," asked Mei, turning around just in time to see Yuzu duck beneath one of Nina's punches and land a jab to the taller woman's stomach, forcing her to step back.
There was a collective groan from the group, and Sara shouted something to Nina about watching out for Yuzu's right cross.
"Amateurs," answered Sara as Nina countered with a right hook to the side of Yuzu's head, causing Yuzu to stumble. "She's good and could have gone pro; at least that's what my dad said. I mean, Yuzu told me when she first started coming here that she's been boxing since she was little and got an above-average record, and Nina and Dad said that she could do well. But Yuzu said doing what she does is risk enough and likes making sure she can go home at the end of the night. That and the training regimen, the accrued costs even with our help, and the time it takes her away from work and home are too much. So she takes a couple of matches when she's not busy with work and trains in her off time. You ever see her box?"
"In a sense," said Mei as the bell rang and Nina and Yuzu stopped to get some drinks of water while a couple of trainers made sure they weren't severely hurt. "Somebody was being rude to us at a restaurant and insulted Henry, and when he didn't stop, Yuzu punched him before he punched her, and he and his friends ran off shortly after."
"That's not surprising," sighed Sara as the match moved into its second round, with Yuzu landing the first blow, a solid blow to Nina's stomach that had the taller girl gasping. "Especially if they were posing a threat to Henry."
Mei wanted to ask what Sara knew but didn't when she remembered Yuzu had promised to explain everything the next time they got together. But if they went the whole night without discussing it, then Mei would bring it up the next time they spoke on the phone or hung out.
So she settled on watching the match, amazed at the crowd that had gathered, and the athleticism Yuzu and Nina displayed. They seemed evenly matched from Mei's perspective, but the way everyone else was acting, Nina was the heavy favorite based on the groans the crowd elicited when Yuzu dodged a blow and got in a couple of her own.
By the end of the seventh round, the acting ref and the trainers were telling everybody that the next round would be the last.
Checking her watch, Mei was surprised that between breaks and rests, they'd been standing there for almost half an hour. When the bell rang, Mei looked up at the ring and could see that both women were moving a bit slower and being more cautious about when they threw their punches. When Yuzu managed to get in, Mei saw her throw a flurry of blows and realized that it was slowly becoming a war of attrition and wondered who'd end up coming out on top.
"Hurry it up, Nina," shouted Sara more enthusiastically than Mei had considered possible. "Just end it!"
Mei felt herself get annoyed and looked down at Sara, who smiled back.
"It's all in good fun," explained Sara pointing at the ring. "But as much as I love Yuzu, I love my sister more, so my support goes to her."
Mei snorted in annoyance and turned her attention back to the ring, where she cupped her hands around her mouth and yelled, "COME ON YUZU! KNOCK HER ON HER ASS!"
Several people, including Mei, paused in confusion at the words the newcomer had just shouted while Sara chuckled and Yuzu paused just long enough to stare at Mei in her amazement.
And then came Nina's fist making contact with the side of Yuzu's headgear, followed by a loud crack and Yuzu's body hitting the mat and the final clang of the bell and the grumbles and cheers of the spectators.
"GODDAMN IT!"
"YOU GOTTA BE KIDDING ME!"
"Pay up, Jackie!"
"Good match, you two!"
"Yeah! Great hustle!"
"You guys rock!"
As everyone applauded the match, Nina walked over to Yuzu and clumsily helped the blonde to her feet. Mei watched as the trainers rushed over, one with a chair, the other with a first aid kit and waters, and helped both girls out of their equipment.
Mei was amazed to see that Yuzu and Nina managed to fit their hair under the padded helmets. She expected Yuzu to look defeated; instead, Mei saw Yuzu and Nina smiling and speaking happily as they got their injuries looked at while they sipped water.
"Well, that was fun," said Sara as she began walking toward the ring. "Come on, now that they're finished, you and Yuzu can get going while I deal with Nina."
Approaching the ring, Mei heard Yuzu laughing a little as Nina said, "Seriously, you woulda had me if you hadn't got distracted. Is hearing someone cheer for you that weird?"
"No, it's not," chuckled Yuzu, hissing as they unwrapped her knuckles and the first aid person checked her hands. "I just...oh hey Mei!"
Mei stood at the edge of the ring while Sara climbed up and slid beneath the ropes, trying not to intrude.
"Hey, Sis. Who's the newbie," asked Nina, looking up from her conversation with Yuzu.
"This is Mei," said Sara matter of factly. "She and Yuzu are supposed to be going out now that you two are done clobbering each other, so how about we get you two cleaned up, and they can be on their way."
"Well, that's rude," huffed Nina as Sara tugged on her arm. Getting up, Nina brushed her sister off her arm and leaned over the top rope, and waved at Mei. "Hey, Mei. I'm Nina, Sara's younger sister. Did you like the show?"
"It was very informative," said Mei taking Nina's extended hand and shaking it and noticing the formation of a bruise on Nina's cheek. "You were quite impressive."
"Thanks." Nina smiled at Sara and stuck her tongue out at her. "See, Sara. That's how you give a postmatch compliment."
Sara blushed and rolled her eyes before looking at Mei then back to her sister. "But seriously, we need to go. I have to run errands, and Dad's in a meeting, so I need to go over some stuff with you."
"Fine," groaned Nina as she shuffled over to her sister and dropped her long, lean limbs around her in a tight hug. "But carry me, please. I'm too tired, and I hurt all over."
"Nina, get off of me," groaned Sara as she stumbled back toward the ropes, trying not to trip over her feet and her sister's gangly body. "I can't move!"
"Not until you get to the edge of the ring," teased Nina, lifting one arm long enough to wave behind her while Sara struggled feebly to escape her sister's clutches. "Bye, Mei! Bye, Yuzu!"
Yuzu laughed and waved at the sisters and limped toward Mei, a tired smile on her face.
"Can you help me with the ropes? I'm a little sore."
Mei agreed, and after being instructed on how to lower them, she helped Yuzu down the steps and did her best not to stare at the muscle definition that lined Yuzu's arms or the shiny bruise under one of her eyes, the way her calves flexed as she stood up and stretched.
"Thanks," said Yuzu as she put her arms down, grunting when a sharp pain shot through her side.
"Are you okay?" inquired Mei as Yuzu clutched her side. "Do you need me to get one of those trainers or whatever they are?"
"Naw, I'm fine." Yuzu lifted her orange tank top, and Mei could see a bruise forming next to two of Yuzu's four abs and gave it a gentle push making Yuzu hiss.
"You are not fine," said Mei, concernedly, keeping to herself how amazed she was at how strong Yuzu's stomach was.
"I am." Yuzu lowered her shirt and shrugged. "Trust me; when I get back from the fight in a few weeks, I'm probably going to be in even worse shape. That lady is a slugger and has like three inches of reach on me; that's why I went against Nina. She's one of the few out boxers that train here. Not a lot of power, but it's worth helping me figure out the distance gap."
"I have no idea what any of that meant," chuckled Mei as she gripped the strap of her backpack. "But, I'd be happy to hear about it while we're out."
"Sure." Yuzu's smile widened at the prospect of talking to Mei about one of her favorite activities. "But I gotta go shower and get dressed. Unless you want me to go out like this."
Yuzu motioned at her black-trimmed, orange boxing attire and her blue shoes and quirked up an eyebrow.
"I mean, I've seen stranger," teased Mei and Yuzu gave a quick laugh before groaning and clutching her side.
"Don't make me laugh, please," coughed Yuzu as she caught her breath.
"I'll try not to," said Mei offering Yuzu her arm. "But if you're okay with it, I can at least help you to the locker room so you can get ready."
"Su...sure," stammered Yuzu putting her hand on Mei's arm before linking them. "Thanks."
"It's no problem," answered Mei, hoping Yuzu couldn't hear her heart rate growing faster with each step. "I'm worried about you, and I don't want you collapsing."
"I don't think that would happen," chuckled Yuzu, her grip tightening a little. "But it's not unheard of. We didn't go all out, but we tried to make it as real as possible for practice. Luckily I'm not training for a couple of days to recover, so I can put my feet up and relax at home with my parents. I hope that they aren't going to drag me around town."
"You're parents are in town?" Mei was shocked to hear this, even more, shocked than the fact that the only time anyone noticed them was to tell Yuzu how good a job she did in her sparring match. "Are you sure you should be going out with me tonight then?"
"I'll be fine," said Yuzu when they reached the outside of the locker room. "Both of them are busy with some work stuff, and they'll have Henry to keep them busy once he's done, Matty too, so we're okay. Now, if you'll excuse me, I need to go powder my nose."
"That's not some gym code for doing drugs, is it?"
"What? No? Why would you ask that?" asked Yuzu, confused by the inquiry. "I'm just going to get cleaned up. Why would you think I'd be doing drugs?"
"I've just heard that stuff like steroids is a real problem in gyms," said Mei focusing on her feet. "You know, so people get the advantage or develop muscles quicker."
"Okay, that's a reasonable concern as it can happen and has happened at some gyms I've been to," said Yuzu nodding begrudgingly. "But I promise, I'm not going to do that. If I did, I'd lose my licenses, and I wouldn't be able to wear all my cute clothes, now would I?"
"I suppose," hummed Mei before pointing at a bench. "Okay, I'm going to go sit. I'm sorry if I upset you; I've had a long day and seeing you fight and get hurt didn't help. If you still want to go, we'll go. If not, I'll..."
"We're going," said Yuzu taking Mei by the hand and squeezing it gently. "I've been looking forward to this. I like hanging out with you, and I wanna talk more, lots more. So grab a seat and, I'll be out in twenty, maybe thirty minutes if the showers aren't all taken. Okay?"
"Okay." Mei felt her hand warm at the contact and felt a gentle brush of Yuzu's finger on her palm as she let go and headed in.
Sitting down, Mei let out a loud sigh and pulled out her phone, and began researching some basic boxing information in hopes that she could add something to the conversation. Before she knew it, half an hour had passed, and she was beginning to wonder if she should check on Yuzu when the blonde walked out looking refreshed and ready to go.
"That's better," said Yuzu loudly as she tied her freshly combed hair into a simple ponytail. "Sorry it took so long, I couldn't find my brush and one of the girls had to help me with my shoes. That's what I get for being here for six hours."
"Six hours?" Mei stared at Yuzu in disbelief, wondering how Yuzu was still standing. "You've been here training for six hours?"
"Not straight," said Yuzu reassuringly as she pulled her green zip-up hoodie over her white and blue striped long-sleeve shirt. "I took a lunch break and bathroom breaks. But yeah, that's normal before a match. Though before we get into the specifics, can we get out of here? I haven't eaten since like eleven, and it's almost five. I'm starving."
"Yes, let's." Mei grabbed her stuff and put her phone in her pocket. "Did you have any place in mind? I'm not particularly picking just nothing..."
"Nothing overly spicy or sweet, right?" Yuzu smiled when Mei blushed at her answer. "Don't worry; I got a couple of ideas bouncing around. But what about all your stuff? Are you sure you want to carry all that around? I don't want you to lose it."
"That's a good point," said Mei. "But these are too important for me to leave with anyone. They're the pictures I brought when...when we first met, and I had to go to the police station to..."
"Oh." Yuzu's eyes went wide at Mei's news, and her face lit up. "Was it good news?"
Mei looked up to see the hope in Yuzu's eyes and felt a pang of guilt when she shook her head but then changed it to a shrug.
"In a sense, but I don't want to talk about it here. So can we find someplace quiet to discuss this? You'll be the only one to know outside of Mitsuko, and I don't feel comfortable discussing it here."
"Sure." Yuzu nodded and began wrapping an arm around Mei's shoulder but stopped. "Is this okay?"
Mei nodded and felt her shoulders relax when she felt Yuzu's arms wrap around her and squeeze her.
"Thank you," she whispered as Yuzu steered them toward the exit. "So, where did you have planned for us to go eat?"
"Well, there was a nice bistro I wanted to take you to. I need some meat and bread after all the energy I've burned today, but since we both got kicked around a bit, I figure it's better if we had a nice home-cooked meal. Don't you?"
"Are you sure you're okay with cooking," inquired Mei seeing that the bruise was less noticeable thanks to a minor application of makeup to Yuzu's cheek.
"I wouldn't offer it if I weren't up to cooking," said Yuzu as they walked past the welcome desk. "Besides, I like cooking, so tell me what you want, and I'll figure it out. We'll get drinks too. So for tonight, if you're okay with it, I'd love to be your chef for the evening."
Mei laughed as Yuzu affected a horrible french accent and momentarily broke their contact to walk in front of Mei and bow deeply.
When she recovered from her fit, Mei let out a sigh and, with a slight bow of her own, said, "It'd be an honor."
