The Man of Mischief
Chapter Nine: A Heated Rivalry
Adrian and Asuka sat on the couch of their apartment, both engaged in a heated make-out session, their lips locked in heated passion and tongues wrestling in their mouths, their hands wandering to certain parts of their bodies; Asuka's were rubbing against her lovers bare chest, while Adrian's were clinging onto her bare bottom. Both were stripped naked, except for their undergarments.
After the match, Adrian paid a visit to the doctor to get his leg looked at and was told that he had twisted it when he drop kicked Finn, so he needed to stay out of action for three weeks, or rather until the next pay-per-view, which seemed to disheartened Adrian. It wasn't all bad, however, as he got to spend time with Asuka.
Breaking the kiss to catch their breath, the two pressed their foreheads together.
"You certainly know how to handle a woman." Asuka purred.
"I've had practice in the past." Adrian declared. "But the only person I've ever thought of holding so close was you."
Giggling, Asuka allowed her lover to hold her close, the two closing in to kiss once again, before the television came on, and the highlights of the Royal Rumble match came on, showing some of the matches, gaining the attention of the two. Watching the television, they saw the highlights of the Royal Rumble, some of the eliminations, Kofi making another save from elimination, and eventually, the victory of Adrian, then the attack from Brock Lesnar.
One thing they took notice of was Shinsuke's behavior through it all; his viciousness in the ring, his assault on Adrian, even leaving the trickster to be attacked by the beast.
He also took note of Shinsuke's taunting of Adrian, calling him a coward and saying Adrian doesn't deserve to win the Royal Rumble.
"Seems we have an elephant in the room." Adrian mused.
"What do you intend to do?" Asuka asked, concerned.
Adrian gave a toothy grin.
"I intend to address the elephant in the room."
The next week came by, Asuka took a seat in the viewing room in normal street clothes, watching the program to come on and the ring came into view, the crowd cheering as the fireworks went off and the show officially started.
After the commentary gave their thoughts on the Royal Rumble, *Me Against The World* began to play and the crowd roared with cheers as Adrian stepped out onto the stage, wearing his usual street clothes and holding a large sack. Walking down the ramp, Adrian high-fived some of the fans before entering the ring. Grabbing the mic, Adrian stood at the center of the ring, taking in the standing ovation, as the crowd chanted his name.
"Thanks, everyone," Adrian spoke. "Good to be back after a tough match at the Royal Rumble."
The crowd started chanting 'you deserve it', making Adrian nod in agreement.
"First, I want to apologize for my absence last week," Adrian said. "After the Rumble, I had to see the doctor about my leg." He then sighed. "Sadly, I was told to avoid the ring for the next three weeks."
The crowd booed loudly.
"I know, but fear not!" Adrian smiled. "Just because I won't be wrestling, that doesn't mean I won't show up…like some people." He then winked, before continuing. "And I have plenty of tricks," He held up his large sack. "In my bag of tricks to keep you entertained until Elimination Chamber!"
The crowd cheered loudly, looking forward to the trickster's antics.
"Which brings me back to the Royal Rumble." He went on, placing the sack back on the floor and a hand over his chest. "It is with great pride that I announce my victory at the Royal Rumble, just as I said I would!"
Asuka couldn't help but chuckle at Adrian's pride.
"I've been looking forward to this moment ever since I was young." Adrian declared. "I've always dreamed of making big splashes in the wrestling world." He then shrugged. "Well, I already have, even before this, but you get what I mean." He then smirked. "And now, I intend to go to WrestleMania and become the new Universal Champion and bring about true change!"
The crowd cheered at this, while Asuka smiled.
"But before I do that," Adrian went on. "There's an elephant in the room that I need to address. An elephant that doesn't seem to like me very much. And it's not Brock Lesnar."
The crowd booed, knowing full well who he was talking about.
"You may not know this, but Shin and I used to be best friends when we were kids," Adrian said. "We used to train together; even went on to win the IGWP Tag Team Championship several times back in New Japan." He then frowned. "But it seems we've drifted apart. He started resenting me; hating me even. We stopped talking, we stopped hanging out. We stopped being friends. And I don't know why." He turned towards the stage. "Shinsuke Nakamura; I know you're watching, and I know you're here. Get your ass out here and let's talk like grownups."
Adrian stood still at the center of the ring and waited. After several minutes, *The Rising Sun* began to play and Shinsuke stepped out onto the stage, greeted with a mixed reaction; some were happy to see him while others were upset with his behavior towards Adrian. Walking down the ramp, Shinsuke gave Adrian a deadly glare before stepping up onto the apron for a minute before stepping through the ropes and grabbing a mic of his own.
After the music died down, Shinsuke stood across from Adrian, the two staring intently at each other, before Adrian raised his mic.
"So, Shin," Adrian spoke. "What's your problem with me?"
Shinsuke glared at him for a moment, before gazing at the crowd, which booed at him. From the back, Asuka wasn't sure how it would go down, but she hoped that it wouldn't end up in a fight.
Turning back to Adrian, Shinsuke raised his mic to speak.
"You want to know what my problem is with you, Adrian?" He said with venom in his tone. "Simple; ever since we started out, I've lived in your shadow ever since our early days. Everyone showed favoritism for you over me." He stepped back a bit. "But I always put that aside for the sake of our team, for the sake of our friendship. But as time went on, you never seemed to notice. You were always caught up in the spotlight and the attention."
"To be honest, everyone does at some point." Adrian pointed out.
"But you never showed such ambition before." Shinsuke pointed out. "But I did. Ambition to show the world that I earned my place here! But you? You earned NONE of it! You're just a trickster that spends his time pulling childish pranks!" He pointed to himself. "But I earned it! I deserve to be where I am now!" He then gestured to Adrian. "What makes you so special?!"
"Nothing, really." Adrian shrugged, before smirking. "Well, one thing actually; I worked for it."
"What?" Shinsuke mouthed.
"You see, I worked just as hard as you did, buddy." Adrian went on. "Those titles in TNA, I earned those. Those titles in Ring of Honor, I earned those. The titles in New Japan, I earned those. I busted my ass for those titles despite how I grew up, despite growing up poor, and despite what other people thought of me. Just like how I earned Asuka's heart."
Shinsuke stepped forward at that, glaring right into Adrian's eyes, who simply sent a glare back.
"Just like how I earned that Royal Rumble victory," Adrian said. "But if you want to fight for it; I'm more than happy to oblige."
And with that, Adrian tossed his mic to the side and threw off his jacket, as Shinsuke quickly did the same, both men staring each other down, the crowd begging for a brawl.
Suddenly, *Medal* began to play, and the crowd cheered as the General Manager of Raw stepped out onto the stage with mic in hand, the crowd chanting 'you suck' to some parts of the entrance theme. With the music died down, Asuka watched intently as the GM of Raw began to speak.
"Well, looks like you two are getting along quite nicely with your reunion," Kurt remarked. "However, since you two wish to tear each other apart, I have an idea; at the main event of Elimination Chamber, Shinsuke Nakamura will face Adrian Loki for the contender ship choice. And next week, before Elimination Chamber, we'll have the contract signing to make the match official."
And with that, the crowd cheered, looking forward to next week, though Asuka had an idea.
Meanwhile, we cut to see Brock Lesnar leaving the locker room, duffle bag in one hand and the Universal title in the other. Walking down the halls, he meets Paul Hayman at the exit.
"Brock, I just thought of something." The King of Heels declared. "Something that will deal with our troublesome trickster."
Brock remained silent, allowing Paul to continue.
"You see, everyone has a past," Paul explained. "The funny thing is; nobody knows about Adrian's past. The Boy Without a Past, the Man of No History. These are common nicknames given to a child who grew up in the streets of Kyoto, Japan. Funny how a parentless bastard was able to make it as far as he did." He then grinned wickedly. "But that may change."
Brock raised an eyebrow, genuinely curious.
"You'll see soon enough," Paul said coyly. "Right after the boy's match at Elimination Chamber."
The final week before Elimination Chamber came by quickly, and after some of the matches, it was time for the moment of truth; the contract signing for the match at Elimination Chamber. Kurt Angle stood in the ring with Baron Corbin, his assistant, with a table in the center. After addressing the crowd, he calls for Shinsuke and Adrian. First came Shinsuke, who simply marched down to the ring, ignoring the boos of the crowd, as he entered the ring, sitting at the table, facing the entrance. Out came Adrian, followed by Asuka, the couple holding hands, which seemed to irritate Shinsuke, who watched as the two entered the ring and sat from across from him, Adrian propping his feet on the table and leaning back in his chair.
"Now that we're here, we can begin the contract signing for your match at the Elimination Chamber pay-per-view." Kurt declared. "Gentlemen, if you would?"
Nodding, Shinsuke took the contract and signed without a word, then Adrian. The contract was signed and the match was set.
With their business concluded Adrian and Asuka made to leave.
"Before you leave," Kurt said. "There's something else regarding your match."
The three gave Kurt their full attention.
"Since you two seem to want to tear each other apart," Kurt said. "And since you're both from Kyoto, I've decided to make it into a Kyoto Japan Street Fight!"
The crowd cheered loudly at that, but Kurt wasn't finished.
"There is one more thing," Kurt said, before turning to Adrian. "Now, Adrian, this might be something you want to talk to Asuka about…"
Adrian gave a confused look.
"You see, this was arranged by both Asuka AND Shinsuke." He said. "Adrian, not only will you Rumble victory be on the line…but so is Asuka. Meaning, if you lose…you lose Asuka."
Adrian's face twisted with shock, as Shinsuke chuckled sinisterly and raised the mic.
"Because that's another thing you didn't earn, Loki." He said in a mocking tone. "You didn't earn HER! And now, at Elimination Chamber, the things you took from me…I will take from YOU!"
"What the hell was that about?!"
After the segment, Adrian confronted Asuka about what had just happened. He couldn't understand what drove Asuka to pull something like this.
"Shinsuke has been lusting after me for a long time and eventually, we came to an agreement," Asuka explained. "If you win, he agreed to leave me alone. But if you lose, then he'll have me."
"Why would you agree to that?!" Adrian demanded in disbelief.
"It was the only way to get him to leave us alone," Asuka said. "And to see if you truly want this relationship between us to work."
"There are better ways to see if I take us seriously," Adrian said.
"Perhaps, but I'm certain you will win," Asuka said, getting closer to Adrian so their noses are touching. "Besides, after you win, I have a special 'gift' for you afterward."
She then kissed him on the lips, and the couple left the building. Adrian was about to face a challenge that he knew he had to overcome. Not only to continue with his ambition but to save Asuka from his former friend.
And there's the newest chapter! We see a lovely makeout session between Adrian and Asuka, a feud between Shinsuke and Adrian, setting up the Street Fight between the two, and Paul Hayman scheming like he always does. Sorry this took so long, I've been going through a nasty breakup of over four years and it hit me pretty bad. But I'm back and ready to keep writing! Again, I apologize if it seems rushed, I'm still making fixes. Still, I appreciate you guys reading and hope you look forward to more! See you in the next chapter! And be sure to review!