Author's Note: I actually just read over One Hot Summer, and I have to say, the Strawberry Panic crew are having quite an eventful summer. Sorry for the delay, a lot of personal stresses going including final exams, national exams, etc. Thankfully it's all over now. I feel like I've been making up excuse after excuse with this story.

Chapter 11:
Throw in the Towel

"It seems that Canada's Ava is showing no mercy while dealing with this fiery newcomer!" the announcer yelled with fervor. "Japan's Yumiko, despite being one of many new faces to this competition, has our former champ on her toes tonight, neither side giving in! And what an honor that we have the event's main organizer joining me at the announcer's booth tonight; what are your comments Mr. Jones?"

The old man smiled a somewhat toothy grin. "I'm just glad to see our event gathering so many superb athletes and fighters. These women are pushing far beyond my wildest expectations for this tournament."

"And what of tonight's match-up?"

"This was definitely one of the 'must-sees' of the tournament. Japan's fighter is truly bringing glory to her underdog status! I understand it's her first international competition, so to have made it thus far is already speaking volumes of her ability. However, her journey may end with Ava, I doubt she can continue this toe-to-toe with our former cha-"

"And Ava is down after being struck off guard by a vicious double leg takedown! Can you believe it?"

Mr. Jones watched the fight carefully behind the thick glass before him. His grin being replaced with a slight scowl that flashed for just a second.

"Yumiko is delivering blow after powerful blow of backfists directly to the former champ's jaw, suddenly taking control of the match! Ava's trying to snake her way out of this one but her opponent is allowing no leeway!" The young announcer quickly turned toward his guest, genuine excitement gleaming in his eyes. "Who're pulling for Mr. Jones?"

Mr. Jones quickly recomposed himself, adjusting thin-rimmed glasses and clearing his throat. He put on his best, aristocratic smile as he spoke wisely, "While it's true that Japan's fighter is very good and she really is giving Ava one hell of a fight, if you put Ava's experience into the equation, there's absolutely no way the new-comer will be able to defeat her. Therefore, the only clear choice, despite the scene before us, is Canada's Ava; or at least, this is my theory."

"Well, I guess that's one way to look at it." The lad looked at Mr. Jones slightly puzzled, though he shrugged it off. Quickly regaining his energy he turned back toward the show, clenching his fist tightly, trying to hold back a burst of liveliness creeping up on him. "Well, I guess Mr. Jones and I are on opposing sides because my money's on Japan's Yumiko. That girl has promise!"

Mr. Jones laughed throatily. "Well in any case, let's see how this goes."

Just then, the bell rang, signaling the end of the second round. Yumiko pulled herself off of her opponent, trying to catch her breath. She slowly made her way to her corner and toward Tomoka, whom awaited her with the drive she was lacking after trying to hold off the former champ for fifteen minutes. Now that she was in the semifinals, the rules have changed to the official standard; the next round would be her last chance for a win.

"Don't worry Yumiko, you've got this in the bag!" Tomoka cheered, toweling off the fighter and handing her a bottle of water.

"I'm not so sure, I'm almost out for the count. I don't think I'll be able to handle this next round." Yumiko admitted.

"Don't let that stop you, you're younger than she is. If you're this tired, imagine her! You even had her in a ground and pound for the last few seconds! Don't start doubting yourself now, just her and then the finals!"

With that, the bell rang, initializing the final round for the match; it was now or never. Yumiko made her way back to the center of the ring, chuckling slightly as she heard her friend yell out to her, "If you lose, Ritsuko and I will make you streak straight across the London Bridge!"

…

Ritsuko sat at her desk, tapping a finger on her desk in a mix of anxiety and rampant boredom. She hasn't had much to do recently and all it did was give her more time to worry, but even worse than that, she was bored out of her mind! She was struggling with herself to stay put in case more work came up, rather than making her way to the competition to cheer on Yumiko for at least the last few seconds of the match.

Just when she rested her forehead on her desk, as if it would occupy her idle mind, a knock on the door made her fling her head right back up. "Come in."

Slowly the door creaked open, revealing her friend, head slung low as she slid herself into the room without a sound. She quickly sat down, never making eye contact with her long-time friend and manager.

"Yumiko, don't tell me you came in here just to tell me you lost." Ritsuko scolded. "I swear, I will go through with that message I left with Tomoka."

"About that…" Yumiko looked around the room while twiddling her thumbs nervously. "I made it."

Ritsuko sighed and fell back in her seat. "Well, I guess there's always next year." Looking up at her roof, it took the white-haired genius a few moments to process Yumiko's news. Furrowing her eyebrows and leaning on her table, she looked directly at Yumiko, her head resting in her hands authoritatively. "What did you just say?"

Yumiko's head shot up, her face shown with a grin from ear-to-ear. Throwing up her fist with fervor, she announced, "I made it! I'm in the finals! Aren't you pro-"

She was cut off when a large book flew into her face, knocking her backwards over her chair. The thrower held herself back as she gripped another book twice the size of a regular encyclopedia. "Don't screw around!" She rested back in her chair and sighed again. "I thought that maybe since your opponent was the former champ, you might have some trouble with her. I'm surprised that even an idiot like you can hold her own when she has to."

"Yeah, even an idiot like me." Yumiko repeated rubbing the back of her head, ignoring her bleeding nose. "I think I should go see the nurse now."

"I think you should." Ritsuko smiled slightly.

Yumiko held her nose and tilted her head back as she exited her manager's office. She walked triumphantly down the hallway, just imagining what it would be like if she won the tournament, if she brought back gold for Japan. She thought about Yuujirou waiting back home for her. She couldn't wait to go see him again, and to see his expression when she has a big, gold trophy in her hands.

A bump in the hallway snapped her out of her reverie. She turned to see a familiar man's figure, moving quickly down the hallway. She watched the man curiously from behind, but decided to continue to the nurse's office.

Meanwhile, Ritsuko was preparing to leave her office, gathering her belongings from the desk. She was planning to accompany Yumiko to the nurse's office, deciding she had gone a little overboard about the petty prank. The white-haired woman was surprised to hear a rough knock on her door. Before she could give them permission, the person pushed the door open.

"Ms. Kiyubi." The man greeted as he entered the office and made his way to the available seat in front of her desk.

Ritsuko, angered by the man's rudeness remained silent, appropriately taking her seat at her desk and crossing her legs. "Mr. Jones…" she identified him. "Event coordinator or not, I refuse to accept such rudeness towards me in my own office."

"I would have been happy to come in here to smile and laugh with you, but as you can tell, I'm miffed." he said in a grumble. He pulled his chair closer and placed his hands on her desk. "We had a deal."

"I changed my mind." Ritsuko said matter-of-factly. "Or am I not allowed to have a change of heart?" she challenged.

"Don't take me as a joke!" Mr. Jones pounded his large fist on her desk, attempting to threaten her. However, the cold woman didn't budge. "Change of heart? Screw that! Japan was supposed to go down this round; if I had money on that you would have been in some serious trouble."

"You think I'm supposed to be scared of you? I've dealt with bigger and badder, and an old man with as much years on his life as there are grays in his head, doesn't frighten me in the least."

"We've discussed this time and time again, and yet you continue to ignore me. But not this time. I have a little bit of an, 'assurance' if you will. Something I'm sure you won't be able to refuse."

Mr. Jones leaned back, a smirk emerging on his face. He fished around in his pocket. In a flash, bills ranging from tens to hundreds invaded the air around Ritsuko's desk, the genius woman never breaking the deadlock between her icy, cold eyes and the shimmering pupils belonging to Mr. Jones.

"Are you bribing me?" She raised a brow.

"This and that are totally unrelated. I have to say, Japan's surprise victory really had everyone tuning in. This is my thank you." The old man continued their staring challenge, surprisingly unnerved by Ritsuko's patented glare. "I have another means of getting you to understand your situation: a piece of information that you probably wouldn't want your prized fighter and close friend to know."

"So blackmail then?" Ritsuko closed her eyes thoughtfully. "I'm calling your bluff."

"Oh…" Mr. Jones smiled.

Yumiko had just left the nurse's office and was making her way back to Ritsuko's office in hopes she could catch her before she left. Just as she was about to knock on the hard wood door, the young cherry-head heard muffled voices on the other side. Curiously, she pressed an ear to the door, listening intently.

She heard a slam and then the distinct voice of Ritsuko, raised to a tone she had never heard before. She can't imagine would could have Ritsuko so angry. She pressed as close to the door as possible, trying to make out the conversation.

"I swear, if you say anything I'll-"

"My lips are sealed as long as you do as you're supposed to." a deep-man's voice interrupted.

Ritsuko remained silent for awhile before finally giving in. "Fine. I'll talk to her. I'll make sure she throws the fight."

Yumiko gasped sharply. She knew the two were discussing her, discussing her… losing on purpose. She couldn't believe her friend would make any kind of deal like this.

Before she could move away, the door swung open, causing her to fall to the floor. Ritsuko watched the cherry-head with widened eyes.

"You two have much to discuss. I'll be taking my leave then." Mr. Jones left the two alone, smiling victoriously.

Yumiko lifted herself, taking notice to the large amount of money scattered on the desk and floor. It was easily a few thousand. She looked at Ritsuko incredulously. "You sold out?"

"Don't jump to conclusions Yumiko."

"Then what, so you weren't discussing me 'throwing the fight'? So you weren't selling my hopes and dreams for a few thousand dollars? So what was it then?"

Ritsuko bit her lip nervously. "It's hard to explain, but, at the next match, you absolutely have to lose."

"NO! For what reason would I throw away everything I've worked so hard for?" Yumiko yelled at her manager for the first time in her life.

"There's a perfectly good explanation for this.", she tried to calm the fighter down.

"Then tell me!" Yumiko ordered.

"I can't!" Ritsuko yelled back. "I can't tell you right now."

Yumiko shook her head. She turned her back to the white-haired woman and spoke softly. "You can't stop me. In the finals, I'm going to fight seriously."

"If you do, I'll throw in the towel myself."

Yumiko couldn't believe her old friend betrayed her, "…and for money.", she thought to herself. "Ritsuko, I thought you were better than that."

She walked out of the office, head hung low and she didn't speak another word to the other woman.

"Yumiko, wai-" the door's slam cut her off mid-sentence. She ran to the door to catch Yumiko, but it was too late. She made it in time to see the fighter running into the elevator.

Still, she tried to catch up. The door of the elevator closed before she could make it and she was forced to take the stairs. Ritsuko was the manager for an MMA fighter, however she was far from being an athlete. Still, she forced herself down seven flights of stairs, in hopes she could reach before Yumiko. By the time she made it down, the fighter was already making her way to the front doors of the building.

Holding her chest, her lungs feeling heavy after such a brutal workout, she called out to her friend once more. "Yumiko, please wait." Her cries fell on deaf ears as said girl walked out the door. Ritsuko fell to her knees, immediately being surrounded by everyone in the reception hall.

Being a genius was one thing, but Ritsuko was born into a rather wealthy family. Her mother was a well-known business woman who worked on an international level. As a result, the young genius always had people to do the hard work for her; she never had to do more than walk in and out of buildings or do paperwork. This was the hardest she had ever pushed her body and she was definitely suffering for it. Her heart felt like it would burst and her lungs felt like they were going to collapse. She always had a weak constitution, it was the reason she and Yumiko became close and eventually business partners in a sense, and it was the reason she developed her cold glare as a form of self-defense.

She just couldn't regain her breath and as a result an ambulance was called for her.

Yumiko ran to the nearest payphone stall. She leaned against the glass walls as she unhooked the phone. When she was about to dial, she realized she didn't have any money on her. She put the phone back on its hook and pulled out her cell-phone.

Looking out at the dark streets, the distraught cherry-head listened to the ring on her phone until finally there was an answer.

"Hello?" the voice mumbled on the other side of the phone.

"Did I wake you?"

"Ah, Yumiko! What's wrong, you sound upset. I heard you won your last match; you should be excited, you're in the finals now."

"It's not about that."

"What's wrong?" the voice repeated.

"I'm… I'm coming home Yuuji.", she couldn't fight the tears now rolling down her cheeks.

"What? Why? Are you nervous?" Yuujirou began to worry. "This is your dream, you're almost there."

"No Yuuji, I'm coming home. I'm taking the next flight to Japan, I need you right now.", she admitted, twirling the payphone's wire between her fingers.

"I don't know what's gotten into you, but if you're absolutely sure that's what you want, I can't stop you." Yuujirou spoke with slight understanding.

"I'm sure this is what I want." She assured.

Yuujirou sighed, but gave in. "Then… I'll see you soon then. Love you."

"I love you too. I can't wait to see you."

She listened until she heard a click and the call disconnected. She held her cell-phone in her hand, sinking into the corner of the stall, finally allowing herself to cry as loudly and bitterly as she felt.

Within twenty-four hours, she was on her way to Japan and about a week after arriving, she got her silver trophy and prize money in the mail. She and Yuujirou finally went through with their wedding they held off due to the tournament and in a few months, the couple were expecting their first daughter. Yumiko went on with her life, dropping out of the MMA ring for good.

"You understand now Nagisa. You see what I'm trying to tell you. Shizuma and Ritsuko, they're the same, you'll only get hurt in the end." Mrs. Aoi explained, forcing tears back in her eyes.

"I don't understand. If Ms. Kiyubi's family was rich, why would she let herself be bribed?"

"Her mother had her on a fixed fund, she only got a certain amount every two months. She wasn't rich, her parents were. That was probably why."

"You're saying that Shizuma will betray me, like how your friend betrayed you?" Nagisa said more for herself rather than to her mother.

"I don't want your heart to be broken Nagisa. I love you so much, I don't know what I'd do if something devastating happened to you." Mrs. Aoi reached out and pulled her daughter into a tight embrace.

Tears were now starting to run from Nagisa's eyes as well, even though she wasn't sad. Even though she didn't need to, or want to cry. "If that is what's going to happen, I don't care." Nagisa decided. "I'd rather stay with Shizuma until the bitter end, creating a number of good memories. I want to help Shizuma because right now, she's the person I love and want to spend the rest of my life with, and right now, she feels the same way about me. That's why… even if you don't want any part of it, I'm going to help Shizuma. No matter what."

Nagisa broke from her mother's embrace, looking into her eyes with determination. "Nagisa, you'll regret it if I'm right."

"I don't mind. I'll regret it even more if I don't save her." Mrs. Aoi sighed, still slightly unconvinced. Nagisa realized this and continued, "You had to choose between purposely losing the match, or forfeiting and coming back to Japan. Don't you regret leaving, even though you know you would have regretted it even more if you had gone through with throwing the match?"

Mrs. Aoi nodded knowingly. "You've grown up Nagisa, I guess it's me who didn't realize it. You can make your own decisions." She wiped her eyes and smiled, holding up her pinky. "I promise to support you no matter what from now on, as long as you promise me you won't act on impulse…", she winked playfully, "…and that you won't blame me or your father if things go bad."

Nagisa laughed and locked her pinky with her mother's. "I promise, it's all on me."

"We'll find her, I promise we will."

Author's Note: This chapter gave me quite the headache, but now I'm absolutely sure where I'm going with this story. I have to admit, I was a little bit lost since I ended up straying away from the original idea, but now I'm back! I'm trying to finish this story before Summer ends and I have to go back to school. I don't know exactly when that is now, but hopefully I'll make it in time. Until then, adieu!