Even if the circumstances leading to it were somewhat unconventional, both Jason Cashe and Raion Kido had come away with the gold, and therefore, it was a good time for the Lion to have a relaxation time in his homeland.

“I wonder what they’ll say about all of this, though - about Ryleigh, and how things have gone.”

As he and Ryleigh headed towards his childhood home, the young Lion could distinctly notice his partner was suddenly quiet.

“Something wrong, Ryleigh?”

“H-huh?”

She blinked out of her self-induced trance and turned to him with a goofy little smile.

“Oh, I’m sorry, darling! I’m a little nervous…”

Naturally, she squeezed his hand in hers. She was dressed nicely for this morning, and so was the Lion. He put her arm around her shoulders and kissed her on the cheek.

“We’re here, love. Don’t worry - you’ll be fine!”

A cute blush surfaced on her cheeks and her lips curled into a gentler smile. She looked to return the kiss on the cheek but quickly adapted to press her lips over his, and he returned the favor.

“But I fear I won’t be…”

*DING-DONG!*

“We’re comiiing!”

There is nothing else to do but wait, and it feels like an eternity, until the door finally opens…

“SAIONJI!”

… and the first thing the Lion feels are the arms of his mother Ayaka.

“GULP-! Geez, Mom, not too hard!”

“Congratulations! We knew you’d win this time!”

But at that point, Mrs. Kido’s gaze turns towards Ryleigh. The young lady offers a timid yet warm smile and politely bows her head.

“Well mom, here she is. Ryleigh Dixon - my girlfriend.”

“K-Konnichiwa! It’s nice to meet you, Mrs. Kido.”

Mrs. Kido offers a sweet smile of her own for the Crown Jewel of the Dixon Family.

“It’s very nice to meet you too! Saionji has said so much about you, and it’s great to finally meet you in person! Pardon me for saying this, but he really has good eyes.”

A small giggle escapes her lips, which she covers with her mouth. Ryleigh blushes and giggles herself, while the beleaguered Saint of Athena is now shaking like a leaf.

“But let’s not keep you here! Come on - your dad was just finishing the takoyaki!”

It isn’t long before Raion and Ryleigh sit at the table with the rest of the Kido family, plates of takoyaki neatly ordered at the table at which Mr. Mitsumasa Kido addresses Raion with a stern gaze.

“So here you are… It couldn’t hurt to stop by more often, son.”

The Lion lowers his head, and Ryleigh looks at him in alarm, but Mr. Mitsumasa’s grave voice soon echoes in a rumbling laugh.

“Especially now that you’re a champion once more! Come here, boy!”

Mr. Kido gives his son a bearhug, at which the Lion’s cheeks flush red, before putting him down.

“Dad, you’re choking m-! Whew!”

Mitsumasa pats his son on the back and his eyes are now set on Ryleigh.

“And it is very nice to meet you too, Miss Dixon! Please, make yourself at home!”

“A-arigatou, Mr. Kido! I… hope I said that right. My Japanese needs some work.”

“Totemo yoi! Very good, Miss!”

Raion and Ryleigh give their biggest smiles, even if the Lion still looks nervous. After all, he still wasn’t proud of his appearance before March Madness.

“I’m sorry I couldn’t be here before, but I do have some gold with me now! You-uh, you didn’t see the address I made before March Madness, did you?”

The entire Kido family glance at each other, before they all break into laughter.

“Forget about that! You’ve done us proud ever since you first stepped in that ring. The boys at the station never fail to turn on the T.V.! Some of them laughed at that display - it reminded them of themselves.”

“... So you’re not embarrassed at having seen me drunk?”

“It wouldn’t be the first time someone in our family has had one too many! Besides, you seem to have picked yourself up fine, no?”

“Just don’t let it become a problem and you should be fine. Just do what you need to do, mighty Leo Saint!”

A smile rises upon Raion’s face, but there is a certain uncomfortable feeling in his eyes.

“I understand the reassurance, but this should not be.”

“... What shouldn’t be?”

“I made a mistake I shouldn’t have. I am grateful, but I feel like this is wrong. And sometimes, it helps to be entirely honest.”

For a moment, everyone is silent… and then the Lion’s Goddess speaks up.

“... it’s because of what happened to me.”

She takes a deep breath and lets it out slowly.

“In my new Las Vegas home, I… was drinking in pure excess. Heartache was my driver. I couldn’t find the key to my alcohol cabinet and I ended up passing out on the floor. One of my friends called 911 and I was taken to the hospital. Raion-sama flew all the way from New York City to see me… and ever since then, I never took another sip of alcohol. I think that’s why he’s ashamed of himself.”

Mitsumasa is rendered silent, and then nods in acknowledgement.

“Ahh, I understand. I can see it was not the greatest of ideas to have done that then, but I see you understand what exactly was wrong.”

When he speaks again, there is a note of pride in his voice. Raion smiles slightly, preparing for a realization from his father.

“You feel bad that you made her hurt."

Raion's smile weakens softly, the coming praise doing little to assuage his spirits.

“Heh - you’ve changed, son. I was going to say our boy has turned into a fine man - and now I see there was more truth to that than I knew.”

He turns towards Ryleigh and gives her a kind smile.

“Miss Dixon, I’m glad for you being in Saionji’s life. After all - even the mighty Lion needs to be tamed, eh?”

A soft red hue touches the cheeks of Arthur’s Princess and she smiles.

“Thank you, sir… and please call me Ryleigh.”

“Then Ryleigh it is!”

Moments later, the meal is over, and finally the Lion and Ryleigh are at peace, enjoying a family conversation that had not occurred in a very long time.

“... and now I am to go against Bobby Bourbon again. I still remember last March Madness, and though a year has passed - the memory will not go away.”

“But you don’t need to dwell on them forever. They are, after all, a form of wisdom.”

“And the most important thing is that you’ve changed since then, son. Change isn’t always bad - like all things, sometimes it’s necessary, or else you’re condemned to stagnation.”

“The teacher in me is now eager to deliver a lecture, but let’s just say if it can happen to entire nations, it can also happen to people. Sometimes you need to embrace change when it comes, Saionji.”

“So I do, and I have decided - a change must come now. Not just for me, but for the good of the entire XWF.”

*SLAM!*

In a sudden, snap motion, Raion slams the XWF briefcase on the table, and all eyes and ears in the room turn to him.

“Perhaps that time has now arrived.”

As he says these words, a certain glint appears in his eyes.

(“And Bobby Bourbon shall be the first step!”)



“Last March Madness, I walked away empty-handed, and Bobby Bourbon was King of the XWF. This is still another pending assignment for me, but it has not been all too bad.

After all, lots of things have changed since then, have they not?

Here we are - the former King, now uncrowned. But though I may have lost the Universal Title, nothing stood against me since. Only Peter Vaughn’s cheating prevented me from reaching the finals - though it seems I got something better out of it!”

The grin on the Lion’s face is betrayed by the contempt in his eyes, but soon the former vanishes.

“And as a counterpart, what of you, Bourbon? Nothing but complete irrelevance. Not only did you fail to do anything as King, the world entirely forgot you were there! Even this resurfacing of yours was to be course correct, the Return of the King for the maximum effect, and what became of that? A cheap space opera knock-off managed to get you backswept!

See, Bourbon, I too know how to wield rhymes, but that’s not the whole extent of these skills of mine - I am also good at putting people to the test. Because here is another thing that has changed - Bobby Bourbon is supposed to be a good guy now.

Well, it’s about time we came to terms with your change. You don’t get to wear the Bastard name as a source of pride only to turn around like nothing happened. You want the world to forget, and it doesn’t work that way.

Trust me, Bourbon - I have the entire world trying to reassure me, but I know my own shortcomings - and unlike you, I do not run. I know that of what I speak - and that is why this time the test comes for you.

Let us see how much truth there is to your words - lest this sudden change of heart be as empty as the change behind the BOB name.”

Lowering his head, the Lion clenches a fist.

“Because there is not only last year’s encounter riding into this, Mr. Former Bastard. I still owe you a well-deserved beatdown, but there is also the future of the XWF in this, because you are the litmus test for what I have decided to do. Hopefully you’ll be somewhat more motivated now, and carry on without mailing it in, the times you can be bothered to show up.

I mean, that’s somewhat of a recurring pattern with you, Bourbon, and I don’t mean it just because of now. You had won the King of the XWF and you were poised to do great things, only to let it all go to waste. Not only did your team at War Games fail to make it to the end, you also let Dick Powers take the Television Title from you, and all you’ve done since returning is fizzle out.

And the problem with this all, Bourbon, is that, when things suit you, you’re quite content to let them stay as they are. You make no effort to change - it’s always the same rhyme with you. I don’t even blame you - I thought the very same thing.

But as I look at last year and now, as I said - lots of things have changed. You’ve gone from King, to Champion, to crownless and beltless, and I’ve gone from nothing to Champion, once and again, and to one of the best the XWF has ever seen.

But now it’s time to turn our heads towards the future, and that’s what I’m going to bring. Weekend Warfare, Paycom Center, Oklahoma City. That’s going to be the first test - the tremor on the Earth that rocks the XWF to its very core, and a former King of the XWF shall be its first casualty, and a message, to the entire company from here on after.”

A point towards the camera, and a steely, unforgiving face.

“This may seem hard, Bourbon, but I promise you, this time it’s not just personal, but beyond that, the fulfillment of a mission. The cosmos is going to burn, and you’re invariably going to fall.

But don’t be frustrated, for none of this shall be for naught.”

This time, the Lion peels back his teeth, displaying the canines that seal the prey’s fate.

“In the end, you, and the entire XWF, are going to thank me.”

Fade to black.

2000 words (wordcounter.net)