The Fight Off the Matt

Once again thank you everyone for the comments and for reading the story. Once again sorry for the grammar, punctuation mistakes as I am still working on getting an editor. I hope you can still enjoy.

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For those of you that don't believe in fate should learn from me. My name is Matt and like many people I only believed in things I could grasp or see with my own eyes, love not being one of those things. At the time before I stepped foot in that run down dojo if you asked me "Will I take a person under my wing and a woman no less after she knocked me on my ass?" I wouldn't even have the decency to make any sort of comment. Now as I finished writing this to this day it amazes me to think what a good kick in the head will sometimes drive a good lesson home. A lesson that I would eventually grasp that my soul could not see...

As Matt and Emiko made their way through the countryside together, under intense stares throughout the way they made it to the airport where Matt finally spoke the first words since they left that dojo.

"You better not disappoint me." Matt spoke while grabbing for the bags at the check-in counter. Oblivious to the daggers piercing his from the intense stare behind him he never flinched but expected the next response.

"How dare you asshole may I remind you that you were the one that chose to kidnap me so before you start making threats remember what I can and will do if I feel like it."

Ah the 'A' word Matt has become accustomed to it for so long he's made several head turns of the direction every woman's direction that uttered it. It's become a second name for him he even thought of adding it as a middle name going as far as the front of city hall before realizing the audacity of it all. I mean why he would want to make his name longer it would just be a hassle anyway. Thinking that was truly the only reason he didn't to this day still draws a smile to his face. In fact he had that very minute that wasn't lost on his severely pissed off guest.

"Why are you smiling asshole, you think this is funny do you?"

Matt just shook his head ignoring her without giving a response. As he made his way to his seat looking out at the window he couldn't help but look at her. She was still sporting that agitated look for earlier. For some reason and completely out of character he spoke.

"If this is how I can keep you quiet then by all means think in your pretty little head that I'm the biggest asshole in the world."

Matt then watched her turn to him still piercing blades into him as he winked at her giving his last comment of the flight.

"I'll even make it my middle name."

As he watched her turn away from him he thought through the teeth grinding and jaw clenching there was a slight curvature to her lips. No he must of mistaken that but for some reason the blades in his back didn't hurt as bad as the plane made its ascend to the journey toward home. A place that Matt thought was much of a paradise as was hell on earth.

As the plane made the decent and they made their way to the parking lot there was a woman that looked to be in her mid-thirties wavy seemingly towards them. Emiko thought that it was odd until they got closer to the woman and Matt hugged her. After a long embrace the woman looked at Emiko with a smirk on her face then turned to speak.

"So my brother goes abroad to beat up some old fogey fighters and not only comes up unscathed except for one time. " The woman said as she turned to Emiko and continued.

"It just so happens to be this lovely thing right here, tell me Matt after you were fighting did you roll around with each other a little at least?" The woman then winked at Emiko smirking as the younger woman stared open mouthed before she growled and spoke in a harsh tone.

"Listen here lady I did no such thing and if your brother tried it I would have kicked his ass."

Immediately the older woman began to laugh as she shook her head and turned to her very annoyed little brother.

"I like this girl I think you should keep her, well let's head back to my place so we can sort things out. Oh and by the way my name is Elizabeth but please call me Liz what's your name little lady?"

"Emiko"

As the group headed out to the car Emiko had a chance to look at the woman. She was rather tall five foot 10 and was very toned with short brown hair. Emiko was about to guess what her profession might be when she realized she was caught staring as the woman was looking straight at her.

"Navy for a while then became a personal trainer and thank you for the compliment."

As the woman turned away Emiko realized she had started blushing and put her hands over her face. As the car drove away most of the conversation was directly amongst the siblings with a few times Liz would try to ask Emiko something being ignored. As the car made a complete stop in front of a house Emiko stood in front of the car in shock. They were smack dab in the middle of nowhere with a manmade lake many acres of land a house that looked like it could house the whole dojo her father lived in comfortably. Liz noticed her guest staring at the house as many people do their first time seeing it.

"My dad owned a gym and my mom was a trainer and they built it from the ground up. Now it's the biggest in the city and I own it now including this house."

Emiko still looked at the house in awe but realized the past tense given in the woman's statement but decided against asking about it. As the woman walked inside with Matt in tow carrying the entire luggage they made their way to the couches and each sat in a respective cushion.

"By the way Emiko I'm surprised at how good your English is."

"I have went to many tournaments abroad and since my father and mother also did in the past they learned English as second language, I learned so much of it that it that it almost became my first language to be honest."

Liz then nodded and grabbed an envelope that was sitting on the table and handed it to Matt.

"So Matt I contacted my people and got you the land and constructed the building to the specs you wanted, and I handled the fees. So you will use the money you got to cover the down payment, after that you make enough and pay me the rest the building and land is yours."

As the woman handed the rest of the papers and Matt looked and signed them a petit woman came into the room. She was small probably late twenties to early thirties and was of Japanese descent with long black hair. She smiled and handed the seated guests a tea and asked them how they took it then she proceeded to sit next to Liz as she was hugged tightly in embrace. Liz then kissed the woman on the lips and turned to Emiko with a smile on her face as the woman in front of her began to blush again which seemed to happen a lot lately.

"Matt was already introduced two years ago at the wedding but Emiko I like you to meet my partner Nao, it seems that I'm not the only one who prefers the beautiful Japanese woman."

As Nao smiled sensing her guest's discomfort at the hands of her teasing lover again she rose up and grabbed Emiko's hand and guided her to the kitchen to talk. As the two headed to the kitchen Matt turned to his sister and spoke in a whisper being careful to hide their conversation with the two.

"I would ask that you please stop insinuating that I'm with that woman and also to mention that you were dangerously close to mentioning you know what, you know that I don't like having people knowing anything personal it's a weakness I can't afford."

Liz just sat there and shook her head, her brother was always like this treating the death of their parents and attraction to another as a weakness. She just bit her tongue knowing that arguing was futile and sipped her tea before she made a response.

"I know that I slipped up but Matt you need to grow up, anyway do you want to tell me what you did on your travels now?"

As Matt signed and began to speak to his sis there was a conversation happening in the kitchen.

"So..Nao how did you and Liz meet?"

"I was actually applying for a job as the secretary for Elizabeth at her work, one thing led to another and I got some additional job benefits."

As she turned to the younger Asian woman giving her a bright smile she could remember all that transpired and wondered if Emiko to has found happiness. As both woman prepared the food and eventually finished they headed back to room where Matt and Liz were discussing their childhood memories. As Matt whispered too loudly Emiko gasped hearing what he had said. Matt then turned to her frowning before turning away.

"Great like I needed another person to pity me, just what I need."

As Matt said those words full of distain Emiko realized the sadness of the man she barely knew and had to ask the question that was on her mind all evening.

"How did they die?"

As Matt snorted he shook his head. "well since you already know they both died my mother succumbed to an illness which she told me she wasn't strong enough to survive, two weeks later I receive an email from my father saying that I needed to become stronger and to do that is up to me."

Matt then paused then continued as Liz and her partner Naoko were teary eyed knowing the last of the story from hearing it many times but it still affected them.

"After the email I got a call an hour later that my father committed suicide, after that I took a one way ticket to Japan to find someone that could tell me how to become stronger. Now that I found nothing but a sassy woman I figure the only way to get strength is to do it myself like my weak parents couldn't."

He then slammed his fist on the table storming out of the room. That was the first time Emiko really saw that much emotion from the man. She noticed the others were cleaning up the mess left behind and proceeded to help only to have Liz grab her hand and motion her to go after Matt.

The room was dark despite the time of the day due to both windows being covered. There was a flicker of light from the computer located straight across from her. As she approached it she noticed the background picture. It was of Matt and Liz and what looked to be their parents smiling and happy. That was when Emiko could feel wetness forming on her cheeks as tears poured down. She realized that Matt to had lost his mother and despite her father being alive he too was dead to this world. As she continued to cry she didn't notice Matt lying on bed next to her standing form. He had been watching her since he heard the little figure choke up behind him. For some unknown reason he couldn't keep his eyes off her. He had seen many people cry when they heard the news of his parent's death but many seemed all fake to him. Only his sister Liz and her partner Nao seemed genuine until right then he felt the same with Emiko. She looked so vulnerable standing there not like she was normally. Usually she had this confidence and composure about her, but now this was different.

Matt couldn't stop as if in a trance his hand made its way towards Emiko's as he grasped it and pulled. What resulted was Emiko gasping and falling to his side on the bed looking at him wide eyed in shock. Almost impulsively Matt put his fingers to her face brushing the tears away as if it would return the woman to the strong willed person he had come to be interested in. It was a strange feeling for him as he never felt anything like it before. He then moved the hair on her forehead out of the way and kissed the small forehead in front of him as he looked down at her seeing her face turn red despite the darkness in the room from both the action and from the stares. As he was sensing the woman uncomfortable body language he moved off the bed not before smiling back at her and leaving the room leaving the woman lying on the bed open mouthed no able to speak blushing again for the millionth time that day. She then decided to gather up herself and made her way to the kitchen after the man that she hated earlier in that day but had grown to hate less.

Liz noticed the two head back separately but did notice the slight smile on her brother's face and the still very pink face of the treasure behind him. Knowing this was too great of an opportunity to pass up she began to speak with a big grin on her face.

"I was wondering if you guys would ever come back, did you have fun."

As Liz winked at Emiko causing her to blush again Matt used the opportunity to save the woman from further embarrassment.

"Liz you know that nothing happened and second I'm not like you so quit messing with the woman, we need to go to hand these papers in so please try to be thoughtful to your guests when we return."

Matt then grabbed Emiko's hand and headed out the door, leaving Liz and Naoko who smiled at each other thinking that perhaps there was hope for the young man after all.