PROMO: "First, And Last, And Always."

[Guest Kibagami]

PROMO: “First, And Last, And Always.”

 

 

In crossing water,

One must distance oneself from it.

When the invader approaches in the water, do

not meet him in the water.

To order a strike when he is half across is

advantageous.

When wishing to do battle,

Do not go close to the water to meet the invader.

Look out at life ground and take a high position.

 

Do not go against the current.

 

-from Chapter Nine of the Sun-Tzu.

 

 

 

THUD.

 

THUD.

 

THUD.

 

THUD.

 

The punching bag reels backwards, rushes forwards, swings drunkenly from side to side as Nathaniel Kibagami, clad only in a long, black-and-white pair of warm-up pants, a large white bandage wrapped around his right forearm, drives kick after devastating kick into it…

 

THUD.

 

THUD.

 

THUD.

 

THUD.

 

Each time the bag shows signs of slowing down, another lightning-fast kick sends it spiraling back out in an erratic fashion, lurching back against the chain that holds it suspended above the ground…

 

THUD.

 

THUD.

 

THUD.

 

In the background, the radio is playing…the impact of each kick punctuating the lines of the song’s first verse…

 

THUD.

 

Take these plastic people, read their lips, now let it linger…

 

THUD.

 

Is there anything that makes them sound sin…cere…

 

THUD.

 

C’mon, I’ll tightly hold your hand, take a deep breath, give them the finger…

 

THUD.

 

Are you worried that your thoughts are not quite clear…

 

THUD.

 

THUD.

 

Twitch—

 

THUD.

 

A small hole opens in the side of the bag; Kibagami curses violently as sand begins to pour onto the carpet.

 

“Goddamn it, that’s the second bag this month. Everlast and their cheap, mass-produced, useless pieces of shi—“

 

”Nathan!”

 

He whirls around, surprised, to find Angel standing in the doorway, a sheet wrapped around her slender frame.

 

“Jesus, honey. You scared the hell out of me…oh, wait. God, I’m sorry. Did I wake you up?”

 

”About an hour ago, yes. Nathan, it’s three in the morning. Is there a reason your training couldn’t wait until breakfast, at least?”

 

Nathan grins sheepishly and gives her a small shrug. “Well, this damn tattoo was itching, and I couldn’t sleep, and there was nothing on TV, so I thought that maybe I would…”

 

He pauses.

 

“This isn’t working, is it?”

 

Angel frowns. “No, honey, it’s not. Why don’t you come take a shower and go back to bed, okay?”

 

Nathan nods halfheartedly and turns back to the punching bag, which is beginning to look more and more like a big, red raisin as the sand leaks from the hole in its side. ”All right, I suppose I will. Give me about ten minutes and I’ll be right up.”

 

”I didn’t say, ‘ten minutes’. I said, now.”

 

Nathan turns around, obviously agitated. “Angel, I said I’ll be…”

 

The words die on his lips as Angel lets her sheet fall to the ground. “I SAID,” she giggles as she heads back out of the room, “Why…don’t you come…take a shower?”

 

Grinning, Nathan quickly follows Angel out of the room, leaving the punching bag swaying slightly, sand still trickling out of the hole in its side. The radio plays on as the two lovers make their exit…

 

I remember falling

I remember marching

Like a one man army

Through the blaze

I remember coughing

I believe in something

I don’t want to remember falling

For their lies…

 

For a while…life is good.

 

 

***

 

 

The two of them lie entwined in each other’s arms – happy, peaceful, content. Angel shifts restlessly on her side of the bed, and Nathan Kibagami stares up at the ceiling, a rare smile on his face. For the last two months, he’s been out of the ring. The house shows, the gyms, the long nights on the road…all of that has been left behind for the last sixty days. He has a woman who loves him, he has enough money to keep him comfortable for the rest of his life, and through luck, divine providence, or a combination of both, he has no lasting physical disabilities from countless battles over the last six years. Yes, indeed, life is good…

 

“You’re worried about that friend of yours, aren’t you? What’s his name…Yuri?”

 

Kibagami rolls over to see a worried-looking Angel lying next to him. “Well…a little bit, yeah. He doesn’t seem to have taken the news very well.”

 

”You mean that thing on the news a couple of weeks ago? About the Clan?”

 

“Yes, the Clan.” Nathan sighs. “Yuuichiro…the Clan was all he had for a couple of years, remember. He didn’t have any family left after our father died…Nekura can get to people if he has enough time, and I think he got to Yuri, somehow.”

 

Angel pulls the covers up a little tighter around her shoulders. “You’re going to have to go back, aren’t you?”

 

”What…why would I do that?”

 

”He’s your friend, Nathan…you have to go help your friend. I understand.”

 

“Angel, he’s my brother. That doesn’t necessarily make him my friend.”

 

”Oh. I didn’t know the two were mutually exclusive,” she pouts.

 

Nathan chuckles. “They aren’t, usually,” he says, “but when the last memory you have of a family member is them spiking you on your head from twenty feet in the air, it doesn’t exactly put you on friendly terms with them, you know?”

 

“I know, I know, I know. He’s not your responsibility, you’re done with wrestling…you’ve said all this before, baby.”

 

”I mean it. I’m not going back.”

 

”I’m sure you do mean it, Nathan…I’m sure you do. But…why are you still training as hard as you do?”

 

”Well, I’ve got to rehab my injuries—“

 

“And why are you still watching those All-Japan tapes? Why do you tape every Storm and Smarkdown so religiously?”

 

”Hey, it’s still something that interests me, I just—“

 

”What the hell are you doing downstairs at three in the morning kicking another hole in another punching bag?”

 

Nathan sighs, more frustrated than resigned, and rolls back over. “All right, all right. It’s a hard lifestyle to leave behind…” He rolls back, looks Angel in the eyes. “But I’m trying, Angel. I’m trying as best I can. I owe that to you. You’ve done so much for me…and you’ll always be the most important thing in this world to me. I know how hard the last few months have been; I’m not going back to wrestling. Ever.”

 

She kisses him softly on the forehead, her eyes slightly blurry with tears. “Nathan…that’s so sweet.”

 

“I mean it, Angel,” he whispers as he returns the kiss, “I’m done.”

 

She rolls back over, secure. Kibagami closes his eyes, and rolls back to his side of the bed. As he begins to drift off into sleep, he marvels at how lucky he truly is…

 

“Nathan?”

 

”Yes, honey?”

 

”…what if Edwin comes back?”

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

***

 

Life is good…but all good things must come to an end.

 

There will be no sleep tonight.

 

END PROMO

[Guest El Luchadore Magnifico]

Silent's such a pimp.

 

And quoting Sun-Tzu is always a good thing.

 

Great promo...

[Guest Edwin MacPhisto]

Oh ho ho!

 

Is that a challenge mixed in on dream-vision with Sun Tzu and musical backing?

 

Nice work, boyo.

[Guest kelloggs]

Okay this was a solid example of a PromoWARS quality promo. Everything flows and it futhers the two major storylines that you're involved in. The Art of War theme has been good from the start... maybe I should start quoting Bruce Lee.

[Guest TheBostonStrangler]

Silent, that ending rocked it hardcore. Let's see where this bad boy leads...

[Guest realitycheck]

Well, FINALLY...

 

Hugely badass, swank and dare-I-say-it pimptacular promo. Like everyone else, I LOVE the Sun-Tzu quotes that open every one of your promos.

 

...but you're still a lazy ass bitch.

 

-Z

[Guest Powerplay]

Awesome promo, as usual. Damn, you are gonna run out of quotes from The Art of War sometime, but those are bad ass things to put in it. Worrying about Thoth/Orochi and Edwin's possible return, lot's of backstory there.

[Guest Thoth]

Heh... if you think you can take me down, try.

 

Great promo. I missed this stuff.

[Guest AnnieEclectic]

God. Damn.

 

that is a hugely great promo... and to mix in with all the serious stuff:

 

"What's his name? Yuri?"

 

BWA HA HA HA

 

-Annie

[Guest hhh6294]

Silent promos = ownage on a totally different level.

[Guest Insanityman]

Very nice stuff from Silent... but when he writes, when isn't it? The ending was fucking near perfect, kudos.

[Guest BA_Baracus]

PROMO (Stubby P. McWeed);

"Silent's become a chick cuddling sissy-boy? Oh the humanity!

 

Mothernature says..."