@Aiki_Demon wrote:Here's a link and code to a video call site. Call me. I want to talk.
And no, I'm not gonna' cuss you out like last time.
It was all Reiko wrote in her private message to Yuki Kazikura's twitter, along with the promised link. It was a surprise she wasn't blocked, but... she'd take advantage of it while she could, assuming Yuki didn't just immediately block her after the DM. And to be honest, Reiko didn't want to talk to Yuki. Her mind still flashed back to that match every now and then. All the blood that was shed, all the harsh words said and screamed in that empty ring, all the pain and savagery the two did to each other. It definitely wasn't a proud moment, and looking back at the tapes it left her feeling sick. But... she had to at least clear the air a little with Yuki, to try and give some kind of olive branch.
Though... to put it bluntly, she was coerced into do this.
Not only by her fellow Senshi no Akuma members, but by her family and others as well trying to play therapist and make Reiko kiss and make up with Yuki. It was annoying, but... she'd at least humor them. Give a try and then throw her hands up when it was pointless. But for now... Reiko stared the screen of her laptop reflecting her image from the webcam while in her room, waiting to see if Yuki would actually bother with this.
Truth be told, the barbed wire match she had just been through against Amano hadn't been on Yuki's mind much over the past few days. The effects of the match were, of course. It was because of that match that Yuki had been staying off her feet, with her parents bringing her her meals in bed even after she had been released from the hospital. It was because of that match that Yuki was just now getting weaned off pain medication. It was because of that match that she had gotten used to getting her bandages changed as part of her regular routine.
But the match itself was like a hole in her memories. It had all been a blur, and even when Yuki tried to think back on what had happened, she could only remember the whirlwind of pain and rage that had consumed her, driving her body on through motions she didn't even know she was capable of.
When she had watched a video of the match, it felt as though she was watching something she was never a part of. The girl in the video was doing things Yuki could hardly imagine herself doing, saying things she would never say. And yet...it was her. She couldn't remember any of it, but it was undeniable. The doctors insisted she didn't have a concussion; she had no reason to forget anything, but Yuki was still baffled as to how what she'd seen was even possible, coming from her. If anything, it frightened her, just to think that someone like that existed in her. Someone so violent and uncontrollable. Yuki always held herself as someone calm and controlled, who didn't let emotion get the better of her. Yet she had done that, and she felt like she had unleashed a demon even greater than what her opponent could ever be.
When Yuki saw the message show up, she didn't know what to make of it. Wasn't the point of their match to settle matters? To prove that Yuki was tough enough to back up her words? What more needed to be said? What reason did Reiko have for trying to drag this all out? A nervous feeling crept into Yuki's mind, and she bit her lip, going tense as her cursor hovered over the link. She didn't know what Reiko could possibly have for her on the other end - if she'd still be angry, or if she'd let her feelings loose again. After all, it had only been Yuki's sense of dignity that kept the two of them from slugging it out when they ran into each other in the gym. But neither of them were in any shape to fight. What good would arguing do them now?
The question was only going to bother Yuki the longer she left it unanswered. At last, she clicked the link, and on Reiko's screen, she would see Yuki as she had been for the last few days, lying in her bed, in her pajamas and with her hair disheveled. She hadn't given much thought to making herself look good if no one was going to see her...except Reiko, anyway. Spoiler
"Yeah, I'm here," Yuki said with a sigh, pulling her laptop closer into her lap. "What do you want..?"
"Yeah, good to see you too Kazikura." Okay, sarcasm was not the reason she wanted to talk to her, evening if Yuki was being blunt toward her. She sighed herself, leaning back in her bed. "... ..." Reiko got a good look at Yuki's face. The bandages, the messy hair, the pajamas, and even Yuki's expression was much softer than the enraged monster she fought tooth and nail not too long ago. It was honestly surreal to see someone so vicious look so surprisingly cute and casual.
Reiko herself still had to get her bandages around her cheeks where Yuki scratched her, her bangs just hiding the scar she got from taking that elbow to the face, and her own hair was in a much better state, combed and straightened. Though Reiko still had work at the family shop, so not all her time was in bed. And unlike Yuki in her pajamas, Reiko was in a dark blue yukata, her room clearly showing the more traditional and old-fashion room she was in, as if at a traditional inn in Kyoto.
"Alright," Started, sitting up straight. "I didn't ask for this to start a fight with you, at least not while your still in Yokohama. And I'm just gonna' say this straight out." She took a breath, hands clenching at her side. In a slow motion, she lowered her head, along with part of her upper body in a small bow.
At first, as Reiko came up on Yuki's screen, she was silent. She had no idea what Reiko wanted, or what would come of this. A part of her didn't even know why she wanted to answer the call. The two had nothing but fury and hatred for one another when they had last met, and both had come just shy of tearing each other limb from limb - yet here they were, calmly addressing one another from their computers. Yuki felt that same sense of unease come over her as she stared into Reiko's eyes, half-lidded from fatigue as they might have been. It didn't feel right. She waited for the moment it would all come crashing down. She expected Reiko to scream invective and threats at her; that, at least, would have been easy enough to understand.
Yet, Reiko didn't do that. She proceeded calmly and peacefully, as though this was a call between long-distance friends. The stark disconnect from the way they had faced each other before to the way they looked at each other now was impossible to ignore. Yuki's eyes shifted from one side of the screen to another, almost as though expecting Reiko to snap at her at any moment. But she didn't - she said so as much.
"...Mm." Yuki nodded her head to that. She understood that they were in no position to start any fights, and she didn't have the physical or mental energy to try and engage in one. But she was still wondering what Reiko could have left to say. What she could possibly have said that hadn't already been aptly illustrated with the violence they had met each other with a little over a week before.
Whatever Yuki could have expected..."I'm sorry" wasn't it.
"...Huh?" She blinked a few times, as though trying to confirm she wasn't seeing things. After all they had done to each other, after all they had wanted to do to each other to even get into this position in the first place...Amano wanted to be sorry? How could she have brought herself to such lengths, to such anger, and still feel like she deserved to be forgiven? That Yuki deserved to be forgiven, even after all she had done to her?
Yuki leaned in closer to the screen, her brows furrowed in thought. "You're...sorry? After all you've done...after all we've been through?" Just thinking about it made Yuki wince, as the pain of her injuries came back up to the front of your mind. "Why...why are you sorry? We could have killed each other back there, and now you're sorry-?!" The anger was rising in Yuki's voice as she spoke. But it wasn't directed at Reiko herself. If anything, Yuki was angry at the world - for giving her so many questions, so many things that refused to make sense, and not letting her understand them. She wanted answers, yet she was just left with more questions.
Then, Yuki caught herself. She realized that Reiko had come to her trying to make peace, and she was the one escalating things. She was supposed to be the calm one, yet now, she was doing the antagonizing. Sighing, she looked down. "...I'm sorry. I shouldn't have lost my temper. And...that goes for the match, too. I'm sorry, too."
Well, that was... actually kind of expected. Yuki's rage was a bit of a shock, but understandable. After all the things Reiko and her did to each other, after trying to claw at each other, ram each other into barbed wire, after trying to nearly cripple each other in that ring just to make a point about who was tougher... Yeah, trying to take all that back was impossible. And to even ask for that was stupidity, especially this soon. Still, Yuki's shouting wasn't exactly something Reiko wanted to hear. She clenched her teeth a Yuki's words, not even bothering to hide her annoyance with the girl's tantrum, even about to open her mouth to bite back before Yuki cooled down and apologized in turn.
"Tch,"
Reiko scowled, leaning back in her bed before sighing herself. "It's fine, Kazikura." She nearly spat out the words, just barely keeping her tone civil. "We were trying to kill each other, and I'm not doing this to take back what I said or did. Not everything anyway." The closest she'd get to admit Yuki was in the right. She sat up a little straighter. If there was anything to be thankful about with Yuki's small tirade it was that she at least asked why Reiko was doing this in the first place.
"Honestly? I'm only apologizing 'cuz my Ane-san and Sensei have a sword at my neck. Told me if I wanted to train back at the dojo after my month's ban is up I have to make things square with you." She explained. "But..." She bit her lip. She didn't want to explain further. Hell, she didn't even want to have this conversation with Yuki. Technically, her and Yuki apologized to each other, and save for Yuki's small shout she mostly took the apology and gave one back. The conversation could end here.
It could... but...
"Tch," Reiko gritted her teeth, running a hand through her hair, accidentally flashing the scar under her bang. This might be the one time she could have a somewhat civil talk with Yuki, and she sure as hell didn't want this awkwardness to last. "Okay..." She took a breath, looking at Yuki's eyes through the screen. "So... here's how we're gonna' do this: I'm just gonna' say everything I wanna' say to you, then you can say everything you wanna' say to me. No one interrupts the other, and we can ask each other whatever after we've said everything. Then... we're done. At least until you're back in Tokyo. Sound fair?"
Almost as soon as the words had left her mouth, Yuki felt the sting of regret. This was exactly what she had been afraid of. Watching the playback of the match, Yuki had been disturbed by the sight of what cruelties she was capable of inflicting if she was pushed to the brink. It was a side of her she barely knew, and one she tried to keep contained. The fact that she had lost control, and that the consequences had been so gruesome, shook her. She didn't want to become that person again - yet now, she already was.
With a sigh, she bowed her head, looking down at the bed beneath her as she folded her hands in her lap. Even knowing that Reiko was on the other side of a screen, far away, and in no shape to fight, Yuki winced, hearing the anger in her voice, as collected as her words might have been. She couldn't help but feel like a child being scolded for acting out. In fact, that was what she had done - she had lost her composure, despite swearing to keep herself under control, no matter what.
But...even as Reiko explained herself, Yuki could tell that there was something more at stake here. Even after she'd assured her she was only doing this because the dojo forced her hand, Reiko still lingered on her thoughts. Yuki knew that there was something else, perhaps something beneath the surface, but something on her mind nonetheless. Slowly, she lifted her head back up, looking Reiko in the eye.
She listened to Reiko's proposal, and she took a moment to think it over. An airing of grievances. A chance to let everything that was on their minds be heard, to make sure it was all on the table, and to wash their hands of it afterward. As much as Yuki still felt guilty about losing control...at least, this would be it. Once it was spoken, that would be the end, and she could move forward. At last, she nodded her head in agreement. Though her face was serious the whole time, and she never let down her guard, she still signed off on the plan. This would be the closure she needed.
"All right," Yuki said. "Yeah, that sounds fair. I think...it's a long time coming."
"'Kay," Reiko nodded in turn. It seemed they were in agreement about this. And at least with them talking over the screen it was clear they couldn't start punching or shouting at each other without wrecking their monitors and annoying their parents.
And... it was kind of nerve-wracking.
Part of her was really hoping Yuki would be brattier about this to make it easier to cut her off and end the video chat, but unfortunately aside from her one outburst Yuki was going to be the mature one here. Fucking hate you, Kazikura... Still, she had the first turn, so she collected her thoughts on what she wanted to say. Best to try and get out everything before Yuki could say her piece.
"Alright..." She took a breath, looking Yuki in the eyes. "First, just to make it clear, I had every intention to hurt in that ring, Kazikura. When I said I wanted to destroy and break you I meant it. It wasn't just adrenaline or anger, even if we were screaming and scratching at each other at the end. I. Wanted. To kill you. I still want to kill you. Every punch I threw, every throw I did, every stomp I took was to hurt you and make you suffer. And my only two regret in that fight was going down to your level and crotch-clawing you, and that I had to choke you out instead of making you tap." She clenched her fists, narrowing her eyes. "And I still hate you. I know after a while we were probably just screaming at each other to keep the adrenaline up, but I'll say to your face right now: Kazikura Yuki. I. Can't. Stand you. You just... remind me of all those girls back in middle school that turned their noses at me for being poor before the shop's business started picking up. The same bitches that were so focused on their clubs, their classes, and other things that when they looked at me, all they saw was dirt. You're like that. You just... look at me like I'm some brat in your way." She bit her lip, looking away for a moment.
"In our first fight, when you beat me I... I was in a pretty bad mood. I already had a string of losses and seeing you so happy and confident about beating me just pissed me off." She ran a hand through her hair. "And thinking back, it was pretty shitty of me to take that out on you. So... as a martial artist, I'm sorry for that." She sat up a little straighter, looking back at Yuki. "But back in the gym, I... okay yeah, I was being an asshole to you, but you've got a real bad habit of not telling people to just fuck off when they annoy you. Like, you're way too use to being around your parents and not around... y'know, people." She crossed her arms. "I work around my family's shop, work part-time at a daycare, and got the dojo, so I'm pretty use to being around folks, but you just... I'm 90% sure most of your interactions are with with your parents, your friends, and the occasional tweet before duking it out in the ring with whatever your fighting. And I'm pretty sure most of your opponents were as straight-laced as you." She paused a moment.
Okay, a long moment. After saying all that Reiko was starting to realize how much she was the aggressor in most of their interactions, and it was hard to not feel some guilt about.
"Don't talk. I'm not done." Best to say it now before Yuki thought otherwise.
"Anyway... My main issue with you is that you don't feel... real." She paused again, blinking. "Okay, I know that sounds like a crock of shit coming from the girl that dyes her hair, wears colored contacts, and spent half the match flashing her panties while stepping on you when we fight, but... You're too damn calm about shit! Like, I'm an Aikidoka, so I know being focused in a fight's important, but dammit Kazikura, you look so fucking cold and indifferent even when you aren't fighting. Actually no, you are cold and indifferent. Not really a surprise your name means 'Snow'." She scratched the back of her head. "I just..." She clenched her fists. "When we fought in that death match I felt like I was seeing the real Kazikura. The one that's not gonna' take shit and do everything she can to win. The one that'll risk everything for a really flashy finish and try and shut everyone up with her guts and her fists... it was the kind of person I want to fight in the ring. I even saw a bit of that in our first fight. And... I just wanna' tear off that cold look in your eyes and make you see... the real you..." There was another pause.
Then, a snicker.
"Srnnk-! Okay, I know that sounded like a love confession, but don't get it twisted. You're still a silver spoon bitch coasting on mommy and daddy's money that needs a good few punches in the teeth." She looked back at Yuki, sitting up straight. "But yeah, I'm done. Your turn."
No matter how polite and soft-spoken the two may have been, even given the circumstances, the tensions that underlied every sentence couldn't be ignored. Yuki laid her hands in her lap, glancing nervously back and forth about the room. She seemed reluctant to let her eyes settle on Reiko for too long, almost as if, against all reason, she was afraid she might come out of the screen and attack her if she made eye contact.
But soon, Reiko began to speak, and Yuki knew she couldn't put this off. With a sigh, she looked back up at the girl, keeping a straight face as she listened to her words. If she genuinely wanted to make peace...it seemed impossible. But Yuki could, at the least, hear her out on it.
She nodded her head to all of Reiko's words, talking about the desire she had to make her suffer. To kill her, even. The descriptions of the pain she had put Yuki through brought up her memories of the struggle, and even now that the bruises had faded, she could still feel their sting.
But what hurt her even more was hearing Reiko talk about how Yuki had brushed her off and ignored her, as though she wasn't worth her time. Yuki hadn't wanted to be above it all. What made her rise in popularity, in the indies and in starting her career in LAW, was her girl-next-door appeal, the thought that she was an ordinary person with ordinary struggles, someone the fans could relate to and depend on because they knew she was one of them - that they could be like her.
That was what she thought she was, anyway - but she realized now how her image was only possible because of the privilege she'd come from, with a reasonably wealthy family and a support network. The exact sort of life Reiko couldn't have. Everything she said about Yuki's social life...well, she was exactly right. And the thought of it made her tense, her teeth clenching in a grimace.
Still, she would let Reiko finish - even when that comment about a love confession briefly made a blush come to her cheeks. "I didn't think-" she began, but stopped herself; getting argumentative wouldn't help anyone here. She sighed, even as Reiko continued to berate her, and she looked down with her chin in her hands. Ordinarily, such words might have offended Yuki, but now she couldn't bother. The fight was over. And, more importantly, she couldn't deny what Reiko said, either.
At last, after a deep sigh, she spoke.
"...You know...I was going to apologize for losing my temper. I'd say I'm not usually like...well, like that. But you already know that. You've said as much. You've said all the things better than I ever could, Reiko. Not just because you put it all into words, but because...you saw the side of me that I never could."
"See, now...I'm not sure what I even have to tell you," Yuki admitted. "I wanted to say that that wasn't me, that I should have done better to control my anger. I was going to tell you that when I saw that match...I was scared. I didn't recognize myself in those clips. I didn't think I could ever do that, or that I ever wanted to do it again. I was afraid of what might happen if I let that side of me out. If I'd hurt someone even worse, or if I'd hurt myself. I thought that it was a betrayal of all I held myself to, in trying to keep calm, and keep focused, and to be an upstanding citizen...but now, maybe I'm not sure if I should apologize-"
As soon as she said that, Yuki stopped. Her eyes went wide as she looked back up at Reiko before she continued. "Don't...don't take that the wrong way. I don't mean to sound like I'm still mad at you...well, maybe I should be mad at you. I just mean...I don't know what I mean. I don't know what I should feel like, right now..."
The more Yuki spoke, the more she could feel her emotions welling up inside of her. She sniffled, and tears began to trickle down her cheeks. It was more feeling than she was used to showing anyone, but perhaps it was about time to. In that moment, for the first time since that match, Reiko could see the mask falling away, and she could look straight into Yuki's soul.
"You know, Reiko...back on the indies, back when I was still in high school, they called me the Dynamite Schoolgirl. Dynamite because I was good, because I was more talented than anyone could have expected - but Schoolgirl, because I was still your ordinary high school student. I still studied, I still had friends, I still went to class. I was like...everyone else. Or, so I thought."
"I always thought the problems I faced were the problems anyone would face. But...you want to know what my problems were, Reiko? Not having enough time to study for a test. Having to do my homework in a hotel room late at night after a show. Do you know...how stupid that sounds? I thought that was what ordinary hardship looked like. I thought people like you were...I thought they didn't have them here in Japan. I thought that poverty was just something that happened in third-world countries that didn't have the sort of economic prosperity we did. And everyone around me thought that, too. I could only...be everyone's hero, because I had so much that other people didn't..."
She stopped to wipe a tear from her eye, but another one formed not even a second after. "And you know what? Yeah. Yeah, I did ignore you. Maybe I did act like those girls who always looked down on you. God, you know what I dealt with in middle school, Reiko? Girls who called me a tsurupettan because I didn't fill out like they did. Dammit, I still feel self-conscious about my chest, like that even compares to anything you've been through. I still had money, I still had parents who supported me. I didn't even need to wrestle, I just did it because I wanted to. I probably wouldn't have needed to find a job until I was in college, at least. And all this time, I was...trying to act like my problems were equal to yours. I sound like a fucking idiot, don't I..?"
Such rude words felt foreign even to Yuki herself. But she let them fall from her lips anyway. Perhaps they shouldn't have felt so odd. "God, all this time, I thought I was an ordinary schoolgirl, and I might as well have been a goddamn idol!" She planted her palm against her face, letting her body shake with sobs. "I...can't even be mad at you, Reiko, because you're telling the truth. I've...been living a lie this whole time, and I didn't even know it. It's...it's pathetic."
And even now...I'm afraid of myself for losing control. Maybe...I should have lost control a long time ago. Fuck it, is it this whole nice girl image that's controlling me? I don't...I don't know what to do, Reiko."
She paused again, her whole body deflating with a sigh as she bent forward in her seat. "...I've just been rambling, haven't I? All this time, just...talking about nothing. I bet you still want to kill me, and it didn't even change anything. Am I going to do that again, what I did to you in that match? Should I? I...don't know. I really don't know. Is it dangerous? Hell, maybe that's a good thing, for all I know! I'm just...lost. And I don't know anything."
Yuki sniffled, keeping her head bowed and her hands folded, before she spoke again. "I...guess I'm done now. If it matters, though..." Yuki looked back up at Reiko, letting her gaze linger. "I'm not going to beat around the bush here. I'll say this one thing. You did give me a rough time in that match, but you'll still have a while to go before you catch up to my level..."
Reiko had a lot of different ideas on Yuki's retort and statements. She was ready to hear a lot of berating of Reiko's personality, a lot of complaining about how unprofessional she was in their match, and even a little a jab or two about her fighting style. But... Reiko did not Yuki would actually lay her heart out to her like this. Not only was she admitting Reiko was right, not only was she trying to be the bigger person and earnestly apology, but she was also breaking down into tears. She was wailing her little heart out to Reiko, explaining her past, her struggles, her insecurities. As if Reiko was her close friend Yuki let it all out in front of her.
And it was so. Goddamn. Annoying.
She was hoping Yuki would just say how much she hated her, bark something about wanting a rematch, maybe make a cute threat about stripping each other, and they could move on. But now... now Reiko really felt like the bad guy here. As if she forced Yuki into a corner and forced her to start confessing all her troubles and anxieties to someone that Yuki knew damn well hated her guts. And if Reiko was a heartless person she'd probably try and manipulate the girl a little to make her an easy target for a match, play to her fragile and weak heart to make her prey for the future and use her like the stepping stone Reiko felt she was being used as before.
But... unfortunately Reiko had a conscious, and her pride as a martial artist wouldn't let her take advantage of Yuki like this.
So as she finished her personal rant, finished prattle on about herself and Reiko forced herself into paying attention, she only gave a mild nodded, barely hiding the irritation on her face. What stung even more than having to listen to Yuki's rant was her last few words of critique thrown in Reiko's direction.
"... ... ..." She was quiet for a moment, taking all the information in. That rant aside, it seemed Reiko was once again used as an object for Yuki's goals, this time being a sounding board for her grievances. "Okay," She propped her laptop to her lap, looking Yuki in the eyes with glare.
"First off, it's Maizono." She spat out. "I told you in that fight we weren't gonna' walk away friends and I meant it, Kazikura. Hell, call me Amano if you wanna' use a first name, but hearing my name come out of your mouth makes me wanna' puke." She clicked her tongue, running a hand through her hair again.
"Second, you-" She cut herself off, gritting her teeth for a moment. She wanted to berate Yuki for showing weakness, to call her out for thinking someone that already stated her hatred of the girl would even care about her story, to remind her they weren't friends, but enemies under a ceasefire.
But...
"Fuck." She buried her hands into her face. "Fuck. Fuck! FUCK! Fine Kazikura, call me Takada Shingen, cuz' I'm about to send you some fucking salt." She took a breath, looking Yuki in the eye. "Stop. Worrying. About it. I know you trained in a gym instead of a dojo, but you're still a fucking martial artist." She leaned back. "Look, I get it. This is probably the first serious fight you've had. Like, the first one where you're fighting with actual emotion against someone you wanted to hurt instead of just beat, but..." She let out a huff. "Kazikura, I'm sitting here have a conversation with you. I'm fine. You gave me a scar or two, and you're still in bandages from where I tried clawing your face off. We're even. Don't apology to me, at least not for your hurt feelings. If you felt bad because you weren't fighting like a proper wrestler and we turned that duel into a catfight then fine, I get you and I feel the same, we both went kind of nuts in that ring. But if you just want someone to pat your head and hug you because you got angry in a fight and hurt someone then fuck. Off. I told you I fight me like you wanted to kill me and I meant it. Don't insult my resolve or yours by being afraid to own it. We fought like demons and we both survived with just a few scars and stitches to show for it. You didn't break. Be fucking proud of that. If you ever break down like that in front of me like that again I'm going to just punch you in the face walk and away."
She took a breath after that, taking a moment to collect herself. Gods, I'm gonna' regret that one later... but... She sat back up, readjusting her laptop. "And third: I'm pretty sure slamming you into wires, painting your face red with my foot, and going into a slugging match with you was more than just giving you a rough time. But fine. It's my turn to start asking questions, so what, exactly, is Yukihime's opinion of Amano Jaku's level and fighting prowess?"
Last edited by dlamp on Thu Jun 03, 2021 10:57 pm, edited 1 time in total.
Even after the words had left her mouth, Yuki didn't know what to think. She hadn't expected to ramble on for so long, or to get so emotional about it. She was used to keeping all that in. Even now, she didn't know if she should have. She was supposed to be better than that; if she let herself get carried away, it could only hamper her performance in the ring. Yet...that was exactly what had gotten her into this whole predicament, wasn't it? Her being so aloof and unyielding? Reiko had wanted to see the true Yuki, and that was what she had gotten.
Yet, it felt so wrong for her to show that. It felt like it was a betrayal of what Yuki held herself to be; of the face she showed to others - one that was calm, dignified, and focused. Now, as she sat in her bed, her head looking down and her hands folded in her lap, even the sensation of the tear running down her cheek felt painful. As if it shouldn't have been there. Her whole body shuddered as she clenched her teeth, and she wished she had enough self-control to stop even that.
"Dammit..." she muttered to herself; even that outburst seemed like something she should have held in, but she couldn't help herself. "I'm sorry, I should be better than-"
But Reiko didn't let her finish. Reiko kept going - and, as Yuki looked up to meet her face to glaring face, she saw that she had no kind words for her.
The first few harsh words and sounds of anger made Yuki pause. But soon, she realized what this was. This was just as much a battle as the match itself had been, and she was letting her guard down. She couldn't let that mistake happen again. By the time Reiko - Maizono - was launching into the second part of her tirade, Yuki didn't even feel anything. She just felt the anger and hatred in her voice, and she knew nothing she could do would stop it. It was just as Reiko herself had said - after all they'd been through, after all they'd done to each other, there was no going back. They weren't friends, and nothing could change that. There was no reason she had left to go easy on her.
"Fine! You know what, fine!"" Yuki shouted back, punctuating her words as she slammed the palms of her hands into her mattress to push herself back up. "I'll say it now, Maizono, I know what that match did to me - and I don't have any regrets! If there's one regret I had, it was for not winning! But at least, I can tell you that I did everything I set out to do! I proved that I wasn't going to back down from anything. That I'd put it all on the line. Take a look at this."
Still glaring at Reiko, Yuki held her arm up to the camera, rolling down her sleeve to show the long scar across her bicep, where the barbed wire had cut into her flesh as she tried to pull herself free. "That's what you did to me, Maizono. And you know what else? I'm proud of it. Because if I was going to prove myself, I wouldn't want anything less."
Yuki's heart beat faster in her chest as she felt the energy rising in her. She might have been teary-eyed before, but the strength was growing in her - just as it had back in the ring. She couldn't be weak and pour out her heart, just as she couldn't run away from a match knowing how dangerous it would be. She was through running! She might have always thought she was a nice girl. But that was just holding her back. Reiko had said as much, and once again Yuki saw she was right.
"As for your question, then..." Yuki crossed her arms, sitting up straighter as she faced Reiko with a scowl. "Let's put all that aside. For one, don't think I didn't do all of that to you, too. Not to mention, you weren't the one doing moonsaults off of barbed wire barefoot." Even if she still stung from her wounds, just bragging about them now seemed to make that pain fade. Yuki was taking back her injuries, turning them into points of pride. It only made her feel more powerful. It emboldened her, carrying her through words that felt almost foreign to say.
"But besides that...I've challenged for the Lightweight Championship. When I lost to you, that was my first loss in months. And I don't think you have as much to boast of, do you?"
