Welcome Home!

[CaptainL]

When she retreated to the bathroom, Yuki shut the door behind her and just stood there, in the darkness, alone. After Angelina had forced her to walk the edge of a knife the entire time she was around her, finally having a moment to herself should have been a relief - she could be alone with her own thoughts, without needing to worry about what curveballs the redhead would throw at her next, or how she was going to keep her parents from taking alarm at anything untoward that might arise. And yet, the peace and quiet did little to calm Yuki's nerves. As she stared into the mirror, watching her own face look back at her, she took a few long, deep breaths, but nothing seemed to quiet the nervous thoughts that were running through her mind a mile a minute. She was too focused on what this meant - because there was far more at stake here than just Angelina's intrusion. If she had managed to track down Yuki's house, if she had managed to worm her way into the dining room with no one being the wiser...then there was nowhere she could truly call safe. And Angelina already had far more in store for Yuki than the dark-haired girl could begin to comprehend - let along want to. Even after Angelina left, this wouldn't be over - Yuki was sure of that. She could only wonder when Angelina's next move would come, catching her off guard when she least expected it. Would it be in the ring? At home? Somewhere out on the streets? And when that happened...what would Angelina do to her?

Sucking in a breath, Yuki ducked down to the sink, filling her hands with cold water and splashing it into her face. This wasn't doing her any good. She had withdrawn from the situation to calm herself down, not make herself more anxious! She panted for breath, blotting her face off with a towel. Just focus on the here and now - the world around her. It would be fine. She just needed to get a grip...

But it was then that she heard footsteps pass her by. They were going past the door to the bathroom, and further down the hall. As she heard them, Yuki stood up straighter - her body went rigid, and the hairs rose on the back of her neck. She had lived in this house all her life, and she knew exactly how it was laid out. Down that hall, in the direction the steps were going, was her bedroom. The only other people in the house were her parents and Angelina. Her parents didn't have any reason to go there, but then...

Yuki couldn't waste any time. She burst out into the hall, turning the corner and swinging open the door to her room - a door that was just a little bit ajar; a sight that made her heart skip a beat. And it was there that her fears were confirmed. Her eyes went wide and her face paled to see Angelina, here, in her room, looking through her belongings. Her house hadn't been good enough for her. Now, Angelina had to dig deeper, forcing her way into the most personal and private corners of Yuki's world.

"...What are you doing-!?" It was only a few seconds after the words had left Yuki's mouth that she swung the door shut behind her. They'd come out louder than she would have liked, and she really didn't need her parents hearing and deciding to investigate. But she couldn't let this go unanswered.

[Monsy]

You’re on treasure island with only a small pouch to fill. What do you take? That’s the dilemma that she had once inside. It looked pretty normal from the onset. You had a closet of clothes, a vanity mirror with a desk, books on top -- laptop, notebook. She went and flipped through all its pages first with a brush of her thumb, then shuffled through the desk drawers just to find jack shit that stood out. Then she opened the laptop, but quickly closed it when nothing caught. Right, passwords. For once, things couldn’t be a gamble. She wanted something that she knew had glimmer.

Yuki’s drawers were her next victim. Just clothes, clothes and clothes. She stepped back, then started glancing around the room in its entirety again. Clothes, clothes, clothes. Stuff, stuff, stuff. Angelina kneeled by the bed and looked underneath, sighting just an old box and some pair of flippers. “Aho, what’s you?” Then took that box out, opening it up to find some stack of papers and junk, but a blue hard cover that had hanji. She could only vaguely pick out what it meant. Not enough to dismiss or clutch it like gold or junk. When she opened it, though, her smile lit up. Pictures and photos. All dorky with the embarrassing stink of High School. Right, our superstar wasn’t that old, wasn’t she?

Then she’s called on. The door is shut and Yuki is right there. Gotta admit, it was the first dose of real fright she got since this whole thing started. Her palms got sweaty, yet her fingers curled and clutched the edges. Angelina was quick to stand up, making it seem natural by just stepping forward and going up. Her gaze flicked towards the window. Should’ve checked if that was a viable escape before this thing started. Oh well. Angelina mustered up a smile, feigning calm and focus as she had since the start. “What’s it look like, Yooks? I’m treasah huntin.”

She opened the book and pointed its contents at Yuki. The portraits and underlying quotes. “And I think I just found what am lookin’ for. Pardon my B-grade Japanese readin’ here, but lets see.” She took a finger and tried to read it out, stressing the word as it translated in her head. “Good luck, Yuki. I wish ya well in ya wrestling career.” -- Flipping a few more pages, she landed on another quote. “Keep goin, Kuzikura-chan. Ya will be a great star someday. I will watch ya from my TV and buy ya merchandise. Still with me, Yookster? I got--” Another dramatic flip of pages took her to another set of portraits and a fat quote on the back. “One more. Here. Ahem. I believe in ya, Yuki-chan. With a little badly drawn heart and stickman holding it.” She shut the book in one clap. “Is it just me or do ya ONLY know wrestlin? Even Einstein liked violin.”

[CaptainL]

Yuki almost couldn't believe what she was seeing. Not that she would put it past Angelina to raid the contents of her room, mind - that was entirely in keeping with what she'd already learned about the Marauder. But even when it happened, and when it was all playing out right there, a few scant feet away from her face, it still seemed too surreal to even believe. Angelina had already, somehow, gotten into Yuki's home. She was trying to worm her way into her social circle in getting herself acquainted with her family. That already meant that her privacy had been breached - but now, Angelina had snuck her way into the most private and personal place in Yuki's life, her own bedroom. It wasn't that she kept anything too sensitive there. Her schedule was so hectic that she was usually away, and she often had little time to do much more than sleep when she actually returned to that room. But it was the principle of it all. If Angelina had somehow gotten into her bedroom, there was nowhere Yuki could imagine that could truly be called safe.

For a moment, she stood there in the doorway, not moving - her eyes wide, her eyelid twitching just a little. She knew she needed to speak up, but everything she could possibly voice died in her throat, when the situation that confronted her was like none other she had ever needed to deal with, or that she ever thought she would. But then, she saw the yearbook in Angelina's hand. And it was at that moment that something dropped in the pit of Yuki's stomach. She had thought Angelina could sink no lower in how deeply she delved into Yuki's life. But now, her face grew pale as the realizations truly hit her. Breaking into Yuki's room wasn't enough for her. She had to go into something even more personal. Her memories. Her life.

The dark-haired girl shook herself out of her daze. She was taken aback, sure - but she wouldn't accomplish anything by standing around staring. She needed to do something about this! Gritting her teeth, she stormed into the room. "Hey, that's my yearbook! What are you doing-!?" she called out, only to realize a moment later that she was still trying to avoid detection, and her voice went softer. Still, she needed answers. Angelina was taunting her with how flagrantly she flaunted how much access she had to what she thought was hers alone. She wouldn't abide by it.

When Angelina started reading the quotes aloud, it only made Yuki's teeth grit, her fists balling at her sides. She could tell she was mocking them. Couldn't she see how much those quotes meant to her? They were from her friends, who had faith in her and believed in her and cared about her. All her classmates who could only wish for a bright future as she graduated from high school and went on to become a full-time wrestler. The people who looked up to Yuki; who she helped inspire to be their best. Some of them were people Yuki would never see again, and she had only those well-wishes to remember them by. And yet, to Angelina, they might as well have meant nothing.

But then, what truly made Yuki freeze in her tracks came next - when Angelina brought up one common note all those quotes had. They all talked about wrestling, as though it was wrestling that would shape Yuki's future. None of them even seemed to consider anything else. Because Yuki had never considered anything else.

She ground to a halt, staring off into space. All of a sudden, Angelina had brought her back to a thought that she'd had many a time before, but never wanted to dwell on for too long. Often, when she thought back on the darker side of wrestling - the strain it put on her to make her schedule work, the injuries she'd received, the aggression it brought out of her that left even her shuddering - Yuki asked herself if it was all worth it. Was this really going to be the path she had decided to go down? Was she putting all her eggs in one basket? If she didn't have wrestling, what would her future be? What if she was injured, or her career dried up? Then...she'd have nothing. Yuki had made wrestling her life; it was the only place she felt she truly belonged. If she didn't have wrestling...she wouldn't have anything.

And Angelina had reminded her of that very fact in the worst time possible.

"I'm...I..." Yuki tried to fish for a response, but nothing came. She couldn't say anything that would contradict what Angelina had already insinuated. She really didn't have anything to fall back on besides her wrestling career. Her face grew paler and her brow dripped with sweat, and her eyes glanced shiftily from side to side as she realized there was nothing she could say to contradict the redhead. But she couldn't just agree with her. That would be proving she was hopeless; that she had no future she was capable of safely sustaining. That wasn't something Yuki wanted to believe about herself...not even if it was true.

At last, Yuki shook herself out, biting her lip. She couldn't just stand there. It might have not been the ideal response...but she had to do something. She wouldn't even dignify Angelina with a reply. Instead, she stormed over closer for the bed, reaching out to grab the book. "W-Why do you have that anyway!?" she barked, even if she was sure she already knew the answer. "Give it back!"

[Monsy]

‘What are you doing-?!’ PSH.

That’s a question answered just by listening. These things were all so damn cheesy. Good content for a laugh. Beyond that, she picked on so many notes here. Yuki seemed to be a popular one. Popular enough, that is. All these pieces seemed to point to her wrestling aspiration. Was she really THAT good to be certain for her career in the sport? Or was she just obsessed? Perhaps both? She certainly couldn’t tell just what kind of student she was based on this. You’d think there might be a mention of a college. Something that steered from this ONE thing. Yet, nothing.

She ended up plopping on the bedside to read the last one. The confidence here was just overwhelming. Yuki looked scared stiff. Why else wouldn’t she be scrapping? Girl was disarmed with words alone. But she came around -- approaching. It was fuckin’ exciting as hell. That feeling was only matched by her own fear. But even that could be fuel.

“Because.” Retorted Angelina, simply. She ended up laying on her back, raising her knees, holding the yearbook over her head. If she could neutralise the attempt to grab at her newfound gold, she would add, “Careful, Yuki. Ya don’t want anotha’ concussion, huh? Maybe a sprain? Who knows with ya.” Her tone was serious in that remark. Both feet tried to pin themselves onto Yuki’s waistline. The bed offered just the perfect crux to shuffle around and ward Yuki off like a classic game of keep-away. “All that shit will add up real fuckin' fast. All it takes is one good kick!” She thrusted with both her feet, trying to send Yuki off while sitting up in one swoop.

[CaptainL]

Yuki was on edge. Angelina's very presence here felt like she was taunting her with it. The redhead didn't belong here. She knew she didn't belong here. And yet, she had inserted herself forcibly into Yuki's life - into her home, her room; into the one place she was supposed to have to herself, where she wouldn't need to worry. It was supposed to be the private sanctum she would have to retreat from the stresses of life when they threatened to overwhelm her - and on those occasions where the breakneck pace of her life actually slowed down enough that she could look around and see what was happening around her, it was those stresses that were increasingly catching up to her. Her worries about living up to her potential. If her loss against Angelina would only presage another losing streak that would leave her questioning what she was doing with her life. If she had it in her to take on Rose Gold, and set the matter straight. And, perhaps most relevantly of all - what she would do if, somehow, she lost wrestling. She wouldn't have anything left in her life. She'd made no effort to secure any other future for herself. If she couldn't wrestle any more....then she'd have nothing. No options and no direction. Then all of this was for naught.

And now that Angelina was all but rubbing that in her face, now that it all seemed closer than ever, looming over her shoulder ready to swallow her whole, Yuki felt like she was going to explode.

She clenched her teeth, storming closer. She knew Angelina just wanted to twist that knife deeper in her, and she couldn't let it slide any more. She had to stand up for herself. She had to do something! She reached out to grab onto her yearbook, but Angelina held it over her head, just out of reach, no matter how high her fingers stretched. She knew that Angelina was treating her like a child now, and that made her grit her teeth in frustration. But when Angelina brought up her past history with injuries - all of which left Yuki fearful for the future of her career - it made her jaw drop in a silent gasp. She had to use every bit of mental fortitude she had to keep herself from cursing the Marauder out. Now, she knew Angelina had gone too far.

And then, Angelina struck - shoving off at Yuki's waist with her feet! The dark-haired girl let out a yelp, going skidding back across the floor. She bent at the knees and held out her arms to try and catch herself just before she fell, but when she looked back up, her eyes were wide, and her face a ghastly white. Her chest heaved in and out with every breath she took. Yuki knew what Angelina had done. In shoving her, she had come closer than ever to causing a disturbance. And with her parents just a few feet away, any wrong move could alert their attention, and cause the whole facade to come crashing down.

Yuki's teeth clenched in a snarl, and her eyes narrowed in a glare. She had to do something now! Striding across the floor with purposeful steps, she tried to run up to the bed, throwing herself down onto the mattress on her knees as she once again grabbed for the yearbook. "I'm warning you! Give. That. Back!!"

[Monsy]

You won’t get a better COME AT ME then that. Here she was sitting in Yuki’s space, after taking her way into her house, threatened her openly, admitted to stalking, then walked right into her room to take something right in the open. What. Will. Ya. Do. About. It. Yooks? Is all she ever wanted to say. Just shout it. All that earlier talk of luck, switching on a dime and trying to set HER scene. Nuh uh. That isn’t how it was gonna play -- and now she just about rubbed her nose in that, through glass and phantom barbed-wire bats, promised punches and theoretical punts to the head.

She had pushed Yuki away, then held her space on the bed, with her elbow propping up, knees pulled up -- that shit-eating grin to boot, looking Yuki in the eye, raring for her to come at her full tilt. It’s that first shot of adrenaline that pumped throughout and it felt AWESOME. “Or WHAT?!” Her voice broke into a growling shout. Yuki’s run-up and subsequent dive made them perpendicular. It nearly got her the yearbook too, with Angelina turning on one hip to become parallel, her back going towards the bedside. Yuki’s hand scraped her wrist, palm, and dare she say touching the front cover as it sat pinched in three fingers.

“What, you luck-lovin’ FUCK?! Just roll anotha’ nat one!!” Angelina went to grab Yuki by the throat, clutch and hold her at bay. Being on her back and having to push UP did not do her limited muscle very well. Even if she got that grab, Angelina would start scrambling to try and get onto her knees. Though she may look confident, her control just slipped a full few notches.

[CaptainL]

Yuki hadn't wanted to do this. She was a calm, collected girl most of the time. In one part because it was in her nature to be - and in one part because she had seen how truly terrifying she could be when she let pent-up emotions loose, and she never wanted to slip that far again. However...Angelina was leaving her no choice. She had barged into her house. She had taunted her the whole time, threatening her at every move and promising even more trouble - which Yuki was every bit convinced that she could deliver on, knowing that she had somehow figured out where she lived. Now, she was trying to make off with her yearbook, her commemoration of where she had started and how far she had come. And the whole time, she forced her to face her fears - all the questions Yuki had about her future, all the things she wasn't sure about. She had always tried to push those fears aside, not wanting to confront them, or to even acknowledge that what she'd thrown her life into for the last three years just might have been a mistake. Somehow, Angelina had figured them all out, and now she was rubbing them directly in Yuki's face. And perhaps worst of all, she just had to be so smug about it. Angelina knew what she had done. And to her, there might well have been no greater accomplishment imaginable. When she shot Yuki back that self-satisfied smirk, the raven-haired girl had nothing more to show her than a cold, spiteful scowl.

Yuki threw herself forward, diving onto the bed. She had only been trying to reach for the book before Angelina could jerk it away from her - it had only been by accident that she'd tackled the redhead in the process. The bed bounced, and a few pillows and stuffed animals were scattered off of it against the momentum of their landing. But Yuki didn't even care about that any more. She didn't even care about the noise they were making, now, even as Angelina's cries rose. Yuki hissed back at her through clenched teeth; she was still trying to keep her voice low, but her fear of tipping her parents off to the commotion had all but slipped away. Angelina was the bigger threat. She had to get the yearbook back. She was that close - her fingertips were just brushing its surface. If she pushed herself just a little further, she could do it!

"Get OUT!" she barked. "Just...get out of my house!!" Yuki was avoiding Angelina's questions. She didn't even want to entertain her with a response, nor did she want to acknowledge that her getting injured and going out of commission again was even a possibility. She only wanted Angelina out of her home. Out of her life.

Then, she felt Angelina grab her by the throat - and at that, her jaw dropped. She wanted to let out a gasp, but with Angelina squeezing off her airways, it was only a low rasp that emerged. Her face contorted in shock and pain. She had really gone there, huh? She hadn't expected that things would escalate this far; that Angelina would outright attack her. But as Angelina started to push back up on her throat, getting her knees under her, and forcing Yuki up with her, the shocked, staring eyes narrowed into a glare. Angelina had started this. But Yuki wouldn't go down without a fight.

"W-What's WRONG with you? What's your damn problem-!?" With Angelina's weight pushing against her, Yuki began to teeter uneasily on her knees. She knew that if she left Angelina with any chance to make off with the yearbook, it would all be for naught. No matter what happened, she couldn't let that slip her by! Her hand drifted down, grabbing for the wrist of the hand Angelina clutched the book with - she wouldn't dare to let it go far! She could feel herself beginning to bend over, her own weight threatening to force her over onto her side, but her other hand reached up to grab a hold of the Marauder's hair to try and stabilize herself. Even if she fell, she wouldn't go down alone.

[Monsy]

It seemed that she’d get those teeth hiding beneath the surface, moment on moment. Their first match showed it perfectly. When this girl wants, she can make it feel like a fight. Not just a match. Angelina bided her time waiting on it to show up here. Together they clamped on-top of one another, half-on, half off, with more of Yuki’s upper-half holding her hostage as they struggled and shuffled around, putting creaks into the springs and making the frame shift and scrape. “Look who’s stoppin’ me!” Angelina shouted back, slowly as she was coming around, a hold on this girl’s throat that served to control their head and put her frustrations into.

What NOW? She wanted to shout. Where’s your training?? So much just behind a stern, steel-eyed glower. Soon, she started winning out and getting herself up while Yuki slouched. From becoming a means to neutralise Yuki, the grip became one to attack, pushing on them more and more as the leverage favoured her smaller body until Yuki grabbed hold and fell. Her head jerked, tweaking her neck as she tumbled with Yuki’s momentum. Angelina hit her tummy beside Yuki, her chin to the mattress and comforter, with both their hands occupied.

“My damn problem?!” Angelina yelled, trying to seize initiative by curling her fingers, adding a sense of claw to her throat-grip. She used it to heave herself off the mattress. Even if slouched, she’d be on her knees, the yearbook hand used as a prop-up. She then tried to throw her leg over Yuki, straddle the girl’s stomach and take a seat. “YOU wanted a rematch! So, here it is!” A laugh added on as she started putting her weight onto Yuki’s throat, squeezing more -- pushing down on that windpipe. Her brow raised. All she could think about is that one question. What now?

[CaptainL]

Yuki really didn't want to do this. Her match against Angelina had been an embarrassing defeat, one that she knew she was better than. She wanted to leave that in the past and move on. But Angelina really wasn't giving her that option. If she had tailed her long enough to figure out where she lived, if she was making threats, then Angelina was making it quite clear that the arena for their war was greater than the ring. If she wasn't going to leave well enough alone, then Yuki was going to have to make that happen by force.

The Japanese girl let out a muffled hiss as she felt the pressure of Angelina's grip close in around her throat. Her teeth clenched, and her body shivered - not just from the thought that Angelina was doing this to her, but that she actually would; that she saw no qualms with choking Yuki out in her own home. But she wasn't about to take that lying down. Angelina had backed her into a corner - and at last, she was going to fight back. She grabbed a handful of her auburn hair, both to exert some pressure of her own and to keep herself from being forced down. She could feel the balance between them teeter little by little - but still, she locked her eyes on Angelina in a spiteful glare. "I'm stopping you, alright-!"

The more Angelina leaned closer, the more Yuki would tighten her grasp, weaving more strands of hair around her fingers. Her other hand held tenaciously to the girl's wrist; she knew the absolute last thing she could do was let the yearbook slip away from her. At last, though, their balance would give way. With Angelina's hand still clasped around Yuki's throat, she would be rolled beneath her as the Marauder fell forward - and Yuki found herself pinned down, with Angelina straddling her waist!

This was bad. This was really bad. Yuki knew what a vulnerable position she was in, not only giving Angelina the chance to take advantage, but the very fact that she was letting Angelina climb on top of her made Yuki feel sick to her stomach...and Angelina knew that, too. Yuki shuddered at the smugness in her laugh, but just as quickly she felt Angelina's nails curl inward, clawing at her throat! Her face contorted with pain, and she let out a squeal - it was, perhaps, only by virtue of Angelina holding off her throat that it wasn't loud enough to alert her parents. "S-Stop it!! I'm warning you-!!" she growled. Yuki knew she needed to turn this around. And, much as she didn't want to let go of Angelina's wrist...it looked like she'd have no choice. She had to get out, before she passed out!

She began to buck up with her hips, trying to shake Angelina's center of balance. She let go of her hand and her hair, but now both hands went to the redhead's shoulders, grabbing them tight. As she sent up another hard buck with her hips, planting her feet against the bed for more force, Yuki shoved as hard as she could at Angelina's shoulders, trying to force her off. Off of her, and hopefully off the bed too!

"Get. OFF!"

[Monsy]

One way or another -- she was going to rip what she could from Yuki. It already pushed far, and she was everywhere she wasn’t supposed to be. Finding that limit became a great game. That finite mystery threshold before something popped in her rival’s head. Every nugget of progress wasn’t lost on her. Was it phantom or was she actually getting something? Grab of the hair, how they spited her.

And when she got on top -- the best warning she could ever receive blessed her ears and filled her hand with a superhuman vigour. She squeezed and went for broke. The effort of pushing, clenching and exerting started to hurt -- like a real fight. You might as well ring the bell for Angelina. She wasn’t stopping. “Make me! Just fuckin make me!”

There wasn’t a need to move from here. It was make or break already -- the proverbial check in this sudden throw down that was giving her all the right feels. But she’d be malleable to Yuki’s counter effort, bounced and slid higher on Yuki’s body, hunching forward, slouching her shoulders and having to almost plant her elbow on the bed, bringing them chest to chest -- right before she flew. Her body flipped over, careened off the bed and smacked the floor. "n-ngh!" It stung her lower-back, yet the adrenaline was starting to drown it out. She’d be quick to get up, turning over and pushing onto a knee. "Ya got any more where that came from, yooks?" There wasn’t much room for her usual tricks. So -- she instead tried to beat Yuki to any possible punch, standing, then turning to point her shoulder at Yuki, strafe once then throw her leg up for a superkick!