Yukino Fuyumi vs Gabriel Vinlee - (Apex Qualifier Match)

[Hagen-Autem]

The best support for Gabriel will always be the ropes besides always neutral, they are always in the same place, available to both fighters without discrimination and had it not been for them, she would have gone face first into the ground - and that would have ruined her ravager presence at this event because she shouldn't come down from that pedestal any further than necessary to keep things entertaining and interesting for her and the other wrestler - the audience is tertiary in her priorities - and, besides, her walk for L.A.W. had been short, her fan base tiny in comparison to what an idol - those gain a lot of fans just for dressing cute. And pub rep couldn't care less about that.

The public was fickle, even the most loyal of them would desert you if they find a token that is more entertaining or accommodating than you are at some point, and for Gabriel- that was the essence. Because no matter how much they booed or bickered her, the Queen would be in their heads, taking up space, doing whatever she pleased, and living off them like a deity without them even knowing it or being able to do anything to stop it. Being the centre of deference, hatred and sadism was the magic of being a Queen of Pub, and it always brought her everything she needed without having to ask for it, as now.

And Yukino was down for this whole spectacle of cruelty- while she seemed to be savouring every last speck of dust on the canvas, Gabriel was already coming out of her dizzy spell. This couldn't be worse for one and better for the other. Seeing that idol prostrate face down on the canvas, wheezing, butt in the air and in the most humiliating position for her and splendid for the audience on that side of the ring so the Queen couldn't help but exclaim the first syllable of a laugh at seeing her like that, her eyes filled with life - almost looked like another woman. She never meant to make her look this pathetic with that move, though she loves it when luck arranges things for a job well done.

She even raked her hair back with her hand to push her mane away from her face and let everyone appreciate her, more radiant than before, her eyes watering and arching her curvy, beautiful body over the ropes to give a puff of pleasure to the air. That Viper was back, and she could hear the silence that came from being in her five senses for those noisy ones outside the ring, thus the Royan Viper broke away from the ropes with a tiny hop - continuing to rejoice in their dread for Yukino's well-being - and made her way towards that rag-doll begging for an end.

She combed her skirt a little with her hands, folded them behind her back and crouched beside the twisted body of that poor girl who bit off more than she could chew. The blonde spoke to a Yukino who, perhaps, could not even be able to understand her or give her an answer. "Hey, you give up ya?" That could be a well-meaning question to help her get out of this ordeal with what dignity she had left, or it could be the opposite, just to keep stuffing it with the permission of the rules if she answer wrongly.

[CaptainL]

Slowly, Yukino was beginning to come back to her senses. The haggard pants that wracked her body began to calm down into slower, softer breaths, and she blinked a few times, working the daze out of her eyes. One by one, her muscles began to stiffen and steady. And at last, she had it in her to lift her head up, looking out at what was just in front of her - Nashi. Yukino's world was still spinning; the edges of everything in her field of view were wavering and wobbling. But they were, slowly, starting to even out. And the first thing she saw when she returned to that place of lucidity and understanding was her partner, and her best friend, who had supported her and cheered her on, keeping her going through whatever challenges she faced in her idol career and well into her coming into her own as a professional wrestler. And now - when it was more important than ever that Yukino rise to the challenge and prove that she deserved her place in the ring, when defeat would mean confirming all her worst fears - Nashi was there to cheer for Yukino, and to tell her to keep reaching for the stars!

Yukino looked back up to meet eyes with her friend, and when she did, a smile flashed across her face; she nodded her head to Nashi in agreement to do right by her, and to live up to what Nashi believed she could do. She knew she had her friend's support, and it was enough to embolden her. She had to keep trying. She had to fight back, for Nashi's sake! Yukino pressed her palms against the mat, going to lift herself back up...but Gabriel was a step ahead of her.

The moment Gabriel leaned down by Yukino, the white-haired girl turned back to look at her with a piercing glare. At once, every hair on the back of her neck stood on end, and her body went rigid with tension. She knew why she was fighting - now, she knew what she was against. Nashi was there to lift Yukino up; to encourage her and to help her be the best she could be. If that was the case, then Gabriel stood for just the opposite. She wanted to confirm that Yukino was nothing more than a pretender to her title, and that she couldn't stand a chance against a true, accomplished wrestler. At once, Gabriel had become everything that ever stood in the idol's way. Now was more important than ever that Yukino stand up to her. With all the energy with which Nashi had fired her up coursing through her now, she grit her teeth, pushing herself up straighter. She wouldn't even dare to imagine giving up now. Not when everything was resting on this moment!

"What!? What kind of question is that? Of course I don't!"

[Hagen-Autem]

That queen she got was pretty forgiving...sometimes. Seeing Yukino so physically cracked after that throw, and with all the damage accumulated from what she's barely done to her, made her change all her plans to a more entertaining one. She could have taken ownership of hers body and moulded it like clay between her fingers and on the canvas until there was nothing left to chew on and let the referee check if there was still life in hers brown-eyes or stiffness in hers arms to get out of this. But instead, she made a sweeter and more beneficial proposal - one to which she already knew the answer, but wanted to hear it from her soft lips.

And when the idol sweetened it by stiffening to give her a determined answer, Gabriel's eyes lit up with ecstasy! It was as if she had just been given the greatest gift - her lips contorted into the most beautiful, radiant smile that her love could reciprocate and Yukino hadn't even realised the trick in that imperious question before this woman's hand reached out against her hair, combing it over with her incoherently dainty fingers before she ruffled her hair into a fistful and pulled her face to hers - keeping her on her knees while she herself remained crouched.

From so close, much could have happened; but Gabriel would not lose her temper so quickly, however... her eyes went from intent to calm in the blink of an eye, and her smile remained very seductive before they spoke and attacked like the predator that represents and heading their stable.

"Then... We must go on!" She sentenced before jerking her head back to bring it back forward and bringing it harshly together with Yukino's in another vicious headbutt to her poor head.

Both of them would have suffered plenty of that kind of attack already, her own head would have taken enough sieges in this match! But the excitement of tending to that fervour as Yukino wants didn't let her pay attention to reason. Moreover that blonde barely noticed the slight dizziness subsequent to her impulsiveness.

If Yukino was knocked to the canvas again by that blow, Gabriel would make sure that that other quaint-haired girl at ringside watched very carefully what she was going to do next to her partner.

She's going to turn this winter idol upside down with a contemptuous shove of her foot and they was going to make sure she didn't get away by giving her a stomp to the head so that hers skull bounced off the canvas to after, if nothing stops her, she would sit down with all condescension and vanity on her lower back and then wrap her hands around Yukino's neck to pull her backwards, bending the idol outwards like a crescent moon. Since these part-time wrestlers love classic moves so much, why not go for a camel clutch with her for the ringside's camera?

All because that pinkette seemed the most important to that winter idol. Perhaps, accommodating Yukino by looking her way would make things better for everyone, diabolically.

"Don't forget to smile at your fans and your friend, huh?" She would add as poison to hers ears. And if she can arch it up enough for her lips to reach hers ear, she'll whisper "... and me."

Spoiler

[CaptainL]

At the very thought that she would be willing to give up now - to such a simple hold she should well have been able to get out of, with the whole world watching, with Nashi watching - Yukino's eyes narrowed into a glare, and she hissed from behind clenched teeth as her body went rigid. She wouldn't dare. She had come so far to get to this point, and she was here to show that she couldn't let Gabriel or Kira or anyone tell her she didn't have her place in the ring. If she gave in now, it would be proving all of them right. The insinuation alone was a grave insult. No matter how sore or how dizzied or how weak Yukino felt, she knew one thing - and that was that she simply couldn't afford to give up!

When Gabriel grabbed her by the hair, though, and pulled her head back to lock her eyes straight into hers, for a moment, a flash of lucidity came to Yukino. When her eyes stared back into Gabriel's own, Yukino could see straight through to what she was up against. To that pure, unbridled malice; that desire that wanted nothing more than to tear Yukino's pride and confidence apart piece by piece. In that moment, Yukino knew just how vulnerable she was, and just how dangerous her opponent was. A chill ran over her, and her muscles eased. Her stubbornness had taken her this far, but now, Yukino was left asking herself if it truly was enough.

She wouldn't be able to ponder that for long. It was just then that Gabriel threw her head forward - and once again, with the sound of a loud thud, Yukino was struck in the skull. She let out a cry of pain before her body suddenly went slack, and she dropped straight down, flat on her face as all the tension in her body was cut loose. But the worst was yet to come - Gabriel continued to stomp on her, laying into her while she was down! As her foot slammed into Yukino's head, the white-haired girl reeled and bucked, screaming in pain as her hands shot up to protect herself, but when her whole head was ringing, that damage had already been done. The crowd was booing Gabriel for the ruthless assault she was unleashing on the idol, but Gabriel wouldn't be swayed.

And finally, Gabriel sat down on top of Yukino's back, pinning her against the mat. When she felt her opponent's weight holding her down, Yukino let out a groan, barely able to tell what was going on around her. But she would quickly be reminded of her predicament, when Gabriel grabbed her by the neck - and yanked her back into a painful arc! Twisted back in the camel clutch further than she ever thought would even be possible, Yukino was instantly thrown back into reality. A terrible pain shot through her spine as her jaw dropped with a scream, and her eyes went wide in shock. Now, everything hurt - her body was on fire; she felt like she could snap in half at any moment. She tried to wriggle back and forth, but she could barely move, slowed by the pain, the restraint, and her own fatigue. Yukino didn't know how much longer she could hold on for. But her eyes wandered over to meet Nashi's, and when they did, a chill ran over her, and something dropped in the pit of her stomach. Nashi was here to lift Yukino up and to cheer her on...and Yukino had let her down.

"N-Nashi..." she sniffled, whispering softly to her friend as she took in a gulp, "I'm sorry..."

[Hagen-Autem]

Gabriel was taking everything she could break from that little girl before submission was a reliable option for her prey, and dammit, with a classic has just taken a psychological victory.

Yukino was already about to turn into a human ring in that submission, but Gabriel bent her a little more, pulling at her throat as if she wanted to choke her for daring to divert her attention to someone who had nothing to do with this encounter.

"What are you apologising for?" her eyes couldn't have been more narrowed and squinted. She listened all too well when this girl verbally caved in with someone who did nothing but stare and shout at her from the outside, with no real involvement inside the canvas, as if the opinion of any of them - boastful and condescending - mattered here above theirs. Or was the first queen a third party in her own match? Was she not trying hard enough to get Yukino to give her her undivided attention, as much as Gabriel gives it to her? And more offensive, that? It couldn't feel.

But she's a reasonable woman, she knows that sometimes, you have to give a little more to get what you really want, even if it means letting herself be hit once more to encourage this idol to keep trying.

She brought her lips as close as she could to hers ear - even if it meant struggling to bend Yukino even closer, and leaning herself forward - to snake her tongue in hers ear to continue stabbing that fragile head of hers - since that's how she seems to understand. "With so little I'm already cracking you up, huh? Well...if that's the case... maybe I'm not treating you like I should." She released her throat.

Yukino seemed to be so climaxed, for Gabriel, that she might not be able to get out of the Camel clutch position at all, but that couldn't have mattered less to the European. For she would rise from above, letting that barely perceptible recess vanish the moment she dug her fingers into hers hair to force her to face the cameras and show her suffering as she was brought to her knees.

Gabriel would bend down so that she could be closer to those miserable eyes and, she was going to be cruel, however now that sees better that expression of hers and the state he's leaving her in, the bad vibes went away. "You know, now that I see you better...you should thank me, you look tougher now," She couldn't have been more condescending before giving the audience a reason to scream- her knee would fly straight into Yukino's jaw. And if that fit, there would be many more to come, as Gabriel wasn't going stop with just one knee.

If there was a chance that Yukino would submit with the queen's next move, beating her head in until her brains were scrambled was the only way to prevent it and, at the same time, it would send a message to the crowd.

Spoiler

[CaptainL]

Just a moment ago, it seemed as though Yukino was taking control. If she could keep Gabriel down now, if she could turn her fortune around and pull a come-from-behind victory from the jaws of defeat, then everything would be forgiven - all the struggles she had been through in the start of this match would be redeemed. But this match had seen no shortage of back-and-forth, and just as quickly as the pendulum had shifted in Yukino's favor, now the momentum was running away from her. Now, she found herself caught in the camel clutch, her spine straining against her own weight as she was twisted back further than the human body ever had any right to be. It felt like she could snap at any moment - but what was worse was that the whole time, she was being forced to watch Nashi's reactions as she was subjected to Gabriel's cruel whims.

The thought of her best friend watching her rising momentum, not just in this match but in her Apex qualifiers as a whole, being cut in its tracks turned Yukino's stomach. She winced, her eyes squeezing shut as she tried to look away, but she could barely move her head when Gabriel had it held so tightly. But even worse than that, Yukino knew all too well that Gabriel knew what she was doing. She knew that this hold would break Yukino's spirits just as much as it would her body. She knew that it would make her feel that doubt in her abilities, that shame of not being good enough - and that everything would be amplified tenfold when Nashi bore witness to it all. If there was any doubt of that, Gabriel let her know as much - as she leaned in closer to whisper in her ear.

"W-What..!?" The malice in Gabriel's voice was palpable, and it was enough to make an icy chill roll over Yukino from head to toe. She was hoping her apology would be for Nashi's ears alone - but she wouldn't even have that. Now, as Gabriel leaned down to her ear, just enough for the chill in her words to tickle Yukino's ear, the white-haired girl was reminded that she was at Gabriel's mercy - and she was reminded of just how vulnerable she was. How exposed she was. And that now, everyone would have to see it. In that moment, Yukino was convinced Gabriel was right. She really wasn't good enough. Had her attempts to prove herself through her performance in Apex all been for naught? Had she led Nashi here just to disappoint her?

When Gabriel grabbed Yukino by the hair to yank her back up, the idol let out a yelp. She reached up to her scalp, trying to pull back at Gabriel's hands to try and free herself, to at least make the pain a little easier - but she'd have no such luck. Her hands just as quickly fell at her sides, as the blonde bombarded her in the jaw with a barrage of knees! Every time she struck, Yukino was jostled, thrown this way and that. Her screams grew louder as her body was wracked with agony, but Gabriel had no mercy to afford her! The world around her was growing blurry, and everything spun and shook. Her body surged with heat, and her stomach churned as her head swung to one side and then the other. Every moment felt like she was beset with another wave of pain, and tears were budding in her eyes. She didn't even care about what Nashi thought, or what her fans thought, any more. Yukino just wanted the hurting to be over!

"Stop!! STOP!!" she screamed out in desperation . "Just make it stop, PLEASE!!"

[Hagen-Autem]

Gabriel had done it. Not only had she proved that the booing was just noise in the stands, a noise she could conjure up if she felt like it; but also, she broke the idol.

Just as her knee was about to meet Yukino's chin, she managed to utter a plea that stopped the hit in mid-air! It was done, Gabriel had managed to crumble the girl. It was no longer worth it to keep strafing an opponent who had just lost her will - it was simply unnecessary and sickeningly sadistic. Some can earn a beating of their own, but opponents who are like that white-haired girl cannot - they are too white to do anything that really merits it and, in opponents like that, there is no good taste in continuing to torment them once they can't take it any more. So her knee began to move away from her face and hers grip on her head loosened as she sought to leave her there, prostrate on her knees, almost shattered at hers side and with a generalised, pervasive silence. It almost seemed as if Gabriel had joined the audience in anticipation of what the idol had just articulated. It wasn't just her voice, it was her desperation and helplessness and fear translated into a scream.

And it took the queen some time to process what she was going to do next - she not only had to do what was best for herself, but also for her opponent and consequently for the match. Because it almost seemed like the match was going to end so bitterly...if only Yukino had said she was giving up - and that gave Gabriel an action to remedy the spectacle next.

So, the blonde looked towards the stands behind her with her lip twisted in a expression of exaggerated, overbearing disappointment as she fanned her face with one hand, as if she had expected more stamina from the other woman - though it was nothing more than a ploy of her own. She wanted to provoke the fan to fill the atmosphere with something other than her silence, and she couldn't let her go off in such a miserable manner after everything she saw in her since she faced her at the beginning of this qualifying match. She had to at least let her take something away from this match if she didn't want her role in the pub to be repeated in this new federation.

She unceremoniously slipped her arm under one of Yukino's armpits to hook it and force her to stand up, as well as leaning on her and, likewise, with her other hand she gagged her to prevent her from shouting and saying something the Winter idol might regret - the blonde was going to let her take that ounce of dignity at least. And then drag her towards the ropes, where she was already prepared to make her move next.

"No more pain then." Those words were sweet in the whisper, it almost seemed like the Viper was understanding the situation and empathised with the helplessness her rival felt; though there was that grim cynicism in her tone, as if she knew she was in control here too, evoking a feeling akin to having a pair of fangs aimed for the jugular and about to make contact. "But I need you to bear one more thing for me before I let you go. Can you please me on that?" her hand would move gently from Yukino's mouth. Maybe nothing would go as she planned, but at least her rivals couldn't say she wasn't vehement.

Spoiler

[CaptainL]

Yukino wasn't proud of what she'd just done. As a matter of fact, she hated it. She knew why she was here, in Apex. She was out to prove herself - to tell the world that she really was a legitimate wrestler, that she could be so much more than yet another idol coasting by by virtue of her name. She wanted to show she was capable of taking on the greatest challenge of all, and prospering through it all the same. So, when she was reduced to begging and pleading for Gabriel's mercy, it felt like a betrayal of her principles - of every reason she had for being here, and everything she wanted to show the world. Yet, she didn't have a choice. As Gabriel loosened her grip on Yukino, the white-haired girl's body sagged as she slumped to the floor; her weary legs unable to bear her own weight, she sank to her knees. Her head hung low, turned to the mat - she couldn't even begin to think of facing the crowd knowing what she had done, and how she'd let everyone down. Her stomach churned, and a sour, sickly taste made itself known in the back of her throat. But her entire body was sore and aching, with bruises forming everywhere Gabriel had struck, and she was left panting for breath, her head spinning in a daze. It was either this, she knew, or getting knocked out entirely.

And still, Gabriel wasn't done. No doubt the blonde felt all the smug satisfaction that could only come from pulling Yukino's footing out from under her, disrupting her every reason to do what she was doing, and halting her momentum in its tracks. No doubt she was reveling in it. But she wanted more. She grabbed for Yukino's arms and pulled her back; the idol barely had enough time to let out a gasp before she found herself steered toward the ropes. Even if she wanted to say anything, she couldn't - Gabriel clasped a hand over her mouth, and her voice was soon muffled, no matter how much she twisted and turned in an attempt to free herself. As Gabriel bent her, turning her chin to force her gaze skyward and folding her back practically in half, Yukino's body erupted with pain. Her eyes were squeezed shut to hold back tears, and a low whine was muffled into the Viper's palms. And the worst thing of all was that Gabriel still wasn't letting her leave with her dignity. No, she just had to make sure Yukino was debased and brought low, to shatter any confidence anyone had in her - especially herself.

As Gabriel moved her hand aside, Yukino shuddered again from the pain in her back. But even with her eyes narrowed in a wince, she still glared back over her shoulder, her gaze resting on the blonde. "What...do you want..?" At the same time, Yukino looked left and right, seeing the ropes just nearby. Maybe, she thought, she had a chance of getting free. As Gabriel bent her back, she would try and reach just a little bit further, extending the tips of her fingers closer and closer to the ropes. A bead of sweat traced down her brow. Maybe a rope break would be all she needed, and maybe Gabriel would be distracted enough by her taunts to not stop her...

[Hagen-Autem]

Gabriel's lips articulated in a not-so-subtle ASMR to her ear, "Tell me who your queen is." That was all the blonde wanted. And the best thing was that she had uttered it so close to the ear that no one but the two of them would know what The Queen articulated with her mouth. It was perfect - the ultimate test for the idol.

Once she uttered it, then grabbed her chin and forced her to look at her so that there would be no doubt in that dreamy little head of hers that she was serious. "That's all you have to give me to put an end to this."

After this, Gabriel would pull Yukino's arm tightly to whip her to the side, but without releasing her hand since, the idea was to pose together as if it were a transitional dance step for the spectators with the most condescending smile the queen could give the world- paradoxically the blonde was unaware of how close the other girl's fingers came to grabbing the ropes; that mattered nothing now, however because next this tough blonde would twist Yukino's hand in a painful wristlock to force her to bend inwards and grab her shoulder with her other hand to throw her head first into a variation of the Irish whip into the ropes to pull the top half of this pretty girl out of the ring and leave her hanging by the abdomen on the middle rope like a used rag. And this was just the transition.

The queen would approach like an unstoppable and patient predator on the back of this poor broken girl, she would join her hips to her buttocks in an unseemly way while one of her legs separates Yukino's and her hands go over the top rope to grab hers jaw and force her to straighten up and face this side of the audience - not without before running her hand over Yukino's eyes to remove the tears that she was able to catch with her skin.

"And don't you break down crying again," she whispered as forced her to point her eyes at those spectators who were witnessing them right now. The First Queen wanted her to feel the presence of those eyes watching what one of them was going to do, knowing who was leading and orchestrating this final route and who was down because she gave up. "You don't want them to remember this moment of you like this," she herself hated to see her opponents cry, it ruined everything when that happened. "Because they will remind you of it every chance they get." That would be her last piece of advice before returning to her villainous role. And wraps this idol's arms around the top rope to finish entwining its body to the ropes like a spider.

She wasn't giving it to her because she liked her, Gabriel had noticed that this little woman divided a lot of her attention between her and the spectators, and Mochi hated that. But she would have to admit that...saw more in her than just a ring rat, and she would have liked to see more of that icy fire.

And you have to admit, the wicked look on Gabriel's face as ran her fingers around Yukino's waist, after trapping her there, gently running her fingertips along her silhouette, her neck and her thighs, even lifting the edge of her skirt a little as she cooed at her sweaty, shiny skin, even one of her hands would even go up to rub hers lips with her thumb, and try to catch hers tongue between her fingers. This lustful feeling was something the queen could not act on.

Spoiler

There was no need to keep twisting her around like a wet towel when she had other methods of enjoying this fight until Yukino will came clean and told her and only her what she wanted to hear. After all, the queen already humiliated her the moment she broke her down to tears and forced her to beg for mercy, and Gabriel would find no humor in beating a woman who was already broken in her fingers - for that there are these other methods that everybody loves. Although it wouldn't be 10 seconds before the referee tried to ruin it with a scolding instead of starting with a 5 count for the rope break. Bad choice...

"It's just a name, think about it very well together with what you really want just in case... huhuh..." She cooed with mischievous eyes from behind hers shoulder.

Spoiler

[CaptainL]

The words that slipped from Gabriel's lips were enough to send an icy chill running straight through Yukino's spine, as her breaths quickened and her body shook. Yukino didn't want to believe it - but Gabriel was already all but assured that she had won. And if she had her way, Yukino wouldn't even have the chance to say otherwise. The way in which she voiced her threat told Yukino everything she needed to know about how confident the blonde was, and how she wouldn't account for even a sliver of a doubt. She sucked in a gulp - she wanted to say something; she wanted to talk back, and to tell Gabriel that she was wrong - that she was stronger than that, and that she wouldn't lie down and admit defeat so easily. But she couldn't - she knew already it was no use.

And indeed, Gabriel was already in motion. Pulling at Yukino's arm, she dragged the idol in closer, causing her to let out a gasp as she went stumbling after her. Yukino went tense, bracing herself for being shot across the ring - but the moment in which Gabriel released her never came. Instead, she lingered there at the end of Gabriel's arm. By the time she realized she was within reach of the ropes; that she could escape if she wanted to, it was already too late - Gabriel jerked her back, causing her to let out a yelp as she was reeled into her opponent's clutches. She hissed and shuddered under the pressure as Gabriel wrenched her arm around her back, pulling tighter at her wrist and causing her face to contort with pain as she felt the muscles and tendons pull taut. It was only then that Gabriel slung her across the ring, and before Yukino knew it she was flying straight toward the ropes across from her, faster than she could keep track of. She landed against the ropes with a thud, causing her to double over at the waist, hanging half-in and half-out of the ring. There, she dangled over the top rope, panting for breath. But for Yukino...things were about to get worse. Much, much worse.

First, she felt Gabriel's hips brush up against her own, that moment of contact - however brief - sending a shiver along her spine. Then, she felt the hand that ran up along her side, and her body grew tense wherever Gabriel's touch traveled over her skin. She felt the way Gabriel yanked back at her jaw, bending the curvature of her body into the arc with which she moved, and the way her leg forced Yukino's out to the sides. But for all the setup Gabriel was making, none of it truly struck Yukino quite as much as when she heard her voice - a voice that reminded her that everyone was watching her. At that, Yukino sucked in a gulp; the hairs on the back of her neck stood on end. She had put herself through Apex in the name of proving herself to the world, and showing that she truly was capable of living up to the expectations everyone had; that she really had a future, and that she could go places. All of her fans had come out to see Yukino reach her glory, and to revel in her success when she made the impossible come true. But now, Gabriel had flipped the script - and all of those fans would only see Yukino face a crushing defeat on the grandest stage of her career.

The white-haired girl felt the tingling sensation as Gabriel's hands drifted lower still, running between her legs. When she felt the pressure of her fingertips - just firm enough to make her presence known - against the very edges of her pelvis, it made Yukino's heart skip a beat, and every muscle went tense. It didn't hurt - if anything, it felt good - and yet, it was precisely the fact that Gabriel had Yukino hopeless and defenseless in her clutches, where she could so easily manipulate every thought and move she took, that truly chilled the idol to the bone. Yukino was trapped. She had become little more than a canvas for Gabriel to work her magic over - and as her knees began to knock against each other from around Gabriel's interposing leg, those realizations were creeping in, all too real and too stinging to deny.

At last, Yukino knew she had no other option. She was on the ropes; she should have been let free, per the rules of the match. If she lasted out long enough for the ref to count, she could well have Gabriel disqualified. She wasn't even in the worst pain she'd faced in this match, and Gabriel's hold wasn't as tight as it could have been. Yet, Yukino still knew, in the depths of her heart, that she had lost. Any victory she could take back from here would've been hollow in the face of what came before it. If she had been reduced to such a lowly and demeaning position, in front of everyone, she didn't know how she could possibly come back from this...

Sucking in a breath, Yukino finally spoke. Her voice was soft; barely above an exhale. But, as her head rolled back and her face grew red, she let it out, amidst her pants. "Y-You are...Gabriel..." The question was...for Gabriel, would it be enough?