WARNING: THIS WILL GET DARK. PROCEED WITH CAUTION. READER DISCRETION IS ADVISED.
"Why did we record for that long and that... intimately?" asked the hesitant cameraman who spoke up earlier. The cameramen had since turned off all of their cameras so nothing was being broadcast at that moment.
The most experienced cameraman chimed in.
"It's our job. LAW takes care of the legal stuff. But..." The man paused and stroked his beard a few times.
"It was time to stop. You made the right call, kid."
"Thanks. I'm glad that---"
"I for one don't give a fuck," interrupted one of the other cameramen, the only cameraman to not nod in agreement earlier. The man's voice had a snakelike quality to it and his eyes belied a cruel nature, but this was the first time that his coworkers had heard him utter more than a few words at one time: the man almost always kept to himself, speaking very little.
"If that slut was stupid enough to get into that situation, she deserves whatever happens to her. Not my fault she decided to---"
"That's enough! Go home! Now!" commanded the most experienced cameraman as the rest simply stood there, mouths agape in shock.
"Fine, whatever!" spat the cruel cameraman. The man quickly turned around and began heading in the opposite direction.
"Overly-sensitive cunts..." muttered the man as he stormed down the hallway, camera in hand.
-----
"It's okay now, you're safe," reassured Yukina as she gently touched Miria's shoulder. Miria was lying on her side, curled up, sandwiched between Yukina's jacket and the cold, cruel floor. Tears streamed down Miria's face as she continually let out despaired wails. But all Yukina could do was offer some minor consolation and wait for help to arrive.
Then, the sound of high heels clacking on the floor echoed throughout the hallway. A woman dressed in a punk-rock style but sporting a white doctor's coat rounded the corner and began approaching Miria and Yukina. Behind the woman were two lines consisting of security guards each with one line on each side of the woman.
reassured the woman soothingly as she made eye contact with Miria who had a look of relief on her face.
"I'm with the LAW medical team. My name is Doctor Ta---"
Suddenly, the cameraman who stormed off earlier rounded the corner on the opposite end of the hallway to where the doctor had entered. All eyes in that hallway immediately turned to look at the cameraman, who appeared to be recording. However, a few moments later, the focus would shift yet again.
"Now, let me see the patient," commanded the punk-rock doctor bluntly, breaking the silence. Her tone of voice made it clear that her statement was a command rather than a request. Wasting no time, she quickly pushed her way past Yukina and squatted down next to Miria. Immediately, her hand grabbed Yukina's jacket and yanked it off of Miria, exposing Miria's body to the world once again.
"W-why?!" cried Miria as she tried to cover herself.
"Why did you do that?!"
"Good. Patient is responsive and coherent," remarked the punk-rock doctor. Then, without skipping a beat, the doctor asked,
"Your condition. How is it?"
"Wait... wha?"
"Let me put it differently: how are you feeling?"
"I... ummm... well... okay, but extremely tired."
"Understood. Any pains?"
"Ummm... ah... no, I'm o-okay..." Miria began bawling yet again. She felt like nothing more than a physical form being examined in a lab, being violated once again---the only difference was that the punk-rock doctor's actions were ostensibly intended to help Miria. Miria had heard of the concept of the "medical gaze" before but somehow, the way she was being treated seemed to transcend even that.
"The patient is fine," stated the punk-rock doctor to no one in particular.
"No prior history noted in her records. Cursory examination reveals no abnormalities." The punk-rock doctor gestured behind her.
"It's obvious that this is just a case of exhaustion. Give the patient the electrolyte sports drinks I brought," ordered the doctor to one of the security guards.
The security guard slowly approached and dropped a six-pack of LAW-branded electrolyte sports drinks next to Miria before standing up.
"Looks like the patient will not be contributing to LAW's mortality statistic---unless, of course, the patient has a secret undiagnosed brain aneurysm that suddenly decides to rupture. Then it's a permanent field trip to the morgue." After briskly turning around, the doctor began to walk away, her high heels making an audible clacking noise with each step she took.
"Hold on!" yelled Yukina, clearly upset.
"Your bedside manner is utterly horrible! I find it hard to believe that anyone with that attitude made it out of residency! No decent doctor would talk that way in front of someone they are treating!"
The punk-rock doctor froze for a moment. The tip of her tongue brushed over her lips before gently biting her lower lip. Then, as if catching herself, her face quickly returned to normal.
"If the treatment works, what difference does patient satisfaction make?" stated the punk-rock doctor without even bothering to look back at Yukina.
"A lot, actu---"
"None. As long as I am cordial enough to wring out the necessary information, as long as make the patient better, it does not matter how my 'bedside manner' is."
"Hold it!" yelled Yukina as the punk-rock doctor slipped around the corner and out of sight.
"What is your name?!
"Doctor Takemi. Takemi Tae, shouted Tae from around the corner. The security guards followed the doctor and soon there were only three people in that hallway. The hallway would once again fall silent for about a minute, save for the sound of Miria's soft sobs.
WARNING: Things get really dark after this point. Proceed with caution. Reader discretion is advised.
NOTE: The stuff below is NOT intended to be erotic.
Suddenly, Miria yelled out panicked cries of protest.
"No! What are you...?! Stop!" cried Miria as she tried desperately to cover herself by curling up into a ball and lying on her side. The cruel cameraman had approached Miria and was invasively filming her from all sorts of angles. Miria's arms were wrapped tightly around her breasts, shielding them from view.
"What are you---" roared Yukina before she was cut off.
The cruel cameraman spat back,
"Shut up! I'm just doing my job. You know, gathering footage. 'Cause I'm a cameraman?" The cameraman skirted around Miria and began pointing his camera at Miria's womanhood which was peeking out from between her legs. Immediately, Miria moved one of her hands to cover her nethers.
"Stop! Leave me be!" begged Miria as she feebly tried to crawl away.
You better move those hands, or else---
Suddenly, the glass doors leading to the outside swung open, revealing a relatively unassuming woman wearing a brown leather jacket. The woman was taller than average, fit, and had white hair that had a slight blue-gray tint to it. Then, walking towards the cameraman, the woman said
"So, what's happening here?"
snapped the man.
I'm a cameraman, doing my job. Now fuck off."
"But the match is over and the live stream cut off."
"Oh yeah? Well not everything makes it to air, you stupid bitch," barked the cameraman as his left hand moved to grab the hand that Miria was using to cover her womanhood. Suddenly, the woman sprung forward, closing the remaining distance and grabbing onto the cameraman's forearm before he could touch Miria.
"Come on, the match is over. Can you not see that she does not want to be filmed?" The woman's voice had an ominous edge to it as she glared directly at the cameraman. For a moment, a bit of fear flashed through the cameraman's eyes, but it was quickly replaced with rage.
"What part of 'it's my job' and 'I'm a cameraman' do you not understand? Stupid bitch, as they all are. Go suck a---"
"And what part of---"
"Don't fucking interrupt me!" screamed the man with a deranged look in his eyes, his back completely turned to the woman as he continued to leer at Miria's nude form.
"I have every goddamn right to record this dirty whore's body! This bitch signed a fucking LAW contract, so her body is public fucking domain! Free for public use by---"
"SHUT THE FUCK UP!" roared the woman as her grip on the cameraman's arm became painfully tight.
"YOU DON'T TREAT HUMANS IN THAT FUCKING MANNER, YOU---"
CRASH! The sound of shattering glass and breaking plastic echoed throughout the hallway as the cameraman's camera hit the floor. With his right hand now free, the cameraman spun around, throwing a wild punch aimed right at the woman's jaw!
But the punch never found its mark. Instead, the woman used her grip on the cameraman's left arm to pull him slightly off-balance, causing the punch to miss its target by almost a meter. Feeling the woman pulling on his arm, the man tried to yank his arm in the opposite direction, but by that time, the woman had already positioned herself behind him. An instant later, the woman had casually shoved the man away from Miria.
The man stumbled forward before tripping onto the floor below. He quickly scrambled to his feet and turned to glare at the woman. His eyes were filled with bitter malice as his right hand reached into his pocket to grab something.
"Claire! Watch out!" yelled Yukina as she finally snapped out of her shock.
"He might have a---"
Before Yukina could finish her statement, Claire had already rushed in. Seeing Claire rapidly advancing on him, the man fumbled with the item in his pocket and it fell out, clattering on the floor---it was a folding knife that had not yet been opened. Upon realizing he had lost his weapon, the man threw a desperate left hook at Claire, only for it to meet air. By that time, Claire had already lowered her level and grabbed the man's legs. An instant later, the man was off the ground, his center of gravity directly over Claire's shoulder. Then, before the man could even begin struggling, Claire slammed the man to the ground.
The man's head hit the ground with a dull thud, knocking him out instantly. What followed was a flurry of grappling that ended with Claire being behind the man, her feet hooked around the inside of the man's thighs, and her arms applying a rear naked choke to the man. Claire's arms squeezed around the man's neck as if trying to pop the man's head like a balloon.
"Claire! Control yourself!" yelled Yukina with desperation in her voice. Yukina was not sure how far Claire would go but she knew that Claire could act impulsively at times.
"Don't worry. I won't kill him," said Claire as she loosened the choke. Claire tried to talk in a reassuring tone but her anger was still noticeable in her voice.
"The stuff this bastard said does not sit well with me. For a number of reasons." Claire's voice gradually became calmer as she spoke.
"I can tell you more lat---"
"Fuckin' whore! Go back to sucking co---"
"Silence," hissed Claire as she reapplied the choke. At that moment, Claire's face showed an expression that was more irritated than angry.
"Yukina, call security. I do not want to hold onto this... person for longer than I need to."
As if on cue, ten security guards came running out.
"Apologies for the delay. We came back as fast as we could," stated the leader of the group. Immediately, three security guards approached Claire and the cameraman. Claire was promptly relieved of her restraining duty and the cameraman was placed in handcuffs. After the cameraman was taken off of Claire's hands, Claire walked towards Miria.
The Cruel Cameraman got arrested but was later released on bail. While he was out on bail, he attempted to sexually-assault a woman in a stairwell. However, he was unsuccessful in his attempt as the woman managed to keep him at bay. Some people heard the commotion and came out to investigate and upon hearing the people approaching, the man tried to run away. In the process, the man tripped and fell headfirst down the stairs. His head slammed into one of the steps, resulting in a fatal subdural hematoma.
said Claire in a soft voice as she knelt down beside Miria.
"You've had a really rough time, I can tell." Claire began taking her leather jacket off.
"Can you sit up?"
"Y-yeah..." squeaked Miria as she slowly sat up. Claire finished removing her jacket and gently placed it over Miria's shoulders, giving Miria a sense of relief as her body was shielded from the outside world for the first time in what seemed like hours. Then, Claire grabbed one of the sports drinks that the doctor had left earlier.
"Here," offered Claire as she unscrewed the cap on the drink.
"You must be thirsty." With weak, shaking arms, Miria grabbed onto the drink with both of her hands and began to drink. Within about ten seconds, the bottle was completely empty.
"Wow!" exclaimed Claire, mildly impressed at how quickly Miria had finished the drink.
"That's impressive. The fight must have taken a lot out of you, huh?"
"It wasn't much of a fight," mumbled Miria as her eyes began to water once more.
"I was pretty weak... and all I did was cry afterwards..." Fresh tears began pouring down Miria's face as she began shaking.
"I'm so pathetic! Weak! All those other women take it so well but I... I am just a doll to be humiliated and abused, just so that the fans can have something to think about when they jerk off at night!" Torrents of sorrow began freely flowing down Miria's face as her body tensed up.
"IT'S LIKE I'M NOT EVEN FUCKING HUMAN!"
Claire's arms immediately wrapped around Miria, pulling the suffering woman in close. No words were exchanged, but Claire held Miria tightly, gently stroking Miria's hair. Miria sobbed and wailed into Claire's chest, and Claire merely sat there, perfectly content to be used as a source of comfort.
"You're not weak," whispered Claire. "You went through a lot. A lot of women would also cry in your position. And..." Claire's voice trailed off and she paused for a moment. "[REDACTED]"
"I... I see... [REDACTED]?"
Claire hesitated for a moment before answering. "[REDACTED]"
Miria's eyes grew wide with shock. "But... that would mean that---"
Claire shrugged.
"Who's to say I'm actually strong? I'm probably not as strong as you think."
"But you dealt with that... man like it was nothing. And you lived through... you know..."
"Well, I had training so there's that. And the amount of hardship that people can live through is astonishing," Claire explained.
"But... it does help to have a goal to focus on during tough situations. And to relentlessly pursue that goal."
"What sort of goals did you have?" asked Miria as she removed her head from Claire's chest and looked into Claire's eyes.
"Back then, it was survival. These days, it's been to protect others. And..." Claire paused for a moment, unsure if she wanted to say what she had in mind.
"And... to hurt those who hurt others," admitted Claire as she looked at the floor, unable to meet Miria's gaze.
"Of course, that's bad. I really should have more control."
For a few moments, there was an awkward silence. Then, Miria reached out and gave Claire a hug. After getting over her initial surprise, Claire hugged Miria back.
"You're a good person. Please don't forget that," whispered Miria.
"Thanks," said Claire with a smile as her eyes began to water a little.
"Thank you." Claire patted Miria on the back a few times before saying
"See? You're pretty tough---you're already bouncing back!"
"It still hurts though..."
"Yeah, it takes a while for that to fade. But anyways, you're not letting things keep you down! A lot of people wouldn't be willing or able to hold a conversation like this." Claire patted Miria on the head.
"And you know what else? You fought like hell out there tonight. And even when it appeared that you had been broken, you still managed to pull yourself up and fight."
Miria's tears began flowing once more but this time they were not tears of bitter sadness---instead, they were tears of thankfulness.
Th-thank you," squeaked Miria, her tears once again wetting Claire's shirt. The two women silently embraced for a while before being interrupted.
"I'm sorry to interrupt but the police need both of your testimonies for their report," interrupted Yukina.
"Sure, just let me get up." Miria tried to climb to her feet but her limbs were visibly shaking, struggling to lift Miria off of the ground.
"Hey! Easy! Easy! Rest a little!" interjected Claire as she gently put her hand on Miria's shoulder to prevent Miria from getting up. Then, turning to Yukina, Claire stated
"She's tired. This can be done tomorrow. Let her rest."
Yukina sighed before turning to Claire.
"Alright, Miria can give hers later. You on the other hand can---"
"---stay with Miria and take care of her," said Claire, finishing Yukina's sentence.
Another sigh left Yukina's lips.
"Alright. Then that means I'll be calling you tomorrow to remind you."
Claire laughed and gave Yukina a sheepish smile: when it came to getting tasks done, Claire was not always the most focused or timely. Yukina was well-aware of this fact.
Suddenly, the sound of a wheelchair rolling could be heard.
"Apologies for interrupting. I have a wheelchair and a clean change of clothes for Miria," announced Tae as she rolled into sight.
"Sorry I didn't make it here soo---"
"You again," hissed Yukina. It was the doctor from earlier with the poor bedside manner. Immediately, Tae's eyes turned towards the ground.
"I apologize for my earlier actions. They were inappropriate," admitted Tae quietly as her gaze oscillated between Yukina and Miria. An awkward silence filled the air.
The silence lasted for what seemed like minutes before being broken.
"Oh, hey Dr. Takemi," greeted Claire, breaking the silence as she got to her feet and began walking towards the wheelchair.
"Remember me? You gave me a physical when I first started in LAW."
"I do remember you, Claire. Claire Thomas, age twenty-two, birthday November 14th," recited Tae. Claire grabbed the spare clothes off of the wheelchair and began walking back towards Miria. Suddenly, a slight mischievous grin spread across Tae's face.
"Bust-waist-hip measurements are---"
"Hey! No need to tell them that!" protested Claire as she started to laugh.
"You... know her?" asked Miria with slight hesitation in her voice.
"Yeah. I was her first patient at LAW. She's signed on as both a doctor and a wrestler," answered Claire as she handed the clothes to Miria.
"Here you go. Let me know if you need any help getting dressed," said Claire before giving Miria's nose an affectionately playful boop.
Then, Claire headed towards the broken camera from earlier. She knelt down and inspected it: the camera seemed dead and did not appear to be recording.
"Hey Dr. Takemi, it's most likely off. So don't worry."
"At this point, that is of little import. It should not matter to me," said Tae in a distant manner.
"And please call me Tae. That way, I won't be confused with the other Dr. Takemi."
"Sure. Tae's easier to say anyways. Anyways, are they still pushing you as 'Miss Death'?"
"Unfortunately, yes," replied Tae, her eyes downcast.
"Miria and..."
"Yukina," said Yukina and Claire in unison.
"Yes. They can attest to that, unfortunately."
Claire thought for a moment before coming to a realization.
"I think I understand what happened now." Claire pulled her foot back as if she was going to kick the camera but then paused.
"Anyways, if you want, I can bust up this camera and make sure that footage of you is destroyed. It's your call, Miria."
"That footage can be used as evidence, you know," interjected Yukina.
"Oh. Right. Still your call though, Miria."
"It's okay... you don't have to do that," mumbled Miria.
"I'd rather see that man brought to justice anyways. Plus which, there's plenty of footage of me out there already." Tears began to stream down Miria's face, albeit with less intensity than before. Immediately, Claire rushed over to the now fully-clothed Miria and gave her a hug.
After about a minute, Miria spoke up and said
"We should probably get home. Thanks for everything." Miria began trying to get to her feet but was visibly struggling.
"Would you like some help?" asked Claire. Miria nodded yes and Claire immediately lifted Miria up and put her on the wheelchair.
"You know, you're welcome to stay at my place for the night."
"That would be nice," replied Miria with a smile on her face.
"Although... added Miria as a slight look of guilt came across her face.
"Although I don't want to intrude... and it's not like I've met you before..."
"I understand," said Claire in a soft voice. Claire did feel a little disappointed but she managed to not let her disappointment show.
"But I would like to talk to someone. And you're a good person, at least as far as I can tell. If it's alright with you, I would like to stay with you."
"Sure thing!" A kind smile spread across Claire's face.
"And don't worry, I'll sleep on the couch and you can sleep in my bed." Claire picked up her leather jacket and put it back on. Then, she picked up the electrolyte sports drinks.
"If I may interrupt, I can drive everyone home if needed," Tae chimed in.
"I have a car and a license."
No one there felt like taking public transportation to get back home, and everyone there welcomed the privacy that private transportation afforded. Claire immediately agreed to Tae's offer but Yukina and Miria hesitated as they remembered how Tae had acted earlier. However, both of them had managed to roughly piece together what had been going on earlier with Tae. Because of that, Yukina and Miria eventually agreed to ride with Tae, albeit not without slight reservations.
-----
Four women exited the LAW arena and stepped out into the cold night air. A skinny woman with bluish-black hair and wearing a short black dress with a doctor's coat over it was leading the group. Behind her was Yukina who wore a neutral expression and had her arms wrapped around her body in an attempt to keep warm. Further behind was a white-haired woman with amethyst-colored eyes who pushing a wheelchair while smiling. In the wheelchair sat Miria, fully-clothed and appearing to be in good spirits.
"After you've regained your strength, feel free to take a nice, long shower," said the white-haired woman to Miria.
"The shower at my apartment is really nice, a lot fancier than what you'd find at most other apartments."
"Thanks Claire," whispered Miria with a smile. After such a long and grueling match, Miria welcomed the opportunity to rest a little.
"Oh, and just so you know, Ayame likes to masturbate in the shower so her showers are usually very long," explained Claire.
"If Ayame hogs the shower, let me know and I'll tell her to stop pleasuring herself and hurry up."
"Oh. Hehe." Miria laughed and imagined Claire literally dragging a naked woman out of the shower. Immediately, Miria's face flushed red, embarrassed that she would even imagine that.
"By the way, feel free to stay for as long as you like," offered Claire.
"Thanks. And... if it's not too much to ask, could you teach me how to fight?"
Claire was a little surprised at that request. Then, with a smile, Claire replied,
"Sure thing. But it won't be easy and you won't become good overnight."
"I know. I'm willing to work hard though!"
"That's the spirit! But rest for now---worry about training later, okay?"
"Okay," agreed Miria with a smile on her face.
Eventually, the group arrived at a midnight-black SUV. The vehicle was quite imposing and appeared to be on the higher-end when it came to cars. The black-haired woman pushed a button on her key fob and the car immediately came to life.
Claire whistled in awe.
"Damn, Tae. That's a nice car---and a big one too! Much bigger than its owner," teased Claire.
"Perks of being a LAW employee, I guess," said Tae dismissively.
"Besides, the extra space isn't for me---it's for all the dead bodies I produce."
"I see why they want you to be 'Miss Death'," joked Claire.
"But aren't doctors supposed to heal their patients?"
"Well, if you have good malpractice insurance then that's a moot point."
Yukina rolled her eyes in irritation. She knew that doctors often made dark jokes behind-the-scenes as a way to cope but joking that way in front of patients was unprofessional---then again, this was not a clinical setting. Despite that, Tae's behavior still bothered Yukina.
It only took a few minutes for Claire and Miria to get situated in the backseat area. Afterwards, as Tae was climbing into the car to get into the driver's seat, Yukina put her hand on Tae's shoulder.
"Thank you for all that you've done. But..." Yukina took a deep breath.
"You should maybe lay off that sort of humor."
For a moment, Tae was too stunned to speak, but she quickly regained her composure.
"Thank you. I will keep that in mind." Tae's face was grim and sorrowful.
"And don't look so grim," said Yukina with a kind smile on her face.
"You still helped us out a ton."
"Understood," replied Tae, her face looking slightly less sad than before. Afterwards, the remaining two women, Yukina and Tae, entered into the car, and the group drove off.
