Demon's Revelation (Reiko and...)

[dlamp]

"I-It's fine, Gil-san, really I..." To Gil's credit, she got off Reiko almost immediately, even offering a hand. And for a moment Reiko was still, looking American over. She was... tall. A lot taller than Reiko thought she'd be all things consider. From what she knew of Gil she honestly expected the girl to be a lightweight, but even when seeing footage of her the thought of her height just didn't register. And the second thing Reiko noticed were the tears.

She was... crying. Crying for Reiko of all people. "Gil-san..." Gil tried to hide it, to her credit. She straightened up her face, tried to play it off and ask Reiko other questions. And Reiko watched as she fumbled about the shore grabbing shelling to take both her and Reiko's mind of things, but... she cracked. Almost immediately after lowering the shells Gil was fighting the tears again.

And honestly, it was hard for Reiko to keep a straight face herself.

"C-C'mon Gil, it wasn't that bad..." A lie. An obvious one at that. Even Reiko knew her voice quivered at that sentence. That lost... and the ruthless aftermath... that wasn't something that could just be shaken off, even if she gave a brave face. With Lunar and Hitomi it wasn't brought up too much. But... Gil's tears were making Reiko stare down the memory right in the face. "I, uh... It was... a close match..." She bit her lower lip, forcing a neutral expression. "I mean, hey... you had a rough time with Rose too. Things just... happen..." She forced a wry smile, bumping shoulders with the taller girl. "I... I got a good few punches in for you and Makishima-sensei. Y-Y'know, if it makes you feel better." She said those words as casually as her shaky voice could manage, but they were more directed at Reiko herself than Gil.

[Arista]

No matter how much Gil tried to turn attention onto something else, and how much Reiko said it wasn't a big deal, they both knew otherwise... Gil could hardly stomach the whole thing, watching the match had her biting her nails all the way through, and by the time it was over, Gil had to turn the other way, she just couldn't watch as Rose did... Everything that she did to her friend...

"Yeah... Yeah...!" Gil's voice cracked as she sniffled some more, she tried with everything she had to hold back the dam from breaking, but she was too emotional in general to not let loose, this was the same girl who cried if one of her stuffed animals went missing, the same girl who would cry if it rained on a day she planned to go out, she just wasn't built to endure that kind of thing...!

SMACK.

Gil took both her hands to her face, smacking her cheeks hard and smashing her face together for a moment. "...I'll be strong, for you, Amano...!" Gil smiled, her eyes still showed just how hurt she was. "She's a real tough girl, you know...? I'm glad you got a few jabs in for me, but you know, that was all you out there, no-one else could have given her that fight, I mean, I would have crumbled within thirty-seconds...!" Gil laughed, softly. "...I'm proud of you, Amano...!"

[dlamp]

Shit. Gil was just barely hang on, and Reiko wasn't doing much better. Both knew better than to immediately break down, but it got harder and harder as the conversation went on. Even as Gil try to smile and claim she'd tough it out her face still showed tears. And Reiko was no better. Her could only bit down on her lip as she watched Gil desperately push back all her emotions as they continued some semblance of casual conversation. "[Th-Thanks![/b]" But the conversation only steered back to the match. And unlike with Lunar and Hitomi, there was no spinning it into something possible. Lunar was a bit of a tease and anomaly that was clearly more interested in Reiko as a person, it was easy to just focus on that to guide the conversation. Hitomi was an obvious fangirl that could only spin things in a positive manner, and her overbearing nature was a decent enough distraction from Reiko's match in full detail.

But Gil... Gil was different.

Almost immediately she knew Reiko was still reeling from all that happened, all that Rose did to her in that match. Hell, Gil experienced a bit of it herself in her own match against the woman. Reiko couldn't brush someone like that off, and Gil couldn't see Reiko's obvious pain and not address. It was... hard to hide it. And just meeting Gil's teary eyes was making it hard to keep her own dry, especially her encouraging words. They stung more than anything. All that encouragement despite everything panged Reiko's heart. "Gil-san..." She forced herself to meet Gil's eyes. "You... Y-You were strong too..." The tears... were starting to come out now. Dammit! Just... just hold it in, Maizono! Just... hold it... it... "When everyone else was just talking a big game and saying how great they were, I saw you doing your best in all your match!" The words were a mix of snarls to hide the sobs behind them. "I... I know don't you, Gil-san, but I see you! Even after Rose beat you, you kept fighting and stuck around, and that a hell of a lot more than what anyone else in this league can say!" She clasped her hands around Gil's shoulders, both encourage and to hid the crumbling support of her own legs. "I'm proud of you too!" Her kneed buckled, leaning forward. No! Keep standing! Stay together! Stay. Together. "Did I... D-Did I..." She felt a wet line roll down her cheek. No. No. No no no n-

"I did even change anything...?"

[Arista]

This was tough, really tough... Gil could hardly hold it together, she bit her bottom lip nearly to the point of drawing blood. Her hands shook, she wanted to feel something other than the overwhelming emotion pouring in right now, she wanted to let it all out, she knew it would make her feel better, but she wanted to, and needed to hold strong, for Amano...

She felt Amano drawing closer and closer to burring out, tears weren't being held back anymore, could anyone blame her? No matter how tough one way, tear were no indicator of weakness, no, quite the opposite... Gil wrapped her arms tightly back around Amano, letting her rest her head on her shoulder. "...Please, don't beat yourself up over it... You did so much better than you could possible know, you kicked her butt..." Gil choked up but remained steady.

"...Did I even change anything...?"

Gil didn't make a sound, but the flood-gates busted open and tear rolled down her face. "...I'm proud of you, Amano... I know it hurts, it's okay for it to hurt, you don't have to be toughing this out alone..." She didn't Amano, even for a second, feel like she was wrong in feeling how she felt, she wanted her to embrace it. "...No-one has come as close as you have at taking her down, don't take that away from yourself... But, it's over, you did what you could, next time, you'll be even stronger, and I promise, you will win..." Gil's voice cracked as she spoke those last words.

[dlamp]

Reiko could feel it. Gil's tears were touching her fingers as she clasped onto the girl's shoulders like a lifeline. A sharp constriction wrapped itself tight around Reiko's chest and heart at Gil's soft and shaky words. And the emotional noose grew tighter and tighter as Gil spoke. She didn't cry out, she didn't embrace Reiko. But... her shaky, cracking voice... the encouragement and intent behind them. "A-..." Reiko tried to speak, but only a small, cracking noise came out, as if her emotions were literally choking her.

"It's okay for it to hurt."

Whatever Gil said next was a blank. The phrase repeated and echoed in Reiko's mind as all other sounds were muted. "A-Aa-" The noose grew tighter. It choked harder. And Reiko clutched tighter onto Gil as if she was all that kept the girl above water. She couldn't even look up, the weight on her back was so heavy. "Aaa... A-A-Aaau..."

And the noose snapped.

"AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAUUUUUUGGHHH!"

Reiko pushed herself right into Gil's chest, screaming out her sorrow and rage. It wasn't even a sob that Reiko let out, the sound was too primal and raw to be something a human would call crying. It was the howl of an animal, one finally allowed to sound it's woeful cry into the night as she wrap her arms around Gil for dear life. The tears finally came out in earnest as burying herself into Gil's chest. Long, ugly heaves from her small chest bucked her whole body at each gargled wail, a sound that likely echoed throughout the entire beach. "I wuz closh!" She garbled out. "I jus' wan'd pe-pul to notish meee!!" She spoke in babbles more than sentences. "I... I... I...!!" Her words were cut off as her emotions forced her back into the wild howls, babbling her mangled thoughts like a mindless child.

[Arista]

Gil held her eyes shut, tight and pulled Amano in just about as tight as she could. The girl was hurting, she knew that much, but this was more than she could see, this was something buried deep down inside of Amano, something she seemed hesitant to show...

It all hurt more than Gil initially though, it was something more, something deeper than just this match it seemed, it was something Amano had been feeling for a while, and maybe this match was only but the boiling-point. "...I notice you, everyone does...!" Gil hiccupped, as tears poured down her face and dripping onto the sand.

"...You stood up to her, you didn't tuck your tail between your legs and run, you faced her and gave her everything you had...! She can take a win away from you, but she can't take away your guts. your drive, everything you have...!" Gil grabbed a fist-full of Amano's shirt, she wanted make everything right, she wanted Amano to know she wasn't merely a stepping stone for Rose, she was a whole darn mountain, and one that Rose had barely began to traverse through...!

Gil wanted to speak with Rose, but she wasn't sure what good it would do anyhow, the woman was more the hell-bent on her ways, her cruelty knew no limits, she was out for blood and lust, she cared not for diplomacy, it least, that's the feeling Gil got...

[dlamp]

With Gil's silent consent through her action, Reiko continued wailing, mindlessly screaming out all the built up pressure and emotions from her body in heavy, painful cries. Now fully embracing Gil, she hugged her in earnest, pushing her body against the taller girl as she the last of the agony drained from her. And as the wild emotions within her died down Reiko could fully take in Gil's encouragement for what it was.

And... they were the words Reiko had prayed to hear.

Inspiring a kouhai like Lunar or a fan like Hitomi was one thing, but for her efforts to reach a fellow rising star like Gil... maybe there was hope. At least one person she could respect as a wrestler and fighter accepted her effort for what it was. Reiko's legs nearly lost their strength again at the relief. Even as Gil took her turn to cry out her own choked up feelings and emotions Reiko supported her, a few tears still left her cheeks. The relief nearly had Reiko in tears again, but she was on steady legs and growing emotion stability. Her legs were still shaky, but she could stand on her own now.

"... ... ..."

"H-Hey, Gil-san..." Reiko loosened her grip on the girl, taking a few shaky steps back. She cried out most of her tears now. And... even if Gil was kind and likely wouldn't judge her for releasing all her emotions, Reiko still had to save face. At least a little. "Can you... do me a favor?"

[Arista]

The two shared a bitter-sweet moment. Reiko was spilling her heart out to Gil, and all she could do was listen and offer her encouragement, she knew her words couldn't heal the hurt that Reiko was feeling, but if she could even just stop the bleeding, she knew things would be alright, and that Reiko would get better, and that's all she wanted for her, she just wanted her to be alright...

The two slowly pulled apart, tears streamed like rivers down Gil's cheeks, she could barely see Amano's face clearly through the fog of her watery eyes. She wiped away her tears only for them to be replaced seconds later. "...Y-y-y..." Gil hiccupped on her words and coughed, though she never made more than a squeak, she was still an emotional wreck, just from the second-hand emotions she got from Reiko...!

She cleared her throat and drew in a deep breath through her nose, puffing out her chest and holding it for a moment, letting it out slowly... "...Y-yes, Amano...?" She spoke with a shake still present. "...Of course, I can do anything for you, just name it, anything in the world...!" Gil's eyes sparkled with the slightest smile, she was willing to break her back if it meant helping Reiko feel better...!

[dlamp]

"Hehe," Reiko forced smiled Gil's way. Even if she was slowly collecting herself, Gil was still crying her eyes out for Reiko. It was almost sweet in a way, honestly made it hard to keep from bawling all over again. But... she stayed together. One blow-up was enough, and Gil served as a nice proxy for her feelings, at least for now. "Right, well I..." She paused a moment, taking a breath to fully collect her. Then, she met Gil's teary eyes, grinning at her.

"I... I want you to fight me." She let the words hang in the air, maintaining the smile on her lips.

And then immediately blushed as she realized the context.

"I-I mean, not right now, but... when we get back to Japan." She corrected. "I know you probably don't think less of me, but... I don't really like showing my soft side to anyone except Kiyo-chan, so..." She looked back a Gil, a sheepish grin on her lips. "You, uh... mind if I gave you a second impression?"

[Arista]

When Gil said she was willing to do anything in the world, she meant it, she knew she couldn't turn-back time for her to try again, but she could do many other things, many things she thought could help Reiko feel better, if only for a moment...!

"...Fight you...?" Gil titled her head, confused at the idea, but immediately shifted her stance to a weak guard, ready to fight. "...I'll do it, anything to make you feel better, so lets do it...!" She cried out, clenching her fists weakly, looking as unthreatening as one possibly could, Gil could hardly stand to hurt anyone seriously in the ring, the chances of her being any kind of a threat outside of it were almost a big fat zero...!

"...Oh..." Gil blushed and loosened her body, standing back up straight. "...Right, I totally understand that!" She smiled, her eyes and cheeks still wet with tears. "...For whatever it's worth, your soft-side isn't a bad thing, it's just as good to feel sad as it is to feel joy, you know? Don't let yourself rot away for feeling anything other than happiness all the time..." Gil smiled softly and clasped her hands in-front of her...!