How Do You Like Me Now, Eh?

Taylor stood in the aisle with her arms folded while she watched the rest of what turned out to be halfway between a grappling clinic and a bear attack. The only hitch was right after the tall, mouthy jerk-off backstage was talking shit about Cassie, the tables turned and it looked like her opponent was going to put a beating on her. The next time Taylor looked up, Cassie was back in control and doing what she did best. She wasn't surprised at all when the bell rang and Cassie was the only one standing.

"Good job, Bear," Taylor said to herself, and made her way backstage so she could catch her little Canadian friend on her way out of the arena.

Her face lit up the moment she saw the first hint of that bright orange hair. "Stone cold killer, dude!" She rushed Cassie and lifted her off the floor with a bearhug that would've made Akashi proud. "You just put the whole rest of the roster on notice, man, and made it look easy!"

"Thanks Taylor," Cassie squeezed out through Taylor's death grip.

When the blonde put Cassie back on the floor, she finally noticed the other two who had followed Cassie back. Her smile hardened and turned confrontational. "How 'bout you, Cupcake?" She said to Kia. "You got anything else to say?"

Cassie smiled apologetically, but Taylor stepped between her and the other two. "Taylor, it's okay..." She said softly.

As they were leaving the Arena Kia would hardly speak. She was thinking deeply about something. There was something in her mind that didn't add up. Something about this match doesn't add up. Cassie isn't the sort of person to agree to this kind of match. She is way to kind and caring to actually agree to it. If that is true then it means, and its entirely plausible that someone put Cassie upto it, or perhaps forced her to do it. Was it management? Nah... They wouldn't do something like that. Would they? The small group carried on walking. Toshiko was busy focusing on trying to recover, every now and again she would struggle to make a breath because of her aching chest.

As they turned around both Kia and Toshiko would lift their heads up to see the image of Taylor essentially bearhugging Cassie. It was at that moment Kia believed she found the last price of the puzzle. The usual loud mouthed Toshiko would stay silent, keeping an eye on Taylor as she spoke. Kia on the other hand had found some rather strange confidence
"I do actually, and before you ask its not sorry" Kia would walk forward until she was right infront of Taylor, also looking and acting confrontational. "You were the one who set Cassie up to fight Toshiko. You watched her videos and heard the interview and was convinced she would fall against a submission artist. You couldn't beat Toshiko on your own because she is a better hardcore fighter than you! So you convinced Cassie to phone up and end up provoking Toshiko into a fight you cold hearted bitch!

Taylor craned her neck back and screwed up her brows in shock and disbelief over what she'd just heard. "Wow, dude," she said. "Your girl picks a fight she can't win, so now you think it's some kind of conspiracy? Let me break it down for you- Cassie is way better. There's a big difference between thinking you're hot shit, and earning your spot."

"Taylor, we don't need to-"

"The sooner you little ducklings come to grips with where you actually rank here, the sooner you can stop acting like little bitches and actually put in some work- uff!"

Taylor was stopped short when Cassie sharply elbowed her in the ribs. She looked at the redhead, rubbing her side, and decided she didn't need to push it.

"No one told me to call. I was listening to the radio, and my family has owned a jiujitsu school since before I was born. I just wanted to show what we could do," Cassie explained.

Usually Kia would back down, admit that she was wrong, or maybe there was a mistake, but for once Kia was standing her ground "But it makes perfect sense though. You knew that Toshiko would be a better hardcore fighter than you, afterall she is growing and getting stronger and it is clear you have already reached your peak and have started the decent down into nothingness. With you feeling threatened by her growing strength you decided to try and demoralise her so that she would stop getting stronger" Kia would get closer into Taylors face. Toshiko would rub her head slightly before speaking

"Look while it might be true that i could possibly take Taylor on i don't think someone like Taylor could ever come up with a plan that elaborate. If it was Taylor it would involve a Backstage ambush"

"Are you sure? I mean look at her, even i could take her, and i have only had one Hardcore Match"

"Beating Liberty in a Pit Match, regardless of how brutal it was does not mean that you can take on someone else. Just like submission training Hardcore training takes time and work. It is not just about throwing punches"

"Bullshit, that is all what Hardcore fights are, just punching and kicking one another and occasionally using weapons until someone is pretty much in hospital, sounds just like the sorta stuff that you do Tosh" Toshiko would sigh. It was very rare for Kia to ever get like this, however when she did she was dangerous and refused to back down. The last time she had gotten herself into that mood was back when Toshiko and Kia first met Kira for the first time and the end results were far from ideal or pretty.

Taylor and Cassie watched Kia and Toshiko discuss the matter amongst themselves, and glanced at each other. Taylor held up a finger, and Cassie tilted her head.

"You better watch your step," Taylor gave Kia a little shove on the shoulder to get her attention back. "I don't even know who the fuck this chick is, and this might come as a shock but I don't care, either. There are only a few people here I worry about, and you kids aren't on the list."

"Taylor wouldn't do any of that," Cassie spoke up. "And neither would I."

"Yeah, if I wanted to demoralize this chick, I'd do it in the ring."

Cassie sighed, and took Kia's hand in hers. "I know you're upset because your friend didn't win, but I promise it was just friendly competition." She gave Toshiko an almost apologetic look. "I started jiujitsu when I was three. I've had very good instruction for my whole life. I'm really good. I've even got experience in pro wrestling now. It's really okay to lose."

"Yeah, for real..." Taylor said. She had been training with Cassie and working on her submissions for a long time, and she still couldn't even begin to understand all the ways in which Cassie's grappling was better. It made training everything else that much sweeter.

"I know you'd beat me up in a kickboxing match, but you can't punch when you're on your back, and if you can't stop someone like me from putting you there, you'll never get the chance to punch," Cassie's voice took on an instructional tone that came straight from her dad. She wagged her finger at Toshiko. "So train hard!"

"Ya see Taylor, i don't beleive you. While you might not of been responsible i still think you wouldn't get into the ring and fight her, hell you wouldn't even fight me, like i said before you are past your prime and sliding down. Cassie, if i was you i would drop this dead weight, you are going into your prime zone now, i can see that. Hell you are most likely the strongest out of us four. But Taylor, she is just dead weight" Kia would shove Taylor back in the shoulder, but this time use both her arms to do so. Toshiko would just listen to Cassie and would hold her hands and move her away a bit, giving both Taylor and Kia some space.

"I know, and i understand. It is Kia who doesn't Cassie, let us just leave them a give them some space. Let Kia make her own mistakes. If i have to keep saving her then she is never going to grow... But yeah, i know you are right. I am working on my defence and i hope one day i will be able to escape off the mat, but for now i have to stick to what i know. Now Kia on the other hand. She has more potential than me. She can already get out of those sort of holds and I am teaching her how to punch better. I think It should be Kia you are more worried about, not me Cassie"

Taylor stumbled a couple steps back from the shove. She grinned and shook her head at Kia. This bitch was really asking for it.

"But you need the most work!" Cassie said. "Nobody is going to just be nice and not tap you out just because you don't like it. You have to be able to defend yourself here."

"Yeah, like this bitch is going to find out if she's not careful," Taylor said, without taking her eyes off of Kia. "You have no idea how ridiculous you sound, do you? Do you have any idea who I am? Do you need to pull out your phone and check me out on youtube? You're in so far over your head I feel bad for you, Pipsqueak. Why don't you be a good girl and take your friend home before she faints again."

Cassie looked from Toshiko to Kia to Taylor and back. She gave a nervous smile as a sort of peace offering.

"SHE DIDN'T FAINT YOU BITCH!" Kia had finally snapped. She lashed out with a clenched fist and threw a punch to Taylors face, aiming for the right cheek. "AND i don't care who the fuck you are. Your image is nothing, it's just what the outside world perceive you as, just because every sees you as some sort of Hardcore veteran who should be feared, doesn't mean your actually just a pussy who got luck in most of matches because she was fighting against sluts and not true Hardcore fighters"

Toshiko would grip onto Cassies hand when Kia mad her move. She didn't want Cassie trying to break them up. "Just let her vent. She has been brewing in anger for a while and it was inevitable it was going to blow up. It is better vented here than in the ring, at least there are no cameras here. Besides, Kia might actually do some damage if she remembers her training. Yeah, this could be her test. See if she has actually learned something" Toshiko would beam a smile at Cassie "Wanna go grab some popcorn so we can watch the event?"

Taylor wasn't the least bit surprised when Kia threw a punch. It was a bitch move. Her hand snapped across faster than the eye could follow and forcefully smacked Kia's punch aside like it was no big deal. She slid her right foot slightly back, her knees bent almost imperceptibly. If that's how this chick wanted to play it, Taylor would end it quick.

"You keep saying that word," Taylor grinned, not breaking eye contact for a second. "I don't think you know what it means. I guess Iron Maiden was just a slut to you? I don't hit people with chairs, so no, I'm not that kind of hardcore. But you're gonna find out what kind of damage I can do all by myself if you keep acting like a little bitch. Take a walk. Go fuckin' dry your eyes, little princess, don't make your friend carry you home."

Cassie's wide green eyes were fixed on the Taylor and Kia and their war of words. She tensed when Kia threw her punch, ready to jump in, but Toshiko caught her. "Let go of me Toshiko," she said. "I'm serious."

Kia's eyes grew wide when suddenly Taylor managed to slap her punch away like it was nothing. Kia would drop down into her own fighting stance, bending her own knees "I am not a fucking princess!" Kia would try to attack again this time she would lunge forward and try to openly clothesline Taylor in the chest. ,hoping that the surprise from the attack and the force of the lunge could at least be enough to get Taylor onto the floor to prove a solid point to the the so called veteran fighter.

"Just let them both vent it out Cassie" Toshiko wouldn't let go of Cassie, but she didn't tighten her grip, instead she would tighten and straighten her own arm to try and restrict Cassie's movements slightly. The last thing she needed was Cassie lunging herself on Kia in the middle of a attack from Taylor. "Neither of them will learn if you keep going in there and trying to settle it. Just let them do whatever and then be there for Taylor at the end. Sides, i don't think you or me and in a condition to get involved Ya?"