Worrying About the Future

"Umm... o-okay," Yukina nodded as she stood up, still holding the snowman plush. She would then do what her friend instructed, tilting her head back and squinting her eyes. "Oh, umm..." she squinted her eyes a little too much, and she opened them up a bit more. Then, Haruna said that the plushie didn't make her look intimidating, and she blushed when Haruna told her to put Michelangelo-kun down. "Oh, s-sorry..."

When everything seemed alright, Yukina listened to what she needed to say from Haruna. "C-condescending? Umm..." she cleared her throat and then said in the most condescending tone she could muster. "You really think you can defeat me?" Yukina said in cold, icy tone, as if she was addressing a lowlife.

She remained silent for a few seconds as she kept that cold look before she deflated. "Umm... how about it, Haruna-chan?" Yukina asked.

Haruna hadn't expected Yukina to deliver such a convincing performance but standing there in her kimono and holding a dignified posture gave the girl a very royal aura about her. Haruna sat stunned and an icy chill ran up her spine as Yukina delivered the line she'd been fed. Her voice took on an entirely different cadence, her words cut into Haruna despite being e one who told her what to say.

"W-what!?" Haruna almost jumped off the bed as Yukina returned to her normal self and asked if she had done well, breaking Haruna's trance like state. "Ehhh... th-that was... more effective then I expected." Haruna admitted, rubbing her knees together awkwardly. "You sounded really ho— err, c-cool..." she stuttered. Haruna had been working to rid herself of weird feelings she'd developed for Yukina after their first match and having her friend stand before her wet and in an open top kimono saying dominant phrases wasn't helping!

"C-cool?" Yukina blushed. "Umm... t-thank you..." she said as she brought her hands to her cheeks, feeling embarrassed upon being called cool by her friend. "S-still... it's quite hard to maintain that demeanor. I..." she looked down as she brought her hand to her ample chest. "I don't think I can keep that up..."

She then looked at Haruna inquiringly as she grabbed Michelangelo-kun and hugged him like a security blanket. "So, what should I do about this? I... I don't know if I can act like that in front of the crowd and in the ring. W-what if they don't take me seriously?" Yukina asked, sounding worried over not being taken seriously by everyone if she decided to be, as one might put it, more bitchy.

Haruna tapped her chin as she tried to think of a way to answer Yuki's question. She had had fun making the Kimono clad girl act for her but it seemed Haruna was getting more out of it than Yuki. "Hmmm..." It was strange to see Yuki in such a state. she always seemed unaffected by her situation and Haruna couldn't help but wonder what had caused such a change in her rival. "Maybe I could be more helpful if you explained what brought this up. beside the online forum's, what makes you think you need to change?" Haruna would ask. Honestly, she liked Yuki just the way she was.

Hearing Haruna's question reminded Yukina of her devastating defeat in the hands of Gwendolyn DuPont Bettercourt some days ago. It was something that she'd rather not think about, but the match had left quite a profound effect upon her as a person and as a wrestler. "W-well... let me switch on my laptop first..." she said before she went to her desk and opened her laptop. After switching it on, Yukina would open an internet browser and go to AFW official website. She would take several minutes searching for the recording of her match with Gwendolyn in the archive before she found it.

"Here..." Yuki said after clicking the video, looking at her friend and rival as she directed the screen of her laptop to her. "I figured you should watch this first..." she said, bracing herself for Haruna's reaction to the match.

Yuki pulled up a video on her laptop and Haruna watched as it played. It was a video of Yuki's match against a girl named Gwendolyn something or other and it soon became apparent to Haruna why Yuki was distressed. The video was hard to watch and caused the young rookie's blood to boil as she saw her friend not only beaten, but completely humiliated by her pompous opponent. "Tch," Haruna clicked her tongue several times during the video trying not to scream out at the screen as Gwendolyn belittled Yuki's personality. as soon as the bell rang, Haruna would slam the laptop shut and stand up.

"That cocky bitch!" Haruna cried out clenching her fist before turning to her friend. "Yuki-chan... Haruna's face was uncharacteristically serious, a righteous fury burned in the Tiger's eye. "You don't have to listen to a thing that woman says, Yukina! She doesn't know a thing about you and I swear on my Tiger mask to find this,
Gwendolyn person and forcing her to retract her words!" Haruna promised, having trouble controlling the volume of her voice. Haruna could not stand unsportsmanlike wrestler's and she could not call herself a good friend if she didn't avenge Yuki's honor!

As expected, Haruna reacted strongly to that. While Yukina was glad that Haruna cared about her, she still couldn't help but believe that Gwendolyn was right regarding her lack of charm and charisma, as well as character. "Haru-chan..." she looked down, feeling slightly conflicted over this. "I understand that you'd be angry, but... in a way, she's right," she looked up, her crimson eyes turning glassy due to tears welling up in them. She still remembered how devastating she felt upon hearing all the barbed words, all the venomous jibes, all the disparaging remarks from that woman. And worst of all, Yukina believed that Gwendolyn was right in her accusation regarding her character.

Yukina was always a shy girl who would rather let her actions speak louder than her words. But, in a stage where those people with larger-than-life attitude would flourish, Yukina's attitude towards wrestling might cost her career if this was to keep up. "I always thought that I'd be alright if I rely on my skills here in AFW, but after fighting her, I realized how insignificant I am, how small I am in the largest scheme of things..." she rubbed her eyes after saying that, drying her teary eyes. "Her words, they hurt me a lot... b-but it doesn't make them any less true..." she admitted that Gwendolyn was right.

"No! I won't stand for this!" Haruna's rage boiled over. seeing The quite and proud Yuki cry sent her over the edge. Despite never personally meeting Gwendolyn, Haruna was sure that she hated the arrogant blonde and would do everything in her power to restore her friend's smile. "A person like that can never be right! I can't accept it!" Haruna would sit down on the bed and embrace her crying friend, cradling the martial artist's head against her chest and petting her blue hair. "you aren't insignificant," Haruna said quietly, having calmed down somewhat. "I think you're great. Are you going to take that awful woman's words over mine?"

When Haruna suddenly hugged her, Yukina let out a startled squeak before she heard what she said. "H-Haru-chan, I... I..." She wanted to come up with something to say, but the words were stuck in her throat. Then, she let out a soft sob before she buried her face into Haruna's shoulder and cried quietly. Her confidence in herself and her self-assurance had been destroyed by that arrogant blueblood, and all she could do was to lament over how she considered Gwendolyn's words to be correct.

"B-but... *sniff* w-what if she's... r-right?" Yukina asked between sobs, her face still buried against Haruna's shoulder. Her tears would stain her clothes due to this. "W-what if I'm really nothing b-but... *sob* a t-talentless neophyte... l-lacking charisma a-and character...?" she recounted what Gwendolyn had called her during their match. Remembering those words never failed to hurt her self-esteem and her confidence in herself.