A Threat Confronted!-The beginning of the end~

The eyes that peered down at Cicilia were far less chilling then they once were, the bright blue eyes widening as the woman in the white dress spoke her acidic words. Each word seems to splash on Cicilia’s consciousness and slowly erode whatever sanity the German tried to cling to. The cool tone of her voice seemed to be meant only for the boxer, her chilling words that caused her foes spine to crawl caressed only Cicilia’s ear drums. Had it been Juno in control, she likely would have tried to fight her way free from the boxer’s insane grip, and failed miserably. The creature in Cicilia’s grip was not so foolish, though she seemed to enjoy the boxer’s trembling.

With very little difficulty, the Nurse had acquired what she needed from her hot-headed foe~

Like the roar of a bear defending its cub, Cicilia’s voiced rocked the world around them. Her anger bubbled up to the top as she dragged the Nurse’s arms against the brick wall, mercilessly lifting the entrapped woman of her feet. Cicilia achieved a small victory in that the Nurse finally dropped the baton…but only after the boxer squeezed her wrists so tight that there was an audible and wet sounding crack. The Nurse’s eye twitched as her wrist seemed to burst into flame…but her smile did not disappear. The smile seemed to promise care and affection, and it never broke despite the pain the was lighting the Nurse’s right wrist on fire.

But what was odd was that she held the baton in her left hand…

The words that erupted from the boxer were like an explosion, the heat of Cicilia’s anger, her power, washed over the Nurse. The sheer fury that washed over her was something few could withstand, the look in her captors’ eyes promising swift but brutal punishment for anyone who would dare challenge her or threaten her family. It was almost enough to make even the Nurse worry about her wellbeing… but her eyes were hardly on Cicilia anymore.

The Nurse was watching the crowd, the passerby’s, the boxer’s own neighbors! All of them were looking at the them now. All of them had heard Cicilia’s threat to kill the woman in the white dress, witnessed the rage she exuded against her captive…only a few members of the crowd were of the original group that witnessed Juno’s weapon…some of them understood Cicilia’s anger, but many more watched as a woman threatened to kill another human being while pinning her against the wall.

The Nurse leaned forward, her shoulders shaking and quaking as if she were absolutely terrified…but the whisper the Nurse hissed was as clear and chipper. Fear, sadness, anger, all of it was devoid from the loving way the Nurse whispered into her enemies’ ear.

“You bruised them, you know… my wrists. There will almost certainly be a nice, clean set of bruises in the shape of your handprints.” There was implication in the Nurse’s tone, and underlying darkness that seemed to hide under that sweetness. “How many of these people are your neighbors? How many of them will start to look at you like a monster because of what we did here? The stares your sweet Sayumi will get as they talk about you behind her back?”

The Nurse was well aware of her situation, and was using Cicilia’s own temper to turn it around. There were dozens of eye witnesses now, some seeing Juno whip out an illegal weapon, while others only seeing Cicilia pin her foe and threaten her for no reason. The well had been efficiently tainted, with each crowd member thinking they knew who was in the wrong, who was a victim and who was a psycho. The Nurse had spied a video camera not far from, and had already put together a sob story that would not save her from persecution…but would certainly drag the boxer down with her.

--

“I-I was so scared” she sobbed, Juno’s tears rolling down her cheeks. She wiped the tears away, subtly revealing two large bruises forming over her wrists. She was absolutely distraught, and her blue eyes seemed shattered, fear and pain being the clear thing that drove the woman to fold up and try to hide herself from the men attempting to interview her.

“I t-thought someone was following me…I thought-“ Juno took a shaky breath as she seemed to hide her face. “I thought she would-I thought Cicilia would hurt me… She and I have fought in the past, I-it was our job, but I never.”

The interviewers had to calm her down, trying to get the broken woman to take breaths so they could understand her. It took five minutes before the blue haired woman could finally speak.

“A few weeks ago, there was a fight between Cicilia and a girl named Belle Christensen. Apparently, Cicilia had set up a group of people to attack her before the fight started…They beat her so badly…Once I saw Cicilia, screaming at me and pointing at me, I thought she was back to get revenge for all our fights! I panicked and drew my weapon! I didn’t know it was illegal, but when Cicilia came at me, she pushed me against the wall, and threatened to kill me! She tried to break my wrists, and…I was just so…”

The Nurse was more than happy to use the law against the German. Fitting that something that had abandoned her and left her to fend for herself would be used against her in the cruelest of ways.

--

“All I have to do is scream…and your life with Sayumi is up in flames~”

The Nurse giggled quietly, her laughter similar to a happy child as the void seemed to hang in the air, the crowd chatting amongst themselves, wondering if they should do something. The Nurse decided to let Cicilia choose her course of action. What would be the next few words to escape the boxer’s lips?

The Nurse was not like Juno…she did not make threats but promises, and her only goal seemed to be punishing the boxer in every way possible. All while smiling with a warmth the boxer would only ever receive from her lover.

The tightness of Cicilia's grip FORCED the baton to fall to the ground by their feet... the boxer now having no reason to pin her against the wall any longer. With a grunt, she SHOVED her hard against the wall before disengaging, instead quickly kicking the baton behind her and stepping back... all the while remarking how Sayumi would be treated now that this engagement had been played out! Before Juno could even start sobbing and crying, making a scene for every one to enjoy, the boxer's hard, burning gaze locked onto the nurse, her hand slipping into her hoodie pocket... and revealing a phone... on record. Every cellphone now had the ability to record sounds and as technology got better, the ability for them to pick up on the more subtler details of speech was greatly increased. It was lucky for her she decided to upgrade only a week or so ago... Or else this might have just backfired...

Without saying a word, Cicilia lifted her phone up, took out the headphones from the jack they had been implanted in, cranked the volume up to max... and played:


“I know a few people who might want to poke around your home. Cicilia. Can you imagine it? Coming home to after a long day, and finding not your lover there waiting to greet you…but instead, someone like that psychopath, Alexia? Or perhaps a round of men in black, looking to add a few more scars and hospital bills to your person?”


“What do you think they would do to Sayumi in the meantime?~”

“You bruised them, you know… my wrists. There will almost certainly be a nice, clean set of bruises in the shape of your handprints. How many of these people are your neighbors? How many of them will start to look at you like a monster because of what we did here? The stares your sweet Sayumi will get as they talk about you behind her back?”

She let it play for everyone that was watching, let Juno's little insidious game play out in broad daylight... let everyone here listen to what she was forced to deal with... If one looked closely, the would see that this phone had been recording since at least 30 minutes ago, since Cicilia had seen Juno in the store for the first time! She might have been hot-headed, impulsive... but she wasn't fucking stupid.... It was time she took her life into her own hands... and this was only one way to do it.

"I'm not dumb, Juno." Cicilia remarked harshly, slipping her phone back into her pocket. "I knew someone like you would try to play me. Now I have proof.... and you're screwed."

The boxer had finally released the Nurse from her vice-like grip! Just as she had predicted, two large bruises had formed over her pale wrists, the discoloration brutal and clear. The woman seemed to smile as her prediction was proven correct, the emptiness in her eyes flickering to varying degrees in a display that might have been pleasure. It was only after inspecting her damaged wrist the Nurse looked at Cicilia…and stared at her. The Nurse was expecting a reaction of some sort, some type of threat lobbied against her or perhaps even some form of plea or bargaining to ensue. The Nurse adored seeing others in a state of weakness, as they were simply adorable! The cutest expression a human being could make was one on the verge of tears~

The empty eyes stared playfully at Cicilia, a small smile lingering about on her face. The Nurse didn’t care if others noticed her expression. In the twisted woman’s mind, she had all the evidence she needed to get her point across to the police. Instead she watched Cicilia with interest, her eyes tracking the boxer’s arm shuffling around her jacket pocket, wondering if she would produce a weapon of her own. Instead, it was simply a phone.

“Hmm…?”

The Nurse was wondering what exactly was running through the boxer’s mind. She was so curious as to watch every movement Cicilia made, watching as the black-haired German pressed a certain button…and an audio recording began to play.

The Nurse’s smile seemed to fade away near instantly.

The sing song tone of the Nurse played out surprisingly loud over the entire crowd. Just by her tone, people could hear the sick pleasure she got threatening Cicilia and her home. There was no fear in the recording, only giddy excitement for the fallout the Nurse had thought was coming. Now, her sadistic words were being used against her, and the Nurse was found to be frozen, her muscles seized up and coiled as she realized her folly.

The German had tricked her, and the Nurse’s disdain came all at once. The static aura that seemed to stand behind the woman burst out, enveloping the area in a field that couldn’t be anything other than killing intent!

The eyes that had seemed so very empty before stared at the device that ratted her out using her own words, the crowd she had intended to use growing aware of her illusion of innocence and destroying her plan. Slowly, the eyes moved towards Cicilia…and what peered at her was hardly human.

With speed similar to a phantom, the Nurse burst forward! Coming in at a speed so blinding few could make out her features as she seemed ready to descend on the woman who had destroyed not only her, but the woman she loved! The Nurse had been found out, and like an animal trapped against a wall, she looked to fight tooth and nail to try and get out of her situation, taking her killing intent out on the woman who had been a thorn in her side for so very long.

Spoiler:

With the violence quickly escalating, hardly anyone could take their eyes off the two women. The Nurse closed in with a blink of an eye, her hand already coming up in a lighting fast jab the was aimed right for the Boxers neck!

But the blow didn’t make impact. The Nurse’s arm seemed suspended in the air, held back by a hand the was not Cecilia’s, nor anyone else in the crowd. The grip was strong, enough to stop Juno in her tracks. The Nurse passively recognized the woman to be her manager, Rhein Kazahana.

Everyone was so focused on the two fighters that no one noticed a tall, slender woman in a dark green suit had walked up towards the two, and gotten in between them. Even the Nurse seemed bewildered as her target became obscured with the newcomer’s body, the empty eyes switching towards the newcomer as a second strike came swinging around to knock the woman out of the way.

Once again, the strike made no impact as the Jade woman seemed to duck under the blow and kick the Nurse’s legs out from under her, letting the woman drop in the dirt as Rhein pinned her arm to her back, causing a few members of the crowd to gasp at the sudden display of violence.

“Stay down, shut up, and don’t even breathe unless I tell you to. If you want any career outside of being a prison bitch, you will do what I say, when I say it.”

As the manager whispered into her ear, the killing intent faded away, along with the empty look in Juno’s eyes. Juno growled as the woman released her, but noticeably stayed down. She didn’t want to go to prison…not if she could get out of it. Rhein made sure Juno was docile before putting on her best smile and turned towards the crowd.

“Hello everyone! I’d like to apologize for this whole commotion and the trouble it may have caused you all. As you can see, my client has acted in a very unprofessional manner, and I do not condone anything she has done here. I promise that this situation will never happen again, and can only ask you all for forgiveness.”

Rhein bowed her head, standing noticeably close to the downed Juno as the blue haired woman nursed her wrists, her pale face a shade of red from anger and embarrassment…but it would soon get even redder, as Kazahana was not finished.

Turning towards Cicilia, who was only a few steps away Rhein gave the boxer an apologetic gaze, bowing her head even further then she had the crowd.

“Ms. Reignhardt, I owe you an apology most of all. Juno has acted atrociously and her actions towards you are inexcusable! I know we don’t deserve it, but if you would be so kind, I would love to discuss with you proper compensation for what has occurred here.”

At that particular moment, Juno began to stand back up, her icy cold glare cracking with fury and indignation. Before she could say a word, however, Rhein grabbed the back of her neck and pushed her head down into a deep bow towards Cicilia. Juno’s eyes flashed at Rhein in anger…but the Manager’s eyes were colder than Juno’s ever were. There was no pity, no fear, not even regret. Juno could see that Rhein wanted the nurse in a prison cell as bad as Cicilia, but was still trying to keep her out of trouble only because of the workload that would be dumped on her. The grip around Juno’s neck sent a clear message to the woman…

You move, and your life as you know it is over.

--

The crowd was slowly dispersing, people dripping away one by one until it was only the three women left, Rhein forcing Juno to bow the entire time until they were completely alone. Once everyone was gone, Rhein sent Juno to her car, telling her to sit next to it and wait until she called her. Once she was secured, Rhein walked over towards Cicilia with her hands in her pockets, a tired smile waiting to greet Cicilia as the green haired woman approached.

“Hey Cici…Long time no see. I meant what I said about the compensation, so anything you want, just ask. If I can do it, its yours.”

Cicilia watched as Juno's smug, stupid face fell a hundred miles, a quick smirk flashing across her own lips! Oh, the POWER she felt rushing through her system as she FINALLY wiped those stupid, ugly grins off of the faces of those insane monsters... and all because she thought a little... planned some...

"Heheheheh. What's the matter, Juno...?" Cicilia smirked, slipping her phone back into her pocket. "Don't take losing well...? Get use to it, you monster... I won't let you manipulate me!"

SUDDENLY, Juno lunged at the German, her form very nearly disappearing from sight as she RUSHED down the Juggernaut! At first, she thought she was going for her phone, trying to destroy the evidence and whatnot... But NO! SHE WAS COMING FOR HER! Cicilia wasn't nearly fast enough to raise her arms before Juno could close the distance... NOT EVEN CLOSE! She was somehow even faster than she was before... somehow gotten to the point of nearly blitzing a trained fighter's vision! The German clenched her eyes shut, anticipating a tackle to the floor....

...And she got one... but it wasn't Cicilia who tasted dirt this day!

The Boxer slowly opened one eye... Then they BOTH snapped open, Cicilia's expression flashing with SHOCK as Rhein appeared out of NOWHERE, taking Juno down faster than Cicilia EVER could have hoped to! What threw her off the most WASN'T so much that Rhein was here now... what, considering that she promised that she'd do whatever she could to prevent a confrontation like this... But that she was able to completely pacify that lunatic-of-a-nurse almost instantly! She... She should've been in the AFW with those kinds of skills, not sitting behind a manager's desk!

...All the German could do was slowly, cautiously, slip her hands into her hoodie pockets, eyeing the crowd as they dispersed practically upon command! ...Geez... What does a girl have to do to get THAT kind of influence over people... With another command, Juno was sent to her car... leaving the two of them alone... Still somewhat in shock, Cicilia walked over to her fallen groceries, scooping them up into their bags and picking them up again, flashing a similar exhausted smile Rhein's way.

"Hey... Uh... Thanks for... You know... that..." She offered, referring to how QUICKLY she defused that situation! To be honest... she didn't even want to THINK about "compensation." She just wanted to go upstairs, give her girlfriend a kiss and her goodies... and then disappear into sleep... Some days, she hoped she wouldn't wake from her slumbers, knowing this was just a few words away.

This was one of those times.

"Hey, look... I should be the one thanking you, Rhein. If you didn't show up... that would've been... bad." Cicilia shivered softly, the image of Juno's face flashing behind her eyes. "I know I asked you this before but... is there any way we can STOP THIS from happening again...? I'm so tired... I just want it to stop." Cicilia sounded as if she were on the edge of tears... a very slight waver in her voice. "Tired" was not a strong enough word. Not even "Exhausted" described how the German looked. If Juno was allowed to attack... one of them wasn't getting back up... Ever. She could feel it in her frayed nerves... She was THIS close to killing someone... or dying herself...

...And she couldn't believe it...

The cellphone in Rhein’s pocket buzzed at least a dozen times as Juno walked over towards the managers car. While half of them were work related, she was sure the other half were from her phone tracking Juno’s movement. Rhein had expected this entire fiasco to happen at some point or another. With both Cicilia and Juno living in such close proximity to each other, Rhein had found it prudent to keep a special tab on her most unstable and unpredictable of clients. As soon as Juno came anywhere near Cicilia’s apartment, the manager was notified by a small, distinct buzz on her phone. When she actually stepped into the lot of Cicilia’s complex, the buzzing in Rhein’s pocket grew louder and more rapid. By then, Rhein had already begun her journey over towards the complex. The constant buzzing simply confirmed that Juno was inside Cicilia’s personal space…which meant the two had already met.

Rhein wasn’t surprised to find a crowd gathered at the entrance of the building’s courtyard. Much less so when she found Juno and Cicilia in the middle of it all. Rhein had gotten the hear the final tidbit of Cicilia recording, and it was all Rhein could do not to sigh in frustration.  She didn’t agree with Juno’s practices at all, in fact she actively despised them, but she never thought the nurse would be dumb enough to get caught so blatantly and so publicly. Even if Juno didn’t lunge at Cicilia, Rhein probably still would have taken her to the ground just for her sheer stupidity and the massive workload she just dumped on the managers desk. If that recording went out to the police, a domino effect could easily kick in. Juno would be arrested, sure, but the AFW may be looked into as well. If the police dug into the company and some of its members, there would doubtlessly be a scandal…probably a few arrests. And whoever was in charge would doubtlessly place the blame on Rhein’s head. She was not too fond of the AFW, but she was already on the run from one immoral company…she didn’t need a second one on her back.

While Rhein reviewed her options, Cicilia went and collected her fallen grocery bag, picking up each fallen item gingerly and replacing it. Rhein could see a few things had gotten smashed and bruised, which just made the boxer’s smile all the sadder. The warm air had suddenly picked up, gently tugging at the managers long green hair as Cicilia pleaded for Rhein’s help.

Cicilia had a fatigue in her eyes that Rhein was all too familiar with. Underneath the stress of work, the sleepless nights, and the constant worry about her clients making her life harder, Rhein had the same look in her eyes, just a bit older.

With a heavy sigh, Rhein relented. Cicilia wanted a solution…and Rhein had an idea how to get one.

“I have an idea…I don’t think you will like it, but I am sure it will fix this problem once and for all.”

Rhein’s jade eyes could see Cicilia was on the brink of tears. Personally, Rhein liked to keep things more professional, especially in public…but this was a special case, one she had lived before. The woman moved a bit closer and reached into her suit pocket, pulling out a flask filled with one of the managers personal favorites and offering it to the boxer.  Rhein would place a gentle hand on Cicilia shoulders, letting her know she knew what she was going through as she gently squeezed the tensed muscle.

“The recording you have…that could put Juno away of course…but I think we both know she will just come running back after she gets out. But I think you can still use it to your advantage.” Rhein let go of the boxer’s shoulder, taking a step back as she did so, “This whole thing has been about pride for Juno. From what I have read you two have been fighting for a while, and the closest she ever gets to beating you is a draw. For someone like her, that’s got to eat away at her night and day. Never being able to best someone no matter how hard you try…Anyway, I think that is how we will end this.”

Rhein studied Cicilia’s reaction, wondering if she was actually taking in what she was saying. The poor woman looked like she had been through so much already. She didn’t want Cicilia to just blindly say yes due to fatigue. This decision would have to be thought over a bit. As soon as the manager decided Cicilia understood what she was saying so far, she continued.

“I will write up a quick contract in which both Juno and you will get one last chance to face against one another. One final parting fight. After that, you two are done, never to cross paths again. If she doesn’t sign, then…we use the recording. Juno goes to prion…amongst other things.” Rhein clearly didn’t like that outcome, but pushed on anyways, “With that, Juno will have the comfort of knowing she tried her very best in her final match against you. The fight will take place with n audience, security and a medical team on standby to make sure no one kills the other…and you will finally be rid of her for good. No more Juno, no more videos…one last fight, and that’s one more rival gone.”

Rhein’s smile was gone, and her eyes watched Cicilia carefully. Truth be told, she knew how hard it would be for Cicilia to enter into another sanctioned fight with Juno, considering how far the Nurse would go to hurt her. The boxer was visibly shaken from there encounter mere moments ago. Now she was being asked to fight her once again, for real. And there was no telling what cruelty the nurse would pull in order to achieve her final chance at revenge.

Rhein felt like a devil, handing Cicilia a contract…and holding out the pen, waiting for her fellow German to sign her soul away.

Even though Cicilia knew miracles and magic weren't real, that God had long since kept his hands out of human affairs... she was still hoping for some kind of painless solution. Hadn't she built up enough karma-points to earn that much...? Nope... She would have to get her hands dirty one last time if she were going to see this through, apparently... Fore Rhein didn't have any better options. She trusted this woman to not bring up EVER getting into a ring with Juno again if she didn't think this would work out... and still the boxer resented the idea. It was people like Juno that made Cicilia actually consider resigning from fighting, to just... find a decent job somewhere here and work quietly away from all this stupid in-job politics! She felt like she was going to be sick at the thought of facing this girl again....

...And it was made worse by the fact she couldn't refuse.

No matter what, she ultimately won. If she beat Juno, the nurse (hypothetically) wouldn't approach her again... If Juno won, she wouldn't come around again. All Cicilia had to do was show up, put on a show and it would be all over, according to Rhein... It was like being asked to do one of the worst things you ever hated... just for a taste of salvation, of freedom... After having so many nutcases threatening what you held dear... wouldn't you do this one last ugly job to make sure one of them disappeared forever...?

"...It's not like I can say no..." Cicilia sighed heavily, not looking happy about any of this. If anything, she looked dejected, resigned... God, she felt like she was made of lead. She was so heavy... like she could crumple to the side-walk at any moment... and probably start crying in frustration. She kept it all inside, however... at least until she got back to her apartment.

"Thank you for helping me..." Cicilia managed to utter up, the words almost seeming choked. "I... I hope this works out... Just call me when you have it all drawn up and I'll accept okay...? But I... I need to go..." With each word spoken, Cicilia could feel herself losing control. Each word dripping with more and more emotion! She was gonna break down... She could feel it... and she didn't want to just sob in front of strangers.... let alone someone who's much older and had a much higher position than her! Without another word, Cicilia rushed inside, disappearing into the lobby as the water-works began to flow.

Rhein stood by herself for a few minutes more, watching Cicilia walk towards the door to her home, catching the increased pace of her stride and the slight tremble of her shoulders. Her fellow German had put on a tired but brave face, but anyone could see how very sick and frightened she was of the life she lived. Even if this fight went over well, and neither of them got seriously hurt before it was over, that would only mean Juno was gone from Cicilia’s life. Even as Rhein pulled up, she had heard a few of the names Juno spouted, more people looking to dig themselves underneath the boxer’s skin and suck anything of quality dry. Rhein knew a bit about both, neither women really playing by any standard rulebook other than their own. Rhein had decided to steered clear of them…for now, anyway.  

Finally, Cicilia had disappeared from sight, the door closing gently behind the boxer and leaving the suited woman by herself in the parking lot. The conversation was a sad one, but in the end, it would solve Cicilia’s problem, and Rhein was not unaware of the benefits she obtained during this deal. She had managed to either sway, or stall Cicilia from using the voice clip in any legal matter. So for now, both Juno and as an extension Rhein, were safe from persecution from a higher authority. It felt a little gross to work Cicilia’s trust as Rhein did…but she genuinely felt this was the best way to help Cicilia.

No more worrying about that crazy nurse talking her at her workplace…now she just has to watch out for all of the other ones…

Rhein finally walked back to her car, her new passenger sitting in the passenger seat and looking and the floor like it was actually interesting. Juno looked very much like a child waiting to be scolded, and while Rhein had a few choice words she wanted to say to the nurse…The German had business with her client, and that needed to be discussed first.

Rhein opened the driver seat door and sat in the seat, neither women looking at one another for what felt like an eternity as Rhein adjust her seat and mirrors. Finally, Rhein spoke up in a business tone that felt warm, but artificially so.

“So! You have a match in the next week or so. This is going to be the last match you ever have with Cicilia. There’s going to be a contract signing and everything, and neither of you two will ever have to worry about seeing each other ever again.”

Juno didn’t say anything, just stared at the floor. It simply reinforced the idea that Juno felt like a child every time Rhein had to deal with her.

“I’m sure you will pull something during the fight…probably nothing I could do to stop you. Although I need to make this abundantly clear. Do not do anything else that is going to get you in prison. I won’t save you twice. Got it?”

Juno silently nodded, still not talking. This was her final chance to take whatever petty revenge she wanted against Cicilia. In a way, Rhein had gotten both competitors what they wanted, but it didn’t feel like a victory to anybody. There was a war on the horizon…and all that would be left afterwards was bloodshed and heart ache.

To be continued…