Third Time's the Charm After All

Previous: [url=http://afwrpg.informe.com/forum/viewtopic.php?f=28&t=6609:1cai0hzu]NHB Match between Talia Wilson and Johhny Higurashi[/url:1cai0hzu]

Immediately after the match, Talia had gone to the medical center. It wasn't because she felt like some specific thing had been injured; but altogether felt like she had been hurt. Then again, after her devastating first match she had spent a week here recuperating. It was her place of relief that one time, and something about it made her feel comfortable; secure. Others may have hated the place, but something about being taken care of while injured brought back many nostalgic feelings of her old gym back in America. She wouldn't mind staying a nigh-

"You'll be fine," the doctor stated flatly. Talia looked up at her in confusion. "Looks like just a few bruises. You'll be sore in the morning, yes, but you haven't injured anything that should be a worry." The doctor smiled at her and nodded. "Considering it was another NHB match, I think you got off pretty cleanly...not like last time at least." Last time popped into her head making her shiver. "Just stretch a lot tonight, and avoid working out tomorrow. You should be fine and ready to get back to training by the day after." Talia thanked her and left the medical center. Oddly, it was bad that she had received good news; she looked forward to being in the company of people who (at least acted like they) cared.

As she left, Talia couldn't help but feel a distinct frustration balling up inside of her. It had been her third match. It had been her third loss. Her opponents in Tension varied so greatly; from that sadistic Killer King to bipolar Johnny there was no shortage of characters. But they all had one thing in common, they could beat her. Third time wasn't the charm. She sighed at the thought as she looked up at the night sky. It was getting harder and harder to stay optimistic in this foreign land. She had no friends in Japan yet, she had hoped they would come along somewhere during her time at AFW. She had met some good people, yes, but they were more acquaintances than they were friends. "And that Johnny", she thought. He had seemed so odd; so vicious yet apologetic. She wasn't sure what to make of it; maybe the whole "Sorry" routine was just to make her drop her guard; it had worked in that regard after all. She let out another sigh as she sat on a bench outside the medical center. She was in no rush to get home; there wasn't much waiting for her there.

Johnny had rushed backstage as quickly as possible and made his way to the showers. He had to lean hinself up, wash himself of that match. But how could he wash away these dark feelings? Tey had reared their head in his match aagainst Lisa as well. Would the same thing happen next match? Worse yet, would it happen outside of a match? He clenched his fist as water ran down it. He thought about his first match with Cecilia. He was so embarrassed. He'd lost but... He'd also had a lot of fun. He wasn't having fun right now. He let out a deep sig, turned the water cold and let it wash over his silvery hair before e stepped off to change.

He put on a pair of jeans that hung loose around his hips but hugged the rest of his legs. A tight T-Shirt that had a stylized DK on it. Both pants and shirt had holes of various sizes as well as a few errant safety pins jabbed in here and there..

Johnny ran his hands through his hair, which fluffed into disorganized spikes. He then stopped and looked at the mirror. He thought about Talia. He had to apologize... To explain things to her! He couldn't livewith himself if she thought he was just like every other creepo in Tension. People like his brother who were just looking to hurt chicks... Or worse.

He ran out of the locker room. What if he had seriously hurt her!? He would have to check sick bay first. He let out a sig and made his trk. On the way he passed by a rose vendor. During the matches, the walked around the stands and passed out roses. Sometimes fans would try and toss them to their favorite girls. Less popular in Tension but one or two alwys hung around and followed around the hot dog vendors to scam a few more bucks out of patrons.

He clutched the rose and started running. He skidded to a halt in front of the medical center and was surprised, and relieved to see Talia on the bench.

"Talia-chan!"

He called her name like she was an old friend. He quickly blushed and cleared his throat.

"I mean uh... Yo, dude." He furrowed his brow. That wouldn't do either. He took a moment to breathe but it was for naught. He oushed the rose forward, not realizing that he was clutcing it very tigtly. Enough to prick his hand a bit. He gave her a hopeful look before he bowed his head.

"O-Onegai! Ah, shit... I mean... Please! Please accept this! I'm sorry! In the ring... That wasn't me! Please accept my deepest apologies!" He was suddenly very Japanese when he tried to be contrite.

Talia had just closed her eyes, thinking of her home town in America. Endless green fields, the warm summer wind brushing against her face, the refreshing swims by the lake, even the embrace of - "Talia-chan!" the girl opened her eyes with a startle when Johnny ran up to her. He wasn't exactly the person she wanted to see most at the time. She got to her feet, pulling her coat closer together. Still new to Japanese ways, she didn't make the chan connection and just assumed he was addressing her like a fellow wrestler; one that he was excited to see at least.

His offer of a rose confused her. In hindsight she understood that what he did in the ring wasn't out of the ordinary; albeit still annoying to her. An apology didn't seem necessary unless he did feel sorry about not playing fair. At first, she doubted that to be the case. After all, he had been like that during the match as well; at least right before using the opportunity to attack her further. She wanted to be nice to everyone; but even the naive learned their lessons with enough experiences. Still, at least now Talia saw no reason for Johnny to be manipulative. She could give him a second chance; everyone deserved that at least once. It didn't make it any less awkward though.

"Oh...Thank you Johnny..." Talia said as she accepted the rose. She looked at the flower in her hand, spinning it around with her fingers; then looked back to Johnny. "What...umm..." the girl scratched her head, unsure where to go from there, maybe justifying his actions would make Johnny feel better. "You did what you had to. Someone had to get hurt; I just wish it was you instead of me," she added with a little smile. She looked back at the rose in her hand. It was a nice sentiment, after all. "Are you always like that in the ring though?" Talia asked curiously; she wasn't familiar with the full story. She still suspected he was just bipolar. "I mean...people act different when their adrenaline is flowing...I'd like to think people wouldn't hold them to their actions when they're not fully aware of them..." Talia kind of trailed off; not necessarily believing her own words.

A sudden night breeze made her hold her coat closer with her free hand. "Look, it's a little late...I need to get something to eat before going home...Umm...we can talk later if you want?" she asked out of common courtesy. Talia looked down the street; it was quite a ways to the bus station. "You...you wouldn't mind walking me to the bus stop, would you?" she asked; still uncomfortable walking through the Japanese night life.

Johnny listened to Talia's words. She was so accepting. She wasn't angry at all. It didn't make a lot of sense. She was also quick to leave, it seemed. Johnny wasn't sure what he should do. "Y'yes! I mean.. No!" He wasn't even sure what he was agreeing or disagreeing to, really. He suddenly stepped in front of her and grabbed her by the shoulders. "Talia-chan! Uh... Shit... I mean Tali...dude.." Why was he so flustered? His cheeks were so red! But... She was so mousey and cute, it was hard NOT to add -chan to her name.

"Please! I need to tell you that I'm sorry and junk! I have to. That.. In the ring... That wasn't me! I.. Wanted to hurt you. Badly... But.. Not YOU! I mean... You're so cute, I'd fuckin kick a dude's ass if they wanted to hurt you for real and shit but.. I mean! I was angry... Before the match! I know like... Shit hapens in the ring and people get hurt and shit but... Like... I had some junk on my mind..."

Johnny realized he was gripping her tightly and slowly, subconsciously pulling her close. He backed away and scratched the back of his head nervously. "Y-yeah... I'll walk you... And junk." He said and flashed her a nervous smile before starting towards the bus station.

Talia took a step back, worried by how Johnny grabbed at her shoulders, leaning her head back. "I-It's fine...you can call me whatever name you want," she said to try and calm him down. He was acting so nervous about the whole thing. She was a little uncomfortable, actually, but from the blush in his face she realized he probably felt even more uncomfortable. "You don't have to apologize for the match, Johnny, it's okay...and it really wasn't that bad. That is-" she tilted her head away. "-I've had it much worse." She was so confused, trying to make sense of what johnny was saying the best she could. Something did stand out at the end though.

Johnny lessened his grip on her shoulders and backed away slightly. He had agreed to walk her to the bus at least. As they walked down the street, Talia tried to calm him down. "I...I forgive you Johnny...I mean I'm walking home today...I couldn't say the same after my first two matches." She tried to smile at him to show it was alright. She unfortunately saw the bus she had been aiming to ride turn off in the distance; the next one would take at least ten minutes at this time of night. It was fine though, at least she had company to wait it out.

"What did you mean you had junk on your mind?" she asked after a short lull in the conversation. "I mean; was it because of...umm...me?" She had a theory based on how awkward he was being around her. The rose, the cuteness remark, the apologies. Even thinking about it made Talia blush; but she almost instantly changed the topic. "So where are you from Johnny? Are you a local?" Knowing his name and appearance made her feel a little odd to ask a question; of course he was from Japan. But Talia had to change the subject, and started to ramble on as she always did when she got nervous. "I'm from the USA; I grew up in San Diego, California. I moved here only a few months ago to join the AFW. And I...umm..." she trailed off as she ran out of things to say.

Johnny flushed at Talia's doting. Her ease nd acceptance. Trying to calm him down. He wanted to be filled with resigned exasperation but he just couldn't around her. She was so calm, so soothing. He was about to nod and tell her everything was cool when her words flared him up.

"W-Worse!?"

She explained but his hands were tightly gripped into fists. "The... First two..." He growled. "Talia-chan!" He said. "Shit! I know you're tough and crap, you did a damn good job in the ring but... I dunno, man. That's fucked up. For a dude to lay his hands on a girl like tat, man it tears ME up everytime thinkin I might go to far." Johnny growled a bit at the thought. But Talia's words made him try and push those thoughts aside. He'd deal with that as it came. For now he looked at Talia and blushed. "No! I mean... It's just that..."

Talia seemed quick to Change the subject and Johnny was surprised when he was suddenly grateful for it. She didn't need to worry about his problems. She didn't need to know about Taylor. At least not... Yet.

He smiled down at her questions and her cute rambling. She was really spilling the beans. Another American. Cute. Very different from Taylor. "Hey man, that's cool and junk." Her rambling seemed to relax him a bit. "Love some of the punk shit from there. Yan-ki shit or, whatever."

He flashed her a smile. "Born and raised in Tokyo. Moved down here to Kyoto just to join Tension with my bro when we turned 18. Been pretty col and junk."

He had to do it. So he decided to just blurt it out. "So... Talia-chan... Be ya get this a lot but... Why ya wanna go am wrestle dudes anyway? I mean... Iff y got the bug... That's cool but why not join Friction or somethin? Seems a lot less... Dngerous..."

Talia scratched the back of her head. He didn't know the half of how bad that experience was. There was still a fragment of the match that she didn't remember. A time that she was conscious during but forgot when her head was pounded into the floor. "I guess not every guy believes that its not right to hit a girl. Some even seem to enjoy it." She pictured Killer King's tiger mask in her head; though she had never seen him smile, she could distinctly hear the pleasure in his voice as he tore her apart. He didn't even stop when the match was over. Her bruises had only recently disappeared.

But there was some relief in Johnny's words. He did show concern for her; even when few others appeared to. There was a certain cuteness in the way he talked. Maybe he was being honest after all. "Oh! You have a brother in this league as well?" she asked curiously. "Do you think I'll be crossing paths in the ring with him sometime?" though the question was asked playfully, in truth Talia did picture the thought in her head. But on second thought, it wouldn't look too good for her record if she managed to lose to both the brothers. "You should introduce me to him sometime." Talia smiled; the two had arrived at the bus stop but it would be awhile before another bus came by.

It was Johnny's last question that stumped her. She had grown up watching men wrestling on television. Famous American wrestlers such as the Rock and Hulk Hogan were her heroes. But there wasn't much room for women in the American wrestling leagues. There were the divas, of course, but it wasn't the same. It was separate, and not equal. She wanted to compete with men similar to her heroes. She felt it was her dream to do so. But all of this really didn't matter anymore. There was a bigger reason.

"When I was young, my older brother told me girls didn't belong in the wrestling ring. He told me I would never be as strong as he was. He said girls should only wrestle girls because it was all they could wrestle." Talia shrugged uncomfortably. "He's now a famous wrestler in the WWE. I still get letters from him every month or so. He's more mature about it but his message is the same; he's still that same misogynist. I just wish to prove to him that I can do it; that I can be as good as him." Being in Tension, Talia at least proved him wrong on one level. But being winless, and nearly getting crippled every match, only proved her brother right. "At least....I think I can be as good as him. At least...I want to think I can be as good as him..." As Talia finished her sentence, a single tear escaped her watery eyes. She was quick to wipe it off, but it took some of her makeup with it, revealing a faded black eye. "A-Anyway...thank you for walking me to the bus stop."

"Yeah..." Johnny said the word almost absentmindedly.he was thinking heavily about it though. Maybe he'd watch those matches of hers. Maybe he'd get revenge for Talia on those thugs who took pleasure in beating on girls. He pushed the thought aside Talia brought up his brother.

"No! No way, man! Hell no!" he waved his arms in front of him. "No way, Talia-chan! I like you too much to introduce you to him." He hadn't even noticed what he said to her. He kept on speaking. "Hell, I wouldn't wish him on my worst enemy! No! Don't ever get in the ring with him, Talia-chan! Whatever those other guys did to you, Mmouru will do worse but... He won't even leave a mark..."

That was the end of it. Johnny was thankful to move on as he listened to Talia's words. Another man treating her like sit! He was fired up! He grabbed her wrist suddenly as she wiped awa a tear. He saw the splotchy make up. He held her wrist tightly. He looked her in the eye sternly before lifting up his free hand and smearing away more make up from under her eye.

"T-Talia-chan..." he gasped. He felt even more like a piece of shit now for what he'd down. But he suddenly scowled at her. "Y"u... You isiot!" He said and let go of her wrist. "All this..." He pointed at Talia's eye and then generally at her. "Just to try and prove a point!? What point do you prove if you get your neck or back broken!? If you're paralyzed!? Dammit!" He threw his hands in the air.

"You're damn tough, Talia-chan. Anyone that doesn't think so can come see me!" He winked at her. "But... You aren't going to win any tests of strength against a dude... Even you can't be blind to that... You're fast, and agile. If you want to win against someone you have to out thinkthem, not outmuscle them! I guarantee you're smarter than any dope who gets their rocks off beating up on little girls, ya know?" He flashed her a weary, hopeful grin.

Talia couldn't help but blush a little when Johnny said he liked her too much to meet his brother. Even so, he seemed genuinely concerned about what would happen to her if she ever wrestled his brother. "Is he that good?...or umm...bad?" She tilted her head, a little confused. "What do you mean though? If he doesn't leave a mark then he's already better than others. I mean...if he's that good then I may not be able to beat him but at least I wouldn't be injured.". Talia didn't understand why Johnny didn't want her to ever wrestle his brother. She couldn't see through what he had meant by it.

When he held onto her wrists, and brushed away some of her make up. Though she couldn't see it herself, she knew instantly what he was looking at. She stared back at him, a frown developing on her face. "It's not like I just tried grappling and exchanging punches with them." Talia pulled away from him when he released her wrists. "I try to keep my distance. I try to stay airborne. But...I just can't- they always find a way...you found a way to keep me from doing what I do best." She turned her back to him. "And it's not just to prove to him that I could do it. It's to prove to me that I can do it." She looked back to Johnny. "But I'm starting to think I can't do it. I can't outsmart or outperform them enough to make up for my faults."

Another tear escaped her eye, she was quick to brush it away as well. Why was she explaining herself to this man? They had just met. In fact, they were rivals in the tension league. "Johnny, why do you care who I wrestle anywas? You got a win off me. I take the pain, learn from it, and move on. I don't give up, okay?" she said, agitation in her voice at this point. When she realized she was raising her voice, though she eased up and tilted her head away. "I'm sorry...it's just been a hard few weeks for me..." She looked up at the road, suddenly wishing the bus would show up already. "Not everyone has it easy..."

Johnny lidtened to Talia's explanation. She was right about everything she said, but Johhny still couldn't accept it. She was just fine with geting beat half to death every night? He opened his mouth to speak, but he couldn't find the words. Johnny stred at her back. hHis body began to move on it's own and suddenly his chest was pressed againt her back.

His arms then slowly wrapped around her waist. His hands cupped together and gently pressed into her stomach. He then tigtened his grip so he was hugging her firmly, but not tightly.

He didn't understand his actions and there was a part of him that suddenly felt dirty. But there was another part that wanted to embrace her even tighter. The more reasonable part of him convinced himself that Talia didn't need to be told what to do. What she needed was to be treated right and no one else was around who even seemed to care about the foreign girl, lost in a strange land, even a little.