This World Will Never Be

Talia coughed a few more times as she laid her head on the cold floor. She really wished all the pain would stop for once. She wrapped her arms around her ribs and pushed herself to her feet using the wall. She managed to take a few steps forward before she heard Akashi say something to her. Great. Just great. Now Akashi is here. Talia's eyes were still a little watery and she really didn't feel like dealing with the sumo. There was really nothing else for her to say. Taylor showed her true colors and instinct. So had Johnny and Cassie shortly before. Talia assumed now it was Akashi's turn.

"Wait your turn, Akashi," Talia stated rather bitterly without meeting eye contact. "Haven't you done enough to me anyhow?" she continued as she took a few more steps toward the staircase. As much as her abdomen hurt, it wasn't something she'd have to receive medical attention to recover from. "Why don't you just...go back to Cassie and Johnny and Taylor so you can continue plotting how to ruin my life next." Akashi's last sentence frustrated Talia to the point that she stopped and turned around.

"What you did to me?" she repeated with a very sarcastic laugh. She wished she hadn't, though, as it made her ribs hurt. "You really don't know, do you?" Talia turned her body around so she could face Akashi. "Or...Or MAYBE you just do it to all women so you don't know that it hurts them." That had to be it. Akashi wasn't that oblivious, was she?

Akashi furrowed her brow. She wasn't going to let Talia slink away but she thought the girl had enough decency to at least answer her. And she did. Akashi watched as Talia spoke and her eyebrow raised curiously. She didn't really get what Talia was saying but she took a step forward and let her body relax.

"You are talking about the time..." Akashi said, lowering her head. "You and I?" Akashi's hands trembled and clenched into fists. "You think that the time you and I were together?!" Akashi lifted up her foot and stamped down her wooden geta sandal hard so it clacked loudly. 'I cherished that time!" She said, waving her hand in front of her. "I gave you my kimono! I made you my partner! I let you into my heart!" She said angrily, pounding her fist into her chest. "And when you stopped answering my messages, I was heartbroken!"

"Just because someone has sex, doesn't mean it means nothing! If all I cared about was getting off, I'd just fuck myself with a vibrator!"

Akashi shook her head. "This is not about you or I." Akashi said finally. "This is about what you're doing to my family. I don't like it, not one bit." She said. "And I DID come here to kick your ass, but, I'm not going to." She said. "Ruin your life?" Akashi cleared the distance between herself and Talia and grabbed the girl's collar and pulled her close. She stared hard into the girl's eyes.

"I'm only going to say this once, so listen very carefully. Do you think you're the only one in life who gets shit on? The world isn't fair. Bad things happen to good people that don't deserve it. All the time. You joined a wrestling league, you didn't join a pillow fight league. Feelings get hurt, bones get broken. When you put on that mask, you didn't get stronger, you got weaker. If you want to kick Cassie's ass, then stop complaining about what she did to you. Stop trying to trying to find ways to stab her in the back and just fucking punch her in the face and kick her ass!"

Akashi panted hard and narrowed her eyes. "That is how wrestlers do it. That is how women do it. Face to face. If you want this to end, settle it like a woman and not like a pussy. If you're not strong enough. Get stronger." Akashi let go of Talia and took a step backwards but never took her eyes off the girl.

Talia didn't like it when Akashi got close to her. Not one bit. "Wow. Just wow," she stated sarcastically when Akashi released her. "You're a fucking moron." Talia shook her head in disbelief. "Yea I'm sure I shattered your heart. Your big ugly deformed heart." Talia's eyes already seem to tear up again. She hated it. She hated having to cry in front of every single person who stabbed her in the back. She hated having to show every single person who used her how much it really hurt her. She wished she was more like Cassie: cold, heartless, and still able to make everyone feel sorry for her.

"Want to know what I was doing exactly a year ago?" Talia asked rhetorically. "I was laying in a hospital bed after a 'friend' of mine decided to intervene when I was trying to show Taylor what I thought of her. And fine, she was right. I shouldn't have done that." Talia leaned back and crossed her arms. "And so I waited in that hospital room for the one person who could cheer me up. Someone who I shared my feelings with. Someone who I cared for and even gave up my virginity to just to make her happy and be there for her." Talia then turned her head back to Akashi. "But she never came." Her head turned away and stared down the hallway.

"So I laid there, alone, and had plenty of time to think about things. And you know what?" Talia asked as she turned back. "I realized just how well you fooled me into thinking you cared." There were so few tears left to shed yet somehow water ran down Talia's cheeks. "You told me you had a girlfriend...and still slept with me. Is that something you do to someone you care about? Leading them on knowing god fucking well that it'll never be?" Talia stomped her foot down as if a child. "Or how about luring me into being your tag team partner...only for you to put my well being on the line deliberately. Is that something you do to someone you CARE about? You are a real piece of work. But you're right. Life isn't fair. I should've known you of all people would take advantage of me."

"And that was my fault to think I could trust you."

Akashi's eyes widened at Talia's words.They were so venemous and the way Talia said them made them sound so true. But Akashi shook her head. "Mina-chan hadn't been with me for a long time when we got together." She said slowly. "When we shared our moment, I was in a dark place. Mina-chan was gone. Taylor-chan and I were fighting. I didn't have anyone. I needed something to fill that void. I thought it could be you. I hoped it could."

Akashi's fists clenched. "You're not the only one in the world who's ever been lonely. You're not a fucking saint, either. You're just a scared little girl throwing a tantrum because she's stuck in a world of adults and doesn't know how, or more likely refuses, to grow the fuck up."

Akashi turned. She was done with this girl. "You never once came after me. All Cassie did was hurt your body, trying to protect her friend. Protect you, her friend. You went after Taylor because she dared to keep loving the man she was destined to be with. But you never came after me when I had supposedly done far worse than either of them. You don't even know what the fuck to hate. You're just a brat trying to lash out for something that probably doesn't even have anything to do with any of us!"

Akashi turned around fully and gripped the door handle. "Go find a new group to work out your issues on. We're all booked up on crazy."

As Akashi walked off, Talia felt like it had been the last straw. Now she knew there wasn't a single chance that things could be fixed. This was what she wanted right? She never wanted anything to do with Akashi or her selfish little group of friends. She could finally say she got her word to them. They didn't care about what she had to say. Now that it was certain, Talia could move on with her life knowing all uncertainties had been resolved.

But she couldn't. "You didn't even recognize me," she added with a very choked voice as Akashi opened the door. "I gave myself to you...and you couldn't even remember my face." That suddenly felt like a dagger in Talia's heart. She starting sobbing and turned away. How could she have ever been so naive? As she starting crying, her walking became running as she tried to run to her apartment. She had to get away. She didn't want Akashi to see her in tears. It's not like they were ever truly close to one another.

Akashi watched as Talia turned and ran crying back to her apartment. She looked at the girl and scratched her head at the last words the red head spoke. "Oro!?" She questioned aloud. "Remember your face, when?" She muttered to herself. What the hell was Talia talking about? Now she was just trying to make stuff up to confuse Akashi. It seemed to be working. The big Sumo stopped for a moment, stepping halfway out of the apartment complex before looking at the car and seeing Taylor on the phone.

"Moshi, moshi." Johnny answered the phone in a Japanese. It was one of the few Japanese things he hadn't quite let go of. It was also a good way to hide his tone. he was sitting with Cassie at her house after cooling the red head down. Today was weird but he was partially glad Taylor went off. It gave him and Cassie a chance to be alone and cool off. Though he didn't like what Taylor was up to.

"How'd it go... and junk?" He asked simply, curious and a bit worried.

"Hey." Taylor closed her eyes with her forehead resting against the steering wheel. "I... Babe, I did something bad."

"Huh?" Johnny asked. "What did you do?!" His tone spiked to worry and he threw a glance at Cassie. He honestly expected to say 'Murdered Talia' and for the next words after that to be 'I'm going to jail now' Johnny stood up and began pacing back and forth with the phone pressed tightly against his ear.

"I kinda... killed her." She hugged her free arm across her ribs and grabbed her elbow. "I thought I was doing really good, but she just kept on... I kinda beat the shit out of her."

"What the hell!?" Johnny said a little more loudly than he probably should have. He rubbed his temples with one hand. "Beat the shit outta her!?" Johnny breathed into the phone. "Man, which one is it!? Cause there's a big difference between her havin' to put iodine on a bruise and me havin' ta bail ya outta jail!" Johnny's tone wasn't angry, just exasperated.