Post by Oni Kymiku on Aug 29, 2014 21:51:45 GMT -5
I was finally being released from the hospital. My ribs had healed enough that there was no longer any danger that I would sustain any permanent injury once I resumed my in-ring career. I was excited to get back into the ring…excited to get away from myself and my inner thoughts which routinely steered me down the wrong path…
…ohhhh, you don’t love our witty banter, Kymiku…
I had worked hard to win back my sister’s trust and I had no intentions of letting anything jeopardize that. My sick need to expose myself to pain had led me to doing something stupid which made me vulnerable…Sidney Grey and Summer St. Clair took advantage of my stupidity and it landed me in the hospital. I fully deserved this…but my sister needed me and I had taken myself out of any position to watch her back. I had obviously learned nothing from my failure to protect our brother Senji. I would do better in the future…I would find another way to satisfy my inner demons…
…do you really think that it will be that easy little one…your vices are many, and your urge for violence is not so easily satiated…
Perhaps in this…my inner voice had spoken the truth. My past was riddled with blood and horrors I dare not revisit…less it lead me to risk all that I have worked so hard to obtain these last few weeks. I had reclaimed my sister…earned her trust and maybe even some hint of forgiveness. I had reclaimed a bit of my honor when I tried to defend Crystal Hilton against Sidney Grey.
On that front, I still had much to atone for…not only with Hilton, but with her friend Nicky Silver. I could never be forgiven for what I stole from her…but I would have to try…
I was jolted out of my musings by a knock on the door. I turned, expecting to see Nyako walking in to pick me up, but instead I was greeted by a gigantic panda bear…with a large red bow tied around its neck. I arched my brow as SoLo staggered into the room carrying the stuffed animal that was easily larger than she was.
She smiled broadly upon seeing me, “SURPRISE!” She yelled, walking into the room and plopping the panda down in the chair adjacent to my bed. “Sorry I didn’t get to come sooner…they wouldn’t let me in outside of normal visiting hours. I wasn’t listed as a family member…”
I was struck by this. Not that she wasn’t on the list, but that she seemed affected by the notion that she should have been. It gave me a good feeling…admittedly. I smiled, “Not that I plan on finding myself in this situation again…but you can rest assured little sister…you will be on all of the lists, from here on out.”
I couldn’t help but to smile as she beamed at my acceptance of her. I understood that Nyako was a bit harder in this regard. SoLo’s close association with Grey was troublesome to her…as it was to me, but I understood the girl’s dilemma. I had been in her shoes as a young girl…and I had put others in far worst situations as an adult. Nyako could not fathom this…and perhaps that was a bit of a mercy.
“You look well Kymiku…are you going to be released soon?” she asked me.
“Yes…just waiting for Nyako to come.” I could see concern in her eyes as I mentioned my…or should I say; our sister. “Look, I know that this business with Grey has put you in a delicate position. I understand this…and I want you to know that I do not bare you any malice because of it. You have a duty towards your employer and honor demands that you see it through.”
“My God Kymiku! Thank you so much for understa…”
I raised my hand to stop her in mid-sentence. “Do not misinterpret what I say…I understand…I do not approve or defend it. Grey is a hideous person…”
…yes, she certainly has some merits, doesn’t she…
I ignore my inner musings, continuing on without much of a pause. “…if you allow her to, she will drag you down into whatever fate she ends up serving. You will have done your duty…but the stain on your honor will not easily be washed away.” I reached over and put my hand on her shoulder, giving it a gentle squeeze. “I know this better than anyone. The things I have done…I can never atone for…not in a hundred lifetimes. I would spare you the guilt that I am forced to live with.”
SoLo looked down at her hands and I could see that my words had affected her, but she did not know the true depth of them. “I don’t know what Nyako has told you of my past…of what I was…maybe of what I still am, but know that I understand what is happening with you, I understand everything. I am on your side…but regardless of that, you must be the one to deal with this situation.”
She looked up at me, her large eyes questioning the words I had imparted. “I have tried to do the right thing…but no matter what…it all gets twisted! Nyako hates me…she…”
“Song, I am proud to call myself your sister…and when I say this…know that I mean it sincerely. You may not share the same blood as Nyako and I, but that makes our ties no less strong or binding. Nyako feels the same way…I know this. She has a hard exterior…but there is a reason for that…in this, I must accept the blame. I was a poor excuse for a sister…I failed her…on many levels. I will not make those same mistakes again…with either of you.”
Looking at her, I could see that she was still unsure…she still felt trapped. She was out in deep waters…and there was no lighthouse to guide her safely back in to port. She feared Nyako and our relationship was only just truly forming. I needed to strengthen that bond. “I have a suggestion…”
She looked at me quizzically, “What?”
“Why don’t you become my business manager?” Even as I asked, I wondered what I was opening myself up to…what I was opening her up to.
She stared blankly at me for a moment, then I could see concern start to color her features. “I…I don’t really know anything about being a manager. I think my work with Ms. Grey speaks to that.”
I couldn’t argue with her logic there. She was 100 percent right on that count, but there was more to my offer than just that. “Song, I am not asking you to do this to help me…I am asking you to do this so that we can help each other. I will help you in your dealings with Grey…and you will help me to be a better person.”
She looked at me, taken aback by my statement. “What do you mean…be a better person?”
“You don’t know me Song…you don’t know what I was…”
…what you are…don’t deny it…
In this, she did speak the truth. I corrected myself. “…what I am. As much as you think you need someone to help you…I need the same. Help me…and I will do what I can to help you with our sister…and with your troubles with Grey.”
SoLo thought on this for a moment, concern written all over her face. “This won’t make Ms. Grey happy.”
I grinned with a shake of my head, “No…no it will not. She’ll probably blow a gasket.”
SoLo nodded, then a long slow smile touched the corners of her mouth. “Yes…she will.” Her smile transformed into a broad grin, “I’ll do it!”
I grabbed her and pulled her in close to me, returning the smile. She now knew that she had someone in her corner and that lifted her spirits…though I had to wonder if I wasn’t making a mistake…
…how are you going to show her down the right path, when you don’t know the right path yourself Kymiku…you’re trying to protect her from Grey when you are even worse…
I shove those thoughts down as best I can, though I know that my inner voice is right. My demons are far worse than Sidney Grey…far more dangerous, but to do nothing would be akin to abandoning my new sister. If there was a chance that I could help her…I would have to try. Who knows…maybe she could even help me…?
“What do you think Ny is going to say?” she asked, breaking me out of my internal struggle.
I shrugged, “I don’t know. I gave up guessing what our sister thinks a long time ago, but you let me worry about that.”
She nodded, satisfied for the moment that she had an advocate in me. “Did you see Queen of the Ring? Did you see how Ny did?”
I gave a nod, “I heard…she earned the second spot. That comes with a shot at The Marquee title for her performance.”
SoLo looked slightly crestfallen, “Yeah…I thought she would win the whole thing. I know that she probably feels bad.”
“There is no harder critic of our sister than the woman herself, but she has nothing to be ashamed of. Her record in LAW speaks for itself. She made a good accounting of herself…and no one will take her lightly.”
SoLo nodded, and I could see that my words had gotten through to her. SoLo gave a sigh, “It’s too bad that she’ll end up facing Ms. Camacho for the Marquee Title…I mean…especially after the way she stepped in to help you.”
I had not forgotten about the part that Gabrielle Camacho had played in making sure that my injuries were not more grievous. She could have turned her back and just walked away, especially after the pitched battled that we had just took part in. Fortunately for me, she was indeed a woman of great honor and integrity. “Ms. Camacho is a competitor…like me…like our sister. While we may not desire to face our friends, that doesn’t mean that we won’t. She wants to be the best…and to do that, you must fight the best.” I gave a sigh, “Of course I back my sister in a match…but Gabrielle has shown herself to be game, so no outcome is assured between them. I only know that at the end of the match, neither of them will leave without respect for the other.”
“Yeah…but it still sucks a big one.” SoLo said, causing me to grin.
“Yes…it does suck a big one.” I repeated. Before our exchange could continue, the door opened and my…or should I say our sister, Nyako walked in...