Hikari Noa: Burn Through the Darkness

Once again, Hikari Noa stands alone. Before her, a menagerie of unnaturally twisted and crooked shapes loom ominously. They dare her to enter the pitch black darkness where certain doom awaits. A cold wind howls through every nightmarish opening. It's so strong that Hikari is almost propelled backward to a horrendous fate. She digs her feet in desperately, muscles tensing so firmly that every centimeter of her burns. From behind her another icy wind bearing a hint of sea water batters her back.

Her feet begin to slide back toward the cliff behind her. All her summoned strength isn't enough to overcome the power of what fate has conspired to push her into. She falls to her knees and claws madly at the rock in a last ditch effort to save herself. The winds scream louder, words now audible. Their voices are instantly recognizable.

That f*cking title is mine! Everyone knows ya can’t f*cking beat Momo, only I can!

It’s nothing personal, you’re just in the way.

They're forces which have relentlessly attempted to break her down of late. Every encounter has been harder than the last to endure. They care not that the battle Hikari has been given was not one of her choice. All that matters to them is that she's in a place they feel they deserve. Even when she truly earned the spot. It's hers. This is supposed to be her moment of opportunity but it's been made a nightmare. Yet despite the intensity of these forces, these women, a new sensation fills Hikari Noa. Not pain or anguish. Rage. Indignation at the unjust punishment the world has unleashed upon her. As the winds reach the apex of their power, Hikari pushes herself off of the ground and glares up at the sky. Bea and Jamie's faces don't appear, but rather that of Momo Watanabe. The monster who is the cause of her recent suffering. Furious bonfires light up her eyes as she defiantly screams.

Her voice is furious, full of all the pent up pain and frustrations in her life. Whether or not they were caused by the Black Peach or not is irrelevant at this point. There’s only so far she can get by embracing pain and violence alone. Being ready and willing to fight at any time and savoring the taste of battle isn’t enough anymore. They haven’t helped keep her beloved friends in her life, nor have they kept her so-called mentor from pursuing visions of her own personal glory at Hikari’s expense. What they’ve done is present her a grand opportunity, one which these winds, these forces she has nothing to do with, have taken as an insult to them. So they seek to rip her apart and strike her down for what fate has given her. Hikari’s body is in great, agonizing pain but she’s no longer going to feel sorry for herself.

This pain is again a reminder to the Deathmatch Princess. Rather than a memory of a great fight, though, it reminds her that she has only one place to go: forward. The whole world is hell bent on stopping her, and the woman waiting on the other side of those ominous woods is the ultimate example. Hikari gets the distinct feeling that all of this darkness emanates from the Black Peach’s rise to power. She’s the coldest and most violent woman in WLCW, a monster who’s trampled all of the wrestling world underfoot. Momo has ripped apart all the strongest women in wrestling, and her next opponent is Hikari Noa.

Not a powerful heroine anyone would ever have expected to be here. She’s the girl everyone ultimately abandons, forgets or hates. Hikari Noai alone will face this monster, daring her to make the first move. Most people consider this quest to be a suicide mission. They’ve all forgotten something - she’s still alive, and now she’s angry. If she’s alive she can fight and win; if she’s angry she can match the monster’s strength blow for blow. Her defiant scream has cut through the storming winds which sought to ruin her. So why does she still doubt herself? Deep inside her heart, there’s a pang of doubt. There’s still a quiet but demanding voice within her which tells Hikari Noa that she just can’t do it. The closer she steps toward those ominous shapes in the shadows before her, the stronger that thought becomes. Maybe she should just give up now? Fighting Momo with this kind of doubt in her heart is just going to get Hikari badly hurt.

The voice comes from behind her suddenly. Hikari looks over her shoulder and sees an older woman with short slicked back hair. Even without the face paint or gear Hikari recognizes her trainer, Kagetsu. Realizing this Hikari quickly steps away and glares at the woman with the same defiant fury which empowered her to defy the storm. How dare this woman think she deserves to offer advice after running off to play Oedo Tai with her friend? The expression Kagetsu wears is one that’s part apologetic, part cocky.

<She’s stronger than anyone I’ve ever fought. I’m all alone too.. I can’t do this.>

<I'm sorry, Hikarin. No excuses. But I'm here now, and I believe in you, Hikarin. Momo-chan’s powerful, she’s scary, but you have a hell of a lot more heart than her. I know you can do it. Are you gonna prove her right about your pinning her being a fluke?>

<That’s the Hikarin I know!>

Some of that shadow recedes and Hikari can see a good distance into the woods before her. Momo’s power over her is receding, but it’s still there. Hikari looks back over her shoulder at Kagetsu, who just nods toward the forest. It’s clear what she wants Hikari to do, what Hikari needs to do. To beat Momo, she needs to face whatever’s hidden within those woods. She takes a deep breath, closes her eyes and nods. It’s time. With purpose in her step Hikari enters the sea of trees and the world behind her fades away. Each step she takes brings her deeper among the ancient trees and is accompanied by the sorrows she’s suffered in the last few years.

<Unfortunately, you’re not quite where we need you to be as a wrestler. I’m afraid the answer is no.>

<Hikari-san, I’m sorry but I have to take this opportunity in Stardom. It could be my big break! I’ll miss you.>

<I’ve made my decision, I’m going to retire soon. And I want you to be my last opponent. Will you do that for me?>

< You pinned me because you are lucky. You lost at Ascension because you are weak. And I will defeat you at Clash at the Canyon because I am better than you. I am stronger than you. And the last thing you see… through the blood in your eyes… will be my boot kicking off your face. >

All of these voices swirl and coalesce around her as she heads deeper into the woods and once more the shadows begin falling over her. They compose the same familiar chorus of pain and sorrow she’s only just barely kept at bay with her lust for violence. Now it just makes her even more furious. Her muscles tense while the words grow sharper, louder and more intrusive. Both of her hands ball up into fists yet one isn’t quite able to close the whole way. Instead it closes around something solid and cylindrical. Hikari’s narrowed eyes glance down to see a sparkly blue baseball bat clutched in her right hand. She’s not alone against the world, she has Mako! As a sinister smile crosses her lips as she looks back up and sees that the trees have morphed into all the people who’ve harmed her. Another sound sneaks into her ears despite the continued onslaught of her fears and frustrations. A young woman’s crying from just ahead on the path Hikari stands on! Those trees-turned-foes have moved into the pathway to block her. Hikari grins savagely and hefts Mako like a katana. With a shout she charges them, starting first with the one which resembles Bea Priestly.

Mako slams into her as Hikari screams in rage, causing Bea to explode. Next is Jamie Hayter.

Then Julia Hart.

Sonny Onoo.

And finally Starlight Kid.

Splinters fly everywhere and the darkness lifts from the woods entirely. Hikari marches onward through the storm of broken wood, her arms, legs and face lacerated in the process. Blood flows from each of the wounds, but Hikari is alive and now she’s determined to see this through. Pain or no pain, alone or not, Hikari Noa will not stop as long as she’s got a pulse. All of the biting words have gone quiet, leaving just the weeping girl ahead of Hikari. She’s curled up at the base of an ancient tree, knees pulled up to her chest. Dressed in powder blue ring gear and her hair in a ponytail, Hikari instantly recognizes this as her rookie self. The current Hikari’s rage cools down as she takes a seat next to the girl, admittedly kind of surprised where her journey has taken her.

<What’s wrong?>

<I.. I can’t do it. Even when I give it everything I have, it’s not enough. I can’t do this.>

<Can’t do what?>

Rookie Hikari smiles a little.

Around them, there’s a slow but growing noise around them. It’s indistinguishable from whispers on the wind at first, but it grows in volume and intensity. Both Hikaris pause to really listen to it and discern what it is that they are hearing. Soon thereafter words form out of the noise - thousands of voices chanting ‘HARD TO KILL! HARD TO KILL! HARD TO KILL!’. Present day Hikari smiles with fierce pride while her rookie self seems quite happy for the acknowledgement.

<They’re with me.>

Across the path from them a shadowy figure looms again. At first human sized, then growing to the size of a mighty kaiju! The shaded eye sockets and sadistic smile reveal it’s Momo in a new form! Hikari stands up, gripping Mako; she hesitates, looking back down at her younger self.

<What?>

<Win.>

Present Hikari is slightly taken aback, but her younger self just reiterates the point.

<Win.>

Hikari nods in agreement, her savagely violent smile returning. She turns to face the monstrous Momo and points at her with Mako. With a deafening scream, Hikari charges in, Mako ready to strike. All the while a single thought goes through her head: I can do this. I can beat her. And even if don’t, I’m going to push her to the breaking point!

Hikari stares at herself in a mirror that takes up the whole wall. The signs of the beating she took in Seattle are visible in several places in the form of bruises and half healed cuts. Each one part of the greater tapestry of the monumental task that looms large at the Grand Canyon. Around her are studio lights, a solid icy blue backdrop and a camera tripod. A small laptop hums on the equally small table in the back left corner near a power socket. While this studio has overhead fluorescent lighting, she’s left it off. Too much of the artificial light blinds her almost as badly as that firework she took to the face. For now she’s alone, but she’s expecting three people to join her. Two women who will be in her corner in a few days to keep outside attackers at bay. Also one photographer from WLCW who’s scheduled to complete a photo shoot for her.

Soon enough the door swings open and Hikari sees the former. Kagetsu is first, dressed in her white ring gear and wearing a bit of concern on her face. She and Hikari have talked a lot recently and come to more of an understanding of each other. It’s not perfect, and Hikari is still sore about the disconnect they’ve had of late. They’re both fighters, though, and that’s enough to reunite them in a singular cause. To slay the Black Peach and rip that title away from her. Instead of flinching away from Kagetsu, Hikari smiles knowingly at her. As Kagetsu smiles back, Konami enters the room in her white gear with gray and neon green trim.

It’s an odd pairing between her and Hikari. But when Konami lost her place in the world, she and Hikari found they were enduring very similar struggles. Hikari sees a lot of herself in Konami, and the pair sort of naturally became friends despite Konami’s past villainy. Konami flashes a goofy lopsided smile and takes her place at Hikari’s side. With the three of them standing there, gazing into the mirror, HIkari sees something reflected back at her she didn’t think she’d have here. Something she’s longed for since the whole world changed: a family. They might not see eye to eye on everything, but Hikari finally feels like she’s not quite alone against the world.

Her gear for this shoot is the new set she’s debuting at Clash at the Canyon. Like the others, hers is mainly white rather than her usual black; it has the same style and patterning as her old gear in blue and black but is otherwise brand new. When she’s up against someone as dark and menacing as Momo, Hikari realizes she’s the heroine. Suffering through the trials and tribulations of those who’d see her fail in her quest. They’ve all failed though, because now Hikari wields her white hot passion in the penultimate battle with WLCW’s greatest villain. The very fight she’s wanted since that first main event on Vengeance, just her and Momo one on one.

Hikari makes this speech as much to psych herself up as to show the others she’s ready. Kagetsu puts a hand on her shoulder.

<I’m proud of you, Hikarin. Go beat the hell out of Momo-chan.>

Konami places and hand on Hikari’s other shoulder.

The cameraman enters the studio and begins setting up his equipment. Hikari stares at herself in the mirror and briefly imagines Momo standing in front of her. Each of them glare into each other’s eyes as if battle is imminent. A confident, almost psychotic smile crosses her lips.