Pain. Every little sound no matter how slight drives a sharp and deeply piercing form of this sensation deeper into the iron head of Maki Itoh. Each sound also brings on memories of her fall from the height she had accidentally reached last year. A loud vehicle roars to life outside her domicile and tears around the corner like a bat out of hell and her head feels like it’s been stabbed with an ice pick. In her mind’s eye she sees the haughty face of the fashionista she’d been forced to team with and whom did her best to screw over the World’s Cutest Wrestler. A tea kettle screeches angrily as the pressure of steam within builds to the literal boiling point. Her pain shifts to that of needles being stabbed into her eyes and sinuses. That self important face is replaced by the smug visage of another woman, one who looks insufferably satisfied with herself as she slams something into Maki’s face.
<”Itoh-chan!”>
Part of her is aware of the voice calling her name, but Maki Itoh is far too lost in her own agony to pay much heed to it. Failed attempts at quiet footsteps within the dwelling? Like a sledgehammer being shot into her face by an air cannon. The rapping of someone’s hand upon the door separating her from the rest of this suite? Massive pressure being placed on her from all directions in an effort to reduce her to a flattened mess. All the while she replays the treachery of Game of Squids in her mind. It mixes with her other tormented memories. Being fired from LinQ despite jumping through all the ridiculous hoops the manager insisted on her leaping through with a smile on her face. Battling the other women of TJPW with all the fury she’d bottled up as an idol and yet always coming up short. All of these and more coalesce in her mind as she sits in a bedroom, cut off from the rest of the world.
<”ITOH-CHAN! Open this door!”>
Pain is more than just the sensation she suffers at the raising of Tam Nakano’s voice from the other side of her door. Every time she gets one step ahead, pain comes round again and reminds her that it’s not that easy. It’s her most constant companion in life. Friends and partners may come and go, but pain - pain is always there with her. Pain feels like her natural state of being. Perhaps she’s really just doomed to suffer in this life, the butt of the entire universe’s joke. How else could she describe finally winning gold in SGW only to be forced to team with someone who was offended by the mere existence of Maki Itoh? Then being prevented from retaining her title and ridding herself of that gigantic pain in the ass by Dakota Kai? One gigantic joke, that’s what all of this boils down to.
<”Oiiii, Maki-chan, I’m opening the door. You better not be sulking again.”>
Is it the definition of her career? Maybe it ought to be. After all - OH GOD WHAT WAS THAT!? Suddenly her world of dark self contemplation is shattered by the sudden violent intrusion of fluorescent light. Maki has had the lights off while she sits in this room, so the explosion of light drives a skyscraper comically falling on her’s worth of pain for a long moment. She hides her eyes behind her arm and hisses like a vampire being confronted by some kind of holy symbol or garlic or whatever. Not like she cares what specific kind of stupid shit vampire weaknesses are at play here. Maybe if she hides her eyes in her arm she’ll be left alone in her pain. Instead she feels a light tap on her shoulder. When she raises her head and her eyes adjust to the much brighter room, Maki finds herself eye to eye with a goofy panda puppet wearing an eyepatch.
<”You are sulking again.”>
Maki’s lips curl into a pout.
<”Leave me alone, panda! You don’t know what this feels like.”>
P-Chan (expertly puppeted by Tam Nakano) moves in closer, almost touching foreheads with Maki.
<”I’ve seen things no panda should ever have to, remember? Try me.”>
Maki raises a very dubious eyebrow.
<”Pain.”>
<”Pain? That’s it?”>
Maki’s pout curls into an angry snarl. That’s actually not all which has gotten her in such an unpleasant mood recently. Being the pain, lurking beneath the surface as she put herself through a pity party. Once she uncovered it and gave it air, the feeling began to catch fire.
<”That’s not all. I’m - I’m not just sitting here feeling sad and sorry for myself. I’m actually-”>
The fire begins to spread and gain a furious intensity; her voice increases in volume.
”Pissed off! <I had a prize that was all mine and forced people to recognize how cute and strong I’ve become through all that pain! Okay, so I might’ve forgotten I had it before Game of Squids, but I was the Twinstar Champions! And then it just gets ripped away by the same stupid fashionista who hates me for some reason and that opportunistic jerk who didn’t even need to ruin my night.”>
<”And is sitting here feeling bad helping with that?”>
Maki rolls her eyes.
<”I don’t think so, but what the hell can I do?”>
P-Chan lowers and Tam looks down at Maki with a questioning look.
<”No it’s not. What happened happened and there’s nothing being upset about it is going to do to change it. The real question is what are we going to do about it?”>
Maki looks up into Tam’s eyes, the inferno raging by this point.
<”Those two are parading around with my titles like they’re so much better than the Cutest in the World. Hell they can keep the> goddamn <titles! I forgot I was a champion for a few months, so what does it really matter? No, the problem is they’re parading around like the pain they caused me isn’t going to be repaid. They probably think they can just walk away from kicking Maki> Fucking <Itoh down the stairs and forget that she exists. Like I’m a piece of garbage they can throw out the first chance they get. But I’m still here. And I have one thing to share with those two bitches.”>
Tam tilts her head quizically, eyebrow raised.
<”What’s that, Itoh-chan?”>
Maki’s snarl morphs into a twisted grin.
<”Pain.”>
Tam smiles wickedly in return.
<”Good. We’re on the same page then.”>
*****
It’s come - the morning of the Death of SGW. Fans are fueling the rumor mill about all the big matches on the card and what positioning everyone will have afterward. Even in this business suite overlooking the densely populated metropolis of Mexico City from on high, the buzz seems palpable. Tam’s heard and felt plenty of that anticipation during her ventures out into the city proper. None of it has remotely changed the goals which the Murder Idols have set out to achieve today. Not after weeks of preparation together focused on bringing those goals within arm’s reach. She lets the curtain drop as she moves back into the suite, thoughts lingering as she waits for Maki to join her.
Their goal is destruction, nothing more or less than that. Both of them have done all kinds of intensive training in and around the city to prepare. Running laps around ancient pyramids. Recreating the experience of a bowlfex gym with parts they had found in suspiciously dark alleyways and junk piles. Cardio training sessions that made both of them collapse from the effort. Marathon kickboxing and MMA training sessions with LinQ music playing in the background and mental images of women they both wanted to obliterate. For Tam it was a certain half-Italian whom she’s gone to war with on multiple occasions and an entire roster’s worth of talent jokingly imitating her cuteness. Maki meanwhile had the current Twinstar Champions in mind as she did her very best to reduce punching bags and sparring partners to dust. All in the name of that one singular goal and nothing more.
This match has gotten much more personal than simply championship gold on the line. In another place and time they might have called themselves The Cutest Tag Team in The Cosmos. Tam even had ideas of challenging Maki to a match once to see who truly was the best cute wrestler. Once they’d begun talking before SGW Kills, though, she saw someone like herself. A woman who’d been kicked out of the home she tried to become part of and only found her place by making it herself. They’d been close friends since then and Tam was ready and willing to go to war for her. Even if deep down Tam knew she was cuter than Maki. After the events in Pyongyang it’s the two of them against the world. They’ll just have to set that world ablaze with their passion, that’s all.
Maki emerges from her room a few moments after those thoughts cross Tam’s mind. While her hair’s done up in twintails as usual, Maki’s look is very different from usual. Gone are the sparkly idol attire and bows, replaced by a red boiler suit with plaid trim on the pockets. On the back is a large logo with the letters “CI” and “TW” on either side of a skeletal hand flipping the bird. Tam’s similarly dressed in a lavender colored boiler suit with white lace trim on the pockets. Her eyepatch wearing panda plushies rests in her left breast pocket. Her suit has ‘TAM” in gothic lettering, dripping with blood, on the back. The two former idols lock eyes, nod, and head out of the suite and downstairs. What few people they pass by give the pair weird looks, but neither Murder Idol gives them much thought. Once they arrive at the bottom of the stairs, the two walk into the basement proper. Here they have set up a tripod with a phone ready to record their statement of purpose. Both of them smirk as they tap the ‘record’ button on the screen. It’s time to issue a warning to the world. Tam steps up to the camera first, clutching a bat wrapped in barbed wire that was waiting on the floor for her.
<”Sorry to interrupt your regularly scheduled cuteness, everyone, but times have gotten serious. There’s no time to sit around and be adorable. Tonight is too important for that. You see, in light of recent events neither of us is really in the mood to play around like that. My friend Itoh-chan went into Game of Squids as a champion and was robbed of her chance to remain so. It might have been every woman for herself, but the outside interference was too much to ignore. So was the way that she was unceremoniously forced to fight everyone in that ring on her own. But when the world turned against her, a cosmic angel came to her side. And now we’re here to return the favor to everyone else in that ring.”>
Maki begins pacing in the background while beginning to speak.
<”Tonight isn’t about the Twinstar Championships. The rest of you can beat the> shit <out of each other over that gold, but we could care less about that. Tonight is about something a hell of a lot simpler than fame, glory and status. Tonight’s about one thing alone: pain. TAM-CHAN!”>
She stops at Tam’s right, turns around and points to her panda toting partner. Tam makes a cutesy thoughtful expression before speaking.
<”Easier said than done, right? We’re in the ring with the champion of all champions, Alexa Bliss-san and her monstrously powerful minion. Alexa-san has been the most successful wrestler in SGW the last two years. She’s a dragon who’s conquered everyone who’s crossed her path. That kind of success made her hungry and greedy for more and more, and now she’s got a chance to add another title to her collection. Goddess, it doesn’t matter how big of a monster you found to help you add to that hoard of gold. Maybe you’ve become like a dragon, but we’re going to slay with the most vicious offense you’ve ever seen in your career. The only Moment of Bliss you’ll have is when the pummeling stops and you can admire the new coat of red all that gold’s been painted in.”>
Tam looks longingly at the barbed wire bat before continuing.
<”Sasha-san, you up and quit on your chance to bring home this title last time. Considering that your options weren’t great, apart from Itoh-chan, I understand that. I also understand you picking your friend to come back you up as you try to claim the titles this time. Your friendship means you have someone to watch your back, but it also means there are two of you for us to beat up. Itoh-chan and I don’t hate you, but you might get in the way of our goals tonight. I’m known as the Twilight Dream, but tonight I’m going to put you through a Twilight Nightmare that you’ll desperately want to wake up from. And as the bell rings and you do, the last thing you’ll see is this smiling face looking down on you.”>
She flashes a smile while Maki steps forward with a murderous glee filling her expression.
<”And then there’s that> bitch. <Jinny. You’ve hated me since I came back, and guess what? I hate you even more. All you’ve done from day one is try to screw me over and cause me pain. More than anything tonight is about putting you and Dakota throw the most horrific suffering you’ve ever experienced. I’m going to bash your> stupid bitch faces <in in front of the whole world. Every pain you’ve caused me I’m gonna repay double. Jinny, your career in high fashion’s gonna be ruined after I leave permanent scars on your body. And every day when you look at yourself in the mirror, they’re going to remind you of> Maki Fucking Itoh. < You’re the one who invited this. You’re the one who’s hated me for little reason since the start. I’ve been waiting for the chance to kick your ass without any pretense of being partners for a year. Dakota, you decided that a self absorbed> bitch <like her was a better partner than me? Fine. That choice, all of the shit talking Jinny’s done, all that pain is getting paid back. Win or lose, champions or not, you’ll both remember the receipt of pain that we’re cashing tonight. We’ll leave our mark - on your broken, twisted bodies.”>
Tam winks to the camera.
“Payback is delicious!”
Maki flips the bird to the camera.
“Murder Idols!”
Tam does the same, and they speak as one.
”Leave no one standing!”
