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Another day, another flight. This time they were headed to Riyadh, Saudi Arabia. They landed again and there was a flurry of activity. Still, no matter where they were, it was good to be with Iyo. The lead up to the Rumble was always an exciting time, and so much could happen.
The Rumble itself didn’t go to plan, however. The best laid plans were completely thrown out the window when 5 to 10 women were concurrently in the ring with you. This was only increased when the women in the ring had personal animosity towards you.
In the end, both Iyo and Rhea were eliminated. They headed back to the hotel and, for the first time, took a moment to breathe. The series of matches they’d been in seemed to have taken their toll, and exhaustion suddenly set in.
It was only natural. No matter how indefatigable she and Iyo were, they had been in match after match for months now. Since November they’d maybe had a week off in between, and they still were on the road even if they weren’t scheduled to compete on any particular night.
They snuggled together in the hotel. Rhea’s mind idly wandered to the impending future. Liv had won the Rumble. There was no question that she would go after the women’s championship. It was just a matter of whether she chose Stephanie Vacquer or Jade Cargill. Even that wasn’t guaranteed since it was completely possible that Raquel Rodriguez could win tomorrow over Stephanie and take the title herself.
Rhea wanted that gold back. Iyo felt the same. The tag team with Iyo had been wonderful thus far. Holding Iyo in her arms was the most precious thing she’d ever done. At the same time, she and Iyo were both ambitious. It was only a matter of time before they were making their own individual title runs again.
Would this bring them into conflict? That seemed inevitable unless one of them decided to go after the championship of a different brand or, for example, the Intercontinental Championship. Would she and Iyo be able to survive such a conflict? That was the question that gave Rhea pause.
Iyo was resting in her arms, head on her chest. Her eyes were closed. She looked so peaceful, so cute. Rhea pressed a kiss to the top of Iyo’s head. After a run at the title, would Iyo still be there? Would Iyo leave? Would she deliberately push Iyo away?
Liv’s words about her selfishness came flooding back. Despite Iyo’s assurances and her own attempts to brush past her doubts, it really did bother her that she didn’t have a definitive answer. She felt as though she’d changed. Her first instinct after a match was to find Iyo and check on her, hold her, and ensure she was alright.
In the past, she wanted her belt back immediately. She had to impress upon her opponent their failure at dethroning her. ‘AND STILL’ was her absolute favorite phrase. When she carried the belt, she carried it with pride and not a little arrogance. She swaggered about differently when she had gold. It was the ultimate proof of her superiority, a mark of her dominance and strength.
Yet, this gold felt different. The belt and title in and of themselves were secondary to the real gold that had been her relationship with Iyo. They both had wanted the championship. It was as much about exorcising ghosts of the past as it was about winning. This had led to them finally being honest about their feelings towards each other.
Rhea was reasonably confident that if circumstances hadn’t tossed them into a team like this together, she’d never have known this feeling. Oh, they had teamed up here and there in the past, but it was always brief and a means to an end. Once that temporary alliance had served its purpose, they were back to adversaries. There was an undercurrent of respect between them, but it never went further than that.
Without the Kabuki Warrior conflict and all of the ensuing battles between them, this almost never would have happened. And the thought of that was almost as terrifying as the thought that she would break this apart the way she’d done to Liv. Some things you just couldn’t come back from, and her behavior and choices had irreparably damaged that relationship. It was hard to think of them ever reconciling. She knew she didn’t want that for her and Iyo.
Iyo was so gorgeous in her arms. Rhea rubbed her back, her shoulders. She’d been working hard. The back injury was bothering her a bit less, but the match the previous Saturday followed by the triple threat tag team match on the Monday directly following it had added more bumps, bruises, and soreness. It was no small wonder that Iyo was perhaps running on fumes in the Rumble.
She stared at Iyo, taking in the features of her face. Even in sleep Iyo was smiling. Rhea loved that smile, loved seeing Iyo being so exuberant and energetic. Every time Iyo did the kip up and front flip followed by her little emote her heart melted. She couldn’t tear her eyes away even when Iyo was gearing up for a bullet train attack against her.
But these moments were also precious. They were becoming the most precious to Rhea because they were moments that no one else ever saw.
Rhea loved this woman. Body and soul, she did. There was an exhilarating terror about that because it was reciprocated. Iyo loved her just as much. She wanted to protect this, even if it meant figuring out how to protect it from herself.
Iyo slowly opened her eyes. They were perfect. Guileless. She wasn’t wearing the colored contacts, so they were her usual deep, rich brown. They shared a beat of silent eye contact. Rhea wondered if Iyo could read her mind. Iyo then gave her the sunny smile that she adored.
“Rhea…you worry too much.”
“W-What do you mean?” Rhea sputtered.
“You know…when you get worried, you make a face.” Iyo then imitated that facial expression.
Rhea chuckled. She was right, but she didn’t have to admit that. She started to gently tickle Iyo and that led to some minor roughhousing before they were back snuggling together.
“To be honest, Rhea, I’m worried, too.” Iyo quietly admitted, taking Rhea’s hand.
“What are you worried about?” Rhea was ready to leap to action. Whatever was going on, she would fix it.
“…You go first.” Iyo demurred.
“I…” Rhea sighed and squeezed Iyo’s hand. “I guess I’m worried about the future.”
“About us?” Iyo asked.
“No.” Rhea paused. “Well, yes, actually. Maybe…?”
Iyo narrowed her eyes, silently willing Rhea to elaborate.
“I’m worried about the future, I guess. We just got the belts and we have had defense after defense so far. It’s not gonna let up, and…”
“And…?” Iyo squeezed Rhea’s hand.
“And Liv won the Rumble. It’s only gonna get harder from here to keep the tiles. Plus…”
“Plus…?” Iyo urged Rhea to continue.
“I’m still scared she’s right. About me. That I’ll do something horrible and…lose you. Lose us.” Rhea let the words tumble out.
Iyo hugged Rhea tightly. She kissed her cheek and then her lips. She knew that Rhea needed her reassurance more than anything at that moment and was happy to give it. “I trust you, Rhea. I do.”
“Even with…all I’ve done…?” Rhea asked.
Iyo nodded. “Yes. Just like how you trust me even with all that I have done.”
“Iyo…” Rhea leaned in to kiss her. They held onto each other tightly for several moments before Iyo pulled back.
“Ok, you went first. So I have to tell you what I’m worried about.” Iyo took a deep breath as Rhea listened intently. “I’m…worried about what I did today. To Kairi.”
“Hm? What did you do?” Rhea recalled that there had been a clash between Iyo, Asuka, and Giulia, but she had been caught up in her own scuffle.
“Asuka got eliminated by Kairi, but it was an accident.”
“How is that your fault?” Rhea asked.
“I…bumped into Kairi. And Kairi lost her hold on Asuka. And then I eliminated Kairi.” Iyo continued.
“Well…it’s the Rumble. Every woman for herself, right?” Rhea pressed.
“It is, but…you don’t know Asuka the way Kairi and I do.” Iyo glanced away, seeming to be remembering something. A shadow crossed over her face.
“Iyo…” Rhea wasn’t entirely sure what to say. This was actually the first time that Iyo had spoken to her about this since they’d defeated the Kabuki Warriors and gotten the titles. Things had been so hectic. Overmore they had been rushing from defense to defense such that they really hadn’t had time to talk about it further. She hugged Iyo tightly. It was her turn to silently urge Iyo to speak her mind.
“Asuka is…” Iyo sighed, trying to choose her words. “It’s complicated. I owe her so much. Kairi and I wouldn’t be here without her.”
“I’m glad for that.” Rhea cut in with a cheeky grin, and it did make Iyo smile, if a bit sadly.
“I wanted to be just like her, you know?” Iyo said, turning away to hide her face. She was starting to cry. Rhea gently took her chin to turn her back towards her again.
“Iyo…it’s alright. I’m here. I’ve got you.”
Iyo hugged Rhea tightly. “I thought Asuka was not angry with me anymore about what happened in Japan. But she still is, and she’ll bring it up any time she’s mad with me.”
“It can be hard to let the past go, so I get that, but…what did you really do wrong?” Rhea asked. “I know exactly how I fucked up with Nikki. And Liv. And Natalya. And Maxxine. And Raquel. And Charlotte. And…”
“Rhea, I get your point.” Iyo cut in.
“Sorry, got a little carried away there.” Rhea coughed, urging Iyo to continue. “So what did you do wrong?”
“Asuka is my senpai. My senior. She has been in WWE longer than I have, and in Japan I would be expected to obey her.” Rhea nodded as Iyo continued. “Asuka is a legend. She’s done so much. Kairi and I followed her, trying to be like her.”
“And then…?” Rhea put a hand on Iyo’s shoulder.
“Asuka got…jealous. And more angry. She wanted to control me. I also forged my own path here, without following her orders. I was strong enough for that. Kairi isn’t strong enough to break away. Asuka doesn’t forgive. She doesn’t forget. Kairi will be punished. She didn’t have you fighting for her here in WWE.” Iyo took Rhea’s hand and put it on her cheek, nuzzling her palm.
“I can fight for her…if you want me to.” Rhea took Iyo’s face in her hands.
Iyo smiled softly. “I know. I know…” She closed her eyes. “Maybe one day I’ll take you up on it.” She threw her arms around Rhea’s neck. “Let’s get some sleep. I’m exhausted.”
Rhea huffed and held Iyo tightly to her chest. She “Mami’s got you. Always.” Rhea murmured, closing her eyes.
“Your chipmunk’s got you, too.” Iyo kissed her cheek.
Tomorrow could wait. They were going to take advantage of this moment.