Space & Time

"Oh, my, how perfect, fufu~" Junko looked at the two  percolating tubs and rubbed her hands together. "How unfortunate that we have to christen them in this manner, but, I think it will do." She said and turned to Nikolette who was standing in a bikini, bashfully looking away from Junko.

The bumps and bruises she had taken from the fight a few days ago were only starting to fade. Her body looked like it had been put through the ringer, and she was still sore. She was just lucky that through it all she hadn't actually been concussed. That was always her worst fear. "Yeah, uh, these look like top of the line models!" Nikolette said. "I think a good soak is just what I need to help rejuvenate." She smiled and began slipping into the bath.

"Mmmmmhmmmm, fufu~" Junko said, chuckling. "But you know, you don't have to wear a bikini. You certainly have a body to show off, fufu."

Nikolette's eyes widened and she quickly sank into the tub, letting the hot bubbles cover her. She stared red faced at Junko. "Just go get Taylor, please!"

Junko laughed as she turned. "Right, I'll leave you too alone, fufu~"

Nikolette eyed Junko warily before she sank into the tub fully. It was almost worth getting her ass kicked to be able to sit in it. It was absolutely heavenly.

Taylor passed Junko on her way in, dressed in a matching black spandex short-shorts and a minimal sports bra, with a towel slung over her shoulder and her arm in a sling.

"Hey."

She tossed the towel over a chair next to the second hot tub, and then carefully removed her sling and added it to the pile. She held onto the edge of the tub as she slowly dipped in first her toes, then her foot, her ankle. She let the water slip up over the sleek bulge of her calf to her knee, and then her foot found the bottom. She closed her eyes as she repeated the process with the other leg, and then slowly lowered herself down the rest of the way, one arm holding on and the other held against her body.

"Ah, fuck..." She breathed when she finally sat down. She let her head loll back and took a breath.

"I dunno about this shit, man," she mused. "Ya know? Hey could you do me a favor and unclasp me?"

She sat forward and pointed with her thumb to the thin black straps criss-crossed on her muscular back.

Hey!"

Nikolette was a little more cheerful to see Taylor than she was to see Junko and watched her slip into the tub. She understood her hesitation and smiled sympathetically.

"Oh, ah, yeah." She said and stood up, letting the water drip off of her as she leaned over and reached behind Taylor to help her out. She then eased back into the water and sighed loudly again.

"This feels... real good." She said. "I don't think I've ever been so sore in my life." Nikolette said, smiling a but as she eyed Taylor with one eye. "I'm sure it's old hat for you though. I mean, I've been worked pretty hard in matches, but y'all seem to get your ass kicked even when you come out on top, ya know?" She said, sinking into the water a bit sheepishly. "but, Junko's really impressive with all this, really." She waved at the two of them and then pulled her arms into the tub.

"A-Anyway, how's yer arm doin?" She asked. "Hopefully this will help that too." Nikolette chewed on her cheek a bit as she thought about what happened after the match was interrupted.

"Uuuuuuggghhh..." Taylor groaned. "Fuck you, Nik."

It wasn't always that way. Taylor's matches weren't always such grueling, back-and-forth affairs. She remembered fondly the days when she would steamroll over her opponents, with her speed and aggression, her tenacious, hard-hitting style. But lately, it seemed like every match was gut check time. Someday, either her spirit or her body wouldn't pass the test.

"It's great," she muttered. She carefully slipped off her sports bra and tossed it over the chair. The tension of the straps was bothersome on her throbbing shoulder. She took a deep breath of the steamy, soothing air and let her body melt.

"I'll be out of practice for a while, but I'll probably try to keep doing stuff, like running. I'm gonna be in a sling for a couple weeks, at least, and then I'm not supposed to lift anything heavy or do sports with it for like three months. Fuck that. But... I was gonna go tricking in the park with the guys and stuff this Saturday, but I guess I won't make it now..."

"Sorry."

Nikolette said reflexively and watched Taylor pull off her bra. She blinked and looked down at her own chest. Would it be polite to do the same? She sheepishly slipped her bikini top off and slipped it over the edge as well. Hopefully Taylor wouldn't notice, or think she was weird. It did feel kind of good though and she sank into the water some more.

"Yeah, when somethin like that happens, I guess ya kinda wanna get back inta thinks as soon as ya can, not just cause that's how ya are but, ya know, cause you wanna tell those people that did it that they can't keep ya down."

Nikolette frowned. "But, if ya need anythin, just let me know, ok? I wouldn't mind helpin out here and there. I feel like I shoulda done more besides get my head caved in and choked ta death." Nikolette laughed a bit nervously. "Don't know how I managed to avoid anythin serious, but I'm gonna work extra hard now." She said, looking at Taylor.

"But, That gal's a real nasty piece a work though." She said with distasteful look.

Taylor's body relaxed under the water, the heat soothing her aching muscles, but also she felt weak. She felt as if the water was too heavy, and she couldn't have lifted a finger if she tried. When she spoke, her voice was soft, weary, a little thin.

"I'm really glad that you didn't hold back, Nik," she said, without opening her eyes. "You gave it everything you had, and I'm proud of you. Or... at least I hope you did."

It was a joke, but she couldn't even muster the smallest laugh.

"Stuff got pretty nasty, but you're a good girl. Sorry it didn't work out, but... Talia's my baggage, I guess. We'll put that one on me..."

"Yeah..." Nikolette said and perked up a little. "You pushed me and, I guess we kinda got a lil nasty ourselves, but I never took it personal and, if we were gonna match again, I wouldn't have it any other way. We were so rough, but it was all good, ya know? Like, We were beatin the heck outta each other, but I never felt malicious or nothin. I know you felt the same. It's... strange, bein so close ta someone when really yer just tryin ta beat the snot out of them."

Nikolette blushed. She hoped Taylor didn't think she was weird, but she needed to express herself. "But... I didn't hold back an ounce. I wouldn't disrespect ya like that and I knew I wouldn't have won if I didn't."

Nikolette stretched a bit in the tub and frowned at Taylor. "Don't worry about that." She said waving her hand. "Course I'm upset that we never got to finish, but now that it's over... I dunno..." She sighed and looked up at the ceiling. "It's... I dunno." She muttered again. "I ain' thappy that things went down the way they did, but I don' feel dissatisfied we didn't get ta see who made it to the top, ya know?" She said. "It ain't like I wouldn't sign up for a rematch, but right now, I'm not frustrated about that. I'm more worried about Kelly and that gal a yers."

She flashed Taylor a look, hoping that Taylor understood it as a joke. "What if I fought her?" Nikolette said. "She did some nasty junk to me, but I ain't in it like you are. I ain't been too involved in all this stuff with you and Kelly and I definitely owe her a good butt kickin, but... if yer really gonna come back sooner rather than later, ya don't need a gal like that dividin yer attention." She said and looked at Taylor.

"Yeah, well..."

Taylor didn't share Nikolette's feelings. Maybe four years ago, or three, or two, she could have let the setback roll right off and kept going, but now things were different. She felt different, and not for the better.

"Uh, yeah, whatever. You can fight whoever you want, man..." She shrugged. "Just... You tell me what you want to do, and it's cool. I definitely can't blame you for wanting to get back at Kelly or Talia."

Nikolette frowned as she listened to Taylor. "Uhhh..." She said and lowered her head and looked at the water. "I do owe Kelly a butt kickin, but..." She paused.

She turned and looked at Taylor. "I feel kinda stupid fer askin this, but... are ya sure everythin's ok?" She questioned sincerely. "I ain't no doc or nothin, and I know we both got pretty banged up but, I..."

She let her words hang in the air and turned to look at Taylor, raising her eyes. "Anythin I can do? Anythin ya wanna ... say?" She said.

Taylor breathed a heavy sigh. She held her breath and let herself slip down under the water until her head was submerged. She remained that way for several seconds before coming back up, though she just wanted to stay under.

"I feel like I'm letting everyone down by saying this, especially me, but... I can't keep doing this, Nik," she said, as if the effort of speaking the words physically hurt. "All the time, I pick myself up and I pour everything I have into a match, and my matches lately have been a lot harder, and after all of it, after fighting through so much... I get fucked. And here I am, injured again, another setback, my career is a joke and even if I got that shot at Kelly she'd just fuck me over and I'd eventually be fighting brand new rookies, like Cecelia does."

She hated the way she sounded, but it was in her. It needed to come out, and while she would never say this to her kohai, Nikolette was more of a peer. For better or worse, she could confide in her.

"I don't feel the same anymore. Something is wrong. I had nothing in our match, I couldn't even... I just feel like I'm done. Like I'm just out of gas. I can't keep picking myself up off the floor like this every time."