FLASHBACK

I lean back on the chair, and close my eyes. I think of all of the things which had happened over the past few days. The matches, the drama, the journey home (in which I spent the whole time in the backseat bitching and moaning about how much pain I am in.). I feel a sharp pain, hot in my sides. I yell out loud, and open my eyes, lunging forward, keeling over.

"Yoshi...are you OK?"

Panting heavily, I winced in pain yet again, before blacking out.

...Showing a sign of weakness...

END FLASHBACK

"DAMN! Yoshi...please...are you okay?"

My left eye gave a slight twitch, and I felt stoned. I had no idea what the hell had just happened, but for some reason, due to the blinding pain, I knew that I had passed out.  Like a little weak thing.

"I...passed out?"

"Yes. About three hours ago"

"DAMN!"

I try and sit up forward, but I do it too fast and blood instantly rushes to my head. I fall back down again, and Hope catches my head inches before hitting the edge of the coffee table. She gets up and pulls out her cell phone. She begins to dial numbers, before I close the lid of the phone.

"You are not phoning the DWI."

"I wasn't going to!"

I let her go, and she flips the phone open, with a smug little grin. I quickly shut the phone again.

"You are not phoning the NPA."

She thinks for a minute, before sighing. She begins to speak, but I interrupt.

"I'll be fine, you have to believe me."

"You've just blacked out, and you almost banged your head on the edge of the coffee table. You've just had three matches in the space of two days, and now you've been put up with Aiden? He was just in a brutal hardcore match and he seems fine about it!"

"Yes; and that's a match that I have a week to recover for."

"If you spend all your time recuperating and never training, you'll be even skinnier than you are already, and you'll never be able to handle the kind of pain which you will be receiving by Aiden. And then what. You'll go up against The Freak and Dustin Walters, and then again, Johnny Ditoriad on the same night?"

I chuckle, but my head spins around. I feel weird and I slowly rest my head on the sofa.

"Aiden? Nothing. Freak? Nothing. Dustin Walters? I've beaten him before, quite badly, and I'll do it again with ease. As for Johnny Ditoriad? The whole NPA wants a whole piece of him. I'll just stay behind and reel in the glory. Johnny Ditoriad has to be by far the worst wrestler in NPA, and for me? I'm easily one of the best, and everyone knows that"

Hope sighs.

"Not everybody. Dustin and The Freak think they can beat you, yet again! And in this condition, I wouldn't be surprised."

"Dustin thought he can beat me when we fought before. What happened? I won."

"Dustin's annoyed at you for refusing to join his group...thing"

"Let him be. What the hell can he do? He done his worst the night we fought each other. He strangled me brutally, and it really hurt, but that's all it was, a flesh wound. His pride was hurt when I beat him, and that's something that never goes away. Even if he 'forgets it', it will always haunt him. A loss will do that. But since I've restarted my career, I've had...what...5 matches in the space of two weeks? I've won every single one of them, and I intend to win more. This sport is just a game, but it's a game I seem to be damn good at."

"Please. Do this for me. I need to make sure you're safe, and nothing harms you."

A tear drips from her eye and runs down the side of her face. I wipe it away, and my eyes water.

"I can't..."