(A/N: The following chapter contains extreme material that may not be suitable for the faint of heart.

Reader discretion is advised.)

~With Azumi~

I needed to know more about Michael and try to be his friend. I could tell right off the bat that from the show, he's been very much alone and always had been alone.

So, I talked to Rina and asked her if I could learn from her.

Based on my understanding, those two have that baby brother and older sister relationship and they understand each other, but thanks to Risa working for Stardom and being a very close friend of Rina, I was able to get a time to talk to her about Michael.

The other reason is because I want to have an advantage over him and try to be his friend and so I can understand him a lot better than I do right now.

Anyway, Rina and I were gonna meet at a restaurant also we can talk about Michael's backstory.

When I got there, I saw that Rina was already seated, so I walked up with a smile.

Rina: こんにちは、あずみちゃん！ (Hello, Azumi-chan!)

Me: こんにちは！ (Hi!)

I sat down with her as I asked for a drink and a plate of pork gyoza.

Rina: それで、マイケルちゃんのことをもっと知りたかったんですよね？ (So, you wanted to know more about Michael-chan, right?)

Me: はい、知っています。彼についてもっと知る前に、知っておくべきことはありますか？ (Yes, I do. Is there anything that I should know, before I learn more about him?)

Rina: それはとてもデリケートな話題で、ある意味とてもデリケートなことです。それに、マイケルちゃんは私が彼の話をあなたに話すことをあまり喜ばないだろうとわかっています。 (It's just a sensitive topic and it's very touchy in a way. Also, I know that Michael-chan wouldn't be very happy about me telling you his story.)

Me: 大丈夫です。私と分けてください。 (I can take it. Just share it with me.)

Rina: わかりました、でももうひとつだけ。彼と話しているときにそのことを決して話題にしないでください。彼はもう何年もそのことでトラウマを抱えているんです。 (Okay, but just one more thing: never bring it up when you're talking to him. He's been traumatized about it for years at this point.)

Me: わかった。 (Okay.)

Rina: おそらくすでにご存知でしょうが、マイケルちゃんはECWのレスリング界の伝説、クリス・キャンディードとWWEレジェンド、サニー、またはタミー・リン・シッチの息子です。 (You probably already know this, but Michael-chan is the son of wrestling legends Chris Candido, from ECW and WWE Legend, Sunny, or Tammy Lynn Sytch.)

Me: はい、それについては聞いたことがあります。 (Yeah, I've heard about that.)

Rina: しかし、彼がどこへ行くにもなぜ眼帯をしているのか疑問に思う人もいるでしょう。それは決して癒えない傷のためです。 (But if you're wondering why he has an eyepatch everywhere he goes, it's because of a scar that'll never heal.)

Me: どうしたの？ (What happened?)

Rina: 彼はまだ6歳で、サニーちゃんはひどく酔っていて、割れたボトルを手に取りました。少なくとも私が聞いた話では、クリスちゃんは助かろうとしましたが、サニーちゃんは結局自分の息子の左目を刺してしまいました。 (He was only 6 years old, Sunny-chan was drunk out of her mind, took up a broken bottle, at least from what I remember him telling me, Chris-chan looked to save himself, but Sunny-chan ended up stabbing her own son in the left eye.)

Me: 神様！ (My gods!)

Rina: マイケルちゃんは結局手術を受け、その時に医者から、その目は二度と見えなくなるだろうと告げられました。永久に失明し、眼帯をつけることになったのです。 (Michael-chan ended up getting surgery and that was when the doctors told them that he'll never see out of that eye again. It was permanent blindness, causing him to have that eyepatch.)

Me: それは知りませんでした。彼はどうやってそれに対処したのでしょうか? (I never knew that. How did he manage to cope with it?)

Rina: 小学校ではいじめられて、名前を呼ばれたり、押し倒されたりしたから、彼はそうしなかった。家に帰ってきても、サニーちゃんは彼の様子を一度も聞こうとせず、さらに悪いことに、彼女は彼に対してものすごく暴力を振るっていた。そのことについては詳しくは述べないが、マイケルちゃんはそれがトラウマになって、そのせいで心的外傷後ストレス障害になったと私に話した。そのせいで、ほぼ一夜にして悪夢を見るし、レスリングをしているときは、その環境が心地良い。 (He didn't, because at elementary school, he would be bullied, called names and pushed him around. Even when he came home, Sunny-chan never bothered to ask him how he was doing, and what made things worse was that she was incredibly abusive to him. I won't go into detail about that, but it traumatized him to where Michael-chan told me that he has Post Traumatic Stress because of it. It gives him nightmares almost every other night and when he wrestles, he's comfortable with his surroundings.)

Me: だから彼はバーでギターを弾くんですか？ (So that's why he plays the guitar at bars?)

Rina: そうです。彼はそれがとても治療的だと感じていて、学校が終わった後に家に帰らないようにするためにやっていたことでもあります。また、詳細を述べずに自分の話を共有するのにも役立っています。 (Right. He found it very therapeutic and it was something he did to avoid going home after school. It also helps him share his story without being that detailed.)

Me: 彼はどんな人ですか？性格はどんな感じですか？ (How is he as a person? What's his personality?)

Rina: まあ、先日の晩、彼がどれだけ失礼な人かはもう経験済みでしょうが、それ以外では、マイケルちゃんは実はとても優しい人です。ただ、彼はあまりにも多くのことを経験してきたので、自分が孤独だと感じているだけなのです。 (Well, you already experienced how rude he can be the other night, but besides that, Michael-chan is actually a very kind person. He's just been through so much that he sees himself being alone.)

Me: 彼は一人でいるよりも、他の友達を持つべきです。そのほうが健康的です。 (He should have other friends instead of being alone. It's more healthy like that.)

Rina: 私もそう言いましたが、彼は聞きたくありませんでした。彼はただ一人でいるのが好きなのです。 (I told that too, but he didn't want to hear it. He just likes being alone.

Me: いつか一緒に集まって、その後彼が私のことをどう思っているか聞いてみたらどうでしょうか？ (Maybe we can have a get together sometime and then maybe we'll see what he thinks of me afterwards?)

Rina: そのアイデアは気に入りました。幸運なことに、数日後にビールフェスティバルが開催されます。彼に、行く気があるかどうか聞いてみます。 (I like that idea. Luckily, there's a beer festival taking place in a few days. I'll ask him if he's interested in going.)

Me: いいですね。 (Sounds good.)

~With Michael~

I was doing some exercises and some pull-ups by using the hanger rack in my closet. I mean, it's the best I can do for staying in shape until I get a gym membership.

I don't have much money right now, thanks to the shows I've been taking part in, but I'm hoping to find a job here that'll accept foreigners and a wrestler.

Also, I have a picture of my own mom in the middle of a dart board, that I play with whenever I feel bored.

And, yeah, I have a lot of fun with that.

However, whenever I look at her picture, the bad memories come back.

~September 2005~

I finally made it home and I dread getting beaten up again by mom.

Before I walked in, I heard some strange noises and I thought my mom was dying. I would help her, but pieces of shits like her shouldn't be allowed to live.

However, when I walked in, I saw that she was having sex with a random guy on the couch, where I would watch TV.

I immediately looked away and she saw me before smiling.

Mom: Oh, hey Michael! Ahh!~

I also immediately ran straight into my room and slammed the door shut while stuffing any hole the door had with my pillows, just to drown out the moans and whatnot.

And her getting a beef bus into her tuna town kept going on for HOURS until the bastard finally left. I didn't even get to eat dinner, so late at night, while mom was asleep, I snuck into the kitchen and opens the fridge.

I saw that there was a half empty pizza box and I took it out to grab a slice, and just as I opened it, it was all cheese pizza.

So, I took a slice and just as I was about to take a bite...

?????: What do you think you're doing?

I saw mom standing in the doorway with arms crossed a glare on her face.

Mom: Don't you know that it's rude to take things without anyone's permission?

Me: But mom, I'm starving.

Mom: Well, it's your fault for not eating dinner.

She took the slice, as well as the pizza box and threw it in the garbage!

Mom: That should teach you a lesson about stealing food.

Me: Mom—

She slapped me!

Mom: Did I say that you can speak! Go to your room!

I got up and started walking towards my door, but just as I was about step inside my room, she pushed me against the doorway, mouth first, before slamming the door on me!

I felt my mouth and I was bleeding, as if that slap wasn't enough.

After that, I just took a few tissues, and I went to sleep with my stomach growling.

~Present Day~

Looking back on those times really hurt and I felt like justice was done, but I can't say that it is.

Instead of looking back on it some more, I just took a shower and got into regular clothes before washing my face a little bit.

Then, I stared at myself in the mirror, just infuriated that I had to look back on a memory like that. With an intense feeling, I punched the mirror, but it didn't break, surprisingly.

After that, I decided to take a nap and just try to relax.

Then, my phone went off and it was Rina, so I picked up.

Me: りなちゃん！ (Rina-chan!)

Rina: マイケルちゃん、聞きたいんだけど、数日後に何かする予定あるの？ (Michael-chan, I wanna ask you, are you doing anything in a few days?)

Me: そうは思いません。なぜですか? (I don't think so. Why?)

Rina: 数日後にビールフェスティバルが開催されるので、あなたを招待したいのですが、興味がありますか? (There's a beer festival going on in a few days and I wanna invite you. You interested?)

Me: りなちゃん、私がお酒を飲まないのは知ってるでしょ。 (You know that I don't drink, Rina-chan.)

Rina: うん、でも一緒に時間を過ごすのもいいかもね。楽しいよ！ (Yeah, but maybe we can spend some time together. It'll be fun!)

Me: はい、行けますよ。時間をください。 (Yeah, I can go. Just give me the time.)

Rina: そうします。それではまた！ (I will. See you then!)

Me: それではまた。 (See you then.)

I hung up and closed my eyes, as I try to forget about the flashback I just had.

But I couldn't.