She Who Breaks The Tie

'Gnawing' really is a good word to describe this... whole... thing.

It seems like every jab I barely brush past is a jab aimed straight at my vitals. I can't tell whether this windedness is from this workout or from something entirely different. Something related to the conversation the Fast-Forwarder and I had the other day.

I parry Aika's next punch – not a bad punch at all, considering this is her injured side – and I grit my teeth, willing myself to focus. I shuffle closer to my opponent, who is sporting her usual simple ponytail, and I try a backhand strike.

Something just doesn't feel right.

Aika catches my hand. Aaaand there goes Santeri's stopwatch. Aika's grip on me immediately loosens. At least, her physical grip.

"That's time!" Nevaeh's voice rings clear. As usual, much louder than Santeri's. She gives Aika her usual pat on the shoulder as she steps away from the playfight. Aika doesn't say anything, so neither do I.

"Doing good, Evren. One more round and then we will practice with the dummy."

I groan in response. Santeri just shakes his head, his grin not fading in the slightest.

"It is important."

"So is recovery," I say as I grab another swig of my water.

"Is the Commander of Space getting tired?" Santeri's voice is soft and quiet, but I never miss sarcasm.

"Ooh, is she?" Great. Now Nevaeh's joined in on the teasing. And she's not even my coach.

"Nonsense!" I wave my hand at the coaches and catch Aika's amused brow. "Aika never tires me out." I throw in a wink for good measure, but Aika's laughter is nervous. Crap. There's the gnawing. I'm doing the flirting thing again. Evren, we've gotta stop doing this.

"Right, stop stalling, ladies." Nevaeh claps her hands together again and Santeri resets his stopwatch. "Let's do this final round and then split before heading to the meeting."

The NCC meeting. Right.

"Go."

Something's still not right. And it's not just the gnawing.

My strikes seem to be hitting more often. My parries seem to be knocking Aika off balance. My opponent's feet aren't planted and I know wobbly when I see it. A takedown at this point should be easy. But it's too easy.

"Stop." Aika does. "Where's your fire?" I say.

Aika looks at me like I've grown a second head.

"I mean, what's with the wobble? Or, wait, is it your head?"

"...I'm fine?"

Nevaeh pipes up now. "Then what is with your suddenly weak form?" Geez, harsh. It wasn't that bad. "It's shit." Well then!

"Excuse me?" Aika looks ready to punch her own instructor. She'd never actually do it. Probably. Actually-

"Evren's right. You were holding your own just a few minutes ago." Nevaeh's crossed her arms. She means business. But Aika's eyes are narrowing and I think maybe this isn't the right approach at the moment...

"Uhm, I think she means, is something on your mind suddenly?" I try.

Aika's glare falters and she turns to me, shoulders raised a bit. Guiltily. Something is on her mind.

...Is it me?

She sighs and I hear the beep of Santeri's stopwatch. "Yeah, just..." She looks directly at me – maybe past me? – as if searching for something. "The meeting. I'm worried about it."

Oh. "Don't be," I hear myself saying. "I don't think they're going to be giving us bad news or anything. Usually they'd do that kind of thing by email anyway."

She answers immediately. "Maybe not for me, but maybe for you."

Huh?

"I mean... It's pretty obvious this is about... what happened in the changerooms."

Right.

"I'm just... worried about you."

"About... me?" What is she saying? She was the one assaulted, not me. Also, "I appreciate that, Aika, but I'm a big girl. I can handle whatever's comin'." She doesn't look convinced. "Listen, I'm serious. I've been in the NCC for a while. I know this is new to you and is probably nerve-wrecking, but I'm fine. I can handle myself. You know this."

Aika looks away sheepishly. "I guess." There's a heavy pause before she sighs again. "Sorry, you're right."

"Don't apologize. You've been doing that lately and it's really not necessary. Though, again, I do appreciate it. I know you're looking out for me. Just..." I take a breath, trying to find the right words. The air around me feels still and I feel like I might become The Collapser standing next to me if I don't get this out right. "Focus on yourself. You're not the only strong one around here, you know?"

Aika's mouth twitches into a grin. Yes, good! She lets out a long breath. "I gotcha." Her shoulders relax and her gaze feels a little bit warmer.

"All right, enough of the heart eyes," Nevaeh suddenly says. Aika sputters and I can only giggle in response. Of course Nevaeh would notice. Why am I not surprised? "Let's call it a day. Clearly Aika's priorities are elsewhere." The glint in Nevaeh's eye as she says this almost makes me double over. Aika's still sputtering, now with some profanity mixed in, as she heads toward the door of the training room. My gut is getting some serious workout.

And it looks like the gnawing's gone.

"Evren. You are still practicing with the training dummy."

Damn, I was hoping he would get distracted and forget about that. "Fine, fine." I grab my gear and haul it out of the training room. I can see that Aika's heading to the showers and I give her a wave. She smiles and nods. I hope that means she'll wait for me.

Even though this is supposed to be a cooldown for both my body and mind, a good conditioning practice after my muscles have already been activated, the wood seems to be scraping my forearms raw today.

My fingers keep tingling.

"Evren. Not so much force is needed."

I stop my combination and look up at my uncle. His face is usually bright – I swear he hasn't aged a day in ten years – but I think I'm starting to see some worry lines.

"Are you nervous about the meeting?" he asks.

Ugh. Not you too. I sigh. "No. Didn't you hear what I said to Aika?"

Santeri shrugs. "You tend to show off in front of Aika, so you could have been exaggerating."

I... Well... I guess I really am that obvious, huh? "But I really wasn't this time. Really. I know that right now there's a whole scandal that I fixed this whole thing for a popularity boost but... anyone who knows me and Aika will know that those rumours aren't true. And I'm pretty sure a professional investigative squad will agree."

Santeri hesitates. He rarely does. "You and Aika are both tied for Division Champion. Next is the fight for Grand Champion. Are you not worried that they will not let you move forward?"

"...Can they... stop me?"

Santeri raises a brow at me. "They can do whatever they would like, Evren. You have never been involved in scandal and drama like this before, but many others have. It is possible that to put a stopper on negatives, they will forbid you from advancing."

"So, you're telling me... I might already have lost my Grand Champion title?"

Santeri's nod confirms my suspicion and I feel myself deflate.

But, it's not all bad right? I still performed well and tied for Division Champion. I'm a career fighter – an established one at that – and I'm still under sponsorship money.

Unless... my sponsors decide that the bad press is too much for them and back out.

I didn't think of that.

But that's not even a given. This meeting could be about something else entirely; we don't know. But... if I want to keep my sponsorships, I'm really going to have to work to convince the media that I'm innocent. Looks like I'll be sticking closer to Aika than I originally intended.

Not that I mind.

At all.

Santeri's stopwatch beeps again and I snap to attention. He gives me a weary smile before shifting his gaze to the changerooms. I know that means 'Shower quick before we go.' I, of course, oblige.

The highest of the higher-ups, the organizers and head judges, await us in the meeting room they must have nabbed especially for us. It looks like it really is only Aika and I being called in for this and that narrows the possibilities for what this could be about. The walls of the room are plain and undecorated, leaving nowhere to stare and nothing to fidget with. I keep catching Aika's shape in my line of sight. Maybe I should just focus on her. Or would that seem too intimidating? Or too obvious?

I've met these people countless times over the years, but the room here is stuffy. No one's said anything. It's like a dark cloud has dropped a hazy hesitant mist onto us.

If no one else is going to start this meeting, then I will. "So... Can I ask why you've brought Aika and me in today?" I try to make my voice light. Non-combative. Cooperative. Friendly.

Kayla, one of the safety officers, glances uncertainly at her colleagues before addressing me. "Well, you probably know that we know about the incident that occurred with Aika." I nod. "And you've probably seen what the press has had to say about it." I purse my lips. To be honest, I don't know much besides what's been reported on the news channel at the gym. I haven't dared open news or social media on my phone. If Faith hasn't already rambled to me about it, then it likely isn't anything I'll appreciate. "You're here because we wanted to ask you personally. Is there anything between the two of you we should be aware of?"

They probably don't mean the pining but I see Aika stiffen instinctively out of the corner of my eye. I have to fight the urge to laugh and probably quite unsuccessfully stifle the smirk. Get a grip, Evren. I shake my head and clear my throat. "Nothing bad. We've become good friends over the time we've been in the tournament. I would never intentionally hurt Aika."

"I trust her," Aika finally says, glancing my way. "We're... close. It's part of why all this has been so stressful, and why it was so difficult to report everything they said to me." There's a collective sigh of relief. They believe her.

"Good," Kayla says. "We're going to have to talk with you both again, with the local police taking the lead. You two might hear from them over the next few weeks for official statements. It should be pretty straightforward, though, since you know who some of them were." She looks at Aika and I nod. "So. Now onto our second item." There's something else? "The grand championship." Oh. "We haven't had a tie for Division Champion in a long time. There are a number of ways to break the tie."

Are we going to have to fight each other? That would not make for better press on us.

"In light of what happened and with the current media climate around the NCC, however, we have come to the decision that there will be no tiebreaker."

"No... tiebreaker?" Aika repeats.

Kayla shakes her head and offers a comforting smile. "We'll be advancing both of you to the Battle Royale. We'll also be delaying for a couple of weeks for the initial investigation to keep moving without obstruction."

"Excellent," Nevaeh says immediately. My brain cogs are still turning. As are Aika's, I imagine.

"The delay will be beneficial for all competitors," Kayla says. "Some have minor injuries that could use more healing time." Her steady gaze on Aika doesn't go unnoticed.

Her wrist may or may not heal in time, though. Despite us finishing tied, Aika and I likely won't be going into the final battle at equal odds. I've been wanting to fight her for real ever since she walked onto the NCC stage at the opening ceremonies and oh-so-casually disarmed me with her plain ponytail and monochromatic fashion. I've been wanting to take her down ever since I first witnessed her genuine skill. But if I do now, will it be a fair win?

"You'll get a message from us about the exact timing of the final battle," Kayla continues. "We'll be announcing our decision at a press conference later today as well."

Although the cloudy mist is gone, the room is still filled with apprehension.

"Do you have any questions?"

"No... All understood. Sounds fair," Aika says.

Uh. Speak for yourself Aika.