Several weeks later, Tomoko was back in the WWE and performing at shows on a regular basis. Stephanie and the writing team had gone full throttle with pushing her character. In Tomoko's mind, she preferred it this way. Staying busy would prevent her from falling to pieces and moving forward with her life, even if she was just going through the motions.
On her return, most everyone could see a difference. Most of her innocence and humor were gone. By now, just about all of her peers knew she had been raped, and most, but not all, were very supportive of her. Still, no one knew who did it. There was no police report made and no one discussed the issue unless Tomoko brought it up herself. Which she didn't. John for his part would never forget what happened. He had his suspicion's that the rapist was not a stranger, but someone that Tomoko knew, and someone employed by the WWE. But who and why? Everyone that Tomoko came in contact with loved her. Before her rape she was one of the most down to earth, well liked and approachable people in the WWE. The only one who had ever said anything negative about her was Victoria, and John knew that was because Victoria let her jealousy get the best of her on more than one occasion.
"Tomoko." John called as he walked toward her. Tonight, the wrestlers performed in the PPV event "Summerslam". Like most PPV events, the excitement and energy backstage was just a little higher. The wrestlers rehearsed just a little harder and the powers that be, namely Stephanie, Jim Ross and Vince McMahon, were just a little more intense.
John would be performing in the ring with Chris Jericho for the Intercontinental Title. The spot required a lot of high-risk maneuvers on all parties involved, including Tomoko. This would be the first time her character would be required to actually take a few bumps and land a couple of shots herself. For someone who has never wrestled before, this was a big deal. Therefore, John wanted to be sure she felt absolutely comfortable with what she was asked to do.
"How about we meet with Chris and go over the match again?" John asked.
"That's probably not a bad idea. I have to admit, I'm just a little nervous." Tomoko admitted.
John smiled at her and placed a hand on her arm. She recoiled for a second, but then looking in John's eyes, and seeing his warm face, she tried to enjoy the moment. After all she had been through, even a little touch was a big deal. Tomoko wanted desperately to get to know John better, but she knew he had a girlfriend and most importantly, was afraid to be intimate with anyone right now. She felt dirty and stained. Being intimate would mean she would have to open up, trust the other person, and above all, be honest to the other person. She wasn't quite ready to take all of that on and cursed herself for being so guarded.
"You've got nothing to worry about hon, the way you've been working lately, you can do this in your sleep." John squeezed Tomoko's arm just a little tighter before letting go. He wanted her to know he had all the confidence in the world that she would kick ass tonight.
Jut as Tomoko and John were about to leave to meet Chris, they saw Shane McMahon coming their way. Upon seeing him, Tomoko stopped in her tracks and froze. John couldn't help but notice the color wash from her face. This is the first time Tomoko had seen Shane since he attacked her in his office more than two weeks ago. Shane generally didn't travel with the wrestlers, but for PPV events was always present to help out.
"Oh shit, John, I forgot my script in the locker room." Tomoko said thinking of any excuse to run and hide. John stopped her sensing that there was something other than a missing script on Tomoko's mind.
"It's okay, we're just going over some moves. You won't need it any way." He replied.
So for now Tomoko was stuck.
When Shane reached them he held out a hand to John and the two men shook hands.
"Hey John, what's up man?" He said with a big salesman like smile on his face. Shane had a way of being every one's buddy. He walked the backstage arena as if he didn't have a care in the world. And why should he, he was part owner of the WWE and could pretty much do what ever he wanted.
After shaking hands with John, he nodded over at Tomoko. He basically picked up where he had left off before their last meeting in his office. He was friendly, nice and charming. He didn't miss a beat. Tomoko on the other hand could now see through all that bull shit.
"Hey Tomoko, you all set for tonight?"
Tomoko was speechless. She started to feel nausea about to hit her at any second. If she didn't get out of there, she thought for sure she might pass out.
Shane continued. "Well I can tell you're a little nervous, so I'll let you two get back to whatever you were doing." Before he left he gently grabbed Tomoko's hand and cupped it between the two of his. This simple act was enough to bring Tomoko to the edge. Her body was now starting to shake, the tears trying to force their way out. How much more could she take?
"I just want to wish the both of you good luck." He smiled at her before letting go of her hand, almost oblivious to her obvious discomfort, or worse, not caring. John was not. He knew something was terribly wrong and his suspicions that the Heir Apparent to the WWE was not what he seemed to be stuck hard in his mind.
When Shane finally left, Tomoko ran as fast as she could. Where, she had no idea, but she wanted to be by herself. Once John was sure Shane was gone, he chased after her. He swore he would not leave her to fight this battle alone.