Author's Note: Thanks to everyone who reviewed the last chapter! Again, I own squat and Mina's entrance music is © Powerman 5000 and is called "Earth vs. Me". I hope you enjoy this chapter! Please review!
Everything you say to me
Takes me one step closer to the edge
And I'm about to break
I need a little room to breathe
'Cause I'm one step closer to the edge
And I'm about to break
I find the answers aren't so clear
Wish I could find a way to disappear
All these thoughts they make no sense
I find bliss in ignorance
Nothing seems to go away
Over and over again
-One Step Closer by Linkin Park
Inside of Me
Chapter 10
Mina let out a long breath as she jumped from foot to foot, warming up her body for her upcoming match. As she began to roll her head over her shoulders she glanced over at Kane. He was standing stoically by the blue curtains leading to the entrance ramp, his arms crossed over his chest and his face determined. Shrugging off his lack of conversation, Mina went back to stretching, refusing to let the nerves eat at her. Instead, she replayed the incident with Gail in her mind.
"You're up," both Mina and Kane looked at the technician who spoke to them. Kane nodded to Mina before walking through the curtains, leaving her alone. She heard Kane's music playing and held her breath, anticipating her own entrance.
"Mina!" Mina whirled around at her name in surprise and froze when she saw Matt Hardy standing there, out of breath. She leaned back, eyeing her father with caution. He stared at her with pleading eyes. "Don't go out there, Mina," he pleaded. "I think he's planning something…" he trailed off, his words dying on his lips, realizing that Mina had no intention of backing down.
"You just don't get it, do you?" she asked him, blinking rapidly. "All my life you lied to me and tried to control me, whether it was for my best interest or not! You've never trusted me!" she stepped backward, the curtains brushing against her bare arms. "But guess what? Now you have to trust me." With that she turned around and stepped through the curtains.
That's the way it's gonna be
The earth vs. me
Well, I can dig it yeah I'll rise
Above it all
Never, never, never takin' the fall
Mina smiled as she stepped into the view of hundreds of people. As she walked to the ring, the familiar strains of her music steadying her beating heart, her eyes locked onto Gail's two escorts—Connie and Tracy—before falling on Gail herself. Smirking, Mina let her confidence take over and climbed into the ring.
Well the thoughts that I think
Are paranoid
The thoughts that I think
I think I can't avoid
I swear they're out to get me
But get me not 'cause I'm ready
For the fight
The redhead walked up to Kane as her music dissolved into the screaming voices of the fans. Gail Kim and Mina stepped behind the ropes on their respective sides; letting Kane and Shelton start out the match. Mina watched the match intently. It went back and forth for quite awhile: Kane's powerhouse versus the quickness of Shelton. A few minutes into the match, the two went sprawling over the ropes and onto the outside. Gail Kim rushed into the ring, distracting the referee as one of her minions retrieved a steel chair. Seeing this, Mina scowled, jumping off of the apron and beginning to walk over where Shelton and Kane were, only to find that Connie and Tracy had beaten them there. Kane was struggling to his feet, his eyes on a sprawled out Shelton and not on the chair-wielding Connie. Mina ran at the two women, aiming to take down Connie when, out of no where, Tracy leapt in her path and lifted her leg, the combination of her kick and Mina's momentum sending her heel into Mina's face. Mina's neck jerked back and she fell to the ground, grasping the offending body part. Connie rushed forward, swinging the chair back and bringing it against Kane's forehead with surprising strength. Kane fell onto his back, grasping at his forehead.
The referee, hearing the noise, went to turn. By the time that he did, however, Connie and Tracy had scurried away to the other side of the ring, doing their best at looking innocent. The ref warned them quickly as Shelton got to his feet and shoved Kane into the ring, quickly capitalizing on Kane's temporary weakness.
On the padded concrete floor, Mina rose to her elbows, shaking her head in an attempt to get rid of the dizziness swallowing her. After a deep breath, she stood up, using the skirt of the apron to help pull her up. The world seemed to spin beneath her—not to mention her burning face and the pounding headache—but she patiently waited for a few moments before she stepped up onto the apron, her wary eyes returning to the battle spilling out in the ring in front of her.
Shelton Benjamin backed into his corner, eyeing the fallen Kane. Before he could sit up, Shelton tagged Gail Kim in. Mina climbed into the ring, the canvas mat springing beneath her feet. She reached up to push her a few strands of stray hair from her face and felt the warm blood on her face from where the heel of Tracy's shoe had torn the skin. Mina glanced at Kane quickly as he stood up—but not quick enough. In the brief moment it took to turn her head Gail rushed forward, clotheslining Mina into the mat. Gail turned around—and ran straight into Kane's broad chest. The Diva jerked back in surprise, her eyes widening as he smiled evilly at her. He faked a lunge at her and she jumped backward instinctively. So caught up in this mind game with Kane, Gail didn't notice Mina bring herself to a crouching position on the mat. Mina pushed off from the ground, her arm wrapping around Gail's knees and bringing her crashing down to the mat, her head bouncing painfully off of it.
As she pulled Gail up from the mat, Connie jumped up on the apron, distracting the referee once more. Her anger sparked, Mina shoved Gail toward Connie. Unable to stop, Gail slammed into both the ref and Connie. Connie's jaw came crashing down on the apron and she fell motionless to the outside. Mina set her hands on her hips, eyeing Gail for a moment. She didn't notice Shelton pulling Kane's feet from under him and bringing him down to the outside.
Before she could go back to attack Gail, Mina was stopped by Tracy. Tracy slipped into the ring and speared the redhead from behind. Green eyes focused, Tracey flipped Mina onto her back and straddled her, slamming Mina's head into the mat. Mina attempted to counter, her arms flailing without a target. Between the numbing blows to the back of her skull and the tangle of her hair and Tracy's, she was essentially blinded. However, Mina got lucky as her fingers found Tracy's eyes, gouging them without remorse. Tracy yelped and pulled away from Mina, giving the other woman time to recover. However, Tracy recovered before Mina. Mina was on her hands and knees when Tracy walked over to her, kicking her in the stomach harshly. Mina fell, grabbing her stomach with one arm and trying to defend her face with another as Tracy let loose a fury of kicks.
Gail slid into the ring as the referee started coming to. She rolled Mina onto her back and nudged the referee. Slowly, the ref crawled near the two women and began counting. "1…2," Gail hooked her feet around the bottom rope of the ring behind the referee's vision. Using her leg strength, Gail was able to stop Mina from kicking out. "…3!" the ref announced, and motioned to the timekeeper weakly. The bell rang and Gail stood in victory, her arms raised.
As Gail, Connie, Tracy and a reluctant Shelton celebrated in the ring, Kane stood up on the outside, his eyes falling on Mina, who had long since rolled out of the ring. He stared at her for a moment, concerned. That was when he saw the blood on her hands…his blood.
A moment later, his large hand closed around the leg of a steel chair, his mind clearly on revenge for what the four in the ring had done to his daughter.
Author's Note: I hope you liked this chapter! And if anyone is curious about Tracy and Connie, they're going to be covered in the next (or close to the next) chapter. Thanks to everyone who reviewed and please keep reviewing!