Roxanne kept her steady walk, journeying under the dim half moon which was covered by the clusters of dark clouds. She broadened her senses and could now clearly sense the man who tailed her.
“He’s good…” Roxanne thought to herself.
His footsteps were light, and she could tell the composure behind the movements he made. However, they were no match for her superior senses.
It was a checkmate.
Roxanne moved to a sharp corner, a staple move she had seen in movies many times over. As she drifted further in the corner, she sensed that the man halted.
“Not gonna come, uh?” She smiled.
He was smart enough to make any rookie mistake. But, that wouldn’t help him.
>Whoosh<
Roxanne used her heightened speed and vanished into the wind. The man, who hid in a corner and waited patiently before making his move, mumbled some unintelligible words to himself, wondering if his target had somehow suspected his presence.
"Who are you?" Roxanne's voice suddenly projected behind him.
This unexpected sound drove the man's body to jump, especially since he felt nothing prior to her speaking. As he proceeded to turn toward her, she quickly pressed her hands on his, twisting them as she drove his body to the floor.
"Gahhh!" He groaned, in a tight submission by Roxanne.
"I won't ask again!" She said, glaring at him.
Somehow, upon closer observation, Roxanne recognized his frame. Perhaps it was due to her distracting thoughts that she didn't notice earlier, but she had definitely met this man before.
"He smells familiar, is he-" Roxanne contemplated.
"Okay! Okay! I'll talk, just loosen up a bit." He protested, groaning as he spoke.
Upon hearing his voice, she was convinced. She definitely knew this man, and it was recent.
"It's me… Xavier. Remember me?" He said, still wincing from the lain that coursed through his throbbing arm which Roxanne tightly held onto.
"I knew it!" She said to herself.
Roxanne had figured it out after taking in his scent, but his voice confirmed it.
"Y-You… What are you doing?!" She exclaimed, feigning surprise as she quickly let go of his arm.
She retreated from on too far and stepped to the side, allowing him to sit upright on the floor. As she watched him groan and wince while treating his arm, she wondered why he was stalking her.
"Don't tell me… Is he one of those guys?" Roxanne asked herself.
It wouldn't be funny if he ended up being infatuated with her due to them crossing blows.
"Why were you stalking me?" Roxanne asked, eyeing him suspiciously.
He looked uncomfortable by the question, still rubbing his arm, avoiding her gaze.
"So I was right, sigh… I don't want to deal with this" She mumbled in slight annoyance.
"So you must have figured it out… I guess you would, especially after seeing my face." Xavier mumbled, looking in her direction.
"His face?"
For the first time, Roxanne paid close attention to Xavier's face, and instantly her eyes widened.
"Y-You… You're-" She said with shock.
Having a streamlined jaw, with sharp eyes, the man who sat before her was none other than-
"Rei Daniel!" Roxanne exclaimed.
He let out a slight smile as he nodded.
The mystery man, Xavier, ended up being one of America's top wrestlers. Not just any kind of wrestler, one of the top in the Nationals… This man was right in front of her.
His dark hair flowed across his face, allowing her to clearly see the deep blue glow of his eyes, similar to hers, but darker.
The slight illumination of the moon tinted his physique. Though he was wearing a bulky suit, Roxanne could see the lines of muscles, especially since she had also fought him.
This man was an absolutely hottie, and here he was… Stalking her.
"You guessed right. Sigh, I suppose there's no point hiding it anymore. I'll just get straight to the point." He spoke with his deep, yet polished tone.
Rising from the cold ground, he dusted his cloth while staring at Roxanne.
"For real? Is this really happening?!" Roxanne asked herself.
Someone like Rei popping out of the blue, after an anonymous match with her, stalked her, and now he was about to confess.
"H-Hold up! Isn't this happening too fast!" Roxanne protested out loud, flustered by his forwardness.
"I understand. But, I can't wait anymore. Plus, we may never get another opportunity like this…"
Roxanne's heart thumped loudly after hearing that. Was he actually being serious?
"I'll reject him nonetheless, but still… To be in this kind of situation. I didn't expect this, ''she thought to herself.
Gulping heavily, Roxanne braced herself for the confession to come.
"Black Cat, have you ever thought of furthering your career and becoming a professional wrestler?" Rei, formerly Xavier, proposed, staring into Roxanne's eyes with absolute sincerity.
"W-Wha-?!" Roxanne muttered in confusion.
"After seeing your skill in the Tournament last year, I became interested in you. That's why I joined this competition. I had to fight you myself, and after our match, I became convinced." He continued.
"What's going on? It's not a confession?!" Her puzzled mind rang.
"Your skills are the real thing, and I truly believe you can become a star out there in the world, not just in that place. You deserve better, Black Cat. And I'm here to give you an offer. What do you think?" Rei offered.
Most of what he said does pass Roxanne's head, but she did get the core message he was passing across. Her entire face was red, flushed with embarrassment. She had totally misunderstood his intentions.
Roxanne was grateful for the darkness surrounding them which made it nearly impossible for anyone to tell just how embarrassed she was.
"T-That's a lot to take in…" Roxanne managed to respond.
"Yeah, I know. I understand quite well. I also understand that you must be quite exhausted from the fights you participated in. That's why I decided to follow you silently to your whereabouts. That way, I would be able to allow you to rest and talk to you more comfortably" He explained with a slight smile, displaying his embarrassment.
Unlike him, Roxanne had clear vision in the night, so she could see everything clearly. Staring at the awkward side of the star in front of her, Roxanne noticed an attractive side of Rei Daniel that she had never seen in any of his matches or interviews.
"A-Ah, I see… I understand" Roxanne said.
"So he wasn't stalking me because of 'that'!" She thought to herself, feeling strangely disappointed.
"Y-Yeah…" He replied, feeling flustered by what he had just said.
"You idiot. As if saying that justifies lurking around and following her like a stalker!" Rei thought to himself.
"You're right though. I'm feeling kind of tired from all the action tonight" Roxanne said with a sigh.
That was a lie!
Due to the insane stamina obtained from her Werewolf genes, she was as active as she would be on any day. Besides, it was night, the perfect environment for her primal side.
"Y-Yeah, I guessed as much" Rei responded, not knowing what else to say.
She still hadn't answered his question, nor did she seem interested in his offer. Maybe she had forgotten, but he didn't want to press the issue since they both had a long night, and he was in an awkward condition.
Even though he tried to maintain a cool demeanor in front of the Black Cat, he was panicking.
"What do I do? I really want-"
"Hey, Rei… I'm at my residence now. If you'd like, you could come with me. Let's continue our conversation there" Roxanne suddenly blurted out.
Rei Daniel was caught off guard by this one. He was just invited to her house, after all the weird things that just happened. Judging from her tone, she was serious.
This only drove him into more confusion.
"Wha-?!"