Fighter Ch. 04

"Good luck big bro. I'm sure he's gonna be a strong boy and a ladies man like you," she quipped.

"Not like me, he going to be better," was all the happy father could say.

Marcus had Anna stay with the family as he went to get them some food. He found a nearby fast food place and got some breakfast meals for them. On his way back the phone rang. Seeing it was Nick Marcus shook his head.

"Yeah," he answered.

"Marcus, I just got word that Mijah will be training in Vegas this week man. Keep her away from Anna," he said nervously.

"Your a bit late on that man. I met Fabiano yesterday at the gym Anna's training at," Marcus said.

"Great. Aren't you two friends?" Nick asked.

"Yeah. But I'm a bit busy as Christian just had his baby," he informed Nick.

"That's great! What was it?" he asked curious.

"A boy. Gonna be a big one no doubt," Marcus said chuckling.

"I bet. Well give them my best and when were we going to put Anna on the label?" Nick asked.

"Not yet man. I want to make sure she is a genuine threat to titles before I put her in anyone's stable. For now she is my own," Marcus said somewhat defensively.

"Aw come on Marcus! If she comes to my tag she'll get the big fights and the bigger purses," Nick complained.

"No. She's fine as is. When we see how the fight goes this week I'll put it to her what she does," Marcus said firmly.

"Fine fine, just make sure she puts up a fight to remember then,' Nick said diplomatically.

Marcus didn't know why, but he hung up at that comment. He was suddenly wishing he had a way to make Nick leave them alone so he could train her properly. The only reason Marcus had fought under his label was for the notoriety of the bigger opponents. While Nick usually came through there was many times Marcus got a tomato fight. The real reason he never fought for a title was every time he fought a real opponent, either his opponent would cancel or Nick would try and go a step above and lose the fight for him. At times Marcus wanted to kill him, but he kept on and soon he fought real fighters regularly. His last fight was one that he purposely sought. The fight with Matzuzami at first was supposed to be Marcus' last step to a title. When he lost it ended that hope for him. When he fought the hard decision it ended him. He hadn't known that Matzuzami was a contender as well, but he didn't care. He relished the fight and even though he lost Marcus came away better for it. In his eyes it was the best thing that could ever have happened to him. If he hadn't lost and been where he was then he wouldn't have the precious gift in his life that was Anna.

He drove in silence back to the hospital and when he walked in with the bag of food Anna's eyes lit up. She was starving and ravaged the fruit and pancakes he got for her. Christian ate his eggs and sausage down as Marcus drank his Gatorade. Feeling somewhat agitated still he left the room. Marcus wanted nothing more than to go out for a long walk, but he had to train his fighters today. He was about to go back when Anna peeked her head into the room he was in.

"Marcus are you all right?" she asked in a sheepish voice.

"Sorta," he said somewhat harshly.

In the instance he said it he wished he could take it back and say something else.

"I'll go then Marcus..." Anna started to say when he walked up to her and hugged her to him fiercely.

"I love you Anna. I don't ever want anything to get in the way of that one fact honey," he said sincerely.

Marcus, in that moment, realized that he was only happy when he thought of her. The time in the ring was just time they had to be together as much as train. Sometimes he wished to freeze time and just be in the ring with her while she worked. Anna sensed his need and wrapped her arms around his back. He made her feel so special sometimes. For all she was Marcus made her complete. It wasn't just the sex, it was the whole thing. From the times in the ring, to the way he held her at night, Anna felt so complete by him. She wished they could be more, but she held that to herself for the time being.

Marcus broke the hug and saw the time. He knew that they had to get to the gym and do the last day of training before the day off. He went to the room with Anna under his arm and gathered Christian. They went to the gym and endured a painful series of days. As they trained they felt an energy building in them. Marcus felt it and hoped it would flourish in them and used his own knowledge of such things to help them grow. Deep down all of them knew that no matter how hard they trained it was all up to fate to decide.

The days turned into weeks then into months and soon the time drew near. Christian made his weight at one hundred fifty five pounds and Anna weighed in and one hundred and twenty five. Marcus was so very proud of how well they had grown and as the night before the fight came he treated them to a nice dinner. It was a sushi event that kept them fed, but not full. He never went into a fight on a full stomach and hoped they would heed his advice. Anna didn't as she had several helpings of the shrimp tempura. Marcus shook his head as she had a shrimp in her mouth and he couldn't hep the chuckle at her being cute again.

Christian was shaking in his boots when they went home. He was a bundle of nerves and Marcus was stunned to see it. He had never known Christian to be nervous of anything before, but something definitely had him rattled. It was in the middle of the night that Marcus pulled away from Anna and went downstairs. As he went he saw Christian sitting on the couch with a bottle of water in front of him and the TV on the UFC reruns. Christian was so lost in the show he didn't see Marcus come up.

"Burnin' the midnight oil kid?" Marcus asked in Portuguese.

"Sorry sir, I'm just scared," Christian apologized.

"It's fine kiddo. I honestly think that if we didn't get scared we couldn't find our courage to go on. Don't let that fear rule you though or you'll get sloppy. Now who's fighting?" Marcus asked coolly.

"Umm, just a few up and comers," Christian responded absently.

"That's the new blood your talking about kid, maybe one day you'll be there," Marcus pleasantly said.

"Nah Coach I don't think so. I only want this win so I can show myself and my family who I am, after this I may call it quits and take care of my son," Christian sad and Marcus nodded his head.

Having no children of his own Marcus could understand his wish to make his family his priority. Christian would always have a home in the gym if he wanted it and his child would definitely be welcome to it as well. Marcus put his arm over Christian's back and gave him a friendly hug. After a brief moment he pulled away and patted him on his neck.

"Get some sleep kid, or you won't be able to stand tomorrow," Marcus said firmly and walked to the kitchen.

"Yes sir," Christian said softly.

Marcus heard the TV turn off and got his bottle of water. He waited for a while and heard the door open and close to the bedroom. He sipped the cool water and thought hard of the upcoming day. For all he knew this was going to be two hard fought wars and the title was anyone's guess as to what would happen. Roy Green was a hard hitting champ who held nothing back. Little did he know he was facing a bound and determined fighter like Christian who never gave up even when it seemed like he should. Mijah Loriani could kill anyone at anytime in the ring, but tonight she would face Annabelle and her own strengths could be her weakness. Marcus exhaled softly as he walked back up the stairs. The many thoughts in his mind kept his feet from stopping as he was on auto pilot.

Getting to the bedroom he looked in and saw Anna was still sleeping soundly. He stood over the bed and watched her sleep. He tilted his head and leaned against the door frame as he watched her. Something in his mind still had a hard time accepting that he was still hers and vice verse. The thing that made him realize he was indeed where he was was the sound of his breathing. Marcus watched her for a long time and did nothing. Something in him wanted to just see her at her most peaceful. As the minutes drug on he realized he needed to sleep as well. He wouldn't be much good to them if he was half dead. Climbing back into the warmth of Anna's embrace put a smile back on his face. As he did she curled tight into his body and purred happily. Marcus softly kissed her forehead and pulled her along his body. Tomorrow was going to be a wild day.

The time flew by as it tends to for Marcus and the trainers. For Anna and Christian it seemed to drag on and on. As she sat in the back of the training room she and Christian did their warm ups and speed drills. Marcus had a few staff from the gym there and they worked them hard. Anna would be up first and Christian would be in the main event. Marcus had them both meditate for about an hour before the preps began. Using the deep breathing techniques he learned in Thailand from one of his training friends he hoped to calm them down. Marcus watched them breathing and softly talked to them. He used soothing words to fill their minds with positive energy. The words soothed and calmed their eager minds and he noted the effects it had. Marcus heard the crowd outside and it was getting ready for the event.

Seeing the time he tapped Anna on her arm. Her eyes slowly opened and he motioned for the shower. Anna got up and walked to the shower and began her pre fight ritual. She washed her body and it helped to wash her soul of fear. Feeling the water go down her body she steeled her nerves and when she was loose enough she turned the water off and got a towel. She wrapped it around her body and walked to the door. She finished drying off and put on her trunks and athletic bra. Anna wrapped her hair into the towel and took out her belly piercing. Once done she walked to the training table. Marcus was waiting with the tape and without a word Anna hoped up on the table and he got to work. Anna closed her eyes and focused on her breathing and nothing else.

Marcus wrapped them tight and looked into her face. She was deep breathing shaking breaths and he knew why. She was scared. It wasn't the crowd size. The fight in Reno had about three times the size of the crowd here. The only thing he could make sense of was it was involving Mijah herself. Marcus tapped her thigh softly and she opened her eyes.

"Let's get this going baby. No fear! This is your moment so get out there and seize it!" he growled.

"Yes Coach," she said with a determined nod.

Anna hoped to her feet and a trainer helped cinch her gloves on. Marcus tied the hair tie on and helped tie her hair tight to her head. Anna felt her mind go into a hard place and when she looked up and slapped her gloves together. Seeing the grim determination in her eyes Marcus felt she was more than ready. His hands found her shoulders and he rubbed them hard and she looked at the door as he spoke. Anna's ears didn't hear the words, but her mind did. He was telling her to watch for openings and go hard at any chance. Anna nodded her head softly and as soon as the door opened she walked out.

The bright lights assaulted her senses for a brief moment then her eyes adjusted. Marcus knew the song that was appropriate for her to walk to and it was one he played a lot to get her focused. "Die Trying" by Art of Dying played and the hard simple lyrics made her eyes open wide. A smile spread across her face as she walked to the cage. In the popular set up the fight was going to be in an eight sided cage. The fight was scheduled for three rounds of five minutes each. Marcus had fought a few of these in a few arenas around the world, but for Anna this was her first true Pro-Style event. The hard riff of the chorus welcomed her to the ring where she was met by the referee and was given her last minute instructions. Anna listened and as she was given the rundown her face was rubbed by the ointment of the ringside cut man. Once it was done she entered the cage and danced around it. After a complete circuit she got her footing under her and waited.

A song she didn't recognize began to play and the definite Latin sound made her want to dance. As Anna looked across the way to the landing she saw Mijah for the first time in the flesh. Mijah stood five four and weighed one hundred and twenty nine pounds. Her dark bronze skin was almost like Christians, just a shade lighter. Mijah had big brown eyes and a very cute face. It was almost impossible to believe she was a fighter as she looked too nice to be one. Her body spoke a whole different tale about her though. It was very firm and well defined sculpted abs showed. Her hips had a flare to them and her bust line was just the same size as Anna's. If it wasn't for their skin tone they could almost be mistaken for siblings. The only thing different about her was her hair that was a light brown and very thick.

Mijah got into the ring and went to the center and raised her arms to the crowd. When they cheered for her Mijah smiled at them and did a standing back flip. Once done she looked across the ring to Anna and smiled at her playfully. For a brief moment she held the smile and after her coach patted her shoulder she retreated to the corner and waited for the announcements. The announcer did a great job getting the people in attendance hyped up for what was to come. Anna only looked away from Mijah to raise her arms to the crowd, but it was only a brief turn away. The same was true for Mijah. After all was said they walked to the center and with their coaches over their backs and listened to the referee go over the rules one last time. They touched gloves and Mijah gave Anna a respectful nod which Anna returned.

Walking backwards to the side Anna took her last full breath she was going to take for a while. She bit the mouth guard and set her feet as Marcus and the training staffs exited the cage. The ref walked to the center and after a check to both sides slapped his hands and they came out. Mijah raised her glove one last time and they tapped then the fight got underway. Mijah shot right in and grabbed Anna by the legs and forced her to her back. Anna was wide eyed at the aggressiveness of the move and countered by going into her guard. The fight quickly degenerated into a slug fest as Mijah threw a few punches at Anna who blocked them and fought to keep her position. Mijah was a cagey fighter and nearly got Anna to over extend her arm. Seeing the trap Anna was able to buck her hips and reverse the top position. Mijah was stunned at how hard Anna bucked her hips and soon found herself on the receiving end of a few hard punches. They couldn't get a good position on each other and after a minute the ref stood them back up.

He restarted the fight and this time Anna took the initiative. She faked a high punch and shot a hard leg kick forward that impacted Mijah on the inner part of her thigh. The slap was heard across the ring and Mijah hoped away to avoid another. But Anna faked her out a second time as a left hook connected with Mijah's right arm. The impact hurt, but it was nothing to Mijah. Seeing the chance Mijah got her footing and launched a straight right that hit Anna below the eye. Anna was rocked back and Mijah lunged forwards. Anna surprisingly got her balance and caught hold of Mijah's arms and turned into a textbook Judo hip toss. Mijah hit the mat and the impact jarred her. Anna quickly threw a punch and it hit, but didn't do much damage. The crowd was on their feet at the throw and Anna tried to keep the momentum going. She scored a few more hits, but again they were stood back up.

Anna got the last hit in as she did a hard jab that hit Mijah in the chin then the horn sounded. They tapped hands and went back to their corners. Marcus was already in the cage and waiting as Anna sat down and spit out the mouth guard. Marcus saw the eye that was hit looked worse than he thought. Something didn't seem right about it and when he touched it she winced noticeably.

"Shit. This isn't good," he mumbled.

Anna looked at him and he went over what she had done thus far. He complimented her on keeping the fight up and away from Mijah, but warned her to stay tight. Anna sipped the water and Marcus slathered on some more of the ointment. He hoped she wouldn't get hit again, but knew it was a risk she had to take. Seeing time was almost up he held up the mouthpiece and she bit it again.

"Stay in your fight honey! Don't give her anything!" he commanded.

Anna nodded and went back to the ring. They tapped again and the round began. Mijah stayed back and jabbed away at Anna. A few hit, but none did a lot. Anna returned the jabs with leg kicks and hard fakes. Mijah kept away from the hard stinging hits as best she could, but Anna got her again with a hard inside leg kick. Mijah feigned she was hurt and Anna rushed in to try and hit her. Mijah smiled suddenly and launched a short punch into her oncoming face hitting her right in the same spot as before. Anna's head whipped back and she went to her back. Mijah pounced like a cat and got a good mount. She rained down punches and kept at her for all she was worth, but Anna got her hands up and blocked the majority of them.

On the side of the ring Marcus was barking commands to Anna to try and get her to equal footing. He yelled at her to swivel her hips and twist. Somehow Anna heard him over the crowd and a hip twist got her out from under the rain of blows. Mijah was stunned when Anna got loose and grabbed her. Anna fell back and locked her legs around her hips and held on tight. It was a desperate move to nullify the opponents advantage and it worked. The ref saw they would do nothing and had them stand up. Anna was slow to get up and it showed as her face was hurting badly from that punch. Mijah came right after her and Anna got a lucky break as she did a simple side move and swept Mijah's lead foot out. The risky trip worked and Mijah went face first into the mat and Anna was suddenly over her. Looking like a matador with a bull Anna side stepped her and got her back. Desperately Anna tried to lock in a choke hold, but Mijah was already turning to avoid the trap. The horn blew and they broke off.

Anna got to the seat and couldn't help the wincing she was doing. Marcus saw she was hurt bad and it was starting to show. He knew if the doctor saw it she would probably have the fight stopped. Marcus wet a towel and dabbed her swelling with it. Anna tensed up and gripped his forearm. Marcus felt the agony she was in and kept it there. He knew that he needed to get the swelling under control for this last round if she hoped to make it out with a draw. He knew they were about even on points and decided that she needed to get one last little bit of strong offense going. Seeing the opportunity he got a crazy plan.

"Anna Superman punch her. Go right at her with it, she won't expect it. Do it honey and keep her off balance!" he whispered into her ear and she nodded.

While no one was looking he pressed his lips to the side of her face making it look like he was giving her instructions. Anna felt the kiss and sucked in a deep breath. Marcus held up the mouth guard and Anna bit down on it. He saw the garish purple bruise that was forming under her left eye and he shook his head ruefully as he walked out. Turning fast he watched and yelled at her to get her hands up. Anna walked up and touched gloves with Mijah for the last round. The crowd was anxious for something good and waited as they traded jabs and low kicks for a few seconds. The fight was building in intensity Marcus felt and suddenly it got wild. Mijah went for a quick leg take down. Anna side stepped it and spun away. Mijah got up in time as Anna jumped and extended her right hand in a fast shot. The punch hit Mijah right on the bridge of the nose and knocked her back.