You are my brother.

[Sabin / Madjinn]

The scenery fades into place at the Hitsujiyama Park – the cherry blossom trees are in full bloom, accompanied by a gentle breeze, and clouds scattered across the sky. Leaves skipped along the path until they came to a new resting place as the gust of wind died down. As the camera continues focusing on the imagery, a familiar voice is heard in the background…the voice of Madjinn.

“Everything has its time…” he says.

The camera continues scouring, and the cherry blossoms remain in full bloom all the while.

“Everybody looks for that moment where the stars seem to align just for them. They go through their phase where it seems they are– unstoppable. No matter what anybody tries to do to them, they aren’t deterred. They aren’t slowed. They take everything in stride, and they fight harder than they’ve ever fought before! They dig deeper than they ever have before! They become– invincible. Everybody puts a target on your back, and they fire their shots…they fire away, and they– hit. But no matter how many times they hit you, something is fueling you. Something magical. Something beyond comprehension…fuels you. But– as time will tell…”

As the camera continues surveying the scenery, the clouds become darker…the cherry blossoms begin wilting, and wilting faster in the time lapse. The wind becomes increasingly violent, but the camera braves the storm as it lands on Madjinn, and maintains him in the center of the frame. He sits in a criss-cross position, holding one of the wilted cherry blossoms in one hand, he twirls it with a demented smile on his face.

“All things must come to an end.” He says, and then immediately locks a gaze with those peering golden eyes on the camera.

“That’s part of life, though, isn’t it. I mean– we know this all too well, don’t we, Dean? All of the times that I’ve watched axtláa ascend. All of the times that she was named the greatest to ever step foot in the ring… All the times that we’ve watched Father ascend– and was named the greatest to ever step foot in the ring… Their time has come and gone. And why?” He asks and scoffs. Still holding the wilted cherry blossom in his hand, he brings it to his nose and inhales heavily.

“Because all things must come to an end.” He reiterates.

“My reign had to come to an end so that another could get started. Your reign had to come to an end so another could get started. And y’know what I’ve heard those people in the back have to say? I know you’ve heard through the grapevine what these people are saying behind your back… They say that you’re holding down the next round of up-and-comers, just as they– believe– that I, too, am holding down the next round of up-and-comers, but I know you have the same answer as me, and it’s exactly why I know that when we step into the ring this week – there will be blood. There will be wrath. There will be carnage.” He says while cocking his head to the side, the final word tracing off his tongue and holding in the air for several seconds until he starts chuckling under his breath.

“WE’RE NOT DONE YET!” Madjinn exclaims.

“Brother, we’re JUST GETTING STARTED!” He says with a continuous laugh behind his words, “Y’see, it takes someone special to be talked about the way that the likes of us are… I mean, how old am I? And how old are you?” Turning his head slightly to give the side glance at the camera. Hee clicks his tongue a couple of times, then turns his head toward the camera, “We’ve got a long way to go, and so when I say that we’re just getting started, I mean exactly that! I mean we are JUST GETTING STARTED! But these people treat us as if we have been in this business for DECADES! They treat us like we are the veterans that are holding down the next pack, and the truth is that we are the next pack! And we are the fucking leaders.” He says while lowering his head and narrowing his eyes.

Continuously twirling the cherry blossom between his fingers, he lowers his arm holding it against his lap, and the camera zooms in while Madjinn takes a deep breath…another gust of wind passes and he closes his eyes as if to relish in the moment, “But– which one of us is going to stand out? Y’see, I look at everybody in the back, and I know, Dean; I know that we are always going to be fighting for the top spot… It’s never going to matter who has the title, it’s only going to matter– our name– our pride– our egos– and make no mistake, I know all about my ego. I would like to think that I’ve earned it.” He says with that family smirk, “Now, I could go on and on and on about the differences that we’ve had in getting to the places we’ve been, and there’s no denying that… you… have climbed to the top of the mountain four times, but you– have also fallen from that mountain every single time! And what happened after I fell? I had the world praising me! I had the world in the palm of my hands, and they forgot the footnote of that sham that took the title away from me! That same sham that you decided to team with and BETRAY family. And you still fell. You still failed. Because you are quite simply–”

Outstretching his hand, as if to put the audience and primarily Dean Harper on the pedestal, Madjinn exclaims, “THE KING OF BAD DECISIONS!” Silence lingers immediately after the accusation, and Madjinn leans slightly back, clapping his hands a couple of times, giving an ovation to his brother.

“I mean, how many mistakes can one person make? You married Warren– big mistake. You teamed with a Keeton– probably a bigger mistake. How many before that? How many more are you going to make after that? How many mistakes are you going to make, Dean? Mistake, after mistake, after mistake, after mistake, and you never fucking learn from them! You turned on your family because of some misguided belief that you have to do this on your own, but Dean–” he places his hands over his heart, still holding the cherry blossom, “–you are my brother! And I am always going to have your back, even when you won’t have mine.” He sighs.

“I’m always going to have your back, Dean. Better than little April at your side… Personally, I don’t know how you can possibly trust them, Dean. One week, they wanna talk as if they’re the alphas! The next week, they wanna be the victims. The next week, they’re the hottest group on the planet! The next week, no one even knows their name. They flip, they flop, they don’t even know who or what they are. They’ll stab you in the back, Dean. At least with me, you know who I am, you know what I am– I'm the villain, and I'll punch you in the face to get what I want! But I'm also your brother, and I’ve made myself clear of what I want! I’ve made myself clear that I am going after my title! I am going after the world championship, and nothing is going to stop me from taking back what’s mine! Not even you.” He flashes another smile.

Clearing his throat, he continues, “But– I’m going to be up front with you, Dean. I wanted to take it… from you. I wanted to take it from you because, like I said: we are the two best in the business! And do you know why that is? BECAUSE WE DON’T FLOP! When we take a loss, we get back up, and we get right back into the ring. We aren’t seasonal– we aren’t here doing this part-time… we aren’t leaving and coming back to generate a buzz, we generate a buzz on our very fucking own! THIS! IS! WHAT WE DO! THIS! IS! OUR LIFE!” Madjinn growls out.

“THAT is why no one will be on our level! That’s why I wanted to fight you… Because I know you can take me to my limits. With you, I know I can surpass my limits! It’s a fucking shame that I’m going to have to take away that title from your little boytoy, and do you know what I’m going to do after I beat you, Dean? Do you know what I’m going to do after I win Heir to the Throne?” Licking his lips, he sniffles momentarily to straighten his posture. He pulls the cherry blossom back up, twirling it again.

“I’m going to do you a favor. I’m going to make Warren unrecognizable. I am going to break him in every way imaginable so that you can see Warren for what he is – WEAK! A fucking KANE! A DISGRACE! And after I’m done breaking him apart, piece by piece, I am going to–” the cherry blossom starts to bloom again in Madjinn’s hand, and with a smile, “–take my title. Stop me, Dean. Stop me if you can, if you really want to, because if you don’t, I’m going to keep my fucking word.”

The soft tone was still riddled with a threat, a promise of things to come. The camera backs away slowly with a subtle gesture from Madjinn, and the scene fades to black.