Sin Cara knew this was going to suck.

He'd heard the results from Kalisto already—New Day came out the victors tonight—but even before receiving this dismaying information, he knew getting through this match, watching Kalisto fight alone, would be onerous.

But he would. He owed that to his partner.

It was the last thing he did for the night. Sick little Kayli was purring weakly in his lap. His sturdy fingers rubbed her little shoulder blades tenderly. It had taken ten minutes to get her to accept her nasal medicine, but she'd finally cooperated. Everything was set up for Kalisto's return home upstairs: the lit candles (he kept the door closed in case Lucha Kitty got curious about the glinting flames on the dresser), the rose petals, the flowers by the empty bathtub, the clean room, the neat bed. He'd even washed all the dishes in the sink by hand and put them away. The house was spotless now.

There was nothing left for him to do but make himself watch this match.

Okay. I can do this. I've watched him work alone before. Of course, I was still ringside. I could help him if he needed it. But he doesn't need me all the time. I have faith in him.

Sin Cara frowned as Kalisto's opponents appeared on the TV. He thought the New Day looked incredibly stupid, standing in the ring smirking like they owned the company. Them and their obnoxious unicorn horns. He'd chuckled at Chris Jericho's "trap queens" retort earlier on. Well, it's true, they do.

He half-smiled when the Lucha Dragon's entrance music blasted. "Lucha, Lucha," he spoke under his breath. Kalisto rushed into view and jabbed the air one arm at a time to the crowd's chants, in sync with the music. He charged into the ring, flipping over the ropes, his arms pirouetting, fingers wiggling.

It was weird to watch this. Not being there behind him.

Sin Cara frowned as footage of his match weeks ago leading to his dislocated shoulder replayed. Why are you showing this? They know what happened to me. Yeah, dislocated shoulder, thanks, Cole. You definitely needed to say it again. He'd been free of his sling for a few days now, but he'd yet to be cleared to fight. It would take time, time he was frustrated about missing in the ring with Kalisto.

The love of his life came into view again. Sin Cara noticed then he was donning a full mask for the entrance—representing Sin Cara himself? What an honor, how sweet was Kalisto—and one hand clutching his Slammy award. Sin Cara adored the way he carried that thing with him everywhere, like a child with his favorite teddy bear.

The Dudley Boyz made an ostentatious entrance per usual, and both Bubba Ray and D-Von took some time to talk smack to one another, as did the New Day. Come on, guys, this is wrestling, not a soap. Little less talk and a lot more action.

Michael Cole advertised the NXT 2015 Year End Award. The Lucha Dragons were up for one of their own: Tag Team of the Year. Yes, people, go and vote for us. Even if it's Cole telling you to do so.

Kalisto was starting in the ring with Xavier Woods. He just looked excited to be there. Perhaps Sin Cara's absence wouldn't serve as too big of a distraction to him. He performed a little somersault on his side of the ring, dazzling Sin Cara with lovable quirks even as small as that.

Xavier Woods cried out to Kalisto, "I! WANT! BUBBA!"

What? Why? Are you afraid of what Kali can do to you, Woods? Don't blame you. I wouldn't wanna be up against him, either. It meant a few more minutes spared of watching Kalisto fight, possibly get hurt—so Sin Cara was okay with the decision.

Kalisto was a little less eager to get out of the ring, but he tagged Bubba Ray in and slinked between the ropes. Safe, for now.

For a while Bubba Ray was handling things just fine on his own. "Get him," Sin Cara whispered as the Dudley cornered Woods. Tear his hair out of his scalp. Xavier tagged Kofi into the match, but Bubba Ray was razing him just as easily. He's thinking, "I don't care, I'll take all of you out by myself!"

But the tables would turn eventually. Kalisto did say their temporary team lost tonight.

Kalisto wanted into the match. Sin Cara could tell. He was anxious on the apron, playing with the rope which dangled from the turnbuckle. How could one man be so badass yet so endearing all at once? Bubba Ray tagged him into the match, and Sin Cara sucked in a breath. Alright.

Kalisto sprung from the top rope and nailed Kofi to the mat. Yes. Sin Cara raised a triumphant fist.

Kayli rolled over in his lap. "Oh, sorry, kitty," he said, voice low. "I'll try to keep it down. No promises, though. See Daddy on TV? He's amazing, isn't he?"

Kalisto was doing well on his own, too. The crowd was alive with shouts of "Lucha!" He had Kofi's wrist constrained. Don't let go, don't let go. Don't let him escape. Don't let him flip away from you. Maintain. Oh, good job. There you go… He pinned Kofi, but the adversary kicked out at one. Damn. But it's okay. You've got this, Kali. He's in pain: don't let that go.

Kalisto tagged Bubba Ray back into the match. Good, Kalisto. Excellent formation.

He chuckled as his partner participated in claps to chants of "New Day sucks!"

The Dudley suspended Kofi upside-down in the air for several moments before finally dropping him. He let Kalisto back into the match. Kalisto was ready. He flew into the ring like the feisty angel Sin Cara knew he was. Proud and thrilled, he reclaimed his dominance over Kofi Kingston.

"What about dynamite Kalisto?" Sin Cara's ears pricked up like a dog's at the mention of his name via Michael Cole. "Can you imagine what Kalisto could be capable of in a Royal Rumble match?"

"He'd be amazing," Sin Cara answered aloud. "He would be capable of winning. He'll take out everyone in his way. Isn't that right, Kayli?"

Kayli yawned.

D-Von was in the match. Kofi tagged Xavier Woods back in. D-Von threw him onto his back, and Xavier rolled out of the ring to protect himself. Kofi attempted an assist to his partner, but D-Von knocked him over the top rope. Big E joined the charge at D-Von—and ended up on the floor as well beside his partners.

All three of you are morons.

D-Von slapped Bubba Ray's hand, who immediately turned and smacked Kalisto's. Kalisto entered the ring with a fresh charge. He bounced himself off the ropes—and Bubba Ray lifted the Lucha Dragons into his arms, high above his head.

What the hell?

Bubba Ray answered Sin Cara's inner question and flung Kalisto like a horizontal spear over the ropes, Kalisto colliding with New Day in its entirety. Kalisto held his arm like it was starting to ache, but he was ecstatic about the tactic.

He could have tackled them on his own. Why would you throw him like that? Use him as a weapon? Sin Cara shifted on the couch, once more disturbing the cat's rest.

"I'm sorry, sweetie—here. Let me give you your own pillow." He felt this was the calm before the storm, and things would take a drastic turn for the worst for Kalisto and his provisional partners when the commercial break ended. He didn't want to leap off the couch in a burst of anger and send poor Kayli soaring across the room.

Sin Cara propped a pillow next to him and placed Kayli in the center of it. She was sleeping again seconds later.

Big E and Bubba Ray were going at it when the program returned. Sin Cara was watching Kalisto on the side, toying with the rope, shouting encouraging words in Spanish, more so than he was focusing on whoever else was in the ring.

Especially once Xavier Woods gained a bit of momentum over Bubba Ray and started to prevail.

Kalisto was supportive, clapping Bubba Ray on with the crowd. He's such a good partner, no matter who's in there with him.

Kofi was back in the match. Sin Cara honestly couldn't decide which New Day guy annoyed him most. It was a tie between Big E, a powerful, robust rival, and Xavier Woods, who was just plain irksome. Kofi probably irritated him the least, but he wasn't Sin Cara's favorite, either.

Bubba Ray darted to the corner before Kofi could attack him again and tagged Kalisto into the match. Sin Cara chewed on the corner of his thumbnail. Come on Kalisto…wait, what is he doing?

Sin Cara watched as Kalisto scaled Bubba Ray himself, carefully balancing his feet on Bubba Ray's sturdy shoulders with the Dudley's hands holding his. Sin Cara wouldn't say watching another man hold Kalisto's hands didn't make him slightly jealous, but this was leading to something great. Kalisto launched himself like a rocket off Bubba Ray's shoulders and flattened Kofi to the mat like a lone bowling pin. "Yes, Kali, yes!" Sin Cara said. The impression carried on through a corkscrew moonsault, leveling Kofi again, then a kick to Big E's face, knocking him off the apron.

"Yes! Yes!" Sin Cara cheered.

Kofi tried attacking him from behind, but Kalisto rolled to safety and thrust his foot into Kofi's head. That's my boy.

Kalisto moved to bounce himself off the ropes, but Xavier Woods grabbed his feet from outside the ring and yanked him down. "No!" Sin Cara gasped, his mood swinging around. Xavier spun Kalisto so his head was dangling off the mat, and he swung his fist into Kalisto's skull.

"No. No!" Sin Cara growled.

Kofi tagged Big E into the match. Sin Cara's chest tightened. He knew was E was capable of…because of E, Sin Cara couldn't be there…

E jumped into the air and came down flat and heavy onto Kalisto. Kali cried out and slumped onto the floor.

"Oh my God, I'll kill all of you," Sin Cara said through his teeth.

Big E wiggled his hips, tongue slopping out of his mouth, as Kalisto struggled to recover. I will break your hipbone so you can't do that anyone, E. Get up, Kali. Get up. Come on…

The attack replayed before Sin Cara's eyes, and he grimaced witnessing it a second time. "Why would you replay that? Who wanted to see that? Nobody. Nadie." His own chest burned in sympathy for his partner.

E lifted Kalisto up by the mask, and Sin Cara was irate. "Don't grab him by the mask!" That is so disrespectful. Not that E or either of his teammates know a thing about respect.

He pushed Kalisto by the neck back into the ring. Sin Cara pressed a hand over his mouth, jaw locked, breaths rocky. This is not good.

Now Kalisto was in the corner, all three New Day members towering over him ominously. "No…no…" Get out of there, Kalisto. Get out, get out!

But Kalisto couldn't escape. Even if he tried, they wouldn't let him get far. He was helpless as Big E rammed blow after blow into his upper half with a powerful foot. Roll, Kali, try, just try. Roll away. You have to try! E traded places with Xavier, who kicked Kalisto over and over again before letting Kofi have a turn. Sin Cara was coming apart at the seams. He tried to look away, tried to block out the vision and audio of this brutal beatdown, but his morbid curiosity kept his attention steady on the assault like he was driving past the scene of a car accident.

A single tear welled in his eye, stinging the corner. Sin Cara blinked, and it streaked down his bare cheek. Why the hell weren't the Dudleys interfering here? Coming to his aid? New Day entered the match plenty of times without a tag to tend to one another. Why couldn't Bubba Ray and D-Von come to his rescue?

Because they don't love him like I do. It doesn't shatter their hearts to see him like this the way it does mine.

Big E was on him again. Xavier was out of the picture. Kofi reentered the ring.

Sin Cara sneered at the sound of that damn trombone. So that's what Xavier was doing. Kofi charged at Kalisto and drilled his feet into Kalisto's cranium.

The New Day helped themselves to a minor celebration. Sin Cara leaned forward, hands cupped over his face, head sinking. No…I hate this…I absolutely hate this…I hate them all so much. I've never hated them more in my entire life than I do right now.

Kofi made his way to center ring where Kalisto was crawling towards help. Sin Cara would have traded his soul to be there for him, in the corner with an outstretched hand, right there, right now. "You're lucky we love you so much," Sin Cara said to Kayli, reminding himself why he wasn't at Raw to begin with.

"NEW DAY!" Kofi sang. He kicked Kalisto in the ribs, and Kali flipped onto his back, face contorted in obvious suffering. Kofi straddled him and punched him repeatedly in the head.

Get the fuck off him! Get the fuck off him, Kingston!

He let up on his own, circling over Kalisto like a hawk targeting its prey, then grabbed Kalisto's foot and dragged him back towards the New Day's corner. "No!" Sin Cara said. He couldn't stay still. He moved to the floor, on his knees. "You've gotta be kidding me!"

With a firm hold on Kalisto's leg still, Kofi tagged Xavier into the match.

"NO!"

Xavier pierced Kalisto with a forceful hit to the head. If he gets a concussion because of them, I'll break them all. I will break them all.

Kofi left the ring. Kalisto was alone with Xavier.

"Fight back, Kali!" Sin Cara groaned. He pushed his hands over his head, locking them behind his neck. "Fight back!"

Xavier positioned Kalisto over the ropes. Kalisto's arms hung over them like he was gripping a life raft in the middle of a storm. Xavier moved back, preparing for a rush. "Get up! Get up!" Sin Cara wailed, but of course his cries were unheard as Xavier punctured Kalisto's back with both feet. Kalisto screamed, rolling to the center of the ring. "Kali…"

More salty droplets had formed in his eyes, chasing one another down his cheeks. Xavier moved for the pin.

Kalisto kicked out at two.

Sin Cara pushed out a breath. I thought that was it. I thought it was over.

He wanted it to be over. This was torture. There was no worse feeling he could imagine than the incapability to help Kalisto when Kali needed him most. And the most was right now, hundreds of miles away.

Xavier trapped Kalisto's arm in a painful lock. Sin Cara chewed and chewed on his thumbnail, tearing at the skin until he tasted blood. Get your hands off him, Woods…let him go!

The Dudleys clapped for Kalisto, encouraging him on. Yeah, thanks for the help, guys.

Kalisto made his way to his feet, getting a couple of hits to Xavier's chest, but Xavier punched him in the back, then flipped him to the mat again. He tagged Kofi into the match, then tackled Kalisto with an extended arm to his throat before Kofi took over. Kofi kicked Kalisto in the chin, then tagged E into the match.

Does it end!? It has to end at some point, right!?

Kalisto couldn't avoid a Big Splash from Big E. Sin Cara made a noise that partially resembled the growl of a wolf and the mewl of a lamb as Kalisto howled in pain. E crushed Kalisto under his form and lifted his leg for a pin.

But Kalisto kicked out.

This was killing Sin Cara slowly. Kalisto, I love you so much, I appreciate your undying lucha spirit…but this has to stop…I can't take this anymore…

The Splash replayed. Sin Cara refused to watch it a second time.

E flung Kalisto against the ropes. Kalisto found himself on the apron. He scrambled to regain some balance, clinging to the ropes to avoid falling. E charged at him, but Kalisto kicked his skull before E could touch him. "Okay, that's fine," Sin Cara breathed, weary. But E was preparing for another charge, and Kalisto was down again, trying to return to his feet after that kick. "Come on, come on…"

E stormed forward again. At the very last second Kalisto leaped out of the way, and E fell through the ropes, smacking against the ground.

Sin Cara exhaled again. Watching this was taxing.

Kalisto was on his back, nowhere near Bubba Ray or D-Von.

"Come on, Kali…get over there, get over there…"

Kofi and Xavier were helping E to his feet. Kalisto had time to get the hell out of that ring, tag either of the Dudley Boyz in. "Reach for him! Come on! Give him a little help!" Sin Cara demanded them.

Kalisto was out of it. He wasn't moving well on his own, not as quick as he needed to be. Sin Cara could feel his pain through the television. How enervated he was, how damaged.

Kofi and Xavier deposited E back into the ring.

"COME ON, KALISTO!" Sin Cara shouted, voice breaking, fists shaking. He made another apology to the cat.

Kalisto leaped up and slapped D-Von's hand.

"Oh, thank God," Sin Cara soughed. This match was inducing a headache. Sin Cara returned to the couch, slumping against another pillow, as Kalisto was finally given the chance to rest. He couldn't even stand on the apron—he had to lay flat for a long while.

D-Von was relentless, unleashing aggression that had been building up the past several minutes. Extracting some deserved revenge on New Day. This is good, this is better. Recover your strength, Kalisto. Just rest. You've earned it. You fought well.

Bubba Ray had a chance to reenter the match as well, as he was just as domineering as D-Von. He slammed Xavier onto the mat and pinned him there. One…two…

Big E interfered, of course, throwing himself on top of Xavier and Bubba Ray. "Oh, come on," Sin Cara muttered. He was surprised to see Kalisto once more, attacking Big E for attacking Bubba Ray for pinning Xavier. A bold move that Sin Cara could praise him for—if it wasn't a bit irrational. Kalisto hadn't recuperated fully yet. E shoved him into the ropes. Kalisto executed a handstand before he sprung off the ropes upside-down, and he used the momentum to flip over and strike E in the head with his foot.

"Yes!" Sin Cara cheered, lifting to his feet, both hands in the air. "I'm sorry I ever doubted you, Kalisto." He's so protective, sticking up for his tag team partner like that…

Kalisto ricocheted off the ropes again, intending to cross the ring and tackle Big E to the ground on the outside…but E was ready for him. He caught Kalisto in his strapping arms.

Sin Cara's heart stopped beating for a moment. "Oh no."

E plowed forward with Kalisto over his shoulder.

"No! No! NO!"

It was unavoidable. Big E rammed Kalisto into the barricade, surely rattling the Lucha Dragon's spine. Kalisto collapsed to the floor, and Sin Cara groaned for him.

The camera panned back to the ring, but Sin Cara didn't care about the match after this point. He knew it was nearly over now, that the Dudleys wouldn't win. He needed to see Kalisto, make sure he was okay.

A team effort by Kofi and Big E dropped D-Von to the mat while Bubba Ray was chasing Xavier off somewhere outside the ring. Cover. One…two…three.

It was over. Finally over.

Sin Cara sank into the couch again, relieved but still discontented. Bubba Ray made it back to the ring, fuming with his partner over the loss. New Day passed Kalisto by without any further attacks—thankfully—goading and bragging about their victory. Kalisto was alone on the floor, crumpled in pain.

Nobody was helping him up.

"You guys wanna go get him?" Sin Cara spat. "He's your partner tonight. Go help him up—what are you doing?"

They stayed in the ring together.

God, did Sin Cara hate New Day. He even held a bit of resentment towards Bubba Ray and D-Von for not making any effort to tend to Kalisto. He hated this match, hated this Raw, hated germs and bacteria that affected cute little kitties and kept him home, unable to help his beloved partner.

Sin Cara felt defeated in his own way, on behalf of Kalisto.

He'd been more than happy to get Kayli the medical assistance she needed.

But he wasn't going to leave Kalisto's side anymore.