<center>Darkness vs Inferno</center>

Darkness whirled his sword in his good hand and tried to push the events of Friction from his mind. Stern's words did little to concern him - his appearance had been made almost on a whim anyway, and he was already regretting decision to go out there.

"How does the blade feel in your hand?" he asked Llenlleawg.

The young werewolf hefted his short spear. "Okay I guess," he replied hesitantly.

"Do you know how a Shadow Slayer uses his weapon?"

Revenant sat across from the two of them as they faced each other across a rooftop. Up here, alone with only the sky above them, it was simply easier. They could avoid the inevitable questions from those in the world below.

"Uh...should it be...an extension of myself...?" Llenlleawg guessed.

Darkness chuckled. "You are not the weapon. The weapon is merely a tool that you use. Always keep it separate from yourself."

Llenlleawg nodded, but still didn't look like he understood. Revenant rested her chin on her hand as she watched the two of them begin to circle. She blew one of her bangs away from her eye as it flopped down across her face and tried not to look too bored.

"So tell me, Llenlleawg," Darkness began - his pronunciation of the werewolf's name was flawless, giving him the edge over almost everyone else who wasn't also a werewolf - "is the blade light as a feather?"

Llenlleawg seemed to consider the question. "I...I guess..."

Another low chuckle from Darkness. "Wrong again. Your Slayer Weapon is an instrument of death. Bearing it is a heavy duty: for you, the blade must be equally heavy. Never take the life of any creature - no matter how vile - without careful consideration. The day your blade becomes light in your hand; the day that your duty becomes a joy and you revel in the death of your enemies, that is the day you must cast aside your weapon."

"Right..."

"We do not make war lightly, Llenlleawg," Darkness explained, "even though it may be our purpose, we exist only at the most terrible need. Every day that we fight, we fight towards a world that will no longer need our kind. All Shadow Slayers pray for peace, but all know that they will only find it in death."

Llenlleawg frowned and nodded to himself, pausing in his deft pacing to take his spear in a double-handed grip before him. He lifted it up and down, trying to make it seem heavier than it really was.

"Now," Darkness told him, "come at me!"

Llenlleawg moved towards him at a sidle, his loping gait taking him within reach of Darkness with startling speed. He spun the spear through the air, switching his grip as he moved. Though he was only young, Llenlleawg was skilled with his chosen weapon.

As the blade cut through the air, Darkness reached out with his prosthetic hand and locked his grip around the moving shaft. Quickly he twisted around, moving his back towards Llenlleawg and then deftly moving his wrist in a circular motion. The werewolf, caught by surprise, kept his grip on his spear and went head over heels, landing on his back with a sudden exhalation of air. Darkness brought the edge of his sword to the young warrior's throat.

"The next lesson you must learn is about the proper application of force. The force we all possess is willpower, and by applying it properly, we give it focus. Even a small weight is deadly if placed on the head of a pin. With focus, you can achieve anything. All it requires is total command over your own abilities, and you will never be bested."

"Yeah...but what if someone who can do that comes up against someone else who can do it too...?" Llenlleawg asked as Darkness helped him to his feet.

"That's when things get complicated," Darkness said with a smile, patting the werewolf on one of his broad shoulders. He turned to Revenant. "Would you like to try?"

"Not really."

"There's not much point being a Neophyte if you aren't going to train..."

She gave him a sardonic look. "I didn't sign up to this to not kill people."

"Oh? Then why did you sign up?"

She hopped off her perch on a large weather-corroded pipe. "I thought you killed vampires, or was that stuff in Vegas just a vacation?"

"I don't kill vampires," he replied with a grim look, "they're already dead. All I do is give them a proper burial."

"Ah right. Okay. As long as it makes you happy."

"It doesn't make me happy..."

"Oh, nothing makes you happy."

Darkness gave her a sly grin. "You aren't exactly Little Miss Sunshine."

"Yeah, well, is it any wonder? I'm stuck with you two."

Llenlleawg looked slightly hurt, but Darkness directed them both to the door down into the building with a nod. "Enough training for today. Let's find The Children."

* * *

Two huge bodies slammed into each other at short range. The smaller of the two was driven back by the force of the impact, and the larger charged again.

As Darkness, Llenlleawg and Revenant entered the room, which had been turned into a makeshift gym thanks to the removal of most of the furniture and some old gym mats on the plush carpet, the action paused for a second.

"This was supposed to be for us to train," Darkness said, folding his arms and casting an eye across the werewolves that lined the hotel room. Once again, his suite consisted of several large rooms, and he had paid the staff enough not to ask any questions when he made the necessary modifications. Though he could no longer command DanteCorp's assets, his income as the World Champion was not at all inconsiderable, on top of what he could now access from his connections as First of the Shadow Slayers.

Galadd took a step backwards, allowing his opponent, Ogier, to collect himself and wipe the sweat from his eyes. Both of the werewolves, who each towered over Darkness, were stripped to the waist, perspiration dripping down their well-defined musculature and slicking the thick hair that covered much of their torsos down into sleek patterns.

"Hormones," Gwen explained, rolling her eyes. She, Tilpin and Eoin, the only females in the group, had evidently not joined in the fun.

"As long as they work out their aggression on each other and not on members of the general public, I have no problem," Darkness shrugged. He took a sip from a bottle of water someone handed him. "Anyone feel like sparring with me?"

Galadd laughed, a rumble like thunder deep in his massive chest. "You think you could last five minutes with me, Nightwalker?"

"I've beaten bigger."

Gwen shook her head. "No, you're not hurting him, Galadd. We're supposed to be his protectors."

Darkness waved her away as he removed his jacket. "You know I'm the World Champion, yes?"

"You think I couldn't be World Champion of your little wrestling club?" Galadd taunted, beginning to circle on the mats. He was almost as broad as he was tall, a huge walking slab of muscle. His oddly canine features hardened as he bared sharp teeth and held out his massive hands.

"You wouldn't stand a chance in that ring," Darkness replied with a smile as he discarded his own shirt.

"You don't think so?"

"No, David Hardy would have you for breakfast."

"Not if I had him first!" With a roar, Galadd charged, barrelling into Darkness with crushing force. Darkness was immediately thrown off his feet, but bounded to his feet in an instant. He aimed an elbow strike at Galadd's spin, ending the immense werewolf to his knees with a yelp.

Darkness reared back and lifted his leg, preparing to kick, but Galadd rounded faster than he expected and hooked him beneath the thigh, enclosing his entire leg in one fist. He brought Darkness down hard into the mat and lifted his fist, driving it down into Darkness's gut.

"Galadd! Stop!"

Gwen's tone brooked no argument and, like a scolded dog, Galadd immediately released Darkness and fell back. The Shadow Slayer eyeballed her from his position still lying on the floor.

"Why did you stop him?" he asked, gasping as he tried to recover from the winding he had received.

"Because I've known you long enough now to know that you'll carry on until you break something."

"I wasn't going to break anything of his..."

"I wasn't talking about him," she sighed as she shook her head. "Now get up. I was going to give you news before you decided to start a fight."

Darkness picked himself up, accepting Llenlleawg's help as Revenant continued to look on from the periphery. Her earlier integration with the werewolves didn't seem to have stuck and, with the exception of Llenlleawg, they tended to give her a wide berth.

"News?"

"A match."

"You mean at Havoc?"

She nodded. "Yes. It's some kind of tournament."

Darkness sipped form the bottle of water again. "Tournament?" He thought about it. "You mean the Majestic Cup?"

"Yes," she replied, and then added, "I think..."

"Great. I hope it's as fun as last year's."

"What happened?" Gawain asked. The white-haired werewolf was slouched in an expansive couch, passing an empty can of coke from one hand to the other. Of all the werewolves, he seemed to have integrated with the outside world the best. He still wore the red and black biker leathers he had somehow acquired.

"Someone put me in a coma. It was great fun."

The werewolves had no response to that. "Alright," he continued, "so I'm in the tournament. That's fine. Who's my opponent?"

"Inferno," Gwen said, throwing him an envelope, "all his details are in there."

"What would I do without you?" Darkness smiled as he caught the package.

"Get beaten to a pulp by Galadd, that's what."

He snorted a laugh and peeked inside the envelope. "I've never heard of this man."

"He's new, I understand."

"Fine. Any idea who I might face next?"

Gwen glanced at him askance. "You have to beat this Inferno first, remember."

"I've spent my whole life battling infernos," Darkness told her calmly, "this one will be no different."

* * *

Inferno was not fortunate enough to have a bodyguard, least of all one who looked out for him so well. Not that he would have enjoyed the attention. Here, hidden somewhere out of sight - could be a basement, could be a boiler room, could be under a child's bed for all the shadows could tell - he sat in silence.

It's easier to be quiet when there's no one around. You wouldn't want people to think you were...unhinged...after all, would you?

Inferno cradled the broken mask in his hands. Subway Jack had violated him in a way that he was uncomfortable articulating. If he was a woman, and Jack hadn't had that certain something about him, he'd have pressed charges. Or at least caused the dashing vagrant to flee the bedroom with the threat of doing so.

But that was another life, and one that was alien to a man like Inferno.

Beds and women and violations therein weren't the kind of thing he cared about. They weren't the kind of thing it would even occur to him to think about. He looked down at the mask through cat's eyes - even though they were supposed to be part of the very mask he held - and thought about dark and terrible things. His thoughts were a million miles from anything someone else might have guessed, dwelling in places that weren't so much deserted by human imagination, as undiscovered.

Better left that way too.

Some evils are too deep and old to dig up. They make Cthulhu look like Hello Kitty.

Inferno had been given the news too. The name didn't mean much to him, but he'd asked around. Not in places anyone else would ask, but he'd asked nonetheless. Asked and received.

They told him about Darkness. They told him that this wasn't a normal man.

That was good, because neither was Inferno.

They said that, if it was a challenge he wanted, this was the man to beat. He doubted they were telling Darkness the same about him.

That was good too. After all, some of the best challenges are the ones that don't see you coming. The ones who don't even know they're challenges until it's way, way, way too late.

This is going to be good, Inferno thought. He didn't say it out loud, in case the ones who were listening thought he was crazy. He wasn't going through that again, not after what he'd been forced to do to shut them up the last time.

Instead he just laughed, low and gurgling, feeding the inner fire that only he could feel.

"I quit."

When those two words are uttered, it can only mean one thing...that a person has acknowledged the other's superiority, that they no longer have anything to give, that the other has achieved victory...

But there was one case...one case in which it meant something else...

Yes, those words haunted Inferno since they day they were uttered. His final opponent before coming to this federation had beaten him with them.

Her name was Chi. They said she was Life herself.

He remembered their first match all too well, that cutsy Japanese woman coming to the ring through her fans in that cutsy getup...he felt like they had finally run out of the good sacrificial lambs. Even the referee didn't think she belonged in this match. Another day, another match, another victory, it had stopped meaning anything to him until she came along.

Inferno made the women and children watch her destruction, each hit against her tiny little skull, each powerful slam that threatened to break the mat with her...but each time he did it, she would always reward him with something of her own...offense that meant nothing to Inferno.

But no matter what happened, she came back stronger and stronger. It was the first time the monster had to ask if his opponent was human. Then the end came, and Inferno was suddenly...

...defeated. Passed out in her hold...he had played right into her hands.

So of course he wanted a rematch, and this time he would not foolishly underestimate her. There were no rules to bound either of them. He brought moves to the table that no one had ever seen him use before, and matched her, hold for hold, move for move....a chain wrapped around his neck, Life stealing away the breath of life from him....

Then she uttered those words. Why? What for? In the prime of the match, she was showing just how vicious she could be, and she quit...it was to protect him, apparently. Protect him from what?

It was the ultimate insult to Inferno's pride. He felt like she was trying to play a babysitter. Like she thought he needed to be sheltered. He wanted quite the opposite...he wanted the monster in her to come out. He had never felt so alive having her as a rival. It was an obsession. Every moment he was awake, she was on his mind. It was as if he had fallen in love with her...and in a twisted sense, he had. He wanted to kiss her face as much as he wanted to tear it off, in front of ten thousand crying women and children.

His first 'match', if you could call it one, was an embarrassment. He let his previous injuries and his confidence get to him. Chi would be disappointed in him. He knew he was better than that. But this was a totally different pond, and he had to prove that he belonged.

Now he faced a man named Darkness. A simple, to the point name, just like his. He wasn't afraid of the darkness, after all, he lived in it.

He wasn't afraid of Death, because he knew what to expect from it, Life was the only thing for him to fear.

---------------------------------------

Darkness abruptly tore open the envelope, reading the information on this...Inferno. There was a photo of him included, showing his masked figure.
"Now what does he have to hide?" Darkness thought, eyes fixated on the photo. A mask could tell a story just as much as the face. To Darkness, the whole getup just screamed "Mwahahaha, I'm EVIL! Fear my mysterious brooding form!"

Inferno really wasn't much different from the other infernos he had battled. All show and no substance. After all, he jobbed to a drunken fool and a ring bell in his first match.

Maybe he could have fun with him. Give him a little wrestling lesson. Not embarrass him TOO much.

The early morning sunlight gleamed off the aptly-named Pacific Ocean, forcing anyone who was around to gaze upon it to squint uncomfortably. Fortunately, this early on a Sunday, that was nobody. The pristine white path that ran alongside the equally pristine beach was almost totally devoid of life. Palm trees waved lazily in the gentle breeze that wafted luxuriantly in off the ocean and the only sound was breaking waves. The restaurants, souvenir shops and boutiques that lined the promenade were all closed.

A gentle thudding noise, the almost imperceptible buzz of an mp3 player in use and the panting of a large dog heralded the arrival of a lone figure, covering the ground beneath her feet with lithe, toned limbs.

Valerie Stern and Blackjack were making the most of their idyllic surroundings, taking their early morning run in an almost forgotten corner of LA's vast swathes of beach. There was no one here to bother them, no nagging doubts about the future of the industry, no concerns that the steroid scandal might come knocking on TCW's door, just the thud-thud of running shoes on concrete and the pounding rhythm of a song whose name she couldn't even remember, but which had served as part of her exercise soundtrack for as long as she could remember.

Something made her stop suddenly. It took her a few moments to pinpoint what had changed in her controlled environment, but then she saw that Blackjack was no longer at her side. She frowned and looked around for the mastiff, before spotting him several yards away, hunched low against the ground, teeth bared, hackles raised.

"Boy? What is it?"

She took the plugs out of her ears, becoming momentarily startled at the sudden silence and walked towards her faithful companion. She put out her hand to reassure the dog, but something made her stop. She thought she saw something out of the corner of her eye and then spun around, coming face to face with the brooding shape of Darkness.

The black-clad World Champion looked incongruous in the clean, bright environment of the beach-side promenade. Stern took a step back due to the man's sudden and unexpected proximity, but quickly composed herself.

"Ah, you're what got him worked up, are you?" she asked with a twist of her lips.

"No, I think it's my bodyguards he's responding too. I generally have a calming effect on dogs."

"Bodyguards?" she arched a dark, finely-plucked eyebrow at him. Even this early in the morning and in the midst of her exercise regime, the Commissioner didn't have a hair out of place.

Darkness nodded towards the roof of a low building and, as Stern glanced around she caught a flash of black and red.

"Ah, your friends with the faces..."

He didn't need to ask what she meant by that. "Yes, they do seem to have an effect on people's pets. Still, we should expect our bodyguards to dislike each other - isn't that what they're for?"

Stern smiled coldly at him. "Blackjack isn't my bodyguard; he's my friend."

"Do you keep all your friends on chains and feed them from bowls?"

"Only the ones that I can't trust to control themselves."

Darkness laughed. "I feel like you and I have gotten off on the wrong foot, Ms. Stern."

"We didn't get off on any foot, Darkness. That's the problem."

"Perhaps." Darkness gestured to one side, indicating a bench for them to sit on.

"No thanks," the Commissioner replied calmly, bringing Blackjack back to her side and squatting down to reassure the mastiff.

"Don't you think we should discuss our problems?"

"Your problems," she corrected him, "I've dealt with all this already. We have nothing to discuss."

"You don't want to cross me, Valerie..."

"What did I say about you using my first name?" Stern straightened and began to walk past the World Champion, but he caught her arm and spun her around so they were facing each other again. Darkness's steely gaze found a match in Stern's own.

"Do you know what you're dealing with?" he asked her in a low voice.

"Do you?"

"There's nothing you could do to me that would have the slightest effect on my life, Valerie."

"Oh Darkness," she smiled, patting his hand as she freed herself from his grip, "you think so little of me. As if I'd be foolish enough to go after my own employee and the most high-profile member of my promotion. No, I'm not going to do a thing to you, in or out of the ring, but those friends of yours are starting to push all my buttons, and that's not something I appreciate."

Darkness frowned, suddenly sensing something unusual in the distance. Stern gave him another cold smile.

"Don't you ever fuck with my dog again, Darkness. You have no idea."

As Darkness spun around, trying to locate the source of the disturbance he had felt, Stern put her ear plugs back in and switched on her mp3 player.

"Don't push me, ‘cause I'm close to the edge...I'm tryin' not to lose my head...a-ha-ha-ha-ha..."

"Ah, that's it," she mused to herself, finally remember the song, as she continued her run as if nothing had happened.

* * *

Gawain smelled the intruder long before he could see him, but it didn't help him much.

"Whoa!"

The werewolf was hurled through the air, but managed to land on his feet, crouched down and ready to pounce. He bared his teeth at the massive shape that approached him.

"Don't I know you?" he asked, sliding his blade from its sheath against his thigh. The red and black biker leathers he had adopted as street clothes were hot, even this early in the morning, but he ignored the minor discomfort for now. The attack seemed to be entirely unprovoked, but Gawain wasn't about to talk his assailant down from a fight.

The figure was dressed entirely in black, with a mask to match, and cat's eyes that put the werewolf's teeth on edge. Gawain backed up, sizing up his foe as he waved his sword in front of him.

"You wanna go? Really?"

The mysterious stranger didn't reply, only continued to advance with glacial slowness on Gawain, reaching out with massive hands. Suddenly, a white shape on the periphery of his vision caused him to turn, but not fast enough to stop the pale wolf from careering into him.

He threw the animal across the roof, but it transformed in midair with a sound like bones cracking, becoming the unclothed shape of Gwen as it landed.

"Inferno!" she growled as the dark shape pulled itself upright.

Now with two opponents, the huge wrestler seemed somewhat less sure of himself. Gwen stalked the rooftop, ignoring her nakedness for the time behind and not taking her eyes from Inferno.

"What do you want?" the werewolf woman asked the man.

Inferno didn't reply, but continued to follow both werewolves, shifting his position so neither of them stood behind him. The three fighters continued to slowly jockey for position, each waiting for the moment to strike.

"What are you doing here?" Gwen demanded. Again, she received no answer. "Who sent you?" she asked, her voice increasingly betraying her agitation with the silent grappler.

"Stern did."

All three of them looked up to where Darkness had just appeared, holding on to the steel supports of a sign he had evidently used to scale the side of the building.

"Stern?" Gawain frowned, "the redhead in the suit?"

"That's her."

Inferno seemed to be laughing beneath his patched-up mask, a weird gurgling noise. Darkness walked towards him, clearly unconcerned with the size differential between himself and his opponent for Havoc.

"Something to keep us on our toes, I suppose," he explained, taking a second to give Gwen a slight frown over her lack of clothing, "and her way of showing us that two can play at this game."

"Game?" Gwen asked.

"It's a game to her, because she doesn't understand what's at stake," Darkness nodded, "but I don't want this innocent man to get in our way simply because of her ignorance."

"I'm not sure he's innocent..." Gawain said. He hadn't taken his eyes off Inferno since Darkness had arrived.

"He's innocent enough."

Inferno regarded his three enemies, clearly considering the odds. Darkness seemed to read his intentions and placed his hands on his hips. "You really want to fight us? Here? Now?"

Inferno's gurgling laugh came again and he started to back away, heading towards the metal steps that led from the low roof down to street level.

"Next time..." the huge man rasped as he left them.

Darkness slid off his coat and handed it to Gwen to cover herself. "What was that all about?" she asked him.

"It looks like Stern found someone with a death wish to do her dirty work. We'll just have to watch our backs until Havoc."

"And then what?" Gawain asked.

"And then I'll show him the error of his ways in the ring. Until then; don't hurt him unless you have to. He's a patsy, nothing more."

Darkness turned away from the werewolf siblings and looked off into the distance in the direction Stern had run before. Behind him, Gwen and Gawain exchange a quick glance. Unlike Darkness, they had the benefit of their sense of smell to determine the motives of their strange assailant. Neither of them needed to tell the other that ‘patsy' didn't describe what they'd smelt from him.

Much like the golden sun that opened up the day, it would also close in the same way, sinking teasingly down the horizon as the moon chased it away, in an eternal pursuit. But though the light seemed to be the same, the feeling generally wasn't. It felt as if the world itself was about to go to sleep, not just it's people.

A large hotel suite was also among those to sleep, some of it's inhabitants to join the resting world soon after the golden sun vanished. Some of them, defiant, would stay awake, would drink substances that would turn the greatest of men into fools and pour their free spirits into the night, but in the end, they too would eventually succumb to the night.

Every werewolf in that hotel could smell the same thing. All the conforts of the expensive, luxurious hotel could not take away the new sense of urgency. It was too strong not to be noticed. Dark intentions. Insatiable hunger. Inferno.

"I'll go," Gawain said quietly, standing up first.

"Let him come to us," Gwen said, holding up a hand.

"I don't think he's suicidal, but he is persistent. He wants to fight....and I have no problems honoring that request."

"Don't be stupid," Gwen said sharply. "We don't need to cater to HIS demands. As long as we remain in a group, he won't dare touch us."

"That may be true," Gawain said, remaining standing, "And yet, surely he's aware he's outnumbered? He'd expect us to group together, yet, he's still here. I know what I smelled from him before...surely you smelled it too? Hunger for battle. He'll stand out there night and day, he won't leave us alone until we give him a fight. I've experienced his strength before, so why not let me handle him? If things get too rough, we can always have Galadd step in and chuck him around for a while," he said.

"Fine. Knock yourself out," Gwen said, folding her arms and giving her twin brother the 'evil eye'.

---------------------------------

The shadowy form of Inferno, standing there, perfectly still, was like a black splotch of ink on a painting, he simply destroyed the beautiful image, the atmosphere of the sunset. To wipe him from the canvas came Gawain.

"Okay, let's start..." he said, walking towards him slowly.

Inferno didn't move from his spot. His hands remained at his sides. Blue cat eyes staring into the werewolf's soul, or so it seemed. A deep, calm, powerful voice finally answered.

"What is it that you fight for?" it asked. And then he sprung towards Gawain, and shoulder tackled him powerfully, trying to force him to the ground. It was enough to surprise him, but not enough to take him down. He dug his feet in and put resistance into Inferno's charging force. It was enough to stop him, but not enough to push him back.

"What kind of a question is that?" Gawain said, tightening his grip. He finally managed to push Inferno back a little, who surprisingly, released his grip.

"Surely there is something you get out of it. After all, there's a reason you were the one who came to face me..." Inferno said, charging again, but instead of grappling with his opponent, he pumped his leg forward, thrusting forward in a powerful kick that struck Gawain in the solar plexus.

Gawain felt his breath leave him for a moment, but quickly grasped the attacking leg and took him down to the ground. He tried to mount Inferno in a dominant position, but he kicked and rolled back to his feet.

"Unusual speed and attack style for a man of his size," he thought, studying him carefully.

"Answer me," Inferno hissed, pouncing on him with nearly animalistic strength. He let his size and momentum do the work, and this time, was able to get Gawain down to the ground. The fists that followed felt like stone as they connected with his face. He attacked relentlessly, pumping his fists like pistons, not caring when they struck the unforgiving ground, not caring when his knuckles stained the inside of his gloves.

"He isn't stopping for anything. This man is like a wild beast..." Gawain thought as he tilted his head to the side to avoid his punch. Baring his teeth out at Inferno, he slowly managed to power out of the grip, grasping his fists, and then finally pushing him decisively off.

The werewolf had felt worse before. He put up a hand to wipe the blood from a few small lacerations above his eye, quickly vanishing from his skin soon after. But before he had a moment to get into attacking stance, Inferno had already tackled into him! The shadowy man's muscles lifted Gawain like he was a rag doll, as Inferno jumped up and turned him horizontally, using his weight and power to slam his spine into the unforgiving concrete.

An intense pain shot through Gawain's body for a few moments, and immediately he felt his left leg go numb. He felt the vice of Inferno's right hand put his neck in a deadly caress, stealing his air from him. No amount of pain, however, could destroy Gawain's fighting instincts. He grabbed Inferno's left hand as it came down to cover his face, opened his mouth, and bit down carefully, right into his hand in the space between his thumb and index finger. He had carefully chosen where to bite, his teeth puncturing into one of the arteries in his fingers. Inferno quickly withdrew that hand and groaned in pain for a moment, which gave Gawain time to throw him off once again. He slowly got to his feet as the feeling in his numb leg partially returned, but his vertical base wasn't stable. The wound he gave Inferno was a minor threat that would keep bleeding without treatment, but unless he could last long enough for him to retreat...

"Do you fight for Darkness?" Inferno asked, "or is it for that dear werewolf friend of yours, who shamelessly exposed herself to me earlier?"

"She's my sister," Gawain said, baring his teeth again, and readying himself, unsteadily, for Inferno's next attack. He needed more time, for the injury to his back to go away...

"Or is it to satisfy your inner animal, werewolf? Do you look at me, and want to tear my larynx out, to stop me from saying these things?" Inferno said, and lifted his bleeding hand. "Do you dare try to devour me, you disgusting, flea-infested predator?" He charged at Gawain again, a smile hidden behind his mask...before Gawain could answer, a shape quickly moved in front of him, and charged right back at Inferno...in a blur, he struck the tall man in the side of the head with his knee, finally toppling him. An audible grunt was heard as he fell to the concrete.

"How much money is worth your life?" said the figure. Darkness had come. Inferno laid there for about ten seconds, very still, and then sat up, standing to his feet very slowly, looming tall like a shadow in the sunset.

"Money, you say?" Inferno laughed, a gutteral, gurgling sound like before. "You mean those simple green pieces of paper..." He didn't move to attack further, keeping his distance.

"So that woman had nothing to do with you after all. You really do have a death wish, coming here. What could you possibly hope to gain by attacking my bodyguards?"

Inferno stood up, and tilted his head to the side at the word 'bodyguards'. "Your bodyguards....and yet twice you've been the one to come to their rescue...who's guarding who?"

Darkness just shook his head. "Mind answering me?"

"There's no dark secret motive to figure out this time...I'm just having a little warm-up, that's all. You and I, we have a match, at Havoc."

Darkness nodded, folding his arms, but Inferno continued, his voice becoming lower.

"Those 'bodyguards' of yours must care very much for you...but it won't mean a thing when we come face to face. None of those disgusting creatures will interrupt your demise, they'll just have to watch..Tell me, how would you like me to end you? I'll make it special, for their viewing pleasure. Would you like me to break open your forehead, and paint the image of your destruction with your blood until you're dry? Would you like me to take your air from you, covering the world in a shroud that may never lift? Or perhaps I can impale you on the turnbuckle, and let the world cry as the kaleidoscope of your insides emerges? No matter what you choose, the pain will be exquisite."

With that, Inferno turned around, and left, laughing to himself, disappearing into the shroud of the falling night.

"This man is more unstable than I thought," Darkness said. "It's only a wrestling match, after all..."

"He's crazy," Gwen said, standing at the door. "What do you want to do?"

"We keep watching our backs," Darkness said, "though I don't think he'll be looking for a fight anymore until Havoc. I'm not at all worried for myself, I'm more concerned for him...and his mental state."

As Inferno's shape disappeared on the horizon, another one appeared from the direction of the sunset. The shape was considerably smaller, less threatening than before. It was a young woman, black-haired, of Asian descent. Just a casual shirt and jeans, that looked like they were made just for her. Upon closer examination you could even see several signatures written on those clothes...on all parts of her, even her shoes.

The woman smiled. "Hello. Nice to finally meet you, Death."

"You can't be so nonchalant about this," Gwen chided him as Darkness sat down on the chair that Ogier vacated for him.

"I've spent my whole life being nonchalant about people trying to hurt me. Why break the habit of a lifetime?"

She rolled her yellow eyes at him and threw a glance at Revenant that was half a shared joke and half an appeal for her to restore order.

"Don't look at me," the dhampyr girl smiled, flashing her long fangs, "you're the mother, I'm the daughter, remember?"

Darkness frowned as he pulled off his left glove with no small amount of difficulty, flexing his prosthetic hand with its trademark robotic motion. "The mother? The daughter? Did I miss an important conversation?"

"You miss all the important conversations," Gwen snapped, "because you're out rescuing people all the time."

"That is my job. And," he added, as he rolled his shoulders and gestured for a glass, "it was your brother I was saving."

Gawain just grinned at his sister. "What would you do without me, sis?"

"Rest easier at night?"

"This bickering is all highly humorous," Darkness interrupted as he filled the glass with whiskey using only his right hand, "but none of you have thought to question why I'm so nonchalant about this Inferno character and his psychotic attempts to start a fight he can't win."

"You just said it," Gwen sighed, "it's a fight he can't win. You're nothing if not arrogant, Nightwalker."

"Confident. I'm confident." He sipped from the glass. "No, the point I was making was that Inferno, despite his actions, is not insane enough to have dealt with a wolf changing into a naked woman right before his eyes in the way that he did."

Llenlleawg glanced up from where he was sitting cross-legged on the floor. "Naked? What?"

Revenant sniggered at him and Gwen made a point of turning her back slightly. "What are you getting at, Nightwalker?"

"Most people don't deal well with that happening. Ask Acolyte, if he ever stops sulking."

"So what are you saying?" she asked, folding her arms across her chest.

"That there's something more to him, and that makes him something I know I can handle."

"I told you what we smelt," Gawain chimed in.

"It's more than that," Darkness mused over his whiskey, "it has to be."

"Unless he really is just wacko..." Revenant suggested.

"You'd have to be pretty wacko to be utterly nonplussed by a werewolf," Darkness said, as he handed his empty glass to Lir without looking at the lycanthrope with the brilliant green eyes.

"So what's your plan?" Gwen pressed.

"Well, I don't know who he is, but I know a man who might," Darkness said, standing up from his chair. "Feel like a ride, Rev?"

Llenlleawg looked up at Darkness. "Just Rev?"

"There's only room on my bike for one passenger," the World Champion smiled, "besides, you guys have had enough fun for one day. If Inferno comes after me, we'll see what he makes of the Revenant." He nodded at the small girl who jumped down from her pervious position perched six feet from the floor on a vertical wall.

"To the Darkcycle!" she exclaimed as she landed.

"Stop calling it that."

* * *

Inferno held his head as he dropped to his knees. His skull felt like it was about to explode and it was all he could do not to scream in agony. He wondered somewhere, dimly in the back of his mind, in a tiny corner of his shattered existence that wasn't in pain, whether she meant for this to happen. Did she torture him out of spite or revenge? Did she take pleasure in this torment?

There are some religions that say life is suffering, and others that say redemption is found in death. Oddly, these two can never seem to agree that their message is really the same thing.

Inferno didn't think any of this. Instead he just clawed at the ground beneath his gloves hands, searching for purchase in a world where gravity seemed to be have been spun through a ninety-degree angle.

* * *

Darkness stopped his bike.

"What is it?"

"Something..."

Revenant made an exasperated little noise. "That doesn't help much, does it?"

"I know...I'm trying to figure it out myself though..."

The half-vampire girl frowned to herself. "Do you hear music?"

"No. Do you smell flowers?"

"Flowers?"

"Possibly lilies. I'm not sure. It's a long time since I smelled a flower."

Revenant climbed off the bike and tapped at her ears. "I can definitely hear something."

Darkness narrowed his eyes as he watched her. The sun was setting across the bay, turning everything into liquid gold. Revenant's pale skin glowed in the light, and Darkness was struck by how beautiful the young girl was for moment. He opened his mouth to say something, but then he heard the music too.

"What is that?" he asked her.

"You hear it too?"

"I think so...it sounds like...this song..."

"It's more like harp music or something though, don't you think?" There was a vague smile on the young woman's face.

"No, not really," Darkness replied, dismounting from the bike and finally turning off the engine. He pocketed the keys. "More like an old song I used to like. But not quite."

Darkness walked towards the edge of the promenade. The sky was growing darker now as the sun sank towards the horizon. He hopped down onto the beach, letting his feet sink slightly into the fine sand. He stooped down and let the grains run between the fingers of his good hand.

"That's your favourite tactile sensation, isn't it?"

"One of them," he smiled, distracted.

"And the song?"

"I danced to it with my wife."

"What about the flowers?"

"We had lilies at our wedding. People said it was bad luck."

"And what about the Sense in your head? The one you haven't noticed yet?"

Darkness looked up, realising what the voice was telling him. There, framed in the sunset before him, was nothing whatsoever. All he could see was the sunset, and he could hear the music, smell the flowers and feel the sand. But it was his Slayer Sense that told him the most. In that moment, he felt everything on the Earth...and maybe more...pull together and form a shape before him. He couldn't see her, but he knew she was there.

"Who are you?"

"I'm Life."

"You're God?"

He felt her amusement. "I didn't say that."

"I know. I was paraphrasing."

"Yeah, don't do that. I hate estimates."

Darkness straightened and tried to shield his eyes from the light, but it seemed to make no difference. "What do you want from me?"

"I'm just checking in."

"On me?"

"Who else? It's all in your hands, remember?"

He smiled. "My hand, actually."

"Oh, are you making jokes about that already? I wasn't sure..."

"It's laugh or cry. I pick the lesser of two evils."

"I know. You're always doing that. Doesn't always pay off though, does it?"

He shook his head. "No, it sure doesn't. But how am I supposed to see the future?"

"You're not. You just have to do the best you can do with imperfect vision. That's the whole point, after all."

Darkness nodded contemplatively.

"I can't stay long," she said apologetically, responding to the oddly comfortable silence between them, "being here hurts him."

"Who?"

"Your opponent."

Darkness's brow furrowed. "Why him? What does he have to do with this?"

"We're old friends, he and I. It went sour between us."

"Tough break."

"Yes. Be gentle with him, won't you? He's not as bad as he looks."

"I think he's trying to kill me..."

"Probably. Do you think he'll succeed?"

He shrugged noncommittally. "Probably not. Doesn't it bother you though?"

"If killing bothered me, I'd never get anything done. Death is part of Life, after all."

"Good point..."

He felt her smile. "I know you want to ask me something. I have time for one question. Just ask it, Darkness."

He thought for a moment, then asked.

So what do you do when the next best thing to God lets you ask her one question?

"Why should I ask Life a question?" Darkness said, folding his arms calmly. A year or two ago, his response would have been different. "After all, Life has more questions than answers."

The young woman gave him a warm smile. "I knew you'd say something like that."

"What's that supposed to mean?"

"One question only." He felt her poke his nose firmly.

Rubbing it gently, he continued, "I don't think you need to worry about me, or my opponent. It's just another wrestling match."

"Did I say I was worried?" Darkness thought he heard a giggle in the wind.

"You implied it by showing up in the first place."

"Who says I can't have a chat with my polar opposite?" Chi said.

Darkness tilted his head for a moment in confusion, then chuckled. "I told you Life has more questions than answers."

"Good luck in your match."

"I won't need it."

"There he goes again..." Again the wind seemed to giggle, and the shape of the young woman disappeared into the blinding sand.

Darkness, without pause, turned towards his bike, and walked, never looking back.

"Who were you talking to?" Revenant said.

"Myself."

"That can't be healthy."

"Then perhaps I'm just going nuts, then..." he chuckled.

-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Inferno sat in quiet seclusion, waiting, biding his time, until the match came. It was really all he could think about. No matter where he went or what he did, it always hung over his head, until he finally got to step into the ring. It was like a drug, a high for him, perhaps.

But for now, It was just him, and him alone.


"Darkness is my first step to redemption. My first step torwards fashioning a name for myself once more..."

"So you expect to win, when you couldn't even defeat a silly little girl?"

"Shut your FUCKING mouth."

"Why did you come to TCW anyway?"

"Because she.."

"Liar. How dare you insinuate that I would ever follow her orders?"

"It's because..."

"I don't know."

"Yet."

"You're still searching..."

"...aren't I?"

"And yet you're no closer than you were."

"You want to see bodies."

"I want to see lives destroyed."

"You want to destroy Life." Why?

"And yet Life nearly destroyed you."

"And yet now I feel more alive than ever."

"Maybe there's something else."

"I've really forgotton everything."

"I don't even remember my name anymore."

"Just a blazing Inferno, without a soul."

"Without care what I burn down."

"Maybe she'll put me out..."

"NO!"


A knocking on the door of the dark, cold room saved Inferno from his spiraling, burning thoughts. His response was reflexive.

"Open that door and I'll rip your tits off." Inferno said. Who else but her would be knocking at his door?

"Good," came the reply.

"Why can't you just leave me alone?" Inferno asked. "Don't you think it's hard enough, waiting for my last chance to rip you open?"

"You won't get it if you keep acting like that, silly."

"Fuck off."

"As you wish," Chi said, the sound of her shoes walking away from the door. "Good luck at Havoc."

And then Inferno was alone again, alone to descend into the torrent of his own thoughts ceaselessly....