Adam sat quietly in Izumi's apartment. It was sort of -their- apartment now, since he really didn't have anywhere to stay. His old home was no longer technically his, after all...

Not that he really cared too much. Dwelling on the past was not needed, he had crushed most of his regrets with the recent events. It was time to focus on the future. Of course, how he proceeded from here might play a factor into whether he even has a future.

It was strange, how he looked now. He wasn't moving, or even blinking. He was just in continuous thought. He could stay in this spot for days. Not needing to eat or sleep had it's advantages.

He still didn't flinch when her heard the click of a lock and the doorknob opening...

A familiar face stepped inside.

"Hello, Izumi," Adam said. "Come here to whine about your match?"

"No," she said. "I'll deal with it. Besides, watching Darkness get his ass beat by a half-blind guy was therapy enough. And it caused me to have an epiphany."

"Hm?" Adam said, looking surprised.

"Wanna know why I attacked Freya? I was tired of being ridiculed as the 'normal human' who can't do anything. I'm tired of being babied all the time. That was just a little shot of revenge."

"That's one way to dodge admitting you were just being a poor sport..." Adam said.

"And then to prove my point even more, Darkness got beat by Loop. Guess that proves we 'Muggles' aren't so useless after all?"

"I'm not sure I'm getting the reference," Adam said, giving her an odd look. "Aren't you being just a little unfair?"

"Unfair? He's a murderer, and a man with a huge ego. He thinks he's the fucking 'chosen one' to save humanity or something. He deserved everything that came to him."

Adam grumbled to himself, shaking his head as Izumi continued, "The point I want to make is, it's time to start making my own moves. I've spent long enough doing searching, being confused, trying to find out who's who or what's what! I've gone straight to Hell and back, and it's time for me to stake my own claim in this war. I can't wait for someone to magically come along and tell me the deal."

Adam approached her, a serious look on his face. "Izumi. Are you stupid? You're talking as if this were some kind of a game to be played. Do you understand WHY you're being 'babied'? Because you act like a child-"

"No, no no no, stop right there," Izumi said, raising a hand. "You can't attack me for my personality, or my naivety."

"So you admit you're naive, then?"

"...Yes, to an extent." She sighed. "But that's what I'm trying to correct. If you all weren't so mysterious, maybe I could have learned more and became less ignorant about the way things work. But as usual, I have to forge my own way. Don't think I'm not serious about this, Adam. The Apocalypse isn't a game and I know that."

"Sometimes, I wonder if you're even on the right side."

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

"JE, this will be your first defense of the Aftershock Title here in TCW. What are your thoughts?"

"A while ago, certain people might have said that I 'stole' this title. I earned it, however. The FWRFed match was a sanctioned bout. I've held this belt before and I intend to keep holding it for a very long time."

"How do you feel about your opponents, Izumi and DeSean?"

"DeSean is a guy who's as tough as nails. He knows what it takes to survive in this business and is one of our most experienced veterans, even if he resorts to some unscrupulous tactics at times. When it comes down to it in the ring, he doesn't quit. He's held this belt too, and I look forward to staking my claim to this title against him.

As for Izumi, she's had a hell of a rookie year, and is a challenging opponent. But she isn't the clean cut 'babyface' wrestler everybody seems to believe her to be. She blatantly cheated in a match with me before, and when it comes down to it, she's a cocky, naive kid. Not to mention there are rumors of her getting involved with some of the more freakish wrestlers here in TCW. It's because of crap like this that this damn company is stuck in China. You won't find any of that in FWRFed-"

"Next question," the interviewer said, cutting him off, "What plans do you have for the future?"

"Keep wrestling. That's all. They set up opponents in front of me, and I'll knock them right back down. I've got a family to feed and I plan to do so by kicking ass."

"Thank you for your time, JE."

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

"What the hell do you want?"

"I'm here to talk for a bit," Izumi said.

DeSean scoffed. "Do you always like to get chummy with your opponents? I have no time to fuck around with you. You tell me what you want."

"I'm not here to talk about wrestling," Izumi said. She knew what was said next could easily blow up in her face.

"Then what are you here to talk about if not wrestling?"

Izumi swallowed.

"I'm sure by now you've noticed a lot of unusual things happening in TCW-"

"Yeah, no shit..."

"Let me finish! We've had plenty of weird stuff going on, wrestlers who 'live their gimmick', blah blah blah, and I know you've encountered Darkness yourself twice. You're a strong guy and I think I can trust you."

"What the hell are you getting at?" DeSean said.

"...What if it were all for real? The wrestlers live their gimmicks because they're not just for show. I'm saying there's something much greater out there-"

"Not this bullshit again," DeSean said. "I've heard it all before. What, are you like them too?"

"I know it sounds crazy. I know I'm going to come off as yet another 'batshit insane, self-important wrestler'. But the truth is there's been something concealed from you all along. Something that Darkness, Freya, Dante, any of those NHFC'ers would never tell you."

DeSean just stared at her.

"What if I told you vampires and werewolves really existed?" Izumi said. "What if I told you Freya was a werewolf? What if I told you Darkness was a vampire slayer, and happens to be the Anti-"

DeSean suddenly burst out laughing.

"Hahahahaha! That...I'm sorry," DeSean said, chuckling. "That's just the craziest thing I've heard in a long time...hahaha...I know it's the fall, Izumi, but Halloween's over a month away. You can save the spooky bullshit for then."

"I'm serious," Izumi said. "There's no easy way to tell you this."

"Well if you're serious then here's my reply: What if I told YOU that I don't believe you, and I think you're just trying to spit around bullshit to confuse me?" DeSean said. "This is wrestling, not a freak convention. I want no part in that crap."

"I'm telling you the truth..."

"You know, I respected you, despite you being a rookie. You could go far in this business. But not if you're going to hang out with freaks like Darkness and Freya, then I'll give you the same treatment I gave them. Get out of my apartment before I beat you to a pulp."

"I'm not leaving until you understand that I'm not insane. THere's a rational explanation for all of this if you just listen."

"You heard me," DeSean said, producing his Singapore cane. Without hesitation, he swung for Izumi's head. She backed out of the apartment, narrowly avoiding it. DeSean immediately slammed the door right in her face.

"Hmph."