Angels and Demons

Friction was over for the night. Done. It had been a pretty good go-home show, setting up things for the next Summer Splash, creating some hype for what w up to be the biggest AFW pay-per-view of all time. The audience began to file out for the night after the final match ended, slowly making their way down the aisles. It could've just been a normal night.

That changed when River Styx burst onto the scene.

Literally burst onto the scene, as she came out from the back and knocked over some of the road crew in her way, holding a microphone in her hands. She was dressed in  her usual attire - all black, baggy pants, the wifebeater with an upside-down cross. The only difference were the bandages around her head and chest. She'd been through two grueling hardcore matches, back to back, and her body told that story well. There was a limp in her step, and every movement seemed to give her a new pain to wince about. It sucked. Sure. But it wasn't why she was pissed.

"Hey!" Styx called out to the crowd as they stopped, stared, and began to boo her way. A few kept going out, and even though  many remained, they looked like they wouldn't be for long. "Where are you fuckers going? We're not done! I got some shit to say. You've been watching cheap-ass porn all night long, you can listen to something that actually matters!"

She rolled her way into the ring and limped over to the other side of the ring, leaning over the ropes and pointing out into the crowd. "I don't get you people. I really. Fucking. Don't. At first, I thought it was just a culture thing. Different sides of the planet. Maybe being a bunch of lazy, stupid sheep is just the Japanese way."

The boos grew louded. Much louder.

Styx managed to get a smile out, even though it was a bit weak thanks to the way her face hurt. "For months - months - I've been giving you people something worth watching. I've bleed for this company. Broken bones. Gave everything I had. And what was the payoff, after all that work? Lukretia comes out of nowhere and takes it all away, gives it to one of her little blonde favorites. And you people, what do you do? You cheer her. Adrian, that little-"


She had to stop herself for a moment and pulled back. The rage was getting too much. Had to calm down. Couldnt' make a point if she was too pissed off to think. "Adrian Kytes. Fucking Adrian Kytes. If I popped into someone else's match and ruined their shot at the title, you people wouldn't shut up about it. But no - she's the hero. I'm the bad bitch. How does that work, exactly?"

She spat off to the side and circled away, as the crowd finally began to get fed up and leave. "Yeah, that's right, walk out! Walk out on the closest thing to a real champion you stupid motherfuckers ever had! You've been fed bullshit for so long that you don't even recognize real talent. You want your softcore title. You want all that hentai crap. Even with your world champion, you can't even have a real fighter hold the belt - Angel was a glorified supermodel, and she got to run around with the belt for a whole year. Pathetic. Fucking pathetic. I hope you people choke on all the shit you swallow."

Styx gave them one last middle finger for the road and dropped the microphone as she began to leave the ring. Probably wouldn't change a thing, but it felt good to get all of that shit out of her system.

Angel wasn't planning on making an appearance in the arena tonight. She had a brief meeting with Lukretia scheduled earlier in the day, and had stuck around afterwards, catching up with a few people and just generally hanging out backstage. When the time for Friction had rolled around, she had stayed, watching the show from the monitors in the back. It was a good show, just like usual, just like always.

She felt a brief pain though, at the thought that she wasn't actually out there with everyone else, doing what she did best out in the ring.

When the show finally ended, she began to take her leave of the backstage lounge that she had been watching at, when Styx burst onto the scene and started her angry rant. Angel was no fan of Styx, having seen a great deal of her matches and her promos, but she decided to stay and watch what she had to say. It seemed like her usual shtick, complaining about the general state of the company, but when the Latina heard her name, she perked up, paying closer attention then she had been before.

A grin started to spread across her face, as Angel realized she had been given the perfect opportunity for her return. She wasn't supposed to make her return yet, and she certainly wasn't prepared for it yet, but far be it from her to pass up a golden chance like this.

Wasting no time, Angel jumped back to her feet and darted through the backstage hallways of the arena, rushing towards the entrance to the arena proper. As she neared the curtains that blocked the backstage from the actual arena, she started to scream at the nearby technicians, gesturing wildly at them as she slid to a stop.

"Queue my music up! Get me a mic!"

The techs, realizing that something was up, quickly burst into action, getting things ready for Angel, as the Latina herself straightened up her clothes, running her fingers through her hair to try and style it a little. She wasn't dressed for a return, really, wearing a pair of blue jeans and the bright red soccer jersey that Ace had given her for her birthday, the one with a jaguar on the front and her name on the back with the numbers "01", but fuck it. This was the perfect chance, and she wasn't letting it slip by her.

When the technicians were ready, they motioned for Angel to enter the arena, and the Latina did so, lunging through the curtains as her old, familiar music began to play. She burst in just as Styx was reaching the bottom of the entrance ramp, and at the sound of her music, everyone in the audience froze, people turning to see what was happening. Was Angel really back? Did that music mean what they think it did?

Damn right it did!

Angel exploded onto the entrance stage and grinned down the ramp towards Styx, as the remaining audience members began to explode into cheers and roars for the returning former champion. Many of the people that had left began to pour back into the arena at the sound of Angel's theme, confusion and curiosity on their faces at the sight of the Latina.

Angel, meanwhile, stood at the top of the ramp, looking down towards Styx with a wide, almost hungry grin on her face. She waited for her music to die down, and waited for a break in the sound of the audience, before lifting her microphone to her lips, calling down the ramp towards the surly Styx.

"Going somewhere, chica...?"

Styx pondered her options as she made her way out of the ring, and none of them looked all that interesting. Brittany was the champ now, so that particular tree wasn't available for barking anytime soon. Beating the shit out of Adrian would certainly make her feel better, but she would have to find her first. Hell, more than that, she'd have to find her when she wasn't hanging around Rebecca Tomko. She liked a good brawl, but even she wasn't crazy enough to go for the both of them at the same time.

It seemed like the future would hold a lot of achohol and mediocre matches in it. Her opportunity had come and gone, and it wouldn't be making a return trip anytime soon.

But then she heard the music. She saw the silouhette in front of her, as a lone, curvaceous figure came from behind the curtains. The crowd's attention was dragged back, kicking and screaming all the way, as they looked on with anticipation. There, at the top of the ramp, stood the answer to Styx's nonexistant prayers: Angel.

Styx couldn't help the smirk, though her face was dominated with confusion. Not something she expected, especially since Angel hadn't even been in action since the last pay-per-view. But if the former champion's appearance meant what she hoped it meant, it was definitely a good thing.

"I'm on my way to find a bar worth the trouble of getting drunk." Styx tapped the microphone against her shoulder and took a few more steps, beginning a slow but steady advance. One that would take her right through Angel, if she didn't move. "What's wrong, puta? Did you get lost on your way to the unemployment line?"

Angel had missed this. She had really, truly missed this. The sound of the crowd cheering around her, the thrill of standing tall in the arena, the anxious beating of her chest as she stared down another woman. This was what she lived for, and being back in the arena, staring down Styx like this, she could barely believe that she really taken so much time away from the AFW.

As Styx began up the ramp, Angel planted her feet firm, standing at the top of the ramp, not budging an inch. She was standing her ground, and not going anywhere, not until she had said a few things to the brutish woman that stood before her.

"Well, you know..." She began, the Latina grinning down at Styx, folding her free arm behind her back. "I was enjoying my evening, enjoying my little break from everything, when I heard someone out here talking shit. And you know what, chica? I don't like it when people are shit-talking me when I'm not around."

She leaned slightly forwards, narrowing her eyes towards Styx, keeping her grin on her face but staying focused, ready to move, just in case the bigger woman decided to try something stupid. There was part of the Latina that wished she would, Angel finding herself anxious for a fight.

"So, now that I'm out here, want to try running that shit you said by me again? Hmm...?"

Styx wished she could say that Angel was stupid for not backing away as she approache, but even with all her hubris, she couldn't deny the reality. This was her big comeback, her first appearance in months, showing up in front of millions to take a stand. Even if she were so inclined to run away, that simply wasn't an option. And besides, she was a former champ, and while Styx had a decent run behind her, she was still a little ways away from reaching the same pedestal. That could change, though.

"Enjoying a little break." Styx repeated, making her way to the halfway point of the ramp. "You've been gone, what? Six months? And you call that a 'little break'. Right." She shook her head. "This is exactly the problem I'm talking about, case-in-point."

She waved her hand out to all the audience, circling around while she pointed at all of them. "Pretty much since you left, I've been fighting tooth and nail for my spot. I struggled long, hard, I paid the dues, whatever. I gave these people something worth all the money they funnel into this company. And what do they do? They boo me. They hate. They cheer Brittany, fucking Brittany, when she wins the title over me. Bullshit."

She finally made it all the way up to Angel, getting face to face thanks to the ramp's incline. The audience was a mix of a dozen difference chants, but the biggest one Styx heard was a clear, booming:"Wrestle! Wrestle! Wrestle!"

"Meanwhile, you," She pointed at Angel's delicious chest. "You just pop up out of nowhere, not even dressed to fight, and they cheer you like it's the second coming. Like you're about to walk on water and feed the multitude. You don't see the problem, here?"

"The problem is, chica," Angel began, holding her ground, not backing down a single inch as Styx moved up and got into her face. "The problem is that you apparently don't pay any attention to what goes on around here."

"You want to talk about paying dues? Fighting tooth and nail?" She smirked, a tsk passing through her lips as she slowly shook her head from side to side. "I've spent years here fighting for my spot. I've made a career out of kicking and beating my way to the top of this company. They cheer for me for me because they know what I've been through. They know how many nobodies like you I've put down to get to where I am."

"You, though?" She continued, her eyes staring hard into Styx's, the Latina's voice growing harder as she spoke. "You don't seem to realize a few things. You don't seem to realize what struggles really are." She lifted her shoulders up, and then back down, a small shrug aimed towards the larger woman.

"But, hey, I do see the problem, chica. And you know what? I'm damn good at fixing problems."

Judging by the audience's cheers, they certainly agreed with Angel's logic. Not that their opinions made a shit's difference to Styx, but it at least it let her know where their minds were at and confirmed the potential. This was one of Lukretia's little favorites, the former champion, what she'd built the brand around. If Styx beat her - if she destroyed her - it would actually make a noticeable difference in the weight of the bitch's pocketbook.

It would also be fun. Very, very fun.

"You're going to fix me, huh? A nobody like me?" She raised her fist up, nice and tight, ready to strike at any second. She was doing a good job keeping it calm on the outside, but her breath was quick and her blood was racing. She had fucking goosebumps. "I think I'd like to see that." Styx snorted, blowing some of Angel's hair about her face, and she began to reel her fist back. The crowd started to cheer with anticipation, hardly believing they were going to see this sort of thing without a single announcement, like they were getting a free bonus for their money...

"But not here." Styx retracted her fist and walked past Angel, casually strolling along. She'd thought it was impossible for the audience to boo her even harder than before, but they managed."I'm guessing you don't have a date for the next Pay-Per-View, 'Ms. Summer Splash'?" Styx even broke out the air quotes.

Angel wanted to laugh. This entire situation was going exactly as she had hoped, and in some ways even better. It was almost like Styx was reading her mind!

She tensed up, as Styx drew back her fist, ready to react at the moment that the bigger woman went for her punch, but...the blow never came. Styx lowered her fist, and walked on by. The silver-haired Latina was almost disappointed. She was damn eager for a fight, and part of her had hoped she could get even a little bit of a scrap with Styx.

She turned to face the woman as she walked by, and lifted her arms, folding them over her chest with a smirk. "You want me at Summer Splash...?" she asked, her eyes sparkling with an eager light. "Biggest mistake you'll ever make, chica. If you want me to kick your ass there, in front of the entire world, then I'm more then willing to take you up on the challenge."

She tilted her head to the side, leering towards her would-be opponent. "Just don't go running away and crying when I kick your sorry ass out of my ring, alright?"

Styx stopped before she could make her way into the back and did an abrupt about-face, facing Angel while she made her boast. It wasn't an empty one, either. So far as she knew, the luscious Latina had never lost at Summer Splash, and it would be Styx's first time on the biggest stage. But...

"Look in my eyes." She pointed at her face as she stared at Angel, completely unblinking. "Who said anything about fighting in a ring?" She cocked her eyebrow and started to pace, tracing over her own steps. "I want you Falls Count Anywhere. You think these are your people, they're here to support you? Good. Great. I'll drag you out through them. I'll let your blood stain their clothes. I'll give them a nice, up close view while I pick you apart, and they'll beg me to stop. You'll beg me to stop. And, maybe, if you do it well enough...I will. Maybe."

Styx finally turned around and made her way backstage, pushing aside a stagehand that was taking too long to get out of the way. "I am going to crucify you, Angel. And the whole world is going to watch."

She gave her future foe a quick wave, then disappeared behind the curtains.

Angel did just want Styx asked, staring deeply into the woman's eyes as she turned back to face the Latina again. She stared up at her, refusing to budge even an inch, refusing to show any signs of fear or worry about Styx baring down on her. She was ready for this.

Then Styx demanded her Falls Count Anywhere stipulation, and Angel suddenly felt her heart skip a beat.

She hated hardcore matches and hardcore-esque matches like that. She didn't have a good track record with them, and she knew that Styx would have a very clear and very obvious advantage over her in such a match. She still wasn't going to back down though. She couldn't now, not after coming out and running her mouth like she been doing.

With a cocky smirk, she raised a hand towards Styx, dismissively waving her off. "Whatever you want, chica. If you want Falls Count Anywhere, then that's what you'll get. It'll give me a choice in where I kick your ass, you know?"

She waited for Styx to leave, then turned back to the crowd, looking over the audience. She felt good. She felt home again. This was where she belonged. The Latina then turned away, and made her own exit, passing through the curtains and heading backstage once again.