Go ahead and get this outta the way. Don't own Darksiders and thanks go to detrametal! Read, enjoy then review. Or whatever. Also, surprise! Also, also, Peeps!

War & Briar

They exited the Tree to find themselves back at that forgotten world Briar had made her home.

"Huh, this place doesn't look corrupted." The she demon observed.

"Alina." War said, trying, and failing, to get her attention.

She sighed, "Guess we should go ahead and start looking before my home is destroyed."

"Alina." He tried again.

"But where should we start?"

"Briar!"

War almost never raised his voice. Briar knew it was time to stop ignoring him. Especially since he used her real name. Couldn't exactly ignore that for various reasons.

"Yes War?" She would be lying if she said she wasn't a little bit annoyed now. He should know to be more careful.

"Why did you come to Earth?" The Horseman asked the she demon, determined to get some answers. She'd blown him off earlier at the Prison but he wouldn't let her do the same this time.

"To find you, of course."

"What of the Council and your brother?"

She looked away from him and out at the wide expanse of grass where the Tree had dropped them, "My brother is dead. Killed by some demons when he came to see me. I figured our deal was off then."

"Why did he come to see you?"

"Putting it simply? I was drunk off my ass."

"I thought you weren't going to drink anymore."

"That was before… ya know."

War decided to let this part slide, "Why were you trying to find me on Earth?"

"I had a vision. Saw what the Council was planning. So I went to tell you, thought I'd save you the whole journey." She sighed, sitting down in the tall grass. "But you kept running around with that little human and I couldn't catch you in time. Plus, I just… wanted to see you."

War knelt behind Briar and wrapped his arms around her. He was a Nephilim of actions, not words.

Briar giggled, "Yeah, I missed you too. So, did you have fun traveling with the little human?"

"I would have preferred you."

"After a century I forgot what a smooth talker you are."

"You waited a hundred years…" War said in realization.

Since the Horseman was holding her so tightly, the she demon could only look at him over her shoulder, "Of course I did, and I'd wait a hundred more. I told you once before, Rider of the Red Horse, I love you."

War sat back on the grass, bringing Briar with him to where she was sitting on his lap, "I… love you too."

Briar stared at him in surprise before busting out laughing. It was a bit of a shock to hear the great War say such a thing. "Oh War, I missed you so much." She said before taking his face in her hands and kissing him.

She pulled away and looked into her boyfriend's glowing blue eyes with a challenge, "Now, let's go find this Corruption starter."

…

They looked everywhere they could think of but to no avail.

The she demon sat at the edge of a cliff, feet dangling over empty air, "Nothing! We found absolutely nothing! How could we find nothing?!"

The Horseman sat beside her, though more wary of the sheer drop than she seemed to be, "The Tree sent us here for a reason."

"That's what I'm saying!" she flopped back onto the grass and stared at the darkening sky before deciding to turn in for the night. "C'mon War, let's call it quits for today. We can go back to my place for the night."

They tried to think of more places to look as they made their way down the slope. Places that they could have forgotten but Briar knew this world like the back of her scarred hand and couldn't think of anywhere.

"It looks like this whole thing was a complete bust." The she demon sighed.

"Not completely." War said, nuzzling her neck.

"No, you beast, not completely." She chuckled in return.

She stopped, wrapped her arms around the Rider's neck, and kissed him long and deep.

"It's good to have my Horseman back." Briar sighed again, twirling some of his hair around her finger.

"I also like having my demon." He agreed.

"So, what do you say we go back to my place and-"

Briar was cut off by the ground shaking and bony hands reaching up out of the dirt.

"What a great way to ruin the mood. Wish I'd thought of it." She grumbled, letting go of War. "Wait a second, why are there undead here?"

"Possibly to try and kill us." The Horseman answered.

"Ha-ha. No, there aren't supposed to be any undead in this world. Demons? Sure. Angels? Only by accident. Undead? Never. Don't know why."

"Is now the time to figure out why?"

"Probably not but I can't help but wonder."

As the skeletons finished pulling themselves out of the ground, Briar and War could see that they were just wrong somehow. That is, if anything can be right about an undead skeleton trying to claw its way out of the ground and thirsting for blood. They looked as if they were being held together by some black goop and yellow crystals and there was an unnatural light in their eyes that made Briar shiver.

"They're corrupted." The she demon informed the Horseman.

"This is Corruption?"

She shook her head but couldn't take her eyes off the undead, "Not exactly, these are creatures that it has taken over. Still begs the question what they're doing here in the first place."

She didn't get a chance to ask as the bone bags got tired of waiting and attacked. Between her and War, it didn't take them long to wipe out the skeletons even if they were stronger than the uncorrupted versions. Though, by the time they got done, it was already dark.

Briar sheathed her blades with a sigh, "Am I the only one who finds it ironic that we didn't find anything until we gave up? Whatever, let's go before something else decides to show."

…

War was a bit surprised, though he didn't show it, when Briar didn't lead him to her cave but to a two-story house in the middle of a forest.

"What is this place?" he asked, noticing a seemingly random patch of flowers.

Briar also stared at the flower bed for a moment before turning to open the door, "This is where I lived with my family before… Anyway, come on in and make yourself at home."

"It's quite comfy." Said a voice as they entered the home.

He was sitting on the couch, feet propped up on the she demon's new coffee table, looking for all the world like he owned the place.

She instantly recognized him from Hope's notes, "Shadow Man."

"I see you've picked up the human's name for me."

"Would you prefer it if I called you Lucifer?"

The entity dragged his clawed feet off the table - leaving gouges in the wood - and stood. He crossed the room until he was only few feet away from the couple, "Whatever name suits you. Matters not to me."

War got ready to push Briar behind him and draw Chaoseater if need be, "You know him?"

"Not personally but Hope does." She turned her focus back to Shadow Man, "Alright, Satan, what are you doing in my home?"

"Just dropped by to say hello to the ones trying to destroy me."

"Why would we be trying to destroy you? Isn't that Samael's job right now?"

"You're trying to stop the Corruption, are you not?"

"You're Corruption?" War went this time.

"Correction, I started the Corruption and will continue to feed it until it can devour worlds on its own."

The only question Briar could think of was: "Why?"

Lucifer chuckled, "I wanted chaos and destruction. As a demon, surely you can understand how boring everything is without them."

She almost growled at him, "Maybe, but I prefer being an observer rather than an instigator."

"Which is why I'm not trying to recruit you. Now if you'll excuse me, I've got two more appointments to make."

"With who, exactly?"

"The rest of your little group of course. I want all of you to know who you're dealing with and that none of you stand a chance." He answered before sinking into the shadows.

The demon and the Horseman turned to face each other.

"He's one cocky bastard, I'll give him that. But there goes our alone time." She told him.

"We must go warn them."

"Agreed. Now let's go before they do something stupid. Especially Strife."

With that, they left Briar's house and made their way back to the Tree as fast as they could.

PEEPS!