�I knew you would come,� it said in a decidedly masculine voice, to the deep shadows right outside the circle of light. �I�ve felt your presence for a long time.�

He waited as she slowly stepped out into the flickering light, drawing the moment out.

��Mother.�

Her eyes narrowed and his grin widened even further, but when she spoke, there was nothing in her voice that would betray whatever she might be feeling right now:

�Of course you have,� she said, slowly shortening the distance between them with soft, calculated steps. �As I have felt you, all this time.�

He didn�t move from his spot, just kept grinning at her with glittering, bloodstained fangs.

�And what have you felt then� Mother?� He gleefully purred. �Have you felt the pain? The joy? The rush of slaying?� His voice dropped to a seductive whisper. �Did you enjoy it?�

She did not answer, but began padding around, as if meaning to come up on his side � still moving with careful deliberation and never taking her cold silver eyes off of his. She was hunched, as if poised to strike at any moment. He finally moved, but only to keep her face-to-face with himself.

He kept whispering, the grin never leaving his face, �Or did you see their faces, Mother? Did you see their suffering through my eyes? Did you see my claws cut them open? Did you taste their blood on my tongue?� As if unable to hold it in any longer, a quiet, insane giggle gave volume to his words: �Did you enjoy it, Mother? Did you enjoy it like I did? Wasn�t it sweet, Mother? Wasn�t it beautiful?�

She finally snarled at his blood-soaked form, revealing her own set of long, white fangs in a sudden display of emotion � but she did not for a moment hesitate in her tracks.

�You are a monster,� she growled. �I should never have created you.�

He playfully cocked his head to the side and kept giggling. �What�s done is done, can never be undone. Am I a monster, Mother? Then what does that make you?� His giggling finally stopped, but the tainted mirth didn�t fade from his features.

�I�m just like you, Mother,� he hissed through clenched teeth. �Just like you, and you know it. You know it well.�

She said nothing, but the determination in her pale eyes had grown harder, sterner. He turned again, keeping his eyes on hers.

�What do you want to do?� he murmured mockingly. �Kill me? Join me?�

She stopped, lean muscles tensing under her glossy, jet-black skin.

�I�m going to correct an old mistake.�

Her false, human form dissipated quickly now, as energy began to coalesce around her. He merely smirked.

�Kill me it is, then.�

The energy around her was starting to become visible, coiling like snakes of lightning around her shape, leaking pale green strands from the tips of her ears and claws and glowing brightly in her hard eyes.

�I can�t let you go on.�

�Well then,� he sighed with a carefree shrug, �We�ll just have to see who will be killing whom, I guess.�

Her eyes widened, but that was also all the reaction she had time for. A blast of energy, crimson as the freshest blood, slammed into her and sent her crashing into the stone wall several feet behind her. Her body hit the ground with a sickening thud, and he calmly but watchfully begun striding over to the limp form.

�You see, Mother,� he said conversationally, as if certain that she could still hear him, �Contrary to what you may believe, I do remember many of the things you taught me.�

A hoarse, gurgling growl emerged from the broken form on the ground, and she moved � strenuously raising the upper half of her body. The male halted a few steps away from her and squatted down on his haunches, his eyes glowing bright red with barely contained energy.

�Among other things,� he hissed through grinning teeth, �That an immortal can only be slain by another immortal.� He watched her struggle against the pain of a shattered shoulder and broken spine to rise up and face him, with keen interest. Then he crept a few inches closer, lowering his voice to a deep, almost curious whisper: �Are you ready to die, Mother?�

Her body suddenly convulsed, and she dropped to the ground with a scream of the most excruciating pain.

His grin disappeared, and he scooted a little closer, reaching out to lovingly touch her long, silver hair.

�Ah, yes, it hurts, doesn�t it? Every time, always the same, the pain of regeneration.� His smile returned, but this time much more kind � even gentle, as her anguished cry went on and on and on.

�Savour it, Mother,� he whispered solemnly, green energy beginning to coil around his outstretched hand. �It�s the last thing you will ever feel.�

The energy seemed to seep out of the writhing, thrashing form of the injured female, coiling up around the male�s hand, arm and finally his face. He took a deep breath and closed his eyes, absorbing the twisting energy into himself through his nose, mouth and ears.

His breathing quickened, turning into short whimpers of ecstasy. He didn�t seem to realise that the female had stopped screaming, until she suddenly twisted underneath him. Before he�d had a chance to react, she grabbed the hand with which he�d been cradling her head, and tore it off with a guttural growl and a spray of dark blood.

Eyes wide with shock, he leaped backwards, away from her, swiftly leaking out the energy he�d been absorbing. Before his feet touched the ground, though, a forceful blast of green energy hit him square in the chest, sending him in an uncontrolled tumble to the ground.

She rose slowly, trembling with strain, and determinedly staggered over to his form. Raising her claws above her head, as if to take off his head, she growled hoarsely:

�I am no mons-�

The rest of that sentence was cut short as all the wind was knocked out of her by another powerful, red blast of energy. She was thrown to the ground, and he was immediately upon her, sinking the claws of his remaining hand deeply into her abdomen.

�Really,� he growled, the grin completely wiped off of his face, �Is that any way to treat your son?�

With another deep, primal growl, she bared her fangs and snapped at his face. He easily dodged the clumsy manoeuvre.

�Tsk, tsk, tsk, Mother. Why won�t you play nice?� He ripped out a little more than a handful of her innards, snarling: �Why won�t you just play nice and die?� She let out a sharp gasp of pain, but it was immediately followed by a grunt of surprise and pain from the male. With a grimace of effort, she tightened her claws inside him and tore out the sides of his chest with a sickening crack, shoving him off of her with another blast of green energy.

For a few, brief moments of respite the two creatures laid there, twitching, shuddering and panting � or at least trying to pant. Then the female�s body convulsed, only a few moments before the male�s, and she gave a short shriek of pure agony. The male�s jaws opened and his eyes widened, as if he was also trying to scream with every fibre of his being.

The female, however, curled in on herself in a small, trembling ball � but only for a brief moment. While the male was still convulsing, she began pulling herself across the ground with the aid of her blood-soaked claws, over towards him.

When she came up beside him, she scooted up very close to his trembling body and whispered hoarsely into his ear:

�One thousand years and you�ve still not learned to deal with the pain of regeneration? No wonder you went insane.�

She propped herself up so as to look into his face, and even though he was still convulsing, apparently unable to control his body, even though blood bubbled in a steady stream from his mouth � his eyes sought hers.

She raised one of her claws and stabbed it deeply into his chest, causing his gurgling to become even more erratic and strained.

�I didn�t tell you everything, you know,� she murmured, still panting with the effort of keeping her pain at bay. She leaned down even closer to his face and looked deeply into his wide-open eyes. �An immortal can only be slain by another immortal� that�s true. But� I don�t think I mentioned that the eternal life of an immortal� can only be ended by an older immortal.�

Her claws constricted in his chest, around his fluttering heart. She leaned even further down and her lips brushed against his ear as she whispered:

�I will never die. Not even you can kill me. Not even you.�

Red energy began to seep out of his every wound and orifice, coiling around her arm and her outstretched form beside him. She withdrew her claws from his chest and tenderly cupped his cheek, all the while absorbing his energy into herself. As she turned his face towards her, his eyes sought hers again. Her clawed fingers gently caressed his cheek.

�I�m so sorry,� she whispered, almost inaudibly. �For everything.�

The red energy grew thinner, fading into her body and escaping from his in weak, wispy strands. Even the light in his eyes began to die away, but he kept them unblinkingly on hers. His lips slowly, tremblingly mouthed something before twisting into a grateful, laboured, but purely genuine smile, without taint, and without glee.

Then the last wisp of energy left his prone form and his eyes gently drifted shut.

Asarti pulled his empty shell closer, feeling the warmth slowly fade out of it, and she buried her face against his neck and wept like she hadn�t done in a long, long time.