((A/N & Disclaimer: I don't own Inferno, Dante Alighieri, The Divine Comedy, or any characters….except Dianne in the 8th Circle. Anyways…REVIEW AND READ BOTH MINE AND SWEET DEMI'S STORIES PLEASE! Here is what you all have been waiting for….*I do the Carmelldansen while Matt does an epic drum roll and fanfare* The 9th and final Circle of Inferno. Sorry it's so short! I was up at 3 a.m.! Honest! Matt: The circles under her eyes prove it! ))
As I put on my jacket, another chilly wind mercilessly blasted through my nightclothes as I shivered. "W-W-W-Why is it s-s-s-s-so c-c-cold?" I asked, my teeth shaking like maracas as I trudged through. "The answer to that question lies ahead." Hades advised me as he pulled Suki and I close to him. "Oh, come on Hades; tell her. It'll save us a lot of questions later on." Hermes insisted as Matt shook his head, unaffected by the cold, "Let it stay as it is until it's time. We can't rush everything." The gamer advised sagely as he attempted to keep Demi warm by putting his jacket on his wife's shoulders; a true gentleman (attention, Matt fan girls, you can't have him! HE'S MARRIED TO DEMI!). As we continued, Demi narrated, "This is Caїna, the first round of the final Circle; the name came from Cain, who betrayed and killed his brother Abel in the Bible. So, this happens to be where the Traitors of Kin reside; hey, Cain~!" She cheerily waved to an elderly man with his head bent low to protect himself from the chilling winds as he howled, "What did I do to deserve this? I wanted to gain Father's favor, but as I passed, I was sent here! I was a son of the First Creations! I deserve to be in Paradise!" He growled as Cain bent his head lower, ashamed and regretful of what he'd done. "Wow. That's one step on the way to being a Popsicle for eternity…" I murmured as I noticed… "Suki, what are you still doing here? You said that Hell's Well is as far as you'll take us!" I exclaimed, shocked that the young shinigami-in-training was still with us. "I lied." She giggled as my face turned red; How could she be so sly and STILL be so cute?, I thought as a mouth bit one of my toes. "OWW! Who did that?" I howled as I held my poor left foot in my right hand, looking down to see who tried to make a snack out of me. I saw ruby locks that were uneven; at that moment, I definitely knew that it was… "Karin, it's you! Well, I already know why you're here." Matt and I snickered as she scoffed, "Whatever! Where is Sasuke-kun? I want payback!" Hermes rolled his head and smirked as he said, "Hey, a soccer ball! I get to kick it first!" Before the Hebi kunoichi' could object, protest, or grumble, she now had a faceful of winged sandal. "Me next! Oh, please let me go next!" I hopped up and down, eager to have a turn at kicking Karin the Soccer Ball. Once my turn came, I kicked as hard as I could; the result was the most mannish scream in the history of history itself.
We walked past a humiliated Uchiha and into a colder region; "When will we get out of here? I'm freezing my butt off here!" I whined as my feet nearly slipped out from under me. "Be careful!" Hermes, Matt, and Suki exclaimed as they reached for my arms; "Are you okay, Oneesan*?" Suki asked in a somewhat panicked monotone as she kept a firm grip on my left arm; "Watch where you step, squirt; if you fall on this ice, sentenced or not, you'll remain stuck there until Judgment Day." Hermes advised, getting a strong grip on my right shoulder. "So, is there anyone else you know here?" Matt asked until he and Demi spotted the head of someone all too familiar jutting from the ice. "Oh man…Clive Dove?" The couple exclaimed in unison, the shinigami 85% surprised at Legal!Luke being here. "Yes, yes, we all know why I'm here…but, I don't remember why I turned against Layton….against my home….I deserve to be here…." The young brunette wept as ice began to form under his eyelashes; "Who was it that called my name….? My eyes….." The former apprentice lamented as ice caked on the whole of his eyes. Hmph, he deserved it, if you ask me…., I thought pitilessly and mentally growled as Demi mentally retorted in surprise, Whoa, what happened to you? When we first got here, you were all 'Poor Jiraya and Tsunade'; now you're all….like this, as cold-hearted as this Circle, kid. Maybe it's because we're almost out of this messed up nightmare. Now, Demi, would you be as kind as to leave me to my thoughts, please? With a hurt sigh, the distraught shinigami left me and clung to Matt's arm. "Something's up with Mai, Matty. What do you think of this?" She whispered to her husband as he answered, "The deeper we go into Hell, the less warm she gets. Warmth is given to those that receive it from God; the farther one goes, the colder they become. Once we leave, she'll revert back to her normal, nice self and then, it's off to Purgatory we go." "Thank God; I thought that since we're in the Ninth Circle, she'll turn against us with every step closer we get to…you-know-who." "Possibly that, too, Demi-hime*." Matt added in a certain someone's monotone, which earned a glare from his wife. As for Suki and Hades, they walked toward me with a look of pity; before they could say anything, however, I stopped them with a look that read, 'I think it's best to leave me alone'. And that they did. So, there were now six of us: Suki, Matt, Demi, Hermes, and Hades in their own little group….and me, by myself. Wow, did I hurt them THAT much? I have to make it to them! I thought, determined to win back my friends….and beg for forgiveness in the process. I slipped and slid over to the 'group' with misty, almost tearful eyes; "I feel a huge weight on my chest…we must be getting close." Hermes mused as I trailed in the group's shadow…and Matt gave me a sideways glare! As tears threatened to spill, I stopped in my tracks as the group trekked on, avoiding various and random heads poking out of the ice, lamenting all the while as I passed, following them until I saw a huge tower up ahead. "You….Y-Y-You guys…! If this is a way to make me feel sorry for myself," I sniffled, tears flooding down my face, "…then, it's w-w-working….!" I wailed, my tears taking the shape of unholy diamonds; a small plinking noise could be heard following behind me as I ran (yes, ran) towards my friends. Suki spotted me coming; "Oh, Suki, I'm so sorry! I'll never do anything to you like that again!" I, picking her up and holding her in my arms, said in a whisper that only the two of us can hear. The pale shinigami girl's only response was a small yet sweet peck on the tip of my partially frozen nose and an equally sweet smile; my response to her response was a warm hug (yes, I was still holding her). All the while, Suki and I 'responded' back and forth with hugs and everything while Hades wondered, 'Where is Miss Suki? I hope we didn't make Miss Maiko too upset….' His thoughts were interrupted by a light giggle as he saw two shadows a ways behind him. He said nothing as he tapped Demi's shoulder, who tapped Matt's shoulder, who tapped Hermes' shoulder; when Suki and I wandered into grabbing distance, we were pulled into a massive embrace. As crystals dropped from my eyes, I whimpered, "I-I-I-I'm s-sorry! Forgive me! I d-d-didn't mean to…." The rest of my words were smothered by the embrace; "Come on, let's go—" Hermes was cut off by Suki. "Mai-oneechan* and I saw a huge tower up ahead. Do you know what it is, Mercury?" She asked, ever-so-innocently. "Y-You'll see soon enough, Suki…" The messenger said with a gulp and a voice full of fear. "On march the banners of the King…" Demi and Hades chorused in a grim tone as we saw that the tower….was DEFINITELY NOT A TOWER! "I-I-Is t-that….?" I said, afraid of whom it exactly is and hoping that it most definitely wasn't…..
"I'm afraid it is…." Hermes, Matt, and Hades chorused as the two redheads quaked in fear at the sight of…. "I don't believe it….i-i-it's him…." I growled at the one who caused Eve to eat the forbidden fruit and caused our ill-fated, sinful Fall from Eden….the one who made every unfortunate event…! I hurled every name he had collected over the millennia at him, furious at all three of his hideous faces, red, black, and pale-yellow that connected at his horrible, hairy neck; furious at his beating wings as he effortlessly struggled to break free of his icy prison….. I caught a glimpse of who was his newest snack: in the pale yellow head, I spotted Sasuke Uchiha. As for the black face, I glimpsed Orochimaru's legs dangling out, pedaling the cold air; and finally, in the red face, I caught a sight of the Cartoon Network logo* being chewed to pieces. Heh, they had it coming to them, all right…..hee hee hee~. With a silent smirk, I asked, "So, how do we get out? Do we go through some kind of secret door or something?" "What do you think?" Matt answered with a question of his own, an eyebrow raised as my mind clicked. Oh, HECK NO! "Oh, no; forget it! Nuh-uh! No way, never! There is NO WAY I'm climbing down that thing!" I protested as I pointed to Satan's more-than-slightly hairy back while Demi intervened, "We have to….it's the only way for us to leave the Inferno." "Fine…but I won't like it…" I muttered as I grabbed hold of the dreaded Lucifer's shaggy fur and started to climb down. Before long, I felt the earth seem to do a few flips as I was weightless for only a minute; that minute passed and it looked as if we were climbing upside down. After what seemed like an hour or so, I saw a tiny beam of light and could only feel its warmth as it grew and grew until it was revealed to be the dazzling rising sun, an crystal blue ocean, and a mountain* in the distance. As we finally set foot on solid earth, Matt, Suki, and I hooted, hollered, and danced; we finally got out of Hell. "WE DID IT! WE DID IT, YOU GUYS~!" I cheered, hugging Hermes just a bit too tightly (as if the gasps and pleads of 'Lemme go…' weren't an indication…). Matt, however, celebrated in a different fashion: He slung an arm around Demi's shoulders, held her close, and gave her the most passionate kiss in recorded history (and that's saying something). When the both of them reluctantly pulled away, Hermes smirked, "Aww~! How sweet; Christmas isn't here yet and you two are all ready for the mistletoe! Let me get my camera!" He jeered, holding himself as he laughed almost uncontrollably. Luckily for Demi and Matt, Hades (me too!) happened to act as witness (es); "Need I remind you that you are the only person here who's single…..oh so painfully single?" Hades added as he pulled his blushing nephew into a bear hug. "Don't worry; I know the perfect person for you!" The Lord of Erebus added. "Oh, you really do? Who might that be? If it's the 'hooker of the Olympus' Aphrodite again*, I'll never escort Persephone to you from now on!" Hermes threatened, pulling out the golden staff he always used in travelers' affairs. With a single smile, Hades snatched the staff from him and flung him in front of Suki and I (yes, Suki was on my back when we climbed out!) and snickered, "Take your pick." The Olympian messenger scowled and said, "No freaking way! In fact, I choose neither of them! I wouldn't go out with her," He pointed to Suki, whose cheeks were glowing scarlet with growing anger; "And I sure swear on all of Dionysus' secret stashes of wine, Zeus' thunderbolts, and even Athena's tapestry collection that I won't go out with her!" He raged, pointing to me. "One more wrong move and you won't walk or sit right for months; I'm only giving you one warning, Hermes…trust me, she did it to me too…" Matt directed, already cringing in fear of what would happen next.
Before I could say a word (or raise a fist), a ship's horn sounded; a large cruise ship called La Commedia pulled up to the rocky shore where we were standing and could only gape in surprise as Sai from Naruto, wearing a Hawaiian t-shirt, poked his head from the captain's chambers, smiling a genuine smile, asking: "Anyone need a ride to Purgatory?" As we boarded (our only luggage being my bag that I packed), I wondered what Mount Purgatory would be like. "Who knows; maybe it might be fun!" Hermes, Demi, and Matt chorused, Demi whistling to "Kagami" by Kanon Wakeshima*. Suki poked my elbow to bring me back; "Mount Purgatory has seven terraces. That's all I'll tell you…" She said in her regular monotone. "Don't worry, Young Miss; once we reach the Earthly Paradise, everything will be…fine…" The Lord of Riches trailed off, thinking about a certain Goddess. Don't worry, Hades; I know just how you feel…I miss my sweetheart too….Ryuu-kun…. I thought sadly as a single tear rolled down my cheek. "Enough with all of the mushy sap, let go, have some fun, and LET'S PAR-TAY~!" Hermes cheered as he spied the cocktail bar. "Yeah, I guess you're right; we just can't sit around and mope like this!" I agreed as I spotted some La-Z Boys in an outside café. As I flopped in one, I spotted a slightly drunk Hermes singing 'Pocketful of Sunshine' by Natasha Bedingfield way off-key on a nearby stage; as I looked around, I saw Suki playing with some other kids, Hades in another La-Z Boy chair reading A Tale Of Two Cities by Charles Dickens, as well as Demi and Matt half-asleep and chatting with each other nearby a large pool, about 7 or 8 feet deep. As for me, as my eyelids grew heavier, my vision slipped to see twinkling diamond like stars before I closed my eyes, a half-smile spread on my face.
Hime means Princess.
Oneesama is a Japanese term of 'older sis'.
I put the Cartoon Network logo in Satan's mouth because it has committed a HUGE act of treachery: Cartoon Network betrayed its fans. That's why.
The mountain is Mount Purgatory.
A: Aphrodite got with Hermes and brought out Hermaphroditius. B: Aphrodite, in MY perspective, truly is the Hooker of Mount Olympus. My opinion, people!
Kanon Wakeshima has written two ending themes for the anime Vampire Knight. Google her and her songs/images/albums and then you'll see who I'm talking about.
Me: Well, I guess that's it.
Matt: What's it?
Me: The end. Of Maiko's Inferno.
Matt: WAIT! We still have to get to Mount Purgatory, remember?
Me: Oh…but I can't. I'm losing power…
Matt: Oh, that power. *hands me cheesecake*
Me: Not that power, Matt-niisan; REVIEWS! I need reviews!
Matt: Oh, right. *to readers* REVIEW OR I'LL SEND CERBERUS AFTER YOU ALL! *evil laughter*
Demi: Too far, Matty, too far….*drags Matt away by his collar*