Welcome back, one and all. Today's chapter is sponsored by Quarantine - there's nothing else to do! This is our final chapter in Hell, so I hope it rounds out in a way that feels comfortable for you all. I won't bother giving anything else away, so please go ahead and enjoy more of SSD (and thank you in advance for your review)!
CH 24
The first thing he became aware of was an excruciating pain that coursed through his entire body. He was afraid to move, the stiffness of his skin tempting him to believe he was made of brittle paper threatening to crumble if he dared to. What happened to him?
"Are you going to get Ino to bring us all back now?" He recognized that voice. It was Sakura. Relief washed over him, if only for a moment. She sounded okay, so they must be safe, wherever they were.
"Not yet." This deeper voice was one he didn't quite recognize but it immediately sent his stomach into knots. When had he heard it before?
"What? Sasuke-" A shiver took hold of him at the name and he wanted to cry as his body screamed in protest. "Medusa...right...So what now?"
"We must make our way all the way down to the deepest crevice in Hell. The Ninth and Final Circle." Ninth Circle? What? He could feel his mind fogging. It was too much at once. He returned to darkness.
.
.
.
When he next came to, he could feel wind cooling his burns and heard the heavy beating of wings. Large ones. Although he knew the pain would be like none other, he willed himself to crack open his blistered eyelids to survey where he was. But when he did, what came into view was enough to make him wish he was blind. Giant, grotesque webbed hands flapped on either side of him as he was propelled in the opposite direction from which he was facing. He was being carried over someone's, or something's shoulder through a massive cave. Was he in a volcano? Lava hundreds of feet below him glowed and bubbled viciously, sending heat to his raw wounds even from such a distance.
"He's awake," Sasuke announced.
"Kiba!" It was Sakura again. There was some clambering from behind him and eventually, her familiar face popped up beside him over the dark mass of hair of his captor's head. "You're okay, I'm so glad."
He could only manage a slight nod. "What's going on? Where are we?"
She scraped her hair from her face as the wind whipped through it. "Well," she hesitated. "We're in Hell."
"What?" He croaked. He couldn't believe it. Was he actually in Hell? Did that mean he was dead? Flashes of merciless flames and extraordinary pain flooded his memories. When did he die? He remembered desperately beating his burning fists helplessly on the slab of rock above him. Was this it for him? But why was Sakura there? Was Sasuke really carrying them? Where-
"Calm down. You're still alive in the mortal realm," the brooding devilman explained. Wait, Sasuke was this creature? "Your soul is here in Hell, where you sold it off for good when you made a deal with the Devil."
Kiba looked at Sakura in a panic. "Why are you here?"
She smiled, but it didn't reach her eyes. "We're rescuing you."
She misinterpreted the following silence as confusion. There was a grunt behind him. "It's Sasuke," she assured him. "Remember?"
"The Devil." Sasuke added bluntly. Kiba jerked his head in his direction.
That fated day after the horrid demon fight he was wrapped in came flying through his mind in flashes. He remembered the flames, the teeth, the snake-eyed demon. That part was hazy, but he clearly could call back to memory the moment he explained to Sakura why he had sold his soul. He could never forget it.
SMACK!
Hot tears rolled down her face as he held his scolding cheek. "Why didn't you talk to me? I could have helped you!"
"I had been turned into a fucking beast, Sakura! I could have killed you!"
"You idiot!" She yelled in his face. "I mean before that, when you were feeling so lost! You were supposed to trust me, and instead you go and tell some stranger everything to make a deal with the Devil?"
His eyes screwed shut in an attempt to push down the remorse stirring in him. His head was spinning with twice as many questions than just seconds before. So could deals with the Devil be broken? How was he being rescued?
"We have to make a quick before we can go back home, but I promise you're safe now." Despite the searing pain, he held Sakura's hand extended across Sasuke's back. He didn't deserve her kindness, not after what he did to her.
"I have so many questions," he confessed.
"I'd prefer you save them for later," Sasuke butted in. "This isn't the best time to catch up."
"Sasuke," his female passenger scolded him. "Please."
He held a glare on his face but didn't say anything back. Sakura gave his shoulder a gentle touch, hoping he understood it as a sign of gratitude.
"Kiba…" She called to her ex. She didn't know what to say, but her glassy eyes were brimming with pain. Pain that he knew he put there.
The damned soul looked back at her and reached out to touch her cheek. She deserved so much better.
Medusa reclined in her carved throne built atop the wall of Dis. With a cheek propped on a fist, she sat there meditating over the easy escape she granted Sasuke and those two souls. It was torture watching them fly off like they had, having never allowed such an episode to occur under her watch before.
But it would be worth it, she reminded herself.
Just as Orochimaru promised.
"Medusa, my dear," that very serpent devil greeted from below. He bowed, his curtain of hair pouring to the ground.
"They're on their way. My angels tell me they're about through the Seventh Circle and should be entering the Eighth soon enough."
A sick grin formed at his thin lips. His plan was finally coming together and the prize was in sight. Ever since his abrupt return to Hell by the hands of Sasuke's tacky blonde Witch, he had been working non-stop on his adapted plan to return to power. It was simple in theory but tricky in execution: alliances had to be formed in each Circle to build a slowly growing army of support to take over the underworld. Eventually, he would have every Circle just short of the Ninth on his side. But with that much firepower, he was confident he could take down the reigning Satan and reclaim the throne..! That is… until he spotted Sasuke with his beloved mortal trespassing through.
That changed things...or at least had the potential to. He quickly pivoted and devised a new plan of attack. It only took a few demons spying on the pair to figure out what they were up to and it ended up fitting all too perfectly into Orochimaru's conspiratorial puzzle.
With Sasuke forced by Medusa to take a detour through the Eighth Circle, he was set to fly right into Orochimaru's trap. And with enough struggle close enough to the Ninth, Itachi would pick up on his brother's compromised situation and fall into the ambush as well.
It was genius!
"Orochimaru," Medusa hissed with disgust.
The devil previously lost in thought looked away and wiped at the drool that had started dripping down his sharp jaw. Soon, he told himself, but not quite soon enough.
"Where are we?" Kiba asked as they became shrouded in a heavy fog.
Sasuke narrowed his eyes and slowed his pace as it became trickier to navigate. "The Eighth Circle of Fraud."
The two souls clinging to the devilman's shoulders remained tight-lipped. Mountains seemed to appear out of nowhere just feet from them as Sasuke narrowly dodged them with the limited visibility. This Circle was shaped much like a funnel and required them to loosely spiral in flight to the bottom. Below, a flash of lightning illuminated a mass of clouds with a booming thunder trailing after.
Sakura pressed her face into Sasuke's neck to hide from the storm enveloping them. The soft flesh of her lips and warm breath on his skin distracted him for a split second, making this detour all the more frustrating. It was bad enough that Hell seemed to take advantage of every twist and turn available to shame Sasuke for leaving, but to also pepper in temptation was a kick to the groin. He let himself indulge in a quick fantasy in which he'd toss Kiba to his fate so he could pin Sakura to a rocky formation and fuck her senseless.
A vibrating growl rumbled from below, stealing the trio's attention. "Geryon," Sasuke grumbled. This was the strange beast that guarded the Circle with the face of an honest man, tail of a vengeful scorpion and other odd creature parts in between. It didn't help that he was also a behemoth in size. "I'm going to assume he won't be thrilled to see us roaming through here, so we're going to need to proceed with caution."
They drifted to a wall of rock and Sasuke used his clawed wings to latch on with the two souls protected against his chest. The tension was as thick as the fog as they waited for movement. The growls soon died down until only the storm and wind could be heard. Although one might perceive this to be a good thing, this did nothing to calm Sasuke's nerves. It wasn't like Geryon to be so stealthy in his own domain. He was a cruel but social creature who preferred his presence to be as brash as a neon sign in the night, so why was he hiding? Something wasn't right. He unconsciously gripped Sakura tighter, not feeling so great about the depleting leverage he felt slipping away.
"Lost?" The rock wall inquired, startling them all.
Before Sasuke could release his claws from the ledge and push off of it, a giant lion's paw pinned his legs to it with just less than enough force to crush them. Sakura squirmed to peer over his shoulder and gasped when she saw a stinger the size of a tank pointed directly at them.
It was too late at that moment when Sasuke realized he wasn't hooked onto a rocky ledge, but Geryon's camouflaged chest. The beast had him trapped and there didn't seem to be anything he could do to escape him.
"Now there's a face I never thought I'd see again," the beast's deep voice chuckled. The deceivingly human face with rosy cheeks and full lips glistened in the light of a crashing thunderbolt.
"What do you want, Geryon?" Sasuke yelled up at the giant face, its cheery expression annoying him further.
"An opportunity of sorts presented itself to me recently," he mused as his barbed stinger drew lazy circles around them. "And all I had to do was catch one measly old devil. Can you believe it?" He laughed like a sick Santa Claus fit for a horror film.
Sasuke grit his teeth. Someone else was pulling the strings here. His mind raced through a list of potential masterminds who would have wanted him captured and couldn't help but trust his gut on the hunch that a certain serpent was behind all this.
"Geryon, tell me what's going on." He tried to maintain an even tone despite the increasing pressure on his legs.
An eye as big as his entire body drew closer to get a good look at him. Lashes like whips flicked with every blink. "You should be the one telling me that, don't you think?"
Sasuke glared back at the creature. "What are you talking about?"
"You're trying to get to the Ninth Circle to take back the throne! Don't be coy with me, boy!"
Sakura and Kiba shrunk down as much as they could to avoid the spit and stink of the beast's breath. Sasuke only grew angrier. "You think I'd be so cocky as to singlehandedly face the seated Satan?"
The arched brow on Geryon's face told him enough.
Sasuke's temper boiled over. "Release me!"
"Hahahaha!" A slick laugh echoed down on the unfortunate scene below. "Caught in the act, I see." It was Orochimaru.
"You really thought you could just waltz in here and take back what you threw out?" A trail of demons from various Circles above collected behind the long-haired fiend. Sasuke simmered as he sized up the crowd, the grim line on his lips deepening when he saw Medusa there as well.
"Stay down," Sasuke instructed his mortal companions.
"Behold," Orochimaru projected. "The once-mighty Satan, now just a mere scrap of a demon! Is this who you want scrambling to return to the throne?" The demonic mob roared in response. "As our Lord?" The resounding reply doubled.
While Orochimaru basked in the bloodthirsty energy, Medusa remained stoic at his side with her eyes trained on Sasuke. She knew why Sasuke was down there and had knowingly tricked him into stepping into this trap. He had been a good Satan, a fair one, but this was her only chance at rising - or descending, rather - to more power. With Orochimaru's plan, the two of them could take down Itachi… She could have it all…
And speaking of the Devil -
As though an earthquake was passing through Hell itself, the walls of rock and stone began to violently shake from all around. The army of demons braced themselves while Geryon looked down below into the fog. His eyes widened, first with shock, and then fear. Orochimaru's maniacal grin only grew. This was it. This was his chance. The throne would be his.
Black flames emerged from the darkness, dissipating the fog. Sasuke could only clench his jaw as his brother emerged from the Ninth Circle. Satan had arrived.
"What is this?" Satan Itachi's voice demanded. He was almost as big as the Eighth Circle creature but his dark aura gave him a presence exponentially more intimidating. Reflexively, the demons shrank away from him. "ANSWER ME!"
"Your Darkness, your brother was plotting to dethrone you, so we were in the midst of eliminating this threat," was Medusa's smooth response.
Itachi glowered at her. He could see right through her and her lies. It was offensive how stupid they must have taken him for.
"Release him now," he instructed the beast. Geryon looked up at Orochimaru with hesitation.
"My Lord, that would be a grave mistake-"
Black flames began seeping through the walls and trapped the demons. Sasuke could feel Kiba and Sakura trembling against him. He watched as his brother crept the flames forward, narrowing his eyes as Orochimaru began to cackle.
"Don't you see? Sasuke has Itachi fooled! Neither are fit for the throne!" He raged, pointing at the trapped devilman. Spit began flying from his mouth as he continued screaming. "He's hiding a mortal soul and plans to make her his queen! His own Persephone!"
The demons were struck by this. A mortal as their queen? They would never..!
"We must take them both down!" The demons erupted with a shockwave of battle cries as they banded together. Medusa looked out over the crowd of desperate, foolish demons and then turned to Orochimaru, who was nearly foaming at the mouth with excitement. This was her army fit for battle? And this...this was supposed to be her new leader? Blinded by her own greed, she had trusted him, but now… The wise Gorgon was not going to end well for either of them.
She closed her eyes in concentration, solidifying her resolve at that split moment. If she wanted to survive this, she knew exactly who couldn't. Her eyes opened again, but this time glowing red with her cursed power. Sealing her fate, she flew right between Itachi and the demons. It happened so quickly that none of the Satans could react in time. With just one look, Medusa turned the mismatched collection of demons into a pile of stones.
"How could you?!" Orochimaru screamed, his teeth fully bared.
She looked away. She had foolishly agreed to wage a war and knew in that moment she had chosen the wrong side. This was her only way out.
The black flames merged and in one swift motion swallowed the crazed Orochimaru. Sasuke watched as he fell from the ledge he had been clinging to before being taken down by gravity and hellfire to exactly where he wanted to be all along - the Ninth Circle. The only difference would be that instead of ruling the domain, Itachi was going to sentence him as its prisoner.
A small hand pressed into Sasuke's chest, bringing his attention back to Sakura. Medusa sneered when he saw him looking down at her. What was that look in his eyes? Lust? No, she glowered. It was more than that. It was something she would never experience. "All of this, for that?"
Before he could give his retort, Itachi spoke. "And what can you say for yourself?" He gestured to the stone demons, effectively killed by her doing. "Go back to your post and we will revisit this another time."
Itachi commanded Geryon to release his brother, also promising a similar conversation later. He had other matters to attend to. "Follow me, we can chat down in the Ninth."
The reprimanded beast placed the three of them on a cliff's edge before sulking off into the fog. And just like that, it was over.
The lonesome whistle of the wind traveled through the tunnel. Sasuke put Kiba and Sakura down and took this opportunity to slump to the floor with exhaustion. His legs did sustain some remarkable damage, although he did a good job until then to mask it. Kiba was visibly unhappy by the useless burden he had been reduced to while Sakura was doing her best to hold up a brave face. She kneeled beside Sasuke, still feeling so small by comparison to his demon form.
"Sasuke," she whispered, reaching up to touch his face that was as hardened as ever.
He grabbed her wrist, catching her by surprise. "Do not pity me."
Her mouth opened to say something, but nothing came out. He let go of her and closed his eyes while running a careful hand over his legs. It began to glow with a deep violet hue she had never seen before. Her eyes followed his clawed hands as they hovered over his legs, the bones cracking back into place underneath.
Back in his glory days, he would have been able to send Geryon flying into the wall with just a flick of his wrist. His glare intensified. It was clear he was now only a shadow of the Devil he once was. What was he left with to be proud of? How could he justify holding his head high if he couldn't even see eye to eye with those who once served him?
"Sas-"
"We're done here. Let's go." Sasuke stood up and ignored Sakura's furrowed face. He threw Kiba back over his shoulder and secured her back against his chest.
As they descended one last time, the air grew frigid and their breath started to cloud in their faces. Sakura's bare feet began to burn from the intensity of the cold, so she quietly pulled her legs up from where they dangled and pressed them into Sasuke's stomach. He didn't even flinch, but Sakura couldn't help but flush with embarrassment. His hard muscles didn't do much to warm her, but at least shielded them from the wind. Kiba, on the other hand, focused on clenching his teeth. He'd take this chill over the flames of his tomb any day.
The farther they flew down, the colder it was. Ice collected in patches on the rocks around them and formed some of the sharpest icicles Sakura had ever seen. She did her best to still her body but at a certain point couldn't fight back the trembling in just her tunic.
Finally, they reached the floor of the cave. Confused, Sakura scanned the shadows and saw a number of tunnels hidden in the walls. Before she could even ask, they were headed down the smallest of openings on foot. The silent devilman folded his hand-wings in and kept an unwavering gaze focused on the path in front of them. To say it was dark would be an understatement. In almost no time at all the darkness was almost palpable, her sense of sight becoming useless in there.
Then there was a flicker of light. It was a small black flame, much like the fire she had witnessed Sasuke and Itachi produce. She looked up at the devilman's face and witnessed the light hit the severe planes of his cheeks and angles of his sharp nose. The darkness pooled on the opposite sides of those cuts, hiding the inner thoughts storming behind those glowing red eyes.
The shadows pulled back as they reached the opening beyond the flaming torch and they were soon bathed in blue light from within the core of the cavern.
"Welcome," Sasuke finally said. "To the Ninth Circle of Hell."
She looked out into the enormous cave the stood before and couldn't believe how deep it continued down below the ledge they ended on. Jagged ice jutted out in every direction as large as buildings from the cave's ceiling to its icy floor.
Squinting, she could see the floor was solid ice...and were those…?
"Those are souls who are guilty of betrayal," Sasuke explained. "The worst sin of all."
She winced, taking in the ring of struggling bodies half-frozen in the ice. A moment later a gust of freezing air pushed past them, stealing any warmth lingering inside. Sakura's eyes trailed to the source of the wind and widened to the point she thought her lids would never come down again.
What she saw in the center of the frozen pit was none other than Satan Itachi himself in full form. Instead of being trapped waist-deep in the lake like the writings of Dante described, he was settled into a most remarkable throne, poised like a god musing over his underlings below. Seeing him in his fully realized grotesque glory paralyzed her. Had Sasuke not been holding her, she would have fallen to her knees at the sight.
"The cold can't kill either of you, but if you touch the ice you'll be trapped in it."
Her eyes shot up to meet his. "So don't put me down?" She threw back, trying but failing to sound calm.
He cracked the first grin she had seen from him in a while. "Don't tempt me."
"C-can we please hurry up?" Kiba begged through chattering teeth.
And just like that, Sasuke's grin disappeared. Free of the narrow confines of the tunnel, Sasuke spread his wings and took flight.
They flew down into the pit, giving Sakura a better view of the ongoings below. As they passed over the dense barrier of trapped souls in the ice, she noticed their mouths were straining as though screaming even though there was no sound. She unconsciously grabbed at her throat, wondering in horror what it would be like to have her voice taken away.
Once past the outer ring, she could see the rest of the damned were divided into half-circles on either side of the frozen lake, leaving a long path in front of her guarded by armed demons. At the very end was Itachi's silhouette, looming over them all. Sasuke's feet grazed the ice as he slowed to a halt before the demons armed with swords and armor, the sigil of Lucifer carved onto the breastplates.
"Sasuke," Itachi greeted from afar. As soon as he spoke, two rows of black flames burst to life in front of the feet of his demons, lighting the way for his guests. The younger devil watched as the ice melted down and a stoned pathway formed before him. "And our mortal guests."
Kiba squirmed to get a good look, but Sasuke clamped a clawed hand on his back to steady him. "I'm putting you both down, just don't do anything stupid."
Sakura tentatively stepped out to touch the cold stones as she slid out of Sasuke's arms. He helped Kiba to his feet next to Sakura before focusing on the King of Darkness.
"Relax, little brother." Itachi spat out the souls he was chewing on to give his full attention to his visitors. As they walked past the flames and demons, He couldn't help but let an amused smile cross his lips when he saw the protective eye Sasuke had on the woman in front of him.
Sakura found herself in a state of awe staring up at the Devil. She was still trembling from the cold, but knew the incessant pounding in her chest was her instincts telling her to run away...and fast. But she didn't, and not just because she knew she couldn't. She had met Itachi before and was trying to meld the two versions of him together in her mind. Here he was, towering over her as the ruler of Sin and Punishment, armed with twelve sets of barbed wings, razor-sharp angles at every opportunity his body granted, and spiraling eyes that seemed to burn with swirling magma. As she took all this in, she forced herself to remember this was still somehow the coy and kind man she met in the mortal world.
"When we were in Limbo," Itachi spoke, "this world was without order. You and I both had access to our full abilities, as did Orochimaru. Now," the water beneath the ice began to rumble and boil, a circle of steam forming around him before an eruption of black flames appeared. "I hold all of it."
"Kneel!" One of the demons barked from behind. Sasuke bit back a comment and dropped to one knee as both Sakura and Kiba fell to theirs.
Sasuke directed his death glare into the ground, his jaw clenching. This was what he wanted, he reminded himself. He chose to leave his gold-plated throne and loyal army of demons. It was his desire to ascend to the mortal world for fulfillment. It was his decision to explore new territory, knowing his title as a Satan would only go so far, could only carry so much authority and meaning...
"Itachi!" Sakura called out.
Sasuke's eyes widened as he snapped his head up to look at her. What did she think she was doing? Her expression was trained into a measured mask of focus as she locked eyes on the King of the Bottomless Pit.
Itachi raised a brow with curiosity. He decided to indulge in some entertainment and with the flick of his wrist surfaced a jutting rock out in front of her. She fell backwards immediately and he held back a smirk as Sasuke could barely restrain himself from lunging for her.
"Place her on the rock. I want to speak face-to-face."
Narrowing his eyes, Sasuke knew his brother was just doing this in part to tease him. Still, he fulfilled the request and helped Sakura climb onto the flat top of the rock. She sat on her shins and gripped the stone beneath her. Sasuke could see the tremble in her fingers. "You'll be okay," he promised her with locked eyes. "I'll be watching you."
The rock suddenly grew with the force of Itachi's wicked will and Sakura found herself a second later looking into the all-consuming face of the Devil. As his blood-red irises scanned her defenseless form, she found herself finally sinking into the realization that she wasn't just looking into the eyes of a mischievous demon, which was somehow already normalized in her world, but the actual fucking Devil.
Her breathing became ragged and labored as she fought back a panic attack. A spark in his large eyes told her he could see right through her crumbling poker face.
"Now then," he smirked, fangs openly displayed. "What is it you wanted to say to me?"
She stammered for a moment, the weight of his power so palpable it became hard to speak. "I...I wanted to ask you for help returning to the mortal world."
"Oh?" He craned his neck out so his nose was almost pushing into her torso. "You don't want to bind your soul to my little brother in an unbreakable bond?"
She didn't know what to say but couldn't help but feel washed over with shame. "I don't think it's what either of us wants."
Itachi scratched at his chin as he continued to observe her. He could smell the fear. It was clear to him she was afraid of this pact, but enough to plead to him..? "I'm afraid I must tell you that I can't help here. As the reigning Satan, that is the one thing I cannot do. My duty is to keep souls down here, not release them."
Her eyes quivered in disbelief. She was left with no choice but to become indebted to Sasuke with her soul on the line. She choked back tears.
"Stop that at once," his voice boomed and she froze immediately. "You are being granted the impossible opportunity to be freed from Hell. Have you no gratitude?"
Sakura bowed her head to touch the rock beneath her. "Forgive me," she whispered. "I'm just afraid."
"You mean to tell me you've journeyed through all of Hell and you're afraid of him?" Itachi scoffed before bringing his face back in front of her so only she could hear him. "You strike more fear in him than you know. Don't you forget that."
She lifted her head to ask what he meant by that, but the pillar sank back down below the ice faster than she could scream. Sasuke lunged and snatched her in his wing before she hit the water, saving her from being bound to the Ninth Circle forever.
"I don't have all eternity to entertain you three. Leave so I can return to my duties."
Sasuke calmed himself before addressing Itachi again. "Before we go, I need to uphold my deal with Medusa."
"The Gorgon who tricked you?" Itachi taunted.
"Yes," he grit out through clenched teeth. "In return for Kiba's release, she asked for an audience with you."
"For what it's worth, she did turn on Orochimaru." He jerked his head in the direction of a cluster of figures frozen beneath the ice, only their eyes exposed. One feral set of yellow eyes was immediately recognized. "He's rightfully being boiled under my watch now...not to worry."
Sakura and Kiba paled.
"I will meet with her. Now," Itachi waved his clawed hands dismissively. "Leave."
Sasuke took one last look at his brother looming over him from his throne. "Thank you," he bowed, then lept into flight, bringing the two souls to a faraway ledge far above the frozen lake he used to consider home. As he put them both down on the ground, he suddenly found himself caught in a moment of hesitation. Once he bound the souls to him and called for Ino, this would be it. If all went according to plan, the two mortals would make it back to their bodies and he would continue searching for the key to his own humanity. If it didn't work out as planned...He looked over at Sakura and couldn't stop himself from picturing her sinking back into a demon-riddled pit of sludge and decay.
"We only get one shot at this," he explained. "So we shouldn't cut any corners."
Sakura narrowed her eyes. "What do you mean?"
"When Ino summons me back, our bond needs to be stronger than the laws of life and death."
The dreaded knots in her stomach returned. She watched him straighten his back and square his shoulders. "What are you saying, Sasuke?"
"This can't just be a flimsy deal where you simply clean my laundry in return for a chance to live again. You need to be fully sworn to me with more on the table."
She couldn't believe what she was hearing and the lack of emotion he was expressing wasn't helping. She cringed at the idea of a future filled with chains, cages and what she imagined the unbearable prison of servitude to feel like. Was she going to be able to continue living on her own or would he have her live with him? Would she be allowed to work again or would he have her tending to him day and night? And Kiba..!
"I told you," Sasuke scorned her. "You're thinking of the extremes. I am not making you two into slaves." He turned his back to them to look out over the Circle that was once his. "That's not my role anymore."
Kiba opened his mouth to say something but then thought against it. He was just happy he was going to be able to leave this literal Hell hole. He didn't care what it took.
"Sakura," Sasuke called to her, his back still facing them. "You have my word that I will take care of you and do right by you. Please trust me."
She looked at Kiba to see how he was taking the news. To no surprise, he only nodded with a readiness to leave Hell. This was up to her. She reflected on all the other times, both serious and trivial when he asked for her trust. Could she give it to him this time?
She sighed. There wasn't much of a choice.
"Just do it then," were Sakura's next words. She swallowed her pride and pushed down her doubts as best she could. 'Be grateful,' she ordered herself, Itachi's firm words emblazoned in her mind.
When Sasuke turned to face them again, he looked different. He appeared more demon-like, she observed. His muscles appeared tense and riddled with bulging veins while his jaw was clenching to hold back the dark forces he had quietly summoned within himself. "Kiba," his deep voice called. "You're first."
The man nodded, sparing one last glance at Sakura before approaching Sasuke. While he walked towards him, Sasuke looked over at Sakura with his eyes that had become entirely black. "I need you to put more distance between us."
She looked behind her and was able to back up a distance to press into the cave wall. She didn't know what he was going to do that he wanted her so far away from them, but knew there was no point in asking as she did as he asked.
"So…" Kiba started out saying. "How does this work? Do we make a handshake?"
Sasuke was entirely unamused by this attempt at humor and made no effort to throw him a bone in the form of a chuckle. Instead, he snatched one of his wrists in his clawed hands before Kiba could even flinch and drew a single slash on his open palm. A second later, blood began to seep through.
"In return for safe passage back to your mortal body, you must vow to live under the mercy of my will and in my servitude. Understand?"
Kiba nodded, his heart pounding in his ears. The sick churn in his gut he only associated with his fated conversation with Itachi returned. Sasuke released the mortal from the locked stare to turn his attention to his own hands. With the same talon he used to cut Kiba, he made a similar cut in his own hand. He reached out faster than Kiba could pull away and clamped their bleeding hands together in a steely hold.
"When you return to your mortal flesh, your soul's memories will merge with your mortal memories. Once you've straightened that out, your first act under your allegiance to me will be to disappear."
Kiba's brow scrunched, turning his attention from the stinging grip on him. "What do you mean?"
Sasuke kept a disinterested face as Kiba desperately searched it for clarity. "You're going to leave town. I don't care where you go, but you will go far."
"But I-" The grip tightened painfully.
"Let me make this clear to you, Kiba. I risked everything I have worked towards to come back down here just to rescue your disposable soul. I am generously giving you the chance to start a new life. My one condition is that it is away from her. Do you understand?"
He needed a minute to process what he just heard, all the while his hand was dripping with their mixed blood onto the rock below. "So what you're saying is...stay away from Sakura and I'm good to go?"
Sasuke nodded.
Kiba barely stifled a laugh. If he truly was understanding this all correctly… Because this jerk had the hots for his ex, he was going to be a free man again. Lady Luck was back on his side after all. "You've got yourself a deal!"
Sasuke closed his eyes in concentration as his aura glowed around him in a dark cloud before taking a more opaque form and absorbing Kiba into it as well. Sakura watched through shakey eyes as the wind picked up and she lost sight of them in the black mass oozing off of Sasuke. She unconsciously held her breath, waiting for a sign of life, becoming more panicked by the second until the wind finally died down and the darkness receded. But once it did, she knew the pact had worked. Sasuke was still standing and Kiba was on the ground kneeling before him.
Kiba had made his second deal with a devil.
He was going to be...saved.
Dark eyes locked onto hers, causing her breath to hitch in her throat. She couldn't help but feel as though a bloodthirsty predator had spotted her and she was just a helpless rabbit paralyzed in fear.
"Sasuke," she whispered as he stepped around Kiba's bowing form and approached her. Her back was already pressed into the rock behind her with nowhere to go.
His shadow consumed her, then his intimidating height and unbreakable stare next. He didn't say anything, but there wasn't much to be said at that point. They both knew what was coming. She held her chin high with the dignity she refused to abandon and watched as he read her face carefully.
He narrowed his eyes. "Why are you upset?"
A rogue tear spilled from her eye but she ignored it and shook her head.
Sasuke felt his patience wearing thin. He reached for her chin and tilted her head back to look at her dead on. "You wanted this."
She yanked herself from his hold and her lip curled almost in a snarl. "I wanted Kiba to have his soul back, not be indebted to another devil!"
He scoffed and stepped back, turning to face the Circle again. He raked a hand through his thick mane and looked down at the hundreds of demons standing at the ready for Itachi. Never would he have guessed that his previous life as Satan would be less complicated and frustrating than his attempt at one with the mortals.
"I'm at a loss, Sakura." He turned to gesture to Kiba, still on his knees with his forehead to the ground. "I thought this would make you happy."
She did little to hide her exasperation then. "I just told you this is what I wanted, but this twist is just...unexpected."
He closed his eyes for a moment. He understood, but there was nothing else he could do. "Consider it a formality."
"Is that what you told Ino when you bound her to you?"
His eyes snapped open. He could feel his temper boiling. "That's different."
She cocked her hip out and rested her hand on it. "Not really, or at least it shouldn't be." He watched her drop her hands to her sides as she moved to lean against the wall. "I know when we get back up there you're going to continue trying to figure out how to become human, but shouldn't you also want to be a good person?"
He narrowed his eyes but said nothing.
What could he say? That he needed the extra insurance more than a friendship? That he didn't trust Ino to stay by his side without having part of herself on the line? No, that was just the nature of the relationships between Witches and the Devil. But there it was again, the damned title. He wanted to be more than just the Devil, but he couldn't help but feel without the name he would only become less.
When he pulled himself from his thoughts, Sakura wasn't against the rock anymore, but instead standing right in front of him. Looking down, he saw her hand was extended to him with her palm exposed.
She wasn't expecting an answer. It may have been that she thought he didn't have one or that she was afraid of what his answer would be if he did. Regardless, what she did know was that she wanted to be home and this was the only way out. She was going to trust him.
When he cradled her hand in his, she didn't dare to look down, not even when she felt his razor-sharp claw slice into her palm like a knife through paper. She didn't look, but that didn't stop her from crying. She was torn on the inside, grieving over her naivety. He took her bleeding hand in his, moments from locking their souls together. But then…
As she looked up from his chest in front of her to his face above, she was overcome by shock. Without even thinking, her other hand reached to wipe something from his cheek. It was a tear.
"You're crying," she said in astonishment.
He looked equally as surprised and then realized that was why his chest had been aching so much. For the first time in his existence, he was not just hurting, but hurting for someone else. "I guess I am."
There they were, a retired Satan and simple mortal, in the pits of Hell...crying. He took her by surprise once more by pulling her into an embrace while still keeping their hands together. With his free one, he threaded it through her hair and brought his lips to the top of her head. He couldn't logically explain why, but being so close to her erased all doubts for what he would do to ensure she never cried again. At the very least, not by his doing.
"I'm ready," she eventually murmured into his scaly skin, her unscathed hand resting on his scaly sternum. Even being well aware of Sasuke's state, the lack of a heartbeat gave her pause. She searched his face for a reason to back out, but it was already too late. Sasuke saw the anxiety bubbling and wished he could simply command her to relax. That wasn't within the realm of their reality, so he opted instead to push ahead and finish settling their bond. He folded her closer to him as his aura grew off of him again in a thick inky mass. Her lips pressed against his sharp shoulder as he brought his to her ear.
"It's time for me to tell you what your first act of allegiance will be," he whispered in his deep commanding voice. As the words reached her ears, her mind rushed with images of humiliating sexual acts, exhausting lists of chores, and a permanent seat beneath him, never beside him. She prayed the anticipation would be worse than the reality. One last breath passed her lips as he finally told her what she would need to do. Her eyes widened as she processed what he said, but then immediately fell heavy with the deep sleep he induced upon her. The darkness was thick and cold on her skin like an ice bath. "Rest," he gently whispered as she was lowered to the ground. "We'll be home soon."
His shoulders fell without him realizing they had been tense for who knows how long. At his feet were both Kiba and Sakura, bowing before him in their states of unconsciousness. He cracked his neck, turning his attention to the wolf boy. If he pulled back on his deal with Kiba, he could get rid of him down in the Ninth Circle with no problem. Sakura wouldn't have to know. His clawed toes nudged the unresponsive body. Kiba didn't care for Sakura, at least not the way she did for him. The selfish shit didn't even pretend to hesitate when considering if he was okay with Sakura being left to this devilman's devices. All he was worried about was himself.
The next thing he knew he was holding Kiba up by the hair, glaring at his slackened face. He growled out of frustration. He knew he was jealous. Him! An infamous devilman who once had armies of demons at his disposal...jealous of a mortal chump with no true legacy to his name. But...Sakura loved him. Sasuke could only dream of being loved and cared for in such an unconditional way. As his fangs began to creep out from under his taut lip, he reminded himself why he was back in Hell to start with. It was for Sakura. He dropped the boy back by his feet and looked over at the other limp form folded on his other side. This strange and frustrating woman who cared for others with no regard for what she would get in return. He tried to find a proper word to describe her with, but the closest he could get was 'pure' and that certainly wouldn't do. The soft trails of hair he was most familiar with being glossy and neat were faded and matted. Her once glowing skin had a collection of marks and stains from their travels. She wasn't a saint, nor did he want her to be. She was...good.
"Shouldn't you also want to be a good person?"
Yes, good. That seemed to fit more appropriately. In fact, it stirred something in him as well. He brushed the backs of her limp hands with his scaly ones. He wanted to be good...but also good enough for her.
If she were to ever have a heart attack, that was how she imagined it would feel. As she remembered to breathe, a hand was pressing at her back and Shikamaru was asking if she was okay. "It's him," she said between gasps of air. "He's ready to be summoned."
Shikamaru and Hinata exchanged a look before standing with the blonde Witch. Shikamaru watched his girlfriend struggle to regain her breath. He knew this wasn't going to be easy on Ino to complete, but they had no choice. "The sigils are reset, so we are ready for him."
"Them," she corrected him, evening her breathing and retying her hair. "Without the two of them, this will have been for nothing."
The pair crossed the apartment to the room where both Sasuke and Sakura's bodies were positioned in the center of two separate and complex circles cast by the Witches. Naruto stood off to the side with Hinata as the other pair entered. "Let's bring these crazy kids home already!"
Lightning coursed through him, stirring both shock and relief. It was Ino's doing, a sign that she received his signal and had begun the summoning. It was a most delicious pain that locked his jaw and cramped every muscle with the force you'd expect from a Witch endowed with Satanic energy. If anything, he was comforted by it. A strong connection made for better odds for a safe return. This was her first time extending her powers into Hell, so he was glad she seemed to be giving it everything she had - despite the torture it put him through.
The white bolts of energy sparked across his skin as the intensity only heightened. Sasuke felt his neck tense impossibly more, forcing his head to jerk back. A brief shout escaped his lips against his will.
"Sasuke," his brother's voice echoed around him. He managed to crack his eyes open to see the King of Hell hovering out from the cliff he was on. Twelve sets of wings flapped to keep him in place, producing a storm of wind carrying ice and rock everywhere. Itachi remained unphased as Sasuke struggled to place himself as a shield in front of the two souls he bonded to himself. "I want to acknowledge the tough decision you made."
The lightning pulsed inside of him, bringing Sasuke to his knees. "What...are...you talking...about?" He managed to ask. He was growing exhausted and felt himself also becoming impatient.
"You chose to keep the pest."
Sasuke channeled all his energy into shooting a glare at Itachi for blatantly reading his thoughts. He wanted to spit out some sort of biting response but the power of the summoning had rendered him silent. Itachi smirked and continued to speak to his captive audience.
"Coming all this way, keeping to your word with no direct benefit, nothing to stop you from disposing of him in the end… It's all very selfless of you, little brother."
The paralyzed devil's vision began to blur then. Looking down, he saw his hands beneath him begin to fade in a haze. He was able to jerk his head just enough to see Kiba and Sakura were fading as well. It was happening, they were all being summoned back to their mortal bodies!
"Sasuke," Itachi barked, not liking how he was being ignored. The younger of the two obliged and brought what was left of his focus to Satan. He couldn't see much as the world around him faded away, but he was able to see the turn of Itachi's lips as he smiled.
"Congratulations."
Splat.
Splat. Splat.
There was a sniffle.
"Fucking wake up!"
Sasuke twitched his fingers, the entire length of his body as stiff as a board. He grunted, slowly opening his eyes to the idiot hovering over him. Teary blue eyes and blotchy red cheeks were the first things he recognized.
Splat.
Another tear landed on his cheek.
Crying.
Why was Ino crying?
Sakura.
Where was Sakura?
He lunged forward like a corpse being tossed from its grave, his bare naked form suddenly crouching in a familiar room of familiar faces, his pulse pounding in his ear -
"Where is Sakura?" His throat was as dry as could be, catching his words in it like tissue on a gravel road.
"Right there, bastard." Naruto pointed behind him. Sasuke jerked around at a speed that should have given him whiplash, but he didn't have time for that. Why wasn't she moving?
He stumbled forward, finally landing on his knees beside her. She was unmoving, her lips sealed in a grim line and paler than he remembered. "Sakura, wake up." He started breathing harder and felt his hands start to shake.
"Sasuke!" Ino shouted from where he was seconds ago, having inadvertently shoved her when he rushed for Sakura. "She's alive, please calm down!"
He stared at her with his eyes hazed by fury. Moments passed by as he let her words sink in as well as his own emotions. He didn't want all of that to have been for nothing. He didn't want to be faced with the possibility that he made it back without her. That she was possibly still trapped in Hell alone and afraid. He was angry because she could have been dead. He was angry because he realized how weak she made him.
As did the others.
Studying her closer, he noticed the soft rise and fall of her chest. She was okay.
"Why don't you-"
"Why are you crying?" He snapped at Ino, barely pulling his eyes off Sakura's subtle pulse in her neck.
Her mouth opened for a second before snapping shut. Her once watery eyes hardened to steel. "They were tears of joy," she responded with a bite in her tone. "You're finally human. You did it."
"Congratulations."
And that's a wrap for this chapter! Lots of transitions... Sasuke's officially human, Sakura is in a mysterious deal with him and Orochimaru is once and for all dealt with thanks to both our guest star Medusa and dear Itachi. As our favorite characters are all reunited, they'll have to face a new set of challenges: Sasuke's newly established mortality, potentially a change in his relationship with Ino, this new dynamic between him and Sakura...and maybe some frickin romance ahead!?
Stay tuned to find out! Big shout out to my followers and especially those of you who have reviewed and continued to review this story. I seriously can't do this without you.
xoxo