Don't Play With Fire
-+Chapter Three+-

He didn't know where he was. In fact, he didn't even want to find out. All he knew was that it was hot. And the heat came from just everywhere. He felt the intense heat creep up and surround his entire body, but there was nothing he could do to stop it from eating himself up. He was too tired, too stressed out…

The voice returned in a jeering tone. "Awwww, look at your little beloved. She's searching for you, but nobody can't seem to find you. In fact…" the owner of the voice trailed off, most probably to smirk at her triumph, before she finished in a tone overflowing with fake sympathy, "… nobody seems to know who you are."

"What. Have. You. Done," he hissed with gritted teeth, struggling to look at his captor straight in the eye.

She waved her hand, and some sort of pillow appeared, although it was made of fire. She sat down in front of him and smiled. "What have I done? Let's see…" she paused, resting her chin on her hand as if in deep thought. "Well, for starters, I granted your wish. I banished little Sayo's disease, and thus defied fate by bringing her back to life. So now she's alive and well. However, you had to pay the price. It's a give-and-take situation, you see. You sold your soul to me; I brought her back in return."

Sanosuke glared at her, although it evidently lacked in power. "Listen, lady, I don't have time for this hogwash, for this Devil hanky-panky," he began, doing his best to sound as strong as possible. "Where am I, what do you want, and what the hell have you done to me?!"

"I already told you. I'm the Devil."

"Sure you are. And I'm God," he returned sarcastically.

"Why won't you believe me? I am speaking the truth, Sanosuke Sagara… how else would I know who you are, and what your heart desires?" she asked in return, rising up from her seat and walking towards him. Afterwards, she smirked. "My, it's hot in here, isn't it? But what do you expect? This is inferno, after all."

He struggled to break free from the chains that bound him, but he found himself unable to do so. The heat was making him weaker by the minute, and he knew that if he would not be able to help himself to a glass of water, he would most probably die of dehydration. That is, if he wasn't dead already.

To his surprise, a glass of ice-cold water appeared in front of him, hovering like a puppet with strings. "What the…" he stuttered, disbelief evident in his eyes. He then darted his gaze to the woman who claimed to be the Supreme Ruler of the Underworld. "How the hell did you do that?!"

She shook her head ruefully. "Tsk, tsk, tsk. When will you ever learn to accept the truth, Sanosuke Sagara? I've given you evidences of who I really am, and yet you still refuse to believe," she muttered, before she folded her arms in front of her chest and looked at the young man with a raised eyebrow. "What more do I have to do, for you to believe that I am who I say I am? I already raised your little beloved Sayo from the dead, isn't that enough proof yet?"

"Okay, okay, so you're the Devil, and I believe you," he said hurriedly, eager to end the fuss and get back with his life. He didn't know what was really going on, but he was 100% sure that the lady who claimed to be the Devil was plainly insane. "May I leave now?"

"Yes, you may leave… that is, if you can find your way out of here," she said with a smirk, before she spread out her arms. "Welcome to the Land of the Dead, Sanosuke Sagara. Welcome to… hell."

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Author's Note: I honestly have no idea how this will turn out, as of the moment. I'm just going through one chapter at a time, adding up ideas and building the plot along the way. Suggestions? Comments? Violent reactions? Let me know. And for those of you who aren't part of my Sano/Sayo group yet, and would love to be, don't hesitate to go to groups.yahoo.com/group/ssangels and join in! You'll be more than welcome there! ^____^