Author's Note: I'm sorry for taking so long to release this chapter, everyone; I had a lot of schoolstuff to do. Math sucks big time. Anyway, this is the third to the last chapter --- I don't know if you'll like how things will turn out, but well... let's just say that Sanosuke has seen enough for him to change and all. *grins* All right, I'll stop talking now and let you read the chapter. Enjoy. =P

Oh and one more thing: I can't wait to read your fic, Shenny!

Don't Play With Fire

Chapter Fourteen - When You Believe

"And that, is the end of this epic story about the power of darkness overcoming all odds. How pathetic. I expected a better fight, but what happened? Tsk, tsk." He heaved a mock sigh of disappointment and sympathy. "Poor girl. Look at that; even as a corpse, the flame still finds her delicious. She would've lived if she chose me over that God she so believed in, Sanosuke. And you will live if you---"

"Damn you!" Sanosuke yelled, crawling towards his adversary in a struggle as tears poured out of his brown eyes. Not only did he lose Shouzo, his friend; he also lost Sayo, his beloved --- all because of a fire-wielding demon who wanted to make their lives miserable. He had never felt so much hatred in his life, so much anger, so much pain. If there was anyone he wanted to eliminate, it was the monster that toyed with him and his friends.

"I am damned, Sanosuke Sagara. From time immemorial, I was. But I like this better than being with those pesky angels, who do nothing exciting at all except sing praises to their master. Oh please. That lifestyle just doesn't suit someone like me," the Devil replied, smirking. "Besides, why would I want to sing praises to that heinous person those Christians look up to eagerly? I would never submit myself to such humiliation."

The mortal was no longer listening to him, however, for Sanosuke saw something with his deep brown eyes that he could not seem to believe. The flame that was devouring the body of the woman he loved was dying down, but it was the fact that the Christian woman was standing there, apparently unharmed, that appalled him. "S-sayo?" he called out, stuttering in disbelief. He had seen many things that could not be explained, but what he was witnessing was genuinely a miracle.

The Devil, on the other hand, simply looked horrified. "It it can't be!" he yelled in frustration, his insides lurching at the side of an even fiercer-looking young woman. How did she survive when nobody else ever had?! It was impossible!

"Didn't I tell you to have faith, Sanosuke Sagara?" a cranky voice came from out of nowhere, and the young man immediately turned his head to see who it was. It was the old man who was confined with him in his fiery prison, walking towards them casually with his hand outstretched as if he was the one keeping the fire from devouring the young woman. The hermit smiled, amused at the reactions he was seeing, before he jerked his hand away in a slashing motion, and the fire simply died down, exposing Sayo who was completely unharmed.

"It was you" Sanosuke whispered in realization, his eyes widening more than ever. "You saved her."

He nodded. "Because God doesn't leave his people alone, especially those with faith as astounding as hers," he answered, and before their very eyes, he began to glow. His features started to shift as the light that surrounded him grew brighter and brighter, and when the explosion of light died down, a young, handsome angel stood in the old man's place, his wings spread behind him magnificently. "I was sent here for a reason --- to make sure Sayo would not be hurt. And I fulfilled my task, just as I was asked to do."

The young man could not stop staring at the heaven-sent warrior, drawn not only by the way he looked, but also by what he said. As Sayo proclaimed, her God would not leave her alone --- and he did not.

"Come with us, Sanosuke." It wasn't an order; it was an invitation.

"No, Sanosuke, that madman is a fraud!" the Devil shrieked from his spot, flame sputtering around him in his anger. His fists were clenched at his sides in fury, knowing that he had once again been outwitted by his archenemy. If the young man would take the angel's hand, he would lose another one of his probable demon warriors. "Did he and his God bring Sayo back when you asked? No! Did he give you the happiness you experienced when you saw her alive? No!"

Sayo stepped forward, her eyes gleaming with happiness that could not be fathomed, happiness brought about by her unshakable faith. "I might have been taken away from you, Sanosuke," she began softly, meeting the young man's gaze, "but not because God wanted you to suffer. He loves us all, very much, that He sacrificed His own Son to save us all. So that we may all be happy in His kingdom. The happiness we feel on this Earth is but temporary; we shall experience eternal bliss in His kingdom, in Heaven."

Their adversary was enraged. "She's lying! She's twisting the truth to deceive you!"

"Will you shut your mouth?!" Sanosuke snapped all of a sudden, an angry light coming to his eyes. "Can't you see I'm listening here?!" He glared at the Devil for a few moments, before he averted his eyes towards the woman he loved and the being that saved her, standing up as he did so. "Will I will I be able to enter that place too? Will I be able to get there and live with you? Happily?"

"If you believe and accept Jesus Christ as your Savior, you will when the time comes," the young woman replied in a soft, soothing tone. "He was sent by our Father to redeem us all, and by His grace, we are saved. All you have to do is believe that He died to save us, and that He rose from the dead to give us a new life."

She extended her hand.

Sanosuke Sagara stared at her hand, pondering on her words, and for the first time, believed. He had seen enough to make him believe; he knew deep inside his heart that he did, and that it would be foolish to deny what he had witnessed with his very eyes. There was much for him to learn, but he was sure that Sayo, if she would be given the chance to continue living, would be more than glad to teach him.

He reached out and took it. "I believe, Sayo. I believe."