~Scarlet~

A sharp stinging sensation sprung up on my face for what seemed like the millionth time. I was lucky, though. Satan considered me important to him; he could use my power for his own desires. That was why he hadn't killed me…yet. I'd never minded it before. Of course I knew that he used me, always had, but that didn't bother me until recently. I suppose it was Jude's fault. He'd looked me in the face and told me that he would risk everything, go against the father that he feared, just for that girl. Grace.

My anger brimmed when I thought about her, but I stifled it. I didn't want Satan to think I was angry at him. I didn't want to think about what he would do if he saw any resistance on my part. Another slap across my face jerked me back to the harsh reality that I was suffering through. "You're such a fool! Insolent girl!" Satan shouted. He'd come here every day since they'd escaped. I could have stopped them. I didn't. Satan found out. Unimaginable pain ensued.

Satan reached up and ripped one of the nails that pinned my palms to the wall out and I screamed. He ripped the other out and my arms fell to the ground. My healing had been stunted. I sat in pools of my own blood. The stickiness and warmth of it disgusted me, even though it was my own. Satan leaned close to me and his hot breath crept down my neck. Tears slid down my face. "Pain," he growled. I tried to hide within myself, collapsing under that one word. "That's that future that awaits you, traitor."

I whimpered. "Do you regret it, Scarlet? Do you regret helping them? No? You will." With that he slammed the pins back into my flesh, this time imbedding them in my ribs. I screamed again and fell to the floor. My red hair eerily blended with the crimson of my own blood. Tears slid silently down my face. Satan kicked me a few times, but the pain was dulled. It was like I was somewhere far away. Being locked in a prison cell wasn't something that could keep me down. I could fly away. I could be free. Every time I started to float away I remembered something. I remembered someone. He brought me back down.

"I'll be back." Satan left and I sagged with relief. The guard came into the room and looked down at me with pity. He rid himself of the emotion almost immediately, not wanting to be seen showing me anything less than utter hatred. He went through the same motions he had every day. He gave me what little healing he was allowing and left the room. The sickening, heavy clunk of the lock sliding into its usual place crushed my heart.

I closed my eyes and thought. There was no way I was staying here for long. I couldn't endure this agony for much longer. Torment wasn't exactly pleasurable. There was one way, though. A glimmer of hope sprung up in the back of my mind as I shakily sat upright. I reached out weakly and dipped my fingers in my blood. Slowly—so as not to botch the design—I traced a symbol on the wall. I found it slightly creepy, drawing in my own blood, but it was the only choice I had. I didn't exactly have a plethora of artistic utensils to utilize.

I pressed my hand against the cold stone wall, each of my fingers lined up in the exact positions I knew that they had to be in for the magic to work. I'd never done this with blood, so I didn't know it if would work. Usually I used chalk.

I took a deep breath and held it as what little magic was left in me poured into the design. A fuzzy light shimmered in front of me and I backed up. I furrowed my brow and whispered under my breath. It was all that I could manage. "Judiyah."

The blurry images started to take shape. I flinched back at the light and forced myself to remain where I sat even as I longed to shrink back into the shadows. I nervously glanced to where the guard usually was, but he was strangely missing. "Scarlet?" shouted a voice.

I whirled around and tears sprang forth anew. I reached forward and touched the wall. "Scarlet, what happened to you?" Jude questioned. His voice was panicked. I suddenly realized how horrible I probably looked. Me, who was the picture of beauty, (or so I'd like to believe), was now covered in blood and crying in a dismal cell.

I opened my mouth but no words came out. Jude stepped around a table and stared at me. He looked horribly pale as he stared. I cried. Just seeing his face brought me such relief. "What's in your side?" Jude asked. He stepped forward again. I realized that there were other people behind him only when that girl, Grace, stepped forward.

"Scarlet?" she asked. I couldn't stand her pity.

"What's that in your side?" Jude repeated. I tried to hide the stake-like nail that was embedded in my rib cage. His pain worsened my own pain. I didn't want him to see. I didn't want him to know. Somehow, I didn't want him to come for me. I wanted him to stay in Assiah, that far away world that seemed like heaven to me. It might as well have been, but I knew Caelum was much farther from me. I would never reach that height.

"Well, if it isn't my other son," growled a voice. I turned slowly and spotted the guard looking ashamed. Satan stood behind me in the doorway. I shrunk back and pressed myself against the wall as if I could disappear altogether. Satan grabbed my wrist and pulled me forward, slamming his fist into the nail in my side. I screamed out until I couldn't anymore. I hung limply by one arm. Satan held me close and yanked the nail from my side. I couldn't make a sound; I was only able to silently cry out as I slowly drowned in pain.

He held his face close to mine and turned to Jude. He smiled wickedly. "Let her go!" Jude screamed. "You son of a bitch!" Jude yelled. He looked like he was about to rip his hair out. A mad, desperate look shone in his dark eyes and sweat dripped down his forehead.

"You really do love her, don't you?" Satan said, horrifying delight in his unnervingly silky voice.

"Jude," I rasped. My fingers twitched and my eyes slid shut.

"I imagine you'd rather her returned to you with a pulse, yes?" Satan paused for a few moments. "Then you know what you have to do." The image shimmered and disappeared, leaving us in stifling darkness. I had never wished more that I hadn't been discovered. At the same time, I had never been surer that what I'd done was right.

~Jude~

I was on my knees, shivering. I clutched my hair tightly. Blood. That was blood. There was a nail in her side. That scream…

"Jude," said a quiet voice. I snapped back to the present but kept my face hidden. "Jude," repeated the voice. Warmth encircled my hands and gently removed them from my hair. "Jude," Grace whispered.

I stared at the ground. She tilted my head up, but I wouldn't look at her. "We'll save her," Grace said as she wrapped her arms around me. I stopped shivering. "I give you my word." I rested my head on her shoulder.

"Sh-She was…" I started. I choked on my words.

Grace nodded slowly, "I know. I saw."

"I couldn't…"

"Yeah," she said quietly, pain evident in her tone. I held on tightly to her arm like it was my lifeline. Why had I left her there? Had she known that this would happen? I should have forced her to come with us!

"Who…who was that?" asked a voice.

Grace spoke up. "Scarlet. A demon. A friend."

"He said you knew what you had to do," Rin said, kneeling beside us, "What does that mean?"

I raised my head slowly and looked at my half brother, "You don't know?"

"He wants you to return to Gehenna, doesn't he?" Grace asked.

I glanced at her. She really didn't know. I figured it would have been obvious. I wondered if it would be right to tell her the truth. She would definitely charge off for Scarlet's sake…for my sake. I couldn't let that happen, though.

I shook my head, "I thought you knew."

"He wants something from us…you know what it is," Grace said. Pain erupted in my chest as I weighed my options. I couldn't fight it any longer. There was one thing that took up most of the room in my heart, in my mind. That was my love for Scarlet. Anything else took a back seat.

I looked Grace in the eye coldly, "He wants the immortal princess. He wants his weapon back. He wants to use you. He's planning something. I don't know what it is, but he needs you for his plan. You can't escape him. You never will."

My head collided with the cold marble and my vision blurred momentarily. When it came back into focus I saw the enraged face of Rin above me. His fingers tightened on my throat and I grasped his wrist. "She's not going back there!" he roared.

"Why? Because you love her?" I questioned.

That only angered him more. Blue flames erupted around us and red rings formed around his pupils. It wasn't intimidating to me, though. I'd seen it many a time from my father. This was nothing compared to the fear I felt when Satan's anger was directed towards me.

"You have a problem with that?" Rin shouted. His tail flicked behind him and he threw me through the air. I landed as gracefully as I could, my feet skidding to a halt on the marble floor. Flames roared around Rin and we stared each other down. "The girl I love is here right now. Alive. That's all that matters to me!" he shouted. Anger surged within me at that.

"At least you have that much!" I screamed, "Can't you see anything?!"

"Jude, don't!" Grace's voice was drowned out by the sound of rushing blood in my ears. I couldn't contain it any longer. "Everyone needs to get out of here!" Grace shouted. I ignored it. Power flowed within me, every cell in my body brimming with it. Heat seared my veins and fury bubbled within me. When I next spoke, my voice came out in a deep, husky manner, "The girl I love is being tortured by my father in Gehenna! You seem like you should understand that!"

"And you think I should sacrifice Grace for that?!" Rin's flames grew higher.

"RIN! JUDE! STOP IT!" Grace screamed. I'd reached the breaking point. Flames poured out of me. Hot, hungry flames blackened the stones around where I stood. They coursed around the entire room, encircling us completely. Rin took a step back in surprise.

"You're not the only one, Rin Okumura!" I bellowed. I lunged for him and easily overpowered him. I slammed him to the ground and hovered over him menacingly.

Rin grinned even as my grip tightened on him, "You're even worse than I am."

Grace's voice finally reached me, "Jude, look at yourself!" I glanced down and stumbled backwards in surprise. Rin got to his feet as I looked down at my hands. They were blackened, just like the marble around us. Had I…burnt my own skin? I fell to my knees and Grace tried to step forward.

"Get away from me!" I bellowed. A shockwave of my energy sent her flying.

"What are you doing, you idiot!?" Rin shouted over the roaring of the flames around us.

"I don't know!" I shouted back.

"Jude, you need to calm down!" Grace yelled. Her wings were out and they were almost blinding me, "I don't want to do this to you!"

"I c-can't!" I shouted back, "I don't know how to stop it!" All of the anger I'd felt had rushed away from me and was now replaced with relentless panic. I had no idea what was happening, much less how to control it.

"Just do it, Grace!" Rin shouted. She nodded and looked at me. I stared at her as she started to glow.

"This might hurt, Jude!" she shouted. I prepared myself, strangely longing for whatever she was about to do. Anything was better than feeling that way. I felt almost…possessed by the flames.

Grace's wings shone so brightly that I had to look away. Suddenly I was slammed backwards, pressed against the wall. All energy left me and I crumpled to the ground. There was no way I could ever stand a chance against such sheer force. Silence ensued.

"Jude?" asked a tentative voice. I cracked my eyes open slowly. "It's good to see you're alive. I was worried there for a second."

"What did you do?" I asked, attempting to sit upright but instead clumsily falling onto my side. "It hurts." And that was more than true. I hurt…a lot.

"I'm not really sure," Grace said. A bit of fear shone in her voice, but she cleared her throat and spoke again with confidence, "Sorry."

I nodded weakly, "No…thank you."

If Grace really had been the one to cause that—whatever that had been—then the reason as to why Satan so desired Grace was suddenly much clearer to me. She really was amazing. Amazing, but also…terrifying.

Late again...I feel like this is becoming regular for me. Sorry, but you might have to start expecting it. From now on, let's say that I'll update around Friday. Sorry? Anyways, this was, (again), a filler. Apologies. *Bows*

Leave me a review if you'd like...I always like those! :)