=====================================

"I will safe guard you with my life."

=====================================

How do you shine so bright in my eyes, when your soul is tainted in black?

***

I could feel his cold hand run over mine and steadily lower my dagger away from Callen's slightly bleeding neck. He was right behind me, chest pressed against my back, wanting me to feel at ease and to rely on him, but . . . He is a demon. My hand shivered, as I heard the blade click once fully back in its sheath. I was tired and in pain, and their was no way in hell would I lose myself in front of a demon. As my thoughts tormented themselves, I shakily forced myself to my feet and resisted every cell in my body that pleaded to rest in Satan's embrace.

Stupid body. Stupid magic. Stupid . . . Satan. I clumsily poked Callen's forehead, and spoke without thinking" Your either stupid, or brave."

I was not sure if the words were for him, myself, or both. My eyes were left with the sight of the beast warrior bowing to me. "Guess the blame goes to my honor as a previous leader, Lady Yuna."

"And you," I turned to Satan, who was now standing with his usual amused smirk, which dusted a red shade over my cheeks. " . . . Thanks . . . For looking for me."

"Well if I left you, Lucifer would have my head after all," he replied in his common, masked and polite tone," . . . but I can't leave you either way."

His attitude said something and his deep abyss eyes told another. They were dead and empty, wanting me to open up to him in every way, but my eyes looked away before I could drown-deeper into them anymore. "Yeah, right," I answered in a flustered tone, before walking to a nearby wall; with a grunt of pain, and leaning against it. "You two idiots can fight all you want, but either of you better get me out of this hell-hole in one piece."

"Uh?! You really want us to fight, Lady Yuna?" Callen stuttered, while looking at me as if I had grown a second head.

I just waved off his comment and mentioned for them to continue. "Has Devildom finally gotten to your head Kitten?" Satan teased, walking over to me and glancing over at the curse mark on my neck. " I messed up ."

There he goes again, unreadable and mysterious as ever. "Like what you see?" I teased hoping getting some pathetic humor in the air would ease the pain in my thigh.

"Can't say I do," he scoffed covering his nose in disgust." The stench of blood and sweat reeks from you!"

"Tsk tsk, your the only rotten one here," I spat, pressing my back against the wall as firmly as possible, but before our childish squabble could continue, a hoarse howl rumbled through the passages and into the cell.

"Ghosts"

Without warning, Satan was quick to wrap an arm around my waist, and pull me closer. "Stay right next to me this time," he spoke low enough for me to hear him only." I don't want to lose you again."

His grip tightened, and his whole teasing aura was clouded in caution. I didn't have anymore energy to resist, and found myself burying my face into the crook of his neck, not wanting to lay sight on the dead begins's torn limbs all over again. "Yuna, don't look away," I could hear the demon whisper in a hushed voice into my ear, while praising his other hand, getting ready to cast another spell. "Don't ignore their pain."

It was rare to hear him say my name without teasing me, or calling me Kitty, Pussy or any of those ridiculous nicknames.

"Why should I take your advice," I grumbled, giving him a ticked off gaze.

His emerald eyes landed on mine, as his grip on my waist tightened, before replying in dark, stern voice with the twinkle vanishing from his eyes, "For the same reason I am safeguarding you."

I left a shiver sinking through my body as he looked down at me with those soft eyes of insanity itself. Before anything else was to be told or said, a hand shot out of the wall behind us, reaching out for the demon's neck, but I was fast enough to snatch the pouch Satan had given me, and hurled it in a panic while trying so hard to resist the pain burning in my thigh. The powered, yellow and red substance spilled out of the small bag, and gave off a low hiss upon making contact with the ghost's skin. A loud shriek echoed through the cell, and before I could comprehend what had just happened, Satan grabbed both of my shoulders with a concerning frown on his face. "Whatever you do, not look back!"

He did not give me time to answer and looked over his shoulder to Callen, who hesitatedly nodded, as if understanding the demon's objective. Instantly, we broke into a sprint, with Satan keeping a solid and firm grip on my hand. We ran through random passages which all looked the same, but somehow, the blond demon rushed through passage after passage, just as one would if they had the whole labyrinth memorized like the back of their hand. The desiccated calls of the ghosts kept following us, crying out my name in anguish and desperation. Occasionally, I would stumble, but only God knows how long my body could last, before giving in. Blood had already started to ooze out of my thigh, and the white fabric of my jeans were starting to turn into several shades of red.

I could sense Callen's aura behind me as I heard him and Satan cast spell after spell to slow down the hungry creatures. Our situation stayed like that for what I assumed was a while. Maybe we were just running in circles, or maybe it was my mind becoming hazy from all the blood loss, but it did not take long until I took notice we were heading straight to dead end. Satan though, did not even seem to slow down. "Satan, you demented freak!' I managed to hiss under my breath as I gave his hand a squeeze. "It's a dead end!"

He just kept his features plain and empty, glancing at me from the corner of his eyes with a faint, dark smirk. "No worries . . .Yuna."

He turned towards me, and gave my hand a forceful tug, causing me to stumble straight into his chest. For a second I was worried his skull would slam into the wall ahead, that even my hand subconsciously found itself to the back of his head. My eyes sealed themselves shut, as the horrid cries of the ghosts drowned my ears, while waiting for an impact that never came. I waited . . . and waited, only to hear a rapid heartbeat trembling through my senses.

Was it my heart? I tried to open my eyes, but that was-when it dawned upon me . . . My body had reached its limit, and my black vision was dominated, by a bright light as my senses drifted off to the soft melody of my heart, or so assumed was mine. All I knew, was that it was over . . . For now at least.

*

*

*

*

*

*