The first strike the demon makes quickly sends me to my knees.

Flame Demon's imprisoner slams their foot into the ground, causing the ground beneath me to rumble, almost like an earthquake, and a shockwave of deep blue disorients me, making it hard to get up. The muscles in my legs and arms seem to give out the moment their attack makes contact with me.

Even though their face is heavily obscured, I could see a faint sinister smile form from beneath my enemy's hood.

"Hurting an unarmed mortal almost seems a bit brutal, don't you think?" they taunt me as I struggled to get back up on my knees, pain rippling in my limbs. "The most logical thing you can do is withdraw before I issue out permanent damage."

A cough spluttered out of my throat once I find myself back on my feet, still a little shaky. "That's the last thing I intend to do. I'm not leaving without ensuring Flame Demon's freedom."

The demon before me chuckled in response. "You are the one who caused his imprisonment, with you and your unearthly charms. He was much safer and happier without you. What makes you think he will forgive you for putting him through such torture?"

"Because he loves me," I cry, lunging forward, hands out in order to rip the hood off the one who hurt my beloved.

Suddenly, I was pushed back with even more force, my adversary sending out another beam of exploding energy, which threw me back in the opposite direction, slamming me against the floor and knocking out all the breath in my chest. The pain was the equivalent of someone crushing my ribcage. When my vision cleared up again, I saw that there was already blood spilling out my mouth. I started coughing violently, which ended up staining my uniform with scarlet-colored stains.

I could practically hear the pitiful smirk in the demon's voice as they called out to me. "Where's your beloved now? What can he do to save you now?"

I started crawling towards my enemy again, the only thing keeping me from passing out on the floor is the thought of Flame Demon and I reunited again, he holding me in his warm embrace and the smell of his burning flames comforting me.

Then I was suddenly ripped off the ground with an invisible force. When I looked down, I saw that my feet were dangling at least a meter above the floor and yet nothing seemed to be suspending me in the air. My throat began to close up, like someone was closing their hands around my neck and squeezing the air out of it. Invisible chains wrapped around my body, intent on crushing every single bone inside of me.

It wasn't until my lime green eyes met the hooded demon's concealed ones did I realize that they were the one doing so. Their fingers were splayed out in front of me, rippling with blue energy and suspending me in the air. Their power was enveloping me with bone-crushing force.

I began to splutter and cough again and blood poured out my throat, drenching my neck and ruining the collar of my shirt. My bones felt ready to pop under all this immense pressure the demon was putting my body through and for a moment, it felt like I deserved it.

I imagined all the blood I spilled when I collecting sacrifices for the Flame Demon. The ear-splitting screams my victims cried out when I accidentally killed them, the devastated expressions of all their friends when they heard that their dearest had died under mysterious circumstances, the fear that lurked through the halls of Akademi High because of me, and all of the lost people who will never be fully avenged.

It was all because of me.

Maybe for a moment, I can accept this. I can accept that if I do die, no one will mourn me because they will know of what I did. I could even accept that perhaps Flame Demon might be happier without me. After all, it was my persistent stubbornness that kept him from being free.

Dying might not be bad at all.

Sakura, don't leave me.

Whose voice was that?

You're the only good thing that ever happened to me after I lost my parents.

Flame Demon? Why would you still love me? Haven't you seen everything I've done? Realized everything I put you through? I don't deserve someone like you. I never did.

If you die, I will continue to lose my essence until I disappear off the face of the Earth forever with nothing to remember me. You have to rise up against them. You have to save me.

Look at me. I'm a horrible wreck. And what's worst, I'm a mortal faced off with a powerful demon. What can I do at this point?

All you have to do is remember that I need you far more than you would ever need me. That should do something.

I almost thought he was being ridiculous. That he was preaching about the power of love to someone who was about to die at the invisible hands of a cloaked demon. What felt even stranger was that he would talk about the power of love when he was a demon with the power to incinerate things with his hands. Maybe he making a futile attempt to inspire me as I die would be comforting.

But then just as I was 100% sure that I was going to die right then and there, something snapped the invisible chains that ensnared my body. The cloaked demon let out a shocked gasp as I collapsed on the floor. I opened my eyes to see that I could move my fingers, with my own free will instead of being twisted into dust by the cloaked demon's mind powers.

"WHAT?" they shrieked as they witnessed me rising up above the floor, but instead of by their own accord, it was by the sheer force of love. My skin radiated with a glowing red aura of heat and healed my former wounds, sealing them up like they were mere stains. My pink hair came to life as well, spraying out in all directions, the tips forming flaming edges like they were lit ablaze. My eyes widened to see that my skin glowed with blazing fire and yet still remained whole and un-scorched.

What the hell?

The cloaked demon before me simmered with rage as they set their gaze on me and my revived strength.

"How did you get free?" they shrieked and it was then I realized that they were not talking to me, but to Flame Demon.

He was bonded to my spirit, just like the Lust Demon and the Pain Demon.

His deep rich voice ended up spilling out of my throat and it felt both strange and exhilarating being bonded to him like this. It was official; we couldn't get any closer than this.

"My love for Sakura ended up being so much stronger than any of your power-depriving chains could bind me. Once I was free and regained my strength when Sakura was in danger, all I needed to do was remind her how much we loved each other in order to bind ourselves together and save her from dying," he proclaimed.

The cloaked demon remained disgusted. "I am much stronger than anything mere puppy love can conjure."

"It's not just puppy love," I cried and I was surprised to see that Flame Demon allowed me accesses my own mouth. We both shared control, unlike the Lust Demon and Pain Demon, who ripped me away from my free will to get revenge.

Flame Demon responded as well, and soon enough it was clear we were sharing the same body. "If you wish to see how well you would fare against our love, then commence our fight."

The shadowy demon approached us fiercely, unfazed by our burning aura of passion and desire.

"Attack me with all you might," the cloaked demon hissed as they lunged forward at us, sheathed in spirals of deep blue energy.

We immediately retaliated by flying forward towards them, radiating with pure flames and the moment we made contact with each other, my vision blurred and everything turned white.

I opened my eyes to see myself sprawled on the floor, my skin singed with black marks that hurt like hell and my uniform charred in certain areas. Parts of my hair were torn off in jagged angles and it didn't take long for me to start coughing up blood again.

"My darling Sakura," Flame Demon's silky voice warmed my ears as he spoke to me, reaching a glowing hand to caress my scorched face. "I was almost sure you would never wake up."

"What happened?" I hoarsely coughed out. Blood still dribbled down my throat but the pain seemed to vanish now that Flame Demon was touching me once more.

"We won," he whispered triumphantly and then I was finally able to see the charred bits of cloak that remained from Flame Demon's old master that fluttered in the air like falling leaves. "I'm free and now there's nobody to tell us we can't be together."

"Does that mean?" I gasped, unable to finish my sentences.

"I love you, Sakura," he responded with a gentle smile and he enveloped me in his warm flames, finally able to kiss him again.

How I missed such a feeling: the feeling of pure desire.

A/N: And that finally concludes Burning Love 2: Flames of Desire. Hope you enjoyed the ending, no matter how sappy it was. It was fun contributing something to the Yandere Simulator fandom. Hope to write something like this again!