A little kid was left, all alone. No father, no mother. He had none.
Father, why did you leave me...
However, before he could answer himself, a big, pretty explosion took the little one's attention away. No matter how depressed a kid could be, their attention span in general were pretty short. And the only thing he thought of from that explosion was that it's kinda cool. And kids love cool things.
"Ooh...remind me to kick your ass when the jet lag died down." Said the one with blue outfit to his nearly identical partner on red. He then slicked his hair back, enough to make people not mistaken both of them as each others.
"Sorry, Vergil. Can't have you gaining more power and make us wait for five more years. Aah, it's good to be back on earth. I'm up by one, by the way."
"Seriously, Dante?"
"Hey, I counted it right this ti-"
"I wanted that since that's exactly where our best bet are, and we have the mechanism for the fail-safe. I get the fruit of life, while you get Yamato so you'll cut me in the half when something wrong happened in those five years of my meditation! It's the perfect thing to do, and you used it to escape instantly instead?"
"And risking of V rotting away before I managed to stop you? Sorry brother, but I can't risk of you getting that strength again." Dante answered, which only riled his older twin even more.
"I have changed, Dante, so why you can't support me?"
"Because you still want more power even after all of those events that could easily avoidable!"
"I've told you that I remember a grave prophecy that could change everything!"
"Tell me what is it then!"
"I can't recall fully! But it's better safe than sorry-"
Both of theirs superior hearing, however, made them able to hear a slight whimpering. And they looked around at the source.
There was a little kid, with black hair. With a quick look, the demon hunter managed to recognize his Japanese features.
"Uh, sorry little one. We're here just having some...family disputes after a long trip. Don't bother us, move on." Said Dante in Japanese, having an extended trip there once.
"P...please don't hurt me."
This is one depressed kid. Even worse than Vergil after he thought that mom left him behind. "Where did you get that idea, kid?" Dante asked before he remembered that Devil Sword Dante he carried around. "Uh, nevermind. The point is, we won't hurt you. This big sword, is to defeat evil, not good. Of course, that can be changed if you ask my brother."
"This is one of those time when I have to remind you that even in the past, I have honor to spare civilians." Said the brother, obviously not amused while showing that he picked Japanese somewhere as well. Of course, he also left the convenient fact that he used to not care about the deaths of people in the rebuild of Temen-ni-gru.
"Right, so...kid, we won't hurt you, okay?" The half-demon brothers only got a slight nod. "Anyway, who are you, and where's your parents?"
"Ikari Shinji. Mom disappeared. And father left me."
"...You got it bad."
"Show better compassion, V." Dante reprimanded while rolled his eyes. "Anyway, kid, we're sorry to hear that. Look, maybe we can get you there so we can convince this prick that leaving his only kid behind is not a good thing to do.
"N-no! If you take me to father, he will just throw me away again!"
Dante was taken back. This was certainly a damaged kid, and not even mature enough to grow up prematurely from it. Still, he had to try to make the kid accept him. "Kid, trust me-"
"NO!" Shinji just ran out of the way, not wanting to hear anything that the man with silver hair had to say again.
And he froze out when a car about to hit him.
"TRICKSTER!" Dante managed to get Shinji out of the way before the car had to make a desperate turn that would lead to its own doom. "Watch where you are going!"
"S-sorry! Please, don't-"
Vergil snapped his finger, somehow prompted the boy to fall asleep. "I'm tired of this kid."
Dante looked at Vergil, obviously amused at his way to stop the kid from self-pitied himself again. "Well, as insufficiently compassionate as that was, I have to thank you for calming him down."
"Dante, I feel horrible for his parental abandonment. I do. I just can't bear the whining."
"Well this is a four years old kid who just lost everything..."
"Then I guess I'm just not good with them. Glad that Nero is anything but that." Dante only chuckled at this, irked Vergil in the process. "What's so funny?"
"Brother, that kid can't stop mentioning me called him deadweight. He may not a whiny brat, but he's still annoying to deal with."
"...Does that means I actually lucky that I skipped his childhood?"
-DMC-
"Ikari Shinji, Ikari Shinji..." A middle-age man was scanning around the station, and prompted to be surprised when his target was being carried around by a man dressed in red, still stylish even with all the unwashed dirt. "What the..."
"Tamamo?"
"You know him?"
"My tour guide. Before you're asking it, this is my twin, Vergil. What are you doing here, Tama?" Dante asked.
"I came to pick up that kid you're carrying around. Is he fine?"
"Just fall asleep. I take it you know where his parents is?"
"If you're talking about taking the kid back to Gendo, then forget it." The man rebuked firmly. "Gendo is a broken man, even more so than people who are scrapping bits just to survive in the earth now. And if you forced yourself to meet him, then you're going to be hunted by UN."
"Survive? UN?" Dante asked to himself, flabbergasted by how the kid's parents were someone that important. He then took a glance at the calendar, and got an unpleasant surprise. "February 2005, what the...how on earth is Japan still so warm now?"
"Uh, Mr. Dante, I'm afraid that the world changed four years ago. Explosion in Antarctica that caused earth's population reduced by half. No more winter, chaos everywhere. People called it Second Impact, with public got story about sudden undetected meteor collided with earth. There might be more, but that's all I know, sir."
The summary of what happened to earth during the 5-years trip to hell, scared Dante. "Uh, Vergil?"
"Yeah?"
"Remember something about this...Second Impact in your book?"
"Let's see...oh crap."
"What? Tell me!"
Vergil decided to drag his brother first to a place where the agent couldn't hear them. "'Even when the end is near, none shall awaken the pillar of light'. Dante, that's the prophecy I was talking about. It wasn't about where I can get more power, it was a warning to avoid a certain source of strength."
"And that power is..."
"Located in the the coldest place on earth. Dante, some people have activated this thing, and whatever it is, it affected earth this much."
"...Fuck. I should've let you get that power. Okay, Vergil. You have permission to kick my ass." Said Dante as he bent his ass to Vergil.
"No, I think I'll pass." Said Vergil, knowing his suggestion actually got weaker at the same time it got a new justification. Had he took the power, he might made earth's post-Second Impact became even worse, even if he had Dante to take care of it. He then walked back to the man who was supposed to get Shinji. "Sir, how's things around here, and what's your own personal experience?"
"Bad. I don't think I can take care of my own family, and now Gendo dropped his son on my care. I just hope the kid will be alright even without me looking for him with care..."
Dante then remembered how easily startled the kid was when the twin argued, and how much he did to just avoid being hurt. "He won't be well. Hell, if I remember that book correctly, this event will already damaged his psyche."
"If that's the same book, then you're correct. Kids don't take separation from their parent well. Is there's better alternative?"
"Well, we can search for people who get no psychological damage from the impact to care for him."
"That won't be easy." Vergil stated the obviously, before he got annoyed for almost no reason. Said reason turned out to be Dante, sported his grin. "What?"
-evangelion-
"Why we take the kid again?" Said Vergil to Dante who was holding the sleeping Shinji in his lap. The three of them were going back to Residential Area.
"Because my Japanese client who happened to be his uncle said that he can't taking care of a kid at this time. Besides, we can't have a father make the same mistake as ours, right?"
"Except our father have been a noble man before, not to mention that we still have mother before she... Anyway, I don't think this kid have someone else. His condition is actually...worse. Okay, I don't even know what the hell I was blubbering there. I somehow convinced myself to take the kid."
"Well, then that just mean we're going to become a better parent than he could ever be!"
"Easy for you to say. Man who couldn't pay his own electricity bills..."
"Hey, I got this, okay? I just need the second DMC mobile unit. I'm thinking about sending those two crazy ladies for that when we returned, but I think you'll suit that job better."
"Yeah, unlike all of you I'll finish my job without those stylish nonsense." Vergil taunted, referenced all those stories of Dante got 70-85% paycuts due to his destructive nonsense, most of it would be avoidable had he just shot or cut the demons in instant.
"Hey, where's the fun with that?"
"No collateral damage, for one. Better payment."
"Touche."
-DMC-
"Guys, welcome to Devil May Cry!" Said Dante in that certain part of Residential Area, somehow nearly undamaged by the Second Impact. Of course Dante would miss the snow, but so far everything was fine. "Electricity...running, water...running! Yup, we're arriving at a good time! Now, let me introduce you, to my crazy companions, Tri-"
"Dante!" The two ladies who was taking care of Dante's shop flied to him, smothered him with their very...pleasant figures.
"Guess what?"
"WE LOVE YOU!"
"And we decided that sharing is caring!"
"Now come with us, you sexy silver fox. Get us the best love hotel in town..."
"Can I have a say on this?"
"NO!" The girls rejected his attempt to get away, and Dante could only smiled pervertedly at his twin as he was dragged away, all while weakly flailed to give an impression of him trying to broke away from the two smokin' maniacs that would take a test ride on the hybrid. Five years of trapped in hell made him missed his crazy bitches, more than as friends, and luckily he did not have to make a decision.
"Ah. Now I see why he keeps losing money. Well, I guess we can meet my son first and-"
"AAAAAAH!"
"Oh, Nero! I-I-I can't believe how much a sc-s-screamer that Ky-K-K-Kyrie is! Now pound me even more!"
"God damnit woman! I can't believe you convinced me to do this!"
"Shut up and d-d-do me, Nero! OOOO! That hit the s-sp-spot!"
"...On the second thought, I will show you glimpses of my skills instead." Said Vergil while dragging Shinji away from the scene to protect his innocence, all the while hoping that his son used protection. Couldn't have him made the same mistake after all.
"Can you make me stronger too? Will father think I...worth it?"
Vergil only laughed at Shinji's question as if it was something stupid, and luckily for him, the little boy did not take it at the wrong way. "Shinji, when we're done with you, your dad will have to grovel for you to stay."
-evangelion-
Five years later...
"I can't believe it. That kid's really our best luck charm! Business booming, actual paying customers..." Said Dante as he stretched out.
And how it really boomed. Dante now had a sunbathing spot for himself, the shop had been expanded enough to accommodate the time when Nero, Kyrie and Nico bunked down, and they had their own luxury car and truck for business that required to be conducted mobile while in style.
"Maybe have something to do with me doing the job as clean as possible too." Vergil added.
"Yeah, it's nice to have someone who can get the payment without deducted so many things for destruction. But you know...most of those people ended up preferring to negotiate with me or Nero instead. What's up with that?"
"They're businessmen, Dante. As far as I concerned, many of them could be duping you. So I...demanded more. As forcefully as I could get out of them."
Despite gaining confidence to care for his closest, Vergil was still a man who couldn't trust many people. And Dante knew it. "Vergil, I've been investigating my clients to avoid Arkham and Trish's situation again. You can trust me when I say this guy need every pennies he could find just to survive."
"Is that why you just accepted my job as V?"
"I already suspected you. I still remember you nearly said your own name, and Urizen could be heard as Ur Reason." Dante retorted. "But anyway, I can see where you coming from. I can have you around to handle stuff if I need to extort the richer clients."
"So you're agree with my method."
"For the riches. Who happened to be pricks." Dante corrected. "When will Nero and Lady finished lecturing Shinji?"
"They should be here...now." Vergil corrected himself as the three made their arrival.
"Shinji, did you get why we said all of that to you?" Shinji nodded to Lady. "Good! I don't want to see you scowled so much again. You reminded me too much of myself back before I met Dante."
"If you're still going to whine...well, let's just say that my patience will run out. And dad don't have much in the tank either. " Nero warned the boy. "Now, I'm pretty sure that you have something to say to Uncle and Father. Godspeed, Shinji." Said Nero as he and Lady left Shinji on his own.
"Why didn't you guys talking about Sparda, Eva, and your situation before? For that matter, why's no one ever told me that everyone but Kyrie and Trish had issues with their parents?"
"Shinji, we talked about mom and dad all the time." Dante started. "You're just too young to even recognize what we're actually talking. Also, some would rather not talking about their past, and Lady now is a much happier woman thanks to that. Now, will you take our advice in having some fun? Because if Vergil said that you lacked style, you know you lacked style."
Shinji knew what he was talking about. Ever since he started his training a year ago, he went so seriously, everybody were concerned for him. And when he whined about how he couldn't get it right, Nero, out of everyone, said to him that he lacked finesse. The boy took it in the wrong way however, thinking he ended up being unworthy in the training, so Lady and Nero had to straighten him up, and ended up telling the family issues that even Nico had. Now, he felt he couldn't be that selfish again. He had to become stronger so he could protect people who are just as unlucky as he was. "I do, sir."
"Good! Now, try to get bullseye on that window. Akimbo style."
Akimbo style? Shinji had to admit, that gun style is practically impractical. Only Dante who could pulled it off since his guns practically had no recoil. Unless... "Does that means I can use your gun for that, Dante?"
"Sure."
Shinji then aimed with crossed arms, hoped that he could pulled it off. The rituals was supposed to make him able to wield similar power with the Sons of Sparda as long as he was within the range of the demonic presence, and the longer he was, the closer he became in regards to Spardans strength, but so far his proficiency was stunted. Nico thought it had to do with his mental state, and Shinji was here trying to prove her theory.
And when the trigger pulled, he hit it in the first shot.
"I think I'll get used to this." Said Shinji, feeling satisfied for the first time since he started training.
"I guess you hit the-"
"Don't say it, D-
"JACKPOT!"
"Damnit!"
-DMC-
Five years later...
"The line's dead." Said Shinji as he returned the payphone back. "Looks like we're having to wait for Misato, Dan-"
"Damian. And Victor."
"Right." Shinji said, still not comfortable with the two slice of Dante and Vergil's personality that they split with Yamato to accompany him. They were just so...young, barely older than him. In fact, they would've been as young as Leo and Divina (Dante's children) had Nero didn't infuse them with another more mature part of their personality. And Shinji was lucky that Nero managed to pull it off, because young Dante and Vergil constantly bickered like crazy to the point that Trish and Lady threw them away in that test ride. Must be the immature side.
The boy himself now can stay at superhuman strength for weeks without Dante and Vergil's presence as long as he didn't get into prolonged fights, but they won't risk the chance. Their presence was still needed for at least twice a week so Shinji could wear a devil arm by himself. It was the first time that Ikari Gendo called Shinji after all, and even Kyrie could tell that Gendo was up to no good, especially after all those reports from Tamamo. Too bad that Gendo's so protected, they cannot go as themselves, or else they'd risk being found out as Shinji's helper. And no matter how fun it looked like, Dante just did not want to spill blood from UN if he could avoid it.
"Well Victor, ready to settle down? You know, maybe Nero can handle a new step-mother. A sexy, hot step-mom."
"I don't know Dan-Damian." Said Vergil-err, Victor, obviously upset that Dan-Damian thought he was being a pervert. Then again the woman sent them a picture of her pointed out her jugs. Such a lovely pairs, that Victor had to stop himself from touching the actually flat surface with his fingers. But that was not important. "I just can't stop thinking this woman's too familiar. Where did she came from?"
"Yeah, she reminded me of someone, hmm...Wait a minute, I know her! It's Kaji's former girlfriend!" Damian pointed out. "And woohoo! She filled out nicely!"
"Kaji? The guy that Nero saved from being murdered by an UN squad for stealing their food?"
"Yeah, that one. Good thing that his friends and brother survived too. They were lucky that Nero happened to be there for scouting the area for demons. And oh boy, I was so lucky I wasn't there to see it." Shinji summarized, obviously did not respected the...trails that Nero left in his fury. Justified fury for seeing self-righteous pricks almost slaughtered kids just for bread, but still.
"Well, I guess that means we're going to meet him in person again!" Dante pointed out, since Kaji only called them occasionally after that save. But before he could say that he hit the jackpot, he saw an apparition. "Hey guys, you see the same thing that I see?"
"The floating girl with blue hair who looked bored out of her mind? Yeah, Damian." Shinji answered.
"Seems like this place's haunted."
"Well, I guess this place can get some clean up after all!" Damian said as he charged at the girl, only to find a strong, hexagonal shield protected her. "Well I'll be damned!"
"Don't tell me you're getting weak, Dante- I mean, Damian."
"Maybe she needs to be..." Damian started to hit the shield with his devil explosion, and when it vibrated, he could see the shield wobbled. "It can only be defeated with high vibration! Victor, give me some boost!"
Young Vergil threw his sword at young Dante, and he started to slice the girl with combination of DSD and Yamato. The resonance made by the two swords' polar opposite property, struck at high frequency at the same time, made her shield started to broke away.
"Shinji! Finish her off!" Damian said as he threw Pandora at Shinji, who turned it into configuration 594, a.k.a. the floating weapon fortress. He then bombarded the girl with enough rockets to leveled the city twice.
When everything's done, the girl have turned into dust.
"Woohoo! That's what I am talking about!" Shinji showed his euphoria, which made Damian smile. He had come from a long way.
"Let's see what we got from her..." Victor walked into the murder site, and found something there. "Hmm, a shotgun with bayonet. Nice dual purpose. Say, you want this as your first devil arm, Shinji?"
"Well, I think I'll trade for Pandora instead-"
"No is no, Shinji. This is my best collection."
"Aw, shucks." Shinji pouted, but nevertheless, he took the shotgun, which started to dissipate away. "Good thing that demonic weapons don't need storage. And-uh, is my eyes making fun of me, or is that really happening now?"
And indeed, the girl have turned into something beautiful: a literal angel, with golden wings. The already attractive girl now grew into an adult, and what an obvious heartthrob that adult was. Everyone's breath were taken away by her sheer presence. And Shinji was almost certain that he fell in love in the first sight when the woman smiled at him.
"You have become stronger, Ikari-kun. Just like your heart. You'll be fine in your journey this time. And thank you for taking care of him, strangers."
"You're welcome." Young Dante answered before the girl disappeared. "Okay, that was new. Some demons did willingly give their soul to me after I defeated them, and Balrog is here because I can make him stronger, but this is the first time I actually purified them. And what was she meant with this time?"
"Probably referenced a timeline where Shinji is a wuss without us." Vergil snarked, and answered not by a protest from Shinji, but a helicopter exploded near them. "Okay, this is going too far. Where's that woman?"
"Sorry for make you waiting!" A Renault just spun around near them, and the window opened, showed that gorgeous woman that they had been waiting for. "Shinji Ikari?"
"The one and only! Can my friends take the backseat?"
"Oh, of course." Said Misato, surprised that Shinji actually invited his friends to the city. "Not enough time to get to the shelter?"
"We just arrived when everything's already abandoned!" Said the one with red outfit, who had his eyes widened when he saw what was causing all those ruckus. "What the hell is that thing?"
"That thing, is an angel! And this city's purpose is to defend humanity against the thing!"
"Angel?" Said Damian, obviously not comfortable with the name. "This sounds like Spardan's cult all over again. Only this thing's not even looking angelic at all!"
"What?"
"Nevermind!" Damian broke the conversation away to avoid suspicions before he turned to Victor. "What do you think of it?"
"A word, brother: Fishy."
-evangelion-
Okay, so after I watched the whole DMC 5 playtrough, I got this crazy idea. So sue me if I can't entertain you.
Also, future Rei as Shinji's devil arm showed you what kind of story this is going to be, aka kinda wacky. So don't blame me if you ended up thinking that the story's just too CUHRAYZEE!
