Hey there. LightandDarkHeart here with my first Devil May Cry fanfic. I just got into this series and its got me by the claws, so I figured why not make a fanfic or my own for it?

Summary: A mysterious little girl and the strange experiment called "Project EVE". It's been over a year since the events in the city of Fortuna, and things have been business as usual. But for Cynthia "Thia" Fisher, life is going to be anything but. A sudden attack throws Thia and her daughter head first into the world of Devil Hunting when the monsters mark Lacie Fisher as a target. Luckily, there's one infamous group of Devil Hunters willing to lend a hand (and a cache of bullets) to the pair. With the help of the Devil May Cry Agency, Thia plans to get to the bottom of this mystery and keep her daughter safe. But the sudden reappearance of one devil will throw everything for a loop. Lacie Fisher doesn't remember anything before she was found by her Thia. Does the answer to all of the recent demon attacks lay in her forgotten past? And what could it be that ties her to the Dark Knight Sparda's bloodline? VergilXOC, takes place after DMC4. Rated T for safety, may got up in the future.

DISCLAIMER: I do not own Devil May Cry, or its characters. I only own this fanfiction story and its original characters. This is not done for profit, only for entertainment.

Read, review, and enjoy!

Would you believe me if I told you that devils walk among us? That all those stories your parents told you were true-the monsters hiding under your bed; the things that go bump in the night. The stories your friends told you in front of a campfire under the full moon's light? All of the creatures that make you scared of the dark, or the terrors shown in the dark of a movie theater?

You'd tell me I'm crazy, right? You'd probably say I'm batshit insane, off my meds. That I need to check back into the fucking nut house or schedule a check up with my friendly neighborhood lobotomist. There's no way that could possibly be true. It's just the ravings of a mentally challenged lunatic.

Well, I'll let you in on a little something, Jack.

Demons, devils, monsters, whatever you call them. They're all real. ALL of them. They walk among us, bringing chaos and carnage wherever they go. They've destroyed families, leveled cities, and all sorts of other crazy shit. To tell you a secret, they've nearly wiped us all out on multiple occasions.

One such incident occurred more than two thousand years ago. Back then, they say that while man- and demonkind were locked in a battle, one demon-the "Dark Knight" Sparda-went against his demon brethren and fought for our side. Sparda kicked all of the demons' asses and even managed to defeat the Demon King or whatever. Apparently, he was one seriously badass dude...er, demon. The Top Dog, the MVP, a demon among demons and all that crap.

Anyway, with their king out of commission, all of the other devils fled back to the Demon World with their collective tails between their legs. This gave Sparda the opportunity to close off the gateway between our world and theirs, the Hell Gate. Unfortunately, because Sparda was a demon too, there was one rather unfortunate drawback to this otherwise brilliant plan. Being what he was and all, his true power got stuck on the other side of the Hell Gate too. And just like that, the big baddie of the Demon World was taken down a notch...or maybe a few dozen. Honestly, a bad trade-off in my opinion, but whatever. It saved our world, so I guess I can't really complain, yeah?

And unfortunately, Sparda didn't stay forever. While he stuck around long enough to get himself a wife, two (soon to be demented and fucking batshit loco) kids, and a cult devoted to him, Sparda eventually disappeared. Never to be seen again. And with the Dark Knight out of the way, demons found more and more ways to come back with a vengeance, wreaking havoc on humanity.

Flooding out of the Demon World in a steady, man-eating stream, demons and their kin soon found that Little Man wasn't ready to lay down and die. They planned on fighting back, kicking ass, and taking names. It was survival of the fittest, and humanity wanted to come out on top of the food chain.

Enter the Devil Hunters; the men and women who pride themselves on being able to take out any demon you can put a bounty on. Typically armed to the teeth with a trigger temper and cocky as all Hell, if you can find one, you can hire them for all of your pest control needs.

And even without Sparda around to kick some devil ass, those carrying his blood in their veins are more than happy to keep up the family tradition. You just gotta know where to find them.

But enough of this crappy sales pitch shit. Devil Hunting's my trade and everything, but I ain't looking for prime time airwave slots or wasting my hard earned dough on advertising this. That ain't my spiel.

You're probably wondering how do I know all of this, right?

Well, I've lived it first hand. And if you willing to park your ass and sit a spell, I'll show you my fucked up world.

Have you parked said rear end? Good. If you haven't, I don't care how fine a piece of ass you got, when I say park it, you park it, Bub. 'Cause I'm the last person you wanna defy.

See, it all started years ago...

…

...

"Thia, Thia! Let's go this way!"

A little girl giggled happily as she pulled her older companion along the busy main streets of Corvell's Plaza District, weaving through the crowds of people around them. Dressed in light purple and white, her small figure stood out even among the other bright colors worn by the shoppers filling the streets.

It was a beautiful winter afternoon. Pure white snow had been piled in heaps in the edges of sidewalks. Snowflakes fell gracefully from the heavens, dusting the tops of trees and roofs along with uncovered heads. The air was chilly, but far from biting as shoppers bundled up in warm coats and fluffy scarves strolled by brightly lit and decorated display windows. Laughter and music filled the air, along with the smell of warming spices and delectable baked goods.

Yes sir, holiday cheer ran thick through the air.

The little girl, her colorless hair and round face hidden underneath a fur-lined hood, turned this way and that in an excitable frenzy. Wide, crystal-blue eyes peered out at the festive Christmas lights as she smiled ear-to-ear, cheeks pinkened from the cold and excitement. Those blue eyes locked on a nearby window display, filled with Christmas ornaments, and grew to the size of moons. One mitten-clad hand pointed in its direction.

"Thia, aren't they pretty?"

Cynthia Fisher, known affectionately as "Thia", smiled softly and bent down next to the seven-year-old. Her dark green eyes reflected back in the glass pane from under thick black lashes and a pair of slightly arched brows. Honey-blonde locks of hair bounced in fat curls around her face as she smiled over at the child.

"They sure are, Lacie," Thia agreed, taping her finger against the giggling child's nose. "Want to go in and pick one out?"

Lacie squealed in delight and threw her arms around the older woman's neck. The two walked into the store and spent the better part of an hour browsing the gorgeous ornaments and Christmas decorations. Lacie had been particularly drawn to the pretty porcelain and lace angels set up in one corner of the store, while her companion favored the bright and colorful stockings hung up everywhere as decorations. Eventually, the two settled on their ornaments (an angel for Lacie and a violin for Thia) and went to pay for their purchases.

Walking out of the store with bags in hand, Thia reflected lightly on the events of this year.

A lot has happened. To think it's been about a year since I started taking care of Lacie. Where does the time go?

People often made the mistake of thinking that Thia was Lacie's nanny or something. Thia didn't blame them. The two were always together, and Lacie was very attached to her. But there was more to their relation than that. They depended on each other. They were each other's friend and family. After all, Lacie, the precocious little amnesiac, hadn't known any other.

When Lacie had first come into Thia's life a year and a half ago, she hadn't been able to remember anything, including her own name. For a long time, Thia had tried to help the girl find out where she came from. Ads posted in newspapers, hours spent trying every conceivable lead, meeting after meeting with social service officials, they tried it all. And every single time, their work came up short. No possible leads. Nothing.

It was as if Lacie had never existed. No one was looking for a child fitting her description. Nobody had ever seen her before. She had no one. Nothing.

So, rather than leaving the girl to an orphanage, Thia had taken steps to adopt her. The process went off without a hitch, and Thia was well within her means to take care of her, so it worked out pretty well. They had been a family ever since.

Now it was December and their second Christmas as a family was just around the corner. Lacie had practically been bouncing off the walls in anticipation of the holiday. She loved Christmas and the whole of the holiday season. Although, she did seem to be partial towards decorating. For example, Thia had woken up a few days ago to find their living room filled with paper snowflakes and strings of popcorn taped to every conceivable surface. The child had even cleaned out the freezer and put a snowman inside. And Thia couldn't even think of last year without cracking up.

Lacie looked up at Thia, eyes wide and innocent. "Why're you laughing?"

The blonde shook her head. "Nothing, Sweetheart. Let's head home and have something warm to drink, okay?"

"Yeah!" Thia had learned early on that if there was one thing Lacie loved, it was hot chocolate with lots of strawberry marshmallows.

The trip back home was quick and uneventful up until the two cut through the park near Thia's street. Lacie had taken to humming her usual tune (as she in the habit of doing) while she skipped down the street in front of her. Every so often, she would stop to catch a snowflake on her tongue, or pick up something off the ground that caught her interest. Lacie was a little scatter-brained like that. Thia had noticed very early on that she moved to the beat of her own drum, never a care in the world to get her down.

Maybe it had to do with her amnesia, but every new thing or experience was looked upon with a sense of awe and wonder by the little girl. And her easy-going smile had charmed her way into many a heart before.

Lacie is a strange one for sure, she reflected, but I wouldn't want her any other way.

Thia had been keeping an eye on the little girl while rubbing her hands together and mentally cursing herself for forgetting her gloves. Then, out of nowhere, Lacie stopped and cocked her head off to the side, as if she were listening to something. Without warning, she turned around and bolted down the opposite side of the street. Thia called out just as the ends of the girl's scarf flew around the corner, only for it to be drowned out by a loud, inhuman screech.

Thia's blood went cold.

"Lacie! LACIE!"

Following after the girl, Thia found herself in the middle of a battle spilling out from an alleyway. People ran away screaming as twisted monsters ran into the streets, slashing enormous and deadly claws through the air. Taller than the average man, they looked like a grotesque cross between wolf and boar, but they stood up on their hind legs as if it were nothing. Each monster donned a suit of crude metal armor with gnarled spikes branching out from the metal plates, along with vicious metal blades fixed to their claws. She could see the burning red eyes glowing from underneath dented helmets that flashed while the creatures attacked the townsfolk, mercilessly and without prejudice. The senseless violence and gore made her stomach churn as sweat broke out all over her body despite the cold air.

It was horrible. Right in front of her, the people young and old falling victim to these monsters were literally being ripped to pieces. Limbs and shreds of fabric went flying right before her eyes. People screamed in agony and terror, some screams only to be replaced by choked gurgles and then silence as life was snuffed out forever. Crimson blood splashed across the snow, tainting the pure white with macabre spectacle. The smell of carnage and gore filled her nostrils and made Thia woozy. Her stomach churned as she tried to fight the urge to vomit.

It was a living nightmare.

So when one of the creatures spotted her, Thia felt frozen in place out of pure fear. Every fiber of her being was screaming at her to run, but she couldn't get her feet to move. All she could do was watched helplessly, paralyzed, as the monster ran at her.

"Leave my Thia alone!" Without warning, Lacie jumped out a few feet in front of Thia, the ends of her long snow jacket fluttering in the wind with strands of long, pale hair. A strange, animal-like snarl escaped her lips. Light flashed briefly in one of her hands as she held a long shard of glass out, brandishing it like a weapon to the demon.

Seeing Lacie in front of her like that, facing down the monster charging at them, snapped Thia out of her paralysis. Her heart hammered inside her chest as Thia scrambled forward, reaching desperately for the little girl as the monster got closer. But Lacie was just out of reach, and when the blonde lunged forward, her foot caught against something. Thia pitched forward. A look of pure terror came over her as she slammed into the hard ground.

"LACIE!"

BANG! BANG! BANG!

Gunshots exploded in the air as a blur of red raced past her. Thia watched as the monster dropped like a stone, gushing thick blood from gaping holes in its head. A foul stench filled the air, and her stomach heaved. It smelled like burning flesh mixed with sulfur and copper.

"You need to get out of here." A strong pair of arms hauled Thia up off the ground and dragged her away from the streets. When she started struggling, the person threw her over his shoulder and took off running. Several more gunshots rang through the air and slowly faded as this stranger took her away from the site of the attack.

Blood roared in her ears as she tried to get her nerves back under control. She knew what those creatures were. Devils. Stories of demon attacks had reached her town more than once. The events that had happened in Fortuna had caused quite a stir for one thing. It still did, even to this day. But Thia never thought it would actually happen. And certainly not here. Not now.

No! I can't leave!

"N-No! Let me go...Lacie, where's my Lacie?!" Thia thrashed around, kicking and screaming as she tried to break free. A flap of dark fabric flew up in her face, obscuring everything from view. She had to get back. Lacie needed her!

After what seemed like an eternity, the figure finally slowed down. Fury peaking, Thia smashed her elbow into what she hoped was the guy's head. For once, her aim stayed true. Pain shot up her arm as she tumbled out of the man's grip.

"Damn, is that the thanks I get for saving your sorry ass?" Trembling with anger, Thia looked up and glared daggers at the man standing before her.

Appearing in his late teens (possibly early twenties), this man had short snowy white hair and pale skin, with light blue eyes that matched her glare with an irritated stare of his own. He wore a dark blue-and-red jacket over a brighter red hoodie and dark pants. A set of rings shone on his fingers and she could see a pair of headphones around his neck, partially hidden by the collar of his coat. A large handgun was strapped to his side, along with an enormous sword across his back.

The real eye-catcher, however, was his right arm. Unlike his left, this arm was anything but human. Covered in what looked like red scales or armor, with glowing blue energy pulsing around it and forming sharp clawed fingers. An ominous aura radiated off of it, filling Thia with unease. It was undoubtedly demonic.

The man caught her staring at his arm and rolled his eyes, a grimace forming at his features. "Take a picture. It'll last longer…"

His brusque attitude renewed Thia's anger, bringing her back onto her feet with a howl. "My little girl was back there, you bastard! She's only six; she can't protect herself! I'm going to kill you!" Thia lept forward, hands outstretched and fingers curled into makeshift claws.

"Nice try kid, but why don't you leave the devil hunting to the professionals, 'kay?"

"Okay!"

A familiar giggle halted Thia's attack dead in her tracks. Shaking, she turned to see another man, much older than the first one, walk up to them. Wearing red and black in his attire, he looked a lot like an older version of the other man. They both had the same colorless hair and light eyes. The only difference was in the shape of his face. While the younger man had boyish looks, the other was more rugged, thanks in part to the somewhat shaggy haircut and stubble on his chin. That, and he looked closer to Thia's age than the other one. He was looking to his side, where someone was sitting, perched on his shoulder.

"Lacie!"

Lacie turned and smiled, holding her hands out as she was swept up. "Thia!"

The blonde scooped the little girl into a tight embrace. Tears spilled from her eyes as all kinds of horrid scenarios flashed through her mind of what could have happened. Images of little Lacie lying dead in the snow filled her with dread.

"Baby, baby, my little Lacie," Thia cooed as she rocked back and forth. "Sweetheart, why did you do that? You scared me to death!"

"I couldn't let those mean demons hurt you, Thia!" Lacie proclaimed, shaking her fist in the air. "You're my Thia, not theirs!"

The man in the red coat laughed, bending down to ruffling Lacie's hair. "She got guts for a little squirt, I'll give her that. First time I've seen a kid try and threaten some demons with a pieces of glass."

Thia stared up at the man, caught between gratitude for saving Lacie and wariness over him being a total stranger. Her grip around Lacie tightened ever so slightly.

"Who are you?"

The man blinked and shot her a lazy smirk. "What, no thank you for saving the little kid? That's just cold, coming from a hot babe like yourself."

The man in the blue coat sighed and walked up to them. "Well, it makes sense when it's directed at a pervert like you...Anyway, I'm Nero. The old geezer's Dante."

"Dante"? "Nero"? Not much to go off of, but better than nothing, I suppose...

"Cynthia Fisher."

"Call her Thia!" Lacie threw her arms around the blonde's neck and smiled up at their saviors. "I'm Lacie. Nice to meet you, Mr. Dante, Mr. Nero!"

Lacie giggled from under her hood as she scrambled out of Thia's arms and over to the men. Racing up to the older one, Dante, she grabbed his large gloved hand in hers and bounced on her feet. Her mouth (the only part of her face visible underneath the deep hood of her lilac snow jacket) stretched wide in a grin, revealing a mouth full of small white teeth. Lacie squealed as Dante lifted his arm up, causing her to swing lightly.

"You shoulda seen it, Thia!" she crowed exuberantly. "It was so cool! Those bad demons came out at you and I jumped out, like Bam! And all of a sudden, Dante was like Bang! Bang! with his guns and the demons were down on the ground! It was so cool! Can I get a gun like his? Can I?"

"Lacie!" Of all the things she could have said after an experience like that! Sometimes, Thia really wondered just what exactly went on inside that little girl's head. Often times, it was hard to reconcile the sweet, innocent-looking little girl with her tomboyish, wild child personality. Lacie's moods seemed to change at the tip of a hat, and it usually made Thia's head spin trying to keep up. Not to mention the fact that she had the unique gift (or curse, depending on how you look at it) of saying the bluntest and most inappropriate things at the most inopportune times.

But while the girl's request horrified Thia, Dante seemed to be greatly amused, if his cackling laugh was anything to go by. Even Nero smirked a little at the girl's antics.

"Sanguis Matrem!"

A shrill, ear-rattling shriek pierced the air. Nero and Dante immediately whipped out their guns-Blue Rose, Ivory, and Ebony-and turned to face a new horde of demons that must have followed them from the previous fight. Along with the armored devils from before, a winged, bat-like species appeared in the air. Great leathery wings held their gaunt bodies aloft as the bats (which were really the size of large dogs) bared six-inch long talons and dripping fangs at them.

Dante smirked as he handed Lacie off to Thia.

"Leave this to us, Babe." The white-haired man jerked his thumb back, gesturing to the open street behind them. "You go find someplace to wait while we take out the trash."

Thia didn't need to be told twice. Picking up a squirming Lacie, she took off down the street. The sound of gunshots mingled with the screams of the demons as her feet pounded against the sidewalk. Blood roared in her ears while all she could think of was escape.

Their house was back where all the demons were, so that was out of the question. Where could she go?!

"Thia, they're chasing us!" Lacie cried out, her voice rising from excitement. "Is this some kind of new game?"

"Sanguis Matrem! Sanguis Matrem! Sanguis Matrem!"

The demons repeated those words like some kind of war cry as they chased the two down the streets and alleys of the city. Thia's lungs burned as she willed her legs to not give out on her. She just couldn't shake those things off their tail! It was like they were hell-bent on hunting her and Lacie. They wouldn't let up, no matter what ruse she used to try and escape the devils. Every trick she knew, every ploy she had heard of, she tried. But just when she thought she was in the clear, the monsters would show up again. It seemed like a never-ending cycle that wouldn't end well.

What happened to taking care of them?! There seems to be even more than before!

So much for counting on Dante and Nero. Thia yelped as one of the bats took a dive at her, the creature's claws just barely missing the edge of Lacie's hood as it screamed those strange words at them. The little girl yelled back at it, waving her fist at it as she screamed at the creature to leave them alone.

Those things aren't going to stop chasing us, she realized grimly. But what can I do? I don't have any kind of weapon, not even a can of Mace. Who the Hell knows if that even works on demons anyways...God dammit!

Thia came to a screeching halt and headed into an alleyway. It was fairly empty. No doubt everyone in the area had heard of the attack by now and were smartly hiding for their lives. There was an empty metal dumpster and some trashcans huddled in one corner, and junk lying all of the ground. Thia spotted a piece of steel pipe and snatched it up as she ran over to the dumpster. Throwing the lid back, she set Lacie down in it and replaced the lid.

"Lacie, baby, I need you to stay in here and don't make a sound," she ordered. "No matter what happens, don't. Come. Out!"

Lacie nodded as Thia whirled around, just in time to see the first wave of demons crowd into the alley. Hopefully she wasn't too rusty with her fencing techniques, because watching those devils flex their claws and hiss at her, she realized that a pipe probably wasn't going to be of any use in the hands of a five-foot-two woman. At worst, she could always try some moves from all of those action movies she was so fond of...Yeah, it sucked being her right now.

"Sanguis Matrem!" the demons howled. Thia felt her teeth grind.

"Go away!"

One of the bats dove for her, but Thia side stepped away from Lacie's hiding spot. The devil smashed into the side of the alley, creating a car crash-sized dent in the brick and concrete. Two more came at her side and she tried the same tactic again, only this time bashing one of the demons over the head with her pipe. A brief rush of excited flashed through her body as the bat howled in surprise. Sinking into a lunge, she jabbed at it again, this time driving the end of the pipe in one of its eyes. A gush of thick ooze exploded from the demon's eye socket. That really brought out a pain-filled screech as the bat flailed, slamming her with a wing. Thia went flying back with a yelp, crashing into the trash cans. She landed on her side hard and a distinct shattering sound filled the air. Pain flared through her leg and she looked down, spying the shards of glass buried deep in the flesh of her lower leg and thigh. Spots of crimson blood stained her jeans as the warm liquid rolled down her limb and into her sock.

Thia swore vehemently. Her pipe had gone flying when she was knocked down and now the demons surrounded her, circling like a pack of wolves. They kept shrieking at her, shouting those two words that had no meaning to her. The pain in her leg was excruciating, but Thia refused to cry out. To make any noise now would alert Lacie and the little girl would give away her hiding spot by calling out for her. She couldn't let that happen.

Lacie had to survive. Thia couldn't allow her life to be cut short after only seven years, especially since the girl couldn't remember most of it. There were so many things Thia wanted her to be able to experience. Growing up, finding friends and love. Boyfriends and a wedding. She wanted Lacie to have a life worth living, and a childhood full of happy memories, unlike her's.

"If anyone's listening," she whispered, "please, take care of my little girl…"

Deafening cries filled the air as the demons leapt at Thia. She threw her arms out in front of her prepared for whatever pain was coming to her. But it never came.

A loud, echoing howl rang out as a wave of sweltering heat exploded around her. The demons shrieked in outrage as some unseen force threw them all back. Thia was thrown back as well, this time slamming into a wall. Her head smacked painfully into the brick and she fell down to the ground in a heap. Her eyesight began to blur, but Thia was sure that she saw something glaringly bright in front of her. Smothering heat, dancing red and orange light. Fire?

A large, hulking shape materialized from the flames, black smoke curling off its body like snakes. Gleaming white fangs were bared in a feral snarl at the other demons as glowing eyes the same color as flame caused them to draw back in fear.

Exhaustion came over her as the pain and blood loss from her injury became too much to bear. Thia slumped against the ground, limbs growing numb. Vaguely, she could hear a faint tapping sound, like something walking across the ground. Was it her imagination, or was that a pair of leather boots striding past her? Thia's mind struggled to keep her body awake but darkness quickly descended on her.

But before Thia passed out, she saw a vague, lilac-colored blur and long strands of white rush up to her. And then everything went black.

Well, that's it for now. Let me know what you think in the box below.

BYE!