Disclaimer for all chapters: I don't own Devil May Cry or any of its characters. I only own Hezen and Pena and any other OCs that come in.

An extra thank you out to Maiafay for helping with this chapter. Please, if you get the chance check out Maiafay's works.

This is what happens when you leave me alone with DMC 3. Speaking of which, this story takes place a year before Devil May Cry 3. I hope this goes well, I really don't know where this is going to go, meaning I don't know the ending.

This is not a Dante/OC story. The OC in this story will not fall for Dante or the other way around. You'll have to see the relationship that blooms from this very strange circumstance.

Enjoy!

Demons surrounded Dante on all sides. A drunken and excited grin crossed his face as he swirled Ebony and Ivory on his index fingers to show the surrounding beasts his confidence. A nearby hooded demon raised up its sharp scythe with a roar from the pit of its gut, sending a warning to Dante.

He loved this being out on a mission, earning money at what he did best. He loved the adrenaline rush, and the way the gunpowder smelled when he fired shot after shot. Nothing fit Dante more then going out on missions and killing demons over and over again but the problem this time around was that a large amount of alcohol was running through him. The pumping of his heart from the fight forced the alcohol and adrenaline through his body quicker then usual.

Dante stood in the middle of the city's local park where children often held football games because of the large stretch of grass. He had been walking home from the bar and decided to take the shortcut through the park so he could avoid the police. He didn't want to end up in jail again for public intoxication, that adventure cost him that month's rent and he couldn't afford it again.

"Come on!" Dante yelled. "Put up more of a fight!"

Dante refused to give the demons any more then his bullets, these low ranking demons didn't deserve to be torn apart by his sword. So as a substitute, Dante began firing hundred of bullets in their direction.

Dante swirled around in a circle, firing at the demons as they raised their scythes towards him. A demon jumped out from behind the crowd with its scythe high in the air. It released a scream that gave away its position in the air to the distracted devil hunter.

"So you wanna fight 'eh?" he asked the demon as his vision doubled for a moment. "Dammit."

The demon slammed its scythe down onto Dante, aiming for the crook of the white haired man's neck. Dante growled and moved his right arm in order to defend himself. The scythe penetrated Dante's arm.

"Son of a bitch," Dante groaned.

Pain shot through Dante's arm and ran down his spine. He had grown accustom to this kind of pain, but it still burned for a moment as if it were new. Dante bit down on his inner cheek for a few seconds until the burning in his arm dissipated.

"Now," Dante moved Ivory against the demon's face, "you're dead."

Bullets shot out from Ivory's barrel with such force that the demon flew up into the sky. Dante watched the demon begin to fall from the sky, and before it hit the ground, the demon transformed into dust that scattered all around the grassy area near the fifty yard line.

"That's right," Dante said, spit flying from his mouth. "Die. Now for the rest of ya!"

Dante ripped the scythe that stuck out from his arm and flung it out towards the remaining group of five demons. The scythe hit one of the smaller demons, entered through its stomach and out through its back, and pushed it back until it slammed against a nearby tree where the scythe stuck it to the trunk.

Now a demon short, Dante began shooting at the rest as the grin on his face faded for a moment. These types of demons had been there that day, the day his mother had been killed and his brother, Vergil, disappeared. Why couldn't he have been this strong back then? The skills he used every day could have killed those demons, why couldn't he have gained power like this before? These demons were nothing now…so why had they been so powerful back then?

The acid in his stomach began to gurgle. The adrenaline running through his body pumped harder as the alcohol began to tap into his hidden emotions. His finger trigger pulled a bit harder against the trigger, and harder, and harder until Dante found himself in a rage.

The last demon fell to the ground without a hassle. Dante lowered his guns while the rage flipped his stomach over and tied it into a knot. Screw these Goddamned demons! He stepped over to a pile of sand, stomped on it, and rubbed the toe of his boot into it. These bastards weren't worth getting upset over.

Screw it. Dante turned around and began walking away when the sound of a demon yell caught his attention. He swirled around and spotted the demon against the tree wiggling in agony.

It wasn't worth getting upset over.

Dante fired one shot towards the demon. The bullet ripped through the demon's head, killing it before the demon could even feel the shot.

"Bastard," he whispered.

He placed his guns back into his holsters on his back, and left the park. He entered the main part of the city; a busy intersection during the day but an empty lonely street during the night. Dante stood near a stoplight, waited for it to change, laughed, and crossed the street without looking. Soon, he found a small brick alleyway that would make a good shortcut to his shop.

Finally. Dante walked down the alleyway when a sudden buzz came over him. He leaned against the alleyway as the world spun around him to calm down.

"Stupid demons," he snorted with a grin. "Hell I could go another round if you'd put up more of a fight!"

He laughed, it echoing through the dark alleyway littered with paper, cans, empty beer bottles and tipped over garbage cans. The world stopped spinning for a moment, allowing Dante to look up and see a chain metal fence in front of him.

"This is stupid," he mumbled to himself. "So stupid."

The brick alley around Dante began to swirl around him once more. He felt himself trip over knocked over garbage can but he quickly caught himself and regained his teetering balance. He kicked whatever he had tripped over and heard and glass break a few feet away from him.

"Dammit! Piece of shit."

The alcohol inside of him made the world to flip upside down but it felt so good. He was away from everything that bothered him, and in a different world where he wouldn't have to worry about demons, money, or the memories that plagued him. He was safe here. The image of his mother's dead body would not haunt him during this time…not yet.

I need something to eat. Dante shook his head. Must be…late. He gave a sarcastic laugh. It's three in the morning duh! Now…what's open at three in the morning?

Dante stumbled but caught himself, and kept walking down the street as if it never happened. He was trying to think of some place that would be open this late but nothing came to mind but donut shops and Seven Eleven's. The next time he bothered to look up he found himself standing in the middle of the park again.

Damn I must have been walking pretty fast. I wasn't even thinkin' about where I was going! He looked around and leaned against a large statue. Ignoring the golden colored plate sitting on the front of the gray statue, he fell against the plate and looked for a footing for his hand.

Can't even stand up. Dammit, I'm never drinking against what's his face again. Dante shook his head. Shit. Could it get any worse?

Thunder clapped above him, and rain began to fall slowly and then became harder. Dante twitched, what a time to be out and shit faced.

Shouldn't have said anything. He moved his head back and looked up towards the rain.

So cold. He felt the water hit his face and then trickle down his neck. His hair began to stick to his head and to his face, and the cold air around him made small puffs of white air escape his mouth. The noise of the rain rang through his ears, and the smell of the grass floated up his nose and triggered hundreds of memories a drunken mind didn't need. Nights like this, when the sky threw down millions of drops of water, Dante would cling to her.

"Mother," he whispered.

The lightening above him came once more only this time it looked as if the light covered the entire sky. Dante could see that the sky above him spinning just as the alleyway had, the gray clouds mixing together in some sort of childish painting. He closed his eyes, only to find that the darkness behind his eyelids spun around as well.

Just until it stops spinning. He told himself. Just until then.

Dante sighed and closed his eyes. Suddenly, they became heavy, and he couldn't open them anymore. He tried but his eyes refused to reopen and stare and the marry-go-round that never seemed to stop. But instead of trying time after failing so many times, he found it relaxing and kept them closed.

xXx

Darkness.

Dante couldn't see anything other then darkness. The whirling sensation had dissipated, but the darkness he had seen hadn't left him yet. Was he dead? He pushed himself to open his eyes once more but even when he thought they were open, all there was to see was darkness. There wasn't any noise around him, no more rain or thunder.

Then came a light, a bright, white light that tore through his dark surroundings.

"Dante, wake up."

Mother?

"Just wake up…Dante."

"Mother!" Dante sat up, panting.

His light blue eyes searched the area around him but instead of seeing the natural park he had fallen asleep in, he found himself in some sort of large bedroom. The grass underneath him was now a hefty queen sized bed lined with white sheets and light blue pillows that matched the color of bright sunny day. Next to the bed stood a nightstand with a lamp, a bright yellow clock, and a glass of water and behind the nightstand stood a wall of nothing but windows that touched both ceiling and floor. Dante leaned forward a bit and stared out of the windows until he spotted tiny drips falling from the sky. Pulling away from the windows with his question answered, he looked in front of him and saw a brown dresser with small knickknacks covering the top of it.

The room spun once more, but this time he wasn't drunk.

"Where the hell?" Dante moved his right hand to his face only to feel that he had a high fever.

"Meow!!"

Dante narrowed his eyes in the direction the sound had come from and found a thin pitch black cat at the end of the bed. It stretched its front paws forward, then its back as a small yellow bell jingled.

"Do you know where I am?" he asked with a frown.

The cat just looked away from Dante, hopped off of the bed, and walked over to the front door. It looked back at him, then back towards the door where it raised its right front paw and scratched at the door.

"You want out?"

Dante moved his legs over the side of the bed and a breeze of hot air hit him on his naked legs. Moving his head down, he saw that every article of his clothing but his boxers had been taken off. Ew, what kind of place had he landed in now? Twitching, the white haired boy ran his fingers through his hair and hopped off the bed. He placed his legs onto the ground, but when his left leg hit the ground it faltered and he wobbled to the right side a bit.

Damn. A pain shot up from his left leg that felt similar to the pain he had felt in his arm the night before. I must have done something to it in that fight.

He began walking once more, only now with a limp. Damn what had those stupid, useless demons done to him? Forgetting his musings, Dante grabbed the door handle and pulled open the door with a loud creak noise. He flinched at the noise as the cat beneath him ran out, and he limped into a hallway.

The hallway the door connected to reminded him of the night before; no light came to aid him through the dark hallway but as he neared the end of the hallway he found the main room. A kitchenette took place on his right with a small dining room in front of a bar that latched onto the edge of the kitchen. The living room was to his left, complete with a comfy looking black leather couch and a bookshelf beside it. Thick towels covered the entire far left side of the room and gave Dante a dark and gloomy feeling as if someone were trying to keep something out. But what caught his attention the most was the young woman sitting in front of a computer that had been placed on the wall right in front of him.

Good a woman had saved him. At least it wasn't some strange man with a weird fetish like that one time…

She must be the one that brought me here. Dante thought. He began moving into the living room to speak with the woman there when his bare foot caught on something on the floor. Looking down, he found a pink blanket thrown on the floor along with a number of pillows and a few other blankets. She must have slept on the couch. How long have I been out? Dante shook his head.

Taking in a deep breath, Dante limped over towards the woman, and grabbed her shoulder. The woman jumped in surprise, and turned around while ripping the headphones from her ears. "Shit on a shingle!!" she hissed. "You scared the shit out of me!"

Dante blinked, he hadn't been expecting her to react like that. "Where am I?" he asked as she looked at him with dark brown eyes hidden behind a thin pair of black edged glasses..

"Back at my place," she answered with a sigh. She pushed one of her blank bangs back behind her ear while the other cupped her face. "It seems like you've caught a cold and you popped your left knee out of place. I put it back two nights ago, I'm amazed that you can even stand on that leg."

He rolled his eyes. "What are you, a doctor?"

Her eyes slanted as a small smile tugged on the corner of her lips. "Doctor Hezen Major at your service. I work at the hospital downtown and found you on my way home from work."

Really? She really was a doctor? Dante opened his mouth to say something back when his vision suddenly doubled. He shook his head, trying to rid himself of the heat radiating from his forehead. "Where's all my stuff?"

Hezen pointed into the dinning room, her black long sleeved shirt moving with her arm. "Your guns and sword are over there. Most of your clothes are in the wash again and your coat is at a dry cleaners getting patched up."

"When can I leave?"

"When your fever breaks." Hezen pointed to the couch. "Go lay down. The sooner this is over with the sooner you can leave."

True, if he ran into more demons while he was out without his usual equipment and a high abnormal fever, he would be in more trouble. He didn't want to stay but if someone was going to offer him a warm bed or couch for free, hell why shouldn't he take it?

Figuring there was no point in arguing with her, his fever prevented that, Dante limped over to the couch and fell down onto it with a grunt of pain. His head rested against a soft pillow and he turned his head and watched as Hezen disappeared into the hallway for a few minutes. She returned with a bright orange bottle in her right hand and a glass of water in the other.

"Sit up," she ordered.

Dante sat up and she handed him the bottle. He took a look at it and found it was some kind of prescription medicine with a bit of a thick liquid in the bottom of it. Bringing it up to his nose, he took a quick whiff and soon his nose filled with the familiar scent of pineapples.

"Just take all of it." Hezen stood back up and stretched upwards.

Doing what the doctor told him to do, he opened the bottle and chugged the rest of what was inside of it. The bitter taste burned the back of his throat and tickled his tongue so he took a quick swing of his water. Once he was done, he pushed the bottle away and Hezen retrieved everything.

"Give that a while," she said as she took the glass back. "You might fall asleep but you'll feel better when you wake up."

"Whatever." Dante fell back against the couch once more.

She sighed and closed her eyes for a long minute. "You're grateful." Hezen turned away from Dante and walked into the kitchen. She returned a moment later with an ashtray in hand, silver lighter, and a white cigarette. Flopping down in the computer chair, she lit the end of her cigarette. "You heal pretty slowly for a demon."

Dante laughed and covered his eyes with his forearm. "You're smarter then you look. How did you figure that out?"

"Easy." Hezen took a puff off of her cigarette. "Besides the fact that Enzo was looking around for you at the hospital, the stab wound you got from a fight healed right in front of me. On top of that, there was glass in your face and your skin had healed over it. Don't worry I got it out."

Dante closed his eyes. "Thanks I guess."

"No big deal. You want some new boxers? That's the only thing I kept on you." Hezen pointed to his black boxers, white stick between her index and middle finger. "There's blood on the back of it."

"Later." Dante moved the hand over his face back and forth.

Hezen let go of a small smile. "Get some sleep."

Dante's eyes became heavy once more from the medicine he had just taken. He removed his arm from his face and cast his attention over towards Hezen once more, and hoped that she wouldn't do anything to him while he was sleeping, good or bad. Just before he blinked for the last time, he caught a shine coming off of a golden ring on her left ring finger.

Married. He thought as he suppressed a laugh.

xXx

Dante opened his eyes once more, the feeling of warmth fleeing from his body. A taste of cotton entered his mouth and he tried swallowing it away but it didn't work. He blinked a few times when he didn't recognize his surroundings but soon the memory of that strange woman came back to him. What was her name again? Hezen? Turning his head he looked in the direction of the computer chair, where he last saw her, and found it empty. Where had she gone?

He sat up and sniffled only to find out that his nose had decided to plug up while he slept. Bringing his hands to his face, he rubbed his temples, and then dragged his hands down his face, moving his features downwards.

Where'd she go? His fever thumped away in his head.

"Meow!"

Again the black cat lay on the end of the couch near his feet. He moved his right foot around a bit with a baby blue blanket over it and after a few minutes the cat began pawing at the bulge his foot created. The cat's paws smacked the bump, its tail twitching around as its lime green eyes dilated.

The front door opened, and then closed, the familiar creaking noise catching Dante's attention. Hezen came around the corner with a blue basket filled with laundry in her arms. As she walked in, she caught Dante looking at her and sitting up like nothing had happened to him.

She placed the laundry basket down on the ground beside her. "Well how are you feeling?" she asked.

"Sick," he answered, his voice sounding funny because of his stuffed up nose.

Hezen sighed and turned her attention to the covered windows. "It's raining still; I wouldn't go out if I were you."

"Thanks for the advice." Dante rolled his eyes.

"Are you going to follow doctor's orders and stay in? Or do I have to start packing for you now?" She placed her hands on her hips and frowned. "You can't fight demons like this."

He flinched at her words, and glared towards her. Who was she to judge him like that? She had no idea who he was! "How are you figuring all this out about me?"

"I told you." This time she took the turn to roll her eyes toward the ceiling. "Enzo spilled everything to me about you being a demon hunter. I figured out you were a demon using what I discussed with you before."

"Do you know something you're not telling me?" Dante moved, getting ready to lunge at her if she tired to pull anything.

"I know my way around demons, trust me." Hezen bent down to the laundry basket, picked it up, and carried it into the dinning room.

The room fell into a sudden awkward silence neither one of them were too fond of. Dante could hear her moving things around and flapping the clothes out to get rid of the wrinkles. He fell back against the couch and closed his eyes for a moment, an image of his mother lining the back of his eyelids.

Why is this brothering me? Dante thought as his head pounded away, a forewarning of a headache. Why do I keep thinking about my Mother?

"Are you staying or not?" Hezen asked, breaking through Dante's thoughts. He reopened his eyes and saw her still folding clothes. "I've finished washing all of your clothes and I have to pick up your coat in a half an hour."

"I don't care." Dante coughed.

Hezen walked over to Dante with a pile of his clothes in her right hand he recognized as belonging to him. She placed them down beside the couch and stood back up.

"Stay then." Hezen crossed her arms over her chest. "You can't even think straight. You want anything to eat?"

"No," Dante hissed as he rolled over to face the couch.

This cold he had caught was getting the better of him. The headache that had threatened him a moment before decided to come full on, had lost his appetite, and his nose was beginning to become sore. He hadn't been this sick in ages, and he blamed it on his human side.

Hezen walked over to him, and felt Dante's forehead. He wasn't as warm as he had been before but he still had an uncomfortable warmth to his head. "Get some sleep. You're welcome to anything in the refrigerator and if you need me, I'll be in my room," she said. "I don't have to go to work for a while unless I get called in. If I do, I'll leave a note alright?"

"Fine, fine." Dante covered himself with a few blankets.

Hezen walked over to the computer in the room and turned it off. She walked around the room, turning off all of the lights and slightly walked out of the front door to pick up Dante's coat.

It was so quiet now. Everything in the small apartment had been turned off, and all Dante could hear was the sound of rain hitting the ceiling. He still had no idea where he was, what Enzo was doing or when he'd be able to be strong enough to leave and risk being attacked by demons. He was stuck here.

I've got a warm bed, which is better then what's back at the shop. Dante thought as he drifted off into sleep. I'll just think of this as a little vacation.

xXx

Hezen walked back into her apartment two hours later with a bag in her hands. The cat that had been sleeping with Dante ran over to her and rubbed against her right leg with loving affection. "Hey Pena," Hezen whispered. "Are you watching our guest?"

"Meow."

Hezen smiled down at the cat, and moved down the hallway to check up on Dante. She saw him sleeping, and turned back around to go back into her own room. Finally that irritating child had fallen asleep! Sighing, Hezen grabbed a hanger out of the closet and hung Dante's bright red coat on the shower curtain rod to prevent wrinkles. But as she stepped back to get a better look at the coat, an overwhelming feeling of regret ran through her. This wasn't right, that boy was far too young to be going so dangerous everyday.

He's a devil hunter. Hezen thought as she looked over Dante's coat. Just like Evern.

With another sigh, Hezen left the bathroom and Dante's coat and strolled over to her turned down bed. She jumped down into the welcoming sheets as Pena hopped up along with her and cuddled beside her stomach.

"Night Pena," Hezen whispered.

Pena crawled up against Hezen's warm stomach and closed her eyes, drifting off into a deep sleep. The brown haired girl looked up at her cat, smiled, and closed her eyes.

xXx

Rrrrrrrrriiiiiiiiiiiiinnnnnnnnnnggggggggg.

What? Dante stirred from his sleep. Is that the phone?

Rrrrrrrrriiiiiiiiiiiiinnnnnnnnnnggggggggg.

Dante pushed the covers off of himself and looked around the room. There, in the kitchen, he spotted a small green light blinking on and off. He left the couch, still limping, and entered the kitchen in search of the light.

Rrrrrrrrriiiiiiiiiiiiinnnnnnnnnnggggggggg.

He found a white cordless phone, grabbed it, and pressed a small button on the right side of the phone. "Hello?" he asked without thinking.

"Dr. Major?" a male voice asked on the other side.

"Hold on a sec."

Dante walked down the hallway, feeling that his leg was feeling a bit better now, and opened Hezen's door without knocking. He marched over to the side of her bed, bent over, and shook her until she woke up.

"What?" she asked.

"Phone." He handed the white receiver in her direction, his fever doubling his vision again.

Hezen sat up and grabbed the phone. "Hello?"

Dante left the room without saying anything else and figuring that she would want to be left alone while she talked on the phone. He walked back into the living room and fell back onto the couch, ready to get the rest of the sleep that he needed. The darkness began to come back as he closed his eyes when Hezen came back into the room.

"I've got a thirty eight hour shift," she said, looking around the apartment for items, "so stay or leave if you want, just lock the door if you do leave. Can you please feed Pena? Just whenever you want."

"Fine," he mumbled, stuffing his face in his pillow.

Hezen walked over towards Dante and felt his forehead once more. His fever hadn't completely disappeared, but it was much better when it had been a few hours ago. "Good it's almost gone." She sighed. "Make sure you drink the orange juice in the refrigerator and some water to make you feel better."

"Yes doctor," Dante answered with his usual sarcastic tone.

"Alright then." She disappeared into the kitchen and grabbed a bag. "I'll see you."

Dante moved his arm back and waved to her. Hezen turned away from him, and left the apartment, via the front door. He heard the front door lock, and Pena gracefully entered the room and looked up at Dante.

"Meow!! Meow!!"

"Not now," Dante moaned. "Later!"

"MEOW!"

Dante groaned and sat up. Entering the kitchen, he looked through all of the brown cabinets until he found a round can of cat food. The cat stood next to a small white bowl sitting in the corner of the kitchen, waiting for the mercenary. With a groan, Dante opened the can and dropped the food into the bowl, and threw the can away.

"Happy?" he asked. "Damn."

Everything grew quiet once more, not the quiet that he had heard before, but a different kind of silence that felt a grogginess through him. Wanting to know where all of his things were so he could get ready to leave, he walked into Hezen's room and looked around. He spotted his coat hanging and figured that he'd leave when he felt a bit better. As he walked out, his eye snagged on a small framed picture on the stand that he hadn't noticed before.

It was a picture of the woman he knew as Hezen and a man. The two stood beside one another, the man's arms around Hezen's shoulders and her arm around his waist. The man had black hair that fell down in a style that matched his own, and bright green eyes. The man wore a camouflage outfit, along with a dark green helmet.

This must be her husband. Wonder where he is? Dante blinked as he studied the picture.

Feeling sick and tired once more, Dante put the picture down and walked back into the living room where he laid back down once more. He pulled the covers up to his chin once more, and listened to the rain hit the ceiling once more.

He didn't know why but for some reason, even though it was quiet, there felt as if there was someone else there. He didn't know if it was the company of the cat, or the fact that he knew someone was coming back.

Forget it I need sleep. He figured. I'm leaving as soon as I get better.

R&R please!