Status: not beta-ed (sorry, I hope you enjoy though)
Disclaimer: I don't own anything of DmC.
After Vergil left ...
Dante looked into Kat's eyes. He had not cared about anyone in the years after his father had brought him to the orphanage but that was different now. He cared about her. And about Vergil. He could see the same pain in her eyes that he felt deep inside, too, and he knew that she had loved Vergil more than she loved him what gave him another sting to the heart. But now it was just him who was left. She had to be confused but she didn't show it.
"I want you to seal the place where the hell gate has been", he finally said. The thought of someone finding a way to open it again made his blood boil even now. Adrenalin only slowly faded. He could still feel his heart pounding hard against his hurting chest.
She nodded. They made their way in silence. Although the demons swarmed the city there were none around the tower. This area was cleared. Maybe they knew what had happened here only minutes ago or they had gotten crashed within Mundus' transformation. Either way there was time now to find back to the normal world, to breath the air of the oncoming evening, to see the damage the town suffered, to feel the victory of freedom. The Silver Sacks Towers were wrecked. It looked different from here than from Limbo - more frail. Even though parts of the ground had flown upwards into the next floor and higher Dante had been lesser worried. Just as precaution he held Kat's hand who clung to him eagerly. They entered a floor Mundus had crashed during the fight. Giant parts of the ceiling had collapsed. Dante remembered Vergil at his side the last time he had been here. His eyes narrowed to slits while he felt anger flowing through his veins. But last time he hadn't known - only guessed. Pheneas had been right. Who would take Mundus' place once he's gone? The question hadn't left him until Vergil said those words which had caused more damage than every battle of the recent days: The path is free for us to rule. He wouldn't have been a good emperor of mankind even if Dante considered not to jump right at his throat just for suggesting it. Vergil would have sacrificed Kat much earlier. He would probably sacrifice nations if given the chance. And what about Dante himself? He could barely decide over his own actions let alone over those of billions of people much more fragile than himself. But he could try to protect them. All he had to do was killing demons and that was something he was good in. He would stay and fight and protect.
"Can you seal the whole room?", Dante asked as they reached what had been Mundus' main office. There was a wall now instead of a hell gate but the Nephilim could easily remember the reddish glow and the feeling of power radiating from it. Getting here was so easy now.
"I will need some time and help", Kat answered still holding her wounded arm. Something nearby made a terrible noise like another ceiling had just given in. The medium clung to Dante in fear. He would lie if he said he didn't like it. The role of the protector. It was new to him but it felt good.
"Let's hurry up then." There was no fear in his voice but a slight undertone of fatigue. While they painted the pentagram over the whole room - even at the walls - they didn't speak a word. The demon hunter could only guess what was going on in Kat's mind. What future could she expect? She had no weapons, no abilities that would be useful in a fight. But he couldn't stay at her side for forever beginning now, could he? No more parties at night clubs, no more screwing around with female strangers, no more getting drunk just for the sake of it. Instead hoping that she would love him, stay with him? No, that was just not his style. She was a friend - his only friend to tell the truth. That made her more special than a lover. To make sure she would survive in this world of humans and demons living together he would have to teach her how to fight. He would do better than Vergil, he would appreciate her more, care more about her. To him she wasn't a subject but the strongest human he had ever met.
"We're done", she finally announced. The sign didn't look much different from the one she had used to protect the main server back at The Orders headquarters.
"Will this be enough?"
She nodded and tried a small smile. He nodded then, too. This was something he had to trust her with. And he did without hesitation.
"Let's get out of here then." He approached the crack in the wall far opposite from where the hell gate had been. Mundus and he had fallen down from here. He vividly remembered the pain just like the agony in his chest from Mundus trying to tear his heart out of it. Just for a moment he had thought he would die. It gave living a new quality. He guessed he had felt the same fear when he had watched Mundus kill his mother but he couldn't remember.
"Will it persist if the building collapses completely?"
"I don't know for sure. If Limbo still existed I would be certain because the structure of this world only partly influenced the structure of Limbo. But now ... It could have been in vain." She started to doubt her abilities, Dante could see it by the way she averted eye contact, the way she shifted insecurely and by her voice getting quieter. It all combined to a beautiful but so much human woman. There was no use to being able to wander off through Limbo or to create portals at rifts to it for there was no Limbo anymore. All she had been able to was useless now except for the sealing. And there he had been, asking her who he was now. She had far much more right to doubt herself. But she had encouraged him. She had been strong for him like she had been for Vergil. His brother had not returned the favor but Dante would. He should try to comfort her.
"I'm sure it'll work. Let's go." He reached out a hand to her again. As soon as he felt her warm grip he drew her closer, resting an arm around her waist - and jumped. She only realized what had happened as they landed on the ground in front of the giant skyscrapers. Only few inches were left between the hard concrete and her feet in that moment before Dante carefully lowered her to the ground.
"Are you insane! I could have broken my legs or worse!", she finally started to cry. Dante had guessed she had been close to breaking point all along. No one could be that strong. It was mean of him to shock her like this but she would feel much better soon. So he hold her close, ignored the resistance she put up at first before she leaned against him and cried. He wanted to say something but couldn't think of anything that would fit the situation. You can trust me? How often did Vergil say that probably? It would only hurt her more. So he stayed silent with her warm body so close to his that he could feel his shirt getting wet by her tears. Patiently he waited for her breath to even.
After Kat calmed down they had to solve a new problem.
"So, er ... Do you have a place to stay?", Dante asked when she drew back. She wiped her eyes with the sleeves of her hoodie.
"There is an old building next to the headquarters of The Order. Vergil and I used to stay there along with some other members. I don't know if can sleep there ... They are all dead. And Vergil ...", she sobbed again but there were no tears left.
"Well, the hunter demon destroyed my trailer. Guess you saw that, right? Anyway, we have no where to stay unless you are able to sleep in that building again." He didn't want to urge her but they had only very limited options.
"You don't have to stay with me. You didn't even want to join The Order in the first place."
"I have nothing else to do and no where else to stay at. Guess you'll have to get along with me a little bit longer. Sorry for that." He smiled at her and she nodded. For a moment it seemed she had caught herself but then she just came back to the topic that hurt her most.
"Do you think Vergil will be -"
"No", Dante cut her off. "He won't be there. After the SWAT team charged in Vergil and you deleted everything that would have been a threat in Mundus' hands and destroyed the computers. There is nothing left for him." Better he stopped her from hoping such things. Getting disappointed would only make her feel worse.
"Nothing but memories", she whispered and finally started walking. Dante didn't tell her, that Vergil wasn't the kind for dwelling in memories. In fact Vergil didn't even say good bye to her. He called her a subject and ignored all what she had done for him and The Order. She had been useful. And that was all. At least Dante could say that Vergil had admitted brotherly feelings to him. Kat had no such luck. It seemed she wasn't even a friend to him. One day she'll realize that and Dante hoped, that she would be strong enough to get over it.
The silence between them wasn't comfortable. The demon hunter thought that he had to give Kat some time to sort out her feelings. It was about her situation, the place where they were going to stay at and such things. For him it was easy enough to put an end to what had happened. He was back to normal more or less. A few demons crossed their way but they were no challenge. People were hiding inside their homes, communicating via telephone and Internet, watching the chaos outside through TV and their windows. The streets were mostly deserted. Dante watched the concrete carefully but it was nothing like Limbo. No sudden abysses would appear and no walls would drew together. This city was lifeless - but reliable. A lot of debris lay around as well as garbage. Whenever he found a Virility can Dante kicked it far away. Special ingredients - yeah, for sure.
The sun was setting as the two of them reached the headquarters of The Order. Kat run inside and Dante followed just in case that some demons got lost in those many rooms. No one was here but the corpses of more useful humans. There was a sting to that word that went deeper the more often Dante thought about it. He stopped for a moment considering what to do about all those bodies. The steps of Kat's sneakers became quieter soon and he moved again. He found the medium standing in front of the puddle of her own blood. It had dried by now.
"I had been worried, you know?", Dante quietly addressed her. He didn't like the way she stared down at the stained concrete.
"How did he react?"
Dante hesitated. "Don't torture yourself by those thoughts." But that was enough of an answer for her it seemed. She turned around and left the building.
"We should bury them", the demon hunter suggested. "I don't think anyone else will care now. You could call their families or something." He wanted her to do something but sitting around and suffer over the next days. "No need to hurry though. They won't run away", he added as Kat didn't react. She led him to a nearby apartment block that looked as shabby as the HQ. Graffiti colored the walls and showed dark images and cryptic signs. It reminded him of the playground where Vergil had told him their shared past. Dante intended to ask Kat about the meaning of the graffiti but she had already entered the building. A strange feeling of loneliness crept up while he climbed the stairs. There was no sound to be heard and no human to be seen all the way up. Were all of them dead, too? Or were they just hiding? At the very top stood a door open.
"Kat?", Dante asked into the semi darkness of the flat. He tried the light switch but nothing happened. Some demons probably cut electricity. Or the power station got destroyed through one of Mundus' outbursts.
"I'm here", she quietly answered and came out of a room. "This is the place. You can see HQ from here. It was important to Vergil to have a close eye on it."
"That you have a clear view at the Silver Sacks Towers had not been intended, hm?", Dante asked while looking through the window of the room next to him. The room had no door and seemed very inviting. The demon hunter stepped closer. The skyscrapers' dark silhouettes in front of the dark red sky still seemed menacing. He could also see the tower of Raptor News Network and the facility of Virility. This block happened to be a very suitable strategic point.
"Why is this room empty?", Dante asked as Kat stepped up next to him.
"We had no use for it. George, one of ... He had always wanted to get us a door for this room so we could use it as another sleeping room. Vergil didn't want it."
"Who lived in here? On this floor, I mean."
"Just Vergil and I. My room is opposite of the entrance. The room next to this one was Vergil's. The kitchen is two doors away from my room on the right side. The bathroom is opposite of this one. The room next to mine was his working office. That's all for this apartment. Some of the other members lived on the other floors."
"What did he need a working office for? HQ is just on the other side of the street."
"I have never been in there."
Curious about the room Dante tore his gaze off the window. He tried to open the door the normal way but it wouldn't bulge. So he kicked it in, making Kat flinch. The room was dark and empty. There were no windows nor lights.
"Have you seen him going in here?"
"No", she answered and peeked over his shoulder. "Doesn't look like he actually used this room."
"Let's get some rest. I'll take Vergil's room, hoping he actually used that one ... Well, it's not like I never slept on the floor before."
Kat retreated to her own room. Dante listened to sounds coming from her while he opened the door to his new realm. He would stay here for some time he guessed. Fortunately he could get comfortable everywhere. He was lucky, too. It seemed like Vergil had used this room for it had a bed and some wardrobes. The room looked somewhat empty though. Without further thinking the demon hunter let himself fall onto the bed and passed out almost immediately. This had been quite an exhausting and painful day.
A scream echoed through the flat around 1 pm. the next day. Dante had unintentionally found the mirror in Vergil's room and was now staring unbelievingly at his own reflection.
"What the fuck! H... How did that happen?" He carefully touched the silvery strands. They felt normal. Maybe he should wash his hair? It hadn't been a while since he had a chance to care about such things after all.
"It's from your Devil Trigger." Dante swirled around to see Kat standing at the door to his room. She didn't look like she had slept enough but right at the moment the Nephilim couldn't care less.
"What ... and how?", he stared back at the mirror which showed something he actually was a bit familiar with. He remembered the moment at the Bellevue Pier when that white something landed on his head and he had said "Not in a million years". And yet here he was with his hair as white as snow.
"I look like I'm what? A thousand years old?"
"Vergil has silver hair, too. It doesn't suit you bad. You had a white strand at the back of your head when you came back from Raptor News. They turned completely white when you fought Vergil but only after you turned into that mad thing that would've killed its brother. Vergil called this transformation Devil Trigger." There was a slight accusing tone in her voice when she spoke about that fight but still Dante didn't care much. He had to admit that there was indeed not much left that differed him from his brother now. At least not in outward appearance.
"Are you kidding me? Why didn't you say something earlier?"
"Would it have changed anything?"
"You know, people use to say something when someone's appearance changes. That's what I got used to." Well, that was what he had gotten used to ignore in fact. He only listened to such things when the women in bed would praise him. But if someone's hair just turns white all of a sudden even he would've said a thing.
"You shouldn't worry too much about it. You can't change it anyway, I guess. Maybe this is your natural hair color."
"I was born with black hair." Well, it was not like someone had shown him a mirror then and even if they did he wouldn't remember but he had been black haired since he could remember and that was a long time. Then again his memories started when he was seven. Everything before was blurred and incomplete. He didn't need anymore flashbacks though. It hurt to remember a time when everything had been alright, when he had had a family and played with his brother. At the same time he longed to know more. He missed that time although it barely felt like it was him who had experienced those things.
"I don't look like myself anymore." Those words seemed to come from far away. There was a resignation in them that Dante usually only thought and never spoke. He knew it meant he needed a drink. Without a second thought he smashed the mirror and turned to leave - but Kat stood her ground at the door. She lifted up a hand to carefully touch his face.
"It's okay. It's just your hair", she tried. He knew she meant to comfort him but he didn't need it. He needed something that would remind him of his life before The Order.
"Yeah, I know. It's fine. I need a walk. I'll be back soon."
"Don't leave now. We wanted to bury the bodies, remember? Please let's get it over with." She was pleading again and he was giving in again. He had never buried anyone - not even his mother for Sparda brought him away before he could. And now he was burying people he didn't even know. It should have been Vergil, not him, doing this. On the other hand they had been useful to him, too. He only arrived when most of the work had been done. They had located the demons and found their way through firewalls and whatever else was protecting Mundus and his "friends". All that had been left to do for the demon hunter was to go in there and kick some asses. He had gotten his revenge even though that had not been the main reason. Or had it been? He couldn't tell for sure. It was easy enough to say it had been for the freedom of mankind but he had felt better after Mundus' defeat. And that relief went deeper than his caring for the human world who had doomed him to life like an outsider.
Dante's abilities helped to get things done much quicker than normal but it had gotten dark when they finished anyway. The place was quite far away from HQ for most of the ground of this town was concreted. But it was a good place. There were a few trees and only some lesser demons around. The bodies should be safe here - at least as safe as a dead body needed to be. Kat had fallen into silence right when they started. It didn't change when they had finished. She walked back to her room and locked it. Dante guessed that most of the dead people had been friends of hers. He wouldn't have minded but the silence gave him time for thinking as well. And that was something he didn't need. All the topics he already had thought about came up again, no matter how much he tried to avoid them. So as Kat adjourned to her room he was kind of depressed, too. He took a quick shower and then got back to downtown. There were people on the damaged streets now. Most of them were armed with guns. Under normal circumstances they didn't use to pay attention to him but Dante immediately noticed that they did. He watched a mother getting her daughter inside the next building the moment she spotted him. It reminded him of a bad horror movie and it wasn't hard to guess who was the insane killer here. A bunch of teenagers shouted insults at him. He gave them the finger and received an empty Virility can thrown at his head. Of course he caught it. The can easily gave in to the pressure of his grip while he walked away, only imaging how he'd smash the can onto a human head. Just a street further he had a group of policemen in his way. They addressed him as terrorist. Apparently they still had the voice of Bob Barbas in their heads. Just doing god's work - fuck you. The night hadn't even started yet so he decided to escape them instead of getting brought to prison. In the end he found himself in a shabby alley right in front of a night club. That was much better.
"Even terrorists need love", he mumbled to himself. The bouncer didn't think so. Since he wasn't human Dante shot the bastard. Didn't they notice that everybody could see their true nature now? Their skeleton like appearance would seem unhealthy even to the worlds biggest idiot, the sickle was some kind of an added hint. The demon hunter wasn't surprised to only find demons inside after this. What a pity.
About sunrise Dante had finished his tour to all night clubs he could find. Surprisingly enough he had found some human dancers, too. They wouldn't go with him but at least he had a little fun in the clubs. And now he knew where he could spend the following nights.
And he was drunken now, too. Kat wasn't pleased to see him this way. She sat at the kitchen table drinking some coffee when he stumbled into the flat. He intended to just look how she was but he better had went straight into his room. She said something he couldn't focus on. He leaned heavily against the door frame feeling dizzy and tired. It all didn't matter to him until he thought he heard that damn name of his brother.
"Vergil certainly never got drunk", he muttered. At least he wanted to say that but the way Kat looked at him implied she didn't understand a word. It made him angry. No one ever understood him and, whatever she had said, he was a grown up man who could make his own decisions. If he wanted to get drunk he would get drunk. If he wanted to get laid he would get laid. And fuck everyone who wanted to stop him. Kat was speaking again. Her voice was loud and had that tone Dante associated with anger. He turned his back to her and went into his room where he got another dreamless sleep.
The next day started even later than the day before. With his head still hurting the demon hunter left his room. He couldn't find Kat anywhere so he went to the door-less room's window. There she was on the other side of the street spraying something at the former HQs wall. He was somewhat relieved that she wasn't walking around the town but his heart sunk as he noticed the picture. She sprayed a black cross like burying The Order symbolically.
When she came back he intended to greet her but the moment she saw him she made a disgusted face and waved a hand to stop him before he could say anything. Then she locked herself into her room.
"Kat?", he asked knocking at her door. She didn't answer. He thought he heard her sob but he wasn't sure. Maybe she had realized that he was nothing like Vergil. He couldn't blame her if she didn't want him around anymore. Since his head was still aching he decided to take another nap. The night had taken its toll. It was dark again when he woke up. Kat would probably be asleep. He didn't want to disturb her. Minutes passed while he contemplated what he should do. He ended up with the only possible option: make yourself useful and kill some demons. From here on everything went like the day before. The people thought he had brought the demons to their world for he was the terrorists the news had spoken of. But if you thought they would avoid him you were dead wrong. Some of them did but most of them insulted him, threw trash at him, spit out in his direction when he passed them, they pointed at him, called the police or just shot at him themselves. This was worse than his life before. Women tend to love bad asses so it had been fun to be public enemy number one. He hadn't cared about some hunter demons and bad news about him. The people had avoided or ignored him but they didn't mind him much. Now they had to deal with demons and that made them aggressive. Dante could understand it but it was no fun though. He could scream at them that this was not his fault but they wouldn't listen. And, to tell the truth, it was his fault. Limbo only stopped existing because he had lured Mundus out of his office so that Vergil could close the hell gate to make the demon mortal. They killed Mundus but at what price? Mankind was free but families still lost members to demons. The only difference was that they could now see who killed them. How stupid had he been thinking he alone could protect mankind? He fought. He battled the city's demons for hours but there was no end to their masses. And people still hated him. So when he needed a break he visited the clubs again to find a woman who would stay with him for a while. That had gotten much more difficult than before as well. And so he got drunk again. Life seemed so much easier in this state. At least until he would wake up in the flat just to find Kat avoiding him again. He couldn't remember if she had seen him coming home and if they had argued or not. She wouldn't speak to him, punishing him with ignorance. He promised himself to stay sober this day and night when he went out for the endless fight against demons. But it happened again just like the days before.
Days passed with the same routine. He wouldn't see Kat at the flat anymore but he knew she was there for he would find his clothes cleaned sometimes. In the end of the day he was badly drunken once more. Deep inside he knew Kat would be disappointed to see him like this again. That was why he didn't use to hurry to get back. And that must have been the reason why he entered another club although he had been on his way "home". Just a short glimpse if there were demons to fight, he promised himself.
It was dark inside except for a few pinkish lights. The smell of cigarette smoke was in the air which pulsed in the rhythm of electronic music.
"Jackpot", Dante muttered. Right in front of his eyes was a being that was unnaturally beautiful. She moved around a pole in a way that convinced the Nephilim that he could stay here for a little while longer. She wasn't human though. He could feel it as much as he saw her red gleaming eyes and those bat- like wings. He had never seen a beautiful demon before - well, except himself but he had that angel part in his genes. He sat heavily down on a chair close to the stage. There were other demons around. Most of them looked disgusting and tried to get themselves a mate it seemed. They climbed the stage but got kicked down soon after. She could definitely kick in the most elegant ways the demon hunter had ever seen. Her movements were electrifying. A moment later the door to the club opened and two men came in. Two other beautiful demons were with them. Either Dante had found the HQ of some very nice demons or this was the net of a spider. Even in his drunken state he couldn't just let the men get killed but right as he decided to stand up the demons left them alone. The guys went to the bar and stayed there for a while apparently not taking notice of the other demons around. None of these tried to play the barkeeper though as long as Dante's eyes were fixed on the guests. His concentration was suddenly disturbed by the feeling of a weight on his lap. There she was. The most gorgeous dancer sat on his thighs. Had he thought his luck with women was running out? Maybe he should try a demon then. He couldn't bring himself to care about the humans anymore.
What happened now was just a blur but when he woke up his head ached and his throat was dry. And, what was most irritating, he was fully clothed. Dizzily he blinked around. The room was illuminated by sunlight that fell through the only window. Of course Dante was facing it. The light made his head feel like it would explode. He couldn't turn away for he found his wrists and ankles strapped. So this place was the net of a spider after all.
"You got yourself into nice trouble", someone said. The voice came from something that looked like a cocoon.
"That's a talent", Dante replied, "Do I know you?"
The cocoon moved. It made a disgusting, wet sound. Then the voice spoke up again: "We met -"
A door opened. One of the female demons came in. The cocoon made a "Shh" sound. Carefully Dante watched the demon. She smiled at him and caused an emotion that had gotten him into this situation in the first place.
"Who are you?", he asked, trying to get her attention. But that was fully given to someone else. It was one of the men Dante had seen the night before. And he was bound as well. She kissed him for a long while before she turned to the demon hunter.
"Who allowed you to speak?", she demanded in a strict manner. It was not intimidating but rather challenging.
She came closer but before she could reach him the cocoon called out: "Don't let her touch you! She'll drain your energy!"
In a matter of seconds the demon found herself helplessly floating in the air. Dante had freed himself using the power of his devil trigger. He took a moment to contemplate what to do with her but the demon inside him was now urging. It was hungry for death like it had been when Rebellion was pushed deeper and deeper through Vergil's chest days ago. The feeling was frightening. Until that moment Dante had thought he was in control but now he knew it better. He wanted to fight back but he found no reason to, except for his own fear. There was just a demon and what else should he do with her? Just before his devilish energy was used up he cut her into two halves with Rebellion.
"What happened?", the cocoon asked. Dante cut it open carefully and out fell Pheneas.