I do not own Devil May Cry or its characters; they belong to Capcom.
Pairings (eventually): Dante x Lady, ??? x ??? (surprise)
Contains spoilers if you haven't played any of the games (mainly 3 and 4).
Silence filled the streets, save for the distant rolling thunder and occasional litter being blown by the night's chilling breeze. Streetlights flickered, a few insects swirling beneath them craving the bright warmth. The clouds overhead would soon part to allow the full moon and the hazy ring that surrounded it to be visible.
Footfalls would then fill the air as a woman proceeded down the vacant streets, a slight metallic clank coming from her as she adjusted the large weapon upon her back. She was known to many as Lady though there were a select few that knew of her real name; Mary. This was an identity that she did not relate to very well due to relations with her father, and for this she had good reason. And though he was gone, Lady still felt a looming presence; something that she had just recently begun to feel. This compelled her to seek the aid of someone who was certain to oblige to her request.
Thankfully she would reach her destination, dual toned eyes gazing up to the flickering neon sign. Bringing down her gaze Lady would take hold of the door's handle, pulling it open and stepping inside.
"Well well, haven't seen you around for a while," came the very familiar voice of Dante, reclining in the seat behind his desk. Boot clad feet were propped up and crossed, arms tucked behind his head. Evidently the half-demon was in the process of eating as an opened pizza box lay atop the desk.
"Nice to see you too, Dante," said Lady, closing the door before making her way over. The Kalina-Ann that was slung over her shoulder would be placed on the floor before she placed a gloved hand on the desk, the other resting on her waist. "Have you had any jobs lately?"
"Nah, its been pretty slow," Dante replied with a sigh, apparently disappointed. "Seems like all the demons went into hiding or something." The half-demon quirked a brow, moving his feet as the front legs of the chair thudded to the floor. "You make me feel special, coming to make small talk," he said with a smile.
"Actually I came here to ask for your help."
"Aw, so you didn't miss me?"
"Sorry, afraid not," Lady said with a smirk of her own. "Anyway you know I took care of Arkham after you and Vergil fought him, right?"
"Yeeeah..."
"Well recently I've been getting this feeling, and I don't like it; I think he may still be alive."
Dante gave a chuckle and a shake of his head before grabbing a slice of pizza from the box. "Come on, Lady, you emptied four bullets in his skull and you don't think that did him in, even after we dealt with him?"
"You know as well as I do how corrupt he was, how he was so driven to become a demon. What if that's happening right now?"
"Hmm..." The half-demon appeared to be in thought as he ate the pizza in his hand. "Let's say that he is. Where do you think he would be?"
"I don't know...maybe we can find something where the Temen-ni-Gru was?"
"May be a longshot but its better than starting with nothing I guess" said Dante, licking his fingers once he was finished. He would rise from his chair to outstretch his arms, cracking his neck before wandering over to the pool table where he had thrown his coat.
"So I take it you're going to help me then?" Lady asked, leaning a hip against the desk as she glanced over to the other demon hunter.
"Yeah, but I expect payment afterwards," Dante replied, looking over his shoulder before slipping on his coat.
"I knew you would say that." Folded bills would be pulled from one of Lady's boots before she approached Dante, an arm outstretching to hand them to him. "A downpayment."
The son of Sparda nodded his approval once he took the money and counted the amount before stuffing the wad into a pocket. A smirk would be given to Lady who would then return the gesture, moving back to retrieve the Kalina-Ann. Slinging the weapon over her shoulder by its strap the woman followed after Dante as he made for the door, taking up his sword and pistols along the way. When the air outside greeted them and the two stepped outside, Lady felt extremely grateful to have the half-demon alongside her during this venture.
- - - - - -
The great Temen-ni-Gru once stood tall within the city, casting its shadow upon the earth below its looming structure. Once it was home to the demons of Hell, spitting them forth into the streets like an uncontrollable plague. Though when Arkham had fallen and the gate to the demon world was sealed, at last the swarms of the damned ceased, bringing the tower to the ground. What remained was a huge mess of stone and steel, all visible entries no longer accessible. Humans kept their distance from the site, feeling it a bad omen to step upon its grounds. They had every right of course, given the tower's history.
Lady felt a cold shiver run through her spine. She would have liked to say it was due to the faint breeze that picked up, but she knew better; it had come once she set foot near the base of the fallen tower. The demon hunter did not realize that she had stopped, dual toned eyes gazing upon the wreckage in silence.
"I always thought your gaze could be deadly but do you think it can burn a way in?" Dante remarked, a smirk tugging at the corner of his lips as he turned to Lady.
"You better keep comments like that to yourself, if you want to keep your balls," Lady retorted, giving the half-demon a sarcastic smile as she shifted Kalina-Ann's weight. She walked ahead of Dante, stepping carefully as some of the debris was still loose.
It still amazed her how she could put up with Dante after all this time, but she supposed she had grown used to it. Sure he thought he was tough shit, acted like a hot-shot, but Dante had his moments. Very few, mind you, but they were still there. And while Lady would probably not admit it, Dante was the only one she really called a friend. In their line of work it made it difficult to make some, and Lady wasn't exactly the sociable type; but since the two always ran into each other, it was going to happen eventually.
"I do like a woman with fire," the son of Sparda chuckled, now a few feet above on a section that may have previously been pillars. A sudden gunshot caused him to flinch, a bullet piercing the stone to the right of his head. Dante whipped his head around to look down at Lady, a faint trace of a scowl on his face.
"What, I thought you liked that?" she asked, a trail of smoke winding its way from the tip of her handgun.
"I didn't mean SHOOTING me; I'd rather not have another hole in my head," Dante said, tapping at his forehead.
As she holstered the firearm Lady paused, eyes moving from their place on Dante to look in a higher direction. The other demon hunter noticed her change of gaze and followed it, noticing a few chips of stone rolling down the mess. It was definitely up too high for Lady's shot to have caused it, and soon a trickle of sand slowly ran out from between the cracks.
"Looks like something may have found its way out," said Dante, drawing Ebony and Ivory. "Which means a way in for us," he added, aiming the twin guns at the spot of movement.
It was silent for a moment until a larger piece of rock shifted, bursting forth and plummeting to the ground below. This would be followed by an increased stream of sand, the head of a Hell Gluttony soon emerging. The demon had little time to pull itself out, however, before Dante emptied a number of bullets into its skull. Now dead the creature collapsed, disintegrating into a thin layer of sand that trailed away in the upcoming breeze.
"I get this feeling that you may have been right, Lady," said Dante. "Or someone else is up to some old tricks."