A/N: I wrote this story a few years ago now and it has remained my favorite. I wrote it in response to when the DmC game was just an idea thrown out by Ninja Theory and we had only a trailer to go off of. I have since played the game and have come to the conclusion that my story is way better than the game could ever hope to be, not that I'm biased or anything.
Since this is one of my stories that I am extremely proud of and I put a ton of work into I've decided to fix the little nuances that I didn't the first time around. Enjoy.
"Recite it again." The woman said. The young boy sighed.
"Sparda was a devil who ascended from the underworld after fighting with the prince of darkness." He replied.
"Why did Sparda fight with the prince of darkness?" She asked.
"He saw that devils were in fact very cruel to the humans and wanted to put an end to it so he was banished." The boy stood with his arms straight to his sides in an attentive stance as he stared at the wall ahead of him. His mouth was turned down into a frown as he drudged up the all too familiar answers that he was quizzed on daily.
"So after Sparda came to the human world what did he do?" The boy knew what the question was going to be before she even asked. The story never changed and he had asked several times why he had to keep on telling it each day. The reply was always the same; it was his responsibility.
"He found a way to close the portal between the human world and the underworld but the only way he could do that was to sacrifice a human. The girl who decided to help him close the portal was just a regular girl but she was more than willing to give up her life in order to save the fate of humanity." The boy stated almost in monotone. He knew the stories. He knew the myths and the legends surrounding the devil known as Sparda he just didn't see the point in the same routine every single day.
"Mhmm, keep going." The woman encouraged.
"After the portal was closed the human and the underworld were cut off from each other but there were still a lot of devils around so Sparda decided to fight them along with a group of humans who pledged their allegiance to him to fight by his side. The blood line continued and it dwindled but there was always someone to fight beside Sparda. They become known as the protectors." The boy felt his body start to fidget. He was already getting bored with his quiz. He knew though that if he made even the slightest indication of it she would keep him there even longer just to teach him a lesson in discipline. She was like that.
"Okay, so skip forward a few hundred years." She said. The boy nodded before continuing.
"After years and years of protecting the human world Sparda found a woman named Eva who for whatever reason he fell in love with. The two were inseparable and soon they had children."
"Who were these children?" She asked. The boy felt his mouth tug up at the edges. This was the only part of the story that got interesting. He had wondered why he liked this part the best and had decided because it was closer to his own time. He could relate to this part of the story since it hadn't been hundreds of years before he was ever even thought of.
"Two boys, twins, the oldest was named Vergil and the youngest was named Dante. They were the sons of Sparda. " He stated.
"Are you forgetting anything?" She asked cocking an eyebrow at him. The boy thought for a moment before replying. He always seemed to forget the part that she seemed to want to hear.
"Sparda's protectors had a child too. A girl they named Starina but her mother died giving birth to her so Eva took care of Star alongside her own sons when her father was incapable of it for whatever reason but he died too protecting Virgil and Dante against a devil who had a grudge against Sparda. Star was taken in completely by the family and was trained to protect Vergil and Dante even though I guess it was mostly the other way around."
"Yeah it was. Alright then what happened next?" The woman began circling the boy watching him as he spoke. While her voice remained stern the look she gave him was that of intense love and fondness.
"One day when Dante, Vergil and Star were still very young an entire horde of extremely powerful devils attacked nearly causing an all out war. Sparda hadn't taken on anyone else as a protector because he was tired of seeing his friends die so there was only Star but Sparda thought of her as his own daughter and Eva did too. They wouldn't let her fight even though she wanted too." The boy said stopping. He looked down at the floor thinking about how difficult it must have been for the girl. She had been trained to protect the people she thought of as family but when the time finally came she wasn't allowed out of fear she would get hurt or killed. He knew for a fact that if it had been him it would have eaten him up inside for the rest of his life. It must have done the same to Star.
"Continue." The woman encouraged still walking around him.
"Sparda was killed after fighting long and hard to protect his family. The devils who were left were the strongest and they went after Eva and the children. Eva gave both of her sons half of the pendant she wore that had been given to her by Sparda for her own protection. It was a very powerful amulet. She told the children to run but they didn't have time and they saw Eva get murdered too. Vergil and Starina ran away but Dante didn't follow them. He went his own way and he didn't know if they had been killed and vice versa."
The boy especially liked this part, where Dante had forged his own path ahead and decided to do what he believed in. Although he supposed that Vergil had done the same it always just seemed like Dante was the cooler brother. Maybe it was because he was the story's 'good' guy.
"Alright so skip ahead a few years again." The woman said stopping in front of him.
"Well Dante grew up and when he was eighteen I think it was he found out that Vergil and Star were still alive and they were planning on reopening the portal to the underworld. Star didn't want anything to do with it but after years of trying to protect Vergil from just himself she gave up. She knew that if she helped him she wouldn't probably live long enough to see the trouble it would cause so she went along with it." The woman nodded her head a few times.
"And why did Vergil need Star to open the portal?"
"Because she knew the song." They boy said with a shrug never really knowing what to reply with.
"What song?" The woman questioned not because she didn't know but because she wanted to make sure the boy did.
"I don't know it, you know that you won't tell it to me." He replied looking up at her defensively. He had asked her time and again why she wouldn't teach it to him and her answer was always the same.
"Because you're not a girl." She said squatting on the floor to meet his gaze. "Alright we're almost done for the day finish up." The boy seemed to brighten a bit at the prospect of being set free of his arduous lesson.
"Okay, let's see, well someone was helping Vergil and Star open the portal, Arkham, but he wanted it open to gain the power of Sparda so he could wreak havoc on the humans and be all powerful and all that stuff." He said quickly trying to get it over with already.
"There was someone else there too. A lady named well, Lady. She was there to stop Arkham because he had killed her mother. Lady was a descendent of the original sacrifice that Sparda had used to seal the portal off along with the amulet and the song. Starina knew the song to activate the portal but Vergil still needed the other half of the pendant to open it, Dante's half. That was why he challenged his brother. What they didn't know though was they needed the blood of the original sacrifice. After Starina activated the portal Vergil either didn't have any use for her or was protecting her and shoved her off the top of Temen ni-gru. Which one do you think it was?" The boy asked the woman.
"I don't know honestly." She replied. "I've wondered the same thing many, many times but I'm not sure." The boy seemed pleased with the answer.
"Well the portal was eventually opened and Dante met back up with Star after he fought Virgil and got beat up by him pretty badly. It wasn't a bad thing though because it awoke his devil power and made him incredibly strong. So Arkham's plan was found out and it pissed off Virgil since his plan had been pretty much ruined and he went after Arkham. Dante and Star did too. They went through the portal and fought off all of the devils inside to get to Arkham. Virgil showed up too and the three of them fought him and sent him back the way he went through but Dante and Virgil still needed to fight. They were fighting for the pendant. Dante beat Virgil and got his half of the pendant back. The portal was closing so if they stayed they'd all be trapped in the underworld. Virgil decided to stay behind in the underworld and attacked Star when she tried to stop him. Dante stopped her from following him and they left the underworld together."
"Okay kiddo, wrap it up." She said standing back up.
"Starina had a baby with Vergil and named her daughter Ambra. For the next few years Dante and Star were devil hunters and took on jobs to exterminate the ones who caused humans a lot of trouble but Star had broken a taboo with the protectors. She was supposed to protect the sons of Sparda not ever, ever continue their line with hers though. They finally found her and killed her for it. Dante raised Ambra to be a devil hunter and they worked together. There was an incident on an island and Dante had to leave for a few years. When he got back he found out that Ambra not only had continued on the business of devil hunting but had a new 'recruit'. She had a son." The boy said smiling broadly. The woman smiled back at him warmly.
"And what was the kids name?" She asked knowing that this was his favorite part of the story. He looked up at her with all too familiar features.
"Dante."
"Hey mom, the sky's purple again!" Dante yelled back into the building as he strolled out into the darkening light. He heard something from inside that sounded along the lines of 'great'. For whatever reason that neither had been able to figure out when the sky was purple it usually meant it was going to be a rough night. It caused the shadows to stir more than usual bringing out the devils. Ambra walked out looking up at the sky with a sigh.
"You got your shit together?" She asked her son bringing her own hand to her side hips to her holsters unconsciously doing a check herself.
"Yeah I'm good." He said starting to walk off.
"Hey!" She yelled after him. He turned back taking the woman in. At forty four Ambra was still considered very attractive. She didn't look a day past thirty which she chalked up to her devil blood even if she was only a quarter devil. She wore her hair down loose letting it blow around her.
He remembered it being much longer when he was a child but somewhere along the way she had decided to crop it shorter even though it still hung down her back midway. Her eyes were a hazy blue that could spark to green in an instant when she was excited or upset. He had loved trying to guess each day what color his mothers eyes were as a child and sometimes still did he just didn't ask her anymore. She wiggled her finger at him beckoning him back towards her. He sighed and rolled his eyes.
"Yeah, yeah that." He said running back towards her quickly his heavy trench coat flapping behind him. He landed next to her with a thud planting a light kiss against her cheek. "Love you mom." He said quickly before taking off again.
"I love you too sweetie." She called after him. "More than you'll ever know." She muttered quietly to herself. It always bothered her when he went off on his own especially when her uncle wasn't around. Granted the two could take care of themselves it still unsettled her watching her only son disappear into the night to fight monsters.
Even though Ambra had been young when her own mother Starina had been killed she still remembered the woman telling her to stay behind usually with Dante or in some cases Lady. Starina never wanted her daughter to be a devil hunter or a protector but fate had handed her that card unfortunately. She smiled to herself heading in the opposite direction her son had knowing well that she wouldn't trade her life for anything.
Dante sat on top of a building glancing around him. He had long since discarded the heavy coat he normally wore in an effort to stave off the sweat that dripped down his forehead. Irritated he wiped it away before it fell into his eyes. Nonchalantly he lit the cigarette that dangled from between his lips taking in a deep breath before exhaling and reviewed the devastation before him. Currently business had been slow. No new jobs had popped up since his uncle Dante had left on whatever job he had been offered so he and his mother had simply been cleaning up the city of whatever pests there were. They were low levels hardly worth either's time but it was the least they could do.
Dante had grown up in a world constantly plagued by violence, kill or be killed. It didn't mean though that he enjoyed it. It was just what he did. It was his family's trade. He did find it ironic that his uncle, who was a half devil, and his mother, who was a quarter devil, were in fact hunters but in a sense it gave them an edge over the regular humans who thought they could carve a name out for themselves in the business. They were devils themselves so they knew how devils acted. They understood their reasons for whatever problems they caused and the pair simply didn't agree with them. He supposed they were just continuing on Sparda's work of keeping the human world safe.
While they claimed they would do it only if the price were right he had seen them more than once in his lifetime take on cases pro-bono. Dante himself was uncertain however it if was what he wanted to do with his life. His mother and uncle enjoyed it to no end. There was no greater joy for them then to, he guessed, play with guns and swords. While he had to admit it was a huge perk it was just a part of his daily routine. To other people it must have seemed exotic or exciting but to him it was just 'whatever'.
'It's not like I have a choice. After all I'm hunted by both devils and humans, those protectors.' He thought absently to himself. He had grown up knowing that his grandmother, Star, had been killed by the group of people she had been born too. The protectors believed in protecting the family of Sparda, at first. Starina had grown up alongside the sons of Sparda and eventually orphaned alongside them.
There had been no one to tell her that she was only supposed to protect them not to physically continue their blood line. Dante recalled his uncle telling his mother once that her mother had told him the reason why she decided to couple with Vergil. Eva, Dante and Vergil's mother, had told Starina when she was a child to protect Vergil from himself. Even when they were children the woman had known what paths her sons would take.
Starina had tried her best to keep Vergil on the straight and narrow but apparently had failed. In response his grandmother had slept with him in what had been her last ditch effort to try and save him from himself. Dante remembered the look on his mothers face when their uncle told her, she wasn't upset but she wasn't pleased by it. After all in the end he supposed that all children enjoyed the idea that their parents loved each other and that was why they decided to have children.
'Not like I could grow up with THAT delusion.' Dante thought. He flicked his cigarette away and jumped down the three stories where he was perched. He landed soundly on the ground just in time to duck the assault. He had heard it, the whistling of a very large jagged weapon coming straight for him. He had hastened his descent barely keeping his head on his shoulders. He stood quickly and jumped back his eyes falling on his attacker. The figure stood on the building opposite to where he had been sitting, obviously waiting to make their move on him. The person grabbed their weapon as it rounded back to them and jumped down. Dante couldn't help but laugh to himself as his attacker landed in front of him clearly catching the person off guard.
"What the hell's so damn funny?" The girl shouted angrily.
"Sorry, sorry." Dante managed to get out clutching at his sides. "It's just that I…I'm used to being attacked by big ugly monsters. Not pretty little girls." He said regaining his composure but still smiling all the same. The girl flustered taking a step back clenching her weapon tightly in her hands. "I do have to say I'm really impressed that thing must weigh a ton." Dante pointed to the weapon. From the look of it he deduced it was a modified boomerang, a very big very sharp boomerang. It was made out of steel catching the glint of the streetlights that flickered to life dimly lighting the area around them.
"I'll show you what a pretty little girl can do!" She shouted at him tossing her weapon his way again. He easily jumped out of the way landing on top of an overturned car. The result of an earlier battle he had. Quickly he took out his sword as he saw her advance. She used her weapon as it swung back to her in midair to catapult closer to him. She took out her own sword as she turned in the air.
Simultaneously he jumped to meet her attack and the two clashed swords swinging deftly at each other. They clanked and sparked together a few times before the two landed some distance away from the other. Both advanced at the same time. Dante took in his opponent as they fought and couldn't help but smirk. She seemed to be maybe a year or so younger than him. Her complexion was fair which brought out her hair and eyes. Fire red accented by orange highlights had been pulled back into a rather severe looking ponytail that hung to her neck and swayed when she moved. A purple head band kept her bangs out of her face giving her a bizarre 'girl next door' appearance. He supposed for him she was all things considered. Her eyes blazed and sparked a deep green creating the illusion of endless depth. They reminded them somewhat of his mothers the way they shifted however there was no adoration in this girls eye's. They held fury and hate he supposed that were directed at him. Her clothing was simple enough, a black tank top that came to her mid drift exposing her flat muscled abdomen and faded jeans. Quickly he glanced down to see worn purple sneakers that matched her headband.
He pushed her away with his blade skillfully wiping away some sweat from his brow. She stood poised in a defensive position. Whoever she was it was obvious she was well trained but she had to know she didn't stand a chance against him. Was she a devil hunter who picked up on whatever energy she got from him and decided to attack or was she someone else? His eyes narrowed to slants at the prospect of the latter. She was obviously human, he detected no trace of devil in her what so ever making the situation precarious. Dante decided maybe it was time to stop screwing around and take his fight more seriously.
Her breathing was ragged no matter how hard she fought to control it. She despised him the way that he scrutinized her. She could see it in his eyes. Their entire fight was a joke to him. He had been checking her out the whole time rather than actually fighting her. That moron! There he was just standing there acting as if it wasn't even affecting him. That jerk! She'd prove to him she was a worthy opponent and she would prove to everyone else that she worth more than just a pretty face. They had all laughed in her face when she said she would bring back an abomination of Sparda.
They didn't believe her, none of them. So what if she wasn't as skilled as the rest of her family she could still hold her own. Her father never seemed to end in his gloating of how he had single handedly killed the woman who started it all. The protector who had continued on the devil line and broken a deep lying understanding that had been developed millennia before. The protectors would protect the descendents of Sparda but would not continue it. For all their devotion they hated Sparda. It wasn't by choice they took the oath it had been simple brute force. The devil had swung his sword declaring himself king forcing the humans to do his bidding.
Now standing before her was a bastard descendent. It made her sick to look at him. For the most part he appeared to be human but she knew better. In the light she could see the silver that lined the part in his hair. His eyes had also damned his cover. No mortal could possibly have such crystal blue eyes. Not that she was impressed or attracted to him. She gripped her sword more tightly. That idiot! Standing there looking so cool with his hair and his clothes and his weapon. She'd not only show him she would make him pay.
"So what's your name?" He asked suddenly catching her off guard. She flustered again and gasped at the sound of his voice.
"What?" She demanded.
"Your name. That's all I want to know and then we can continue if you want. I mean I won't oppose if you decide to give me your number too but I'm a realist." He said cockily.
"You ass! Is this a joke to you?" She yelled furiously.
"No, I just like to know who I'm fighting is all." He replied. She shook her head at him angrily before resuming her assault. He ducked away from her causing her to become even angrier. "So is that a no?" He asked defending himself easily against her attacks. She was getting tired, he could see her breathing becoming more labored. She swung erratically and missed him by miles. She was letting her anger get the best of her.
While Dante's mother had drilled into his head stories and legends one of the only things his uncle had made him remember with continuous beatings was to stay calm. No matter how bad a situation was the way to win a fight was to not let your anger get the best of you. He had learned over the years it wasn't always easy but after being pistol whipped a few times in the back of his head he got the hang of it. "You know if my uncle were here right now he'd yell at you to stop swinging like a damn moron." He mused at her. She stopped mid swing to glare him down. "Wow, now if I cared that look might actually make me feel bad."
"You're making fun of me now." She said. Dante brought his own sword up pushing her blade down to the side smiling at her.
"Well you're the one who decided we weren't going to play nice and be friends." He stated. She shook her head at him again this time however it wasn't in anger but simple disbelief.
"You're either incredibly strong or incredibly stupid." She replied to which she received a shrug.
"Yeah what can I say? I'm not too sure of that either but if you don't mind it's getting late and I have somewhere else to be." He said beginning to slowly back away from her. He still wasn't quite sure who she was and knew he still had to play it safe even if she was seeming to tire.
"You don't just walk away from a fight you jerk!" She shouted.
"Actually I was thinking more for your benefit. I don't want to accidentally hurt you." He said.
"I attacked you! You're supposed to want to hurt me!" She yelled. Dante only shook his head at her.
"No, not really so if you don't mind." He said putting his sword away in the sheath on his back.
"Take it back out now!" She screamed becoming angrier.
"Nope, I'm done." He said simply turning to walk away.
"You can't leave! I just found you!" She shouted after him. He stopped in his tracks glancing back at her out of the corner of his eye. "I've…I've been looking for you. You're a descendant of Sparda right? I just wanted to fight you to test my skills against you." She stated sheathing her own weapon. Dante turned around to face her taking her in again. Her posture had changed considerably as did her demeanor.
She seemed sincere, he watched her to check for any underlying motives or unconscious gestures that might indicate she was fibbing but he saw none. He still eyed her warily as she took a step closer to him. "I have to admit I never thought though that the great grandson of Sparda would be such a handsome devil." Dante smirked at her comment.
"Hey what can I say." He said simply. He watched her as she cleared out some debris and sat on the ground legs crossed. He walked over to her slowly standing only a few feet from her before sitting down as well. "Honestly I didn't think I'd have such a great time tonight." He said lighting a cigarette. "I mean all that time here you were planning our date and I had no idea I was right on time." The girl smiled causing his heart to beat faster in his chest.
"I wanted to surprise you." She said. "I have to admit though, it's a blind date. I know who you are but that's pretty much it. I have no idea who you are. What's your name?" She asked. He shook his head and wagged a finger at her.
"Uh-uh, I asked first." He said. She glanced away looking up at the dark night sky.
"It doesn't matter anymore." She replied before bringing her attention back to him. He was reminded of Lady, she had had a name but decided to simply take on her pseudo name. A life of hardship could do that to a person and he suspected this girl had had it none too easy. The way she carried herself bellied that belief.
"My name is Dante." He replied after a minute or so of silence of passed.
"How much devil do you actually have in you?" The girl asked her tone holding nothing more than curiosity.
"No clue." He stated flicking away some ash.
"How can you not know?" She asked interested.
"Apparently my mother went out one night and met a guy. The only info I've ever gotten out of her was that he had the power and intelligence of a squirrel or a really big guinea pig." He said with an amused look on his face. "I guess it didn't faze her any since she screwed him. They parted ways and she was left with a nice little parting gift. Me." He pointed to himself.
"She didn't know if he was a devil or a human?" The girl asked her eyes wide. Dante shook his head.
"Nope. So I have no idea. I'm either hardly devil or brimming with it. Doesn't matter though." He said tossing the cigarette away.
"Why not?" She asked.
"Just doesn't." He said simply. She nodded and shrugged. "So I'd ask about you but I suppose you'd just say it doesn't matter right?" She nodded again.
"Right."
What happened next was somewhat of an incredible blur. One minute there was a loud humming sound and shouting the next Dante found himself incredibly weakened lying on his stomach on the ground as the girl tied his hands behind his back with a zip tie. She rolled him over hoisting him up with the help of someone else by the tie that bound him.
"By the way, my names Nina." She whispered in his ear cockily. Quickly he turned his head pressing his lips to hers. It was only a second that the kiss lasted but it was enough. The man who helped Nina lift Dante up pushed her away knocking her to the ground and punched Dante in the face causing his mouth and nose to erupt in a spurt of blood. As he was dragged away she heard him yelling back at her that their date had been worth it. Nina stood up slowly, shakily.
'That idiot! He has no idea what he's in store for and there he is cracking more jokes. Stupid, stupid…Dante.' She was quickly brought out of her thoughts by a hand being slapped against her shoulder. She jumped to see the praising eyes of her father.
"Amazing Nina. That's all I can say. You did an incredible job. Honestly when you radioed base and said you had found the abomination I didn't know what to think but now all I can say is I'm sorry I doubted you." He commended. Nina only shook her head.
"It was nothing." She replied shortly bringing her gaze to stare at the cracked and broken pavement of the street.
"Well you may think of it as nothing but because of you maybe we'll finally be able to exterminate all of them. Didn't you say you found out where they were all hiding out at?" He asked. Nina only shook her head again slowly.
"No, I have no idea. It was just luck that I found that one here." She said. Her father nodded his head and again patted her shoulder. Each time he did it she cringed wanting nothing more than to scream in fury. When she heard him walk away she finally shifted her gaze elsewhere. Just as quickly as everyone had arrived they were gone expecting her to follow them to the shadows where they came from. Instead she knelt down and picked up the discarded cigarette that Dante had been smoking. All that was left was the filter. She held it between her fingers for a moment before placing it between her lips and shut her eyes unsure of what to do.
Dante looked around his shop as he entered tossing his sword down next to his desk before sitting down. He reclined back placing his feet on the desk with his hands behind his head closing his eyes tiredly. It had been a long week, not because the devil he was hired to get rid of was difficult but so damn annoying. He couldn't remember a time when he had wanted to slit his own wrists to get the fight over with just because the monotony of it all had been so incredibly grueling. He cracked open an eye when he heard the door to the shop open and footsteps falling.
"No I don't want any girl scout cookies." He said to the girl who walked in as she stopped in front of his desk.
"Are you the son of Sparda?" She asked bringing Dante to full alert but appearing calm. He didn't answer. "Listen, I…I'm a protector." She said. In an instant Dante stood holding ebony to her forehead. He had been so fast Nina hadn't had time to respond she screamed and squeezed her eyes closed tightly.
"Get…out." Dante said low in his throat so it came out as a growl. Nina cracked open an eye before reopening them completely.
"You…he…he…looks like you." She said her voice cracked and hoarse with panic. He seemed to flinch. "Dante….Dante looks like you." She said. He clicked the safety back on the gun as if in indication to start talking. Quickly Nina spilled her guts about what had happened a week prior to his nephew.
"Well that explains where the hell he's been. So why are you here?" He asked her noting the fear in her eyes dull considerably giving away to a pining sadness. Regret etched her face as her lips trembled. Slowly she brought her fingers to them lightly touching them.
"Because he kissed me." She replied softly. Dante cocked an eyebrow at her before lowering the pistol. He slammed it down on the desk causing Nina to jump as he let out a loud laugh.
"Hey Am! " He shouted. "Your boy's little girlfriend is here." Nina reddened at the comment and looked away at the pool table that sat off to the side of the room.
"He's not my boyfriend." She muttered under her breath. A door opened from behind the desk revealing a very pretty woman. Nina took a step back as she gasped. If the man looked a little bit like Dante there was no doubt who the woman was.
"Girlfriend? " She asked looking at the girl standing there. Dante nodded.
"Yup, apparently your boy fell for the wrong girl though and got caught." He replied. Ambra looked at him and sighed bringing a hand to rub at her eyes.
"Seriously? What a moron." She stated more to herself than to them.
"Well what can you expect from a squirrel…devil….thing." Dante said smirking. He had been surprised to say the least after being gone for five years that his niece had had a child. He had strolled back in nonchalantly even though he was beside himself to be back home. He had assumed she was sleeping when he walked in the back of the building that they called home and walked to her bedroom. He opened the door, Ambra and privacy had never been much of an option. He had stopped dead in his tracks when he saw her with the small bundle but by then he was nearly one.
"What the hell is that?" He asked.
"No, 'Hi niece-y how have you been? I've missed you. Sorry for taking off for so long and leaving my damn business to you.'" She replied. He shook his head.
"Well it's pretty obvious what you've been up to so not like that question was an option." Dante retorted to which Ambra had only smirked. "So what is it?" He asked after walking the short distance to the rocking chair and crouching in front of her.
"Not sure." She replied contemplatively. "His father was either an incredibly weak devil or a very stupid human."
"I meant sex but that works too." Dante said.
"Oh yeah that, a boy." She looked up at him with a big grin on her face. "Wanna know the name… Dante." Dante cocked a brow at her.
"Don't tell me…" He said with a sigh.
"Well hell you took off on me after that little coin toss game. I assumed you were dead and rotted in the underworld. So now as punishment you have to deal with sharing the name." She said.
"Dante!" Ambra said loudly causing his attention to be brought back to reality.
"Ambra what have I told you about children being seen and not heard." He retorted covering the fact that he simply hadn't heard her.
"Oh please, that hasn't applied to me since I was ten." She said. The two locked gazes with each other fondness for each other written all over.
"I ruined you didn't I?" He asked amused.
"Yup." She replied. Nina simply watched somewhat confused but at the same time couldn't help but be amused by the scene that played out before her. "Anyways," Ambra said suddenly turning her attention to the girl. "I'm Ambra this is Dante who are you?"
"Um, Nina. I'm Nina." She said quickly clearly still nervous. Ambra nodded taking a step toward the girl..
"Well then Nina tell me. Where have those bastards taken my son?"
Dante awoke, once again, to the jarring pain of electric currents running through his body. He let out a yell of surprise even though he figured he should be used to it by now. He cracked open his eyes to stare at the grimy one way mirror that was in front of him. He took in his appearance and sighed to himself inwardly. His black hair seemed darker in the dim light and hung down in greasy strands plastered to the sides of his face. His face was caked with dried blood and still swollen from the assault of the night he was captured.
He still wasn't all too sure how he had been captured but deduced it was some sort of tranquilizer. His eyes moved to his wrists that were bound by chains holding him just above the ground so that it put pressure on both his wrists and ankles. His wrists were long past the stage of hurting and were now numb as well as his hands. His entire body felt swollen and dead. He had no idea how long he had been imprisoned for but guessed it had been a few days at least. There was no way to tell. Nothing changed in the small room aside from the currents that were shot through him.
He had heard more than once from the people who had beaten the tar out of him and bound him that he was an abomination. It wasn't until then did he have his 'oh shit' moment. He had been captured by the people he had been warned about. The people who he himself was partly descended from, the protectors. He knew from his mother that they were a group of people who were neither weak nor stupid. He couldn't help but feel like the moronic 'squirrel' his mother had told him his father had been. He had been duped by a girl.
"Well at least she was a pretty girl." He croaked out causing him to cough. The sound of a door being opened alerted his senses as his eyes fell to the left of him. His neck was so tired and stiff he couldn't turn it only follow the person with his eyes. It was a man a little older than middle aged he presumed. He examined him closely noting he seemed to be a few inches taller than his uncle but much bigger. The muscle the man had acquired Dante figured was so he could take down 'abominations'.
"You're right. She is a very pretty girl after all she is my daughter." The man said.
"Well thank god she must look like her mother then because you my friend are no heart throb." Dante managed to insult despite the dryness in his throat. The man smirked at him before landing a punch against his cheek causing Dante's neck to snap painfully to the side and re-aggravate his already broken nose.
"So you comfy boy?" The man asked grabbing Dante by the hair forcing him to look him straight in the face. "You enjoying your little vacation you little bastard?"
"What can I say; I'm getting out, meeting new people but the hospitality sucks." He replied with a smirk which received him an uppercut in the gut. He sputtered and gasped as he felt the wind knocked out of his lungs. His eyes bulged as a knee found purchase and connected with his groin.
"Now you see the punch was for your smart little remark but that my friend was for dirtying my little girl." He spat vehemently and physically in Dante's face. "Who the hell do you think you are planting your disgusting devil lips on my daughter?" He asked harshly not expecting a reply.
"What can I say…she's smokin' hot." Dante said coughing which only unleashed a fury of fists from the man. By the time he felt justified Dante was a trembling bloody and bruised mess. His eyes were too swollen to open and his jaw he presumed was broken along with all of his ribs. He heard the man take a few steps away.
"You see I wanted to keep you alive for a while but after our little talk I think I'll just add you as another notch to my belt." All Dante felt was pain. The electric current that ran through his body was more than any mortal could bare. He was at his breaking point and Dante screamed in pain wishing absently that his mother and uncle would come and save him from the nightmarish torture.
While Nina did have a hard time keeping up with the devil hunters it was obvious she was no slouch. The girl was extremely talented and well trained but knowing who she was or rather had been it was no surprise. She had assured them that there was no ill intent on her behalf to capture them but both chalked it up to she knew she didn't stand a chance against either of them by themselves let alone together.
"I'll go on ahead. You're sure that that's where he is?" Ambra asked. Nina had brought them to what appeared to be an abandoned building but that was always where people conducted their deeds of destruction so no questions were asked.
"Yes. If you go down directly it will take you to the air ducts but I told you neither of you will fit inside of them they're too cramped." She said. Dante nodded.
"I know." He said pointing a rifle at the roof below him.
"That's where you come in." Ambra said from behind her. Nina glanced behind her at the woman.
"Wha.." She managed to get out before being shoved towards Dante. He grabbed her in one arm and pulled the trigger of the shotgun with the other. The round exploded into the roof and before Nina knew it her she was falling, fast. She hadn't even had time to think to hold on as they landed with a thud. Dante had held her up so when they landed she wouldn't get hurt. She heard him hiss in pain as he took the brunt of the fall.
"Alright, you okay kid?" He asked. Nina nodded and looked around seeing the air duct a few feet above her. The part of the building they were in was new to her but everyone knew where the interrogation room was. As a part of their training all of the children had participated in an extermination at least once. Being who her father was she had had to be a part of many. She ran over to the duct that was a few feet above her head.
Dante jumped up with his sword drawn slashing it in two. The sound of the metal screeching through metal was deafening and both knew they had a limited amount of time before they were found. Dante landed flawlessly and cupped his hands in a leg up gesture. Nina nodded running back some before charging at him. She jumped placing a hand against his shoulder to lever herself and push off as he caught the heel of her sneaker in his hands tossing her into the air. She grasped the jagged piece of duct slicing her hand but ignored the pain pulling herself up into the narrow space. She poked her head out to see Dante looking up at her.
"Go and find him. Ambra will find another way to him to help you. Don't worry I've got your back." He said as the sound of footsteps and shouting could be heard not very far away. Nina knew that she should keep out of sight from the protectors as long as she should but at the same time she felt an urge to fight alongside the half devil, half human man. He was after all a son of Sparda and she did still consider herself a protector.
"Be careful." She called down to him before ducking back in the duct. Dante couldn't help but smirk.
"Yeah you too kid." He said pulling out ebony and ivory deciding to let them do his talking as usual.
Nina made her way through the narrow space slowly. It was hot and cramped but the worst part of it was trying to hold her bearings. It all looked the same to her. Occasionally she would come to a grate and look down assured once again that in fact the last turn she had taken was the right one. It seemed to stretch on endlessly but the worst part of it was when she would come to a room that she knew had people in it below her. She slowed herself down trying to make as little noise as possible knowing whoever was in the room would shoot first and ask questions later. Another grate loomed in sight and she pulled herself slowly towards it.
She glanced down to see the brightly lit control panel below her. She had arrived right where she wanted to be. She removed the grate and squeezed her way out falling somewhat clumsily nearly missing a chair. She looked through the glass to see a figure clearly strung up but it was so dark it was all she could see. Slowly she pressed the button that would illuminate the room and couldn't help but gasp when she did. Tears burned in her eyes as she muttered apologies under her breath and took out her small handgun. She shot at the top and sides of the mirror shattering it into millions of pieces. She climbed over the control panel to jump into the room and pressed a button on the wall that dropped Dante down. He collapsed in a heap on the floor.
Nina ran to his side unbinding his wrists and cradled his wounded head. His hair was matted with dried blood and his face was caked with it. His bare chest, abdomen and arms were a collage of bruises in different stages of healing. She swiped his hair from his face feeling how brittle it was and let out a fresh bout of tears.
"Dante." She whispered as the small drops of moisture fell on his face causing him to stir. He opened his eyes the best he could and shuddered as he tried to breathe. "I'm sorry. I should have gone to them sooner please forgive me. Dante I'm so, so sorry." She sobbed out bringing her forehead to his. For the first time in nearly over a week he was able to flex his fingers even though they still felt clumsy and swollen. He brought a hand unsteadily to rest against her head and she swore that he shushed her.
"Oh my god." Nina brought her head up at the gasped voice to see both Ambra and the elder Dante jump into the room by way of the shattered mirror. Ambra dropped to her knees in front of her son and shook her head from side to side. Dante stood and clenched his teeth and fists at the atrocity that was before him. For him it was another reason to want to kill every single person who claimed to be a protector. It was bad enough they had killed Star and terrorized Ambra her entire life but they had finally succeeded in capturing his nephew and for that they would pay.
"We don't have a lot of time." Ambra said standing.
"Yeah let's move." Dante said taking his nephew from Nina and slinging him over a shoulder. "No one saw you right Nina?" He asked. The girl shook her head once slowly."Good." Dante said going back out the way he came his rifle in hand while the other supported the once again unconscious younger Dante. Ambra followed before turning back to face her. She had heard Nina stand probably to follow them.
"No! You stay!" She commanded turning back to leave. Nina only stood shaking her head.
"But Ambra I…" She began.
"This is all your damned fault!" The older woman shouted at her. Nina felt more tears brim in her eyes and fall. "Stay with your own kind and I'll stay with mine."
"You're a protector too! You aren't just a devil!" Nina retorted. Ambra turned back around causing the girl to jump. She advanced towards her quickly backing her into a corner.
"Look at me." She said low reminding Nina of the elder Dante. The girl did as she was told locking eyes with the older woman. "My mother was murdered by the people she had been born too simply because she did what she was told to do. She protected my father and my uncle even though in the end she knew it would be her death one way or another. I am not a protector I just had the misfortune of being born to one." She spat before running back at the sound of an alarm. Nina stood with her back to the wall before collapsing with a thud. Her eyes fell to the pool of blood on the floor causing her to sob.
Over the course of the next few years Nina kept an eye on the building that still stood in the sleaziest part of town. The sign still stood that named the business 'Devil May Cry' but it remained vacant. While the desk and the pool table still remained the weapons that had adorned the walls the one time she had paid her visit were long since gone. It almost seemed like a dream, her run in with the descendants of Sparda although the constant admiration she received even though Dante had escaped reminded her daily of her mistake. The worst was the constant ache in her heart. The never knowing of what happened to him or if he was even still alive.