Better Off Without Me

With everything that had taken place in recent days, Dante and Kat knew that staying in Limbo City was completely out of the question, for now. Until they had a better plan, they had to take a small leave of absence from everything; at the very least, they need to rest and recover. They didn't know what life would hit them with next and they had to do their best to not get caught unawares. They had been on the road for a couple of days with Dante at the wheel and, while Kat had no place to be, she was starting to get curious at their destination.

"Where are we going, Dante?" she asked him.

"See an old friend," he replied.

"You have old friends?"

"Ones who put up with me despite that I'm a stupid ass."

She giggled but recoiled in pain a second later, her shoulder wound still bothering her.

He winced.

She looked up at him. "Stop doing that."

"Doing what?"

"Blaming yourself for me being shot."

He looked at her, surprised, then shifted his gaze back to the road. "How'd you know?"

"Every time it flares up, you look at me like you're guilty. You didn't shoot me, Dante."

He stayed silent for a long time. "I didn't stop it."

"You couldn't have."

"I should have."

"Dante…"

"I should have, Kat. It never should've happened." He stared back at the road. "I should've figured out some way to get you out of there."

"You can't protect me all the time, Dante."

He opened his mouth but closed it. He swallowed and looked at her. "Maybe that's the problem."

She stared at him, perplexed and surprised by his words, their meaning, and his overall demeanor.

They drove for another day until they came to a large, gothic-style cathedral, situated deep in the base of a mountain. The building was pearl white with gold roofs that gleamed when they caught the sunlight.

"Wow," Kat breathed out.

Dante smiled. "I know, right."

"What is the place?"

"Our Lord of Peace Monastery. My friend, Demetrius, runs it. It's a safe haven. Powerful spells keep the demons out."

"Even you?"

"Nah. I can go inside, for some reason. But my powers fade a little when I'm here."

"Probably due to your Nephilim blood."

"I know that, now. More demon than angel in here, though."

"Not from where I'm sitting."

He smiled. She had that power on him.

They entered the cathedral and were greeted a man wearing a black-colored priest's clothing, giving Dante a slight bow before rising up. "Mr. Dante, it's a pleasure to have you back, sir."

"Thanks, Sam," Dante greeted. He presented his friend, "This is Kat."

Sam looked at Kat and bowed, deeply. "A pleasure, ma'am." He rose back up. "Welcome to Our Lord of Peace Monastery."

She bowed back. "Thank you. It's an honor to be here."

"The honor is ours, I assure you."

Dante smiled and looked at Sam. "Demetrius around?"

"Of course. Right this way."

Sam led the duo through the corridors to a large office with a series of bookshelves that were filled to the brink and scrolls of all kind scattered about. There was a large desk situated at the far end of the room, in front of a large, stone fire place. In the chair at the desk, sat a man wearing a white priest robe. He was wearing glasses, was about 60 or so in age, and had a full snow white beard.

"Father Demetrius," Sam said as he approached.

Demetrius looked up and saw the Nephilim. He smiled. "Dante. Is that really you?"

"Hey, Demetrius," Dante gave a small wave.

Demetrius stood up and walked over to Dante and wrapped him up in a bear hug, patting his back, "It's good to see you, son."

Much to everyone's surprise, Dante hugged him back. "Back at you, old man."

Demetrius released the hug and patted his shoulders. He examined him, taking particular notice of his head. "When did you dye your hair? More to the point, why did you dye your hair?"

Dante chuckled and ran his hand through it. "Uh… fashion choice." He paused. "A lot has happened."

"So, I've heard." Demetrius looked at Kat. "Oh, pardon me! I'm so sorry for my lack of manners." He bowed to the young girl and rose back up. "I am Father Demetrius, head priest of the Our Lord of Peace Monastery."

"Hello," Kat bowed. "I'm Kat. No… real title to add to that."

"She's a psychic," Dante explained. "And she's one of the best friends that I can ever ask for."

"Then a great blessing has come to you indeed," Demetrius said. He clapped his hands together. "You are guests! You must dine with me!"

"Sounds good. We haven't eaten in a while."

"Then we will rectify that." Demetrius looked at Sam. "How soon can we dinner ready?"

"It is nearly complete as we speak," Sam answered.

"Then we shall head for the dining hall, shall we?"

Dinner was one of the most pleasant Kat had ever experienced and it reminded Dante why he liked this place to begin with. The dinner was nothing extravagant or flashy but it was simple and other priests and priestesses of the Monastery. After a very pleasant night, Kat felt herself getting tired and yawned but even that action made her clutch at her shoulder.

"Are you alright, my dear?" Demetrius asked.

"Yeah," Kat ran her hand over her wound. "Just… still hurts."

"She was shot," Dante explained. "My fault."

Demetrius looked at him. "Did you shoot her?"

"No."

"Did you command whoever shot her to do so?"

Dante just exhaled. "No."

"Then stop speaking nonsense. It's not your fault."

Dante just sighed and scratched the back of his head.

Kat smiled, "Thank you. He won't listen when I tell him the same thing."

"Yes, I do!"

"No, you don't."

"Oh, he never listens," Demetrius defended Kat. "Never has."

"Sounds like you know him well."

"Oh, all too well!"

Dante rolled his eyes and Kat giggled. Dante even cracked a smile and shook his head.

Demetrius could see that there was more to this young duo than met the eye. He looked at Sam. "Samuel, please, take Kat to the healers and get her one of the best rooms we have. Make sure that the bed is comfortable so that she may get plenty of rest."

"Of course, Father." Sam walked over to the girl, "Ma'am."

Kat did feel like she could trust these people. But the last time that happened, her best friend tried to enslave humanity. She looked at Dante.

Dante smiled and nodded at her, "It's alright, Kat. You can trust them. I promise."

She nodded, "Okay." She stood up and started to leave with Sam but stopped. She looked back at Demetrius, "Is… there a way that he can have a room next to mine?" She motioned toward Dante. "I'll just feel safer. No offense."

Demetrius gave a knowing smile. "None taken, my dear. Of course, his room will be right next to yours."

She smiled and looked at her best friend. "Good night, Dante."

"Good…" Dante had to clear his throat, having no idea where that came from. "Good night, Kat."

She left with Sam.

Demetrius watched her leave then looked at Dante. "Am I… seeing something?"

Dante scoffed. "Maybe."

Demetrius simply raised his eyebrows and smirked. "Hm." He got up from the table and left the dining room with a subtle chuckle.

Dante knew that tone and body language all too well. He just rolled his eyes. "And that's why I left here."

Later on that night, Dante was standing in Demetrius's study, leaning on the mantle on the fire place as he stared at the flame, letting his mind dwell on recent events and possible future outcomes.

Demetrius walked in and smiled. "I remember you doing that every night for the first two months you were here. Always wondering if you knew who you are."

"Still do, sometimes."

"Questions that only you can answer, my friend." Demetrius sat in his chair at his desk. "You said, when you left here, that you would live your path."

"I did."

"And the consequences? How did those find you?"

"Some I could deal with. Others… I'm still working on."

"Welcome to my life, my friend."

"It sucks."

"Sometimes. But not always."

"Yeah, I guess."

Demetrius smiled. "You found, at least, one bright spot, I can't help but notice." He made himself more comfortable. "With that in mind, we've treated Kat's wounds and she's resting comfortably now."

"Yeah, I saw. Haven't seen her so peaceful. Not in a while." He looked at the priest. "Thank you, Demetrius."

"You're more than welcome. But, now, on to more serious matters."

"No avoiding this, is it?"

"No." Demetrius had a smile on his face.

Dante chuckled.

"Who is the girl, Dante? I can tell she means a lot to you. But, also, she seems a bit… wholesome compared to the ladies I'm used to hearing you prefer to be in the company of."

Dante scoffed. "You have no idea how 'wholesome' she is." He walked over to another chair and sat down.

"Really?"

Dante stared off into space. "Yeah. Really."

"Then you seem to have found an amazing girl, indeed."

"I really did." He paused. "It's why I need to ask a favor."

"Anything."

Dante stared at the fire for a few more seconds. He looked at the priest. "Can she stay here?"

"Of course. You're both welcome here as long as you like."

"No. I mean… just her."

Demetrius sat back, surprised by the request. "You wish to leave her here?"

"I want to protect her."

"Really?"

"Yeah."

Demetrius had long since hoped that Dante would find a cause worth fighting for and become the man he was meant to be. He could see it all about him: Dante had become that man. And Kat may have had a lot to do with that. "How did you meet her?"

Dante smirked. "By meeting my brother."

Demetrius's eyes widened. That was a revelation he wasn't prepared for. "Brother?"

"It's a long story."

"I have no pressing need to be elsewhere. And this is a story I want to hear."

Dante shrugged, "Okay. Well, it all started when a Hunter demon came after me." He paused and sucked in air as he remembered that particular event. "By the way, how Kat me… you probably won't wanna hear…"

"Father God in Heaven, you were naked, weren't you?"

Dante looked away then looked back at him, "Yeah."

Demetrius just exhaled in exasperation and rubbed the bridge of his nose. As much as he admired the young man, he really did make his head hurt sometimes. He looked back at Dante and waved his hand, "Continue."

The Nephilim went into full detail about the ordeal with Vergil and Mundus, leaving nothing out. It took nearly an hour and a half to cover the entire story, with Dante doing his best to remember every detail.

Demetrius had become so enthralled in the story that he didn't realize that he had leaned forward in his chair until after Dante finished his account. Once the tale had concluded, the head priest just sat back. "A Nephilim?"

"Yeah."

Demetrius paused as he considered everything. "No wonder you're so powerful."

"It explained a lot, I'll tell you that."

"But…" the priest shook his head, "all of that… my word, Dante…"

Dante scoffed. "I know, right?"

Demetrius let out a long exhale. "Your brother, Vergil. Where is he now?"

"For all I know? Sitting on the throne of demon world."

Demetrius finally completely understood. "You want to leave Kat here while you battle the demons."

"Someone has to."

"Don't you think she should make that choice herself?"

"She's gonna wanna follow me."

"That is her decision."

"It shouldn't be."

"I will make no decision for you or her, my friend. I didn't five years ago when you left and I will not do it now. God gave us the right to free will. And, you should give her the decency of exercising hers." He leaned closer. "She's gone with you this far. Doesn't she deserve that?"

"I guess she does."

Demetrius sat back. "I'll tell you this, Dante: we will aid you in your crusade to protect this world from demons. We will do all we can. However, you must give her the choice of whether or not to stay or go. She has the right to choose as much as you do."

"Yeah, I guess."

"And there's no rule that said that you both cannot stay here permanently or come here whenever you feel the need and stay as long as you require. But, as for leaving her here… if she wishes it, she is welcome. As are you."

"You already know how I feel about that."

"Indeed. It's how she feels that I wonder."

Dante looked back at the fire.

Demetrius smirked. He'd achieved his mission. He stood up. "Good night, Dante."

"Night."

Demetrius left the study, leaving Dante alone to contemplate everything that was just said and to decide what he was going to do next.

The following morning, Dante was outside, sitting on the hood of their car and staring at the sky. He was still trying to decide what was going to happen next; he wanted Kat to stay safe. She deserved to be safe; she'd been through enough as it was. He looked and saw Kat approaching him and he felt his heart skip a beat. She looked a little more relaxed and she was wearing a smile that could stop him dead in his tracks. He smiled back at as his heart felt warmer than he had in weeks.

"You look rested," Dante mentioned.

"I am," she replied. "Nice warm bath, fresh change of clothes. Best night of sleep ever."

"Happy to hear it." He noticed that her arm was still in a sling but she didn't seem to be in as much pain. "I knew that'd fix you up."

"Yeah, they did. They're really nice here."

"Always have been."

"How did you ever meet these guys, Dante? They don't seem like your usual crowd."

He chuckled. "They're not."

"No kidding."

They both had a quick laugh at that.

"I was fighting demons in Limbo," Dante explained, sliding off of the hood on the car. "Big surprise, I know. Sigils appeared everywhere leading me out. Then… they led me here. Demetrius always said that I had a destiny." He scoffed. "I thought he was full of crap. So… I left. But he told me, as often as I need to, I could come back. The last time I was here was five years ago. Thought he'd forgotten all about me. Then… he hugs me." He laughed. "Five years and he still kept his promise."

"Some people are good for that."

"He's a man of his word. I can respect that. Always."

"Me, too."

He sighed, rubbed the back of his head.

She noticed his twitchy behavior and eyed him curiously. "Dante?"

He looked at her, worry in his eyes.

"What's wrong?"

"This is a good place, Kat."

"Yeah, it is," she said, suspiciously.

"Everyone here takes care of everyone who comes looking for help and they deal with anything or anyone who would hurt anyone else. They don't even care if you're a witch here. They'll protect you all the same."

She was starting to understand but didn't want to believe it. "Dante… what are you saying?"

He looked back toward the empty road. "The world's way more dangerous, now. Demons running around and there are people all over who would try to harness that power. Trust me, I know. And, Lord only knows where Vergil is."

"So, what?" she asked, starting to get agitated.

"I need to go back out there. Do everything I can to defend the people who can't fight this."

"And what do you want me to do while you're doing that?"

He looked at her then motioned toward the monastery.

She already knew what he was saying. She couldn't believe it. She couldn't believe what he was trying to do. Her emotions were starting to rise to the top. "So, you want me to abandon you…"

"It's not abandoning…"

"…while you fight all over the world by yourself?!" she shouted as she rushed at him and shoved him with her good arm.

"Kat…"

"No, Dante! No!" She shoved him again, "You're not ditching me! Do you hear me?! You can not like me all you want but you are not ditching me!"

"I'm not trying to ditch you," he replied, calmly.

"What the hell do you call it, then?! You take me to a place where even you only barely know the people and you just leave me here!"

He looked her in the eyes. "I want to be safe."

She stopped her rant and her rage started to lessen. "What?"

He looked at her shoulder. "You got hurt because of me. Mundus kicked the war into overdrive after I got involved. And you got shot because of me."

"Dante…"

"If you anything else happened to you… because of me, I'd…" He stopped when he realized that, if he said anything more, he would break his own tough exterior. "You can trust Demetrius, Kat. He'd rather die than let anyone innocent come to harm." He stared at her face, seeing tears starting to form. He couldn't stop himself from bringing his hand to touch her cheek. Just touching her skin made him feel more human than anything. "You can be safe. And I'll know you're safe."

She almost forgot to be angry with his hand on her cheek. She never wanted to lose this sensation. "While you what? Go looking for Vergil? Try to destroy all of the demons in the world?"

"I dunno. But… I know they'll be looking for me. I killed Mundus. I'm the Nephilim. They'll come after me. They'll come after you. I won't let them. I'll die before I let them touch you."

"Then stay here! Or take me with you! Whatever you do, don't separate us!"

"No, Kat! You come with me, they find you faster!"

"I can take care of myself!"

"But I can't always! If I could, you wouldn't be standing here with a hole in your shoulder!" He actually felt tears starting to form.

She saw them, as well. That, alone, touched her. "Dante…"

"You can say it's not my fault all you want! But if I had told Vergil to screw the damn files and rescue you, you'd be fine right now!" He was still seething. "If I had known that my own brother was nothing but a traitorous bastard to begin with, none of this would've happened! You wouldn't have been hurt!"

"Damn near all of the most painful things I've ever been through happened way before I met you, Dante! You're not the reason I've been through hell! I was in it before I met you!"

He shook his head. "You just don't get it. This is best for you, Kat. And it's about damn time someone cared about what happens to you and nothing else."

"That's all of you've been doing since we met!"

"Not since we met. I wasn't smart enough to realize how special you were then."

She gasped. She never expected to hear that.

"But I am now." He ran his hand through his hair, calming down a bit. This was a lot harder than he knew it was going to be. "And you are so damn special, Kat. You're special to me. You have… no idea, and I mean none, about how damn special you are to me. You mean the world to me." He knew the only way to end this was to leave. "That's what I have to do this." He began walking toward the car door.

"Dante!" She walked after him. "Dante, wait!" she grabbed his arm, causing him to stop. She finally was beginning to see inside, see his reasoning for this. And, now more than ever, she couldn't let him walk out of her life. "Dante, don't! Don't do this! Don't leave, please! Not now! Not after all this."

He did his best to steady his breathing. He couldn't believe how close he was to crying. "I have to. You're better off without me, Kat. Your life had some peace with the Order and it all turned straight to shit the second I stepped into it."

She spun him around with all the force she could muster with one arm, which was surprising amount due to the adrenaline rush. "That's bullshit and you know it!"

He stared at her, surprised.

She had tears in her eyes as anger and sorrow surged in her mind. "There was only person I gave my trust completely to for years and he turned his back on me. I've only trusted one other person as much I trusted Vergil." She stopped to get her breath. "And that's you."

"And you see how that turned out?!" he retorted, desperate to get her to see his point. "Now, he's out there! And he'll be back for me! You said that hell was already in your life before you met me! That's true, yeah! But it'll come at you with everything it's got on the next go around! I'm not gonna be the reason it comes back to finish you off!"

"YOU WON'T BE, DON'T YOU GET THAT?!" she shouted. "YOU'VE NEVER BEEN! YOU'RE THE ONE WHO SAVED ME FROM IT!"

Now, it was his turn to be caught off guard. "Kat…"

"I'm not done, Dante!"

He closed his mouth.

"You think my life got worse because of you?! That it's going to somehow magically get even more worse because of you?! You've gotta be kidding me! You know the shit I went through before I met you! Yeah, I was safe to a degree but what happened to the Order could've happened any day of the week! It's just happened to be around the time you joined! That's all! And you think that you're some kind of… what, bad luck charm?! That you're the reason, that you're responsible for any calamity in my life! Never! Not one day, do you hear me?! You're not the worst thing that ever happened to me! You're the best!"

He couldn't even respond. All words were gone from him right then.

She felt tears flowing like a river now and didn't care. She looked away, thinking of what else to say. "Do you remember…" she looked back at him, "after you killed the Succubus?"

He nodded.

"You asked me to trust you. And I did. I already had. But… the more I trusted you… the more I wanted you to trust me."

"What do you mean? Why?"

Her anger started to wilt away as pain and sorrow started to return. "When… when I didn't tell you about how Vergil and I met, it was because… I hated remembering how my father used to abuse me. But… I… I didn't want you to know what he used to do to me. And… not just because it was hard to talk about."

He squinted his eyes. "So… why then?"

She sighed. "I know it sounds stupid but… I didn't keep my life story from you because I didn't trust you." She looked away from him. "I didn't tell you because… I thought you would… be disgusted by me." She mumbled out, "Think I was used goods."

He leaned back in complete shock at the utterly ludicrous statement. "Kat, c'mon!"

"Well… I mean… my… dad… a demon and he used to…"

He walked up to her and put a firm yet reassuring grip on her good arm. "I couldn't care less. What he did to you… doesn't make you you. You're stronger than anything that bastard did to you. Hell, it proves how damn strong you are to survive all of that."

She almost smiled at his compliment. But she couldn't yet. "But that's why… why I didn't want to tell you. If he hadn't of already known, I wouldn't have told Vergil. I just… I didn't want you to know."

Silence fell over them as a brief reprieve from the cavalcade of emotions.

He looked her over, gently rubbing his thumb on her arm. "You know my record. I'm no saint, never have been. Why were you afraid?"

She swallowed the lump in her throat as she prepared to admit this, to him and herself. "Because… maybe, you saw me differently. Differently than you've seen anyone else. Different than… other girls. If you knew that… how he used to… you wouldn't, anymore."

He sighed. "Kat… I see you… way differently than I've seen any girl I've ever met."

She looked at him.

"I would never see you as anything less than the woman who's done more for me than anyone. How you saved me. In more ways than one."

"Dante…"

"That's why I'm trying to leave you here, Kat. Your world's different now." He looked back at the monastery then looked at her. "You can be one of them. You don't have to keep fighting. You can have a normal life. You can be safe."

She just stared at him, finding his words ridiculous. She needed to shut him up and realize why attempting a normal life after all of this wasn't an option.

"A life where you could at least be a little safe and not worry about…"

She threw herself at him and kissed him, figuring it was mistake but she had done and been through worse. Whatever he had planned to say to her was long since gone. All he could think about was her lips on his and how the taste of it was better than anything he had before. He never saw Kat as any of those girls he was with before but, now she was so far beyond them, it was insane. Just a kiss from her was better than his wildest nights in the bedroom. This felt more real, more tangible. He couldn't stop himself from putting his arms around her and pulling her closer. This action just made them deepen kiss and extended it to a full minute.

After the kiss, Kat lingered near his face. "There is no going back for me, Dante," she whispered. "There hasn't been since…" She stopped.

"Since what?" he asked in a hushed tone.

She opened her mouth to answer but paused as she realized what she was about to admit to. And she wasn't afraid to anymore. She was ready to say this. "Since I realized that I love you."

He looked into her eyes, stunned. "What?"

"I love you, Dante." She closed her eyes for a second as she accepted the fact that he now knew. "I'm sorry. I know your life has been hell and this doesn't help but… I can't stop it." She opened her eyes and looked into his. "I won't. I love you."

He looked all around as he couldn't believe it. The girl he fell in love with was in love with him, too. He took a deep breath and exhaled. "Kat… I love you, too."

She was almost positive she heard that wrong. "What?"

"I do. I just… I don't know if I can be a… boyfriend or whatever. I've never been one. Hell, I've been nothing but a slut."

She scoffed.

"But… after I got to know you… I don't know I just…" He looked away, swallowing a lump in his throat. "All I know is that when someone like you comes along and shows someone like me that I can believe in something worth fighting for… you'll do anything to fight for it." He stared at her. "And then you… you became so much more to me than just… the person who made me believe. All I want to do is protect you."

She could clearly see it in his eyes, right down to his heart. He meant every word he was saying. He wasn't holding anything back. He was showing all of himself to her.

"That's all I want."

She couldn't take it anymore. She rushed at him and kissed him again for everything she worth; she kissed him like she was never going to see him again. In case he decided to leave her here, she had to make this one count. She wrapped her good arm around his neck, pulling him closer. Dante became so lost in the feeling that he wrapped his arms around her waist and pulled her closer again. Kat kissed him harder, tears streaming all the while. She lost everything else; she couldn't lose him, too. This was probably the best, and only, way to show him that.

They stopped to catch their breath and they looked at each other.

"If you think, for a second…" Kat whispered, "that I'm better off without you, then you haven't been paying attention."

"Kat…"

"I love you, Dante. And, if you leave, I swear, I'll follow you. You think I can just forget about you? That I can just let you go? After everything that happened? I can't. I never will."

He just closed his eyes, taking a second before speaking. "I just wanted to keep you safe."

"Then stay with me. I'll be safe as long as I'm with you. Just…" She shook her head, "don't leave me alone. Don't leave me without you. Please, not now. Not after all this." She rested her head on his chest. "Please. Not after we know how we feel for each other. Not after everything we've lost. Please. Don't make us lose the last thing we have."

He stared at the ground as he tried to figure out every rational way out of this. But he couldn't. All he could think about was this woman who was pleading with him to stay and love her. Truth be told, that was the one thing he wanted the most. "You know the world is more dangerous now."

"It was never safe for me."

"They'll hunt us both."

"Let them. If I get one day of being with you… that'll be more than worth it."

"Kat… I just don't want to lose you."

"Let them do whatever they want to me. You will never lose me, Dante. You've been in my heart for so long you'll always be a part of me. You can't tell me by now that I'm not in yours and that I haven't become a part of you."

He scoffed. "You're in there, Kat. Like you wouldn't believe. Like I never thought it was possible, you're in here, for damn sure." He paused. "And I do love you."

She hugged him tighter. "I love you, too."

Rationally, he knew what he should do. But, all he could think about was holding her close. He closed his eyes and let himself be absorbed by this feeling. She loved it just as much as he did. They stood in silence for a long time, not needing to say anything.

After a while, Kat let out an exhaled. "So… what now?"

Dante looked back at the Monastery. "We're safe here for now. As for what next…" He exhaled. "I don't know."

"I'll be here with you. We'll figure it out. Together."

"Together…" he breathed out. "I've never had that before."

"You do, now. And I'm not letting it go. Not now. Not ever."

"Neither will I, Kat. I swear."