A/N: Hey, guys. So, this is one of the 24-hours fan fictions I do every now and again. Meaning, I had the idea before hand, started writing it last night, and finished just a few minutes ago. I sometimes love it how my brain works, even if it does keep me up at night later than I intend. Anyway, I hope you guys enjoy this one. I think it's a new favorite of mine.

After The Rain

The rescue mission may not have gone exactly as planned but Kat was safe and sound; to Dante, for the moment, that was all that mattered. Still, Kat and Vergil knew that there was still work to be done, as did Dante, despite himself. With Mundus angry and off balance, now was the perfect time to strike. Back at their hideout, Kat was going over the details of the mission and what needed to be done to finally end Mundus and his reign of terror. Dante heard her plan but it was hard to concentrate since she was so hurt and could barely talk with wincing in pain. He realized that Mundus must've kept her wound as such that she didn't bleed out but not heal it either. If it wasn't for the fact that she was the only one who could give them the layout of Silver Sacks Towers, he would've made her stop and get some rest.

Soon, Kat had completed her explanation of everything. There was nothing left to do but perform the mission itself.

After the briefing, Vergil nodded, "Okay. So, not much left to do but finish this."

"Yeah…" Dante looked at Kat. "Why don't you finish getting ready, Vergil? I'm gonna make sure she's okay."

"Dante, she's fine. We need to…"

Vergil was cutoff when Dante shot him a look that screamed that he wanted to talk to Kat alone. He wasn't used to seeing such determination from Dante where a fight wasn't involved. Vergil found it rather impressive.

The Yamato wielder nodded. "Alright. I'll, uh… go get ready." He exited the room.

Slowly, Kat moved her good hand to clutch her shoulder.

Dante walked over and sat next to her, crossing his legs. "You okay?"

"It just hurts," she answered. "I'll be fine but… thanks. And, thanks for the stitching me up, too."

"Sure." He paused, looking for the right words to say to her after all she'd been through for his and Vergil's sakes. He found it funny; he was never at a loss words for girls before, not even Kat in the beginning. But something between then and now changed. He just wasn't sure what. "You were… really brave. Not to give in to Mundus, I mean. But… you're always brave."

She appreciated the praise but shook her head. "I said too much, though."

"Not even. Most of what you told him, he already knew."

"I gave him Vergil's name."

"So, what? Vergil's smart; he can get another name."

Kat scoffed but smirked, slightly. She looked at him timidly then looked away. "I, uh… wanted to thank you."

"What for?"

"Vergil…" She paused for a second, putting her free hand on the floor to rest on it. "He, um… told me how adamant you were about saving me. You had a real ace up your sleeve with Lilith… but you saved me, instead." She stopped again when something else came to mind. "And, at the docks… you came and got me when they were shooting at me. They shot you. I know they did."

"I can take a few bullets. Besides, what was I supposed to do? Let you die? Let Mundus keep torturing you?" He shook his head, "Never gonna happen. Like I said to Vergil, I wasn't gonna abandon you. You've done way too much for me." He stopped for a second, realizing what he said. "I mean, us. For us. Me and Vergil, I mean."

She smiled a little more at that. His compliments really meant something. "You had an easier way to get to him."

"And that would've meant losing you. Not at all a fair trade."

She couldn't stop herself from smiling. To know that she meant that much to Dante had more of an effect on her than she thought it would. She looked at her drawing of the Tower. "It's all about to change, isn't it? Everything." In her heart, a few things already had.

He hadn't realized it until now but, in his heart, things had changed, too. This was evident by the fact that he realized he had been staring at her the whole time they had been talking. "Yeah," he whispered, "It really is." He looked at the map. "A new world's coming. It's almost here."

"I hope so."

He looked back at her. "We're gonna do it, Kat," he said, assuredly. "We're gonna win. We're gonna win and it's going to be because of all of us. You, too."

She shook her head. "I'm no hero."

"Bull. Yeah, you are. You saved me and Vergil. You're as much a hero as anyone. Actually, even more."

She smiled again. She looked at him. "Thanks, Dante."

He nodded.

"Just be careful in the Tower. Once you get to the Furnace, I won't be able to contact you. I won't be able to help you anymore."

"You've helped me more than enough. More than anyone has ever helped me before."

She couldn't lose her smile if she tried. Not that she was even going to try.

He smiled at her and looked back at the map. "I can hardly wait to put Mundus away, set everyone free."

"Brand new world," she said, quietly, staring off into space.

"Yeah," he whispered.

As they sat quietly, taking a last few precious moments before the battles began again, she had one more thing to say. She couldn't figure why she was about to tell him this but she wanted to. "Can I tell you something?"

He looked at her, "Absolutely."

"It was something that happened to me when I was a kid. Before the foster home and… and everything."

"Okay," he nodded, understandingly.

Sitting up a little straighter, she rubbed her injured arm with her free hand. "I must've been like five, maybe, when this happened. Long before all the bad days."

"Sorry you ever had those."

"I feel that way sometimes, too. But they did make me stronger."

"They did. They really did."

She smirked, hearing the admiration in his words. "I remember my mom taking me outside after a rainstorm. I always loved the smell of rain and after it was over but that day was different." She stared off into the distance, setting her hand down on the floor again. "It was at dusk when the rain stopped and the sun was just under the clouds. It was so beautiful, Dante. I'd never seen anything like it. The sun was so bright. So golden. Like everything was new." She paused, giving a small smile.

He loved to see her smile. It made him smile more than he realized.

"That's what I want to see: the world after Mundus. After the rain he caused is over. I want to see a new world, a new sun. The one after the rain."

He understood that. And was going to give it to her. She deserved it. He placed his hand on top of hers, causing her to look at him. When she realized what he did, she started to blush. When she looked into his eyes, she became short of breath.

"I'll bring it to you," he declared. "I promise. I'll show you that the storms caused by Mundus are gonna end, once and for all. I'll show you the sun after the rain, Kat. I promise."

She smiled. He smiled back.

She scooted closer to him and put her hand on his cheek. She leaned forward and pressed her lips against his other cheek. She lingered there for a while, her eyes as closed as she getting completely lost in the sensation she was feeling by having her lips pressed against his skin. He didn't mind; he inhaled her scent, becoming intoxicated by her. She finished her kiss and backed away, leading to stare into each other's eyes. They wanted be around each other more. They wanted their lips to meet. They didn't want this moment to stop.

Vergil cleared his throat, getting their attention as they both looked up at him. He had his coat on and was holding Yamato. He was looking at them, curiously, uncertain at what he just walked in on. With all the events of late, he knew something was going on between them and this confirmed it. But all of that would have to wait. "It's time."

They both nodded.

"I'll wait outside, Dante. But we need to go. As in soon."

"Right," Dante answered.

Vergil headed outside.

Dante turned his attention back to Kat. "I'll be back."

She nodded.

He stood up and, though it pained her to do so, she did the same. She reached up and wrapped her good arm around his neck, resting her head against him. He closed eyes, savoring the moment, and wrapped his arm around her waist, pulling her closer.

"I'm coming back," he whispered.

She nodded. "I know."

It was a hard for thing for him to promise and a hard thing for her to accept but, for some reason, they both did. They separated but were still holding hands. He smiled at her and walked off to follow Vergil to end this ordeal while she hoped and prayed they would win today. They both held on to the hope that they would return to each other when all of this was over and better days were ahead; where they would see a new world, together, and to see the sun after the rain.

A/N: And there you guys have it! What did you think? Reviews! Please and Thank you!