A.N: Well, here's my first ever DMC fanfic that I've ever worked on. Its kind of old, so please don't be too harsh when criticizing. I wasn't going to upload it here, but I though "Eh, what the heck. Why not?" (this story is also uploaded on deviantArt)
I DO NOT OWN DEVIL MAY CRY OR ANY OF ITS CHARACTERS
Chapter 1: Beautiful Stranger
The rain seemed to pour down harder by the second; pitter-pattering on the tin trash cans as well as the roofs of the houses. Shots rang out in the gloomy darkness the heavy grey clouds had brought upon the city. In an alley way stood a young man soaked from the rain. His name; Dante. Silver hair clung to his face as his ice blue eyes looked down upon the demon in front of him. His blood red, leather coat stood out against the dark grey buildings that lined the alley way; his large sword pointed down at the demon with the rain bouncing off its blade. Thunder rolled in the sky as Dante sighed with boredom, the skeletal demon disintegrating in front of him. The jobs Enzo had been forcing him to do lately were extremely boring. Dante would refuse all the offers, but the fact that he still had rent to pay for his office wouldn't allow him to do so. What it came down to was; he had to take any job Enzo threw at him, no matter how much he complained. Dante ran his hands through his wet, silvery hair before putting away his sword, which seemed to be begging to see more action. His custom made guns, Ebony and Ivory, were no different. All the jobs he had been given lately were only jobs such as getting rid of a few demons in a warehouse or exterminating a demon that decided to take residence in an innocent civilian's home. Nothing a few shots from his guns or a quick swing of his sword couldn't handle. None of which quenched his thirst for some action. But, none of this could be helped. If no one in the underworld, or associated with it for that matter, was stirring about to rid of his presence then, there was to be no major work until something like that happened. As of now, only the demons that had found some miniscule way to climb into the human domain were to be his victims.
Dante walked away from the scene, his gloved hands jammed in his pockets as the rain bounced off the shoulders of his coat. His icy blue eyes scanned the barren streets as he walked, uncaring, towards the bar he usually went to when he had nothing better to do, to get a drink. It wouldn't help with his thirst for action, but it would take his mind off of things, even if only for a moment. His footfalls echoed in the streets as he walked, creating a sense of loneliness. Though, he felt two pairs of eyes on him, from a window up above. Dante slowly came to a stop and looked up, only to see that the gazes belonged to two children. A little girl, who looked the age of six, and a boy, who looked the age of ten, looked down at him with wonder. Both moved away from the window a moment after they had been spotted. Dante shrugged and continued towards the bar, his expression of boredom unchanged. When he finally reached his destination, he yawned as he walked towards the door of the bar, named Bulls Eye; jukebox music hit him like a blast of air as he walked in, as did the welcoming warmth that was radiating from the heater. There weren't many people here, but it didn't matter to Dante. He preferred not to be around a lot of people anyway. A few people were off to the side playing pool while only one person sat on one of the stools, hunched over drinking.
"Yo, Dante. Long time, no see", the bartender greeted with a friendly smile.
"Yo", Dante sat down on one of the stools, "I'll let you pick the drink. I'm not feeling really picky, just nothing too expensive, though"
"You got it", the bartender turned from Dante to grab a glass, trying to ignore the fact that Dante was dripping wet and getting water all over his wooden floor. He knew Dante wouldn't really care if he told him anyway. He grabbed one of the Vodka from the small refrigerator below the counter, knowing that it was Dante's favorite out of all the other's he had tried. "So, how's business?"
"Boring, and let's just leave it at that", Dante answered, taking the drink from the bartender as he set it on the counter, "I came here to get my mind off of things, not talk business"
"Sorry", the bartender apologized before turning to the drunken guy at the other end of the counter, "If you are going to drink yourself to death, don't do it here. I'm not gonna have ya keel over in my bar"
"Mind your own business", the guy's words slurred, barely understandable, "My girlfriend just dumped me for another guy"
"Please", Dante said sarcastically, "I've been dumped by more girls than you could imagine"
"Hm, and I wonder why that is?", the bartender said sarcastically, a grin soon spreading on his face.
"Can it", Dante shot back.
"You brought it up, not me", the bartender pointed out, shrugging with a half smile on his face. Dante opened his mouth to protest, but found nothing he could argue with. He just smiled smugly in friendly defeat as he brought the glass up to his lips.
Without a word, the drunken guy stood up and stumbled out the door. Dante went back to his drink, enjoying the taste as if it were his last drink. The cold liquid felt good as it rushed into his welcoming mouth. Even though it was cold outside, he didn't mind a cold drink in a warm place like this. The bartender turned from him to clean the shot glasses the drunk had left, which seemed to take up a fair amount of space on the end of the counter. The sound of the pool balls hitting each other echoed in the small bar as the tune from the jukebox changed to some oldies song Dante had never heard of. Then again, Dante never listened to that stuff. To him, it was equal to garbage. Just when he thought things couldn't get any worse that day, Enzo walked into the bar and sat next to him, a stupid grin on his face.
"Good news", Enzo started, his pudgy fingers grasping a shot glass the bartender had just filled up for him, "I have another job for you"
"I'm jumping for joy", Dante rolled his eyes, taking another swig of his drink, annoyed.
"Hey, don't forget, you still have rent-"
"I don't really care about the rent, I just want an exciting job, Enzo", Dante stated, trying to hold back the urge to choke him. The boredom caused from boring jobs made Enzo seem more irritating than usual.
"Once you pay off this month's rent, you can reject and take any jobs you want", Enzo put down the shot glass, wiping his face with his sleeve.
Dante sighed a silent, irritable sigh, "What is it this time?", Dante asked annoyed.
"Here are the papers", Enzo put on his usual stupid grin once more, "If you're lucky, the employer just might pay you more if you get the job done quicker"
There were so many times when Dante just wanted to take his guns and put some holes in Enzo. His stupid smile and his overly annoying persistence would be the death of him one day. And, unfortunate for Enzo, Dante would feel no regret for being the cause of his death. All who knew them were well aware of this and were just waiting for the show to happen. Even so, he could never rid of Enzo's presence. He needed the office and he needed to keep the jobs coming in, even if they were boring. Before Dante could turn in his chair, a woman walked into the bar, a cold gust of wind following her inside. All the men turned their heads towards the new customer. She looked at the age of twenty with emerald green eyes and wet, raven black hair, which clung to her bare shoulders. She wore a simple, strapless black dress that hugged her every curve, with a silver chain necklace around her neck bearing a green leaf pendant. A slit ran up one side of the dress up to her mid-thigh, which revealed a black ribbon criss-crossing up her leg. Two black high heels with intricate silver designs finished off the simple, yet beautiful, appearance. Her face seemed almost fairy like, despite the fact that her emerald eyes held an exhausted appearance.
All the men in the bar held perverted gazes, which, wasn't surprising, given the fact as to where she came into. A bar wasn't particularly filled with clean minds. Despite the obvious, the woman sat down two stools from Dante.
"The cheapest you have, please", her melodious voice rang, which suited her looks perfectly.
"You got it", the bartender turned around, intentionally grabbing the most expensive one to please her. He had no intention of making the beautiful woman pay for the worst tasting drink in the house. Besides, he had never seen her here before, so she wouldn't know the difference between his cheapest drinks from his expensive ones. Dante stole a glance at her, feeling a strange aura emanating from her.
"Here ya go miss", the bartender smiled, "Enjoy"
"Thank you", she said
The bartender nodded and turned back to washing the shot glasses, all the while holding back the urge to steal a glance at the woman. A perverted smile spread across Enzo's face. 'Idiot, she's not an easy woman. She looks like a woman who wouldn't think twice about stabbing a man who irritated her', Dante thought to himself, drinking the last of his drink. The other guys went back to playing pool, the short show over now. They seemed to sense that she could kill them if they continued to gawk at her. The woman brought the glass up to her pink lips and drank the amber colored liquid as if she were drinking fine wine. Everything about her seemed graceful. Not even a minute later, the woman sensed she was being watched and looked past Dante, who was getting another drink, at Enzo. Her emerald gaze was fierce though her facial expression was otherwise.
"I would rather you not gawk at me, or do you not care to keep your eyes in their sockets?", she sounded calm, but her glare was deadlier than anything.
"S-sorry", Enzo turned his head the other way, feeling that what she spoke was no empty threat.
She turned back to her drink, taking another sip before speaking, "Bartender"
"Y-yes", he stuttered, "What is it?"
"I believed I asked for the cheapest, did I not?"
"You did"
"I don't believe you expect me to pay for this, right?", she eyed him, though, the gaze was more that of question rather than blame for what he had done.
"Of course not miss", the bartender smiled, "That was my intention from the start. I just didn't want a lady, such as yourself, to have to put up with the foul taste of the cheapest"
The woman smiled, "Why, thank you sir. Very thoughtful of you"
"Anytime miss"
The air held a tense buzz, none wanting to be the one to break it. Only the sound of the water running to clean the dishes was heard. The pool players had even stopped their game, whispering amongst themselves quietly. But, as always, Dante didn't care about keeping the silence. In fact, he despised it.
"Hey, have my strawberry sundae?", he asked the bartender.
The bartender sighed, "You're like a kid, still", he scratched his head, "Yeah, I've got it. I save it only for you. Seriously though", the bartender started, taking out the ice cream and the strawberries from the fridge, followed by the whip cream, "When are you going to outgrow this childish dessert?"
The woman's emerald gaze drifted over to Dante, who paid no attention to anything but the dessert he was about to receive. Enzo was still scared of the woman; he kept his gaze adverted towards a random sign on the wall, knowing that it's contents were going to bore him in a matter of seconds. Then, her gaze drifted down towards the papers in front of Dante, who was now receiving his strawberry sundae. 'Dante?', she questioned, seeing his name on the request form.
"If you don't mind me asking…what do you do for a living?", the bartender snapped the woman out of her thoughts.
"I sing", she answered, looking at him, "Professionally? No"
"Really?", the bartender started, drying the wet shot glasses, "Can we hear ya?", The bartender was eager to get more words out of her. He loved her voice.
"Sorry, but no", she answered, "I'd rather not"
"Shame", the bartender turned around, "But I won't make ya. By the way, what's you're name?"
All was deathly quiet, except for the spoon Dante was eating the sundae with. Every now and then, it would clink against the bowl to make a small ringing sound.
"My name is Helena", she answered.
"Nice name", the bartender said, still drying the dishes.
The bartender, besides Dante who didn't care, was the only one brave enough to make a conversation with the young woman. The others did not dare try to talk with the woman who looked as if she could bite their heads off if they got on her bad side. Enzo had already crossed that line, while the others teetered on the line of 'like' and 'hate' because of their whispers. She looked at Dante once again and stole a glance at his strawberry sundae.
"Would it be alright if I had some?", she asked, a smile on her face, "Or, is that served only to you?"
Dante looked at her, the silver spoon in his mouth. He was confused at first until he noticed her glancing at his sundae, "Help yourself. It's not just for me, doll. I'm just the only one who has been asking for it"
Her smile grew slightly, "Thank you"
The bartender got out the contents for the sundae, and made one for Helena. He set down the bowl in front of her and put the spoon down on a napkin next to it. Dante watched her eat the strawberry sundae from the corner of his eye. Her emerald eyes sparkled with joy, like a child's, as she ate the dessert. She savored each bite, as if they were her last. Every move she made was graceful and, unintentionally, seductive.
Those playing pool had left now, leaving only Dante, Enzo, Helena, and the bartender in the bar. The rain could still be heard drumming of the roof and pinging on the windows. Despite the rolling thunder, it was quiet once more. Dante and Helena continued to eat their ice cream contentedly. Enzo wanted to leave but couldn't because he had more information for Dante, which he couldn't muster the will to spit out. The bartender continued to clean the dishes, trying to think of more questions that he could ask Helena. Lightning cracked outside, startling only Enzo. The room had lit up for that brief moment, outshining the lights that hung in the bar. The others went about what they were doing without giving the weather a second thought. Then a flash of lighting erupted off in the far distance once more, succeeding to startle Enzo again.
"You're pretty jumpy, aren't ya?", the bartender turned around and looked at Enzo, done with the dishes.
Dante made no comment as he continued to eat his strawberry sundae. Enzo cleared his throat, trying to regain some of his dignity as Helena struggled to hold back a giggle around a spoonful of ice cream. Dante couldn't help but smile as she tried to suppress her small laugh as he took another bite. Enzo was immediately embarrassed and cleared his throat once more and started talking so he could leave and not embarrass himself further.
"Anyway, Dante…you need to be at that mansion tonight, pronto. Remember, the quicker-"
Dante pulled out ivory with his free hand while still eating his sundae, and pointed it at Enzo's head, the smile gone as quick as the lightening outside could strike, "If you wanna walk out of here alive, I suggest you shut that big mouth of yours. I've been hearin' your fat mouth flap all month and it's getting on my nerves"
Enzo gulped, laughing nervously, "You wouldn't kill me"
Dante tightened his grip on the trigger, "Try me"
"If you want to kill him, do it outside. I don't want to have to clean up your mess, or have this place smell like blood for that matter", the bartender stated, throwing a towel over his shoulder.
Dante put his gun away, getting back to finishing his ice cream. Helena had a grin plastered on her face as Enzo wiped the sweat that had beaded on his forehead. Sure, he had known Dante for quite some time. But, you never knew when he could snap, even if it was just for show. Enzo took some time to think back; He had never really seen the half-demon completely snap before. Dante always had a cocky grin on his face, accompanied by sarcastic remarks. If Dante had ever completely snapped, he had never been there to witness it. And it was probably better that way, too. Enzo would be dead by now if he was ever with Dante at the wrong time. He was lucky enough to have lived this long.
Dante looked away from his empty bowl and noticed Helena eating the sliced strawberries that the bartender had left out in the container on the counter, staring off into space now. It was obvious that she wasn't paying attention to what she was doing.
"You might want to save some for me for the next time I come in, if you don't mind", Dante pointed out. Now, if that was Enzo eating those strawberries, the man would be dead. But, since this was their first time meeting, Dante didn't want to start something.
"Oh! I'm so sorry!", she pushed the carton the strawberries were in aside, embarrassed. The elegant woman that had walked in seemed to have another side to her, "I didn't mean to, honest"
Enzo knew full well that if that was him eating, he would be on the floor bleeding to death. Helena blushed with embarrassment, which made her delicate features seem almost childlike.
"Don't worry about it", Dante smirked, "Just couldn't have you eating all of them. Wouldn't want this old geezer to have to get some more so soon"
"Who you callin' 'old geezer' you ungrateful freeloader", the bartender crossed his arms and stared at Dante, though, all knew he was only playing along.
Dante shrugged and smirked before bringing his thoughts back to the mysterious woman, the bartender turning around to check his inventory. No matter how hard he tried to shake it off, he had this feeling that Helena wasn't your everyday human. Was it demonic aura he was sensing? No, it was strange. It wasn't human, but it wasn't exactly demonic either. What was it that he was sensing? He studied her as she ran her hands through her drying hair. It was obvious, now that her hair was almost dry, that she had bangs that swept to the one side, framing her face. Helena seemed to sense that he was studying her, but she thought nothing of it. After all, he wasn't looking her up and down like all the other men. Though, he would have done it any other time.
"If you want, you can stay here until the rain stops", the bartender suggested, leaning on the back counter, changing his mind about checking the inventory. He didn't feel like it at the moment. Plus, the place was hardly ever busy, so, he could do it some other time.
"I would, but it doesn't look like the rain will be lifting anytime soon", Helena stated, "I have to get back to my sister"
"A sister, eh?", the bartender smiled, "Is she as pretty as you?"
Helena let out a small laugh, "I won't be the judge of that"
"What's her name?", he continued.
"Tara", Helena got up, leaving the money for the drink and the dessert, "I like this place. I think I'll come by more often"
"Please do", the bartender smiled.
"If ya do, you'd give me something to look forward to. Rather than his annoying face", Dante said, obviously meaning Enzo, as he turned around on his stool, elbows resting on the counter.
Helena smiled, "Same here"
With that, Helena left, back out into the rain. The bartender would have offered her an umbrella, but he didn't have one. So, that did no good. Dante sighed, turning back to the papers and eyeing them with disgust.
"Alright, then", Enzo got up, leaving his pay on the counter as well, "I'll talk to you some other time"
"Wish I didn't have to", Dante grumbled as he flipped through the pages.
Enzo rolled his eyes as he walked back out into the rain, leaving Dante and the bartender the only ones left.
"I'm surprised you haven't killed him yet", the bartender chuckled.
"Give me time. I'll get around to it", Dante replied with an annoyed tone, "Though, now I have one less place I'm allowed to do it. Too bad your place is off limits now"
"I'll let you do it outside my bar", the bartender chuckled once more, "You have my permission"