Devil May Cry © Capcom, Resident Evil © Capcom
Hygge and Wabi-sabi
Jason M. Lee
Work as a government agent who answered to his country's head of state was never-ending.
Never-ending reports.
Never-ending following leads, and the follow-ups.
Never-ending research on the backgrounds, the whys, the whats, the nitty-gritty details that doesn't really get glamorized in entertainment.
(Or get over-glamorized in entertainment.)
It was a price that wasn't labeled, but it was there.
"I'm gonna scrub this virus from the face of the earth."
A price that he was willing to pay.
And yet...
Although Leon was sure his eyes were staring while muscle memory went for his gun, he made damn sure that his mouth wasn't hanging open at the sight of the woman in a white shirt and what looked like a skirt made of ammunition pouches flipping acrobatically about bizarre creatures with claws and scythes, handgun and SMG firing away. Some of her firing was mixed up with the occasional shotgun and a crossbow with a pistol-grip. (A faint memory tickled on seeing the creatures, but Leon quickly pushed it to the side - no need for distractions.)
The one time the agency's handlers booted him out so that he could use his accumulated time off, he decided to see if he could track down one particular branch of his family.
Granted, it had been years - childhood, really - since he had last spoken with them. Boyhood memories of rambunctious fun with his two cousins during summer vacations, and the occasional meeting during winter break. Yet, that all stopped at some point - the most he could remember was his mother trying not to freak out after receiving a phone call, and disappearing for a week. That time had been spent at his maternal grandparents' place, to which none of his questions had been ever properly answered. Only that his aunt had vanished and they couldn't find his cousins because something had happened.
It was only years after Raccoon City that Leon was able to dig up some more info on what had happened to his cousins and aunt, a mix of digging through both official and unofficial channels. But it wasn't still a complete picture, with so many dead-ends. The most recent lead from one informant had directed him to this city, and given the forced vacation time, he thought he might as well try it.
Gunshots and screeching had greeted him just as he was pulling into the outskirts of the city, plus an explosion from near what looked like an abandoned warehouse, and thus Leon found himself in his current situation. And then a scythe nearly meeting his neck.
"The hell you standing there for?! Either you help me out or get out of here!"
Given that whoever this mystery woman was, she apparently knew what she was doing, but he doubted she'd object to any form of backup. Seeing some of the demons ('That's right...') dissolve into sand or just turn to goo didn't stop him from saving up questions. Especially when she started tossing out hand grenades, even shoving a few into mouths before dodging away. (Mentally, Leon made a note to up his training regiment to include at least some gymnastics, although he was sure his spine was wincing at some of the twists the woman was pulling off.)
Eventually, silence, save the few tinkling of casings rolling on the concrete floor and the last of sand falling. Both warily eyed each other but still looked about their surroundings. Slight relaxation only came when nothing else popped up, prompting a gusty sigh from the woman.
"That client of mine is going to get charged double for this job..." A wry smile as she re-holstered her SMG. "Not from around here?"
Leon shrugged, picking up the empty magazines. "Just got into town. I'm looking for someone, and the info I was given pointed me towards the city proper."
"Oh? Got a name?" She still hadn't quite taken her eyes off of him, even though she was moving to a hung satchel and digging through it. "Even if I personally don't know who you're looking for, maybe some of my contacts will."
Decisions, decisions. Paranoia reared its ugly head, memories of a certain woman in red and her breadcrumb trail of info. Yet the gut feeling from his police academy days was quite insistent that this city was definitely it. Best to test the waters first, though.
"Dante."
He had to admire how she simply blinked, little expression on her face save for that slight twitch on the hand still holding her gun. Maybe...
"Got a description? There's probably a couple of Dantes in this city."
If he still had his old jacket, he'd eat the portions that were made with real leather. "I was told that he's got white hair and likes to wear red. It's... a personal matter."
Barely veiled curiosity gleamed in her mismatched eyes as she tilted her head, no doubt weighing her own options. "I might know someone. First, though, did you see a motorcycle outside?"
A raised eyebrow at that question. "A burning one just outside, with a scythe embedded in it. Was that your ride?"
She gave him another wry smile as she finally holstered her gun, pulling out a dark blue box, a box of chalk, and a bottle from the satchel. "It seems my bad luck with motorcycles are catching up again."
"Heh, I get it." Leon gestured before her and stepped back. "You do whatever you have to do here."
A nod, and she got to work. He watched how she used the chalk to draw circles with geometric shapes in it at various points of the warehouse alongside its edges, before sprinkling whatever the liquid was. From the box, a bundle of dried leaves was lit and swung in four directions over each circle, a scent that was more than just smoke occasionally drifting over. He could also see her lips moving, but couldn't make out the words, other than that by the time she had finished her circuit around the inside as the circles briefly glowed before disappearing, it felt a bit lighter. Outside, she repeated the same motions again.
"Cleansing ritual, I take it?"
This time, the woman quirked an eyebrow at him. "That, and making sure whatever gaps here are closed. Are you a hunter?"
"Nope, just read up some stuff." After action reports, research, writing up briefings, and going through biological-related sessions took up enough time as it was. "Ready to go?"
"I still need to deal with my client."
"Lead the way."
Whoever her client was, they were certainly well off if the ritzy hotel she directed him to was of any indicator, from the line of high-end cars to the opulent chandelier in the main lobby, and that giant alcohol rack he could just make out at the bar area. And the barely hidden sneering looks directed at him from some of the guests and employees, no doubt because of his more casual jacket and jeans. Boots sounding off towards him from the elevator prompted some additional frowns and Leon bet snide comments would've been made, if not for his impromptu partner's high number of ammunition pouches, holsters, and the cat-got-cream smile on her face dissuading the hotel guests.
"I take it negotiations were successful."
A gleeful cackle as they slid back into the rental. "He didn't realize that one of his subordinates had been the reason why that warehouse was infested and why they couldn't repurpose it until I pointed out traces of a summoning ritual. Cleansing was part of the contract, but closing any intentionally opened gaps was considered extra. Since they found some of the summoning paraphernalia in the brat's bags plus his confession, my client was more than willing to agree to the... adjusted invoice, as well compensate for my bike. I even recommended him to someone who can do a more thorough cleaning job."
He had to give her props on her mercenary-like shrewdness. "Remind me to never get on your bad side. With that said, I've held up my end of the bargain."
"Fair enough. Go straight at the light ahead..."
Much of the drive was of her telling him directions, but they were able to trade firearm tips and preferences of the type of weapon to use in various scenarios. Neither of them had still shared their names, but it was fine at the moment. The only thing that slightly soured the trip was being nearly T-boned by several young drivers who thought street racing on one of the most busiest thoroughfares during rush hour was a good idea, and they were delayed by having to talk with the police. They also made a quick pit stop at a drive-thru to get something into their stomachs - he had skipped lunch, and she had burned quite of bit of energy on her extermination and ritual.
Thus, Leon found himself arching an eyebrow at the pink neon sign that hung over the double doors in what definitely had to be a rougher part of the neighborhood, the shadows not helping as it had gotten rather late. Granted, the surrounding area wasn't as dingy as some places he had been to, but he could still make out chipped and fading paint on the brick work from the nearby apartments, as well rust on some of the metal fixtures. (Not to mention the many, many bullet holes that weren't covered by plaster and barely illuminated by the street lights. And what looked suspiciously like claw marks.)
"'Devil May Cry'?"
All he got was a shrug from the woman as she fiddled with her keys, although there seemed to be a hint of fondness. "The... proprietor can be whimsical at times."
Leon snorted, noting the familiarity of her movements as she hung up her satchel on a highly battered coat hanger. "Proprietor my ass, more like you two are business partners if you have keys to the joint."
It wasn't the most bizarre place he had seen, but there was such a contrasting dichotomy of the large desk, a piece of paper sticking out of a typewriter, some filing cabinets, and a well used surround system against the skulls that were impaled to the wall with various blades. While he was no blade expert, he knew that those swords were definitely not just decorations. And that gigantic sword with what looked like a red amulet embedded in its side was no way normal in any sense.
(And yet, in spite of its organic appearance, his instincts weren't reacting to it with the same kind of revulsion like he would have towards B.O.W.s. More of a strange mix of a mild itch and... comfort?)
She simply grinned as she closed the door behind them. "Guilty as charged."
"Keep it down! The kids are asleep!" a voice hissed from the back as boots shuffled towards the main room. "Finally done with that job, La-"
Seeing the mop of silver-white hair haloed by light streaming from an apparent back room, and the red shirt with sleeves rolled up was more than enough to send a rush of emotions through his chest. Childhood memories from summers long past drifted through again.
Ice blue eyes widened, staring. "...Leon?"
The former rookie officer gave a weak wave. And there was that sense of awkwardness he had anticipated. "Hey, Dante."
"Holy shi- Leon!"
If his ribs protested at the sudden hug from arms that felt more like steel, Leon didn't mind, returning his own hug as tight as he could. The woman had politely turned her head to the side to give them some sense of privacy, but at the moment, he truly didn't care if there was an audience present. Feeling something wet trickle near his neck, Leon let out a soft laugh, never minding that his own eyes were also a bit wet.
"Are you crying, Dante?"
"Aw, shaddup." Dante pulled back, holding the man at arms length while beaming. "Don't deny that you're doing it, too. Even a devil may cry when they find a loved one."
Leon had to give him that, wiping at his eyes. (That last part felt like something of an inside joke between Dante and the woman, if the smiles between them was anything to go by.) "Been too long."
"Definitely. Crap, when'd you get here?"
"Short version: I get into the outskirts, and find her taking on a bunch of demons, some that I recognized as Hell Prides, and decided to join in. Her bike got trashed, so I played chauffeur." He nodded at the woman. "I'm guessing that she's your business partner, given that she has keys to here."
"Introductions would be nice, Dante," she reminded with a playful smirk.
Dante didn't stop smiling, wrapping an arm around the woman's waist and pulling her close while affectionately nuzzling her hair. "Leon, this is my partner in more than just business, Lady. Lady, this is my cousin Leon Kennedy from Mother's side of the family."
"More than just cousins - we're more or less half-brothers, genetically speaking," Leon spoke up, noticing Lady's questioning look between them. He had his fair share of meeting highly... interesting people, and as much he wanted to know the history behind her choice of name, he wasn't going to pry this fast. "Our mothers were identical twins."
"No wonder you looked similar." She nodded her head, sticking out her hand. "Pleasure to meet you, and nice shooting."
"Right back at you." His body immediately reminded him the lack of caffeine and demanding rest, forcing him to cover a wide yawn. "Sorry."
"Dang, it's that late already?" A quick glance at the battered clock, showing the time as being quite late. "Come to think of it, are you staying anywhere, Leon?"
"Just got into town." And he hadn't even bothered with reservations because the information that lead him to this city was the most recent, and he had didn't want to take chances.
(He had also didn't want to get his hopes up too high.)
Dante nodded to himself. "Good. Sofa here can be pulled out, shower's in the back, and we'll talk more in the morning. And I'm not taking a 'no' from you."
Simply raising his hands in mock surrender, Leon gladly relished the shower, and after bidding both of them a good night, settled into the sofa bed. He was no stranger to unfamiliar sheets or mattresses, but even with his body's need, his mind wouldn't let him sleep easily. What little light that peeked through the closed blinds cast shadows on the skulls that reminded him far too much of the biological monstrosities he had encountered over the years, and he didn't feel comfortable enough to really sleep with his back to them. After much fussing and tossing around, Leon found enough of a compromise where he wouldn't be seeing as much light, and where the shadows cast wouldn't be as ominous.
It still took a while before he finally succumbed to sleep, letting the ticking of the clock and the outside city life lull him in.
3-1-4-2-5
Cracking a large yawn, Nero fumbled through the motions of his morning bathroom routine before quickly checking in on Cato in the nursery. Tiptoeing up to the crib, he studied the sleeping baby and didn't bother fighting the smile that automatically grew on his face upon seeing how peaceful Cato looked. He could happily watch his baby cousin sleep all day and not do anything else (other than learn new hunting and devil tricks) - the other boys at school would call him "sappy" or "mushy" if they found out, but they could go suck it. His baby cousin was adorable as hell, and he'd beat up anyone who'd say otherwise because they're blind idiots.
'It's kinda weird,' Nero mused as he lightly brushed the downy hair that was the same silver-white like his and Uncle Dante's, 'that I'm just as protective over Cato as much as Uncle Dante is. And I'm not even mad that Cato would be able to actually call them "dad" and "mom" out in the public.'
Deep down, Nero knew that for all he called them "aunt" and "uncle", they were still his parents in every aspect of his life ever since Uncle Dante had taken him in from the orphanage, as he had told them before. While his science classes hadn't gone into detail about the human body yet, he did get from what Aunt Lady and Uncle Dante had been teaching him that with his father being Uncle Dante's identical twin, Cato was basically his little brother as well. Thinking about that brought up the feeling of protectiveness again, further warmed when Cato briefly nuzzled into his fingers, and if anyone said that he practically melted at that, he was going to deny it to his grave. What little tidbits of his biological father Uncle Dante would dole out every once in awhile had made him a bit wistful, but it was sort of like one of those novels that they'd read together, where it was sometimes kind of hard to miss someone you've never met.
(He only hoped that he'd never meet the woman who was his birth mother, because he would definitely tell her off for abandoning him at the orphanage on that island with those crazy cultists. Okay, Uncle Dante would get first dibs for obvious reasons, but he would still be pissed.)
Satisfied that his baby brother - there was those warm fuzzies again - was fine, Nero went downstairs quietly, mindful that Aunt Lady hadn't been home for dinner the previous night, and so obviously came back late. No new skulls on the wall probably meant low level demons, and he passed by the strange man sleeping on the sofa bed under the stairs on his way to the kitchen to see about break-
'Waitamin, "strange man sleeping on the sofa bed"?'
Turning around, Nero spotted the large lump under the spare sheets and his curiosity flared up. Tiptoeing closer, he almost couldn't help but do another double take as he made out the man's features in the lightening shadows.
'He looks like... Uncle Dante.'
Different hair color aside, the man definitely resembled his uncle, mostly the jaw and part of the cheeks, maybe a bit of the nose. Just as he crept closer to get a better look, one of the floorboards barely creaked and blue gray-eyes snapped open.
Stormy blue eyes stared back.
Nero had barely blinked when the man's hand promptly went for a sheathed knife that he hadn't even noticed, causing him to yelp - not squeal, he didn't squeal - and scramble back to hide on the other side of the large desk. After several heart-pounding moments of huddling, Nero noticed that the man hadn't followed him, causing him to peek a bit over the desk. The man had gotten into something of a crouching posture on top of the bed, knife held out in a way he had seen Aunt Lady do sometimes, and staring back at him.
"Who the hell are you?" Nero hissed, barely catching slight whimpers from the nursery and cursing himself for not being quieter.
"I could ask the same of you, kid."
It weirded Nero out that the stranger's voice also sounded a bit similar to his uncle. Different, but some of the inflections were still there.
"I live here, dumbass! So why the hell are you sleeping here?" Nero glared, wondering if he would be fast enough to grab Cerberus. "Uncle Dante's gonna kick your ass."
Something flickered in those blue-gray eyes, before the man let out a soft sigh and lowered his knife, running a hand through his hair. "He kind of did mention that last night..." he muttered to himself.
Nero frowned, wondering what did the stranger meant. He struggled to also not stare at how the man's dark blonde bangs fell in a way that almost made him a mirrored image of Uncle Dante.
"Man, first morning here, and you're already causing trouble," his uncle chirped cheerfully. Looking up revealed his relative coming down the stairs with a blearily blinking Cato. "Not so loud, kiddo. Lady came back late last night, so let her get some extra sleep."
"I know. So can you explain who the hell is he?" He knew it was rude to point while hiding behind his uncle, but if the stranger was going to cause any trouble, he wasn't going down without a fight.
(Even though some devil instinct of his was insisting that this man was no danger to him or his family.)
An amused snort, ruffling his hair. "Nero, this is Leon. He's my cousin and brother the same way you and Cato are - his mom and my mom were identical twins. Leon, the big ankle biter is our nephew, Nero, and the little nibbler here is Cato, mine and Lady's. The reason why Leon's here is because we haven't seen each other in a very long time, and he just found me yesterday."
Well, wasn't that a bit embarrassing. Nero could feel his cheeks heating up in mild mortification upon realizing that the scent he caught from him was kind of similar to Uncle Dante's, just pure human. He wasn't sure whether to feel even more humiliated as his new uncle also chuckled, sitting back down on the bed and sheathing his knife.
"Guess that certainly could've gone better." A somewhat dry smile, extending out a hand. "I'm a bit... twitchy. Sorry, Nero. No hard feelings?"
Nero supposed that with an uncle who seemed just as twitchy as Aunt Lady and kept a weapon near him even in bed, he had to be something of a badass. Maybe he could learn something new. "No hard feelings, Uncle Leon."
He liked the wider smile that grew when he shook the hand, because it reminded him now that he had a slightly bigger family.
3-1-4-2-5
Dante had never felt so much more full in his life as he started up the coffee maker and got to warming up a bottle for Cato, all the while keeping an eye on Nero working away on the ingredients to make omelettes.
He thought his days would've been a mess of... nothing. Of just going through it.
The disappearance of his father.
His mother's death and then believing that his brother had died.
Hiding his demonic powers, believing himself to be the human "Tony Redgrave" while slipping in and out of the foster system, later on hanging out with various mercenaries before meeting Nell and recovering his true identity.
That whole mess with Vergil and Temen-ni-gru.
Coming to terms with his father and meeting Lady had helped somewhat, but there was still that slight emptiness.
And then finding out about Nero on Fortuna.
Catching the quarter-devil baby's scent after he was brought out by one of the sisters and his devil instincts kickstarting into protective mode had kindled some kind of spark within him, realizing that he had someone to come home to. That as much as Nero needed him, Dante needed Nero just as equally. Where while he learned new things on how to juggle raising a part-human baby as a devil hunter, he himself both learned new and normal human things (cloth diapers was easier on his wallet) and re-discovered some old things he thought he had forgotten since childhood (aloe vera was perfect on both sunburns and minor flame burns). Learning a bit more about his devil instincts and finding ways so that it wouldn't be as difficult on him, Nero, or Lady was also quite the trip - Sláine had been helpful there, being also half-human like him and having some more ideas on how to handle the more trickier instincts.
There was also finding out about Lady and their baby.
Even before Nero came to live with him and after he finally got all of his licenses and permits, Dante had been half-hoping that Lady would stay with him as a business partner. Yet given that their emotions were still a bit raw, he didn't dare bring it up. Her visiting for whatever reason, be it dropping off his share of the pay, bringing up a prospective job, sharing the latest gossip, or later helping watch over Nero, was more than enough.
Then, Mallet Island...
Dante let out a soft sigh, pushing over a cup of coffee towards Leon, still keeping an eye on Nero who was now carefully rolling the omelettes in the pan. The whole issue of Trish showing up with his mother's face, and then realizing that Nelo Angelo was a mind controlled Vergil - his own big brother - had turned into a bit of a stressful mess after returning home. He had been worried on how to tell Nero that he had killed his own father, but Nero had taken that out of his hands by eavesdropping, something he was grateful for. He and Trish, on the other hand, needed time away from each other to work out their own feelings, although Lady and Sláine had been helping them gradually get over the hang-ups.
Feeling his cousin/half-brother's gaze on him, Dante temporarily ignored it in favor of feeding his son and burping Cato so as to avoid most of the day's future messes. Satisfied that his son was settled, Dante tilted his head back at Leon.
"Just..." A weak shrug, gesturing around them with mug in hand. "Still absorbing it, you with kids, especially with your... occupation. Domesticity doesn't seem your style."
"Same here at first." Dante lightly tapped Cato's nose, smiling as his son went a bit cross-eyed. "But after meeting Nero... Yeah, no way, not with our family history, especially with that island."
"You'll have to tell me more about that place some time. They might not be within my field of work, but extra info can never hurt."
"No problem, I've got a file."
"Hey, Uncle Leon," Nero hesitantly started as he set down a plate that was piled high with slightly misshapen omelettes but were actually smelling pretty good. (Dante mentally patted himself on the back at how Nero's cooking skills was improving.) "What do you do? Are you a hunter like Uncle Dante and Aunt Lady, or an information guy like Morrison and Enzo?"
Leon hummed thoughtfully around his mug, tapping the table with his other hand. Dante was curious as well, as the knife his cousin had pulled out appeared similar to knives used by some of the special forces members he had encountered in the past.
"You could say that I'm a special government agent, in a nutshell," Leon finally offered.
Dante had to hold back a snicker at Nero's eyes widening, the boy leaning forward eagerly.
"You're a government agent? That's so cool! What's your day like? Do you get to go on super secret spy missions? Do you have all those awesome gadgets like that British spy dude has in those films?" Dante almost laughed out loud at how much bouncing his nephew was doing. "Do you get to use 'if I tell you, then I'd have to kill you' when people ask for details? C'mon, Uncle Leon!"
As he listened to a somewhat flustered Leon try to answer an excited Nero's rapid-fire questions, Dante (and his internal devil) basked in the warm feeling that was growing in his chest, the sensation swelling when Lady pressed a kiss to his temple before taking Cato and joining them at the table. Sure, the present scene in his kitchen wasn't the image of two badass devil hunters - and sometimes maybe mercenaries - that the rumors painted him and Lady as, but he didn't give a damn about those people, just so as long they didn't bother him or his family. (Alright, both he and Lady still had a bit of a reputation to maintain, but that was child's play for their informants.)
It wasn't the "picture perfect family" he had often seen or read. Hell, his own family before Sparda disappeared wasn't either. There were the arguments between him and Lady, the bangs and bumps with the kids, the various screw-ups along the way between three of them, a million mistakes made...
Before, he had felt somewhat aimless and empty.
Scenting and seeing Leon - alive! - in his shop the previous night which created a new flurry of emotions...
Now, there was so much more inside him.
The gradual morning sun crept through the windows, some of the light reflecting and catching Lady's (mate) hair as she took a bite from one omelette and then advised an attentive Nero (nestling) on how to better prep and season the ingredients. Taking the reprieve from his "interrogation", Leon (bloodkin-nestmate) went back to his coffee while waggling his fingers in front of a highly curious Cato (nestling) who kept trying to reach out, a small smile growing on Leon's face.
And Dante wouldn't have it any other way.
A/N: "Hygge" is a Danish/Norwegian word that has no real English equivalent,meaning more or less " a mood of coziness and comfortable conviviality with feelings of wellness and contentment". "Wabi-sabi" 侘寂 is a bit on Japanese aesthetic plus Buddhist philosophy on accepting the beauty of imperfection.
Takes place after "Nibble, Nibble" in "Bouquet of Calendula".
Yeah, this is is just straight up crack fluff, and now I'm wondering if I made Dante and Leon too OOC. (But they both deserve happiness, dagnabbit!) This was partly born from browsing long hours on both RE and DMC wikis and their TVTropes pages courtesy of a variety of things:
- Hideki Kamiya directed both the original 1998 RE2 and 2001 DMC, DMC being born from one of RE4's early prototypes (plus the enemy-juggling glitch from Onimusha).
- Leon's design has been mostly consistent on part of his bangs covering his right eye (mostly RE4 and later appearances), while Dante's original design in the first DMC had him with bangs that partially covered his left eye (whereas his later designs would switch between covering either one or be Blinding Bangs), thus Dante resembling Leon.
- When DMC was still being in concept stages as RE4, one of Dante's early character concept - Tony Redgrave - was going to be a police officer. Leon's a police officer in RE2.
- Toshiyuki Morikawa is the Japanese voice for both Dante and Leon in some of the games (i.e., RE6, DMC4:SE, Project X Zone 2) and supplemental media (i.e., DMC: The Animated Series and RE: Vendetta).
- The DMC Wiki page on RE gives extra insight on the fair amount of cross-production ideas over the years between the two, while the RE Wiki page on DMC gives extra history on DMC's creation as well the shared English-speaking actors in both voice and motion capture.
Those factors furthered the plot bunny where Leon was Dante's cousin by virtue of their mothers being identical twins (with the whole "twins run in the family" joke), the original bunny having been on the back burner for several years until DMC5's announcement. In a nutshell, genetically speaking Leon is half-brother to Dante and Vergil, while on a family tree they're first cousins.
Cato refers to Marcus Porcius Cato Uticensis, also known as Cato the Younger to differentiate from his great-grandfather, his name meaning "wise" in Latin, and whom Dante and Virgil meet at the shores of Purgatory in the Divine Comedy.
Yes, I was also listening to "Dear Theodosia" from Hamilton. Part of the duet between Burr and Hamilton had given some inspiration.
I might do future chapters, depending on inspiration.