Watching eyes
The dark night was only briefly illuminated by the weak light of the waning moon as the clouds drifted across the sky. A black shadow crept along the walls toward the house that was signalling its presence with a big neon sign.
The shadow silently moved into a dark alley to avoid being spotted in the coloured light that spilled on to the wet street. It patiently awaited its prey and its patience was soon rewarded as the sound of two motorcycles echoed through the night. With an eager look in its eyes the creature crept closed, positioning itself so that it had a clear view and a clear path to the target.
Oblivious to the fact that they were being watched, Dante and Trish pulled up outside 'Devil Never Cry' and got off their motorcycles. A pair of slanted green eyes narrowed in concentration as they watched Dante unlocked the front door and when he opened it and stepped aside to allow Trish to pass, the creature made its move. Out from the shadows it leapt and before either Dante or Trish could react the cat was inside the office, trimming its claws on the sofa.
"Darn cat, you scared me half to death," Trish yelled.
The black cat only gave her a dismissive look and strolled into the kitchen.
Dante shut the door with a bang and grumbled:
"What's that stray doing in here again? I thought you got rid of it!"
Trish shrugged and yawned, stretching her aching body.
"I'm too tired to fight anything else tonight. You take care of it; see if you'll do any better."
Walking up the stairs she heard Dante mumbling something about females, both human and feline.
The cat sat on the counter watching Dante as he entered the kitchen. He opened the fridge to get a beer and then leaned against the opposite counter.
"Look, you can't keep sneaking in here, it's no place for a cat," Dante said, feeling a bit stupid for trying to reason with an animal. The cat gave him a blank look and started cleaning its face.
"Hey, shove off, get out," Dante suddenly yelled, waving at the cat who briefly hissed at him and the returned its attention to its fur.
With a sigh Dante put down his beer bottle on the counter behind him and walked over to the cat and scoped it up and headed for the backdoor. The cat instantly started to wiggle and twist to free itself and finally, by sinking its sharp teeth in Dante's thumb, escaped his grip and ran into the office. Dante stomped after it while sucking his injured finger but the animal was gone without a trace.
Today's work was beginning to take its toll, so Dante took a half hearted peek under the sofa and then with a shrug went upstairs to finally get some sleep. Halfway up the stairs he said over his shoulder:
"Well stay then, but don't expect us to feed you."
When the sound of his footsteps had died out, the cat squeezed out from under the wooden desk and, after a moment of cautiously listening after any sound that would announce the human's return, it sneaked through the open door that led to the basement. It climbed up on the high cupboard that contained various weapons and curled itself up into a furry ball and fell asleep with a content smirk on its face.
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The next morning, after breakfast, Trish and Dante headed down to the exercise room in the basement and started training after a quick warm up. Wielding Alastor, Dante easily parried and returned Trish's attacks. After a few hours of training Dante almost had Trish pinned down and moved in for the finishing blow against her throat, when a small black shadow leapt from the top of the cupboard, aiming for Dante's back.
After years of training Dante had trimmed his instincts to near perfection and sensed the attack, reacting without thinking. With a fluent motion he changes the direction of his blade and made a round sweep behind him. The cat only avoided being cut in half by twisting its body horizontally and then it landed unharmed between the two combatants.
Dante stared at the animal. He had nothing against cats but this specific specimen was more then a little annoying. He watched guardedly as it approached him. With a low purr it softly buffed its head against Dante's knee as if it wanted to apologise for its prior rudeness.
"That cat is really freaking me out AND getting on my nerves." Dante pushed the cat away and helped Trish up from the floor.
"Yes, I am annoying, am I not?" a disembodied voice said with a slight chuckle.
Dante and Trish stared at the cat that suddenly became still. Then it shrugged and started cleaning its paws.
"Sorry to disappoint you but there are no talking cats whatever Lewis Carroll says. I am over here."
They both looked around and noticed a shimmer in the air in front of them. A figure slowly started to materialise, turning out to be a young woman. She had long black hair, clear green eyes and the smooth complexion of a marble statue. She wore knee high top boots, closefitting pants and, over a simple shirt, a chain mail. Brushed back over her shoulders was a worn black hooded cloak that reached down to her heels.
When she had fully materialised she took a step towards the pair standing in front of her. They instantly tensed up, preparing for her attack even though she was not armed. What they did not prepare for was for Alastor to tear itself from Dante's tight grip and fling itself towards the young woman. With an absent minded gesture she raised her hand and the sword made a sharp turn and buried itself point first in the wall.
"I guess Alastor is still upset because I left him on Mallet Island," she said with a grin.