Revised version

"Dante"

"Hmm."

"I want to go out to a movie tonight."

Dante looks at her, raising his head at the woman he loves and gives her a slight smile. A movie, he thinks to himself; why a movie when he can just lay here with her and cuddle? Lord knows how many times she's had to complain in the past about not having enough cuddling time. Women were like that, he muses to himself as he produces a slight smirk. Always complaining about not having enough quality time for hugging and sweet talking while men on the other hand, she protests, were always pining for the sex. He sighs. Nothing to be done for it now. Taking his nap will be postponed. He'll have to take her out on that movie or he'll never hear the end of it.

"Alright, babe. Let's go. Get your coat and we'll head over to see the new horror flick they're showing."

"Dante, not the horror flick! I've had enough of all that gore and blood and stuff with your night time side jobs. Can't we go see something more romantic? Maybe a Meg Ryan film or that new romantic movie they're showing with that…."

She snaps her fingers but can't recall the name.

"It's alright, we'll check it out first. Come on, babe. Times a wasting."

He winks at her and ruffles her mahogany hair, messing it up a bit and she scowls at him for that gesture. He treated her like a child sometimes, she frowns to herself, but behind the bedroom door he treated her quite differently.

"I'll heat up the bike outside and wait for you then."

Dante walks outside, feeling the cold air and he measures the distance from his office to the bike parked outside.

"Dante! There's a phone call for you! They have one of those passwords."

"Aw crap. Alright."

Picking up the phone, he listens for the other on the other line to speak.

"You are the demon hunter that killed off the ruler of the underworld, correct?"

"Uh, yeah, what do you need?"

"I think you might want to go to Rex and Reed associates tomorrow. There's something there that you might be interested in. I don't want police in it. Are you game?"

"What the---? Listen, I'm not into games but what is it exactly do you need from me? Are there demons you want me to eradicate or something because, dude, that's what I'm into."

"Obviously. I got the correct password didn't I? Wasn't it Lady's box?"

Dante laughs, "Yeah, it's the password alright. Alright, I get paid as soon as I'm done with my mission. I want my money when the jobs done."

"Oh you'll get paid handsomely."

Click.

The phone went dead and Dante stares at it for a second and shakes his head.

"They're getting weirder and weirder. All this mystery crap and all. Alright, babe, we can still make that movie if you want."

The young woman holds him from behind, encircling her arms around his waist and sighs, "I think I'll just stay here with you tonight. We'll watch old movies and eat microwave popcorn and if you're hungry, I'll make something quick."

Laughing, the hunter turns around and kisses her nose, "You change your mind as much as you change your clothes, woman."

"I have every right to, don't I?"

There was a mischievous glint to her eyes and she laughs with him as he picks her up and carries her upstairs.

The next morning, Dante wakes up and turns off the alarm clock, sees his woman laying there still asleep. He smiles and gets up to prepare for battle. He usually didn't do day jobs but it wasn't unusual either. Day jobs for him usually require a less eye attracting attire. Less red that is. His girl loved to go shopping and spend for his new wardrobe, saying that his current ones were ghastly and were only suited for Halloween haunts and masquerades. Although in her strange quirks, she loved it when he puts them on for her and pretends to save her from a demon.

His attire consisted something less bright of course, using a more somber dark red color and black, yes, black, the usual colors. Looking out the window, he sees that it's pretty sunny and black will just intensify the heat. Not to be helped really since he wasn't in the mood for wearing shorts and a tee shirt, especially since he'd be packing artillery ready for some kind of minor world war.

Upon parking his bike downtown, he realizes he ran out of coins to put in the parking meter. Damn, he thinks to himself in frustration, he'll just have to run inside the building and ask for change and hoping that no meter maid pounces on this opportune moment.

Before walking into the building, he looks up to see the modernity of its structure, tall, at least fifty floors and with those classy expensive windows that you can't see in but they can see you from the inside. The design too is interesting. Something his girlfriend would probably know since she is into modern architecture. He's more into ancient architecture. I guess it comes from knowing castles, old mansions, palaces and fortresses. Probably easy to see him go back in time and be one of those knights of templar or something. The thought made him laugh because he was after all, a half demon.

Dante catches sight of a drunken old man laying there by the building's entrance. He looked really out of place with his dirty clothes, unshaved look and thick unwashed hair. Yet security looked pretty tight around here and no one dared to take him off the premises. Interesting.

The man stops him before Dante could walk in.

"Demon slayer, be careful you do not leave the one you love behind."

"Huh? What was that, old man?"

Dante was a bit taken aback at his words and the fact that the old man knew he was a hunter.

"I said, I want a drink! Do you happen to have some money you can spare an old man like me, son?"

"Hey, I know you said something else! What the hell did you say? You said something about leaving my love behind?"

"AH, stay away from me! I'll call the cops!"

The old man's eyes widen and he holds up his two hands to ward off Dante's advancement towards him. The silver haired man stops, sees that perhaps the old man is playing games with him but he'll have to deal with him later because he's got a job to do first. He has to get paid after all.

Security was pretty tight and he had to show his badge, compliments of the police department. Yeah, he had an ongoing deal with the FBI now; his work was pretty much top secret and has even escalated up to the CIA and paranormal crap. He has authorization to carry firearms but the deal was, was that he had to contact the Feds before hand about his rendezvous. He didn't really care much for the government anyway. So he usually did things on his own. It had frustrated a few agents a few times but they couldn't really afford to lose someone like him. They didn't even know about his ability to have the powers he did own. If they did they'd probably put him in a locked up government building where they dissect him to death, figuring out how a guy like him got his powers.

It was best that they think him excellent at martial arts and firearms. Including the ability to do acrobatic and super human stunts, which he would chuck off as saying he did stunts for a while. Of course there was no record of him doing any side jobs as a stuntman but they let that go too.

So there was the office, the head office where he was first heading towards to, and since there was nothing more in the phone call but to come here, Dante assumes that it would have to be the boss of the place.

Sensing something supernatural going on, he was dead on that this was the place he'd dome some demon butt kicking. Later, he'll tell his girl all about it in bed and she'd get upset about him confronting all these demons and how she was incessantly worried.

There was a secretary at the desk. She looks up at me and smiles. Her smile was overly friendly and he was used to this kind of thing really. Women always flocked to him like bees to honey. It was a benefit but these days, he only wanted one woman and he couldn't wait to get back home to her. She was great. Maybe he'd make a family of his own with his woman. The thought did produce a smile. It was the first time he wanted one.

Sometimes he'd have contact with his father from the other realm but no one solid here. His mother did come to him in his dreams on and off to say hello and to give him her love but nothing here to hold or to give his love to. A three horned demon appears in front of him, breaking his thoughts and the secretary screams in shock, instantly running away from her desk and causing the rest of the floors employees to scream and call security.

The demon came up from underneath the floors, like a portal really, which was typical entrance for them, arising like smoke and having the body of a goat and some other hoofed animal. This one though he recognized instantly and knew that a couple rolls and flips; his Ebony and Ivory taking turns would do the job instantaneously. It was quite disappointing really. He would have really wanted a more suitable challenge.

"Demon slayer! You!"

The monstrosity pointed his sharp fingers at him and starts to attack, and Dante did his roll and turn and brings out his signature guns, shooting round after round into the demons body while it tries desperately to catch him.

After his initial first few rounds, the demon was thus destroyed and he cocks his head at the employees hiding behind their upturned desks and their scared faces. Security was there but they were just as afraid and then they called police. Well, he thought, it was time to go. He didn't feel anymore demonic presences and he really wanted his payment and maybe take his girl to a movie. If not, staying home was definitely a plus.

By the time he walks out the door, the drunken old man walks up to him and hands him a thick note. So this was his payment, Dante thinks with pleasure, taking the proffered money.

"You should have stayed home, Demon slayer."

"Whatever, old man, thanks for the payment."

Dante walks over to his bike and curses immediately upon sighting the ticket. He forgot all about getting change and he shakes his head. Ah hell, maybe he'll send this to the police and they'll pay his parking ticket for services done in the name of the law.

Arriving home, he notices that the door was open to their office home.

There was a note at the desk.

It read, "Lady is now ours, Demon slayer. If you want her, you'll have to meet our terms."

He throws his sword and guns on the desk and slams his fist against a wall, creating a hole there and he shakes his head.

What the hell?

He runs a hasty hand through his silver hair and thinks quickly of the old man who said about his loved one. Damn.

Running back to his bike, he hopes to find that drunken old guy again. He knows something about this. He has to!