Strawberry Fields Forever

Disclaimer:Devil May Cry and all canon characters belong to Capcom & the title "Strawberry Fields Forever" belongs to The Beatles—I take no ownership of any of these. I do, however, take ownership of the plot & OCs.

Author's Note: This is absolutely, 100% inspired by Leo Tolstoy's Family Happiness and I thought it was necessary to put that out there—everyone go read it now! All jokes aside, this is rated M solely for some cursing (in this chapter only, really) and a lemon, possibly. Still not sure. Anyway, feedback is greatly appreciated. Happy reading!

Chapter 1 – Memories

"Dante, are you even listening to me?" Dante could tell Lady was upset just by her voice on the phone. Dante, on the other hand, was too damn tired to give a rat's ass. But hell. He was tired all the time, at least according to Lady. She had a solution though, and she was going to put an end to Dante's seemingly perpetual crabby attitude.

"Damn it Dante!"

"Huh? Oh yeah, I'm here. What were you saying?"

"I said I'm coming over," Lady repeated. "I have a surprise for you."

A surprise? When was the last time someone tried to surprise Dante? Dante didn't have to think about it—no one ever bothered to surprise Dante, or do something nice at all. Knowing Lady she wasn't going to shock Dante with anything pleasant—a free pizza is what he could have gone for. She was probably going to come by with another complaint of him owing her money, even though his debts were long paid off. So when Lady tells Dante she has a "surprise" for him, he wasn't at all excited. He merely sighed over the phone.

"All right." That was all he said before hanging up.

Waiting was never fun for Dante, no matter what he was waiting for. He simply sat before his desk, boot-clad feet propped firmly on the hard, wooden surface before him, hands behind his head. He was feeling a little sleep-deprived, and wondered whether or not he had time to slip in a short nap. He knew he'd taken naps a lot more usually nowadays, but he was always so bored and tired, there was nothing better for him to do. Unless eating counts. Nevertheless, Dante's napping contemplations were interrupted a few moments later when Lady opened the door and approached Dante, sitting comfortably before his desk.

"You're not going to sleep again, are you?" she asked, cocking a brow. Dante sighed, chest rising and falling, and found himself sitting forward now, with his elbows on the desk.

"Nope," he answered. "What's this surprise you got for me?"

"Oh you'll love it," Lady started, smirking at the white-haired devil-hunter before her. "Ever heard of demons on school buses?"

What the hell…? Dante started piecing everything together. Finally, he looked right at Lady and said, "Your surprise is a job?"

Lady only shrugged in response. "Yeah, so?"

"So no. Take it somewhere else. I don't want it."

"You're taking the job," Lady pressed. "Take a look at yourself you fucking slob. You haven't gotten off that goddamn seat in days, why don't you do something with your life before it's over?"

"I've gotten off my seat," Dante argued lazily. "But fine. Tell me about this job. I'll see if I'll want it or—"

"You're taking it." Lady interjected, demand high in her voice. Dante's facial expression didn't change, though his stare remained constant, and after a few moments of silence, Lady finally said, "There's been talk of a demon invasion in a nearby town."

"What gives? I've handled demon invasions before." Dante snorted.

"You didn't let me finish." Lady informed. "Anyway, this problem is bigger than that. The demons have been running amuck, doing whatever they can to shed some blood. And they're done with targeting the mayor. These demons are desperate, disguising in whatever they possibly can, to kill not our generation, but the next."

Dante didn't say anything.

"They're killing kids, Dante. You have to do something."

"Wait, why do I have to do something? What about you?" Dante asked, out of pure curiosity. That didn't mean he didn't sound like a dick—he sounded like a huge one at that.

"Didn't think you were that heartless." Lady said with disappointment, head shaking in emphasis.

"That's not what I meant." Dante clarified. Lady only looked at him until he spoke again. "What's the pay?"

Lady put a fisted hand on the desk and then laid it flat. "Pay? There's no pay, Dante. But you leave tomorrow; I got your train ticket already. No refunds on that."

When Lady left for the door, Dante noticed she left something on his desk from when she had her hand on it. He reached over slightly and studied the train ticket.

It's been eight years since he's been to Hillsborough. He left without looking back, he wasn't ever supposed to go back, and he didn't have the heart to.

"Damn it." He grunted.


Hillsborough was easily the most beautiful town Dante had seen—very scenic. Hillsborough was a tourist attraction for many because of its award-winning wine, miniature peninsula, friendly faces, and picturesque buildings and architecture. Regardless of the direction Dante dared to walk, or the attire he chose to wear, all of the people he made eye contact with had a smile placed upon their lips, a welcoming glare in their eyes.

The roads lacked in pavement, for they were all composed of ashy red bricks. Cars hardly ever drove on it because the town was small enough to walk place to place and people chose the fresh air anyway. It was laid out so that all the shops (all written as "shoppes" in this town) and schools were in one area, like a big downtown. And all of the residential areas, the houses, circulated around it so it was a ring of houses around the town itself. Commuting to and fro was never a problem for the residents.

The sun never seemed to set in Hillsborough, as the moon and stars shone brightly, lighting up the sky like a candle. Even though it hadn't rained in over 25 years, it was so incredibly green and it never got too hot or cold; there was always a mild breeze brushing through the leaves of the trees and the sunlight washing between them.

It was all a very small, yet charming renaissance town that people fell in love with in an instant.

When Dante first went, he was far from impressed. He was a little repulsed by the utopian kindness of the town, that was, until he found himself in the strawberry fields.

He was sent to the fields by his own instinct, when he sensed a demon was lurking in the acreage. Getting off his motorcycle, Dante explored the warm berry garden, the setting sun shining softly against his cool, pale skin. His guns in hand, he pulled the trigger and shot the first demon, dead instantly at the kiss of Dante's merciless bullet. Still, even after the decline of this devil, Dante could hear the rustling of leaves and a dropping noise, a few rows of strawberries over. Dante silently snuck over those rows, holding his gun before him.

And there had stood a sun-kissed blonde in a short, white sundress, hands over her ears from the loudness of the bullet. She had thought, with Dante's gun pointing in her general direction that she was about to die, and in silence, she began to say her prayers, her eyes squeezed shut.

God, my Father, I love You above all things, please spare me, please protect me in Your hands, I pray for life, I pray you don't end it here, amen. Amen, amen, amen…she thought in stillness, watching the gunman in fear.

Dante seemed narrow his eyes and finally pulled the trigger, missing the blonde by just a few centimeters. When she opened her eyes, she saw that Dante had been closer than before and continued to pace nearer. She'd wondered what on earth it was he shot, and when she turned her head and saw a dead demon beside her, she'd jumped back with a "Oh my God!"

"Relax sweetheart," Dante said, picking up the girl's sweater off the dirt ground and handing it to her. After looking at Dante for a few moments she smiled warmly and gently took the sweater.

"Thank you." She whispered, her legs shaking.

"You all right, babe? You're shaking like a madman."

"I'm fine, thanks." The blonde replied, looking past some rows of the strawberries and into the sunset. It was getting late.

Dante studied her a little bit with a smirk on his face, noting this was probably the first time she'd encountered a demon. "One hell of a field here," Dante mentioned, not taking his eyes off the girl. She'd looked back at him, a more confident smile on her face, now exposing her teeth.

"Isn't it? I love it here. I always come here when something's wrong."

"Something's wrong, huh?"

"Not exactly. I was just… sick of studying, I guess."

"Studying?"

"Yeah," the blonde confirmed. "I'm a student."

But she looked so old. Well not thatold. She was well under ten years younger than Dante, putting her at about twenty-five or twenty-six. "Yeah? What are you studying?"

"Teaching," she answered proudly. Dante smiled. An ambitious one.

"Well I'd get yourself home if I were you. It's getting late." Dante said. The blonde nodded, a smile planted along her lips. She started walking until she felt a strong hand hold her back and she turned to see Dante holding her arm. She'd looked up at him imploringly, a curious expression lighting up her face. Despite the strength of the son of Sparda, he had been so gentle with the girl, knowing just by the looks of her, that she was so fragile.

"Let me take you home. It'll be dark."

Even though it never really got "dark" in the town, and no one would even try pulling something funny, the blonde merely smiled and said, "I'd like that."


Dante's dream ended there and his eyes shot open, finding himself lying awake on the train as it rolled on. For a minute he thought it was reality, happening all over again.