Yeah, I guess that`s the next chapter.
Now I`m scared. I`ve never posted a second chapter of anything, so please be gentle? :D Oh, please do tell me everything you think about it. It is always helpful.
Thank you for reviewing the previous chapter and I will have it edited some time tomorrow. My beta needs to do it. Can`t do it on my own. It goes against everything in me to use " " for direct speech, so she'll have to struggle with it. Sorry, Shana *hugs*
Please enjoy
Warning: blood, brains, spoilers for Dante's fighting techniques and OC (sorry guys couldn`t get past it. Don`t worry the splattered brains are hers so she woun't appear anymore… maybe once, but you woun`t see much of her)
Disclaimer: Capcom own it all. Except Lucifer's daughter (she is mine) and Lilith… she… I think she belongs to Lucifer, but don`t really know :D
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It was a quiet morning in the Devil May Cry. Had been for about an hour. Around sixty minutes ago people would cross on the other side of the street afraid to get close to the shop. The sounds that were emitting from the inside made their hairs stand on end.
That had been the time when Nero had tried quite unsuccessfully to bust Dante's head. Reason was that Dante had been quite successful in canceling his wedding. They would have crashed the shop if it hadn't been for a certain blond that wasn't a morning person. At all... They experienced Trish's attack and went quiet immediately. No questions asked. Each of them had received a corner and was keeping his mouth shut. Trish was sitting between them, on Dante's desk and was reading something.
Nero was getting bored. He wished he had his headphones, but they were left in his bedroom far far away from here. He sighed and looked over at Dante. He was sure the other was up to no good. There were frequent bursts of demon magic coming from the older. That and the sound of heavy metal hitting wood from time to time were attracting his curiosity. Nero looked over to Trish. She didn't seem to pay Dante any attention. Did she know what was going on?
The young man leaned to the side trying to see what Dante was doing. Unfortunately for him the older was sitting with his back facing him, so the only thing he could see were random parts of Rebellion. Dante couldn't be training, right? Not while he was sitting.
Nero glanced quickly at Trish, before standing up. If he wanted to find what the other was up to he could just go and see. As soon as he stood up a surge of electricity passed trough his body. His muscles spasmed and Nero doubled over in pain.
"I said no talking, and no going anywhere." Trish said firmly, not even looking at him.
Nero sat back on his chair. Dante was looking at him from over his shoulder, not making any sound. Then he stuck out his tongue and turned back to whatever he was doing. Nero glared, deciding that if he wanted to he could always just reach over with his devil bringer and smash the others head in the wall. With that thought in mind he huffed, crossed his arms and started staring at a random point. He gave himself up to his thoughts that mainly consisted of cursing Dante.
It was quiet in the Devil May Cry shop. Again...Dante was looking around. His gaze landing on Trish, then at Nero and back again. He was proud of himself and bursting with desire to share it with the world. Trish was sitting on his chair, with her legs on his desk and filing her nails. Nero was pretending to be asleep, but was actually cursing him. Dante could tell. His nose wouldn't stop itching. The man went on, fidgeting in his chair. It wasn't everyday that he learned a new trick, right? He opened his mouth, but Trish was the one to speak first.
"No." She said.
Dante ignored her.
"Hey, kid!" He shouted, putting a hand to his mouth as if that could prevent the sound to reach Trish's ears. The woman just rolled her eyes. "Want me to show you a cool trick?"
Nero cracked open an eye and looked at him with a mix of boredom and expectation.
"Hey, Trish!" Dante looked at the blond that was eyeing him with suspicious and would probably flat out say no. Last time he had something to show they had to convince the police that those dead things weren't humans, but demons. Oh, the good old times. "I promise nothing is going to explode, get crashed, smashed and no one is going to be after our asses."
"No."
"Oh, but this one's good." The man grinned, full of self pride.
Trish sighed and crossed her arms.
"Out with it then." She knew that Dante wouldn't stop until he got the attention he was seeking. And he could be quite annoying when he wanted to show off.
He took Rebellion from where he had left it, next to the chair and went over to the middle of the room. He looked at them, making sure he had their full attention. Nero was now fully awake, sitting straight in his chair, eyes wide and curious. Trish was looking at him, ready to jump and undo whatever mess he was going to create. Dante flashed them a smile and let go of his sword. Rebellion started falling and then it disappeared in a mist of orange smoke.
Nero blinked a couple of times. This wasn't right. Swords, as big as that, don't just disappear!
"What'd you do?" He asked standing and going over to where Dante was standing. There was no sign of Rebellion.
"You mean with that?" Dante smiled widely, held out his hand and with a puff of orange the sword appeared.
Nero gaped. Trish only scoffed.
"Trickster." she muttered before going back to filing her nails.
"What's that?" the young man asked.
"Trickster is one of Dante's fighting styles. He has a total of six."
"Seven." corrected Dante. He was feeling totally ignored there. He just made his big sword disappear and that was the interest he was getting?
"What do you mean?" asked Nero. He had to know. If he was forced to stay here against his free will he might just get something out of it. Learning more about demons seemed like a fair trade.
"That was… " Nero turned to look at Dante that had been standing right next to him, but he was no longer there. "Trickster." finished the older from the other end of the room.
Nero blinked. When did Dante get there? But then the demon hunter dissolved in a red blur and appeared right in front of him. Nero jumped backwards. His heart suddenly racing. What…?!
"He teleports." explained Trish from behind him.
"Then there are the Gunslinger and Quick Silver."
Nero's breath hitched. There were bullets flying near his head.
"With Quick Silver he can slow down time and Gunslinger allows him to use his guns more efficiently." Trish said, still sitting on the desk. She spread her fingers to admire her work. "He can also use Royal Guard and Sword Master. First one actually puts some sense in his head – he defends with it. And the Sword Master…"
This time Nero was ready. A flash of white and then steel met steel. Dante grinned.
"You are fast kid."
"Doppelganger and which one is the seventh style, Dante?"
"That would be…"
The man wrenched Yamato out of Nero's hands. The younger had taken it out when hearing the word sword and sensing Dante moving. He didn't have his Red Queen here and had drawn the katana without thinking.
"Dark Slayer."
"That was Vergil's style."
Nero wanted to growl in annoyance. There they go again. It was always about Vergil. Vergil that... Vergil… whatever.
"Who is he anyway?"
"Who is who, kid?"
"That… Vergil guy you keep talking about."
In answer he only got two incredulous looks that made him feel stupid to say the least for asking such a question.
"I know he was your brother and Yamato was his sword, but who is he?" he said defensively. "The Order never mentions him. All they say's that Sparda had two sons. They never speak Vergil's name."
That certainly made sense, thought Dante. When you are preaching how a Demon rebelled against his own kind for the sake of the human race you really don't want to say how one of his sons tried to undo daddies doing. But he did feel angered. Vergil deserved to be known.
"You wanna know who Vergil is? I'll show you. Dark Slayer." he added in a whisper.
A mist of dark purple smoke surrounded him and he ran his hands trough his hair. The white strands stood on end from the magic that flickered on his fingers. His eyes scowled and his lips tightened.
Nero wanted to take a step back at the sudden change. That didn't look like Dante at all. It was like he just had a hundred and eighty degree personality change. The person that stood in front of him… wait there were two of them! Two Dantes! He had to admit that even the thought gave him shivers, but seeing it brought the word scary to a whole new level.
"Foolish boy." said the Dante with his hair up, was that supposed to be Vergil? "You think you can wield my sword? It belongs to me – a son of Sparda."
He glared and Trish trembled. It was like seeing a ghost. A ghost from the past she didn't want to remember, a ghost she didn't want to see. Vergil meant too many painful things for her and seeing him… seeing him here, now…
"Dante!" Trish cried out and the man turned her. His hair went back down and he smiled at her warmly.
If she didn't know better she could have sworn that Vergil was really here. Dante had mastered his Doppelganger beyond what she thought possible. To create such a perfect copy of him self, to make it move… She shook her head. It had scared her.
Dante smiled warmly, tightening his grip on Yamato, feeling Vergil's power course trough his body. It was a caress… How many times had he done that? Looking at the mirror, pulling his hair backwards? He had hoped so many times to see his brother. But he never could… It was like Vergil was lost in the real world and only existed in his memories. Because even as he gazed at his reflection in the mirror he could never see him, not the way he remembered him. The only person looking at him from the looking – glass was Dante himself.
The silence that had involuntary settled between them was disturbed by the sudden ringing of the telephone. Trish reached over and grabbed the receiver.
"Devil May Cry." Silence and then the blond turned to Dante. "Some creatures moved in Starbucks. Said everything is turning into ice. What should we do?"
Dante smirked. Anything to get out of here?
"Say we are on our way."
He grabbed his coat from the rack and guns from the desk.
"Tag along." He said to Nero as he passed him. The other didn't wait for a second invitation. He hopped and followed Dante on his way towards the door.
"What should I do?" Trish asked from the desk.
Dante just blew her a kiss before walking out of the door.
*****
Dante blew and his breath came out in a little mist. Oh, that was good! He spread his hands enjoying the cold air. It was the middle of august and he was freezing his ass off. He loved it!
"They should keep them." He said to Nero that had been walking silently next to him "Free air conditioners all year long. Or better yet we should keep one."
The street that they were walking on was perfectly frozen. The trees, the lamps, the cars and whatever humans that were too slow to get out on time – everything was covered by a thick layer of ice. The closer they got to the Starbucks coffee the greater the damage got.
As they walked in they could see the reason right away. About a dozen frosts were lying in the place. Some of them were occupying the tables in the front while others were sitting quietly in the back. But what grabbed the hunter's attention weren't the demons that were silently stalking them from their back side. No, what really made them stop in their tracks were the little frosts running all over the place. They were jumping up and down the couches and tables, they were attacking each other with little ice spears and generally creating havoc everywhere they could.
"Oooooh, aren't they cute?" Dante grinned "They are nesting! Having little ones…"
"That will grow up and bite your head off!" Nero interrupted him.
They could feel the coldness before it hit them. Both jumped in the air evading the cold wave that covered the floor.
"My thoughts exactly." Nero growled before snatched one of the frosts with his devil bringer. He tossed the thing in the air and jumped after it. Grabbing it by the tail he waved it and smashed it in a group of frosts that was standing near by, stalking.
Nero landed on the ground, his eyes quickly finding Dante. The older man was sitting on one of the nearby tables, his legs opened wide and twiddling with Rebellion.
"Are you planning on helping?" he asked stretching his devil bringer to grab one of the stunned demons. Damn, those things were heavy!
"Nope." Dante retorted "You seem to be doing just fine."
That did it.
"Jackass."
Nero whirled the creature and sent it in the general direction of the other. To his greatest disappointment Dante had evaded. His breath hitched as he felt the air moving right behind his back. He heard shotguns and then a loud thump.
The younger turned around to see one of the demons collapsed behind him, Dante still holding Ivory in one hand.
"Be careful or they'll bite your head off." Dante grinned before jumping in the group of Frosts at the back. Rebellion appeared in his hand and the next thing Nero could hear was the sound of ice breaking.
Yeah, right. Where was he? He looked around and lost his breath for the second time. Two frosts were flying towards him. His devil bringer clutched at one of them and he spun it in the air, hitting the other. He jumped to avoid the death weight that was flying towards him. Nero smashed the demon he was still holding in the stunt one in the ground. There was a loud crackle before ice pieces scattered, shattering glasses and windows. Nero winced as some of the pieces stabbed him in the leg.
"Nero! Duck! DUCK!!!"
The words barely registered in his head before he rolled over. A table swished past him. He heard ice breaking. He quickly jumped and groaned before summoning Yamato. Nero launched towards the frosts that were closest to him, preparing for an attack. Bullets flew past him and before he could reach them the demons exploded in a glittering white mist. The young man couldn't stop his attack and he ended up cutting one of the walls.
"That was boring." Dante huffed coming to stand next to him.
"What about the little ones?" Nero asked as he turned towards the ruined shop. "You totally wrecked the place."
"Me?" the older asked innocently "You were the one juggling frosts."
"That" the younger pointed at the bar that was missing about one third "Definitely looks like a cut."
"As I said: Boring." repeated Dante, shrugging his shoulders.
The ice was quickly melting away. The heat from the hot august sun was crawling from outside turning everything in a nice puddle.
"What about the little spawns?"
"Smashed. Or they'll melt in the sun. Doesn't matter either way. They can't survive without their mommies and daddies taking care of them. Let's get the hell out of here, before this thing ruins my coat."
Dante kicked at the water that was now everywhere. It sizzled. The man squinted his eyes. What the…?!
Mind blowing pain shot trough his body. He heard someone screaming somewhere, before falling with a loud splash in the water.
He groaned. That hurt. Too. Fucking. Much! Dante gulped and turned on his back. It tasted like blood.
"What was that?" he heard a whispered groan on his right.
"A blitz."
"A what?"
"A that." Dante pointed at the creature that was hovering above them, hanging on one of the lamps.
How such a big thing managed to hang on such a small lamp without falling was beyond him. The demon jumped and Dante teleported at the bar. He heard a loud high – pitched scream as the blitz landed, digging its strong nails in Nero. The boy had been too slow in realizing the attack.
The thing reared its head in Dante's general direction before disappearing with a growl.
"This might actually be better, than I expected." Dante grinned, taking out his guns.
Nero took a deep breath, activating his devil trigger. It hurt god damn it! It hurt like a bitch. He took calming deep breaths as his vision blurred and his stomach tried to empty itself. He could hear Dante shooting, could hear the demon sizzling. Dante… He opened his eyes to see the man teleporting from one place to another, his guns blazing just as strongly as his eyes. He was beautiful in a certain dangerous way that sent heat running trough Nero's veins. His devil trigger deactivated as his wounds healed. He shook his head. What was he thinking?
Suddenly two strong hands grabbed him by the waist and he found himself outside of the Starbucks.
"Don't get yourself into trouble." Whispered Dante in his ear before teleporting back into the shop.
Nero gaped at the building. A beam of electricity sliced its insides and the young man had to jump in the air to avoid the part of it that went out trough the missing windows. Dante was most certainly not doing this on his own. Or by the time they finished they would destroy the shop they came to save. With big strides he reached the door, but had to roll out as soon as he entered. Pieces of metal flew all over the place as Dante broke the, what seemed to be the first layer of armour that the demon wore.
"What do you think you are doing!?" screeched a high-pitched voice that hurt Nero's ears.
Dante lifted his eyes at the annoying sound. At one of the windows stood a girl – a demon. The blitz teleported by her side.
"How dare you kill my pets?!" she asked in that same annoyingly high voice.
"You have one messed up idea of cute and fluffy… you… you…!!!" Dante waved his hands towards her. He had meant to say young lady, but that would make him look like a tottery old man. And that – he was not.
"Don't insult me! As a matter of fact: Don't even dare talking to me, lowly half breed!"
Dante scoffed. Now who did she think she was? Princess of Hell? But now that he said it she did look like that guy Lucifer.
The girl was hovering outside, right next to the broken window. She would have been naked haven't been for the veil of golden – green material that was covering the most important parts of her body. She was flapping rapidly her small, feathery wings trying to stay in the air. Void black eyes were looking at him with what he supposed was anger and irritation. Her hair… now that was a sight. Her long, purplish hair was absolutely defying the walls of gravity by floating all around her head as if she was sunk in water. Her skin was the same bronze colour as those old coins… did he mention her wings were golden?
"What are you staring at?" she asked her voice not so high anymore.
"Just wondering who were the parents that created such perfection…" Dante smiled widely at her.
"Why thank you!" she beamed "Well, if you must know I am Lela - the daughter of the Light Bringer and…" her words faded away as she saw his mocking smirk "Lowly creature!" she roared before charging herself at him.
Dante held out Rebellion ready to take her out, but she never reached him. A ghostly blue hand grabbed her by the waist and smashed her in the floor. Her head cracked with a sickening sound and Dante winced at the blood and brain that splattered. She groaned and flinched, but didn't move. With a loud sizzle the blitz took her in its arms before teleporting to gods know where.
Nero jumped trough the broken windows.
"What was that for?"
"Beats me." With a huff of orange Rebellion was gone and Dante headed towards his shop.
"Now what?"
"Now? We get our money, buy some beer, order pizza and relax."
And that would have been a very good plan that Dante wouldn't mind fulfilling. Only problem was that his shop was under attack.
As soon as he entered something launched itself in his arms and he nearly fell backwards on Nero and over the stairs.
"Uncle Dante!" cried the attacker from his arms. Bright blue eyes stared at him from beneath white bangs.
"Hey there, Sammy."
The demon hunter flung the kid in the air and with a loud laughter it landed on his shoulders.
"Children just love you, Dante. You should have one of your own." came Lady's teasing voice from inside the shop.
He opened his mouth to respond, but Nero was faster.
"What's with his hair?" The young man pointed at the little boys white bangs that were a similar colour to Dante's.
Lady just shrugged.
"Apparently he pestered my cousin to no end about being a demon hunter like Dante and in the end she gave up and bought a colouring shampoo."
"I'm just like you, uncle!" the boy bounced up and down on his shoulders. "I'll cut demons and shoot them and… and…" Sammy laughed with excitement throwing his hands up in the air as if holding a sword.
"Lisa dumped him on me an hour ago, but I have a mission and…"
"Oh, no, you don't!" Dante cried out as it all clicked "I'm not baby-sitting!"
As soon as he said that the doors of the Devil May Cry burst open. Dante felt evil power washing over him. It sent shivers down his spine and made his skin craw. His own flesh felt like it was going to run away from him. A woman walked in. Now humans he was used to having as a customers, but no demons. That said she was probably here to kick his ass.
Her eyes went around the room and immediately focused on Dante and the boy in his shoulders. Her gaze hardened and she whipped out a pointless dagger and aimed it at them. There was a low buzz, before a transparent sphere engulfed the boy and it screamed and went slack. Dante's back went numb and he nearly fell on the floor.
"You hurt my child – I hurt yours." the woman hissed at them and with that she was gone, the doors slamming behind her.
The sphere was left hanging in the air, the unconscious child inside.
"Sam!" Lady shouted and jumped to take the boy, but a strong demonic hand grabbed her.
"Don't." Nero shook his head.
On the transparent surface danced white flashes, a low buzzing sound being emitted from it. Everything in him told him that the thing was dangerous.
Dante straightened up. There was only one thing they could do.
"So we find the bitch and free, Sammy, neeh?" Dante grinned at them.
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