Chapter II: Dance of Fate
They were getting closer. Alucard could feel it as they drew near the site where the shots had been fired. Still, he had to take every precaution," Police girl," he said with authority, raising a white gloved hand," I want you to stay here. Understand?"
They were at a four lane street at what appeared to have once been a main intersection toward the middle of town. The only sound was police girl's hurried breath, and the slight breeze that blew the fog lazily by them. Alucard knew any second now that he would meet whoever it was beyond the wall of mist, he couldn't risk Seras's safety.
He heard her gulp, his lips twisted into a wry grin, his red eyes focused ahead. "M-m-master? Are you sure you won't need me?"
"I'm sure of it," he said quietly, turning his head slightly, so that only one red eye from behind his glasses stared omnisciently at her," Head toward the center for a final sweep. This punk is mine."
She merely nodded and obeyed knowing that there was no point in debating orders. Soon her footsteps faded into obscurity along the road to Alucard's left. Even after all they had been through together, she still doubted what she was. Alucard enjoyed the silence, the thrill of anticipation, the thrill of battle, but today it would be the thrill of death that would make the vampire feel alive.
He stepped ahead down the road, drawing his guns and holding them easily at his sides. Little did he know a certain half-demon was doing the same motion up ahead of him….
Dante held his guns loosely as he walked with his usual swagger up ahead through the mist. He briefly thought about kicking his employer's ass if he didn't find a demon within 24 hours. He still couldn't shake the feeling though that whatever those things were, it was his responsibility to clean them up. He laughed inwardly at how soft he was sounding in his head, cleaning up somebody else's mess. It wouldn't be the first time….
The lines of the road at his feet were visible through the fog as he looked down. The road was a huge intersection leading into the city's heart. Seeing as how blurry things were he didn't want to bother with more zombies by taking back roads. However, no zombies since the ones he had slain had ever showed up, which struck him as weird.
He heard footsteps up ahead which were nothing like the shuffling he had heard earlier. Could a human be still alive despite all the carnage he had seen ? Not trusting fate, Dante twirled his guns casually and gripped them tightly in expectation. The thudding of boots was loud now as the very fog seemed to part revealing a man with a wide hat walking casually down the road.
The figure stopped, and met Dante's blue eyes with his red ones that peered over red-tinted sunglasses. He wore red as well, with white gloves, and long black hair. He stopped and stood there silently as a toothy grin came to his face, revealing front teeth that were pointed at the tip.
"They always say beware of the lady in red, but I wasn't expecting a dude. Personally," Dante paused, twirling his guns and pointing them at the stranger's head, "I'd rather take the girl."
"Cocky little punk aren't you?"
Dante didn't flinch, yet….something had changed about the man's continence, his voice was low and menacing, his red eyes glowing slightly from beneath the hat's wide brim. He raised two guns and pointed them as if to mock Dante.
"A demon that packs heat, this just keeps getting better and better," Dante smirked, tensing on the triggers.
"A demon, huh? You have a lot to learn," smiled the stranger creepily, cocking his guns with his thumb.
There was a pause, and then a small gust of wind that blew an idle newspaper down the shrouded street. The long red coats of the two men billowed fiercely from the gust, much like a scene from an old western movie, the eyes and guns of the men locked. Two indomitable wills testing each other fiercely before fate could pull hard on its strings to make the puppets dance.
Then it happened. The two men fired simultaneously matching one another shot for shot, bullet for bullet. On either side of the wide road the force of the ricocheting rounds caused windows to burst and break spewing glass over the now raging warzone. The strange man laughed as they began to walk in a circle around each other and then break into a run still firing continuously to no avail. Dante saw the man leap as he sprayed a line of windows where he had once been, only to hear him chuckle from behind. In response, Dante back flipped over him and fired at the guy's face taking out both of his eyes.
Dante landed and spun around, his eyes still trained on his now blinded opponent. The man turned, his hat having blown off a long time ago during the first volley, his hand over where one eye had been. His face was covered by his hair, but then Dante saw something that was impossible. The eyes were back. Somehow the demon had regenerated them, but that was incredible, too incredible for Dante to comprehend.
"You've got style, I'll give you that. But you are in the dark now boy, and the dark is my dominion," said the man before Dante, his white gun pointed over his one arm, his left red eye wide to see to his target.
"Have it your way, freak," Dante said pointing Ebony at the same level as the man's gun.
The shots crisscrossed, hitting the freak square between the eyes causing him to collapse heavily on the ground in a pool of blood. But Dante didn't have time to see it, for everything went black for a second as the bullet pierced his skull. Dazed, he too collapsed in a pool of his own blood, too confused to stand back up.
Alucard stirred, as his gloved hands touched the cold pavement. He levitated eerily upward to a standing position just as the mysterious man across from him did the same, except of course for the levitating part. The "kid" as Alucard liked to think of his new adversary dusted his red trench coat off with a sound of disgust. He wore a red vest underneath with a long sleeved black shirt. He could tell because the sleeves of his coat were rolled back. He also had black gloves which
held on to his two guns fiercely as though they were his pride and joy, however he placed his guns away and paced with a cocky stride.
"You're really one persistent bastard," He unsheathed his massive sword with a skull on it's hilt," I guess we'll do things the hard way."
He rushed with a vertical slice, his sword sparking along the ground as he ran shouting. Alucard raised his two firearms at the last second in an x-shaped gesture to block the blow.
The force of the hit caused a rippling effect and a crater in the pavement as the ground gave way slightly in an indent beneath the vampire's feet. The shockwave from the massive blow caused the remaining windows to shatter on the ground level.
"You put a lot of force into that strike, I'm impressed. Maybe I did underestimate you after all kid," Alucard said actually applying pressure as the young half-demon pushed with all of his weight.
"Yeah? Well I have my moments. You're not too bad yourself, to bad I'm better," said the devil hunter through gritted teeth.
Alucard smelled something different about the boy's blood on his clothes, something delicious. His long tongue licked his lips, as his eyes widened in almost manic insanity as he pushed the man away from him, while jumping back. His boots skidded on the asphalt, he placed one gun away and still held onto the white one. He could read the boy's thoughts only vaguely.
The kid ran at him with a horizontal slice, Alucard caught the full on force of the blade from the side with pincer-like grip and shot him near the heart.
Dante staggered back two steps and stared at his own blood on the palm of his gloved hand, before staring at the now gaping hole near where his heart was. He was actually panting. What was with this guy? It seemed like everything he was throwing at him wasn't working.
Shrugging his shoulders as the wound healed, Dante popped his neck. The man stood there still with a smile on his face in the same position as when he had fired the gun. Dante ran at him and went low cutting the legs out from under him. The surprised look on freak's face was enough to make Dante happy after all the trouble he had just been through. He used the force of his slice to complete a crouching spin to place his sword on his back and whip out his pistols.
"Let's see you heal from this asshole," Dante smirked and riddled the body with bullets, shredding it within a matter of seconds into bloody pieces on the pavement. Part of the head twitched, Dante raised Ivory," Jackp—."
Shadowy tendrils came from the knarled remains and formed a body as eerie laughter filled the air, echoing and booming tauntingly. Dante's eyes widened as the newly formed Alucard raised before him the same as before.
"Good try, now it's my turn," the vampire licked it's lips and rushed maddeningly at Dante, with it's five fingers all together like a karate chop. Dante, stunned, raised his sword and slid forward to intercept with a stab.
Blood washed the street oncemore, as the two stared at eachother inches from the other's face.
"W-what are you?" Dante grunted, pained by the hand impaled through his body.
"Something that walks the night," Alucard said with a wry grin, even though Rebellion was lodged where his heart was.
Dante raised a black booted foot and kicked off from his quarry pulling his Rebellion with him. He walked it off for a second exclaiming," Damn that hurt!"
Alucard was staring at him with amusement, before forming a new hat with shadowy matter.
"I knew you weren't human when I first looked at you. I could smell it."
"And you're a vampire right?"
Even though the man had turned with his back to Dante, he could still hear him chuckle quietly with that toothy grin," A vampire that's way out of your league."
"I would have won eventually, but seeing as we're both stalling until our wounds heal," Dante reached for one of his guns and placed his other hand on his sword," Come on, let's see what you still got!"
Alucard chuckled again, this time with genuine mirth,"I'm tired of fighting, quite frankly I'm satisfied. You're the toughest opponent I've faced in years, and certainly the worthiest."
"Aww, I'm all tears ,"Dante said mockingly," I don't have time for this, I only work when there's demons involved. Other than that I didn't sign up for this crap."
"You're a son of the Legendary Dark Knight, right?"
Dante stopped, looking slightly over his shoulder as started to walk away," What?"
"I saw it in your mind," Alucard said turning around and staring at Dante's bewildered face.
"You have no business in my head!" Dante said glaringly
" As you wish," laughed Alucard.
"So, the legends are true. My, my, this has been one interesting day. One interesting day indeed." Alucard continued laughing to himself.
"Get to the point!" Dante said pointing Rebellion at Alucard's throat, "How did you know my dad?"
The vampire smiled," I didn't exactly know your father, but I desired his blood at one time to make myself supreme. I did research for a couple decades but then he vanished into obscurity after a while and all known facts about him were lost. What a pity though that he is not here today, I very much would have liked to see how full demon blood tastes compared to yours." The vampire licked the gloved hand that he had plunged into Dante with a look of relish.
Disgusted, Dante began to walk away again until he heard Alucard's voice again," The demon is that way by the way." He had his head turned slightly to the right to signify the direction. "Thanks," Dante said sounding annoyed. He walked a couple blocks ahead through the mist until, he saw Alucard phase up through the pavement.
" The name's Alucard, by the way, and yours?" said the nosfertu leaning forward.
"Dante," said the devil hunter sounding exasperated.
"A pleasure to meet you Dante," nodded Alucard cordially with a regular non-toothy smile.
"My pleasure too, now will you get out of my way?" Dante sighed hurriedly and kept walking past him.
"You misunderstand me," Alucard said appearing beside Dante and staying in step with the half-devil," Our goals are one and the same. My organization has sent me here to take out the trash, and by trash I mean a vampire. I knew you were not a vampire when I first saw you, but I have to admit you passed the test rather well."
"Yeah, yeah, yeah.." Dante said ignoring Alucard.
"There is a church at the center of this place, and I garuntee you there will be what you seek."
Suddenly the ground shook as massive explosion lit the air with its orange plume. The inferno came from their right, and Dante dashed into that direction leaving behind his nemesis, whose reformed glasses reflected the inferno in its lenses.
"It would seem that a new war has begun," murmured Alucard his toothy smile returning.