A/N: I just realized how many chapters I have to fix. Lol. Oh well. Enjoy.


Chapter 3: Icy Blue Eyes

I stiffened up a bit at the realization of me clinging onto Fang like a scared little child. It wasn't like me to get so scared so easily, but with this scenery seems so threatening I can't help but feel paranoid.

"What's wrong?" Fang asked. Guess he didn't hear anything. Great, I must be going crazy.

"Oh, it was probably nothing," I assured him letting go of his arm. The truth was, I wanted to go explore some more. And I couldn't do that with him thinking I'm too scared to go off alone. Besides, I can take care of myself, anyway.

"Umm..." I began. "You think I could go explore some more on my own?"

"I don't think that's a good idea. What if you get attacked or...?"

"You'll be able to rescue me in time, won't you?" I showed off my big puppy dog eyes. They were as bright as they could be.

"Y-yeah well... oh alright," he eased up. He grabbed my chin gently. "Just be careful," he said softly.

"I will. Don't worry!" I nodded. I turned and headed off.

That sound I heard was pretty close. I heard a few branches tear, too. Was something, or someone, hiding in the trees?

I kept walking looking from side to side. I turned to my right and saw some awfully dry-looking trees. I noticed a branch was chipped off. This must be the right spot. I began to flap my wings and flew up to the tree. I began examining the chipped branch. It looked like some weight was put on it. I looked down and saw not only the other part of the branch, but a small puddle of blood.

I flew back down to the ground and crouched down to examine the blood. I dipped two fingers into the blood puddle. I brought my fingers up to my nose and sniffed the blood. I winced a little at the scent. The smell was unfamiliar. It definitely wasn't from a human. So it must have been a demon. Maybe it was attacked. No, there would have been a bigger sound than just the branch. Maybe it was injured. That had to be it. I slowly began to rise. I noticed the blood leading directly forward. Up ahead was a menacing looking forest filled with the same dry-looking trees.

So this person or thing must be resting somewhere. Now was my chance! I flew over the bloody trail into the forest. I'm sure I wasn't too far from where Fang was. Besides, I'll be fine.


I hid myself in a few dry bushes to catch my breath. That was hell-a close! I would've been caught for sure. I wasn't afraid or anything. I just didn't want to attract anymore unwanted attention. I was already in too deep with all these demons running around. Plus I needed a break. I've been at this for hours, probably days! Suddenly, I heard the sound of a twig snap. Shit! Did they follow me? I lowered my head down and stiffened up. I sensed them getting closer. It was only one of them. I peered through an opening and instantly a devilish grin crept up on my face. Hmm… this just keeps getting' better and better.


I began walking slowly through the forest. I was getting a little creeped out. How can anyone live in a place like this? I jumped when I heard a rustle. I turned to see a bush shaking. I cautiously began walking towards the bush. I know this was dangerous and that a monster could be hiding in there just waiting to rip my face off, but it also could be who I was looking for. I noticed that same trail of blood leading towards the bush. This could be it. I bent down and looked through the bush. I couldn't see anything.

Suddenly, a pair of icy blue eyes blinked and soon joined me in a staring contest.

"H-hello?" I appeared timid. The eyes still stared. I inched forward and grabbed a few leaves to get a better look.

The eyes just kept staring back at me. I saw something white and shiny. It looked like hair. So it was a person? Well whoever this person is, they sure do have some pretty hair. I started reaching forward, but stopped in my tracks. What if this person is dangerous? What if the blood came from someone else? What if this person killed somebody?! Or… what if this person was in danger? What if he or she is hiding in fear? Ooh I can't stand it anymore! I had to find out. I began reaching out again. I felt a wave of powerful energy surround my hand. It was getting stronger and stronger. This person must be powerful... Finally, I grabbed onto some leaves and pulled them back. The white hair began moving upward and the icy blue eyes returned . I pulled some more leaves out of the way. I saw a piece of red fabric. I looked closer and saw a neck and chin. This person was too muscular to be a woman. So it had to be a man. I inched more into the bush.

"H-hello?" I finally built up the courage to call out to the strange man. I felt him move forward. I flinched about at his sudden movement.

"Like what you see?" said a husky voice.

I gasped and jerked back. Did he just… talk? I sat there frozen in time. My eyes were wide like an owl. He… h-he talked! But before I could do anything else, I was grabbed by my wrist. "H-hey! What...!"

"Where were you?" Fang looked me straight in the eye. "I was looking all over for you. I was worried."

I turned to look back at the bush. Who was he?

"Come on, we have to get back," Fang began dragging me. I didn't fight back. Instead, I trailed off staring at that bush while Fang dragged me by my wrist like a little child.

I stormed up to my room and locked my double doors. Usually, a normal girl would be upset and storm up to her room because of a break up, or because she got an F on her math quiz, or because she couldn't get that brand new cell phone that she wanted, or maybe because they wouldn't let her go out with her friends. But I wasn't upset over little things like that. I was confused and puzzled. What happened to that man? And was he a demon? If so, how come he didn't take advantage of my curiosity? He could have killed me or grabbed me through the bush where he'd have me in his clutches! But then again, he seemed calm and still. He never made a noise of pain or gave any sign that said he was dangerous. He just stared at me with those... icy blue eyes.

I blinked at my thoughts. No wait… I don't know much about him. I can't get caught up into things so quickly. I haven't exactly "seen" what he looks like. I mean I caught a glimpse of him but… I wish I could've seen his face at least…

I looked at my clock. It was three minutes 'til twelve midnight. I was up pretty late. All this thinking has kept me up quite a while. But I couldn't go to sleep! I had to find something to help me fall asleep.

I took a look in my dresser drawer on the bottom right and looked inside. I reached inside and grabbed a book with a golden front and back cover. The words were printed in cursive letters. This book was one of my favorites. It's a romance novel. It's about a princess named Iridessa who falls in love with a boy named Yo-Han. Though Yo-Han is plagued with a curse that happens only at night, Iridessa's love still grows deeply for him each day. It's pretty good. I'm only halfway done with the book. I can't wait to get to the end.

I grabbed my book and headed towards my bed. I pulled the covers back, opened my book to the last page I was on, and began reading. About ten minutes later, I heard a knock on my door. I turned my head around.

"Rinna, are you alright in there?" I heard Fang's voice.

"Come i... hold on a sec," I just remembered I locked the door and got out of bed to open it for him.

I unlocked the double doors and opened them, revealing Fang with a concerned look on his face.

"Hey, Fang. I'm doing fine. Just... catching up on my reading, is all."

"Oh I see. That's good. It is pretty late. And you stormed off on your own without a word." I gave a blush and looked the other way.

"Oh! Yeah, I guess I was just tired is all. It was a pretty exciting day."

Fang nodded in agreement. "Yes, I suppose. Well I hope you get your rest. Goodnight," he stroked my cheek with his hand. My face turned to its usual rose red. I watch as Fang left and returned to his room. It took me a while to regain my composer. I shook my head to wake me from my gaze. Damn it! He did it again!I closed my door and continued my reading. I dozed off into a deep sleep.

I started breathing heavier and heavier. I saw myself lying on the ground. It was pitch black. I began to wake up and stretched my arms with a loud yawn. I blinked a few times, then I swished my head around to see where I was.

"H-hello?" I appeared cautiously. I was confused. The dark background around me began fading into a lighter tint. Up ahead were some trees that looked awfully familiar. I stood up slowly looking around.

"Where am I?" I said under my breath. I took a few steps back and bumped into something hard. I winced a bit at the hard feeling on my back. I turned to see something big, dingy, and white. It was a little stained with yellow. I stepped back in horror as I witnessed the site of a huge skeleton. It was the same skeleton I saw earlier!

I looked back and saw those same dry-looking trees and the one that had the broken branch. I felt something wet. I looked down at my feet and saw a puddle of blood. Suddenly, a gang of ugly-looking creatures were surrounding me. They stared at me menacingly with sharp teeth and yellow eyes. A few of them had weapons that looked like knives and swords, and others were ready with their sharp claws. It looked as if they were getting taller and taller by the second. I looked down and realized I was sinking in the puddle of blood. I tried to rise but I couldn't. I kept struggling and panicked. "Somebody help!" I cried out. But nobody came to my rescue. Eventually, I disappeared into the puddle. I fell and landed on my back. I rose up to see me surrounded by darkness again. I stood up once again and started moving forward.

"Hello?" I called out only to hear my voice in a distant echo. "Anyone here?" Still nothing but the echo.

I noticed a glow up ahead. It looked to be blue but not a regular blue. It was more of an icy-blue. I started walking closer and saw a pair of eyes. "Umm, hello?" I said once again.

I was finally face to face with the eyes. I began reaching my had up towards them.

"Like what you see?"

...

I shot up out of my sleep. I began breathing heavily. I sighed and wiped the sweat from my forehead. I couldn't take this anymore. I had to go back. But when was it the right time? When should I go back? Is now the right time? What were the chances that that man was still there? Then it hit me. Down below the castle was a secret underground bunker filled with all types of potions and weaponry. And it just so happens to be transportation potion sitting on the shelves somewhere. Our science majors here have made plenty of amazing inventions using spells and magic. They've created cures for certain diseases and has helped our community grow and flourish. Anyway with this potion, I can travel back and forth to whatever place I want. So I didn't have to go through any trouble and bother Snow and Sun. This was sure to work.

I removed the covers and hopped out of bed. I went into my closet and got out my sleeveless white ruffled blouse and some pants with ruffles on the bottom to match. The belt was gold and had a blue topaz gem in the middle. I put on my golden slippers and headed for the door.

I slowly opened the door peeking cautiously from side to side making sure no one was coming down the halls. The coast was clear, so I quickly sprinted down the left hallway. I tried to make little noise as possible. I opened the door to the end of the hall and soon I was in the main hallway. Up ahead was a door that lead to the bunker. I walked towards it and opened the door. Down below were stairs that made a curve leading to the bunker. I flew down avoiding having to use the stairs. Soon, I reached the door to the bunker. I grabbed hold of the door and pushed it open. The door made a squeak as it opened up. I walked in slowly taking in my surroundings. All around me were chemicals, potions, and tools. On the shelves on the right there were weapons made by the finest engineers. And on my left were the potions. I headed for the left shelf and quickly searched for the transportation potion. I figured it was under T so I looked at the potions between s and v. Finally, I came across it. It was in a round glass container color was a magenta color. I held it with both hands as I stared at its unfamiliar presence. I opened the bottle and watched as a sparkle and a bit of smoke released itself from the bottle. I checked the label for instructions which read: CAREFULLY INSERT SAID POTION INTO MOUTH. DRINK POTION AND ALLOW TO TAKE INTO AFFECT WHEN POTION TAKES ON FULL AFFECT, ANNOUNCE A SPECIFIC PLACE TO TRANSPORT TO. Seems simple enough. I poured a little into my hand and lifted it to my face. I drank the potion and waited for its effect to kick in.

All around me was a glow of magenta. Yes! It's working! Now all I have to say is..."Take me to the forbidden horizon."

In a flash I was quickly transported to the other side of the horizon. I looked around at the sudden change in scenery. "Wow!" I said impressed. "This stuff really works!" Now all I had to do was find that man. But, where do I look? Do I follow the same trail? No the blood probably dried up by now. Do I go back to the tree? No I doubt he's there. What if I…

Suddenly, I was surrounded. I looked in every direction to see a crowd of ugly-looking creatures surrounding me. Just like in my dream. Demons? I thought to myself. They growled at my every move. I couldn't move at all or they wouldn't hesitate to chew my head off. I was trapped. Had I just made a mistake. No! I'm not going to go down like this. I had to at least try. I didn't come all this way for nothing. I got my hands up and balled up my fists. My hands then began to glow and a bright aura formed around them. I was ready. But before I could make a move, one of the demons cried out in pain. In the far back I could see a demon had been cut in half. Who could have done that?

Suddenly, I saw a red flash. It went straight to a group of demons, giving them the same fate as the first. One by one, the red flash dashed through all of the remaining demons. Blood was everywhere. I've never seen so much bloodshed. The red flash stopped and stood in front of me. It was a man! The man had white hair that fell in his eyes. He was wearing a red leather trench coat that had a brown strap in the middle revealing his toned body. One of his sleeves was torn. In his right hand was a big flashy sword that explained why the demons were getting slashed. I looked closely and saw that his eyes were an icy-blue color. My eyes grew wide. Could he be...?

"Hey," he smiled raising his bloody hand.

I stood there unable to move. My mouth was slightly open. My blue green eyes wide; not in horror, just in awe. Right before me was a demon. A real demon. But he wasn't as I expected him to be. He was tall, strong bodied, and stable. He stood proud with his big sword in his hand. Despite all the blood, I couldn't help but stare at his handsome face. I took a look at his eyes. They were icy-blue. Just as I thought.

"What's the matter? Cat got your tongue?" He said and gave a purr imitating a cat. His actions snapped me out of my gaze and I began turning bright red.

"Oh! Umm, s-sorry... I'm... Rinna." I hesitated but forced myself to hold out my hand and introduced myself. He looked at my hand then he grinned.

He took my hand and without warning, he sniffed it."You smell like strawberries and pizza... I like," he said. I gave a surprised look. Did he really just sniff me? But then again, he said I smelled like strawberries... and oddly enough pizza?

"Oh! Where are my manners?" He released my hand and put his sincerely on his chest. "Name's Dante."

"Dante?" I repeated. "That's a nice name," I complimented.

"Thanks. So what brings you here, babe?"

"Well...I came to do some… let's just say… investigating," well I wasn't lying.

"Really?" he said as if he were fascinated. "What ya investigatin'?"

"Umm, well... I'm looking for someone…"

"Oh? And who might that be?" he cocked an eyebrow.

"Well he's not human... I figured that out already..."

"Mhm, go on."

"He's tall. I he wears red. Blue eyes. And some silver hair..."

"Uh huh?"

"Yeah... Know anyone like that?" I said with a grin.

"I might be able to point you in his direction." Without warning, he took out two twin guns and aimed them in my direction. I couldn't help but scream and duck my head. He pulled the trigger and began firing. He moved his arms in a weird pattern. Finally, he finished his sadistic shooting and put his guns away. he walked towards me and headed for a nearby bolder where his bullets hit. He stood near his "work of art" and turned towards me. Right beside him was an arrow pointed towards his head.

He raised his arms and said, "Here I am!"

I stared at him. His silver hair blowing in the wind. He dropped his arms by his side.

"So it was you…" I stood there, eyes wide and mouth a-gape.

"You don't seem too happy about it," he said poking out his lip.

"Oh no! I-it's not that it's just..." My eye lids lowered. Before I knew it, he was right beside me. He stared into my eyes. I could have sworn there was a gleam in his eye.

"You don't have to say anything. You're presence is good enough. It get's kinda lonely when you're constantly fighting off demons. Especially when you're far from home." He gave a down look, making it seem like he was homesick.

"You mean... this isn't where you live?"

"Hell no! My home is back on Earth. I live in a big building called Devil May Cry. It's a demon killing business I own. Just opened it. Came up with the name myself. Took me a while but I finally figured it out." He smirked and flipped his bangs out of his eyes.

"Wow! Well then, what are you doing in a place like this?"

"Well, somebody's gotta finish the job. I'm sure you've heard of the Legendary Dark Knight Sparda… Though your people might not be too fond of him. He created a hell gate to keep the demon world separated from the human world. But, seems like my old man's gate didn't last very long. I stopped this from happening before, but I guess somebody's found a way back in..."

"Wait… You're his son?!" I said with amazement.

"Mhm. His second son. I have an older twin brother named Virgil. But anyway, the hell gate is breaking and there isn't much time left before the demons are completely loose again and enter the human world. Thousands of people will be killed. I figured I start from the source of the problem and handle it. But it's getting harder every minute."

"The hell gate is here somewhere?" My voice shuddered a bit.

"Yes. Well not exactly here. But it is somewhere located in the demon world. And there isn't much time before it's completely broken." I looked down and hung my head low. I needed to take this all in. More importantly, I was standing before a son of Sparda! But there's danger about. Maybe there's a way I can help. I don't know if I'll do any good to the situation but, it's worth a try.

"How about I help you?" I blurted out before I could even stop myself.

"I don't think that's a good idea. I don't wanna put anyone at risk here. Especially someone as pretty as you." He smirked again.

I began to blush. It wasn't the same as when Fang made me blush. Dante's way was more different… in a good way. "I know, but I can be of great help! I'm pretty good with fighting. How hard can it be?"

He gave me an unsure look but shrugged it off and said, "Well alright! Just promise me you'll be careful."

"I will, "I nodded.

"Demons can get pretty hungry for girls like you," he winked.

I turned red again. But, I kinda liked it.

Dante and I stopped by a nearby river to rest. We've been walking and talking for a while now. I've really gotten to know him better. I told him that I came from a royal family that lived in the angel kingdom that was just beyond the other side of the horizon. I also told him that I just turned eighteen and that it wouldn't be long before I inherited the throne. He started joking around and calling me you're heinous after I mentioned me being a princess. He told me how he was half demon and half human; that his father was the Legendary Dark Knight Sparda who sealed off the demon world from the human world. He also told me how he had an elder twin brother who went by the name Vergil, and how they used to spar each other when they were kids. He didn't exactly talk much about his mother, though. But I decided to leave it alone.

We sat down near the river. The river strangely had a color of red in it. I turned to face Dante. "Hey, what's with this river? It looks like..."

"Like blood?" he finished my sentence.

"Yeah."

"That's because it is. This river's contaminated with demon blood. I wouldn't drink it if I were you." He smirked.

"Don't worry, I have no intention in doing that," I chuckled.

Silence filled the air once again. All I could do was stare up into the sky. I noticed how menacing it looked. The sky filled with blood-red and gray. The clouds were dark and black. I wasn't used to this kind of sight. But I wasn't exactly as afraid as I should've been. Was it because I was with Dante?

"So who was that guys I saw with you last time?" I heard Dante say.

I whipped my head around. "Oh, that was Fang... my fiancé..." I lowered my head a bit. I began staring at the ground below.

"You're getting married… to him?!" his eyes grew wide.

"Yeah," I nodded.

"Well you don't seem too happy about it."

"Is it that obvious?"

Dante gave a chuckle. Then he stiffened and leaned in close to me. He stared into my eyes. I couldn't help but stare back. His eyes spoke to me. They were so beautiful.

"Do you love him?" he finally spoke. His words put a sharp pain through my chest. My eyes twitched. I felt something wet… there were tears falling.

"No," my voice shuttered.

"Then why go through with it?"

"Because..." I paused. I knew I didn't have a real answer. All this is because of my father. But blaming him wouldn't exactly be the right thing to do… would it?

"Because… of my father..."

Dante sighed. "Look… I know I just met you and all, but I know you're way too smart and independent to let someone run your life like that. You've got to at least talk to him about it."

I sniffed and wiped my tears even though more kept coming. "It's not that simple, Dante. No one has ever told my father no. Not even my mother. What he says goes. That's the way things have always been between me and him."

Dante sighed. He gritted his teeth with his mouth closed, making his jaw shift from side to side. Then he shrugged his shoulders and looked up into the sky.

"Well if I were you, I'd still give it a shot. Who knows, he might even change his mind."

Dante's words brought a small smile to my face. "Thank you... Dante." I wiped my tears again.

Dante smiled back at me. Dante might have been part demon, but he had the heart of an angel.

After our break, we began searching. We've walked many miles and so far we've haven't come across any demons. It was actually starting to worry me. I could tell Dante was getting suspicious as well; the stiffness in his walk and followed by the tension in his shoulders and the intense look in his narrowed eyes. I wouldn't be surprised if any demons were afraid to come our way. I couldn't help but stare at him from the corner of my eye.

"So... anything else I need to know?" I tried to break myself out of my gaze.

"Not really," he said as we continued our journey. "Though you might wanna stay away from any demons with sharp objects. They tend to be a bit tricky."

"But don't most of them have sharp objects?"

"Exactly," he winked at me.

I nodded in return. I didn't really mind them being so dangerous. I was actually looking forward to coming across a demon. All the danger and excitement. Being the daughter of a royal family and all, I never really been anywhere or seen anything. I've been living peacefully beyond the kingdom. It's been... kinda boring actually.

Suddenly, Dante stopped in front of me, causing me to bump into him. He held his arm out in front of me as if he were shielding me.

"Dante?... What's wrong?" I tried to see around his muscular arm.

"Demon scum..." I heard him say in a hushed tone. His expression grew more intense. A red aura formed around him. He reached behind him and pulled out his sword. I got a full view of his famous sword. The details on it were ominous yet cool. I've never seen any sword like this before. It fit him so well. They say that swords are known to be one of the best companions a man could ever have, next to man's best friend.

Suddenly a rumbling sound appeared. The ground began to shake. Losing my balance, I grabbed onto Dante's arm for support. He on the other hand, stood proud and strong. He didn't move an inch! Up ahead I could see what looked to be a dust cloud. It was heading our way! It looked like a stampede. The cloud finally reached us and soon we were surrounded by herds of demons. Some had really sharp weapons, the ones that Dante mentioned earlier, and others had sharp claws and fangs.

We were cautious. We waited.

"What now?" I asked softly.

"Now… we fight!" Dante then charged forward towards a group of demons. He summer salted in the air and swung his sword about. A big slash formed from his sword cutting his target.

Standing there in amazement I realized I was left behind. I quickly rose from my feet and flew to the sky. I had a full view of the monstrosity below me. My expression grew serious and my eyes began to glow a bright white. I clenched my fists and held them up to my chest. A white aura surrounded me. I took a deep breath and raised my hand. With great force I shot a white light from my hands and aimed for the demons. One by one their numbers were decreasing. I moved my hand around aiming for any remaining demons. Below I could see Dante still fighting. He jerked and swayed and swung his sword about. He was a natural. He made it seem so easy.

Finally our work was done. I landed gently on the ground. My eyes returning to their original color. Dante appeared before me. "Well… for a dainty damsel you sure can kick ass."

I laughed. As soon as I was about to make a comeback I noticed he had a scrape on his chest. "You're bleeding," I said.

"No need the worry. I heal fast."

I could already see the cuts shrinking. There was more about him that I never knew. We stopped and took a seat by some boulders.

"You seem tired," Dante said.

"Huh?" I replied. Guess I was tired.

"You know you can go back if you want. I don't wanna keep you..."

"Oh no, I'm fine," I assured him.

"I seriously doubt that," he leaned closer to me. "You should go back. Besides you can come back here anytime right?"

I nodded. "I guess..." Then I remembered the potion I brought. "Yeah, your right. I guess I could use a break," I stood up and took out the potion.

"So… I'll see you later?" I said a bit disappointed that I was leaving.

"I'll be waiting," he said, his hair waving in his eyes.

I turned and waited for the potion to take effect. Soon I was back home.