Title: "Dawnbringer"

Rating: 'T for Teen', potentially 'M for Mature'.

Chapter 3: Daybreak

Pale rays seeped through the window, lighting the dust on the air more than the room. Unsurprisingly, the cocooned figure atop the couch did not move. A lithe hand hung out of one fold of the blanket, twitching occasionally. It wasn't until someone laid into the horn on their car in the streets outside that she moved, grumbling something that sounded just a bit violent before she cracked her eyes open. She blinked slowly, twice, then batted the overly large blanket over her face. A faint groan left the mound of blanket and pillow, and it constricted around the occupant. "Why must morning be so early..." A soft yawn came from the pile, even as it moved to uncover the nose and mouth of a pale young face. She took a slow, deep breath... Then nuzzled back into the blanket. There was a scent there... A pleasant one, all things considered. It was clean, yet there was a lingering cologne... one she recognized. Under that was another scent, one that she decidedly did not know, but liked all the same. A sleepy nuzzle into the fabric brought a deeper whiff of the illusive scent... And then she all but gagged, bolting up right in the blanket and almost throwing herself from the couch in the process. She found the scent, alright. And another, lurking under it, that sent her mind down venues it really didn't need to go to considering who's blanket it was. She pushed the coils of fabric off her shoulders, tugging her oversized t-shirt from it so she could sit comfortably while she sucked in a lung full of clean air. Kira sighed after a moment, blinking slightly bleary eyes into focus as she rubbed the corners. She found herself staring into the office portion of Dante's shop, and it took her a moment to realize the why, and how of her current situation...

"You're insane, Lash." The sound he'd made, then, had been something so completely human that she had actually smiled.

"Wouldn't you be?" That she couldn't- wouldn't- argue. She didn't have the experience to argue it, nor the desire to...

"I think you've both lost your god damned minds." The two had actually laughed, together, with a smile on their faces. Something that made Dante give an exasperated sigh. Kira grinned, reaching up to pat his shoulder before she stepped around him, moving to stand between him and Lash.

"You might just be right... But if I'm riding this crazy train, god knows you're driving it." She turned a grin up to him, and for a fraction of a second, the weariness in her eyes was enough to dull their unique shades. A feature it seems even she noticed, looking back, before the yawn hit her. The chuckle that rose from Lash was enough to make her click her teeth together and turn to him.

"This has been a rather... tiresome night, hasn't it?" He offered up a smile, and she returned it.

"Aye..." Lash stretched upwards, pulling his already lanky body to an impossible length before he slacked and moved for the door. "Oi, where're you headin'?" Kira actually moved to follow him.

"I'll be back, you'll crash here for the night- both for your safety, and because I don't trust you to drive that thing when you're tired. I'll go grab a bag for you." Lash tossed a smile over his shoulder, and for once that night, he looked completely human.

"Grab one for yourself, too." Kira almost missed the undertone in that sentence, slowly catching it at the end before she turned to glare at Dante over her shoulder.

"Dude, if you even think about it while I'm here, I will personally pistol whip you. With your own gun." The laugh that left Dante in that moment told her everything she needed to know- that he was only half joking, but would respect both wishes... and that he was completely okay with our crashing at his place without pretenses. "Crazy buffoon..."

"Hey, you seem to like it." She could practically hear the grin on his face, even now.

"It's enjoyable, if that's what you mean." A massive hand dropped onto her shoulder, and she grinned slowly. Lash took that moment to chuckle and move for the door again, slipping back into the bloodstained shoes by the door.

"You two play nice, I'll be back in an hour."

"We will!" The tandem echo that struck the roof, followed by laughter, was perhaps her favorite part of that little memory... Even as the door closed behind him, Lash carried a smile on his face. An honest, sincerely happy smile.

She'd remember that smile for a very, very long time...

"Yo, Ki'?" The sound of her nickname, now with all the more irony in it's pronunciation, brought her back to the present.

"Yes, Dante?" She stretched upwards, sighing softly at the sound of a number of cracks along her spine. The realignment was exactly what she needed, in that moment.

"Tell me, what do you know in self-defense?" She stilled, with her hands still above her head, and blinked slowly. In recollection, she likely should have expected such a question eventually.

"Enough to keep me out of trouble, what's up?" Slowly, she dropped her hands and looked up at the platinum haired male. He had one of the most serious expressions she'd seen on his face to date. It looked completely out of place on Dante's mug, yet... Strangely enough, it didn't look bad.

"If this is headed where I think it is... You're going to need more than that." She suddenly didn't like where the conversation was headed.

"And that means...?" Oh, how eloquent she was, in her semi delirious state last night...

"That one of us is going to have to teach you how to defend yourself against a demon, and in the worst case scenario, against a devil. So, try again, what do you know?" Dante had yet to actually look at her, seemingly staring off into space in that moment- despite the fact his voice was as clear and serious as she'd ever heard it. Some small part of her knew this would be a topic, yet she still hesitated. "Well?"

"Mixed martial arts, multiple weapons, after school with some self defenses program. That's about the extent of it, and it's never been used in combat- so I don't really think it counts. Worst I've had to do is punch a grabby customer." She slowly licked her bottom lip as she finished, then stepped out from under his arm and moved for the couch. This time, she felt his eyes on her. They were cold, analyzing... Not at all the same, wandering eyes that brought a blush to her skin occasionally.

"We'll start tomorrow then, see how much of it shows." She yawned softly, pausing to endure it for the duration, before she looked over her shoulder and smiled at him, tired as it was.

"I'll see you in the mornin', then."

She sighed as she finally rubbed the remaining bleariness from her eyes, then grumbled out something about 'mornings' and 'going to hell'. Her hands dropped to her lap before she slumped, resting her shoulders on her splayed knees. Kira almost tipped herself off the couch, when she relaxed a bit too far, and quickly flung herself back against the leather. She let out a slow breath before she extended her legs, still wrapped in the blanket, and stood. The motion caused the fabric to pool at her calves, even as it was open and unraveling around her knees. For the tiniest fraction of a second, she regretted the tiny shorts she wore to sleep in- the old t-shirt she wore covered them, leaving an impression she really didn't want to hear from Dante about. That thought was chased away, however, by the taste of morning and the the feel of her hair. She cringed, reaching into her bag to pull the smaller bath bag from it. Soaps, shampoos, and a towel. Kira took the extra moment to grab her sweats and matching hoodie, as well as the rest of her essentials, before she stepped out of the mountain of blankets and made her way to the door that lead into the back of the building. Silence greeted her, and she smiled as she made her way toward the bathroom. She passed a very bleary eyed Dante on the way, a towel in his hair and one around his hips. Her half asleep brain let her eyes wander, and appreciate, the lack of coverage that the still sleeping male had. She snickered, turning a corner as Dante blinked awake and turned to look at her. "Oi! Proof of pants or lack of is required in this house!" She laughed, continuing her path away from the sleepy pervert. With a small grin, she rounded into the bath and set her things down. She stripped quickly, and sat to trying to figure out the damnable plumbing device...

A sharp hiss hit the air as Kira finally managed to get the shower to operate- it really was true, that any shower that wasn't yours was impossible to work. She did have to give Dante one thing- he had hot water. Hotter than her human hide could stand. She took a moment to fix the temperature to something other than "Hell Fire Hot" before she proceeded, scrubbing her hair as the last dredges of sleep drifted down the drain with the suds. She scrubbed almost viciously at her skin, trying to rub away the less savory parts of yesterday's evening. Afterward, feeling she had a few minutes, she simply rested her head against the tile and let the water work, while her mind wandered.

"Training with Dante... Why does this seem like a beautifully bad idea. Especially given the circumstances." She chuckled softly, reaching up to run a hand through her hair. After a brief moment, she opened her eyes and actually looked at the wet-black locks in her hand. A small smile lifts her lips before she drops them. "I wonder, will Mary get dragged into all of this as well? Will I see her?" That smile drooped rather quickly at another thought... "Will she be all right, when all this goes down?" Kira sighed softly, pulling head head off the tile and whipping her hair back over her shoulders before she killed the water and toweled off. She took only a moment to braid her hair before she jumped out and dressed. She tugged her socks on as she padded down the hall way, making her way to where she could hear some form of conversation... She stopped in the hall way, however, when she heard 'what'.

"You really think she can handle that?"

"There's only one way to find out- I promise I won't go too hard on her."

"Liar."

"I won't- we don't need her injured if Vergil makes a move before she's ready."

"She won't be ready regardless, you realize there is very, very little hope if she encounters him, correct?" She heard the sound a chair scooting out, then made her way around the corner.

"I thought you were banking-ey! Hey! Good morning, Kira!" She glared at Dante, and his overly cheery smile.

"Don't 'good morning' me, Ms. Doubting Debbie." Dante actually looked embarrassed, while Lash just chuckled over his mug of coffee.

"Good morning, Kira. Rest well?" He looked over to her, blue eyes sparkling with a shade of amusement.

"As well as I could on the couch. What's for breakfast?" She heard a scoff from the man sitting with his back to the door, and promptly kicked the leg of his chair. It budged, barely.

"Your options are cold pizza, and dubious strawberry icecream. And coffee, courtesy of yours truly." Kira actually felt her brow twitch as she ruffled Dante's hair, earning a rather indignant yelp from the man before she moved toward the coffee pot.

"So, we need to go shopping after."

"Very likely." Another sip of his coffee.

"So, training, shopping, work. Am I missing anything in the plan for the day?" Kira looked up from her own coffee, taking a sip to check the consistency of it.

"That does sound about right, I believe Dante is ready to go when you are." He looked up from his coffee, and caught her eyes with his own. There was a very clear look in them- 'be careful'. She'd seen it a hundred times before. Every time she left for a late shift at work, every time she left on her own for something other than work or Lianna's. She'd seen it when she left for work on a normal shift a time or two. It brought a small smile to her face as she sipped her coffee greedily.

"Then let me finish my coffee, and we can go." She heard a small chuckle from Dante, then looked up to see him standing from his chair- no shirt in sight, as was the usual.

"You're going no where, just meet me in the office when you're ready. We'll see how much you actually retained, and how much of it you can apply." He gave her a grin, and for a second she was actually rather shocked. He was serious- yet also being his normal, snarky self... She didn't know if she was about to walk into an ass kicking, or a lesson.

"Dually noted..." She lifted the mug to her lips again, watching the man wander out of the room in a pair of black sweat pants and a pair of socks. "Why do I get the feeling I signed a check my ass can't cash?"

"Because you said yes to training with a half devil." Kira blinked slowly, sipping her coffee again.

"Mm... that might be it, yes. Wish me luck?" She grinned slightly, downing the last gulp before she took a deep breath and started stretching her arms as she walked for the door.

"You will need more than luck, Kira... Please, take this seriously. As much as I dislike the idea, you need the practice... I can't count on you getting lucky, or simply willing your way out of a match with a demon spirit. We need you capable of fighting." She looked back at the man who was watching her over the edge of his coffee cup. "When Dante think's you're ready to move onto weapons, we have a few ideas for you. Go, see what you know, what you can learn, and what you need. We'll move from there." Kira smiled slightly, letting it slowly turn into a smirk.

"Sure thing, Lash..." A quick step carried her out the door, and she worked her stretches all the way down the hall. Arms, sides, neck, hands, wrists, everything but her legs. She made it to the door as she finished her upper body, and planned to do the legs as soon as she crossed into the office. Or she would have, had she not found herself snatched through the door way as soon as she opened it. She felt the hand on her arm more than seen it, as she was pulled through and sent airborne. A very brief 'what the fuck' echoed off her lips before she rolled and landed. It was rough, given she had no expectations of the attack, but she did manage it. That's when she actually verbalized: "What the fuck, Dante?"

"You won't get the luxury of preparation time against a demon... nor against Vergil. Consider that lesson number one." The half-devil stood by the door, arms crossed over a broad chest, and a cool, calculating look in his eyes. There was something about that look that made her skin flush... He was most certainly judging her, and she knew it. Slowly, she stood, slipping into a stance that came to her rather naturally- proving she hadn't lost her years of training from lack of use, after all. Dante moved, then, and she had absolutely no idea where he went...

...Until he appeared behind her. She had a fraction of a second, less than, to turn and throw up a guard before his palm came slamming into her, throwing her off her feet and into a roll on the floor. She used that roll, the momentum, to throw herself back to her feet at the end of it. "Very good, slow, but good." She almost growled, her left eye twitching faintly before she adjusted her feet a bit. She stayed there, waiting on his movement...

One that never came. With a grin, he noticed her slowly growing exasperation with him, and slipped into a different stance. He motioned with one hand for her to come at him- and for a moment he swore that her red eye flashed. To her credit, she noticed his very faint slip of attention and bolted toward him. She threw a basic jab, left handed, and was intercepted by his right arm. The strike was nothing in terms of power. She continued that, small jabs and motions to the sides... getting a feel for him, he realized, after she backed off a step. He arched a brow when she did so, only to have a rather cocky grin greet him. She came in, then, close and throwing jabs under his guard. They didn't hurt, but the fact she turned her size into a quick advantage like that had been something unexpected. Kira chose that moment, feeling that faint slip... and slammed into him with her shoulder and her fist. She aimed low, to the side, for a space between the muscles and the bone. The shot into his hip actually sent his stance askew, and she jumped for the chance. He felt a hand grab his hair, and grinned at her. A quicker hand grabbed the knee she sent flying toward his face, and the other grabbed her hip. He sent her spinning, spiraling away from him and through the air. She took a few strands of hair with her, but she had no chance of landing safely. Dante grinned, bolting forward and grabbing her from the air, 'throwing' her into the floor of his office and placing a palm against her throat. She gasped- both from the impact and sudden force against her neck, he assumed- and stared up at him wild eyed for a moment. It took her a moment, sadly, to realize what had happened. When she spoke, however, he swore he heard a shade of giddiness in her voice.

"Holy hell, you're fast."

The grin that split her face was all the proof he needed for that guess.

Authoress' Notes:

(Note removed, as it covered a continuity error that has been resolved. Enjoy v.3.1! xD)