Lessons Of the Sword

Morning slowly came for the three sleeping people on the couch. Dante was constantly awoken by Vergil who was still uneasy about what the puppet had done. What had him more concearned besides his child's uneasiness was the fact that a demon he hadn't seen in five years had just shown up in his own house. He had no choice now but to teach the boys how to fight for real, not just the play sparring matches. Oh how he hated the thought that he would have to teach them at such a young age to kill. He would have liked to have waited until they were at least ten. He slipped out of the boys grasps and got up to order a pizza, something he hadn't had in a long time. He hung up the phone after placing his order and smiled at the two sleeping boys.

Sam stirred a little, "Nmmm..What time is it?"

Dante smiled playfully, "Oh its around noon"

Both of the boys shot up, "We're late then! Dad how could you let us sleep in!"

Dante shushed the boys looking serious, "That demon last night is a troubling sign. I wish I didn't have to teach you two so soon, but I have no choice. It's time that you two learned the way of the sword...Therefore, you two are going to start as soon as we have breakfast"

"We're going to miss our test though!" Vergil got up.

Dante smiled softly, "Boys...your lives are a little more important then a mere test...This is life and death. Those things will never stop chasing you.." He finished solemnly and noted how the boys had frozen in fear.

"Y-You mean they're going to chase us?" Sam asked quietly.

Dante nodded, "Yes...That's why this is important...I had to teach myself after my father died. I'm not going to do the same thing to you two"

The boys stopped and looked at their father confused. If what he had just said was true, they would be hunted for the rest of their days, and the knew that their dad couldn't always be there to protect them. That thought alone scared them a little, they couldn't picture their life without him. In reality they didn't want to think about life without their dad around. A gentle hand messing with their hair snapped the boys out of their thoughts.

"You two zoned out" Dante smiled.

Sam looked worried, "Does this mean we'll be hunted until we die?"

Vergil looked over at his twin, "Don't talk like that! There has to be a way to get them to stop...Right dad?"

Dante wasn't sure on how to answer the question honestly, there was no promise that the demons would ever stop. He just pulled the boys close to him not sure what to say. One of those moments where he wished his wife was still alive. She would of known the right words to say to ease the tensions. He looked down at the twins and got the door as soon as the pizza boy was at it. He smiled and paid the guy in full including the tab he owed from last month and shut the door. He set the pizza down on his desk looking rather annoyed when he saw salami

"Tsk..I told them no salami..." He sighed.

The twins looked at each other and couldn't help but laugh, "Whats wrong Dad?"

Dante looked at the boys, "You know how much I love salami"

The boys laughed and helped themselves to a few slices still amazed on how much pizza their father could consume. When they thought he was already a heavy eater they wouldn't believe how much their father ate before they were born. Vergil had quit at two slices and looked at a few of the odd devil arms that lay scattered about the office. The one that peaked his interest the most was a strange looking guitar. As soon as he touched the guitar it changed into the form of a woman, barely dressed with red hair.

"Hello sugar" The woman smiled sweetly.

Dante dropped his pizza and pulled Vergil away, "Stay away from them Nevan. I don't need you corrupting my kids.."

Nevan laughed, "Never would of thought of you being the type to settle down handsome"

Dante set Vergil back on the couch next to Sam and glared at the demon woman, "Things changed Nevan..I have a family to look out for."

Nevan laughed and turned back into the guitar leaving Vergil dazed. Sam looked at his twin he was flushed red and had obviously seen something that had set him that way. Dante sighed and put Nevan up where the boys couldn't reach her. He turned and looked at the two boys Vergil was beat red and Sam was laughing.

"Ok then...looks like it's time to start teaching you two" He smiled and picked up Alastor.

"What are we going to use though?" Sam asked.

Vergil nodded, "Yeah..We don't have anything"

Dante smiled softly and handed Rebellion to Sam, "Here practice with this one...And for you Vergil" He made his way to a storage closet and pulled out a Yamato, "You can use this. It belonged to your uncle"

The boys looked at the swords in awe and gave them a few swings to see if they would work. Dante smiled and made a memo to himself to get two new one's forged for his own children, but for now he would have to make due with what he had. Sam was the first one confident enough to try and attack him head on. Dante smiled and blocked easily making notes of the boys movements.

"Alright Sam next time you try to strike don't go for a frontal atack. Theyre easier to block" Dante noted and looked at Vergil, "Your turn"

Vergil looked at the sword he was wielding and tried to make an attack from the side. Once again steel met steel, "So what did I do wrong?"

Dante patted the boys heads, "Your both still young and learning. Over time you'll learn more, for now don't push yourselves. Sam I want you to work on attacking from angles, and Vergil I want you to practice on not being so timid to strike. Either you strike first, or it could mean death"

The twins grew silent nodding as if understanding what their father meant. Vergil looked over at his brother and they nodded both going to strike their dad. Dante barely had anytime to block the attack and smiled.

"Heh good job boys. You almost got me that time" He laughed.

The boys smiled and decided to spend a little time practicing. The end result was Vergil being taken to the emergency room for a few rather deep gashes. Meanwhile Sam kept apologizing and asking if Dante was mad. How could Dante be mad? He was in the same situation years ago, granted their woulds would heal quickly, but it was probably best to seek medical attention. In the end Vergil had left the emergency room with forty two stitches. Sam left with a reassured conscious that neither his brother or father was mad.

After the whole hospital ordeal Dante set the boys to bed and sat at his desk looking at a picture. It was of him and his late wife. Right after they were married, he had looked so happy back then. He got up and poured himself a glass of wine looking back down at the picture. He remembered at night they would share a glass, discussing on how their days went.

"They're still far from experts, but they'll get there...Still the demons coming back, what does it all mean?" Dante said absentmindedly.

Alright Chapter three done and complete. I want to thank everyone for the kind reviews. Daemonphobia thanks once again for your wonderful reviews. lord of persia I hope that this chapter was what you were looking for. Also if anyone for any reason would like to do artwork for the story go ahead, I would love to see what you make. Thanks for reading everyone and keep those reviews coming.