Author note: A big thanks to those that reviewed! Here's another chapter! Enjoy! Oh, and thanks to Foggy Brains for editing. I think she left a note here as well.

Special Visitor Foggy Brains says: Welcome all! Enjoy Deathbyhugs' writing! Review her nicely! She likes reviews, and it raises her will to write! So like... review her after you read! Cause reviews are like Dante! Totally awesome:)

A Devil's Instinct

Devious demons

(Continued from previous chapter)

'But a powerful devil-knight known as Sparda took pity on humans for their brief, transient lives. In fierce battle he defeated all the Devil ruler's armies and finally imprisoned the emperor in a sealed vault.

Having achieved his victory, Sparda abandoned the Devil Kingdom to live in the human world. He married a human woman and soon fathered a half devil, half human son.

But beware, mankind. After 2000 years, the cursed Devil Emperor will be released and will return to invade the human world once again.

Sparda's son must be our protector!'

- From Devil World History (age unknown) housed in the Library of Forbidden Books

Dante cursed himself for falling into such a pathetic trap as the one he was currently caught in. He should've listened to his instincts before and steered clear of this place. Not only was he losing business (it wasn't like it had been up and running long anyway) by staying tied up, he was also selling Lady's life to some demented kook.

The walls of the room began to irritate Dante more then he could stand. It was if they were mocking him with their bright, happy colors. Happy. The complete opposite of what he was feeling at the moment.

Making a sound similar to a growl, Dante glared at the horribly colored walls and pulled more on the tight ropes binding his wrists together. There was no way he'd let that demon have his way.

"God damn these ropes!" Dante said through his clenched teeth. "I have to get out of here now!"

Threats meant little to Dante, and rarely did he ever take them seriously. Even though the pesky demon had promised to end Lady's life if Dante pursued them, the demon hunter could tell that the demon was bluffing.

"There has to be something to get me out of here..."

First of all, Dante thought as he felt his skin tear from the ropes yet again, the demon said himself that he needed Lady at the actual place before sacrificing her. There would be no point in murdering Lady before even reaching the demon's desired location. Another thing that Dante could use to tell the nuisance was bluffing came in the form of a simple expression the demon had worn for no longer than a split second. Doubt. Cowards bluffed a lot, Dante knew that for sure.

The delicate skin on his wrists flared with small, sharp pinpricks of pain. Dante was beginning to detest the rope even more, hoping that it would spontaneously combust into flames before his eyes. A few more tries at pulling his hands loose ended with warm liquid pooling over his flesh.

Dante absolutely hated blood. He had read many cheap comics where half breeds like himself were depicted with demanding cravings for raw meat and flesh. He wondered how anyone could ever bring themselves to actually savor the taste of blood. Pizza was the way to go.

Speaking of pizza...

"Oh man." Dante stared down at his stomach as it growled in displeasure at a lack of food intake, or, in his case, pizza intake. "I've got to get something to eat as well, it seems..."

But, as much as he would love to order a fresh box of pizza, Dante had to get out. At the moment it seemed nearly impossible to move anywhere with the ropes. So, raising his bound hands back up to his face, the demon hunter tried once again to chew through them.

"Screw this!"

Dante gave up. He spat out a glob of blood and snickered as it stained the oddly colored floor below him. Chewing was now out of the question and just when becoming free seemed impossible, Dante noticed something very important.

He could smell the blood he had spat out as if he was stuck to his nose. Normally, such things didn't become apparent unless Dante transformed, but this time it was different. The taste of blood must've triggered something because, as the demon hunter looked around the empty room, his already heightened senses became stronger and as he flexed his hands against the rope, his strength increased.

He had released it again.

His vision became a lot more crisp but it had become tinted lightly with crimson. Power surged throughout him and Dante smirked to himself as the wounds on his wrists healed within mere seconds.

"Now it's time to crash this party!"

With one quick flick of his wrist, the ropes broke and Dante was finally granted the freedom he had been itching for. He knew the power in his current state was limited so he made the best of it and broke the ropes bounding his feet together.

It was time to take some action.

The surge of power drained slowly from Dante as he walked towards Ebony and Ivory where they had been thrown by the annoying demon. It felt like some form of a family reunion to once again have possession of the custom made handguns.

Spinning Ebony on his right index finger while placing Ivory in its holster, Dante made his way across the room, constantly gagging mentally at how horrible it looked. There was something that Dante noticed; however, and that something made escaping more of a chore then anything.

There was absolutely no way out of this room. No windows, no doors, nothing.

"Well," Dante sighed as he scratched the back of his head. "It looks like I'll have to make my own way out of here."

Lady crossed her arms in f

rustration. She had finally disposed of all the demons without much trouble and without the help of Dante. But it was Dante she was cross with.

"Where the hell have you gone off to now?" She muttered as the silence around her became irritating.

She knew the pizza loving man wouldn't just up and leave. He had a fetish for killing demons and if he was getting paid for this job, there was no way he'd miss out. But where was he?

Lady couldn't wait any longer. Waiting wasn't one of her best traits anyways. She immediately found herself walking over to the massive bookshelf and just as she was about to open one of the books, something moved from behind her.

She recognized the sound of the footsteps and crossed her arms again. Maybe now they could continue on without any more problems or distractions.

"Sorry babe, I got a little caught up back there."

Lady narrowed her eyes. "Back where?"

Dante seemed to think on something. It was unlike him to actually pause while speaking, the man was always so sure of himself.

"Oh, back there," he pointed to the balcony behind them. "I found something we should go check out."

Lady turned around. She glared at Dante before leaning against the bookshelf, her arms still crossed.

"And what is it that you found?"

"You'll have to see for yourself." Dante said as he noticed suspicion dancing in Lady's eyes. "What? Are you too chicken to see for yourself?"

Lady sighed. "Fine, let's go."

"It's this way." Dante jumped up to the balcony. "Follow me."

But Lady remained leaning against the bookshelf. She closed her eyes while her arms remained crossed.

Something wasn't right about Dante.

"Are you coming or what?" Came the demon hunter's voice from above.

"I'm coming!"

Pushing herself off the bookshelf, Lady made her way up to the balcony, all the while preparing herself for the worst.