Disclaimer: I don't own Devil May Cry. If I did, I would have a lot more money.
Combat mechanics here based on cutscenes. I go with the in-game battle mechanics for Eva because she's weaker. This is Sparda.
This had been one of the most irritating nights he had had in quite a while.
Of course, it didn't hold a candle to when he had still been pretending loyalty to Mundus, after he had had his change of heart (though he still didn't have a heart) but before the time had been right to strike.
Attempting to convince the humans he had needed to assist him that he was on their side had also been annoying. Here he had decided to save them when otherwise they were doomed, and they were still calling him murderer, and now liar.
A liar? Demons were far more honest than humans.
Why it had been such a strain not to denounce Mundus in his own hall. He had had to grit his teeth.
The legends said he had become human. Died a human.
He would much rather die a devil. Humans might not be worthless, but he would still rather be himself.
He still hadn't become a liar, even after all this time here. So he made it utterly obvious who and what he was. Name, shadow… not his fault if they failed to notice, most of them.
Even though most of the time he wanted them not to notice.
They had noticed tonight. And he had hoped for a civil meeting, a mere exchange of information that had ended up with his contacts shooting at him.
Nothing that hadn't happened before, and the shots were easy to avoid. Still. Irritating.
Irritating enough he had found himself growling slightly under his breath while flying back to the city. Really. He had much more control than that. Self-control was a virtue all knights, even devil knights viewed as vital. Self-control was why he managed to get through every day without a trail of corpses.
He had sworn an oath. Sometimes not wanting to prove the human (even one stronger than the rest of them) right was all that held him back.
It was nothing out of the ordinary.
So why was he taking it so hard?
His eyes had glowed then, and he had smiled. Demons nearby. Prey.
He could use some exercise.
He dropped straight down out of the sky, powers pushing against the ground as he landed to slow his fall enough he didn't leave footprints in the concrete.
Cloaked ones with scythes (really, those types were far too common. No creativity among these lesser demons) attacking some woman and her child. Without a word he drew Yamato. No use in warning them, they had sensed a strong devil and were turning to him now.
One jumped to slash at him and he slid out of the way, holding Yamato's blade to meet it as it fell. Almost a suicide, really.
These against him? Really, these should be Hell Suicides, that was their sin. He should tell that to Ms. Williams, it would amuse her, and say something amusing in exchange.
She had a rather quick wit, for a human. Not like this woman.
Shielding her son with her body was selfless but pointless. Now that their attention was clearly on him she should be running.
She was bloody, but her wounds were small, not enough to keep her from carrying the child, who had a broken leg.
This should be obvious, the nearest one to her was ten feet away instead of menacing her.
Yet she was just lying there and sobbing. How senseless.
How human. Her weakness should disgust him, he knew. It wasn't her fault she was only human. She was worth fighting for, he told himself again.
Although… it was her fault she wasn't stronger. She could have been stronger, Eva proved that.
Those thoughts flashed through his mind as he sidestepped again, like a Spanish bullfighter, leaving the charging demon to run itself through on Yamato instead of run though a piece of cloth.
Two down. Only five left to go. This would be over too quickly. The last time he had had a decent fight was that Phantom.
That had also been a pleasure because he had been able to observe some decent fighting. He had been here almost two thousand years. It was good to know that humans had improved at least somewhat in that time.
He wondered how she would do against a lieutenant one-on-one. Most of the humans who had pulled that off during the war had been sorcerers, humans wielding demon powers and starting to transform into part-devils. It had been accepted then.
Now, it was deemed evil, and so the only humans who gained that power were evil. Foolish, to discard a tool.
He was used to human foolishness. Why was it irritating him so much tonight? He wondered this as he drew Ombra with his left hand and drove the other four back with perfectly placed shots as he jumped over to land on the fifth Yamato-first.
Four to go.
At least the woman had stopped screaming now, he consoled himself as he sheathed Yamato in favor of Luce.
However, the boy was still screaming. That was reasonable, the break looked rather bad.
The demons had just been toying with them, keeping them in good condition so they would produce fear and agony for longer.
But demons could also feed on death. Sparda gave the two nearest the woman and her child two shots each and then back flipped away from the group.
He beckoned to them, still silent. Come and get me.
Forgetting the helpless mortals and the power they would gain by killing them (it wouldn't have been enough to survive in any case) they slowly stalked over to him.
Sparda was sure they would have seemed rather menacing if he was a normal human, but to try such a childish display on someone who had already killed three of their number? Pitiful. In his day…
But then, now he was on the side of humanity. So it was a good thing his opponents were fools.
These did not deserve to exist as demons. They made demonkind look stupid. Mundus and his reliance on cannon fodder. Sparda sneered slightly.
The Hell Suicides spread out, forming a square around him and waving their scythes, making a big show out of how they were ready to pounce.
Eva would have dropped a grenade and jumped up, using her coat to catch the blast and push her farther up and out of the way while these fools perished.
Explosive use was becoming more common as a human tactic.
Mundus' servants, at least some of the older ones, had defenses against swords and melee weapons. They were developing them just as humans were relieved to be abandoning them.
Really.
No wonder that Ms. Williams was so surprised he was intelligent and well-read, he mused as he drew Yamato and in one motion spun around and shattered all four of them into dust.
Mind you, he was surprised as well. Most hunters had little time for anything that wasn't connected to survival.
Perhaps that was why he had grown so irritated recently.
He had gotten used to dealing with someone who was much more reasonable than most humans, so when he had to deal with the typical ones they seemed even more foolish than usual.
It was like the difference between cannon fodder and a dark knight, really. Or, in the case of those hunters, a lieutenant and a dark knight. She was most exceptional for a human.
He sheathed Yamato and walked over to the woman.
She was looking at him with a little fear.
The falling out of the sky and the back flip. He cursed mentally. That had been showing off. He should have come to earth out of sight and not been so flamboyant in combat. He needed to pass for a human, with a human's limits.
Reproaching himself for the slip, he smiled down at her and offered her a hand up. "Are you all right, Mrs….?"
"Missus Talbot." Relief overrode curiosity and she carefully took the hand up, limping a little. "Thank you so much, Mister…?"
"I'm so sorry, I should have introduced myself first." He bowed, heels clicking. "Sir von Schwärzung."
"Thank you very much, Sir. I thought we were dead. What were those things?"
Really. What did she think they were? "Demons, I'm afraid." He bent down to look at the boy, who was sniffling quietly now, trying at least to be brave and not cry. "That's a nasty break. We had better get you to a hospital."
He hoped this didn't make him late for breakfast with Eva, but he couldn't just leave them here to suffer.
Well, to be honest, he could. Rather easily. But it wouldn't be in character. He had no interest in being a human, being weak (although he trusted if he had been born a human he would have dedicated himself to becoming stronger, as Ms. Williams had), but he could at least act like it.
Act like a noble human as he was a noble demon.
She, Ms. Williams, understood that. Few did. They thought he was noble in spite of being a devil.
"Thank you so much sir," the woman gushed, starting to settle into what fairy tales told her was her role in this story. The grateful damsel in distress.
It got boring after the first few thousand times. He knelt down. "Here, I'll carry you." He lifted the boy easily and stood up. "Where is the nearest hospital? Or is there somewhere nearby you can get a ride?"
"My car is in the parking lot." She pointed to the edge of the park. "Demons? Really? Are we…"
"You're safe now," he reassured her. "And it's probably better for you to not know the details. And yes, you are safe now. Unless those were sent to attack you, lightening doesn't strike twice."
"Sent to attack us?" She paled. "Why would anyone do that?"
"Human sorcerers sometimes summon demons to kill." He started to walk towards the parking lot. "If you can't think of anyone, it was certainly just a coincidence. This city has a very competent hunter, I'm sure if there were any sorcerers around here she would have dealt with them."
"She?" That wasn't part of the story. A woman, fighting demons? How exceptional. The last human female who had fought that well had been the priestess Maria, and she had hated him, quite deliciously so.
"Yes, she." He nodded. It irritated him that she was underestimated by the very people she fought for because of her birth. But then, he had been (and still was) hated by those he protected because of his. Another thing they had in common.
"A girl?" The boy asked.
"A woman, and yes." He tried to hold the leg gently, but, "You've lost a lot of blood. Could you reach in that pocket?" He asked the woman. "I have a thermos of tea, and he really should drink something."
She did. "Thank you, sir."
"I don't like tea," the boy complained.
"Daniel, drink it," she ordered him, habit of command causing her to show a little fire.
"All right, all right." She handed it to him and he drank.
They had reached the parking lot. "There's our car." She pointed to it.
"If you open the door, I can lay him down on the back seat. That might be the most comfortable." She complied, her hands fumbling with the keys. Still nervous.
Sparda laid him down. "Do you need anything else?"
She shook her head." Thank you so, so much. We would be dead now if you hadn't come." Privately, Sparda doubted that. The demons would have kept tormenting them for at least another hour. "How did you know they were here?"
"I have a sixth sense for these things." He smiled. She was still radiating fear, eyes darting off to look in the shadows. "I'm sure it won't happen again, but let me give you Ms. William's number." He made a show of fumbling in the pocket: it contained whatever he wanted it to contain. Pad and pen, in this case. He paused. "I'm not sure how much longer she'll be staying where she is," he would have to go back to Switzerland eventually, after all, "but this man should know how to reach her." Her informant's number.
"Thank you so much." She grasped his hand. "How can I ever repay you?" Oh dear. She thought he was handsome. The downside of being that way.
"Just get your son to the hospital and try not to worry too much, hmm?" He smiled. "Now I really must be going, I agreed to meet her for breakfast."
"Her?"
"Ms.Williams." Her eyes looked like he had just confirmed something. Really, it wasn't that way at all. "I was in town on business and I decided to compare notes with her on recent demonic activity." So how had she ended up staying with him?
A prudent devil never, never let a stranger share their home. It was simply begging to be killed and eaten.
"Oh." She nodded, disappointed.
"Mommy, it hurts!" The boy had tried to sit up and put weight on the leg. He hissed and clutched it.
"Hold still, Daniel! We'll be at the hospital in five minutes, just hold on until then, okay?" Her attention was riveted to the child now. A relief. "I'm sorry, but I have to go."
"I understand." He bowed again. "Good night, Mrs. Talbot, and I wish we could have met under better circumstances."
"Thank you again!" She got in the car and started it.
He walked away out of sight until she drove off, then teleported up into the air again.
He checked his watch. He would have to hurry, or he might not be early.
Really, why did he care so much?
She was a truly excellent fighter, probably the best one who wasn't either part demon or relying entirely on magic he had seen in centuries, if ever.
It was admirable that she was doing so well, of course. He had needed to train for millennia to gain his skills (skilled enough no one had yet figured out that the seal drained him of all but a fraction of his power) , but she had only had a quarter century.
Really, since she had been raised as a typical ornamental human female, she had less than a decade of experience. To go from nothing to someone who could have taken out a Phantom even if he hadn't been there was truly impressive.
He remembered her fights.
Economical, that was her style. Using explosives and rapid tactics to minimize the length of the fight, helping keep her low human stamina from counting against her. Running and flipping to keep enemies at a distance. Too many humans, even the best hunters, tried to stand their ground instead of properly thinking in four dimensions.
Strength. He'd grown so used to tolerating weakness it was a relief to see it.
But that wasn't all of it, was it.
She was out right now, fighting, and he wished he could see it. Not simply to observe hunter tactics as he had said. He wished she had not asked him not to spy on her. That had made it a matter of honor.
He wondered if he could arrange to be invited along in future. He would talk with her about it during breakfast.
Ah yes, breakfast. Eating together.
A human notion, social eating among. Demons with prey didn't share with those who weren't family. He had gotten used to it: bread and salt made humans feel more secure.
They were both busy, but he could have had those dinners be business meetings. That would have been far more productive.
He could have wrapped up the deals regarding investment in the Third World that were keeping him here (but weren't the only reason he was here) months ago if he had hurried like he would have normally.
Really.
Helping her fight, letting her share his nest, giving her gifts and food.
If she was a devil, he would think he was considering her as a potential mate.
Ridiculous.
He smiled, flying along. Then frowned.
He hoped she didn't see it that way. True, he caused her to feel happy, but surely even a Hunter far less prejudiced than most wouldn't allow herself to fall for a demon.
Devils and humans had mated in the past, when humans were stronger and devils were gods, but nowadays? Preposterous.
Still, he knew he was handsome, and polite, and they did have common interests. He would have to be careful she didn't start to have feelings for him. That would wreck a perfectly good working relationship.
He wouldn't blame her for trying to kill him if she thought he was trying to seduce her. Not in the slightest.
It certainly wasn't impossible for a male and a female to have a non-romantic relationship. And he was a devil, not a human male. He wasn't attracted to her, even if she fought well. For a human.
She was a human. She would be dead soon. Even if she fought well, her profession was a dangerous one. Being his mate would be even more dangerous: he had enemies on both sides.
Some would think her as much a traitor as he was.
This was utterly ridiculous.
Even if he… considered this idea for an instant, he couldn't allow himself to be attracted to her. If he was, he should stay far away from her. If his control slipped, he would… well, not rape her. Kill her and then rape her, for as long as her gold orbs held out.
Among demons, the loser belonged to the victor, to do with as they pleased. So… was he tempted by that idea? Having this most unusual human bow down to him? To taste its fear, lust, and worship?
Love?
She did have warm feelings for him, but wouldn't she be more worried?
After all, she knew what demons were.
She knew that he wanted to rip and tear, no matter how he acted. No matter how tight his control was, the desire was there.
Take her apart, see what made her special. Fight the closest thing to a worthy opponent he'd seen in far too long.
The idea was attractive.
She wasn't attractive. Soft smooth skin instead of a hard carapace, only tiny little fangs and ornamental claws like all her kind. She had muscles and that was about it. Lean ones.
Judged by human standards of beauty… well, human standards of beauty varied widely.
Her will.
Common interests as well.
He should go. Arrange for a note to be delivered to her room saying something polite. No, he should say goodbye in person, he owed her that much, even though he certainly wasn't fool enough to say why.
She read him damnably well.
And he was here, wasn't he. This alley was where they would meet. He dropped down into it.
He wished he could lie. To himself, if nothing else.
That was a human vice, but now it seemed like a virtue.
He was what he was, and what he was was interested in what she was. No, more than interested.
She was… he didn't know. Herself. A human.
This was utterly wrong and could never work out. He would slip up and kill her, he knew he would.
She was coming closer, he knew that was her.
Love and fear, he could taste them.
She came into the alley a few steps before she noticed him. That wasn't like her, she always noticed everything.
He could see as well as feel her conflict, flight and fight warring within her, when if she chose either he knew he would pounce and…
No! He grabbed the last shreds of his control and held up a hand. "I would highly advise…" His voice didn't sound normal.
"Not acting like prey. Gotcha." He didn't need to say it, she understood.
He laughed. Laughing was the other side of crying, a way to deal with emotions by getting rid of them. He rarely did it like that, merely as a sign he was amused. This was utterly… he didn't want to kill her.
"This can't possibly end well." Typically blunt and true.
"I quite agree, Ms. Williams." A tinge of sarcasm in his tone. He didn't want to move. If he did, there was too much of a chance he would pounce.
"But I refuse to end up a corpse, or even worse spend the rest of my life pining away like a character in a bad novel. So… what do you say we pretend it can, until we manage to annoy the hell out of each other enough we can't stand the sight of each other?"
She… she trusted him? She wanted to spend more time with him?
It made him love her more, even though she was expecting the impossible. Or perhaps because she was. Again, he laughed. "Agreed, Ms. Williams."
"Call me Eva."
"Agreed, Eva." He bowed to her, because she deserved it, because she was brave and brilliant and enough of a fool to risk giving him what he wanted. Because she wanted to give him what he wanted. She wanted his happiness.
"I've changed my mind. You can pay for breakfast." A somewhat strained smile, but there.
Share his kill with her? He would. Gladly.
She walked up to him, reached out her hand to take his. He let his own reach out. Careful, no claws. Stay human. Seemingly human. You can do this.
You toppled an empire, Sparda. You can make the other part of the legend real if you choose to.
Fall in love with a human. Marry her.
Humans and their stories.