AN: I've changed the horrid 'Flashback' titling since my bro keeps whining about how it looks dorky. I'm sorry but it had to be put in! So now, flashbacks are denoted as:

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Hope it's not confusing. Onto the next chapter! Enjoy!


:Eight:

"Hey! Come on, Princess! Wake up!"

Good lord, her head hurt. What was that racket?

"Goddamn get the hell up or I'm leaving you here, woman!"

If she could just reach for a gun right now…

Clenching her fist, she struck out at the offending being waking her up. Mary opened her eyes, staring at the face of a complete jerk who was now lying on his backside with a completely stunned expression.

"What the hell was that for? Dante said, rubbing at his jaw with a look of annoyance; the blow didn't hit him hard but the sudden outburst was enough to catch him off guard.

"For getting too close. Don't ever do that again." She ground out as she got up with a wince. Her head still ached with a dull pain at the back of her head.

"Just for that, I should have kissed you awake then." He muttered, emphasising the kiss with a wide grin on his striking face as he stood up in a fluid motion.

For a demon, he seems pretty in tune with human emotions…She took a moment to study him as he cracked his neck and dusted his jacket off. She had never met a demon who acted so…humane. His mannerisms and the jokes that he constantly cracked, while they were annoying, they were very much human traits. There were so many things about this Dante that defied many of the prejudices she had held against his kind. His kind…he was a demon, wasn't he? The way he moved, the way he fought; it was obviously inhuman. She wanted to ask outright all the questions that were nagging at her mind but she wasn't in any position to ask; why would she? If he was a demon - and he definitely seemed to be - she'd have to kill him anyway, right? It was her job to exterminate them all and she was damned if she would let one slip by.

But then there was her dream or vision or whatever that she'd just experienced. What did that mean? Why was he in it at all?

"Hey! Wakey wakey," he said, waving a hand in her face, "I really don't want to have to drag you around this crazy tower." She blinked a couple times as he started to walk off ahead, the red leather duster fluttering in a breeze that suddenly swept through the corridor.

He really did seem to be a mystery. Who was he?

"If you were given the chance to meet…no, no…date the President or that guy that rules the fugly monsters around here, which one would you pick?"

Mindless chatter was one of Montoya's special talents, bar the annoying antics he would pull or the actual fact that he really was quite proficient in their chosen field of expertise.

"Fugly? I know you're vocabulary was at least up to sixth grade, when did you go back to fourth grade?" she rolled her eyes at the face he pulled. They walked further on through the corridor in silence for a full 5 minutes.

"I don't get it. Why would he want to do this? It's not like they'll give you health insurance or compensation for say, deforming your body, just to get a kick outta the neat tricks you can do in return." Again, his chit-chatty self could not stop.

"No one gets it. That's why no one does that kind of ritual." Walking up the steps, they kept their weapons trained to each pathway as they came to a fork in the passageway.

Gripping the assault rifle in her hands, Selest decidedly took the left passageway, leaving Montoya to lag behind and cover the rear. It was dark along this path, but it didn't smell as bad and she was glad that there was even a choice between the two. Spending hours with Montoya who tended to sweat a lot gave her olfactories a work out.

Two seconds later, she was half-heartedly regretting her decision as she switched the flashlight on her rifle on, standing still, she saw that protruding from either side of the passageway were thin, jagged and twisted spikes - ready to impale a large man should he decide to stumble sideways.

"Crap!" Montoya stumbled into her back but let out a moan and a string of curses once he noticed the wiry barbs extending out of either side of the walls. "Why the hell did you have to pick this one!"

They treaded the rocky path carefully up for half an hour as the further they ascended the incline, the more narrow the pathway became. Curses and constant cussing littered the walk up as the barbs snared Montoya's clothes and scratched his skin.

"Ya know, I think this place is more suited to you. It's smaller and has more thorny thorns to trap any man!"

Turning around, she stared at her idiotic brother in the eye; the ultimate lame remark to ever come out of his mouth was insulting to say the least. Swiftly giving him a kick at the shin, earning a yelp and she turned to stroll faster.

Groans and rumbles were reverberating down from the entrance of the passage as they drew closer to the light. Looking back at her brother, Selest made a mental check of her supplies available for the fight ahead; clicking and snapping of cartridges told her Montoya was doing the same.

Striding further up, she could see a mass of demons lurking at the entrance, easily thirty if she counted the ones that were climbing along the walls. Outstretching a hand behind her shoulder, Montoya dropped a slim grenade into her palm. Pulling the pin, she tossed the grenade and clutched her rifle as the explosion within the chamber erupted.

Snapping his eyes open, Vergil's body felt as though it ran a race around the world in 10 minutes. Each muscle was aching, sharp pain stabbing through his abdomen as he began to get to his knees. The stinging pain in his hand was slowly ebbing away yet the dull throb in his head remained. Closing his eyes again, he remained stationary; letting the energy he'd harnessed over the long years, roll over his body in waves.

Thinking back to what had happened, why was he reliving the past? Was there something significant? True, that moment in the burial ground was the turning point; it was his awakening. Mulling the thought over, there wasn't any solid connections between that and his purpose – or was there?

He'd also seen that girl again. The one with the ridiculous arsenal littered over her body. Why he saw that girl standing in a field of conquered demons was beyond him, but what he'd witnessed within the vision definitely told him that she was somehow significant to his cause.

The screeches and screams as fire burned the huts…the young woman who clutched the shrieking child to her breast as her mouth opened to say unspoken words…her beautiful multicoloured pearl eyes boring into his soul…

He mentally shook the thought from his head, shaking the coil of unease that was settling in. He didn't need more ambiguous dreams of some fairy women in his head but the resemblance to that girl was uncanny. Perhaps this was the one he'd been looking for? There was the other one that came with a male companion. Pretty, frail, little thing with beautiful, long, black hair. He'd have to track her down as well.

Problem solved. It was either of the two ladies; no other female was drawn to the raw energy that he released before. He'd test them and he'd find the true vessel, starting with Arkham's little girl. All he needed was the fool himself, to promptly open the entrance to the last seal.

Slowly opening his blazing cobalt eyes, he stood up in a fluid motion. No lancing pains shot through his body and upon looking at his hand, the once raw and angry flesh, was now smoothed over with pale healthy skin. A small curve at the corner of his lips began to spread and he walked out of the enchanted chamber.

"Dante…?" God, this is so hard. How was she supposed to ask him something like this? She'd never been that good in terms of people skills but this was awkward!

Turning around, Dante looked at her with an eyebrow raised, waiting for her to continue.

"Um…" She stared him in the eye like a rabbit caught in flashing headlights, while he tapped his foot. What was she suppose to say now? Do you have a brother? Why were you in my dreams? Were you descended from a family that were albinos? Do you know anyone who wears a blue jacket? What the hell are you!

"I had a dream about you." she blurted. Oh god! Like that wasn't corny enough, her face turned ten shades of a tomato red.

"Oh…Is that all?" Dante made to turn back around.

"Wait! That's not what I meant-" she began.

"Look, it's okay, Princess" he interrupted with a grin on his sculpted face, "I understand that I'm a desirable guy, it's not uncommon to find the ladies wanting-"

"No, you jerk!" she grabbed his arm by the jacket and turned him to face her.

"When I was knocked out, I dreamt of someone who looked like you. Twice. Exactly like you but there was something different. In the first, you sounded…strange, foreboding."

The memory of that dream was disconcerting; just thinking back to her past was disturbing. Shaking her head, she continued on, "The second one was this field of soldiers or something, just dead bodies, everywhere and…they all had the same face."

"Let me guess: my face?" he said, earning a nod.

Looking into his eyes, Mary searched for a reaction. A frown was starting to spread as he took in the new information. She knew it sounded stupid, she thought it sounded stupid but there had to be some sort of significance to it.

Sighing, Dante looked to the side with a faraway expression. Seconds rolled by but they remained motionless, each thinking of a reason to discount these vague dreams that Mary happened to bring up.

"It was Vergil." Dante said. Staring at her mystifying eyes, he continued, "My brother. It was probably him, but I don't know why you'd want to dream about him. He's not someone you'd wanna get crazy over."

And with that, he turned around to exit the cavern they were walking through.

"Is he the reason you're here?" she asked with his back facing her, "I know he is here. What-"

She never got to finish the question as a loud vibration shook the ground beneath them.

Mary gripped her handgun firmly as she stared around the cavern. Loud cracks resounded around the cavern as a large fissure on the ground snaked its way between the demon hunters and they promptly collapsed to the level below with both on a slab of stone each.

Landing with a crouch on the broken slab, Mary balanced herself on the now crumpled stone slab. Looking over to where Dante was, she saw that he was brushing his sleeves, no injury whatsoever. She herself was not so lucky, the sudden halt when she landed on the next floor below rattled her body and her shins were smarting from the strain of the force. Collective moans alerted her to the presence of demons and she quickly stood up, whipping out her weapons. The sound of gunfire made her pause for a second as Dante held his broad sword. Snapping her gaze around, she squinted through the dust that was kicked up from the collapsed ceiling, noticing another figure, holding an assault rifle while a smaller feminine figure was also shooting into the thick of monsters.

A guttural groan to her right and she automatically swung her right hand sideways, firing off a stream of bullets as more descended towards the four figures, each of them thirsting for flesh and destruction.

Twisting her body, she bent forward at the waist to avoid a sweeping blow from an oncoming Hell Pride. As she shot the demon to her left, using the twisting momentum to sweep her own leg out at the attacking demon. Stumbling back, the demon was cleaved in two by the swipe of Dante's impressive sword. With a burst of black dust, the demon was eliminated, leaving the soot to settle over her face.

A devil to her left leapt high into the air screeching, a pike aimed straight towards her. Watching the pike move slowly for her throat, she promptly holstered her handgun and bent backwards to let the pike slide forward as she grabbed hold of the handle. Heaving with her weight behind the pull, she swung the pike down with the demon still clutching the handle, landing with a thud. Taking advantage of the stunned demon, she shot the devil in the face.

Turning around, she surveyed the area, acknowledging for the first time, the two new figures.

The taller man seemed to be compactly built, brown haired with a lazy smile grinning as he twisted the arm of a flailing devil and swung it up in the air before shooting it, sending a shower of black dust. The smaller petite companion was currently taking on three devils simultaneously with a pair of lethal daggers the length of her arm. Slicing left and right, she twirled around with both daggers, carving the devils surrounding her and flipping backwards, away from the explosion of black sand; eliminating the last of the creatures.

Straightening up, they relaxed their postures slightly, eyes darting back and forth for any sign of activity. A flutter of movement from the mystery two who swiftly aimed their grapples to the ceiling and were jerked off their feet, zooming into the air; heading through to the next floor through the collapsed ceiling.

Bounty hunters. They had to be if they came so prepared. But a second later, a burst of gunshots rang out from above; muffled feral growls were let out between the gunfire and then silence. Eerily it was too still and she looked to Dante who just stared back at her, also raising an eyebrow.

A low rumble resounded throughout the chamber, shaking the grounds and reverberating throughout the walls. The rumble was enough to shake the ground at her feet and bounce the small pebbles that littered the floor but she maintained her balance. A creak from the ceiling, followed by a sprinkle of dust over her head caused Mary to look up but a moment too late. As the vulnerable rock ceiling gave way again; she realised belatedly that more slabs of falling rock was aimed straight at her head.

She would have been flattened to a wet, squishy pancake at that moment, if a blur of red and white hadn't intercepted and whisked her out of harms way. Not necessarily out of harms way, more like: away from the falling ten tonne rock slabs. Dante had grabbed her by the waist and rolled out of the way of the oncoming rock slabs.

She would have normally blushed at the close contact, the feel of his warm hands around her waist was comforting but for Kalina Ann and the contents of her bag digging into her back. That and the slimy demon blood that splattered his leather duster did not quite make for a comfortable experience. Any sappy feelings that he might have felt as well was quickly banished as she saw the look that was painted on his dusty face. Following his gaze, a giant creature, reaching roughly 15 feet was currently snarling like a bulldog, saliva dripping from fangs that were the length of her arms while four red gleaming eyes trailed their movements.

In a motion too quick for her stunned brain to register, Dante stood up with his guns in hand, aiming them at the creature and analysing its tactics. Swinging her own weapon, Kalina Ann, around her body, she began to take aim, tensing her body to absorb the recoil of the ballistic when Dante held out a hand to stop her.

"You'll only make it more aggravated. Leave this kitty to me!" he gave her a wink as he smirked and unhooked his sword from his back, before leaping up high to the head of the creature, which resembled a cross between a canine and feline. She could, admittedly, see why he'd made that judgement; its back was covered in scales, a thick hide that would be impenetrable with normal bullets.

With a humph, she began to move back away from striking distance, it had to have some sort of weakness apart from its head, which Dante was now covering with slashes in abundance as he tried to dodge the swipe of sharp claws that were probably 3 feet long, all the while remaining suspended in mid-air.

She had to admire the style which he fought with, using the sword with elegant sweeping strokes; he used the snout of the creature as a stepping platform to kick up into the air again, earning a snapping lunge from its jaws. Scanning the body of the creature, she decided to go for the belly of the monster, usually a weak spot for most creatures and trained the bazooka to its target, waiting for the opportunity to reveal itself. Keeping a watchful eye, she was careful to maintain a distance from the lashing tail where spiked barbs protruded from the tip as it pounced and clawed at the demon hunter. The creature was definitely agile.

What if she shot the thing in the a-

"Look out!" a shout from above warned her but was too late. The barbed tail headed straight for her, hitting her front on and sending her flying back towards an exit path as soon as she pressed the trigger of Kalina Ann. The explosion that followed sent a crash of rocks and stone chunks falling yet again.

Tumbling down the path, she curled to a ball to minimise the effects. Knowing her body was going to punish her for the battering she'd endured, she uncurled as soon as the world stopped spinning, and the rocks stopped falling. Mary stared back up at the entrance only to find that she was closed out from the chamber: the entry was blocked!

She could still hear the loud roars coming from the giant creature, and the slide of metallic steel on hard, polished scales. Carefully treading up the fallen rocks, she scrambled slightly to find an opening, a loose slab of stone that could be tossed away. Pushing the top stones, nothing gave way. She was completely shut out.

Looking towards the dark tunnel, she pulled out a flashlight.

"Sorry Dante. You're on your own for now." she muttered into the dim; clanging and rumbling of the commotion on the other side of the barrier shook the sand and dust from the pile of rocks but still, none of them gave way. She turned and made her way down the darkened tunnel, hoping she'd find a way back out and on track to the next floor up.

Trudging up more steps, her fatigue was quietly seeping into her movements, her multicoloured eyes were drooping slightly and her feet felt as though weights were tying her down. Her previous disturbing slumber didn't really improve her fatigue. Not knowing where the hell she was forced her stamina and concentration to remain a constant level but the same arched hallways lined with endless numbers of rickety lanterns were beginning to get monotonous – or was she walking around in circles?

Dammit! I've seen that stupid crack before! Glaring at the fracture in the wall, she gathered her frayed sense of direction and tried to piece together the best course of action.

From the dark tunnel, she'd walked on what had appeared to be an incline upwards through to another cavern, which she hoped was at least on the floor that she was previously on but then the cavern led to another chamber that had multiple narrow passages. From then on, she'd picked a path and stayed on it, only to find herself winding up in circles.

Shrugging her shoulders, she took a breath and took the precious moment to calm her nerves. The only way was to go up and if she had turned right rather than left at the intersection a ways back, she was bound to have found some alternate route.

Another hour of walking through empty corridors and she was getting tired of the scenery. The least the builders could have done was place a few paintings on the walls, even if they were paintings of death and destruction like in all the other framed paintings she'd seen before.

Sniffing the air, she stopped in her tracks. Fresh air was coming in and that meant only one thing: there was an opening to the outside – she had reached halfway into the tower it seemed as the wall-sized windows let in streams of moonlight into the dark corridor. Renewed hope that she would see the outside again was blooming as she picked up her pace and strolled further up, turning the corner, but she stopped in her tracks as soon as she saw she was face-to-face with the mirror image of Dante.

She almost made to call out his name but the clothes, the hair and the strong set on his face, it was all wrong. It was an obvious indication that this was not the easy going, annoying devil she was with before. This was the other one; his brother, apparently. The one who spoke in her dream. Pulling her handgun quickly, she aimed straight for him, wary of his moves; if he was anything like his brother, he would be able to overpower her quickly.

"Mary. How convenient of you to show up. I was beginning to think that you would not be a gracious guest and greet your host." his slick voice slithered in the air and snaked down her spine. She knew that voice, it was the same one she'd heard in her dream, but this time it was laced with mockery.

How did he…?

"I have my ways." he said as if reading her mind. Arkham. That's how.

"What are you planning?" she carefully asked. Her mind had been going over the reasons why Dante would want to come here; why he would follow his brother here. She knew this brother was helping Arkham attain some sort of demonic powers but no one helps another unless they got something in return.

He regarded her for a moment. Eyes narrowed as he seemed to take an interest in staring at her face. She wanted to stab his eyes out, anything to make him stop. His piercing gaze seemed to tear away all the boundaries that separated her from him, but she was saved from doing anything when he turned his back on her and looked up at the sky.

"The view from heaven is even more exquisite, but humans have no idea about that, do they? They sit here, in this pit of hell, rolling around in their emotions without a purpose in life. Haven't you ever wondered, Mary? Why did God put you on this Earth?"

She didn't answer him. The more he talked, the more she thought he definitely belonged to a white padded cell. Dante seemed to be more companionable right about now.

"No," he turned his head slightly, and in a blur of movement, he was standing right behind her. Mary didn't even get a chance to scream, could only gasp softly at the swiftness with which he moved. She felt his body heat seep under her skin, even though Kalina Ann was pressed between them, as an arm snaked around her waist. His warm hand clamped around the soft pressure point behind her ears and along her neck. Hard. But still, she couldn't scream given that her body was starting to slacken, her muscles becoming too relaxed.

"I didn't expect you to know the answer." he said softly as her mind went blank and her eyes rolled to the back of her head.

"Where in the world did she wheedle off to?" Dante muttered. Brushing the gunk off his jacket, he glanced at the bloody mess of a demonic kitty. Head hanging off its shoulders by a thin sheet of tough leathery skin, it put up a good fight.

Now he needed to find that lady again before she killed herself. That woman was stiffer than a tree at times; stubborn women that could bite your head off tended to rub him the wrong way. But like it or not, she wouldn't last very long in this place by herself, plus the knowledge that his brother was here to cause trouble didn't help her survival rate any higher.

Walking off to the side where the rocks and stones barred the exit to the chamber, he kicked at the fallen rocks, sending a burst of dust and small stones flying as the rest of the debris toppled down and made way for the demon hunter. Taking a long look at the dark tunnel, he inhaled the stale air, catching traces of her distinct human scent. He was quite sure that she'd been down here, but if anything, he'd follow his nose in case he was lost.

Starting off at a steady trot, he manoeuvred his way through the maze of tunnels, following the scent of the lady through to a large corridor that were lavishly decorated with antiques, much like the other hallways he'd seen prior. A tinge of alarm was laced with her scent now, and something else. Something else that was very much familiar and he turned the corner with a quickened pace to see that the hallway led to a courtyard, which was an odd feature in a building. Continuing his pace, the scent was stronger now and his suspicions were confirmed.

Vergil had found her. But where was he?

He scanned the area until his gaze focused upon the lady's figure on the ground. Taking two steps, he stopped in his tracks, whirling around to aim Ivory at his own mirror image.

There he was. A year on and the dark pulsing aura that enveloped the darker half of their father's soul was palpable in the moonlit night.

The next few seconds, Dante spent trying to regain his senses but his mind was bombarded with images that kept replaying in his mind: the day that his mother died and he was helpless to stop it.

That was what it all came down to. He was weak and he wasn't strong like Vergil who had strode out to face the unknown, to protect him, his only living relation to the world. Dante had spent years trying to forget the memories, trying to forget that he was the only one left in the world, the only one with unique abilities. But such a traumatic memory couldn't stay buried forever and it was inevitable that the burning emotions would resurface as they did one year ago.

One year ago, he had discovered that he wasn't the only unique being, after all.

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'Reopening the passage our old man sealed?'

'It's the only way.'

Sigh. '…Mother was killed by demons.'

'I know.'

The steady, final tone told Dante that he wouldn't be able to shake his twin's resolve. He knew more than anyone that Vergil was, if anything, determined to get what he wanted and commanded the respect from others. He was the responsible one, always standing back to analyse the situation, always logical - how could he be so illogical about everything now?

Questions were flying all over his head; where did he go? Why didn't he find him? What had he been doing all this time? But he knew that if Vergil had been aloof back then, he sure as hell would be cold and remote now judging by that spiteful expression; his bitter blue eyes narrowed, set in a grim visage of his own reflection. Every feature and line was so familiar, each contour and curve, they were all the same; yet this was a new person, twisted in the depths of hell and brought back in the form of his brother.

They regarded each other for a few seconds, minutes even; it didn't really matter because for them, time had no real meaning in their lives. What mattered was what lay before them: their shadow, silently memorising each facet of their twin.

"Because I'm the responsible elder, I'll give you the chance to help me, help me retrieve what's rightfully ours, Dante. Only the blood running in our veins can regain what was lost."

"Help you…" he echoed. Dante and Vergil, off on another adventure into the woods to fight the deadly creatures of the forest. He remembered those outings, running through the thick bushes and leaping over jutting roots as they pretended to hunt an unseen prey.

He wanted to, just like old times. "Let me ask you something, what are you gonna do with it?"

His only response was a sinister smirk. He already knew the answer before he asked it but he needed to confirm it, wanted to know that it wasn't true.

"So this is it? Two loving brothers split between good and evil. Rather poetic."

"It's rather pathetic, actually. Why do you avidly surround yourself in their ignorance?" Letting those words sink in, he continued on.

"You're always absurdly dense, Dante. This is what we are. Superior in every way and yet you wish to disguise the gifts inherited by Sparda."

"You're a fool not to believe in the power bestowed upon us. It's a shame, Dante. Such a shame." His dextrous fingers swivelled his sword into its sheath and he turned to walk away, his light footfalls barely making a splatter on the blood-soaked marble floor.

And then began their stand-off.

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"I had waited for this day with much excitement, little brother, since our last outing had ended on a sour note." Maintaining his hold on his favoured sword dangling from his hip, Vergil found his carefree brother frowning. The same rowdy, boisterous twin that pranced around, flaunting his heritage like some cheap parlour trick to the unsuspecting masses of human filth.

"Wasn't my fault you were being delusional."

"Perhaps it was you that was delusional. I was willing to kiss and make up after our little tussle."

"You can kiss my ass, bro. There's no way I'm going to give in to your games. I'm not going to play around anymore; it's just you and me." With a quick draw, Dante's handguns were flashed out and aimed for his twin's forehead.

"Careful now, Dante. For the sake of your latest pet." Emphasising the last sentence, Vergil made sure that Dante understood the stakes in the new contest. The woman was lying on her side, her short hair splayed over her face, obscuring her ethereal features.

"I said it before if you were paying attention; it's between you and me. Whatever you're planning has nothing to do with her so leave her alone."

"On the contrary, dear little brother. Even you should have realised it by now, she's very involved in our tangled affairs and I think it would be in your best interests if you would cease this heroic tirade and turn away."

"Didn't know you cared, Vergil. What's she to you anyway?" There was something about Vergil's tone that didn't settle right. …involved in our tangled affairs..? What kind of affairs was he thinking of?

"Doesn't matter. Whatever you've got planned has gotta be bad so why don't we cut the chit-chat and get going?" getting impatient with his brothers' riddles, he trained Ebony and Ivory straight for Vergil.

He was watching Vergil's every move, reading his posture and twitch of his right fingers as his eyes narrowed to contemplate the possible techniques to use. It was just like old times, analysing the opponents movements, waiting to see what the other would do in each different situation. But playtime was over and now it was for real. It was time to resolve his brother's homicidal tendencies.

Swiping down with his sword, Dante feinted to the right only to pounce to the left side with a wide swing and met with a clang, another block of Vergil's katana. He needed to move the fight away from the lady on the ground and he couldn't well do that if his brother was controlling the fight.

Circling each other, they ghosted each step, stalking the other and waiting for an opening. Swiftly lunging, Vergil cut through to aim for his brother's chest, who dodged the move a fraction too slow and received a shallow cut along his collarbone. A trickle of blood trailed down from healed wound, already replaced by clear skin. Ignoring the sting, Dante knocked the sword upwards and began to renew his efforts, picking up the pace in hopes to catch his brother off guard, until they ended up with a dead-lock.

A soft groan behind him alerted him to the princess' awakening. If she wanted to live, she'd have to remain quiet and play dead for a moment, but Vergil's eye had shifted behind him and he knew that Vergil had noticed. Pushing off from Vergil's sword, he flipped backwards to land next to the lady and wrapped an arm around her waist.

"How sweet, Dante. Are you saving her from me? Or yourself?" Vergil scoffed. "Put her down. I won't be killing her just yet; I think our match has more priority."

"I know how much you love me, brother but what do you want with her?" Dante queried.

"If you had done more reading than womanising, you might actually know." Without warning, he charged at Dante with his sword ready.

Hand temporarily occupied, Dante used his other hand to pull Ebony out of its holster and fired off a stream of bullets towards the looming figure. Backing away a distance, he slowly lowered the limp figure in his arm to the ground carefully, making sure she would be out of the way before he pulled his sword back out and ran towards Vergil.

Clashing with ferocity, Dante stabbed forward, sweeping Rebellion around in an arc only to be swept away by a block from Vergil. Twisting around, they broke off and Dante decided to use something a bit more forceful. With a grunt, he slammed the sword down, sending off sparks and cracks fanned out as it remained embedded in the ground. Growling, he began to draw on his own energy, concentrating the raw power into his soul, a glowing red aura radiated from his body. The nails on his fingertips began to thicken, lengthen and taper into sharp points while his skin became more translucent, black veins writhing underneath. Raising his head, Dante grinned, revealing razor-sharp fangs while his glowing crimson eyes stared at his brother with a burning hunger.

He was tiring from the constant strain on his body; his movements slowing by the second as Vergil kept him in his paces. The swift 'swipe and block' of his twins' tactics were frustrating him and each blow of his own was becoming aggressively impulsive than calculated and strategic.

Lowering his head, his lungs were sucking in gasps of air, panting from the exertion, while the severed tendons sewed back together; the bones in his wrist slowly knitting themselves whole again. Raising his gaze from the ground, he glared at the smirking visage of his twin between silvery strands; taking in a deep breath to calm the scattered sensation of emotions threatening to burst forth.

Closing his eyes, he could still see the face that he knew as well as he did his own, set in a twisted grin of victory. It went beyond brotherly fighting; drawing parallel to a sadistic need to draw rich, thick blood from broken flesh. There were no such things as brothers or sisters in the eyes of demonic lore – a rare acceptance that they assumed the moment they walked away from each other.

He felt his body shifting, retracting from the relieved freedom that he released; feeling the demonic soul shrivel back into its cage. Without the extra burst of strength, Dante needed to rely on his skills rather than brute force; that alone wasn't going to stop his twin.

Drawing on his last reserve of strength, he expended the breath he had been holding, snapping his eyes open and swiftly holstered the firearm. Watching his brother pick up his sword, Dante walked over to his own long sword - the blade glinting in the full moon. Grasping the hilt, he swung the blade around with a flick of the wrist and charged towards his brother.

A strike across his abdomen, followed by a forward thrust into the heart and Dante fell to his knees. It was too much, the blood was freely flowing from each cut as he struggled to regain his posture and Vergil knew it too. Could smell the defeat hanging in the air as the stench of blood overwhelmed his senses and drove his demonic soul wild with the need to tear into yielding flesh. A feral smile touched his lips as he yanked his sword out, letting the blood burst forth, spattering onto his face and closed. Ignoring the warm droplets, he closed the distance between them.

"The weak are drawn to the strong. Didn't you know that?" he sneered to an unconscious Dante. Reaching out, Vergil hauled his twin's prone form upright, the head lolling back to expose unblemished skin. His body was tingling with a prickly sensation at the sight of tender pale flesh; the devil within was bursting forth.

After an interval of biding its time, waiting to be unleashed, patiently lurking at the back of his mind…No. Now was not the time to indulge in its violence, the devil within would have to wait. He had other pressing issues at hand.

Ripping the exposed gleaming amulet from Dante's neck with one hand still clutching the lapel of his brother's jacket, he dropped the body and headed to the young woman laying some way behind his inept brother.

Standing in the shadows at a distance away, Arkham watched the spectacle, noting a third shadow scrutinising the events unfolding under a swathe of black robes. Narrowing his eyes, Arkham turned away, jumping down to another platform and strolled back into the tower.

Ready or not, it was time to awaken Heaven.


AN: Well, this will be the last chapter in a while…my very last exams are coming up so I'll be hibernating for a long time…:(…plus I'll be moving to my new house:). Thought I might post something decently long to make up for the upcoming break, but I chopped a fair bit of action scenes…mainly coz I'm hopeless at writing those parts :D

Hope you enjoyed anyway and as always, gimme a comment no matter what!

Bettany – I suppose its just hard to please everyone – some people just want the raunchy goodness while others want a violent, smart mouthed Dante who always gets the girl. Me? I'm trying to just delve more into the characters while trying to cobble up a decent storyline that's different…not sure if that's possible with the multitude of great fics posted here daily. Anyway, to stop taking up more room – thanks for the feedback and support :)