Thanks for the favs/alerts! Thanks to all those who are still reading! Thank you KuroSeiRyuu for the review...I was going to give up on this...T.T
I hope you all like this long chapter :))) You will find out if Mia is the man eating demon here...
SIREN
Maria trekked down the staircase leading to the basement with a pair of keys in hand. It was midnight and she knew he was sleeping so he wouldn't know that she had left the bed they shared. Tonight, she had one goal in mind. She could see the creature inside the tank; it had been sleeping, curled up with its tail tucked neatly into itself. Instantly, it sensed her presence and woke up. It unfurled and stared at her with its pupil-less eyes and Maria swallowed down. Then it swam to the surface of the water and poked its head out, as though it had expected her arrival.
She saw a ladder in the corner and grabbed it, then settled it against the tank before making sure it was sturdy and would not slip. Maria climbed up the rickety rungs and to the rim of the tank, facing the creature. It backed away from her and remained submerged in the water. Only its eyes and the crown of her head were exposed above the surface, like the way how a crocodile stalked its prey in a river.
She didn't really know what she was doing, but ever since the mermaid became the newest family member, it had made things with her fiancé worse. All he could do was talk about the mermaid. All he could see was the mermaid. Maria was forgotten...she was no longer important to him. She felt like a shadow, invisible and inferior in comparison to the mermaid...a creature he had just found days ago... yet Maria was the one who had stood by him through his time of hardships, the one who had known him since childhood...
Now she was nothing.
When she held up the keys that would unlock the shackles, it finally swam closer and Maria took one of its arms. It was very cold, slimy to touch and it was slippery, but she managed to grab onto the chain and unlock it. One of the mermaid's arms slid free and the creature looked at her freed limb in silence. When Maria unlocked the shackle around her other wrist, the mermaid was lingering in the water, glancing at her wrists.
"There. You can leave." Maria said, "Go."
However, the mermaid remained stationary. It's lips moved. It had spoken, but she didn't hear.
She moved closer, having to hover over the water. It swam up to her and then-
Maria was grabbed and pulled into the tank...her screams were unheard.
Later, he woke up to find Maria missing from the bed. He didn't really care. The first thing he did was put on his slippers and head towards the basement. "Mermaid, how are you this morning?" He said with a yawn, as he walked down the stairs. He stopped when he saw that the tank's water was red. "Mermaid?!" He rushed up to the tank now, planting his palms flat against the glass. "No, no, no!"
He hastily climbed up the ladder, and he saw the mermaid circling the tank. To his relief, she was unharmed and safe. But then he saw a pile of clothes floating in the water. It was Maria's nightclothes...the ones she had been wearing... and there was something floating amongst the clothes too; he could not make out what it was, but it seemed to be a large chunk of flesh... He never fed the mermaid at all last night...what could it be?
A sense of dread came over him and he could not move. The mermaid finally stopped swimming and rose from the water. He watched her for a brief moment and she was staring at him, before he realised she was chewing on something. He reached towards her and grabbed at the thing in her mouth before pulling it out. Something long and red came out, and he had to tug at it to make her let go.
And when she did, he discovered it to be a dismembered finger.
He screamed and dropped it, stumbling backwards. The ladder went down with him and he landed on the ground, writhing painfully. When he looked up, rubbing at his aching back, he saw her turning away with a flick of her tail, disappearing into the bloody, murky water.
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The dream ended and Mia woke up, disturbed.
She was in bed and she was not alone; the devil hunter lay beside her with his arm draped over her waist whilst his face was buried in the crook of her neck. Although he was sleeping, she could feel the power in his grip as he held her, the possessiveness and the passion. She could feel his breath on her shoulder, the warmth emanating from his body. Their close proximity made her feel better immediately. It had been so long since she had been in someone's embrace; she found that she really missed the feeling.
Averting her gaze to the window, she could see the moonlight seep into the room through the slits of the drawn blinds. It was very late. She should really try and sleep... She drew in a deep breath and sighed loudly.
"...Mi?"
She swerved her eyes to the devil hunter whom she was resting on. "Sorry, did I wake you?"
"Nah." He was mumbling with his eyes closed, "...What were you dreaming about? Sounded like you were having a bad dream."
"Nothing. Just dreaming about the ocean. I'm fine."
"Okay, baby..." He muttered blearily. He shifted, but he was still holding her tightly to him.
Mia remained lying on her back, staring at the ceiling. She didn't miss the ocean. It was too empty and too lonely there. And she was haunted by a past she could not run away from; she had dreamed a distant memory that still plagued the depths of her mind.
I'm not like that anymore. I'm different.
Yet she couldn't get back to sleep, and she sat up. Dante did not stir. Mia lifted his arm off her waist and tucked it neatly under the covers, then she slipped out of bed and left the sanctity of the devil hunter and his bedroom.
She went down the stairs, then pulled on the old boots Dante had left for her should she ever want to go out sometime. The shop was silent, except from the loud ticking from the clock on the wall and the low hum of the fridge in the corner. There wasn't much to do in Devil May Cry aside from reading magazines, listening to the jukebox, eating, watching the usually-broken TV or playing cards. She could read a magazine, but she wasn't in the mood. Instead, Mia looked outside the window, staring at the pitch black night outside before returning to the lounge. She sat, wondering what to do.
She kept thinking about the man who found her washed ashore after a fierce storm, the man who caught her, locked her and kept her in the tank all those years... her owner. Mia closed her eyes and tried to forget... ever since she met Dante she couldn't help feeling ashamed of herself. She'd just been eating fish religiously but the desire for human flesh would always be there. She squeezed her eyes shut tightly and shook her head.
No! I can't give in! I can't-
Mia sniffed the air.
She could smell blood. Human blood. Mia got off the couch and moved towards the window, peeking outside. She couldn't see anything but she could smell blood being spilled somewhere, and lots of it. Her mouth watered. Maybe a walk outside would keep her mind off things...
Mia left the shop after pulling on a thick jumper. She wandered not too far, hoping to wander down one block and back but the stench of blood was growing more powerful and powerful. She found herself walking towards the scent, lured by the stench. Her search led her to an alleyway, and she gasped.
On the ground before her, was the dead body of a human being. Around the corner and she could hear rapid footsteps leaving the scene.
A murder...? Mia threw her gaze to the corpse. He had just been killed moments ago. The long trail of blood that led round the corner further into the alleyway was still fresh. He was missing his head and an arm. His chest was caved in with his entrails leaking out, resembling nothing but a ruddy, pulpy red mess. He had been devoured...or at least, was partially devoured... The overwhelming scent of the blood hit her nose and she automatically licked her lips.
She took a step forwards until a figure swooped down in front of her from the roof of the building and a gun was aimed at her forehead. "Hold it."
Mia didn't move as soon as the figure moved under the dim light of the moon. "Lady?!"
The female devil hunter stepped to the side, holding the gun to her temple. "What the hell are you doing here? Don't you know what time it is? All good girls are meant to be in bed before nine."
"Lady, i-it wasn't me."
"I'll be the one deciding that. It's not good to be caught in the middle of a murder scene, you know." Lady said, before she cocked the gun, her finger curling around the trigger. "And the culprit is usually the one who finds the body."
Before Mia could speak, another voice spoke up: "She's telling the truth; it wasn't her."
Both girls looked over to see Dante strolling towards them leisurely. He was half-dressed, only adorned in his pants and boots. Rebellion was slung over his shoulder while his two guns were strapped to the back of his belt. He strode over to Mia and stopped beside her. "She's been with me the whole entire night in bed." He said, giving her shoulder a squeeze, and Lady's expression scrunched up somewhat. "I was watching her. She just went out for a walk a minute ago. She couldn't have done all that, not in that little amount of time. Besides...she was nowhere near the crime scene. The blood's still fresh which means the culprit is still nearby. Looks like I missed the party."
"I can handle this on my own." Lady then proceeded to sidestep around the carcass and storm down the alleyway with her gun in hand and her signature weapon, the large and bulky rocket launcher Kalina Ann, strapped behind her.
"You sure?"
"YES."
He held his arms up as though in mock surrender. "Fine."
When she disappeared round the corner, Mia turned to Dante who glanced at her from the corner of his eye. A while later, he shrugged his broad shoulders and led her out of the alleyway. "You're not going with her?" Mia asked, as they began to return towards the direction of the shop.
He wound his fingers around hers, rubbing his thumb against the palm of her hand, "Hey, you heard the lady, she said she wants to be on her own. If she needs my help, she'll come calling." He stopped in his tracks and settled one large palm on her cheek while the other was planted atop her head and he began to inspect her briefly, "You're not traumatised or anything, are you?"
"I'm fine." She said, and he took her hand once more as they resumed their quiet walk back towards the shop. They walked rather close to one another, their shoulders almost touching. She could feel his gaze on her but she didn't say anything. Instead, she threw her gaze to the full, rounded moon in the sky; walking with Dante like this was nice. She felt safe with him, and when the logo of the shop loomed into view, indicating that their walk had almost come to an end, Mia's heart inwardly sank.
As soon as he walked up to the doors, he let go of her hand to move forwards and with a hefty kick, they swung open and he gestured for her to enter. "After you, baby."
Mia smiled lightly at him again and swiftly entered the shop, although as she passed him she gingerly placed her hand on his face, her fingertips sliding from his angled cheek to his jaw and the bottom of his chin, before she drew her hand away gently, almost teasingly. She threw her glance over her shoulder and headed towards the stairs. He was watching her every move. Their eyes met. He never let go of her gaze, and grinning, he followed her as she made her way to the bedroom, kicking the doors shut behind him.
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Dante was still asleep when Mia woke up the next day. "Wake up, Dante, it's noon already."
Her only response was an inaudible groan and a grumble; even when she shook him he did not move. She sighed and left him the way he was. Stumbling out of his embrace and out of the bed, she changed into a clean set of clothes and went downstairs. She returned to the lounge which had been untouched since Lady's brief visit. Maybe she should tidy around for a while...
She found a roll of black binbags in the kitchen which was left along with some other cleaning supplies that had a piece of cardboard stuck on the wall saying 'PATTY'S CRAP' (most likely written by Dante since she recognised the handwriting). She left the mop, bucket and feather duster for now; instead, she went around the office with the bag, stuffing rubbish inside. Once that was done, she tied the bag into a tight knot and left the shop.
If Dante was awake, he'd probably mention how un-mermaid like this was of her, to be cleaning after him and his shop. She had been hoping it would make him happy.
Outside, she couldn't see any rubbish collection point anywhere but she caught sight of yellow police tape stretched around the opening of the alleyway where she had found the body last night. There was a small crowd of people around, pointing and whispering amongst themselves. Mia put down the bag to the side and was about to go up to the crowd to see what had come out from yesterday's disturbing findings until further down the street, there was a sign on the door of the Love Planet that said 'HELP WANTED'.
She briefly remembered Dante forbidding her from getting a job there. Perhaps asking about the vacancy would still be acceptable, since this would be the first time in attempting to get a job. She could find out what kind of questions they asked and what they were looking for, and then she could go to another place about jobs. There was no harm in that. Money in exchange for labour, how quaint, she thought as she returned to the shop. She washed her hands and checked herself in the mirror. Her hair was a mess; she glanced around and picked up a comb which obviously belonged to Dante. She combed her hair with it until it was smooth, tidy and clear of knots (hoping he wouldn't mind), then stepped out to see Dante arriving at the top of the banister, half-naked.
"Oh, you're finally up." She said, as she walked to fridge and opened the door.
He nodded, yawning, then did a few stretches, starting with his left arm first then his right; his biceps went taut before he flexed his wide, muscular shoulders. Once he was finished, he leapt off the railing and landed on the floor of his shop, taking long strides before he stopped behind her. "Hey," He greeted, as his strong arms came crushing around her, bringing her into his affectionate embrace. "Sleep well?"
She had to move her head to the side when he kissed the side of her neck and she nodded briskly.
"What are you doing?"
"I was going to get something to eat."
"I'll just call for a takeaway," He let go of her to saunter to the couch where he lay down, whipping out one of his pistols that were attached to the back of his belt and he began playing around with it, spinning it in circles before letting it twirl up, down and around and around his finger. "What do you feel like having?"
"You can't afford a takeaway." She pointed out as she gazed at the pizza and bottles of Budweiser lined inside. A sticky label on a bottle said 'YOU OWE ME A PIZZA, OLD MAN. –Nero.' "Is that all you eat, just pizza and beer?"
"Combine that with some fights every now and then... I think it's a healthy diet, dontcha think?"
"...Not really. You should eat more fish. It's good for you."
Dante pulled himself off the couch and towards his desk; he sat down on his chair after kicking one of the legs that it went flying upwards, spiraling, and the chair went slamming down on its legs again but otherwise it was unfazed and unbroken. Dante crossed his legs over the surface of the desk. He reminded her of a king lounging on his throne and he made a little gesture for her to come towards him; she stopped beside him and he pulled her into his lap. She had never been near his desk but when she saw the picture frame in the corner, it caught her curiosity. He followed her gaze and it landed on the small portrait of his mother but he said nothing, deciding to observe her reaction.
"Can I see that photograph?"
He nodded.
She reached for the frame, and being careful not to get her fingerprints on it, she held it daintily in her small hands. He scrutinised her, as she stared at the woman in the frame. "...She's very beautiful. I almost forgot you are the Son of Sparda."
"Ah, so you knew." He said with a smile, rubbing at her arm before he took a brown lock of hair in his hands and intertwined his fingers with it.
"...You could wish for her back. In fact, you could wish none of it ever happened."
"If its one thing I know, it's that you can't change what's happened, babe." Dante replied, but she could tell she had hit a rather sensitive spot and she replaced the frame on the desk before wrapping her arms around his neck. He added, "Besides...if I do that, then it means I wouldn't have met all you wonderful people."
Mia knew he was being sarcastic. She didn't reply to that but kissed him on top of the head softly.
"What about you? You got a mermaid mom and dad out there?"
She threw her glance to the side. She tried to think but ultimately found that nothing really came to mind. The entire time she'd been with Dante, she thought their relationship at the beginning was based on a sexual, physical attraction. Since he was asking her this deep question, she wondered if he was attempting to engage with her on a more emotional level.
"Well, before I...was like this, I was..." Before she could finish, a throbbing pain sprang in her mind and she cried out, holding her head. "Nghh!"
His arms were around her in seconds, "Mi, what's wrong? Mi?"
The pain was growing stronger, her head pounding as though it might explode. this was all happening because she was trying to remember something about herself...Eerie white flashes seized her vision... and slowly, the white flashes began to shift and blur into different colors until...they manifested into images.
She saw that she was in a dark and gloomy place, surrounded by silence. She was in water... Above her, she could make out the bottom of a boat, or from what she learned from listening to the conversations of sailors, was called the keel. Something was out of place here. No, this isn't right... something happened before this. Again, there was a white flash. The image changed.
"Over here!"
She saw a girl...There was a harbour, the sea and...a boat...a small boat-the same one she had just seen. The images were still blurry. She could not make out the girl's face, but Mia could feel and see that she was there. It felt like she was in a dream; she could see what was going on through her own eyes...or what should've been her own eyes.
She saw a man next. Just like the girl, Mia knew he was there but could not identify him properly. He was standing beside that girl in the harbour but he was untying the ropes of the boat, getting it ready... She knew him from somewhere.
"If you both don't want to be seen, you better hurry up!"
"Wait, I-I'm coming!" She heard her voice next. But she was not speaking. It was like she was watching a tape being replayed.
"Did you bring everything?"
"Yes. It's all here."
"Good..."
The image changed yet again, from the harbour to...to...it didn't matter for the next image she saw, and it was so realistic too, but she was suddenly seeing everything upside down, and she knew she was falling...she could see the sky-it was pitch black- and her back hit the water. Then everything went silent. Again, she was alone in a dark, empty place.
As she sunk under the waves...she spotted the dark, almost menacing outline of the boat against the shimmering moonlight on the water's surface and-
"Mia!"
She was brought back to reality when Dante called her name and she jerked in his grip. The pain ebbed away as she abandoned the attempt to remember. "...I'm fine." She muttered as she climbed out of his lap-she had a urge to leave, to get away, to be by herself- and she stood, then quickly stormed to the doors and with a quick, "I need some air" she hastily left the shop.
"Mi, wait." Dante got off his seat and went to the doors, opening them to see an empty street ahead. "...For a mermaid, she sure walks fast."
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After she recovered, Mia decided to visit the Love Planet and she pushed open the doors, walking into the establishment with the intention to ask about the vacancy. Since she had left the shop, she might as well do something since she was outside...
It was devoid of customers; however, a barman and a cleaner were nearby, getting ready for tonight's services. Mia glanced around. The interior of the Love Planet was a restaurant with numerous rounded tables covered in satin-white tablecloths. Unlit candle stands stood in the middle of these tables along with the Love Planet menus, and there was a large stage that was T-shaped that stretched into the seated area; at the very end of the T-shaped stage featured several poles on both left and right sides. A glistening black piano stood at the far corner.
She saw a small bar to the left. There were posters of a dozen girls all in poses designed to stimulate the male audience stuck to the walls. There were also many leaflets outlining various services from laundry to tutoring. The bar area was more pleasant to look at, with a clear glass display of numerous drink such as Tia Maria, Southern Comfort and Jack Daniels (which she recognised because she'd seen Dante drink some). The bar was a U-shape, surrounded by a dozen of high chairs or so, and there were a couple of seats with tables lined against the wall.
Her attention was caught by the man-presumably the owner-who was seated on one of the couches by the door that said 'toilets', barking on the handheld phone. "NO! Ya hear me! I'm not sellin'! I don't care about these murders! The police are gonna catch this crazy motherfucka anyway! So take yer money and shove it up yer fuckin' arse cos I ain't sellin!"
Mia tilted her head to the side but then the barkeep called her over. "Sorry, but we're closed right now. Come back at seven."
He was perhaps roughly around the same age as Dante. "I came to ask about a job vacancy." She replied, walking towards the bar counter.
He looked at her from head to toe and put down the glass he had been cleaning, "Oh, right. Yeah, we're looking for a new waitress on the floor. Don't worry, we got enough for the show-" He pointed to the T-shaped stage and the poles. "-so you're quite safe. Uh...I wouldn't say this to anyone, but, um...There's a diner not too far away from here which is also recruiting-"
"Louis? Are ya turning away another customer? Shut the fuck up and keep dryin' those glasses, ya little shit. They're a fuckin' state!" screamed the man on the couch, who had apparently finished his phone conversation. He stood up while the bartender sighed heavily, "You there, girl, ya wanna job, right? Come into ma office for a chitchat."
The barman called Louis watched Mia follow the owner into his office through the fire exit door. He shook his head, a little sadly.
Inside the office of the Love Planet, the man barked at her to sit down on the leather seat opposite his across the desk. He then sat himself down and propped his legs up on the surface, which reminded her that this was the same way Dante sat at his desk. The man grabbed a fat brown cigar off his desk tidy and lit the end up with his lighter which he fished from his pockets.
"The name's Ernie. I'm the owner of this joint. Ya see all these pictures of the girls? They're all ma gals. I take 'em, and I transform 'em. From itty-bitty teeny weeny little caterpillars into beautiful butterflies. And ya wanna work here, right?"
She nodded meekly.
"Yeah, well if you got what it takes, I'll clean ya, rub ya like that lamp with the genie and turn ya into a real gem, alright? But right now, ya gotta work from the bottom. Ya gotta see and know how everything works, before ya can step into those five inch high pencil heels."
She nodded, although she looked unsure as to why she had nodded in the first place.
"See those two girls other there?" Ernie was pointing to two posters-one of a beautiful girl with blonde hair and another exotic-looking girl with black hair. "Renata and Clio. My most popular escorts. One day, ya'll be just like them... Helpin' me rake tonnes and tonnes of cash from those chumps who keep comin' every weekend."
She nodded once more.
"Okay, good. What's yer name?"
"Mia."
"Alright, Mia, ya got any experience working in a bar?"
"Yes." She replied, after a short while. There was a silence.
"Okay, then don't just sit there, tell me more!"
Oh no, not twice in less than one day. First Dante, now this loon called Ernie. Why was everyone so interested in finding out about her history? She could try making it up...but most of her memories were just her being locked up in a tank. What else did she have? What else was before all that...? Mia didn't exactly like having to remember. Everything was so fuzzy but she forced herself to, and she finally said, "Before I...when...when I was..."
"What? WHAT? Spit it out! I don't have all fuckin' day!"
"...I worked in my father's tavern." She muttered, "I was helping out...I was working with my best friend and my...my...unghh..." She stopped, having to clutch at her head. It was aching and throbbing painfully, just like back in the shop. Her mind was burning again. Flashes of white obscured her vision and she squeezed her eyes shut. All she could focus on was the pain.
"Tavern? What the fuck? They still have those old joints around?" The owner seemed unaware to her violent headache.
Her head gradually lessened to a dull pain as soon as she forced herself to stop remembering. Ahh, much better. She hoped Ernie would not ask her about her past again.
"Alright, fine, so ya worked in a bar. When can ya start?"
She sat back upright, straightening herself. "I can start tonight."
"Okay, good. Come tonight and if ya do good, you can come again to help out." He said and Mia smiled, but when he gazed at her from head to toe in a manner that made her feel slightly uncomfortable, she dropped her smile. "We open at seven but come here at six. Louis will show ya what to do and give ya yer uniform. Eh...hm, ya look like a small to me. What's yer bust size?"
"...Oh, um...I...er..."
"Never mind, I'll get the girls to help ya. And put some more make up on cos ya look like a ghost! Here, take this form, fill it in and hand it back when ya come in tonight." Ernie then proceeded to hand her a piece of paper attached to a clipboard with a pen. The form had the logo of the Love Planet at the top followed by rows of empty boxes.
"Really? You'll...you'll hire me?" She took the form off him and held it close to her.
"Yer pretty enough," Ernie muttered, before he clasped his hands together, smirking, "...That's all we need...Pretty gals...A reason for the men to keep comin' and comin'."
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The following evening, the doors to Devil May Cry opened again and Lady came storming in to see Dante and Mia facing each other in heated argument.
Lady hadn't really seen Dante angry. He had always remained aloof and in any situation, he generally brushed off with a grin or a sarcastic remark. Even when he cried he blamed it on the rain. However, she could tell Dante was rather irritated at the precise moment. At least she knew that Dante was in fact, capable of being angry every once in a while. "I told you not to go to that dingy hellhole and you still went!"
"I just wanted to help!" Mia wasn't shouting as loudly as he was, "It doesn't matter anyway because they hired me!"
"Why the hell would they hire you?!"
"Why not?!"
Lady stared as the argument continued. They seemed oblivious to her presence.
Eventually, Mia glanced at the clock and gasped. "Now I'm fifteen minutes late thanks to you!" She screamed, before she turned away from him, stomped to the doors and put on the Love Planet's signature bunny ear headband over her head. "Hello, Lady. Excuse me, but I'm going to work."
"...See ya." She watched the mermaid leave the shop, "Did I hear right? A demon got a job?"
Dante averted his gaze to her and frowned. "What do you want?"
"What was that all about? A Lover's Spat?"
"Shut up..."
Lady followed him as he moved to his seat and plopped down, frowning. "Hmm, trouble in paradise? I guess everything isn't going as 'happily ever after' as you thought, huh?"
"Leave me alone."
"Stop moping and get your ass into gear. I couldn't find the demon responsible, but there's a connection." She said; even though Dante wasn't looking at her, she knew he was still listening, "The men-the victims- they're all customers of the Love Planet. And they're always attacked at night. Get it?"
There was a slight silence, until Dante grunted. "Great. Just great." He got up off his chair and went to the rack to grab his coat and sword whilst Lady sauntered to the entrance.
"Don't be like that; it's your favourite place." She teased, as Dante collected the rest of his weapons. "Besides, maybe a little demon hunt can take your mind off her." She said, and she opened the doors to the shop. Turning to him, she added, "After you."