Thank you to my ever so loyal reviewers! Honestly, you guys, though are few, keep me going. I have a lot on my plate right now, and writing this fanfic makes me relax a bit. Anyway, big things are coming up on this chapter, so I won't make you wait. Let's go!

Broken

Flickering images flew past her mind. The death of her mother, in the hands of her father.

Don't!

Her hands soaked with the blood of her mother as she desperately clung to her limp body.

Please!

His father's laughter filled with so much cruel mirth.

Stop it!

When he stabbed her in the leg when she thought he had died.

No!

The moment she realized that her father's dying words were all lies.

Enough! Enough! No more! Please!

A towering figure in front of her, their faces just inches away from each other.

Please…

The way she battled with herself to stop herself from grabbing onto his coat and cry onto his shoulders.

Please…

She was safe from the clutches of his father's treachery. She was grateful for her savior.

Dante…

The voice of her father booming from the amulet she held. The fear rushing back in her broken soul. The fear that her father would come back for her and torture her mind and soul once more. The fear that she might not be able to survive it this time. It all was too much. Where is he? Where is the man who got rid of this monster from her life? Where is the man who told her that he would take care of it? That he would take care of the pain that caused her to live her life with so much anger, fear, and hatred? He was right in front of her. And so she saw her hands reach out for him. She needed him to be close to her. The voice of her father grew louder in her mind. She couldn't take it any more… she couldn't… she couldn't…

"DANTE!"

Silence. Dante's heart leapt at the sight in front of him. Lady had awoken from her restless slumber. And he did not know how, but the moment she woke up she was instantly clutching on to his coat. She was out of breath and she was crying. He was frozen in the whole scene. He wanted to see her face or even speak to him. But her broken sobs and her gasps for air was all he could hear from her. He did not know what to do. He had never seen her this way. But he could feel the desperation in her clutch. And the way she cried out for him as she woke up caught him unaware and brought out so many feelings he thought he successfully shoved away years and years ago. His mind began to race with more questions in his head that he was sure would just added to the pile of headaches from all the drama occurring during this mission. Just what had she been dreaming about? What would cause her to clutch on to him tightly this way? And what did this all mean? Had they not been bitter between each other just hours ago? What was all this now?

But it doesn't matter now. His heart ached badly for the woman beside him. He could feel her pain. He could feel the entire burden she has been carrying since the mission began. He had not realized all of this of course. He had been so angry at her for more than half of the trip because of the stunt she pulled back at Allura city that he had not forgotten the way she reacted when she heard the voice of her father from the locket the first time. Her fragile body was clutching desperately onto his. His heart was beating wildly within his chest. She had never been this close to him. Nor had she been this open, and vulnerable in front of him. It stirred a lot of emotions within him. Emotions that he tried so hard to repress rushed within his soul and flooded his heart. Emotions that he knew if he were to act on it, would destroy him and the woman beside him. They couldn't be this close to each other. No. They shouldn't.

But at the moment, logic was overpowered by his need to protect her fragile self and nurse her aching heart. He wrapped his arms around her as a gesture that spoke volumes. He would protect her. He would keep her safe no matter the cost. He would be there, every single time she needed him. But there was a nagging voice at the back of his head pleading him to stop this nonsense and keep her at a distance. Confusion, sadness, sympathy, and pain washed over him in waves as his mind tried his best to form coherent thoughts, solutions, ideas, and ways to keep his distance while keeping her safe from the harm both physically, and emotionally. It was impossible. He had to make a choice in the end of all this.

But for now, all he can do was to keep her in his arms as she broke into pieces, thankful that no one else was around to witness the heart wrenching scene in front of him.

Trish was out to meet Alfred's band of fellow devil hunters. Usually, she would be with Dante when it came to meet and greets, but Dante was… preoccupied. She had suggested that the two of them would wait for Lady to regain consciousness before they met with the group, but Dante insisted that he stayed with Lady until she was good enough to leave, and the two of them will head to Trish and the group's meeting suit. When asked why he was in a rush, he reminded her that if they didn't solve the mysteries faster, worse things could happen to their team. With a silent scoff and a well-hidden roll of the eyes, Trish left Chalice Inn and travelled with Lycos to Redwood Bar.

Not much could be said about Redwood Bar. It was a typical quiet bar where there were more men who sulked and washed away their worries, than there were men who celebrated and washed away their hard-earned money. And as with most typical bars, there would always be one corner that was reserved for a rather shady group of men. In Redwood Bar's case, however, instead of a rather shady group of men, there sat a rather serious group of devil hunters.

Trish held on to the pendant that was tucked in one of the pockets of her black leather pants. Thank goodness she was a demon, she thought to herself. Demons had cooler blood and that meant that she could handle the sweltering heat of the island despite her wearing tight leather.

She was seated right beside Lycos, as Lycos introduced her to the group of demon hunters. She noted however, that there were just a few of them. The round table sat nine people, and that included her and Lycos, meaning there were only eight people in this group of demon hunters. When Lycos first spoke to them about his group, she imagined the number to be bigger. Another thing that she took note of was that none of them looked significantly strong, but then again, if they were able to fend off the hordes of demons that walked on this god-forsaken island, then she would be underestimating them.

"Alright boys, listen up. Trish here came with two other devil hunters. They are in Chalice inn at the moment, recuperating from something disturbing that occurred while we were on our way here." Lycos spoke. Trish found herself impressed at the fact that despite the man beside her had a high pitched cowboy-esque voice, he took command of the group quite well, and got their full attention with much ease.

"Trish's companions had gotten hold of a very special pendant." He beckoned to Trish and she understood immediately. The tight grasp on the pendant in her pockets loosened, as she placed it on the table in front of her. If it weren't a very serious and crucial mission, Trish could have sworn that she would be laughing right now. The men's eyes widened almost at the same time, and they looked very comical as some of their mouths were wide open as well.

Trish looked at them with a questioning look as the silence continued.

"That's Arkham's pendant." One of the men spoke out loud after the silence. She remembered that the man who spoke out was Jacob De Laney, and his voice was definitely lower than that of Alfred's.

Trish had information on who Arkham was when she was briefed by Dante and Lady before the mission started. But just on his abilities and his past objective. This time, the devil hunters in front of her might have more information.

"Who is Arkham exactly?" She inquired. There was a sudden tension in the air. The group shifted nervously, only Lycos seemed comfortable, because he has seen it before. But it was De Laney who spoke out once more.

"Arkham… we don't know what he is, or where he came from…" He spoke slowly and deliberately. His deep voice that hinted anger and resentment nursed the tension in the air. Trish listened quietly, wanting to absorb and understand every bit of information that came from the devil hunters.

"All we know, was he looked every bit of a man at first, and then he turned into a demon the next. We… we didn't know if he was a sorcerer… or a demon… or… whatever horrifying monster he was. He took out a lot of our population… in fact he was the sole reason why most of our men died." His deep voice cracked as emotions ran high within the group. She could see him clutch tighter on his beer bottle as he continued his story.

"His attacks stopped after a month… and it was confirmed that he was isolated in one of the caves here in the island, still in his demon form… It was a miracle how close we were able to get to him that time… He was blind you see… but his senses were heightened. He could sniff us out from miles away… he could feel our auras… We felt as if we knew he was there, but he never attacked. Perhaps it was his way of telling us that he wouldn't disturb us if we left him alone in that cave."

Trish felt confused at this point. This was a hybrid demon. Arkham has turned into a hybrid demon. But why would Arkham seem to be able to make a silent negotiation with humans if he has fully taken over being a demon? Inwardly, she shook her head and continued to listen to the man across her.

"And then… he came… a demon hunter from the shadows, with skills I have never seen in my life… I was the only one there when Arkham was slain by the man. I was scouting the area, as a routine… and I saw it. I didn't see his face, all I could remember was his blue coat, and his silver hair that stood out."

"Silver hair?!" Alfred and Trish exclaimed. Alfred because he remembered the silver-haired demon hunter that stood by Trish a while ago and Trish because this was the very first proof that Vergil was indeed alive.

"Silver hair… and blue coat. It's etched in my mind. I saw how he slew the monster… he cut through him with much ease, and left quickly. But… it happened, there was a bright flash of light… and… and all that was left was Arkham's pendant. The man was gone, and Arkham was gone. There were sightings of the hunter after that… but we can't confirm if it's true or not. All we know is, demons have been disappearing left and right when he first showed."

Trish was still surprised at how this was pure evidence of Vergil's return. But he defeated a hybrid demon. Does it mean that he has changed? Does it mean that he and his brother were finally seeing things eye to eye? It seemed too good to be true. Questions and plans raced through her mind as she processed the information.

"This cave… can you show me and my team where it is?" She asked De Laney. He gave a curt nod, and suddenly, Trish realized just how much of a headache this mission was going to be at the team's current state. Lady might still be unconscious, and she still had to straighten out Dante and her and fix whatever was going between them, because they need to get their game on for whatever might come next.

She massaged the temples at her forehead and took a swig of beer. Dante better be having his A-game when she gets back to the inn or else he will never hear the end of it.

Her mind continued formulating plans and analyzing information, barely noticing the conversation that continued between Alfred and De Laney.

"So, who are Trish's other teammates? It would be comforting to know who we'd be meeting tomorrow on the trip to the cave," De Laney asked Alfred.

"Well, another silver haired guy, which is why I got surprised at this last bit of description. And you never will believe it but Lotus, the one who defeated Lucas, is with her team."

"LOTUS?!" The whole group erupted. And by the looks of them, Trish knew she was going to learn a hell of a lot more about her fellow female accomplice. She took a swig of beer and decided that she was going to head back to the inn a little later than expected.

YEAH! This is my favorite chapter so far, probably because of the emotional conflicts on the first part. Hahaha. By the way guys, how do you like the pacing of the story? I'm asking this because I believe that this story is going to last for perhaps five to ten more chapters, if I continue my pacing as it is.

Thank you for your continuous support! Please keep reviewing guys!

More emotional conflicts next chapter. And the group finally sees some action! In the form of…