Fuyuko: Whelp, I suppose this whole two chapters so close together thing might redeem me of the not having updated for an unholy amount of time.

Dante: Yeah, no. Your luck with redemption is a good as my luck with women. Rotten.

Fuyuko: I don't know that your luck with women is rotten. At least, it's not if one factors in fandom, where you get off with everyone, including female!Vergil.

Dante: Dude, no! I'm so asking Capcom to confirm me as a bachelor at my next game shooting.

Fuyuko: Your loss. I hear the times you twins have are 'teh mostest haughtness evah!!1!!!eleven!' Disclaimer-bot, do you have anything to break this up with?

Disclaimer-bot: Indeed. I hereby disclaim all rights of the author of this odd piece to Devil May Cry, or any incorporated and licensed components therein. The rights of DMC and all its subdivisions belong solely to Capcom corporation, luckily for the Sons of Sparda.

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Devil in the Cradle – Chapter Nine

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Neither of the hunters could have guessed after that happy moment that the next day would bring them even more happiness. It was completely unexpected, unplanned, and unwritten, but in retrospect they both knew that was sometimes how things like it happened. They had been spending the day with Giselle, both of them for once, since there were no jobs yet for the day and neither one felt like training. To be honest, neither of them had felt like doing much of anything relating to hunting today, being too distracted with the newly talking child.

Dante had, true to his earlier intentions, attempted to teach his adopted daughter all the important words for survival in the human world after her first day of speech. Most notably: television, pizza, tomato, juice, demon, gun, pepperoni, no, anchovies, sausage, chicken, barbecue, beef, sauce, hunt, sword, devil, money, and Mom. He would have tried a few more out of his own survival vocabulary, but Lady had come back into the room just as he was trying to go over the finer pronunciation of 'babe'. Needless to say, the brunette 'babe' had quickly put a zipper on the demon's trouble-making mouth, courtesy of threat of pain to his 'boys'.

After making a break from that hazardous scene, Dante had found himself in the kitchen, feeling a craving he knew well coming on. 'Talking about pizza sure did make me want one…I wonder if Gino's delivers before noon?' Moot point, he decided, running his left hand idly through his white bangs, while his right speed-dialed the number for Gino's. No devil needed actual speed-dial, he had decided long ago, and since he definitely didn't want an answering machine or caller ID either, his phone was pretty basic. Or outdated junk, as Lady had declared it. He'd huffed indignantly and told her it suited the purpose of a phone just fine. She'd smirked and called him a technology hater…then added that at least he was enough out of the feudal ages to understand that guns were a good invention.

They'd both laughed at that, although somewhere they both knew that it was a bit of a morbid reference to his almost-samurai, bushido admiring twin. 'I do kinda wonder what Vergil would think of this…me playing at daddy, with Lady at the mommy wheel.' He was pretty sure his twin had known the younger one had developed a crush on Arkham's daughter, pretty sure that Vergil had been mildly amused by the situation. When they were little, the twins had freaked their mother out early on by hugging, nuzzling, and entwining their bodies together. At least, it had freaked her out until she confronted the nonplussed Sparda about it, only to find that devils often had extremely intimate relationships with their nestmates – although it rarely developed into full-blown sexual or romantic involvement.

Having ordered his extra-large sheet pizza with the works from Gino's, Dante realized not for the first time how bad he felt for Giselle, who had no nest-mates, not even a hell-raising twin like his own lost one. While it was true that the last few years of their lives had been spent hating each other's guts, the twins had still always had each other; Someone else who understood them intimately and had grown up pulling the same pranks, getting punished for the same transgressions, eating the same chocolate cakes. It was very hard for Dante to imagine never having those happy experiences at all. '…That's funny, I never realized it still bothered me to think about never seeing Verge again…' The half-devil let go of the counter before he crushed its wood into sawdust, harrumphing and sniffing a bit as he tried to suck up the sudden surge of sorrow, regret, and loss.

He sauntered back into the main office, plopping down in his green-cushioned high-back chair with a melancholy sigh. Lady, who was rolling a hollow metal ball with Giselle, glanced up at him without bothering to shade her concern. She'd mostly given up hiding her emotions on her face, since she knew he would smell and taste it anyway, and they really were beyond that level of separation now. Rolling the large gold sphere away from her and under the office's client couch, where she knew Giselle would chase it to, Lady rose from her spot slowly. Sometimes her half-devil friend didn't want to be bothered when he was in a funk, but she didn't think he'd mind this time. She was pretty sure she knew what was on his mind, anyway, judging by the sigh.

"It's not your fault, and you know it. He did what he thought was right, and you did what you thought was right."

He made no reply, but his eyes slid ever so slowly over to his mother's framed portrait. Picking it up gently and reverently, Lady smiled back at the blonde woman in the wood frame, sitting down on the front corner of the desk. Sometimes, she swore Eva was still looking out for her sons, even if she couldn't spare them all the things they had to suffer through. She had given them good heads, and even better hearts, in preparation.

"You're wondering what she would have thought about it?"

Again, he didn't reply, but she could tell he was listening, and she almost prayed that Eva – or even her own mother, Kalina Ann – would help her say the right thing next. Dante's family was a sensitive subject, not because of resentments anymore, but because of regrets.

"I'll tell you what she would have thought. She would have thought that the two of you did what you had to in order to survive, to live on as she and Sparda had wanted for you both. Vergil is just as tough as you, he'll survive hell. And in the meantime, you can live here and fight to make sure others don't suffer either of your fates."

Setting the picture down again, swiveling it to face him, where he paid it rapt attention, Lady said her final piece. It was something she'd been thinking for a while, although she didn't know if it was even possible. Eva, maybe, there were definitely rituals like that for humans, and it would probably work on Vergil assuming he was even dead, but Sparda was a problem. As far as she knew, demons didn't come back when they died.

"Who knows, you could even fight to take back what you've lost. Fight to find your brother, to bring back your mother and father. I'm sure someone out there knows how to do it, and you never know what a good deed will bring."

A part of her whispered, softly cried that bringing Kalina Ann back would be just as wonderful, but Lady doubted that possibility as much as she did resurrecting the Legendary Dark Knight. In the same way that demons left nothing of themselves behind, they didn't leave anything behind of those who had been sacrificed to them either. 'I can still remember seeing that hideous flash, and the lightning that arced into him as my mother blinked out of existence…' It was a disgusting memory, and she still had trouble swallowing the lump it formed in her throat, but she tried it anyway.

"Thanks, Lady. You really are one tough lady."

She had to laugh at his corny line there, and even though it came out as a choked, stifled chuckle, it still helped the sorrow dissipate. He chuckled with her, fully aware of how lame and cheesy his comments were sometimes, but that they always helped anyway. The pair of hunters was sitting there chuckling with increasingly real mirth, when they realized their sounds had been joined by happy toddler gurgles. Grinning, Dante scooped the little dark-haired half-devil up onto his red leather covered knee and began bouncing his foot on the wooden floorboards. Giselle had abandoned the ball under the pool table she had rolled it to, and made her way over to them silently.

She was good at stealth, Lady had observed, even if she didn't walk upright yet. Nevan had said that it probably meant her kind of demon had been quadrapeds longer, and that she would have a more developed sense of fine motor coordination from crawling for a longer time. Even if neither thing was true, however, it couldn't be said that the little girl didn't know how to get around. If she couldn't get somewhere herself, she already knew what strings to pull with which person to get herself a free ride.

Dante was frequently seen around the office serving under a king of the mountain or with a calf limpet on him. Agni and Rudra could also be seen acting as individual leg ferrymen, or sometimes working together as a kind of hand coach. Cerberus gave the largest amount of 'horsey' rides, having the most ideal form for that kind of transport, although he did occasionally carry her by the back of her clothes in his middle head's jaws. The other two heads invariably took those opportunities to thoroughly swathe the little girl in dog kisses. Nevan and Lady, of course, preferred traditional child-on-hip and babe-in-arms techniques, although the former did use her bats on occasion for a kiddie joy-ride. And while neither hunter had seen Beowulf with Giselle alone, Agni and Rudra swore up and down that they had seen him giving her a piggy-back ride once.

As Dante bounced the still giggling little girl on his right knee, Lady realized how much more like a home Devil May Cry had become since Giselle's arrival. While everyone had been amiable before, they hadn't truly bonded in any real way. Now, they were almost like family, and it was increasingly less strange to think of devils that way for Lady. They weren't human, not by a long shot, but it didn't mean they didn't have feelings.

Not for the first time, Lady wondered how Dante's feelings for her had changed since they had partnered up. She now knew her own feelings had changed drastically, and part of her hoped that he felt somewhat similar to what she did at this point in their lives. The brunette could admit that she had initially retained a large amount of her loathing and fear of him from the tower, although she had also been undeniably curious about his real personality. By the time she'd agreed to be his business partner, Lady had gotten over most of her negative feelings and prejudices towards the half-devil, but she had still been easily annoyed by his more flippant attitude, especially because she had already seen evidence that it wasn't his full persona. And over the past few months, she had been struggling not to let herself admit that her feelings for him had developed into more than a crush on a good-looking man. Now, it was a struggle she had recently given up on fighting, choosing instead to admit her attraction to him and see what came of it, hell or high water.

The only question about their relationship now was how the half-devil himself felt. It was true that he wasn't constantly hitting on her, and he was certainly not taking anymore attempts at panty-peeks. But he did still call her a babe, a firecracker, a bomb, and a fast woman amongst other things, with no small amount of sincerity in his Dante-styled compliments. Lady wasn't dumb enough to think that constituted the kind of attraction she was looking to compliment, however, because she knew Dante had an in-grained habit of hitting on anything that was his age or older and had two legs and boobs. 'I doubt I'll ever ask him how he feels though, it would be awkward and I don't know how to do it.' Sometimes, she regretted missing the latter part of high school to train as a hunter, if only for the social skills it would have given her.

"Ew. I really wish you'd grow out of the diapers thing, already, stinker."

Lady's train-wreck of thoughts was interrupted as Dante tried to hoist Giselle onto her lap, refusing once again to take diaper duty himself. Sighing and passing him an exasperated look, she moved to take the dangling child, sliding off the desk corner herself. At the exact moment that she opened her mouth to tease him about his fear of diapers, the doorbell rang, and Lady was almost knocked over by the devil as he sped excitedly to the front door. Apparently, Gino's did deliver before noon, probably because they thought it was safer than an evening delivery to Devil May Cry. She'd been told once by the disgruntled half-devil himself that no pizza parlor delivered to his office after the sunset anymore, due to a few tiny incidents. In the bathroom, wiping down Giselle's bottom and powdering it very lightly, Lady realized that those incidents were something else she had never asked the half-devil, but that she probably wouldn't ever ask either. Some things were just better left listed as unknown.

When she returned to the front room, with the contented and cleaned smaller half-demon dozing off in her arms, Lady was not surprised to see the larger one sucking up pizza like a vacuum cleaner. He'd done well lately, she knew, only having one every few days in between regular meals, but it still didn't seem to be any less his favorite food. Dante looked up to offer her a slice, his blue eyes wide and inviting, before they flicked to the now snoring baby girl in her arms and softened with a happy crinkle in their corners. Appearing to shove the slice in his hand down his throat without chewing even once, Dante rose to take Giselle from Lady and put their adopted daughter in her crib. He could be there and back without his pizza even getting any cooler.

"Feel free to take some, bomb-licious, it's as tasty as you are."

He grinned cheekily, swooshing off in the direction of the bedrooms too fast to even kick up dust. Sometimes, Dante preferred not to know her reactions to his unorthodox compliments, because he was still a bit worried that she'd turn him down. He really wished he could just get the whole thing sorted out, but as much as he hit on the fairer sex, Dante had to admit to himself that he was a bit of a pussy when it came to actually asking them their feelings and acting accordingly. He'd probably be in the clear if Lady liked him, but if she didn't, he could see himself getting blown sky-high after a wrong reaction.

'Scratch that, I could see myself getting blown sky-high just for asking Lady what she feels – she's not the gushy type and she'd hate to be treated like, well, like a regular girl.' How then was he going to approach this problem? He'd meant to ask her out on a date after that joint mission nearly two months back, but since it had landed them with the half-devil baby girl he was currently putting into a yellow wooden crib, he'd not had the time. And now he wasn't sure if asking Lady for a date was even appropriate, not to mention he still couldn't see them getting time to go off on their own for even a short dinner date. Tucking Giselle's cream-colored and duck printed blanket around her loosely, sending a love of soothing love at her, Dante turned to leave the room, still puzzling over his dilemma.

He blurred back to the office front, a pout-like frown marring his handsome face, as his mind wrestled with possible ideas. It didn't have to be romantic, but he was tired of pussy-footing around Lady and tired of hiding his own heart from her. Dante was honest by nature, as no demon could lie outright, but he was honest as a person on top of it, wanting people to know the truth. If he'd thought it would be believed and not have him locked up in a nuthouse, he'd have told the entire human population about demons and the Underworld, because knowing the truth would enable them to set up protection, as far as the half-devil was concerned. There were a few people who knew what he was, knew about the Underworld, but it wasn't a large enough scope to protect all of humanity. It was the same problem that had been around in his parents' time – there weren't enough hunters and agencies to cover all of Hell's henchmen.

Dante's white-haired head shook gently as his butt plopped down in his favored green armchair, the wood creaking as he leaned back in it with booted feet propped up on the dark wooden desk before him. Lady half-spun from her position on the client couch, wiping at a pizza sauce stain on her angled chin. Not ready to face her and the question he'd decided to pose to his hunting and parenting partner, the half-devil man yanked up a large slice of the pizza from the box on the desk's corner, tearing a bit off the end blankly. Could he just ask her out on a date anyway?

No, that would be way too casual, and it might not result in anything more than the two of them beating around the bush and then being awkward around each other for days afterwards. He could clearly recall the last time they'd gone and done something civilian together, when she'd been embarrassed to come over for a few days after. They'd only gone out shopping, and he'd groaned and whined about it at first, but somehow, his mouth had made a bigger annoyance out of itself when it had let slip that she would look hot in the gray pencil skirt and red, ribbon-tied dress v-cut blouse they'd passed in a store window. He'd later discovered that she had gone back and bought the outfit, but he'd never seen her in it, since she'd been too embarrassed to even admit to buying it at first.

Taking another slice, again managing to chew and swallow slowly, the young man tried to think of a different approach. 'I can't ask her how she feels, I already know that would be messy. And I won't get someone else to find out for me…don't even know who could.' Could he try to tell her his own feelings and hope she'd open up? Doubtful. His feelings had been open to her on the tower and ever after, and she had never once made a move to reciprocate them. He knew she wasn't disgusted anymore, that much was obvious, but he didn't know why she didn't tell him what she felt. It was possible she was embarrassed to do it just as much as he was, and it was also possible that she felt it was inappropriate given that she had already spurned him once. Surely she knew he wasn't the type to hold a grudge over something like that…it had been piss poor timing on his part anyway.

"Thinking hard still? I hope your brain doesn't burn out." Lady's taunt burst into Dante's storm-clouded thoughts, breaking up the bleak blackness that had been building at his inability to find a suitable way to make a suit for the young woman before him.

"Ha. You wish, because then you'd get to inherent my junk, including my babies here." He patted Ebony and Ivory at their thigh holsters, realizing half with amusement and half with sheepishness that the action meant she would be looking at his lower half.

She grinned at him, a mischievous sparkle lighting her eyes as she considered the truth of that statement, and tried to tear her eyes off of his muscular legs. A small part of her mind wondered what it would be like to have them under her own, but she nixed it and masked the rising heat in her face well. It wouldn't do to have him getting ideas right now, even though a part of her was slowly dying from not knowing how he felt, from not knowing if there could be something between them. It had been tough to hide her new found emotions this past week.

"True, you did promise me your guns if you got axed without notice. I wonder if that extends to your devil arms…I wouldn't mind having Cerberus and Nevan stick around." Because they were great weapons, and would serve a human master, sure, but also because she was honestly somewhat fond of the two. Nevan was only hard to stomach until Lady had discovered she only hit on Dante for the joke.

"Baby, you know I would give you anything you asked. Hell, you ask for it, I'll even give the wildest ride ever, courtesy of the Dante Express." Well, maybe he could use his cheesy one-liners to beat around the bush, maybe even get some things into the open, the half-devil figured, smirking cockily at his companion. It was a game of theirs, this witty banter, and maybe he could actually use it for something other than to irritate her for once.

"I'm sure it would be a quick trip, you being impatient the way you are. Honestly, I could be convinced you were in need of drugs to calm down." She smirked back, the cat-like look of a predator toying with its prey, as she sat down next to his feet at the desk edge. Her right hand laid itself on his booted foot, short-nailed fingers tapping imperiously on the thick leather covering, challenging him.

"No, no, babe, these rides are for special passengers only. They're long-lasting and come with peanuts and frequent traveler miles for later trips."

Good merciful holy things, he was using airlines as an analogy for potential intimacy between the two of them. If that wasn't cheesy, Dante didn't know what was, but at least it was working in some respect. They weren't talking about feelings or any deep emotional junk yet, but they had definitely acknowledged mutual attraction there. He flicked her hand off his boot with a playful flash of white teeth and a bounce of his foot, daring her to do it again. He saw her own playful smile stretch out further, as she slowly raised the hand and pretended to go for pizza before clamping it down on his boot again and giving the foot a rough shake. It felt gentle to him, and she knew that, but the heat in his eyes at the action almost killed the game. 'Apparently he likes it rough,' Lady's mind quipped, 'That should be fun, if you ever get around to messing with more than his head.'

The devil in Dante was pleased with the rough treatment, and he couldn't help the surge of heat that went through him, showing briefly on his handsome face, before its features slipped back into playfulness. He wiggled the booted foot, lightly jostling her hand and forcing her to hold on to maintain the game. He wondered if she would grip other things that tightly, with the fierce determination he saw lighting her beautifully mismatched eyes, and the idea made him gulp. He felt her eyes watch his Adam's apple bob, distracted from their game that was slowly turning serious.

"Nervous pilot? That's never good for safety. Good thing his co-pilot knows where they're going." This was utterly ludicrous, using some plane analogy to talk to each other, and a part of Lady admitted that she was exasperated with their inability to communicate deep feelings clearly.

"Not nervous, just a bit thirsty. Damn stewardess hasn't brought me a drink yet and the co-pilot's not sharing. I know where we're going though, I'm tougher than a little thirst." If this got them anywhere, he'd be the first one to give it props, but he seriously thought this was just and insane rambling path that would only have them beat around the bush and never actually get inside it to the secret garden.

"…This is silly. We're more mature than this, aren't we?" Lady was tired of the joke, making to stand in exasperation with her own inability to confess her heart to the one person she trusted more than with any other part of their game. After all this time, the trust and the new level of respect they had lately, yet she still didn't have the nerve to admit the truth to him? It was disgusted, she was ashamed of herself right now, ashamed that the woman she was now was too hard to open up to her loved ones.

Dante's mouth hung slack-jawed for a minute, watching her push away from the table and go to leave the room, feeling and tasting the dejection lining her strong soul. It was a gross taste, one that his whole body recoiled from, the devil side writhing in agony at its intended one's hurt. He didn't think, he just bolted up from the chair, rushing past her and blocking the doorframe bodily. 'It's now or never D, you have to make a move now, you've crossed the line and you have to face it like a man.' Lady stopped in front of him, eyes empty as they looked up at him in askance, pleading that he let it go. But another look crossed her features, one that told him that she wanted to hear the opposite, to have him fight back against her.

"Wait, ba…Wait, Lady. I meant it, I mean I wanted to say, I…damn it this is hard, I wanted to say it, but I couldn't and I don't know if I can now. I…you…uh…" Wow, some part of Dante's mind sniped, good lines there, such impressive mastery of the function of speech is definitely going to land you a chick like Lady. He sighed, frustrated with himself, then looked up to try again, wishing he was as good at real people skills as he was at jokes and taunts.

"Look, what I'm tryin' to say is that I feel, uh, my feelings haven't changed since the tower, except well, maybe they're more sincere, and well, anyway, I know you probably don't feel like sayin' anything about it, but I can't help how I feel and I want to be honest with you," he steeled himself, felt all of his muscles tense and tried to keep his demonic power from snapping out and Devil Triggering him at such a crucial moment, "…I love you." It was so soft he was sure she hadn't heard it. He snorted in wry amusement at his own shortcoming, pushing out of the doorway slowly and feeling like lead.

"…You love me?" The reply was just as soft as his answer, the tone indecipherable to his muddled mind, and he feared suddenly that he would get rejected again. But he had been speaking truthfully, and he did want this out of the way, so he turned back to face her almost hesitantly, waiting for Lady to continue. Dante's breath was shallow, and he idly wondered if this was what people meant when they talked about nerves and anxiety attacks.

"That's what you said, right? That you were being honest about your feelings, that you love me," the dark-haired woman was facing away from him, but her tone carried some shock and awe in it now, traveling softly back to his ears as she carried on, "I'm glad. …I thought I had lost the chance to hear that, lost the chance to be honest with you back in the tower. I know, I mean you hit on me, but I thought that was just you, and then when you would seem sincere, I brushed it off…I didn't want to admit my own heart, didn't want to hurt either of us again."

She faced him, and he was freaked to see that she was crying, wanted to rush over and wipe away the tears, this wasn't how he wanted this to go. He wanted them to be happy, wanted her to be happy, and if this was how it was, then he didn't want it. Even if it meant he was denied her and the chance at happiness with her, he wanted her safety and joy over his own, not her tears and pain, the taste of which was making his stomach churn violently. She gripped his coat as she stumbled over to him, burying her face in his front and apologizing quietly, the whispers cooling the liquid drops of her tears that had spattered onto his tight shirt and chest.

"It's okay, Lady. I, well, I don't think I understand because it's hard to right now, but I promise I'll try, promise I'll do whatever it takes to make you happy." He was a sucker for a damsel in distress, and this was no different, as he wrapped his large warm arms around her and rocked her gently against his frame. 'Anything for your happiness, babe,' he thought.

"Anything? Then say it again, tell me you love me. Maybe then I'll be able to…able to tell you," Lady trailed off and still feeling his heart cracking, Dante repeated his earlier declaration, hugging her tightly and choking down his own hurt savagely. He didn't expect her to say anything, but some part of him hoped saying it again would change everything, would make it better, the way he had envisioned it.

He certainly wasn't expecting her to stretch up and let their bodies speak, and he mentally smacked himself at the action. Her lips barely reached his own, and it was clearly she was straining, so he allowed himself to sigh into the light contact and stooped to deepen the tender touch of lips. His smooth pale lips pressed deeply into her soft red-pink ones and he felt himself warm at her pleased moan, tasting with sharp clarity the emotion she was feeling as they kissed. He hadn't tasted it this sweetly in so long, and his devil side gulped it down, delighted at the taste of her love, of unconditional love directed at him.

The kiss grew heated as his devil took a forward approach and nipped gently at her lower lip, seeking a gasp that would open her mouth to his. He got what he wanted, her lips parting and heat from her mouth ghosting over his own lips before his tongue dove inside, licking at the nipped lip sweetly before moving on and ravaging her mouth. The heat drove him wild, a throaty groan slipping out his mouth and into hers where they connected, a groan that peaked into a snarl as she thrust her own tongue back against his, moaning gently at the liquid contact. Her tongue powered past his in a teasing and saliva dotted joust, lips wet as they kissed deeper and began to battle in his mouth now, tongues slipping against each other. Their breath mingled, the moist heat tickling their faces as it dried in between them, Lady's tongue retreating, licking sharp canines on the way out, nipping his own lip in returning, just as he had in entering. Kissing slower now, but with still flaring passion, the pair panted slightly and eventually parted, eyes closed a moment longer as they each savored the unexpected act quietly.

"I love you, Dante." The addressed man almost missed it, the woman before him letting the words slip forth silently, almost fearfully. Was she still worried he'd reject her? He chuckled, the chuckle becoming a bright laugh as he picked her up and hugged her fiercely, for once not bothering to check his devil's aura and emotions from detection. 'Who cares who senses me now,' he thought, 'I'd take on Mundus right now, and I'd win!'

His laugh was joined by her own as it broke through her haze that he hadn't rejected her, that he had been sincere. Lady was glad he was the one holding her up right now, she wasn't sure she could stand, she was so overwhelmed by her thoughts. 'I can't believe that we kept it inside like that, that we were both afraid of rejection so much. We almost passed like ships in the night,' It was a sobering thought, but it failed to get her down too far in this moment, as he hugged her tightly and set her feet back down on the ground. His lips found hers again, and the pair kissed feverishly, hands clutching each other's waists. He leaned down into her arms further, licking to gain entrance this time, and their tongues battled briefly in a wet and hot duel before his kisses moved to her cheeks. A sigh escaped her mouth as he moved them back up to the doorframe, pinning her against its rough surface and molding his lips back onto hers to catch the sound.

The two hunters stood there kissing gently and then harshly, alternating with their passions, licking and sucking at each other's lips hotly. Minutes passed too swiftly for the new couple, as his warm kisses devilishly moved around her face and neck finding sweet spots, and her own smooth hands ran tantalizing patterns around his torso and neck finding teasing areas. They parted slowly, grinning widely like the lovesick fools they could now admit to being, Dante quipping something cheesy and getting a light smack on his forehead for it as they cuddled in the ripples of their new love. After yesterday, neither had thought a happier moment could be coming up, being used to having the other shoe drop on their lives by now, but neither was complaining about this outcome.

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Fuyuko: that's a wrap here, folks! I finally got out the ninth chapter, hope ya'll like it. I know Dante and Lady did, the little perverts enjoy making me write the hot stuff.

Lady: I do not! It's all that demon, he's the pervert!

Dante: Babe, I don't think we can lie about this much longer. At least it's better than Vergil and me together.

Fuyuko: Exactly. So stop messing around and get on with it. Or get it on, as it were. I need the muse action for the stuff your future selves do in my fic-verse. Speaking of fic-verse, it'd be nice if more people reviewed…there are like twenty of you who have this faved, but I only get like three reviews a chapter. It's a mixed signal, at best.

Dante: Ooo, she's whoring for reviews, we can sneak off now, Lady.

Lady: Damn it, Dante, do you have to advertise it?

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