I've returned. This prompt gave me a bit of trouble, but once the idea had formed, I couldn't give up. This occurs sometime after the events of DMC4, showcasing both the characters from the game, and from the anime (such as Patty and Morrison). This is one of those more "touching" chapters, in which the other characters help Dante find closure for the familial losses he's endured in the past. I hope you enjoy this; please R&R.

(This is another slightly edited chapter; Patty's age. You'll find more details on this on my profile, later).

Disclaimer: I do not own Devil May Cry; it is the property of Capcom. I also don't own the X-Men; it belongs to Marvel, and is merely mentioned in this story. This fanfiction is non-profit, and purely for entertainment.

Requiem

It was early evening, and the occupants at the Devil May Cry agency were enjoying a little 'party', so to speak. The devil hunters were celebrating the completion of a rather large mission-the largest since Dante and Nero had put an end to Sanctus' maniacal hunger for Sparda's power.

Trish, Lady, and Dante had gone to investigate a claim about a cult in a nearby town that specialized in human sacrifice to appease an angry Demon Lord; a demon that had somehow managed to break through the barriers that had original been put in place. Barriers, rumour had it, that Sparda himself, had put up during one of his many great battles against his demonic brethren.

Upon arrival, the three devil hunters met up with Nero; he had also been called to investigate. After his harrowing victory against Sanctus, the young knight had built quite a reputation for himself. It had taken several weeks to clean up the mess, killing the Demon Lord and his minions, while disbanding the cult (forcefully, through threat of being gunned down).

And so, all four hunters, along with Kyrie, Patty and Morrison, had opted to celebrate their recent success.

In the far left corner, Morrison, Patty, Nero, and Dante enjoyed a movie marathon, snacking on soda and popcorn, their eyes glued to the small screen. Lady and Trish played a game of pool, the two women chatting and laughing all the while.

Concluding their game, they decided to join the others; Trish squeezed in between Dante and Kyrie, draping her arm over the broad shoulders of the half devil. Lady sat on the opposite arm of the couch, next to Patty, the girl smiling briefly up at her before returning her gaze to the movie.

On the screen, Wolverine was seen fighting Sabertooth, his brother. As the movie continued on, the two brothers joined forces, fighting against a newly activated Dead Pool.

Feeling him stiffen beside her, Trish glanced at Dante, a concerned frown forming with a crease between her eyebrows.

"We could never be 'done', Jimmy. After all, we're brothers. And brothers look out for each other." Sabertooth's line may as well have echoed throughout the entire building, for the impact it had on all assembled before the television set.

Everyone became increasingly aware of Dante's mood, sliding from peaceful into anguished.

Lady clicked the remote, shutting the t.v. off. Dante gave a start, and looked over at the female devil hunter. "Hey, what do you think you're doing? The movie's not over, yet."

"It is, for you." She replied, her voice quiet, yet firm. Her eyes met his, unblinking.

After a moment of bewilderment, Dante shook his head, a sad smile playing upon his lips. "I know what you're thinking," he said to her, getting up from the couch and stretching, "but it's fine, really."

"Give it a rest, Dante." Morrison chided, putting his fedora on as he too, stood. "All of us could tell something about that movie set you off."

"Yeah, old man," Nero jumped in, frowning. "I don't think you've noticed, but when your mood changes, so does the atmosphere around here. Not to mention the temperature." The white-haired youth shuddered slightly, Kyrie placing a comforting hand on his arm. Nero still wasn't used to all the abilities he'd had unlocked within him, since his devil awakening.

"Really guys, I'm fine." Dante insisted.

This statement was met with disbelieving stares from the others.

Dante threw up his hands in exasperation. "Look, I appreciate your concern, I really do. But it's nothing."

"Dante, whatever is bothering you, it's not 'nothing'." Kyrie approached him, her voice gentle, her light brown eyes brimming with understanding.

At a loss for what to say, the devil hunter ran a gloved hand through his white hair, a sigh escaping his lips.

"Okay," he conceded after an uncomfortable silence, "it isn't 'nothing'. But, there is nothing that can be done about it. What's passed is done. I can't rewrite history, no matter how much I want to…"

He trailed off, his gaze dropping to the floor.

Sensing the guilty shifting of six pairs of feet, Dante looked up, a deceptively cheerful smile plastered on his face. "Look, there's really nothing to worry about. I'm a survivor, remember? I've taken bullets to the head and swords to the midsection-including my own. There's nothing I can't handle."

Morrison shook his head, and donned his beige waste coat. "If you're absolutely sure, partner. Well, I'm off. I have an early morning at the agency tomorrow. Congrats again, you guys." The older man smiled at the devil hunters, and spinning on his heel, strode out of the office, the doors silently clicking shut behind him.

"I suppose we should head out, too." Kyrie blushed, giving Dante an apologetic smile. "We made reservations at the hotel nearby, so we'll drop in again tomorrow, okay?"

Dante smiled at the red-haired woman, receiving an unexpected hug in return. Patting Kyrie awkwardly on the back, he replied, "Sure thing. Maybe we'll have a pizza luncheon."

He chuckled at the collective groans from the others, Kyrie only giggling in reply.

Nero clapped Dante on the shoulder in passing, "See you later, old man."

"Sure, kid." Dante retorted; the two white-haired men shared a grin, each knowing the other was trying to get his goat.

Chuckling, Nero led Kyrie by the hand out of the office; the sound of a motorcycle roared to life, the engine revving, and fading into the background.

Turning to his remaining company, Dante put his fists on his hips. "So, what's the plan?"

"Well, Lady and I decided we'd share your spare room, if it's not too much trouble." Trish replied, searching Dante's eyes. She still didn't trust that the legendary devil hunter was as okay as he pretended to be.

Dante shrugged, "Hey, whatever works for you. And what about you, Pat-?" Stopping short, he noticed Patty was no longer standing with the other two women.

Glancing around, he realized the young girl had passed out on the sofa. She was curled up on her side, breathing evenly. Smiling, he strode over to where she rested, and grabbed the blanket off of the back of the couch, draping it over her. The twelve-year-old sighed in her sleep, a small smile on her lips.

He turned just in time to catch the shared look between the women, both smirking into their hands. "What's so funny, ladies?" he cocked an eyebrow, a wry grin tugging at his own lips.

"Oh, nothing at all," Lady snickered, "Nanny Dante."

Both women erupted into a fit of giggles, the devil hunter only scoffing in reply.

"Alright you two cackling hens," his voice carried amusement, watching their faces twist into indignant scowls, "if you don't mind, Nanny Dante has to call a certain mother, before she has a panic attack about her sweet little angel."

Rolling their eyes, both women bid him goodnight, and headed up the creaky, wooden stairs.

Once their bedroom door clicked shut, Dante picked up the phone, and rapid dialed Ms. Lowell's number. On the fifth ring, she picked up, her voice somewhat strained.

"Hi Nina, it's Dante."

Listening to the woman's relieved, "Oh thank God!" the devil hunter couldn't help but smile. No matter how much she worried about her daughter, Nina was never angry with her, when she failed to check in. She was always so happy to hear from Dante. It was clear to the half devil that the woman had complete faith in him.

Letting her know that Patty was safe and sound at the office for the night, Nina thanked him for his continued hospitality toward her daughter. After bidding one another goodnight, Dante hung up and exhaled a breath he hadn't realized he'd been holding.

Despite the fact that Nina had to abandon Patty after she was born, Dante knew she was a good mother; after all, she had only left Patty in order to protect her from the demons that constantly hunted her. Dante couldn't fault her for that.

Glancing at the picture on his desk, Dante sighed again. All this thinking about brothers and mothers tonight was exhausting.

Rubbing a hand over his stubble-lined jaw, he slowly made his way up to his own room. Stripping down to his boxers, he flopped onto his bed, instantly falling into a fitful sleep.

He'd had enough; this was the final straw.

After enduring three days of the same events, over and over, Dante decided it was time to put his foot down.

It wasn't that the others had actually done anything wrong. To the contrary, he found he enjoyed their company immensely. It was a change from the usual monotony that he dealt with, when business was slow.

It wasn't like he was seeing too much of them, either; Nero and Kyrie returned to their hotel each night, and spent hours together doing couple things all over the city. Trish and Lady would take off for hours on end; sometimes to shop, and other times, they hit the library. Both women had a healthy appetite for knowledge, and enjoyed literature in general.

Aside from the first night, Patty had made it a point to return home every night since, and Morrison hadn't stopped by at all, having become swamped at his own agency.

No, not a single one of them had overstayed their welcome. So what had the devil hunter beyond exasperated?

At first, he'd chalked it up to coincidence; but after the first three occurrences, all within the same day, he knew better. It seemed that every time he left the room for any reason at all, he would return to the group of them whispering amongst themselves. Once they realized he was standing there, watching them, they'd abruptly stop, and smile at him guiltily.

Having walked in on them whispering yet again, Dante crossed his arms over his chest, frowning at the lot of them.

"Alright, what's going on here?" he asked, a noticeable tick in his jaw.

"Huh? Nothing," Patty replied hastily, a look of confusion on her face. "Why would you think something's going on?"

If her guilty expression hadn't caught his attention, the nervous titter at the end of her statement certainly did.

"Don't play dumb with me. I know you guys have been whispering every time I leave the room." Dante stepped closer to them, allowing his presence to settle over them. Seldom did the half devil employ intimidation of any kind, but at this point, he was becoming fed up with the secrecy.

He swept his gaze over each one of them; Kyrie looked uncomfortable, her gaze dropping to the floor. Trish and Lady looked passed him, their expressions impassive. Nero stared at Dante, feigning confusion, though his right eye twitching was a dead give-away. The kid didn't like deceiving anyone, and his discomfort showed.

The icy blue eyes finally came to rest on Patty, the girl wringing her hands absently.

"You all have terrible poker faces," Dante grinned slightly, "now come on. Spill it."

All five exchanged looks with one another, turning almost simultaneously to take in the impressive figure that stood before them, his arms still crossed over his chest, his eyes narrowed.

Finally, Kyrie stepped forward. "Well, I suppose there's no reason to keep this up any longer. We're really sorry, Dante."

The others chimed in with their apologies, their expressions revealing how ashamed they felt. Nero and Patty both blushed, the former rubbing the back of his neck. Lady's mismatched eyes were large, filled with sadness. A single tear slid down Trish's cheek, unchecked.

Dumbfounded, Dante looked at each of them in turn, raising his eyebrows. "Sorry? Why the heck would you guys be sorry?"

"You're right; we have been talking about you." Kyrie confessed, her hands clasped together, her eyes pleading.

"But not anything bad," Nero cut in, finding his voice. "It's just that…" not knowing how to continue, the younger man cast a pleading gaze in Trish's direction.

The busty blonde stepped forward, coming to his aid. "Well, we've been talking about what happened the other night." She explained. Levelling her gaze with his, she waited until dawning lit his icy baby blues, and continued.

"We've all pieced together what we know about you, and it is abundantly clear that, even though you're happier than any of us has ever seen you, you still lack something."

Dante tilted his head, perplexed.

"Closure." Lady said softly, taking a few tentative steps forward. "On two occasions, you lost your brother…and then, you lost him for good, a third time. I was there during that first fight, I remember how it ended…" she trailed off, her own eyes moist. Both she and Dante had been brought together by their own familial tragedies. It was hard to not ache, when it was the one event that served as the foundation for their friendship.

Not liking where this was going, Dante became defensive. "Okay, so what? I lost my brother. Everybody loses someone, in their lives."

Patty couldn't take it any longer. The girl began crying, and ran over to Dante, hugging him tightly. "But you've lost so much, Dante. Your brother, mother, and your father," she wept into him, the devil hunter softening from the heartache in her voice.

After a few choked sobs, she continued, lifting her eyes to him in earnest. "You've done so much for us! We just want to do something for you, now."

Patty had not forgotten the countless times the half devil had come to her aid…and nor could she forget the agony she felt, when she believed him dead. She would forever be haunted by the image of him, pinned to a cross in the Underworld by his own sword. The only solace she had was that Dante had survived, and was still with them to this day. Those he had lost, however…well, they were gone. There was no coming back for them.

How awful it must be for him, having the memories of their deaths.

Dante swallowed a couple of times, knowing full well what the young girl was thinking from her expression, alone.

Returning her embrace, he looked at the others. They all looked at him, much the way Patty did. Even Nero couldn't contain the mixture of gratitude and guilt that shone in his eyes.

"Okay." Dante finally said, Patty stepping away from him, a slow smile creeping across her freckled face. "I get it, now. I never should have been angry with any of you."

"Given how we were acting, we can't really blame you." Lady grinned at him, letting him know they understood; the half devil returned the grin gratefully.

"So, what exactly is it that you guys had in mind?" he asked, genuine curiosity getting the better of him.

Kyrie spoke up, a warm smile lighting her porcelain visage. "Well, we were thinking of holding a ceremony, so that you can say a proper goodbye to each one of those whom you have lost."

Dante smiled back at her, his gaze softening quite a bit more. "In that case, I'd be honoured, if you would do this for me."

Several days had passed since the ceremony had been performed. The group (including Morrison, who had managed to get the night off), had travelled down to the river nearby late at night, when the moon was full. In a copse of willow trees, they'd held a candle-light vigil, standing back as Dante set three separate candles floating on origami boats; a violet one for Sparda, a red one for Eva, and a blue one for Vergil.

After several silent moments, Dante had gotten up from his single knee position, and began the return to Devil May Cry, his entourage trailing behind him with white candles in hand.

Currently sitting at his desk, with his feet propped up, Dante smiled at the memory. For the first time in a long time, he truly felt at peace.