CHAPTER 11

Future was standing on the balcony of their hideout and was deep in thought on trying to find an explanation for the occurrences that had come to pass most recently. For one thing, how in the world could the Sparda twins be fighting on the same side, did their family feud end? This was some disappointing news to him for he had great plans for using them to his advantage. All though Dante didn't seem to be such a threat, it was Vergil he feared the most. Not only was he powerful, he knew to much for his own good, it struck Future odd that it wasn't Vergil training the guardians. Either way, the girls were good. As though his hand had a mind of its own it started twitching once more for he hadn't completely recovered from the burns. With a soft sigh he turned from the starry sky and walked down the steps into the room.

Their hideout was the alcove of a high abandoned church tower. No one had stepped into the church for what seemed 4 years, which was when they had started, shall I say…'moving in'. Not only was this the perfect hideout in the fact that no one in his or her right minds could suspect such a place for mass murder to break loose, it had the perfect view in all of New Jersey. While other buildings were blocked from seeing the moon by other buildings, that single balcony made you feel like the king of the heavens, something he had always fantasized about. The main room was this one, it had 3 desks with books and papers everywhere on the walls neatly organized. At the moment two of the three desks were occupied by his allies past and present, they both were looking for as much information on the elemental guards as they could find, the search wasn't going well. From what few sources they had the only way to find something a hundred percent positive of the subject was to steal the books pertaining to each guardian…but they were impossible to read! Not only was it not in English, it was made so that only the guardian could understand it. He gave a quick glance to an empty book holder where the book of the Guardian of Air had once been. Now, thanks to his stupidity they had lost the book and were back to nothing. This led to his other question.

Why had he been so hesitant? A few seconds of hesitation led to their plan to fall in complete ruin. They were supposed to sneak in there and kill them in their sleep but something went wrong even before he was discovered.

But that girl, he thought remembering Aranell when she was asleep, why couldn't I kill her, why was I so hesitant? Truth was that this was the thing that made him frightened among everything else. Future could not have a weakness, especially not when he felt the weakness with one of his own enemies. But what was this weakness he felt, it was that weakness that grabbed your throat and clogged it so as to barely being able to breath, the feeling that stops your heart from beating for a second and once it starts again you want it to stop beating for the anxiety you have stored in your chest. This miserable curse, which was now upon Future, was driving him mad, never had he felt such a thing and, like any person would act towards an unknown virus or disease, he was slightly scared. Shaking his head slightly he turned to Present who had emitted a loud sigh.

"I don't get it Future, we aren't going to find anything on them." He said rubbing his orange eyes hopping to get rid of the sleep.

"Presents right man, they don't exist in these stories or myths or whatever the heck they are." His purple eyes seemed watery and a black eye was forming on his left eye. Future walked to them and scratched his dark red hair, yawning. "All right, we'll give it a rest then. I need to think for a while." Present frowned and turned to Future walking to stand beside him. "Don't feel bad because the plan didn't work out. We know it wasn't our fault." Future raised an eyebrow at him and then to Past. With a nod past started explaining.

"It seemed that they were already tipped off. There were two people awake. Dante and the Guardian of Fire. Before we entered through the door Dante and Vergil were waiting for us. We got ambushed, don't you see! Vergil Sparda is the one to blame, how can he find out our movements before we make them?"

Future started pacing along the room a bit interested at this new theory and could think of many reasons why this theory was right. With a slight glance at the moon out the window he turned to them. "I see… I conquer with this hypothesis; all we need to do now is the experiment to see if it's right. All though Vergil may be strong and 'all- so- powerful' he has never tried going against us up- and- personal, he knows his limits. On the other hand, he does have brains. If I am correct, we just found the reason why the Sparda twins are working together all of a sudden." Past and Present stood looking a future a bit confused but gasped once they realized that it was true.

"Vergil woke up the Guardian of Fire so she could wake the other Guardians up. Then he tipped off his brother!"

"Yeah, all Vergil wants is to finish us off or…" Past stopped.

"Make us finish Dante off. Either way, he won't let the guardians be harmed, he knows they are the only ones who have a chance against us." Future spoke now stepping on the balcony and looking up into the starry sky once more. It seemed they were confronted by a problem that, if they take it into consideration, will be befitting them. One thing was certain, the Sparda twins had to be eliminated, but how, Vergil new better but Dante. If they killed Dante, Vergil would probably take the job of training the girls or just lead them. Either way, they would get stronger. Could there be such a way as to make Vergil become an enemy of the girls? This was a tricky thing indeed; a characteristic that Vergil did not lack was he could be a good hypocrite when it was needed. Maybe once them three were dead, he would go on killing the girls so that only he could be powerful. That gave Future an idea.

"I got a plan. We will have to be stalking the guardians, and when I mean stalking, Past, I don't mean peering through their bathroom windows." Past growled angrily and pushed Present away who was now poking him out of sheer mock. Future hesitated and sighed heavily remembering what had happened with that Guardian of Wind. Once more he was going into a daydream, which consisted of that girl flying around as a beautiful fairy that, at the moment she's about o kiss him, he takes her and rips her head of…amongst other things. As the 'vivid' dream of his continued, Past poked him and starred grinning at him knowing what it was he was thinking about.

"So, I'm not aloud to look in through the bathroom windows?"

"Step off…" Future growled, his face almost matching the color of his hair. " Yeah keep talking like that and I'll turn you into an old man…. then no girl will ever like you, you perverted son of a…"

"Water."

Both Future and Past turned to look at Present, he had a distant but serious look about his face. "The Guardian of Water seemed to me was…err…"

Past walked to him and poked him once more laughing out loud, his broad shoulders raised triumphantly and squared. "Seems this fool has a thing for the water goddess… I don't know I like the feisty ones you know, and the innocent. Seems Earth goddess and the Fire demon are mine to keep, eh?" The three boys started pushing each other with a few sparks here and there until Present went back to the subject. "I was talking about how she was giving the orders. The 'Fire demon' asked for her opinion and so did the rest. And didn't you here them calling her," Here he made a high pitched girlish voice, " 'OH FEARLESS LEADER!' " Past laughed at this but Future had raised his head and starred at them both… Present was right.

Why hadn't he seen this? Present was known among the three to be the brains of the group, also the one with the plans. If it were true that the Guardian of Water was actually the leader, then they would have to keep an eye on her especially. Before he could say anything, the other to were bragging about what boy had actually gotten close enough to touch them and who kicked who's butt. Future stayed quiet and starred back out of the window, his red eyes perusing the starry sky as if some sign would appear to tell him the answers he wanted. One thing was for sure, Vergil should be eliminated and so will Dante…but later. They couldn't destroy the girls, they would have to stalk them like he had said before, then they would know how to attack…. finally the world would be there's and will be destroyed just like they planned.

He lifted his hand as it glowed red and smiled feeling the glow on his face. " Soon the world will be free of lies and hate…. only hope and goodness would exist." Future of course was ignoring what Past was saying at the moment, for he had the power to read people's minds.

"PROCREATION MAN! WE NEED CHICKS! PROCREATION!"

Kimni was holding onto Dante's hand feeling it shaking and sweaty in her grip. Even though she wanted to let go, she knew she shouldn't or else he'd run back to the car and they would be left alone with no money. She glanced sideways to the other side of Dante and Arith was smiling happily as if she had never had this much fun, her knuckles were white where she was holding on to his hand. After the long and quite formal ping from the closing slide doors behind them, Arith's cool and girlish voice came from beside Dante with a sort of cheer. "You see Dante, the grocery store isn't that bad, so now take a step and we can begin shopping."

The grocery store wasn't as big as the Wal-Mart the girls went to back in the Valley but it was cozy and seemed to have everything they needed. Dante wasn't taking this the right way; he said they were being to controlling by bringing him here. The truth was he had never really stepped foot inside a grocery before…pizza was his life. But recently, Arith had had an accident and it was mandatory to go to a store and buy 'necessity's'. Ayame had also seen that they were running out of eggs and Dante said this was a good excuse to buy TV dinners.

"Okay, so…err…we need a cart right?" Dante's voice sounded like a small shriek.

"Right! You push the cart, we'll put what is good for us in it." Kimni stated happily now holding onto his whole arm in case he ran for it. At once Arith started looking around seeing which plan would work out. "Okay, I suppose we should start from one side of the store and work our way to the other, no?" The girls nodded and finally Dante calmed down and trudged along behind them pushing the rackety shopping cart. There were hardly any people and this made it easy for them, they made their way to the fruits and vegetables and took what they needed. Aranell was placing some broccoli in a bag when Dante poked her side and whispered a bit amused. "What the hell is that?"

"Broccoli." Aranell answered not taking any notice of him.

"You eat that? Does that go on a pizza or something?"

"How stupid can you be!" Ayame's hand came smacking the back of his head, he cursed and growled at her. "I was curious!" Ayame said nothing but continued by getting tomatoes. Finally, after the hostility between the two had cooled down they went from isle to isle. Paper plates, cereal, you wanted it, it went into the cart. Finally they were at the Asian food section where there was…

"POCKY!"

"What the hell is up with you! Stop screaming!" Dante growled turning to the group of girls now starring amazed at some red cardboard boxes. With a frown he walked toward them and starred, reading the box.

"Pocky."

"Uh-hum…not just any Pocky…. strawberry!" Kimni shrieked. Dante looked at her with pure disbelief then turned and leaned on the cart starring at the spaghetti. "Whatever." He started pushing the cart and examining the prices of the tomato sauces while the girls went about looking for what they needed. Once in a while they would have a debate where one wanted something but the other didn't like it so they would have to make up a sort of deal so as not to waste Dante's money. Dante, on the other hand, just frowned and shrugged. "Listen babes, you are my saviors, you are my cooks, and you are my girls…. abuse the charm you have over me." When he said this he'd lift his hands into the air in sweet surrender and then hug one or two of them, they couldn't help but blush with his pampering. Lastly, they were passing the beauty section and going to the cash registers when Dante stopped and waited. Ayame was the one who realized he had stopped and looked at him suspiciously.

"What's up with you? Now you want to stay?"

"Oh no! He has become addicted to shopping!" The girls giggled but hushed at his smirk. With a swift of his hair he nodded towards the beauty section and shrugged. "You don't have to hide it, go and buy your crap so we can leave."

The girl's looked uneasily towards the accursed section of the store, the isles were covered with samples of lipstick and eyeliners…. mostly all used. They all shuddered and shook their heads. "It's all right…I'm not into that." Ayame stammered.

"Neither am I."

"That's the Devil's corner yo…

"Yes you are!"

"Shut up!"

Dante stared at them confused, it seems he had prejudged them yet again but actually found it like a blessing that they weren't so girly, though, just to try them out he grabbed a shaving kit and threw it at Arith. "You need that."

Arith starred at it and glared angrily at him. "What the Hell is your problem! I do not need this! My legs are pretty at the moment you pervert!" she tossed it back to him angrily. Dante blinked. "Wow…someone woke up on the wrong side of the bed…" At this, Arith gasped as if remembering something. She whispered something into Kimni's ear and ran into an isle leaving the girls with Dante, a few moments of awkward silence passed until Kimni told them too go to a line and wait for Arith. Just as they were about to pay and Kimni was totally ticked off because of the seductive stares Dante was giving the cashier girl, Arith arrived out of breath and placed two packages of…

"What the hell is that? When I say abuse me, I meant buy stuff that are useful for everyone… like food!" Dante frowned and shook his head angrily starring at the packages.

"We need them."

"Really? For what?"

Arith was a bit red and all the girls, including the cashier, were starring at her as if she was going to reply the secret of life. She was alone in this so a half- demon knowing the truth wouldn't make much difference would it?

"This…is a pad. Girls use it because we have to. I'm pretty sure you know where babies come from."

Dante was looking at her a bit bemused not understanding why that was connected to the three-letter word. For a brief period he bit his bottom lip and then straightened himself up very serious and grave.

"Female condom? Why the hell would you want to buy that!"

At that precise moment even the cashier walked forward and hit him. Dante was cowering backwards using the package as a shield and growled angrily throwing them all a nasty look. Kimni was the one closest to him and was still hitting him with closed fist. "How could you think of us doing that!"

"What makes you think I know what this is!"

"Arith explained quite clearly!"

"Gah, stop it!" He threw her the bag and moved back fixing both his hair and his trench coat. With a slight sigh he walked cautiously back and took the bag starring at the instructions. "Explain to me. I don't buy what I don't know."

Ayame was about to protest to his small conundrum but Aranell stopped her whispering "Not now…" Arith sighed and felt her face go red. "Honestly Dante…. you don't know what this is…" He shook his head and Arith sighed placing in on the check out register. "I'll explain when I get home."

"No." He grabbed her arm and whispered something into her ear. She pursed her lips and then laughed.

"NO YOU IDIOT! THEY AREN'T FOR YOU!"

Dante stood back a bit shocked she screamed it out loud. Arith then had to tiptoe in order to reach his ear and, threw winces and coughs, Dante found out the curse of all living females. During this, Aranell had managed to steal his wallet and was now paying the groceries; Ayame, Kimni, and the young cashier were looking attentively at Arith and Dante. It was odd…his face had a concentrated look toward it then it converted to complete horror. Once in a while he'd make a gagging sound or he would laugh…which gave him a punch from Arith. Once the lecture was done Arith, looking ashamed as if she had just spoiled a secret, stood back with her eyes closed.

"There you go. I have just opened your mind to questions." Dante was looking at her and then at all the other girls. Without knowing it he screamed out "GROUP HUG" and grabbed everyone, even the cashier into a tight hug. "I didn't know you went through so much pain for us guys!" Ayame, who had a clean whiff of his armpit moved slightly in order to talk. "Okay Dante… good to know you also think guys are idiots. Now let go! You smell like OLD SPICE!" He did and even the cashier was blushing at the gratitude. Dante was grinning happily and took Kimni and Aranell by the arm. "Just for that…I shall buy you another pack!"

"Oh gee…how very thoughtful." Kimni spoke through gritted teeth. She didn't like the topic of this chat. It was really out of place considering that once the groceries were in the car and everyone was inside, it was very quite…. even Dante seemed not to get over the shock of reality. Before anyone broke the silence he turned to them biting his thumb.

"So, if a girl and an other girl…. you know…or even two guys, will one of them get…"

"NO!" all the girls screamed out at once and Arith slapped her forehead in complete exhaustion. "Did you not hear what the hell I was saying?"

"Sort off…why do girls have eggs, I thought us men had…"

"OH MY GOD!" Kimni quickly covered her ears and started singing to the Fayth Final Fantasy (Or the temple whatever it's called) song out loud. Both Aranell and Arith had lunged forward to the front seat trying to punch the life out of Dante; Ayame was in the back laughing her butt of repeating. "WE HAVE EGGS, WE HAVE EGGS!"

"How could you say that pervert!" Aranell had started punching his shoulder hard ignoring the rocking figure on the passenger seat.

"I'm going to make you sterile!" Arith had taken to punching his other shoulder and trying to kick him where it hurt, Dante protected him self and laughing out loud.

"Get off me, I know you want me but one at a time!"

"NUMA NUMA!" Frances kept singing louder and louder now rocking back and forth starring at the group and slightly giggling.

A few people passed the car and shook their heads seeing how violently the car was shaking. With sighs of relief, considering the window tints of the car were pitch black, they moved on pulling their children away from the car. Out of nowhere a window opened and a distant scream echoed through the parking lot making a few people turn and stare…

"WE GOT EGGS! WE GOT ATLEAST 5,000 EGGS!"

(AUTHOR'S NOTE: Yeah…I know we went over the 'how many fetal eggs a girl gets but I couldn't remember. I also thought that Ayame, who goes to sci-tech :P wouldn't know the number…. correct me if I'm wrong people.))