Dante entered the warehouse and looked around. Amidst all the boxes was a staircase, but it was surrounded by crates that looked none too safe. He smirked and continued onward, going through the box labyrinth and finally finding the stairs. He descended them, keeping a wary eye out for any enemies. Ebony and Ivory held at the ready, he stepped out into a corridor with a few rooms. It was dingy and dark, grime coating the walls. He came to a door that caught his attention, the letter Sigma "gracing" it. He nodded, kicking it in and finding nothing inside. The carpet, however betrayed a detail to his eye and he lifted it to find a trap door. He stepped down the ladder, seeing the small girl whose brother he had killed earlier. The same girl that had gone to stay with Nightrose. He looked at her. "Oi. Let's go. I know a lady with a whip-sword who's really worried about you." He held his hand out to the girl. He normally didn't have any kind of friendly disposition when it came to kids, but with this girl, it was different. At least, right now it was.

"Where'd the ladder come from? It's obviously ancient, you should get off of it before it breaks and sends you sprawling to the ground like a peace of minced meat," schooled Anshin. She didn't really listen to what the man said, she had been left in a room with a trap door in the roof. Dark, dank, quiet, with sights of a beautiful room she could envy, even if she didn't, and no escape, no ladder, no rope, no light. She really began to get curious as to what type of room she was in. It wasn't a normal one. The fact that there was, indeed, a ladder, meant that there had to be some other things she hadn't noticed. She looked around in the darkness, only seeing walls and corners, not even rats made it down to the cellar. It was almost like a septic tank without the septic part. She hated ladders, she demons, and she hated a few other things, like people who kill for no reason. She couldn't really help but hate, or at least dislike Dante, her supposed rescuer who didn't really seem to be doing a good job of it. She was watching the rope ladder again, it was a very weak ladder, more sturdy then a tether, but not that strong at all. Anshin wondered if Salem was going to drop down here and just rape her for all eternity or until they died because it was such a contained place. She didn't even think there were holes for air, although she assumed that new air was somehow getting into the place, maybe through cracks around the door, she wasn't really sure. The more Anshin thought about it, the weirder it got, the ladder being the weirdest part. She knew she had been thrown down into the room, proof being her own ass, throbbing in pain and currently being spared by her laying upon the cold cement ground, and because Salem was a spider demon, he could just crawl up the wall, which actually was slightly rounded at the sides, but she was just an observer. There was no straw or things to use for a bed, only what Anshin had on her when she was thrown down. Anshin frowned as the ladder creaked and moaned, having too much weight on it.

Dante grabbed Anshin's tiny wrist, hauling her up into his free arm. He looked up and noticed the tethers holding the rope ladder up were ripping. He smirked and leapt, doing another jump off of the ledge where the ripping tethers were. He smiled in satisfaction as his boots hit solid ground at the same time that the ladder did. He set Anshin down, still holding her hand. He began to guide her out of the dark, damp place of her imprisonment. The girl's hatred for him couldn't have stood out more, and it made him sigh. He shrugged it off, not really caring whether the girl hated him or not. She could if she wanted to, carrying a grudge with her for the rest of her life that would make her lose herself to her demon blood. In the end, intelligent beings and mindless killers like demons were only set apart by just that: intelligence. He left the warehouse, stepping out into the dim sunset with the girl walking close beside him.

Anshin bowed her head as she walked next to Dante. As they came out of the exit, she bit her finger and stared up with her head down, her hat firmly in place and her steps a bit slower, slipping her hand behind his leg. She didn't really know who was out there and she wasn't sure she wanted to. She could be mad at Dante and use him as a shield all the same. She wasn't really that mad at him. Her brother had only come to make sure she was okay, she had survived on her own for several years and he hadn't once come to check on her. It gave her a small grudge against him to begin with, but she did love him. She regretted his death, but did not really mourn it. What was done was done. She had more brothers and sisters and she was still alive. A small thankfulness filled her chest as she realized he was saving her and she had clung to him when he brought her from the hole, closing her eyes and burrying her head in his shoulder. The small girl's silver hair popped out this way and that, hidden mainly by her hat. She wrapped her other hand around the man's and continued to shrink behind him.

Hiro looked at the remains of the Phantom and spat. He walked over to them and leaned down, examining the symbol on the crumbling tail. "I believe that research could yield more answers," he stated. He walked towards Dante and put his hand on the man's shoulder. "Well done, my friend. I must go for now. I will find the answers we seek. Farewell for now." He faded out of existence.

Dante nodded as Hiro left, and noticed the girl had been clinging to him when he had been carrying her up the ladder. He also noticed that the girl's hatred for him had diminished significantly since he had first met her. He spared only a short glance for her, making sure she was keeping up, his gloved hand still grasping her tiny one. The sun was setting as he entered the area where the others were still fighting, the small army of devils that had risen almost gone now.

A few devils appeared in his path and he punched through them, rending them to shreds and walking through the remains toward the others. He had no time to waste on such lower class devils as those. His ice blue eyes surveyed the area, looking for any stronger opponents that might be left. Seeing none, he stood back and watched the others finish their fights.

Anshin continued to cling to him, burying her face in his side when he killed the demons and then looking back around. She was acting like a human child again, wincing at the sight of blood and cowering away from that which was frightful. She was actually very use to scenes like this, even if she didn't like them at all. She was a peaceful devil and in being that, she did not yearn for bloodshed. She began to hum a shaky tune to get her mind off of everything that was going on around her. It was a happy tune and only the shake gave notice to the fact that she was uneasy and, thus, humming.

Lady wasn't sure about the others, but she found herself quickly able to finish off the opponent she had. She pulled the bloody bayonet of her rocket launcher from the chest of a felled devil and surveyed the area. Multicolored eyes wandered about for a moment until they stopped to look towards the direction she had originally had come from. It seemed she had been so engrossed with her fight she missed where the others had taken off to. She began walking, hoping to catch up with the others, wherever they had gotten off to.

Enyo, whom had gotten quite bored ealier as it was, yawned and finished off the last demon with a lazy swipe of her paw, spraying black blood over the ground. Naoki came up behind her and clicked the handle of his weapon onto his side, laying his hand on Enyo's large side. He sighed. "So, what now? Seems everyones gone and left without a word."

Enyo huffed. Hmf. This is why I don't get involved with people. So scattered. She turned her head to look at him. I don't know. Wherever you go, I will as well. Will you follow that man?

Naoki nodded. "I think I will. I'm curious as to what he will do next."

She smirked. You know, curiosity killed the tiger.

Naoki returned an identical smirk, his eyes seeming to glow for a moment. "Yes, but satisfaction brought it back." He turned and seemed to melt into a near identical cat as Enyo while she looked like a housecat, except for the ivy mark she had on her ankle. She nodded and turned as well, melting into her much smaller form and following.

Hiro appeared again, not having taken a long journey. He had found out what he needed to know, at least, he had found enough to satisfy him for a moment. He walked up to Dante and the little girl. He looked at her for a moment, but not in distaste, just curiosity. He leaned his head toward Dante's. "Was this the girl? Hmm, not exactly prime bait," he whispered.

Dante smirked and nodded. "I suppose not. I trust you can do one last thing for me, as I have some things to do myself? Take this girl to Nightrose. S he'll be happy to see her. I have to go find Enzo. He said something about another lead about all of this crap. I think we might be getting somewhere, Hiro."

With that, Dante turned, coat flapping in a breeze as he left the bloody scene of the battle between devils and those who hunt them. He headed back to the shop where Enzo should have been waiting for him. On the way there, however, he passed a certain being that caught his interest in passing. She looked normal enough, but her aura reeked of evil. His eyes glinted with interest. Vampire and demon, eh? Interesting.

He caught the woman's arm, stopping her motions. He looked at her with his icy blue eyes. "What's the hurry? Surely with all that different blood in you, you can stop and chat with me, can't ya? You wouldn't want to be rude, eh?" He smirked and looked into the toffee brown eyes that told him what lurked beneath the surface of the human form.

A single hand had its slender fingers run through the girl's snow white bangs before crossing over the boundary to her raven strands of hair. "What the...?" Her thoughts were interrupted when her body was forced to a stop; causing her train of thought to be lost. Her light sky blue orbs slightly narrowed at the sight of his arrogance, and the proof being that smirk that the stranger wore. Shiran took note of the light silver tone of his hair, and those cold eyes that seemed to pierce her - taking note of the composition and perhaps deeper into his being. The iris of her eyes had been toffee; for that reason did she curse at herself for attempting to take possesion of the body that belonged to neither her nor her indwelling spirit.

Damn, Shirin... the voice of her other self chided as it watched from through her eyes. "If you haven't noticed, I'm caked in blood and my body grows weaker with every moment," she stated plainly. Yes, she could've picked a fight, or have said something witty, but this wasn't the appropiate time. As though to prove her point, her legs began to tremble as they weakened under the pressure of her own weight. Luckily, her cloak had been buttoned to hide the rather revealing, tattered clothing along with most of the scarlet liquid left behind after being attacked earlier. Although a few streams of blood were visible on the girl's face. "It would be ideal for me if you could do me the favor, and let me go." She knew well enough that it would take only a few more moments before the body would give in, and she and her other self would be rendered useless - even if he couldn't feel the pain- it was rather obvious with how difficult it was becoming just to stay standing.

Shi-san, you don't know how to deal with my body. If we don't get help, I would hate to imagine what could become of it with our many enemies. Shiran communicated his concern for the well-being of the container. Although this was in the back of her mind at the moment, she deciding to just ignore him for the moment. Her real name had been lost long ago, long before the spirit had chosen her for a vessel. She had chosen a name almost synonymous with her "friend", one that had a hidden meaning known only to herself. She was Shirin Safara, a Devil Hunter.

Dante smirked, scooping the girl up into his arms, seeing that her legs were weak. "No problem. Why not come to my shop and clean up and we can take a look at those wounds of yours, eh?" He nodded, setting off at a brisk pace toward Devil May Cry. He arrived there after only a few short moments, kicking open the door and carrying the weakened girl inside, laying her on the red leather couch in his office.

Dante looked to see Enzo gaping at the girl from the corner of his office with the jukebox. He came waddling over to Dante, wringing his pudgy hands. "Hey, Dante...who is she? She's hot! You lettin' her stay here with you, ya lucky bastard?"

Dante shot Enzo a cold glare. "Stay out of the way, Enzo. She needs help, not your lecherous words." He brushed past Enzo, going into the back bathroom, getting a small container of water and a few rags to help clean her wounds. He set them down by the girl and looked at her seriously. "I'm going to have to remove your clothes to get to your wounds to clean them. Don't worry about it." He shot another cold glare at Enzo. "You better wait outside for me while I do this, Enzo."

Enzo sighed, clearly disappointed at being denied such a sight, and stepped outside the large wooden doors. Dante nodded, turning back to the girl. He peeled back the cloak and the garments under it, surveying the damage to the girl's body. He tisked, wetting the rag and beginning to clean the blood off of her.

Shiran had no say in the matter; for he knew that there was no use arguing. Although he was pretty sure that the stranger would be surprised to see only blood with no wounds in sight. Even though they had healed, it had taken a lot of energy, and the body had been pushed to its limit. Shiran remained silent with his thoughts bothering him. It didn't help that Shirin continued to protest, but it was more practical to be with someone else rather than alone and defenseless. The demon wasn't enjoying this either; loathing the fact that he couldn't take care of himself and was forced to depend on a stranger like any other defenseless woman. To think that his body could've taken so much more abuse, and still be able to at least bloody walk! Shirin gave up and sighed as she reclined her head with her eyes closed.

Now, back to the stranger; what was his deal? Strangers usually don't offer their assistance unless they were interested in something return. Then again the scent of this stranger told him that it was a half-demon. This meant that he was only half corrupted due to his human nature, but still. Her fangs made their appearance since it took too much energy to keep her demonic aura contained. The ears and matching tail soon followed, and completed her wolf-demon appearance. Although he contained himself enough so it didn't fully come out, the bloodlust and desire to kill that came with being a demon. "Why is it that you help a stranger such as myself?" Shirin asked as one cobalt eye opened to glance at the man.

Dante's eyebrow shot up at the sight of the devil's transformation. He smirked a bit at the question and shrugged. "I guess I just got a thing for helping people when they're a bloody mess." He continued cleaning away the blood and wasn't even surprised to see no openings for the crimson liquid to exit. He knew the blood was hers, yet he smelled blood that differed from hers. He sighed, shrugging it off and continuing to clean her up. He nodded as he finished, the once-white rags now stained crimson. He dumped them into the pinkened water and carried them back to the bathroom before going and grabbing some spare clothes for her. He brought them out to her, laying them by her side. He thought a moment, wondering how to do it. He gently lifted her up, pulling the rest of her tattered clothes off, leaving the undergarments. He slipped the new clothes over them and got up after setting her back down gently on the couch.

He got up, crossing the room and opening the door for Enzo. The fat slouch of a man entered, looking immediately at the girl, his excitement fading as he saw her clothed. Dante sighed, pushing past the man and sitting behind his desk. He looked at the pudgy fleshpile. "What did you need to tell me, Enzo?"

Enzo looked at him seriously. "We've gotten reports of demonic disturbances at a nearby manor. We've also recieved intelligence that the place is linked somehow with the EOD Syndrome. You can start immediately. And about you dropping one of those jobs...you're lucky I didn't get the shit kicked out of me. Oh, and before I forget, here's your pay for killing Salem." He handed Dante an evelope which he opened, revealing at least five hundred thousand dollars. Dante smirked and nodded. "I'll get started tomorrow. For now, I have to take care of the girl. You can leave now, Enzo."

The pudgy man turned and left. The door shut behind him and Dante pulled up a chair beside the girl, looking at her through his snow-white bangs. "Anything I can get ya before I sleep for the night?"

Shiran was slightly agitated with the current situation, and then the fact that this stranger had dressed him. He had to remind himself that he couldn't dress himself...herself. Her single eye remained intent on the white-haired half-demon. He had no curiosity over the "Enzo", but it was aimed after the man who had helped him. The demon had to admit that in a way the man was his, her, savior of sorts.

"I would rather not be a burden." The wolf demon was too proud to ask for any more help from what she had already received. Shiran had already hatched a plan to leave as soon as morning came; preferably before the blue-eyed man woke up. "I have forgotten my name long ago; although I have dubbed myself Shirin of the Wolves," she properly introduced herself after seeing that it would do her no harm in telling him her, his, name. The gender issue had long confused her now having a man, or rather, a male demon, dwelling inside of her. She opened the other eye to gaze at him with an encrypted glint in her sky-blue orbs. What a mysterious young man. Shiran had never understood humanity, and its desires. He occasionally would feel lonely, but lived off his most primal needs such as food, shelter, and rest. The wolves have rarely seen such kindness, but he didn't change his view. It was better to be suspicous rather than screwed over, at a later time. The twin katanas laid right next to her raven tail, the tail itself slightly swished right to left in a slow, yet deliberate movement. Her ears twitched slightly; an attempt to catch any hints of danger, but none were found. "Thank you, half-demon."

Only a moment later did sleep soon take over, and her eyes slowly shut. Naturally, her body curled slightly into a ball with her head being cushioned by her forearms as they relaxed on the arm rest. The snowy bangs fell in place to create a shadow over her closed eyes, while her ebony hair remained in place with some of it falling behind her shoulders. His past had been nearly forgotten, but tonight one of those nightmares revealed itself; to whom it belonged was unknown to him. Her frosty tipped tails were pulled back by pure instinct, and fear had begun to settle within the pits of her stomach.

Dante smirked and waved her off. He leaned back in his chair at the desk, propping his boots up on top of it. He closed his eyes with a sigh, his head resting on top of his gloved hands. Sleep was not so quick to take him this time, but he felt very drowsy from the day's work. The new assignment intrigued him to no end and he wondered what he would find at this manor Enzo had spoken of. He chuckled and gave a small, shrug-like motion. Whatever it is, I'm at least getting good pay for it. Not to mention I'll find out some useful information. Sleep soon after took him, his dreams mingled with the memories of his father and mother, the faces of devils, and blood.

Copyright 2008 Kevin Sims