Author's note: To eliminate confusion keep in mind that in this chapter I'm borrowing from the manga universe in which Dante worked for a short time as a Mercenary.
When Cassandra stepped inside her eyes quickly found Dante sitting on the couch, arms crossed, and glaring straight at her. He looked so furious that for a moment it gave her pause. Then she straightened her shoulders and stepped inside despite the nearly overwhelming urge to hide behind Vergil.
"Where's my car?" Dante's voice was dangerously soft.
"Outside," Vergil answered insouciantly. He tossed Dante the keys, "It's a nice ride, brother. I commend you on your taste." Vergil knew he was provoking his twin but didn't care. Better that Dante rage than sit in this cold silence.
Dante caught the keys before turning his burning glare towards Cassandra. "I suppose this was your idea?"
Before Cassandra could answer Vergil spoke up. "No, it was mine. Surely you didn't think I wouldn't return it?"
"You did try to end the world. Not to mention the times you tried to kill me," Dante growled, rising smoothly to his feet, "And who knows what this little snake will do. You did teach her all you know."
Cassandra let out an outraged gasp. Her anger only intensified when she saw Vergil wince at the reminder of his past sins. Her heart ached at the self-loathing she saw in his eyes and the way his shoulders slumped ever so slightly."
Cassandra stepped towards Dante fingers fisted at her sides. "Who the hell are you to talk . . . mercenary." It was Dante's turn to flinch. Cassandra sneered. "That's right Dante. I know. It's amazing what even a girl like me can find out on the streets. Didn't you once hunt humans? Weren't you available to anyone who could afford you? Tell me, devil hunter, did they all deserve to die?"
Dante's hands were also fisted. "At least I didn't spend the last year in hell sucking Mundus' dick."
Vergil would have decked Dante for that unwarranted remark but Cassandra acted first. Her hand lashed out, grabbing a glass lamp off the small table she was standing by. She flung it through the air with incredible accuracy aiming for Dante's thick skull.
"Go fuck yourself," she screamed even as Dante ducked.
Dante just managed to duck another glass projectile as he lunged catching Cassandra by the shoulders and giving her a violent shake. "Damn you!" he hissed as he shook her. Suddenly, however, he froze. Yamato was pressed against his throat, held in Vergil's capable hand.
"Let her go," Vergil warned softly, "I won't let anyone hurt her. Not even you, brother."
Vergil's words penetrated Dante's rage and the younger sibling released Cassandra abruptly. "Dear God . . ." Finger shaped bruises marred the skin where he had held her.
Cassandra stood motionless, staring wide eyed at Dante, shocked at him, and shocked at her own actions.
"Go upstairs, little one," Vergil ordered, lowering the sword from Dante's neck and stepping back. The dark twin reached out with his free hand, gripping her arm gently below the elbow and pulling her towards him. "Go on," he urged gently.
Not know what else to do, Cassandra gave Dante one last look before doing as Vergil had asked.
The twins watched her go in silence before turning to each other. Dante spoke first running an unsteady hand through his unruly hair. "Verge, . . . I don't know . . .damn!"
"If you ever touch her in such a way again I'll kill you." Vergil's voice was soft and devoid of anger but Dante had no doubt that Vergil meant every word.
Dante nodded his understanding. "I wouldn't blame you." Dante walked over to the couch collapsing onto its cushions. "I never thought her the type to throw things," Dante said after a moment.
A small grin came to Vergil's lips. "Cassandra tends to do that when pushed too far."
Dante gaped. "Are you telling me she threw stuff at you? And lived?"
Now Vergil chuckled. "A chair. Amongst many other small objects." Vergil's amusement faded. "You were out of line."
"I know," Dante admitted, "I didn't mean to bring up our past, Vergil. I'm over it. Really. I was just angry."
Vergil looked away, sheathing Yamato. "You said nothing that wasn't the truth. I wasn't speaking of that. I meant what you said to Cassandra."
Dante knew he had hurt Vergil deeply despite Vergil's dismissive attitude but he let it go for the moment, not knowing how to fix it. "Yeah," he sighed, "I'm a bastard. I know. I'll apologize if she ever speaks to me again."
"This wasn't just about your car, Dante."
"Yeah, but still, if you so much as scratched it I will kill you."
"You seemed to have permanently borrowed Beowulf," Vergil reminded him, "I thought it was only fair that I get to borrow your car."
"I found them!"
"I killed him. Something that you failed to do."
Dante threw his hands up in defeat and stood, marching across the room to retrieve the gauntlets and grieves. "There," he said thrusting them at his twin.
Vergil nodded with satisfaction before looking up at his twin. He wasn't about to let Dante hide the big problem behind paltry concerns. "This isn't just about a damned car or a weapon. This isn't going to go away, Dante," he said speaking of the previous night's events, "I may be ashamed of the things I've done but I'm not ashamed of who I am. Of what I am. I'm not ashamed of our father."
Dante glared at his twin. "What does any of this have to do with Dad?"
"By rejecting your demon blood you are rejecting him," Vergil said.
"What about you, huh? Aren't you rejecting Mom by rejecting your human blood?" Dante threw back.
Vergil returned Dante's glare. "You know I'm working on that." Vergil paused, taking a deep breath. It damned near killed him to admit such personal emotions but Vergil would never get through to Dante otherwise. Steeling himself, Vergil continued in a whisper.
" I – I loved our mother, Dante. I never denounced her," Vergil's voice was fierce as he said this, "You told me that you didn't have a father. Mom wouldn't want us to hate our father. You know that to be true." Vergil stepped closer to his twin, meeting his gaze squarely. "I won't reject our father's name. I won't shame his legacy. You want me to change . . . to accept my human heritage. I won't embrace one side only to turn my back on the other. Why should it be different for you? I'm not the only one who needs to stop running from the truth, Dante. Aren't you ashamed of your past as well?"
Dante flushed with anger but he knew deep down that Vergil was right. He had been a mercenary and he'd done things he'd always regret. That didn't mean he had to like it. "It's not the same."
"Isn't it?" Vergil saw that Dante needed time to mull things over. "Just think about it, Dante," he asked before he too headed upstairs.
Cassian paced through his chambers, ignoring the pain from his still healing injuries. The Master had been furious that he'd failed to kill the hunter Dante. It had not been the mere fact that he'd failed that had so anger the Hell Lord but the fact that he'd failed with a poison that had no cure. Mundus had thrown Cassian into the dungeons to be torture for a time as punishment. He'd be released earlier that day.
"Do not fail me again," Mundus had warned, "I want them dead. I want their dismembered bodies brought to me in tribute. Find them. Make them suffer. I don't care how long it takes you. I don't care how many times you have to try. Do it or die."
Cassian had bowed low. "Yes, Master. I will not fail you."
It was that bitch, Cassandra's fault, he thought. If she had not been there to give aide to the traitor's son then surely the worm would have perished in that alley. She'd been an embarrassment to him as a student but she'd only magnified the insult when Vergil had turned her into a skilled warrior. Cassian hated them both for it.
Cassian whirled and left his rooms. It wouldn't be long before night fell in the human world. The moment the whore was alone he'd make her pay.
Cassandra spent the rest of the day in her room. Vergil had knocked but she'd refused to answer. She didn't want to talk about it. Instead, she pace the floor like a cage animals. It was with great relief that she embraced the coming night. She changed into a pair of black leather pants and black halter top. Cassandra forewent the coat Dante had picked out for her but did dawn the green leather gloves since they made handling a sword easier. She pulled her hair back into a tight braid and pulled on her boots. After fastening her scabbard around her waist with loving fingers, she sheathed Vengeance and went to the window.
Cassandra felt like a naughty child sneaking out once again but she didn't want to have to deal with anyone just then. She landed in a crouch onto to rise and slip into the welcoming shadows with ease.
It seemed like a quiet night. Cassandra had walked for a long time and not come across a single demon. She came to one of the city's parks and decided to make a pass through it. It was the perfect place for a demon to wait for a late night jogger or homeless person.
Cassandra was nearly in the center of the park before it came. She tensed, drawing her sword as she sensed the sudden presence of too many demons to count. As she waited, Prides, Abysses, Lusts, Marionettes, Blades and others emerged from the concealing shadows. Leading them was Cassian.
It wasn't difficult for Cassandra to spot the not-quite-healed gashes in Cassian's scaly hide. She gave the demonic bug a sneer. "Did you piss Mundus off, Cassian? It looks like he gave you some of the treatment you so enjoy delivering."
Cassian hissed in his anger. "It was because of your meddling that I failed in my attempt to kill Dante. You have done nothing but shame me before my Master. No longer, bitch. Tonight, you will die, and I will deliver your bloodless corpse to Mundus and redeem myself." Cassian suddenly offered her a mockery of a friendly grin. "Don't worry, worm, I'll make sure your precious Vergil knows exactly what happened to you."
Cassian stepped back and motioned to the horde of demons. "Kill her."
Cassandra didn't even try to stand her ground. She knew that there were simply too many. Instead, she turned and ran for the edge of the park slicing at whatever got in her way.
The demons were everywhere. They came up from the ground and down from the trees lashing out with scythes and claws. There were too many for Cassandra to dodge them all and for everyone she killed another took its place. Even as one wound healed another took its place.
Cassandra knew that it wasn't good. She was losing too much blood. In a bitter twist of fate it was only as she reached the end of the park that her strength failed her. She fell, hitting the ground hard, Vengeance flying from her weakening grasp. Cassandra fought to regain her feet but lacked the strength. She fell down into an ever growing pool of her own blood. She screamed as she felt the teeth and claws of her pursuers tear into her skin.
There was an oddly pitched whistling noise and suddenly her tormenters were ripped away. Seconds later, a loud explosion rocked the park.
Cassandra lifted her head and nearly wept when she realized that Lady sat on her bike mere yards away. Lady fired another blast into the pack of demons before leaping off her bike.
Lady ran to Cassandra's side, hauling the other woman roughly to her feet. "Get up!" Lady ordered tersely, "We've got to get out of here."
Somehow, Cassandra found the will to make her legs move and climbed onto the bike behind the brunette. She wrapped her arms around Lady aware of the way her blood was covering the shorter woman's clothes.
"Don't let go!" Lady yelled, kicking the bike into gear. She too felt the warmth of Cassandra's blood seeping into her clothes and was concern by the sheer amount of wetness. Lady prayed the Cassandra could hold on until they were safe.
As they sped off away from the demons, Cassandra closed her eyes and concentrated on simply hanging on.
Well there it is! Hope you liked. Remember to review! And now my shout outs to my wonderful reviewers.
LiraelAbhorsen: Thank you for putting me on your favorites list. I really am flattered. I'm really glad you're enjoying my story and you find my portrayals of the characters believable. Thanks for reviewing.
Narutohero30: I think it'll be coming soon. Lady totally saved Cassie's ass and Vergil is bound to be grateful. I think it'll help melt the ice a little.
Mach Farcon: Yeah, everyone has their little pet peeves. 'Course I see Dante's as being is GTO, his guns, and his weapons. He needs to learn to share with others. LOL. Thanks for reviewing.
Zoron: Cause they're fun for me. Hehe :-D
Shewolf51: Hope I didn't keep you waiting too long but I was on a school trip to Philly. Hope it was worth the wait. Thanks for reviewing.
Fbtrack: Well, one wrong has been righted. Yeah, Dante can be a little righteous but neither son of Sparda lacks for that . . . or arrogance. I'll keep your other suggestions in mind as the story progresses.
SUFFERINGLOSTSOUL: He might be forgiving but he's still stubborn. I think this chapter's events might give him a little kick in the ass however.
Wildgirlxyz3: I'm definitely going to play that angle as you've seen. Obviously not all demons are completely bad. After all Sparda saved the human race and Nevan seemed to be pretty cool for a succubus. Dante needs to accept who is. Thanks for reviewing.
Jb: Yeah, Mundus is a little pissed. And of course Cassian blames it on everyone but himself. The guy's got a major grudge. Thanks again for reviewing.
Dmc Fan: Wow a genius! LOL I'm glad you liked it so much and thanks for reviewing.
oliviadeloach: I update as often as I can but college takes up a lot of my time but I'll try. Glad you liked it and thanks for the review.
SoDesuKa: Yeah, I thought it was pretty funny myself. Shame Dante doesn't think so. Thanks for reviewing.