Snapping his guns through the front door of an overgrown house, Dante looked around slowly with that stern look and those cold eyes. He held up Ebony and Ivory scanning the room. He was very machine-like and looked around for any evidence of life. Trish followed him in staying behind him with Sparda at her side. It's cumbersome shape nearly not letting her through the door. The two surveyed the living room.

Some of the greenery was starting to die off without the presence of Echinda but it would be months before the suburbs looked normal again.

Heading to the kitchen, Dante pulled open the refrigerator door and a lump of green slop poured out. It looked like dark green pudding with hair in it. Even Dante, with as many horrific sights he had seen. sneered at it. Being careful to look in the refrigerator for anything else. Just a bunch of over-molded food and food racks with that same green, hairy sludge on them. Dante closed the refrigerator door swallowing with disgust walking away.

Entering a small utility room he walked up to the washer and looked at the box of powder soap. Looking inside he saw that even this stuff had been turned green with demonic corruption. Raising his sights with wariness he was suddenly startled by Trish.

She had come around the corner slowly but still shocked him a bit. Trish smiled saying, "Sorry babe."

He lightly smirked saying back to her, holding up the box, "You believe people still use this stuff?"

Leaning against the doorframe, Trish spouted off, "Yeah Dante. It's what 'normal' people do."

Letting out a slight laugh, Dante put back the box, "To think, I wanted to be normal once." Pushing past her. Heading towards the front door he stopped thinking.

Trish slid off the doorframe confused, "What?"

He stood there with his back to her. Cocking his head towards her, somberly saying, "This kid. He must know he's different. Trying to pretend he's normal and then all this gets dropped on him."

Trish nodded her head looking at the mess Echinda had left behind, "Yeah and it's all green too."

"I was just thinking. I wouldn't stay at home if demons were running all over the place."

Trish seductively walked up to him and put a gentle hand on his shoulder, "Speaking from personal experience?"

He shook his head, "No. I really didn't know about demons until Mundus entered my life. When he…" Dante thought back to that day. When his mother was taken from him. Both him and his brother taking separate paths to Mundus.

Trish's grip got tight on his shoulder with care. She looked at him caringly, "Hey!"

Dante looked at her sadly.

"We'll find him. That's not going to happen to him."

"I know it won't. Because I won't let it!" Dante sighed with hope and determination.

With a smile, Trish said, "I don't think he's here."

Dante turned around to face Trish, "Did you check everywhere?"

Smirking at her red-coated partner, "I know a little more about kids than you do dear. I looked everywhere while you were playing around with laundry detergent."

Slyly smirking at her, Dante walked out the front door and said to his black leather-clad partner, "I hope Nero and Lady are doing better than we are."

Nero kicked down a door with the Blue Rose aimed. He quickly covered the front of the room. "Clear." He stepped away with Lady aiming her launcher. She doubtfully asked, "You sure?"

Spinning the Blue Rose with a confident, "Yep. Nothing in there."

Lady's eyes thinned out, jeering at him, "Or are you scared to go in?"

Nero jeered back at her, "I'm not scared. Just know a little bit more about what Echinda did to this place. What she did to the people here."

Putting her rocket launcher on her back, Lady asked, "And that is?"

Nero was already walking to the next house. "You don't want to know."

Rolling her eyes, Lady said angrily, "I think you forget about my family life. I was raised on this kind of freaky stuff. Remember?"

Nero was already at the next house and kicked down the door. He swung the Blue Rose all around looking for something. Nothing. "Clear!" He shouted frustrated. Walking away he gave Lady a fake smile heading to the next house quickly. "There's a difference between reading about it and actually seeing it."

With a huff, Lady replied, "I've seen a lot too."

The next house was a one story house with little to no decor. "Clear." Nero said.

Lady then smiled devilishly, "Next one's mine!"

Throwing up both of his arms, "Go ahead."

Pulling her sub-machine gun, Lady threw open the door and aimed inside, "Cle -"

Suddenly, she twirled out of the way as a large chain came right at her and charged nearly ten feet out the door. Even Nero rolled to dodge coming back on his feet, kneeling with his hand on the hilt of the Red Queen. Lady too in a defensive position behind a mailbox and aimed carefully.

Striding out of the house was a woman that neither Nero nor Lady could believe. She had on a grey A-shirt with a black down jacket. Standing slightly taller than Trish making her six feet tall or more. Tight, black leather pants gripping at her thighs with metal clamp boots. Her eyes were reptilian and were a bright green. Slit and menacing. Her hair was pure white identical to Dante's and Vergil's but hers was beyond shoulder length looking more like Trish's hairstyle. Her hands both were adorned with chain-like whips that were wrapped next to her on the ground. They were apart of her coming from the bottom of her palms. She grimaced showing her vampire-like teeth. Both her lower and upper canines sharp and long. She was very voluptuous but was also a demon.

This chain wielding she-demon looked at the mailbox Lady was hiding behind and then quickly focused in on Nero. She growled at him saying, "I haven't got time for this!"

Nero spun up with the Blue Rose aimed, "You're going to make time!"

She walked towards him tall and unafraid. She snapped one of her chains and the gun lashed out of his hand. He backed off and tore the Red Queen from his back spinning, collecting the Blue Rose off the ground. She lashed out with her other chain whip but she missed him by inches.

Revving the Red Queen, Nero stood with a smile on his face. "Your defiantly not one of Echinda's."

"Your point?" she said lashing out with both whips cracking the streets and sidewalks with them.

Nero had to roll to get out of the way but he came back to his feet and his sword was fully charged. "That must mean you're one of Balscoth's. So what brings a charming creature like you here? Don't tell me, the green haired boy."

Lady came from out from the mailbox and fired her entire clip at the she-demon. She easily flicked her wrist, having one of her chain whips swirl around her, reflecting the bullets back. Lady got back into cover as her own bullets barraged her, leaving her still in cover.

The whip witch cracked that same whip at Nero nearly hitting him, "Where is he?!"

Holding his sword by the hilt still on his back, Nero smiled, "So you don't know where this kid is either, huh?"

Spinning one of her chains above her head looking like a giant rotor on a helicopter she brought it sideways at Nero as he quickly tore out his sword ablaze and caught her chain around the blade. Nero said quickly and intensely, "Was never a smooth talker."

Ripping the chain from his blade she came around with the other lashing out as Nero shot back that one. Going at her with the Red Queen drawn back, Nero slashed out but the demon moved nimbly. Flipping into a bent position she lashed out again sending out one of her chains, grabbing him by his foot, and tripping him up. She then raised him off the ground and slammed him down into the street with a strong ripple.

Lady came out from the mailbox with Kalina Ann, "Hey!"

The demon snapped her head in lady's direction as she watched one of those rockets launch out of the tube. Her eyes got real wide with surprise as she jumped in the air with grace dodging the rocket. It went right underneath her and slammed into a house across the street. The house exploded in a huge fireball and by the time Lady was finished loading another rocket, the chain whipping, female demon was gone.

Slinging the launcher on her back, Lady walked over to Nero and extended a hand out to him. He took it and got back up on his feet.

From out of the wreckage came a voice Nero and Lady both recognized. The cocky, lightheartedness was easy to identify as Dante. "Hey! What's this premature fireworks stuff?! We haven't even seen the guest of honor yet."

Lady smiled with Nero smirking. Shaking his head, Nero said back, "No but it looks like there's a lot of VIPs wondering where he's at."

Trish was standing right next to Dante in the wreckage brushing herself off. She bobbed her head a bit throwing her hair. Brushing her hair with her fingers to get some of the smoldering pieces out, "What do you mean kid?"

"Looks like we're not the only ones looking for the green haired boy."

Walking out of the wreckage, Dante asked pleasantly, "Oh yeah? Balscoth doesn't know where he is either, eh?"

Lady pulled at her launcher, "I don't think so. We have got to find that kid."

Dante brushed his hands together, "Yeah, I hope Vergil's having better luck than we are."

With the vines dead and in a piles on the ground, Vergil stepped over them looking for a police car in the area. Not one. He walked towards the police station as he stopped at a mystic shop. Turning his head slowly it seemed like Gladice's place. The windows were gone and seemed to be vacant. Out of curiosity he walked up to the front door and opened it up. Looking around the shop, Vergil entered slowly taking careful steps. "Gladice?" His voice was clam and a bit louder than normal but still emotionless.

Taking another step he heard the familiar rustle of sand under his boot. He looked down and saw ash. A large pile of it. Wiping his boot on the loud carpet he grunted with frustration. He had a job to do. He couldn't waste time in this mystic shop. Walking back to the door he proceed towards the other shop. The cop shop.

There was not one cop or police car around. Vergil saw the skid marks heading towards the wall. Only cops or national guard would be going towards a demonic wall that fast skidding to a stop like rushing heroes.

He only had to walk about half-a-mile before reaching the station. All the cop cars were there with some police outside the station talking nonchalantly like nothing had happened. Vergil already knew something was wrong. His grip on his sword got tight as he hid it from the cops. They were armed with shotguns and Vergil smiled a bit proud of himself. Definitely something wrong.

Standing in front of the two talking he rolled his shoulders ready for combat. They finally noticed him and asked, "Halt! Who are you?"

Vergil lowered his head jeering at the two. His eyes barely visible under his brow as he kept his sword behind his back. "Your sheriff. I need to speak with him. Now!"

One of the officers cocked his shotgun. "What for?"

Vergil thumbed out Yamato, "I'm looking for someone."

The other asked, "Who? Maybe we can help you."

"I doubt it." Vergil's voice was dark and ominous. He was more than ready to murder these cops knowing full well they weren't what they pretended to be. He could smell the evil coming off them. They were just weak demons. Foot soldiers, if that. Easily dealt with.

The two looked at each other. The one said, "Follow me." He walked away with his shotgun held more with military precision than law enforcement. Vergil followed with the other officer spying his sword. He smiled opening one of the passenger side doors on the closest cruiser. He took the receiver of the radio and clicked it, "Yeah, he's here. - No the other one. - The one with the blue coat! - Yeah. - He want's to see you. - No. He won't make it out alive. I'm sure you'll see to that."

As the cop took Vergil through the station he looked at all the cops seeming to be readying-up for war. They were loading assault rifles and shotguns. Gearing-up with bulletproof vests as Vergil even saw them loading up with grenades. Vergil looked at the cop ahead of him, "What's going on around here?"

The cop did even turn his head answering back, "War."

"Against who?"

"Everyone."

"Is that so?" Vergil having just the slightest bit of cockiness to his voice. "Even the national guard outside on the border?"

"Especially them." He turned a few halls and then came to a door marked sheriff. He opened the door and lead him inside. "He'll see you now."

Vergil walked into the sheriff's office with a frill of his coattails. The door slammed behind him and Vergil was left looking at a huge man with his back turned to him. He seemed to be dressed in his dress uniform.

Vergil slightly sighed turning his head. "I am very disappointed. I expected more out of Balscoth than a bunch of low-level possessors."

A growl came from the large sheriff. Vergil still couldn't see him but he heard the demonic growl from him. He almost smelled the brimstone on his breath. The sheriff said, "Three-hundred years ago, a low-level possessor was feared by many of mankind. Now, you all have lost that sense of fear. You take it for granted when a demon possess one of you. You lock'em up so they can't do their duty. You don't exercise anymore. You theorize and poke and prod us like animals!"

Thumbing out Yamato, "If the shoe fits -" Vergil let him process the rest.

The sheriff turned around and roared in his face. Razor-like teeth stared down Vergil with as black-scaled demon staring him down. Pure green eyes with a protruding mouth much like an iguana or a gecko. Large frills unfurled from the back of his neck as a large clawed hand produced a thick, revolver hand cannon that seemed to be as big as The Blue Rose except it had one barrel the size of two. A square, iron sight with a small red sight on it. The demon screeched at Vergil as it shot the large revolver blowing away the entire office door.

Glass and wood exploded outward as Vergil quickly dodged out of the sights of the demon. He unsheathed Yamato and went for a slash at the reptilian demon. He cut the desk right in two the sheriff was standing behind as he had moved out of the way of Vergil's precision blade.

Throwing half the desk in anger the sheriff grabbed Vergil by the throat and hauled him up right off his feet. He shoved the barrel down his throat snarling out, "Dodge this!"

Vergil whipped his sword right underneath the demon's arms and spun it downward cleaving its arms off. The sheriff howled in pain and Vergil went in for the killer blow but the big demon shoulder rushed him and threw him out of the office into the hall where three possessed cops stood ready with shotguns. Vergil quickly flew through one of the walls into the adjacent office as a storm of gunfire was unleashed after him. The shotguns volleying out after the blue-coated demon slayer.

One of the foot soldiers went into the sheriff's office and asked concerned, "Sir, are you alright?"

His arms reformed back on his body as he picked up his gun from the discarded limb. Looking at him with a snarl, "Fine you idiot! Don't let him get away!"

Vergil slipped into one office and saw a bunch of armored police. He stood ready for war with his sword saying, "Those vest won't protect you from me."

They tried to shoot Vergil but he moved too fast. He went through them like a maniac. Cutting down six demonic cops in less than-a-minute. He stood in another hallway covered in blood. It slowly dripped off of him as two chunks of wall blasted out for him being blown out by shotgun shells. It made him duck into a large room filled with several computers.

He looked around the room finding one terminal and began typing up some information on it. He cursed out loud, "Where's Morrison when you need him?!" He didn't get anywhere.

Three cops flooded into the room. Two with shotguns and one with an assault rifle. They blasted the room apart as Vergil opened his phone to call Morrison. Morrison picked up but loud gunfire echoed out over the line.

Morrison yelled out with hand to his ear, "What the hell are you doing, calling me during a gunfight?!"

Being hit nearly three times, Vergil yelled, "I needed to get some information!"

Six more shots echoed from the two shotguns and the assault rifle blared out empting the clip.

With his ear covered, Morrison yelled again, "Vergil, I can't hear anything with guns going off!"

Rolling his eyes, Vergil quickly dispatched of the grunts with a few slices of his blade. Nothing pretty but it would do. All three cops fell to the floor with Vergil still on the phone, "Better?"

Morrison on the other line simply said, "Yeah. Don't want to know how you did it."

Walking back to the terminal, "Alright, I'm trying to access a police computer. How do I hack it?"

"Get to its command prompt."

"Uh -"

Another officer showed up and Vergil just threw his sword right at the demon cop pinning him to the wall through his chest.

"Alright, how do I find this - uh - command thing?"

"Alt, Ctrl, Delete."

"What?!"

"God Vergil, hang on." Morrison grabbed his laptop. "Alright, give me the IP address."

"The what?!"

"Does the computer have a number?"

Vergil looked and saw a piece of paper taped to the monitor. It had in big red lettering: 7. "Yeah a seven."

"Alright, do you see a big tech box next to the screen?"

"You mean the TV looking thing?"

"How do you even operate a cell phone?!"

More cops came rushing in and mowed Vergil down with heavy assault fire. His phone was shot to pieces and the terminal was no more. Four cops all with assault rifles firing at the same time. Vergil landed on the ground in a pool of his own blood and struggled to get up. One of the cops tossed the shot-up table and they gathered around Vergil with two more. All surrounding the bleeding demon hunter. They began to fire but Vergil slipped out grabbing his sword. He easily disposed of the cops leaving the last one alive. He had him on his knees and sliced his hand right off. He screamed out with blood pouring from his severed wrist. "Help me!"

Vergil then shoved his sword right through his mouth, "That's for my phone!" He threw the dead demon down and looked at the computer. He sighed with frustration looking at some file cabinets behind him. He looked back at the destroyed terminal and then back at the cabinets. He then looked off to the side realizing that he should have really gone after those first.

Looking through them he was trying to find something on the green-haired boy. Nothing. File after file and not one had anything on the kid.

Soon, the sheriff came into the records room and looked at his dead minions. Dead cops all in a pile at his feet. He looked at Vergil calmly and angrily as he lifted his large revolver.

Vergil spun out of the gun's sights as the sheriff shot at him leaving a hole in one of the filing cabinets nearly a foot in diameter.

Remarking out loud, Vergil had his sword at the ready "I hate guns!" Spinning out from the file cabinets he slashed his sword at the sheriff as the demon dodged sending out two more large bullets for Dante's brother. Escaping both shots, Vergil came around with a twisting slice but the sheriff rolled out of the way and shot again with Vergil reflecting the bullet back blowing out a large section of wall.

The sheriff snarled out, "You will not find him!" Joshua is ours!" He then closed his eyes wincing at his mistake.

Vergil grinned evilly, "So, that's his name."

Cocking his gun the sheriff pointed it with a loud snarl, "You'll never see him! He is our salvation. Our alpha and omega! He is our savior and you will die before touching him."

Vergil spun his sword quickly and sliced off the sheriff's gun hand as it fell on the floor with a loud roar from the reptilian demon. Looking at Vergil with those green orbs for eyes, the sheriff began to grow back another. "That won't stop…"

Twisting with force, Vergil spun like a blue tornado and sliced the sheriff's head right off with a clean and definitive cut.

The head flew off crashing through glass into a detective office. His headless body slumped to the floor with blood gushing from the severed neck. A few droplets spattered Vergil's face as he took out a cloth and wiped both his face and blade of the demon blood.

A few cops came in filing the room and saw Vergil cleaning his blade with their leader on the floor decapitated. They looked at the demon hunter with frightened eyes as he looked at them with a dull stare. "Boo."

They took off running away from Vergil as he saw the national guard had arrived. They would have their hands tied up with the running cops. Meanwhile, he could find the green haired boy, Joshua.

Checking in the Js he found a few Joshuas in town. Only one a fifteen years old with green hair. No criminal record and living three streets down from where Dante and Nero were searching. Closing the vanilla folder he walked out of the station and headed back. The file folder in hand, Yamato sheathed, and determination etched on his face.