Greetings, everyone! First of all, sorry! I took longer than I thought I would to put this chapter together; the typing itself took me most of today. The brainstorming was another matter. At any rate, I want to send a big thank you to Satanic Park of Madness; thank you so much for giving me the idea for this chapter. I hope it's up to your expectations.

As always, a big thank you for all of you who have reviewed this series so far, and for those of you who have added this to your favourites and are following it. Your support means a lot to me. ^_^ So thank you!

Disclaimer: I do not own Devil May Cry; it belongs to Capcom. This fanfiction is non-profit, and purely for entertainment only.

Spa

"Ugh…I call dibs on the shower, first." Lady declared, as the three hunters made their way into the Devil May Cry office, soaking wet from the rain and all chilled clear to the bone.

"Fine, but don't take too long," Trish wrinkled her nose in disgust as she wiped a trail of green slime from her upper arm, "I don't want to be covered in devil entrails any longer than I have to be."

"And don't use up all the hot water!" Dante hollered after the brunette, as she bounded up the staircase. Hearing the sharp click of the bathroom door's lock, the half devil heaved a sigh, his gaze dropping to the hardwood floor.

A trail of water, blood, and other demonic bodily fluids trailed from the double doors to where he and Trish currently stood, the she-devil leaning casually against the mahogany desk as she continued to wipe as much of the slime from her leather pants as she could.

"What a night." Dante muttered, draping his red leather coat over the coat tree, before flopping down into the high-backed chair. Blood and rain coated his leather chaps and boots, the half devil letting out a grunt of disgust from the thick scent of blood permeating the room. He would have to make sure he used the leather treatment oil after he thoroughly cleaned his apparel.

Casting a glance at the demoness, he leaned back in his seat, folding his hands behind his head. "Trish, why don't you use the shower down here? I know it doesn't have all your moisturizing body washes or whatever, but it'll still do the job. You look tired, babe."

Trish gave him a slight smile and stood, running a hand through her rain drenched blonde locks. "Knowing how long Lady's going to be in the upstairs one, I have to agree with you." She squeezed his shoulder appreciatively as she strode passed, her high-heeled boots clicking loudly throughout the high-ceilinged room.

"You know where the towels are." Dante called after her, settling back into a comfortable position in his chair, his muddy boots propped up on the desk.

What the hell; I have to clean the entire office, anyway… He reasoned, stifling a yawn. Wincing, he brought a hand to his jaw, rubbing it lightly with the tips of his fingers. Though most of his wounds from battle had already healed, the half devil had been experiencing a lot of tightness in his muscles as of late. What with all the demons he and the female hunters had been chasing after, it wasn't any wonder; they'd barely had half a night's rest in the past three weeks. His otherwise rapid regenerative capabilities barely had the chance to kick in, before he found himself rushing off to yet another battle.

Longing for a nice, long, hot shower himself, Dante snorted, and folded his arms over his chest. Lady and Trish were lucky he was such a gentleman when he wanted to be; being that this was his place, he would have been well within his rights to have the first shower of the night.

Especially after all of the devils I've put under this week… He yawned, stretching with a slight grunt as he managed to crack his back, and locked his fingers behind his head once again, his eyes drifting closed.

Just as he was considering taking a power nap, the upstairs bathroom door opened, Lady hollering down, "Hey! Bathroom's all yours!"

Getting to his feet, Dante shook his head as he made his way up the stairs. He managed a casual wave as he passed Lady on her way to the guest room, the half devil too tired to make his usual lewd remark about her being half naked in his presence.

Lady must have noticed this too, for she faltered in the doorway, her heterochromatic eyes narrowing in puzzlement. "Wow, you must be exhausted," she remarked, clutching the soft green towel around her, "usually you'd have a fat lip by now for making some smart-assed remark about meeting you in your room, or something…"

Dante chuckled softly at this, a wry grin twisting one corner of his mouth. "So are you saying if I did make said remark, you'd actually have the energy to punch me?"

Lady looked every bit as exhausted as he felt, and judging by the uncertain frown she wore, she probably wouldn't have the energy necessary to effectively reprimand him.

Though knowing her, she'd find it somehow, just to spite me.

Lady snickered, her eyes drooping wearily. "You may have a point, there." She conceded, though the half devil was given to wonder whether she was replying to his spoken or his unspoken statement; they'd known each other long enough, sometimes it was hard to tell.

Noticing that she was slightly unsteady on her feet, Dante waved dismissively at her. "I need a shower; get some sleep, Lady…while you can."

Because judging by these past few weeks, we're all gonna need what little we can get.

Lady waved lazily back at him, shutting the bedroom door firmly with a soft, "Good night…"

Making his way into the bathroom, Dante cranked the hot water as high as it would go, and stepped into the porcelain tub, sighing blissfully at the pulsating function of the shower head, the hot water cascading down his battle-weary muscles, soothing them.

I guess tomorrow will be another day…lather, rinse, repeat.

He squeezed a dollop of spice-scented shampoo from the bottle, massaging it into his scalp vigorously as he breathed in its scent. Not that the devil hunter would ever admit it to anyone, but he found the fragrance soothing; it never ceased to amaze him how invigorating a simple shower could be after a long, hard day of demon hunting.

Little did he know that Trish was devising a plan while in the midst of her own shower; a plan that would greatly benefit all three battle-worn hunters…

"A spa…?" Dante stared at Trish as though she'd sprouted a second head, the demoness huffing impatiently with her hands planted on her hips.

"Yes Dante, a spa." She replied, her tone mocking as she pretended to be scandalized.

The half devil sat forward in his seat, interlocking his fingers as he propped his elbows up on the hard, polished surface of his desk. "You want me to go with you and Lady to some girly rejuvenation place?"

Trish's aqua eyes flashed, the blonde tossing her hair over her shoulder irritably as Lady snickered beside her.

"How very mature of you, Dante..." Trish rolled her eyes, placing her hands on the desk as she leaned forward.

Dante's eyes dropped to her ample bosom, barely concealed by the leather bustier the demoness wore.

Trish cleared her throat, bringing his gaze back up to her face, a faint smile tugging at the corners of her red lips. Lady only snorted, the brunette deciding to sit on the corner of the desk as she watched the exchange between her friends.

Taking a sip from the can of coffee in his hand, Dante smiled sheepishly at the she-devil, his pale blue eyes deepening to cobalt.

"After all of the work we've been doing, I think a trip to the spa is a great idea." The brunette murmured, her bicoloured eyes gleaming wistfully. "Especially the authentic hot springs…"

"Hot springs?" Dante sat upright, his interest suddenly piqued; he only vaguely noticed the smug grins of his allies, as he began fantasizing about sitting in a hot spring surrounded by beautiful women.

Blondes, brunettes, red-heads, petite or voluptuous…I want them all!

"Dante?"

Lady's voice broke him out of his musings, the half devil giving his head a shake. Glancing between the women, his eyes narrowed suspiciously at their knowing grins. "What?"

"What, indeed…" Trish stated dryly, quirking an eyebrow at him.

"You looked like you were taking a trip through fantasy land there, cowboy." Lady snickered, resting her chin in her right hand as she stared at him questioningly. "Why don't you tell us what you were thinking about?"

Doing his best to keep his expression impassive, the devil hunter leaned back in his chair, crossing his ankles as he propped his feet up on the desk. "I don't think that's any of your business, ladies."

He intertwined his fingers at the back of his head, his eyes closed as he tilted back. Returning to his fantasies of scantily clad women surrounding him in a bubbling pool of warm water, lined with candles under a full, silvery moon, the half devil was oblivious to the danger he was in-until his chair tipped over backward, depositing him on the floor in an undignified sprawl.

There was no question as to whom the guilty parties were; Trish and Lady surrendered to gales of laughter, the blonde and brunette leaning on one another for support.

He peered at them from beneath a fringe of snowy hair, unable to keep himself from smirking.

"On second thought, maybe a trip to the spa wouldn't be such a bad idea, after all."

Later…

Dante looked around the large room as he, Lady and Trish entered through the tinted glass doors. The reception area was bright thanks to the bay windows on both sides, along with the domed skylight overhead. The walls were painted a calming sage green, decorated with scenic artwork every few feet or so. In the centre stood the reception island, made up of a light tan marble with flecks of deep green and brown. A kindly looking middle-aged woman greeted the three hunters from behind the desk, her deep green eyes sparkling as she bustled around the island to hand them pamphlets.

"Welcome! Is this your first time here?" She beamed up at them, her bedazzled hands clasped together in front of her.

"Not ours," Lady answered with a smile, gesturing with her thumb to the half devil behind her, "but it is his."

"Oh, wonderful!" The portly woman exclaimed, the grey bun at the back of her head slowly coming undone as she nodded enthusiastically. "Why don't you take a seat in our waiting area? When you've decided on what treatment you'd like, come back up and see me, okay?"

Trish gave the receptionist their thanks, and the three headed over to the circular sitting area on the right side of the room. Plush, dark brown leather couches and armchairs lined this side of the room, all custom made to fit snugly against the rounded walls. In the centre was a small oval-shaped glass table with a stained glass vase of bamboo sitting in the middle of it. Sitting around the vase was a circle of decorate stones, most of which were dark and smooth. A stack of beauty and wellness magazines sat on one of the empty chairs, Dante shaking his head in revulsion when he caught sight of a Cosmopolitan.

Plunking down in one of the leather armchairs, Dante heaved a sigh, allowing his eyes to drift over the many plants adorning the room.

"Hey, this would be perfect for you, Dante!" The half devil glanced over at Lady, the female hunter tapping the centre of her pamphlet as she leaned closer to him.

"Fango therapy? What is that, exactly?" He inquired, taking the pamphlet from her despite having his own.

"It's a mud treatment, which is perfect for you." Lady snickered. "After all, you're used to getting dirty, right?"

"You're hysterical." Dante drawled, tossing the pamphlet back at her, the brunette deftly catching it between her index and middle fingers.

"It's not just a mud treatment," Trish explained, leaning back in her seat with one leg crossed over the other, "this one in particular uses heated, rejuvenating mud, which will help with any deep aches and pains you're experiencing."

"Hmm…" Dante murmured to himself, leafing through his own pamphlet. His neck and shoulders had been pretty stiff, lately…

"There's also deep tissue massage, exfoliating scrubs, acupuncture, and of course, the hot springs." Trish declared, her eyes gleaming when she caught Dante's eye.

"I'll pass on the exfoliating and acupuncture, thanks…" Dante smirked, getting to his feet. "But the rest sounds pretty damn good to me."

Lady and Trish exchanged a triumphant smile, and followed the half devil to the receptionist's desk; after all they'd been through lately, a relaxing day at the spa was long overdue.

"Wow, your muscles are really knotted here!" Dante winced slightly as the massage therapist assigned to him kneaded his shoulders with the palms of her hands, the petite brunette putting all of her effort into working out the deep kinks in his back.

"I know. It's been a long week." Dante replied, closing his eyes as he tried to relax despite the sharp pain he felt every time the woman applied pressure.

"What exactly do you do for a living?" She asked, switching to gentle, circular strokes with the tips of her fingers.

Dante let out a soft moan, resting his forehead on the leather headrest. He was lying face down on one of the many massage tables in the room, his face slightly turned as it stuck through the hole of the headrest.

Ah…that's much better. He thought to himself, feeling the muscles slowly beginning to relax under the masseuse's touch.

Wait, didn't she just ask me what I do? Aw, crap…um…

"I'm a heavy machine operator." He lied smoothly, pleased with himself. With his build, it was a passable story.

Tilting his head up, he cast a glance at Trish and Lady, both women several feet across from him, receiving their own deep tissue massages. Both grinned at his cover story, their eyes glinting with amusement before closing again; the blonde and brunette sighing contently as all of their worries and cares were massaged away.

Dante set his head back down again, flinching slightly when the masseuse started working on his lower back.

"Oh, sorry…" she apologized, lightening her touch considerably.

"Don't sweat it," the half devil murmured, "it's just a little tender. I've been through worse."

A lot worse…

Images of the many trials he'd faced over the years flashed through his mind; his countless battles at the Temen-Ni-Gru, particularly the ones against Vergil. His battle with Mundus and his minions; the countless times he'd been impaled with his own sword along with other bladed Devil's Arms; his trials in Fortuna…

After all of that and the battles in between, a deep tissue massage was a cake walk.

"Rejuvenating mud, huh?" Dante scoffed, sinking into the tub next to Lady and Trish, all three wrapped within soft towels. "It looks like regular mud to me…"

It smells like regular mud, too.

"Quit your complaining." Trish admonished, tilting her head back against the edge of the mud-filled tub, her blonde hair swept up in a high ponytail.

"Let it work its magic." Lady added, closing her eyes as she followed the demoness' lead. "I'm telling you, it really will help work out any kinks the therapist couldn't get at."

Dante snorted in derision, but did as he was told. Leaning back, he braced his arms against the edge of the tub, resting his head against one of the many inflated pillows positioned around the tub's edge. Peering at the women seated in front of him, a wry grin spread across his face, the half devil snickering under his breath.

When Trish and Lady stared at him questioningly, he shrugged his shoulders nonchalantly.

"I was just thinking…I bet if you two started wrestling in the mud here, you could bring in a big wad of cash; we probably would never have to hunt demons again…"

Of course he didn't mean it; but it was worth the reaction he got, both women glaring daggers at him with the promise of vengeance. Dante shook his head, chuckling softly as he closed his eyes; so what else was new? He'd already endured the worst they had to throw at him upon his first meetings with them; everything since had been mild in comparison.

The devil hunter wasn't the least bit surprised, when two large clumps of mud splatted in his face, one after the other. Cracking one eye open, he felt his own mouth quirk into a wry grin upon seeing theirs, the mud slowly sliding down his cheek.

"Oh, now you've done it…"

The next thing he knew, he was engaged in an all-out mud flinging war with Lady and Trish, the trio laughing as they tried to cover one another in the rejuvenating mud.

Once they had rinsed all of the rejuvenating mud off, the devil hunters made their way to the hot springs. Stepping out on to the cobblestoned patio, Dante peered through the tinted glass enclosure, taking in the impressive set up of the hot springs. According to the pamphlet, the hot springs had formed here hundreds of years ago. The owner of the spa had come across them, and had built his business around the hot springs, careful not to damage the underwater passages that created and sustained the natural phenomena. Cobblestones made up the entirety of the pool's edge, a large garden surrounding it with many exotic trees and bushes for privacy. Overhead, the moon shone brilliant silver, its light reflecting in the frothing and bubbling spring below. Candles on large iron pedestals were strategically placed all throughout the garden and along the pool's edge, adding to the ambiance.

The moment Dante's eyes drifted over the bamboo divider sitting smack dab in the centre of the pool, his face fell. "The men's side is separate?"

"Well of course it is," Lady declared, "this is a classy place; they don't want any perverts harassing the women."

"Hey," Dante countered in a wounded tone, "are you calling me a pervert?"

"Well, if the shoe fits…" Lady snickered, making her way over to the women's side with Trish in tow.

"Relax Dante, it won't be so bad." The she-devil assured him with a wink, "We can still talk through the divider."

"Yeah, great…" Dante grumbled, sulking. Seeing that Lady and Trish had already passed through the glass enclosure leading to their side of the hot springs, Dante sighed, and made his way to the opposite side.

Once out in the cool night air, the half devil quickly made his way into the warm pool of water, wading toward the divider and settling his back against it.

"Are you pouting, Dante?" Trish's teasing voice came from the opposite side, directly behind where he was sitting.

"No…"

"He totally is!" Lady laughed, her voice coming from only a few feet to the right of where he'd heard Trish speaking.

"And what makes you think that?" The devil hunter retorted, settling comfortably into a sitting position with one knee braced in front of him, the water coming up to his neck.

"Oh please," Lady replied with amusement, "we've known you for years, Dante."

"I don't think he pouted as much when I first met him, as he does now." Trish giggled, Dante rolling his eyes heavenward.

"Is it really any wonder why I 'pout' more now than I did back then?" Dante shot back, though his tone was playful. Even though they couldn't see each other, the half devil was certain both women would recognize that he was teasing. He was right.

"Excuse me? Are you saying we're responsible for your sulkiness?" Trish huffed in mock indignation, Lady giggling next to her.

"Hey, it's not our fault you have such rotten luck with women." Lady declared, "Maybe if you treated us nice, we'd be nicer to you."

Dante smirked at this, playfully rapping his knuckles against the barrier, laughing softly at the startled yelp that came from Lady.

"You jerk," Lady growled playfully, "you'll pay for that."

Dante tilted his head back, smiling. "I'm just shaking in my boots…or I would be, if I was wearing them."

Both women groaned at this; Dante could practically hear them rolling their eyes at yet another one of his lame jokes.

After a few minutes of peaceful silence, the half devil spoke up again. "Hey Lady, do you remember when we first met?"

"Remember? How the hell can I forget?" Lady replied with a laugh. "You were the most infuriating person I'd ever met in my life, up to that point."

"Only up to that point? What about now?" Trish asked with laughter in her voice.

"Hmm…I suppose you're right; nothing's changed." Both women shared a laugh at this, Dante shaking his head with a sigh.

"You say that now, but you looked at me with some very large doe eyes after our fight in the library…"

Dante grinned smugly, knowing he'd hit his mark when Lady let out a deep growl; he could just imagine the deep blush in her cheeks as her eyes narrowed...

"The only look in my eyes was repulsion when you tried to kiss me."

Dante scoffed, "If I had wanted to kiss you, I would have succeeded."

"Oh, really? Are you sure that you only didn't do it because I turned my head away?"

The half devil could hear Trish snickering behind him; the she-devil was clearly enjoying his and Lady's little stroll down memory lane more than they were.

"Careful Trish," Dante warned in a mild tone, his lips quirking into a grin, "Don't get me started on our first meeting, babe."

"Why, what happened?" Lady asked, her curiosity overriding her competitive bickering with the half devil.

"Oh, nothing much," Trish replied, "I crashed my motorcycle through his shop, then proceeded to beat him up."

"Don't forget sticking Sparda through my stomach." Dante added, scowling as he remembered the excruciating pain that followed, when the she-devil had then proceeded to electrocute him.

Lady laughed loudly at this information, Dante's scowl deepening.

"Hey giggles, what are you laughing about? You weren't much better, y'know."

It was Trish's turn to be intrigued, the demoness' voice echoing from the other side of the divider in the otherwise silent hot spring. "Why, what did you do when you first met Dante?"

"I shot him in the face." Lady replied matter-of-factly.

"Twice." Dante elaborated, holding up his middle and index fingers, despite the fact that neither one of them could see him.

At this, both women broke right up, no longer able to contain their laughter.

"You really do have rotten luck with women." Trish declared, the sound of sloshing water meeting Dante's ears as both women continued to laugh at his expense.

"I can't believe we didn't bring this up before now." Lady remarked, sighing once her giggles faded.

"I can." Dante said softly; as sour as he pretended to be about their shared amusement at his discomfort, the half devil wasn't the least bit angry with either of the women. Despite their tenuous beginnings, both Lady and Trish had proven to be excellent allies-excellent friends-to him over the years. They had more than made up for their earlier treatment of him, though that had been difficult for him to see, in the years when he'd still been in debt to Lady.

But, he had meant it when he said he knew why his respective meetings with both women hadn't been brought up before; though none of them had voiced it, the half devil knew it caused them both a great deal of anguish, remembering the darkness of their pasts. It hurt him too, of course. Despite having the pleasure of meeting two amazing women who would change his life for the better, he'd had the misfortune of having to battle his brother on both occasions…

Between the remorse of losing his brother to those events, and knowing Lady dealt with her own pain in regards to Arkham while Trish struggled with the guilt of having nearly led Dante to his death at Mundus' hands; it had been an unspoken agreement between them not to dredge up the past, knowing it would inflict pain on the other.

"Dante, what's wrong?" Trish's voice came sharply; the shifting of his mood hadn't gone unnoticed, much to his chagrin. He hadn't meant to let it happen, but it seemed the sadness had crept into his voice, anyway.

"You know we're just teasing, right?" Lady was the next to speak up, a slight quiver in her voice.

Feeling guilty for causing them distress, Dante laughed it off. "Hey, don't sweat it, ladies. Everything's fine."

An uncomfortable silence fell between them then, Dante lost in his own thoughts. Realization hit, when he found himself focusing more easily on the positive parts of his first meetings with them, compared to earlier attempts at strolling down memory lane.

If only I'd realized that before I opened my big mouth. He thought ruefully with a sigh. Now he had gone and spoiled everything…

"Lady…Trish? Look," he murmured, "I'm sorry if I've upset you. Really, everything is fine. Despite everything that happened, I'm glad I met you two babes…and not just because you're easy on the eyes." He chuckled, feeling awkward at his attempt at levity.

When he received no response, he frowned. "Babes…?"

Pressing his ear against the divider, he realized he didn't hear anything; not the lapping of water, not a murmur of breath-nothing. Had they left him here, all alone?

The water around him suddenly exploded like a geyser, the half devil recoiling with a surprised yelp. His eyes widened, Trish and Lady standing in front of him with mischievous grins.

"How did-? When did you-?" The half devil sputtered, his back pressed firmly against the divider as he panted heavily.

"Wow, I didn't think you could hit the high notes." Lady remarked, winking at him.

"What are you doing over here?" Dante exclaimed, adding hastily, "Not that I mind…but won't we get caught?"

"We're the only ones here." Trish pointed out. "While you were busy brooding, we snuck over, figured you could use some real company."

Smiling sheepishly, Dante slid down the barrier, returning to his comfortable position from before, one knee upright with his other leg extended in front of him.

Trish and Lady waded over to him, positioning themselves on either side of the half devil, resting their heads on his shoulders.

"We're sorry," Lady said after a moment, startling Dante slightly, "you know…if we opened old wounds, or anything."

Dante met her gaze evenly, noting the uncertainty lurking deep within the orbs of red and blue. He smiled then, the action relaxed, genuine.

This seemed to put the female hunter at ease, for she settled her head back on his shoulder, her lips pulling into a slight smile as she closed her eyes.

He felt Trish snuggle up closer against his other side, the blonde tendrils of hair tickling his shoulder as she shifted into a more comfortable position.

Wrapping an arm around both of their shoulders, the half devil couldn't help but chuckle.

"Hmm? What's so funny?" Lady asked sleepily from his left side.

"It looks like I got my wish after all."

"What wish?" Trish inquired, raising her head to look at him in confusion.

"I'm sitting in the hot springs with a babe under each arm." He declared with a wolfish grin.

The half devil felt both women stiffen, as they exchanged a look with one another.

Without warning, they both sprang up, and playfully dunked his head under water, Lady giving him a couple of solid punches to the shoulder for good measure.

"God Dante, you're such a pervert!" She declared, pushing him under again.

Dante came up, gasping and laughing, his hands raised in mock surrender.

"Okay, okay! Fine, I take it back." He chuckled. "You're not babes."

He barely had time to take another breath, as Trish and Lady shoved him back under again, both women laughing despite themselves.

When they'd had their fill of fun, the trio settled back down in the water, all three leaning against the divider with their eyes closed as they let the hot water ease the remaining tension from their overworked bodies.

"You were right," Dante said to them after a moment, grinning at their bewildered expressions. "A trip to the spa is exactly what we needed."

Lady and Trish smiled back at him, before closing their eyes once again. A companionable silence fell between them, Dante's lips twitching into a smile as he peered at the moon overhead.

Yeah, I'd say a day here is a day well spent, after all.