Well...I got no excuse.
It's been way too long since I last been here, and I apologize for that. Unfortunately, some personal things hit me hard and took a lot of motivation I had to write this story out. Plus, during this whole pandemic, I just couldn't focus on this story for a while.
But I think I've gotten over it a lil to get back on this old horse and ride it out for a while longer. I DID say I wanted to at least finish this at some point, and I intend to do so. I wanna try new writing styles to see if I can get chapters written quicker, but also into more adjustable bites so that I don't end up writing big ass paragraphs of monologue.
Tell me what you guys think.
So as before let's talk about each series.
DOA6 is pretty much dead now. With not much else going into it, it's sort of safe to assume it ended. Updates and DLC is cancelled indefinitely. However, there is a possibility that something else will come. Maybe a DOA6: Ultimate or a DOA7. SO we'll see what comes next. Personally, I hope the series isn't done. There's a lot of story needed to be covered and way too much lore for it to stop here.
as for Devil May Cry, Dante recently got added as DLC for the HD remake of Shin Megami Tensei III: Nocturne. Thus the meme of "Featuring Dante from the Devil May Cry series" continues. Also, Dante is now in League of Legends so that's cool. As for the possible DMC5: Special Edition, I guarantee it's gonna be a PS5 exclusive. -_- greeat...
Anyway, now that I'm back for a while, let's get on to the story.
DISCLAIMER I OWN NOTHING. DmC: Devil May Cry and Dead or Alive 5 belong to their respective owners.
Chapter 48: Venus Festival (Beach chap. ½)
I'm gonna kill him." Ayane growled.
"O-Oh, come now. You don't mean that. She doesn't mean that…right, Kasumi-san?" Kokoro asked.
Kasumi simply eyed Kokoro before awkwardly turning her gaze. "Anyway, I believe there are more pressing matters to think about."
"Yeah, like why n' the heckarooni I gotta get myself involved n' all this nonsense?" Tina complained. "I was gearin' up my comeback tour fer the tournament in Wisconsin, and now I'm here with y'all!"
"It…looks familiar…" Marie noted. "Where have I seen this setting before?"
"I'm seriously not seeing the downside of all this!" Honoka said in excitement. "This is…! This is…! Paradise!"
And so, Honoka was the first to run off of the platform, and take her first steps into the warm, soft sand. She felt the light breeze brush her long pink hair as the sounds of the ocean serenated her senses. She stared out towards the sea where the sunny sky and ocean bed touched. There was a beauty in the beach, surrounded by trees, a couple of villas, and mountain ranges. At the center, beyond the Chinook helicopter they came out of, Honoka could also see the large main building where most of the events took place.
The rest of the girls followed Honoka onto the Beach; Including Kasumi, Hitomi, Marie, Mila, Kokoro, Ayane, Tina, and Lei-Fang; all dressed in their night clothes. Some were fortunate there were no other people around to see them in their underwear or in revealing sleep attire.
"If by paradise, you mean being whisked away in the night to some unknown location, then yeah, freakin' thrilled…" Mila said.
"Whatever the reason, this has Zack written all over it." Lei-Fang speculated.
"Not the first time…" Hitomi shrugged. "The question is; for what reason?"
"Ah!" Marie blurted out with a fist in her palms. "I remember now! This is one of Helena's Private beaches!"
"Ding Ding Ding! You got it, shawty!"
All the girls were startled and turned around towards the chopper, with Ayana and Kasumi armed with kunai. From the chopper's cockpit, a large screen had appeared from the bottom of the cockpit's floor. It turned on to reveal their perpetrator. Judging from his position, he seemed to have been in a dark remote area, dressed in a suit with those same old shades on. He turned his chair towards the camera with a smile on his face.
"Hey there, ladies! Glad you could make it."
"Like we had a choice, you shades-wearing creep!" Ayane exclaimed.
Kasumi held her back to ask: "Okay, Zack. What's going on?"
For a moment he became serious.
"You remember what happened, don't'cha? Those glorious days?"
Suddenly, the image of Zack was replaced with video clips of events that have passed. They were of some of the girls enjoying themselves on a beach vacation, followed by fireworks. In fact, there were some videos that looked like they were recorded in secrecy, which left some of them feeling a tad paranoid.
"Some of you remember my dream island filled with love? And extravagant getaway sun, surf, and beauty to behold?"
"Oh yeah, that 'Zack Island' thang ya tried ranglin' together." Tina recalled. "Ain't this, like, the third one?"
"Third?" Honoka asked.
"Oh, yeah. You and Mila are new to this." Marie said with a coy smirk. "You see, Zack foolishly made a down payment on an exotic island for him and his…friend? Or girlfriend…? Wife…? Divor—"
"We're still together!-!" Zack blurted out.
"Whatever." Marie waved off. "Anyway, the island was destroyed by a volcano and sunk to the bottom of the ocean. Then, and to this day I still have no clue how, he brought it back from the bottom of the ocean…only for it to be destroyed by a meteorite."
"A…meteorite?" Mila didn't think she heard right.
All chatter was interrupted by Zack clearing his throat.
"Anyway, on that tragic day, the Island that I have built up twice in the past…collapsed along with my dreams!"
He cried to himself in anguish, while the rest of girls simply stared with no remorse for his pathetic display.
"BUT I did NOT give up!"
The image had changed to a promotional video of the beach getaway. Palm trees galore and seagulls chirping across the sky.
"Just look at my NEW Zack Island! The beautiful view, the glorious sunset, and the luxury that has been bestowed onto all of you!"
"Ugh! Can ya just get ta the point, Zack. Please?" Tina groaned.
Zack sighed, as his face came back on screen.
"Alright! Point is, I unfortunately am busy with another important job and can't be there with y'all…"
"Thank god…" Ayane muttered rather loudly.
"…And so, I will have employees and staff there to handle all of your needs from now until the fifth day. Think of this as your vacation from all the hard work of demons and near-death experiences. My gift to all of you!"
"And let me guess; the boys just so happen to have been forgotten?" Kokoro figured.
"Weeeell, more or less! But hey, this should be enjoyed as a girl's only day! Gettin' to know each other better, freshening up, and getting all the training in before the DOA tournament soon! There's plenty of ways to get your training on, y'know! What do ya say, girls?"
Naturally, some were on the fence. It seemed like a good place to get the rest and relaxation they desperately needed. However, there was still much to do back home for them to lazy around for five days. For others, it was the perfect vacation from all the doom and gloom they had been thrusted into. Though, all were divisive, a singular conclusion was made.
"Okay, we'll stay on this island." Kasumi spoke for them all. "But only for one day. Five is a tad excessive."
"Aww!" Groaned Mila and Honoka in disappointment.
"Oh, alright! One day of the best day of your lives! I've specially prepared an array of swimsuits for you all at the giftshop. Money is on the bands that you'll receive once you get there! That's all from me! I'll see ya cuties later! Buh-bye!"
The monitor turned off and the helicopter quickly took off of the sand and high into the air until they could see it no more. It seemed that they had no choice but to enjoy their time off.
"So, what're we waiting for, girls!" Honoka cheerfully exclaimed. "Let's put all the past behind us, and have some fun!"
The others agreed to join in her cheerful mood and headed towards the gift shops ahead. However, Kasumi was the only one who didn't budge with the rest. She looked out towards the sea in pensive thought. She had such a heavy responsibility that she was going to leave on the back-burner for one day. It was difficult to come out of the mode and relax.
"I wonder how Dante's doing right now?" Kasumi wondered.
"Okay…Where the hell am I?"
That was all the white-haired Demon Killer could come say at the sight he beheld. He had taken his first step onto the warm, soft sand. He felt the light breeze brush his hair as the sounds of the ocean serenaded his senses. He stared out towards the sea where the sunny sky and ocean bed touched. There was a beauty in the beach, surrounded by trees, a couple of villas, and mountain ranges. At the center, beyond the Chinook helicopter he came out of, Dante could also see the large resort where most of the events would take place.
"What happened last night?" Dante pondered. "Well, I know I wasn't wearin' this to bed…"
Dante referred to him being dressed in new clothes of a tank top, black capri pants, sandals, and a black, unzipped hoodie with red interior. He was fortunate his amulet was still around his neck.
"…I don't got a head-splittin' migraine, so I didn't get hammered…and my guns are missing…Weird."
Just then, he heard his phone ring in his back pocket. He reached for it and answered it. "Hello?"
"Danteeee~ Wassup, my main man?"
"Zack? You're not gonna believe where I am…" Dante said, looking around.
"Oh, I think I do!"
"Huh?"
Zack cleared his throat in an attempt to be serious for a moment.
"Do you happen to know…About those glorious days? About my dream island filled with—"
"Wait, is this about that island you kept talkin' about with the volcano and the meteorite?" Dante recalled. "You told me about it. Man, after all that happened, I'm surprised you still have that…friend? Girlfriend? Wife? Wait, didn't you two get a divor—"
"We're! Still! TOGETHER!-!"
He had yelled so loud that it made Dante take the phone off his ear. He heard Zack clear his throat again and talk more calmly…or as calm as Zack could muster.
"Anyway, I'll get to the point; I need a favor from you."
Dante raised a brow. "I know I'm gonna regret this but, what?"
"I'm glad you asked! Y'see, Dante, you are currently standing at the epicenter of one of my greatest ideas yet! Welcome to, what I like call it—Venus Island!"
"Venus island?" Dante repeated.
"That's right! For years, I've always wanted to use an island to host a major event for all to be a part of! Where guest can relax and have fun for the whole family! All money is on an IFRD watch, and guest can live in villas across the beach! I want to hit the entertainment business by storm with my very own Zack-made festival that I like to call: The Venus Festival!"
"Uh-huh. So, a brand-new festival that takes place on a remote beach island with money on some wristbands, and outside villas with promises of a beach getaway. Please tell me Ja Rule isn't promotin' with you."
"Naw, naw, it's not like that, man! I got everything covered…that is…except an owner."
There it was; the point of his rambling. "Zaaack?"
"I know this seems a teeny-tiny inconvenient…"
"Zaaack?-!" Dante said a little louder.
"…and the real owner had flight difficulties and had to make the next flight for tomorrow…"
"Zack, don't you say it!" Dante warned.
"So now…I need you to be the Owner until tomorrow!"
Dante groaned. "I knew it…"
"Oh, come on, Dante! Hey, you owe me for givin' you that info back when you was in Tokyo. The way I see it, you scratch my back and I scratch yours!"
"Dude, I dunno the first thing about being an owner of a whole damn island!" Dante protested. "Why didn't you get one of the others? Kasumi or Vergil would've been better."
"No can do! I needed a man to run things on that island! The other dudes just weren't my go-to choices y'know? Hayate and Vergil are sticks in the mud, Ryu's outta commission, a DOA competitor I had in mind (Jann Lee) would probably fight anyone there, Bass is busy with somethin', Eliot's too shy, and Brad…well, you met him. Point is, all I had was you!"
"In other words, last choice?" Dante said, a little pissed off.
"I'm beggin' ya here, man! Just do this for me for ONE day and night! There's not even any guest on the island yet. I just need you to work with staff and make sure everything is prepared for the festival tomorrow! What do ya say, Dante? Pleeeease?"
Dante had the sinking suspicion that there was more to this favor then Zack was letting on. Why would he choose a guy who's only known for killing demons and getting laid. It was an unusual choice and Dante knew that. So why him? Clearly an ulterior motive was afoot, but he knew Zack wouldn't let a peep out of what it was. For now, he was on the island already. Plus, he did always think about going on vacation, but never had the freedom to since Limbo kept getting in the way. It was best to take advantage of a good thing.
Dante sighed. "Alright, alright! I'll be your damn owner."
"Yes!"
"BUT! I expect some compensation."
"C-Compensation?-! B-But I—ugh! Fine! I'll pay you $30 an hours."
"Good Now double it for kidnappin' me." Dante smirked.
"W-What the hell, man?-! C'mon!"
"Take it or leave it." Dante said, unmoving in his proposal. "Either way, I get a vacation."
"Aaaugh! Alright, fine! It's doubled!"
"Pleasure doin' business with ya, Zack." Dante smiled.
"Yeah, yeah. Anyway, you're not gonna be doin' this alone. Your personal assistant should call you shortly. Meanwhile, your room will be #246 in the main resort."
"Got it. Any other helpful advice?"
"Yeah, smart guy! Try not to scare any of the VIP guest away! If that's all, good luck, Dante! I'm countin' on you!"
With that, Zack hung up, leaving the white-haired Nephilim to fend for himself in a position he had no business being in. He didn't know the first thing about being a manager, nor anything about the island he was pretty much thrown onto since the chopper behind him just departed into the air. It all felt a tad overwhelming.
"Alright, let's find that manager, and get this inspection shit outta the way." Dante said to himself. "Faster I do that, the faster I can get my vacation on. Should be—."
"Hey, you!"
Dante was a tad startled at the sound of a voice out of nowhere. His fight-or-flight response came on out of fear that he was hearing voices from Limbo again. However, he noticed the voice was a lot my high-pitched and like a little girl. However, he didn't see anybody around.
"Where do you think you're looking? Here, here!"
Dante finally turned his gaze downward to find the origin of that voice. It actually did belong to a little girl barely his height. She was…odd-looking to say the least. Her pigtailed hair was as orange as Kasumi's, but her eyes were gold and catlike. She was dressed a strange bikini that had sleeves and a shrine belt wrapped around her waist. But what really made her stand out was her horns and fangs.
"Uh…can I help you?" Dante asked.
"Hmm, white hair…blue eyes…you must be a Nephilim!" The girl responded.
"Oh, god…" Dante sighed.
"Tell me, do you know the Lord of this island?" She asked with a wicked grin on her face.
Dante knew trouble when he saw it. If he told her he was the temporary owner, all she would do is pester him about it throughout his well-deserved vacation. "Nah, I don't…" He answered.
"Hmmm…" She said, pacing past him towards the ocean. "So, you mean to say that there is no ruler over this island, is that right?"
Dante watched this kid stop in her tracks to place her hands on her hips and said with all the confidence in the world;
"Yes! I've decided~" She turned to point at Dante. "I, Kanna, the greatest Oni the world had ever seen, will claim this island as my own, and defeat anyone in my way! Including you!"
"Huh? Wait, did you say oni? As in, a demon—"
Without warning, the young oni girl lifted her leg to deliver a harsh kick right into Dante's exposed ankle.
"Ow! You lil shit!" Dante yelled.
Rather than play her game, he instead pushed Kanna around, grabbed the back of her belt and hoisted her up.
"H-Hey, put me down, you brute!" Kanna yelled, kicking and squirming around.
"As if I'm gonna sit by and let a demon ruin my vacation." Dante said, "But you don't look like much, so I'll let you off with a warning."
Dante looked around, until he found the perfect place to put her. He jogged over towards one of the towel racks on the palm trees and slipped her belt right onto it. Kanna was left in absolute embarrassment as she was forced to hang by the back of her belt; once again, kicking and screaming.
"Hey! Release me! I command you to release me as the ruler of this island!" Kanna yelled bitterly.
But her cries fell on deaf ears, as Dante simply strolled away, whistling a tune to himself, while the oni, known as Kanna, could be heard yelling at him from a way's away.
Once he was far enough from her, Dante could only sigh in dread.
"Somethin' tells me she's not gonna be the only weird one on this fuckin' island…"
Zack hung up the phone and turned his chair towards the rest of his own private office within DOATEC that overlooked the city of New York with a beautiful view.
"See? What I tell ya? All taken care of!" Zack said, with his feet on the top of his desk.
"Thank you very much, Mr. Zack." Said an older man. He was dressed with obvious royalty background, with a large mustache to match. "This is the perfect setting for my daughter, Fiona, to enjoy herself on…although…"
"Hey, man! I already told ya; you don't gotta worry bout a thing!" Zack assured the older man. "We got heavy security on lock for the festival! Ain't no one gonna even think about targeting your daughter!"
"Still, I can't help be a tad concerned." The old man said fearfully. "Though this Venus Island boast of a strong guarantee of protection, I feel it won't be enough for these ruffians aiming to kidnap my daughter for ransom. However, she has always wanted to visit the beach…"
"You sweatin' over nothin', sir. When I say I got it under control, I mean that." Zack smiled. "Besides, the island is in an area far from any civilization. Ain't no way anybody would go after her! No way!"
Despite the old man feeling a little more relieved in Zack's certainty, what neither of them could've foreseen were the ears that happened to have been listening in on their conversation.
Just outside of the window, scaling the side of the towering DOATEC building, a single man in black tactical gear had placed a microphone onto the upper half of the window where neither of them would think to look. In his headphones, he heard the entire conversation; from the Zack Island with main girls, to Dante's conversation with Zack on the phone. And now, he had heard where the woman named 'Fiona' would be.
He rang his ear piece and said with a gruff voice; "Hey, boss. You were right to be on Venus Island. She's headed to it soon. And we got a couple other girls to have us some fun with on a neighborin' island too."
"Good. Some of the boys are already on their way here. Let's go get that little bitch once n' for all."
Dante strolled through the halls the resort for what felt like hours. How was he expected to find this door number when there were subsections on top of subsections with the same numbers? It was a nightmare just to find a way into the resort with all the security and staff stopping him from getting in. The last thing he needed was to start busting heads. Luckily, he called Zack to get it all sorted and to even make a badge for him to wear on his hoodie.
"#244…245...Bingo! 246." Dante said.
He faced one of the many rows of the doors with the exact number and used the key card he was given to open up the door. Upon entering, he was first hit with the sun blaring through the curtains of a luxurious room that held a comfortable bed, a table that faced a flat screen TV, a couch to enjoy said television, and a balcony view of the ocean.
However, all that took a backseat to what truly caught his attention at that moment. It was as if time had frozen over for both him, and her.
Standing in front of him was an unfamiliar woman, no older than Honoka. She was dressed in a white hoodie that didn't do much to cover the orange, bikini underneath. The girl herself was fair skinned with brown hair stylized in a side ponytail in a yellow scrunchy, and hair clips with stars on them.
When realization had finally settled into her deer-in-the-headlights expression, her cheeks immediately went red and she crouched down to cover herself.
"H-Hey! Who said you could just barge in like that?-!" She yelled in embarrassment. "Get out!"
"You read my mind, babe." Dante replied.
Much to her confusion, the white-haired man walked right into the room, picked her up by her arm, and pushed her back to force her to walk right out of the room. Before she could even question anything, he had closed the door behind her without another word.
With that annoyance out of the way, Dante simply flung himself onto the surprisingly soft, comfortable bed that made him feel like he could sink right into the sheets. He closed his blue eyes, to let out a blissful sigh. It hadn't been everyday he got to feel such relaxation. Besides the annoying oni roaming around, he wanted to savor every moment of it.
However, that moment of bliss had been cut short by the sound of a key card sliding into the door and in comes the same pony-tailed woman; now visibly annoyed and ready to let her anger out.
"Hey! Who said you could just barge in like that?" Dante said, not even bothering to open his eyes to look at her. "Get out."
"That's my line! Literally!" She exclaimed.
She ran over to Dante's side and wrapped her arms around his to pull him out of the bed. Try as she might, there was no way the young woman had the strength to do so.
"Why did you kick me out?-! This is my room!" She exclaimed.
"Take it to the front desk, sweetheart. This is my room." Dante protested, now looking towards her. "Now stop pullin' me—on second thought, don't. I'm kinda likin' what I'm feelin' right now~"
"W-Wha—" She immediately got the picture Dante was painting in the form of his sleezy grin. He stared directly at her chest pressed against his arm. Once again, she went red and let go of Dante's arm to cover herself by wrapping the open hoodie around her torso. "Hentai…!"
"Hentai? Naw, not my thing. I prefer blond college chicks." Dante said, sitting up in the bed. "So, I can assume your Japanese. Ohayo gozaimasu. Also, I wanna take another guess and say you're the personal assistant for this place."
"Eh? T-That's right…" The girl nodded, but quickly remembered her anger towards this white-haired stranger. "A-Anyway, what do you want? I'm very busy, so make it quick, then leave my room!"
She continued to speak about her room, when clearly it was Dante's. Why would she—then, it hit Dante, as he quickly realized the situation.
"Aaaah, now I get it. Zack, you fuckin' moron…" Dante sighed.
"Huh? Zack? As in, my boss?" She said, "Where is he? He said that a new owner should be here any min..."
The girl's voice trailed off once she got a look at the tag on Dante's hoodie. Her eyes went wide as she looked at the white-haired man, then the tag, then back at the white-haired man.
"W-Wait…! Are you…?" She uttered.
"You mean you don't know about…?" Dante let his sentence trail off as he groaned with his face in his hand. Once again, Zack had made a blunder in explaining things to not just him, but to others as well.
He looked back at the confused girl and said; "You want the new owner? Well, you're lookin' at 'em."
"E-Eeeeh?-! Y-You're the new owner?-!" She said in utter shock.
"Well, technically temporary owner." Dante made clear, crawling out of the bed. "Zack gave me the job to be here as the actin' owner until the real one drops by tomorrow. So, for now, I'm all there is."
"Really? I wasn't informed of that!" She reacted anxiously. "Aw, jeez…"
Dante could see she had been a novice like he was. It didn't serve either of them if both didn't know what to do to prepare for a make it or break it festival. The woman didn't look any older than eighteen years old; way too young to handle running an entire island festival all by herself. He wouldn't feel right if he left her with all that responsibility. If the island was going to blow up in anyone's face, Dante would rather it be because of his mistakes and not hers.
The girl's downtrodden expression changed the second she felt the stranger's hand placed on her shoulder. She looked up and saw the white-haired Nephilim look back at her.
"Hey, sorry for bein' a dick earlier, it's kinda my thing. I can tell this is a lot for you, right? Bein' responsible for a whole island, n' all…"
The ponytailed girl nodded. "A little…"
"Right? So, since neither of us know what the hell we're doin' on the job, that just means we gotta do this one step at a time and hope for the best."
"B-But what if something goes wrong…?" She said fearfully.
Dante smirked. "Trust me; the first event of anything will always have somethin' go wrong. We just gotta look out for it, try to fix it, take it as a lesson."
Dante then patted the girl on the back so hard that she yelped and almost fell forward. "Now come on, partner; we got us a festival to fix up."
The ponytailed girl turned towards him and saw just how certain he was with that signature grin of his that she had a feeling he wore a lot. She was almost taken aback at how different he was at the drop of a hat when it counted. No wonder he was appointed as a temporary owner. If he was certain it would all work out, then maybe she could too. Perhaps there was hope yet.
"Yes, you're right." She nodded with a smile. "Thank you. You're really nice."
"Yeah, don't get use to that." Dante smirked, patting her shoulder. "By the way, name's Dante."
"Ah, nice to meet you, Dante-san." She smiled with a bow. "My name is Misaki."
"Alright, Misaki, so, what exactly is the run-down of what we gotta do?"
"Zack didn't tell you?"
Dante took a deep breath to hold in his annoyance for the troublesome Zack. "Apparently not."
"Yikes. Well, that's alright." Misaki said with a cheery tone. "I've been on this island for a while, feel free to ask me anything! Ah! In fact…"
She ran over towards the coffee table and picked up a clip board with stacks of papers on it. Dante had followed her and peered over shoulder at what was written on it.
"This is the list of all the things that need to be monitored today." Misaki explained. "Each page has a list of things to inspect; attractions, events, employees, etc. But there's also areas that need to be explored for future references to expand the festival. We just need to list off these check boxes to make sure the other employees did a good job, and then sign on the bottom line saying we did so."
"Should be easy enough." Dante assumed.
"And, hey, if we get all this done quickly, we'll have plenty of time to enjoy some of the events before guest arrive." Misaki said.
"Now you're talkin'!" Dante said, taking the clipboard from Misaki and rushing to the door. "What're we waitin' for, Star girl! This festival ain't gonna run itself!'
"Y-Yeah, definitely…!" She followed.
Misaki quickly walked out of the room with Dante and closed the door behind her. As she checked the door to make sure it was closed, she turned towards the temp. owner, only to accidentally bump into someone, face first.
"Ah! I-I'm sorry!" She said with a nervous bow.
She looked up to see that it was a man dressed in a black jacket and had a buzz cut. His face was anything but kind with a creepy, scowl and a few scars lining the wrinkles of his face. His eyes felt like they pierced into her soul. Misaki was visibly shook by this man and couldn't even begin to form the words in the wake of his vicious gaze.
Then for no reason whatsoever, his lips arched from ear-to-ear to form a very sinister grin that showed off his crooked, yellow teeth. It rocked Misaki to her core as her legs felt like they would give out at any moment. But all she could do was stare up at the guy with stuttered breaths.
"There a problem over here?"
Like angelic bells chiming at her nerves, the creep's grin fell upon turning to see Dante standing right behind him. Unlike Misaki, Dante showed no fear in starring up at the buzzcut man's face, and even had a wicked smirk of his own.
"Need somethin', buddy? I'm the owner for today. If you got an issue, you can come to me." Dante said to the man. It came out as more of a threat then him offering hospitality.
The two continued their stare down for what felt like minutes on end. Misaki was worried the two would begin throwing fist at one another.
However, the taller man simply muttered something too himself, before walking past Dante; brushing past his shoulder and turning the corner towards the elevators.
"The fuck's his problem?" Dante said with an attitude. He turned back towards Misaki with a softer tone. "You alright?"
"I-I'm fine…" Misaki said, unconvincingly. "It's alright. Just ignore him. We've got other things to worry about."
The sun beat down on the two managers with the sun under their toes, and the sea going on as an endless dream. The peer had fishing rods in place, while sail boats were just beyond; cleaned and ready for renting. The boardwalk had been washed of any sand, while the trees were picked of coconuts so as to not have any accidently fall on guest heads. The sounds of seagulls singing in the skies made Dante truly feel like he was on a genuine vacation, and not forced to do inventory as the owner of an island.
Still, it wasn't all bad for the white-haired Nephilim. He had been more than satisfied just being on a beach, not worrying about catching anything. Couldn't do that in Limbo City's waters. Plus, he got to spend his time with a beautiful young woman who had plenty of curves, and the hoodie wasn't doing her any favors in covering up her more than impressive chest. A definite improvement from that orange-haired oni girl whose name he quickly forgot. While not in Kasumi's and certainly not in Honoka's league, she was still one of the best lookers he'd seen on the island so far.
"Okaaay…everything seems fine here." Misaki said.
"Huh?" Dante asked, coming out of his own mind.
"Jeez, are you even paying attention? I said everything seems to be good on this end." Misaki said, looking around. "Nothing much to report. I think we can rule this as a…o…kay?"
Misaki's words trailed as well as her freezing in place. Dante would've walked right along, if not for her grabbing his sleeve at the last second.
"What? Somethin' the ma…"
Dante's words also trailed off. What he saw was the same as Misaki, and both were speechless.
Right there, on the edge of the ocean, they saw someone with their face buried in sand and the butt in the air. Judging by the swimsuit, it was a woman. However, she remained almost motionless.
"Dante…?" Misaki uttered.
"Yeah, I see it too…" Dante answered.
The two ran right towards the mysterious girl's aid. The closer they got, the more anxious became. Misaki assumed the worst, while Dante was only concerned over his vacation time being cut short. So much for finishing up in time. The two had fallen to the knees to see if she was at least still breathing.
"Hey! Hey, miss! Are you alright?" Misaki called to the young girl.
As she was trying to shake her awake, Dante quickly noticed something off about this girl, besides her embarrassing position on the sand. Her short hair was an unnatural shade of white; similar to his and Vergils. Perhaps it was dyed white like Christie's. He certainly didn't feel any raw Nephilim energy radiating off of her, so it was safe to assume she wasn't.
"H-Hey, Dante, I think she's waking up!"
Dante and Misaki heard the sounds of the girl muttering to herself. Her eyes opened to reveal deep shades of blue. She turned her head to the side to face Dante and Misaki. Her expression was like that a of a lifeless doll.
"Um…" She said in a soft voice. "May I help you…?"
"We're the ones who should be askin' that." Dante commented. "What're you doin' layin' up like that?"
"Me…? Well…" She said with a dazed voice. "As you can see…I was hungry, and…"
"And you just fell on your face with your bottom in the air?" Misaki scolded. "Better yet, who are you, and how did you get here? There shouldn't be any other people here except employees and special guests!"
"Ugh…can't answer…" She groaned, "Need…Roasted…Sweet Potato…"
Before the two could even ask, the mysterious woman fell unconscious without another word.
"Weird clientele you guys keep…" Dante commented.
"I don't know her…" Misaki said defensively. "I have record of every person whose supposed to be on this island, but I have no idea who she is."
"Everyone, huh?" Dante said, remembering the annoying oni-girl from earlier. "So, what now?"
"It's up to you, I suppose, boss."
Dante thought on it for a moment. He could just tell the beach patrol to have her taken to a holding area until they get in contact with Zack to see about her. But Dante wanted the inspection to go on as quickly as possible so he could enjoy his vacation. He didn't have time to wait for beach patrol to arrive, do paper work, file a police report for trespassing, etc. etc. Instead, he relented in the mysterious girls demands.
Dante sighed irritably. "Where can I find some roasted sweet potatoes?"
Dante knew his vacation wasn't going to be a simple walk in the park from the get go. He had all but given up trying to enjoy what little time he knew he'd have to relax. He relented to the fact that being the owner was all he could do for his time on Venus island.
As he stood there outside the food shack, waiting for the cook to make him a roasted sweet potato, he was almost in the right mind to just quit his responsibilities and tell Zack to shove it. He didn't have any real reason to even accept being a manager in all honesty. It wasn't like Zack could force him off the island. Plus, he could always ask Vergil to hack into his bank account for his cut. He truly thought about it and wondered what was stopping him from just telling Zack he didn't want to be the owner anymore.
"Um, excuse me…"
The white-haired Nephilim turned to his side to see someone approach him. The voice was clearly female.
"Sorry, miss, but I was here fi…whoa…"
The second Dante got a good look at who it was, his eyes went wide and his mouth was agape. Standing before him was an absolutely gorgeous woman beyond anything he'd seen in a long time. Her hair was dark brown, shoulder-length, while her eyes were an emerald green. The beauty marks under her left eye really did it for him. Her bikini was definitely nurse-themed but her breast; they were almost as big as Honoka's! Dante couldn't help but stare.
"Helloooo, nurse~" Dante said with a flirtatious grin. "And what can I do to—for you?"
"Well…My name is Sayuri." The woman said with a kind smile. "I have an appointment with the owner, and it seems you're him."
"Uh, yeah! Yeah, that's me." Dante said, showing off his badge. "Name's Dante."
"Ah! Perfect!" Sayuri said happily. "You see, my boat was late so I apologize for my late arrival. I heard that there's an opening for a nurse on this island, and—"
"—you're hired!"
Sayuri was certainly surprised by the snap response from the owner.
"I-I have the job?" She said in disbelief.
"Yeah, I figure you got the spunk needed for this place." Dante said, jokingly feeling his own forehead. "Phew, in fact, I think I'm feelin' a little heat stroke comin' on."
That earned a small giggle from Sayuri; the cutest giggle Dante had ever heard. "You're funny. But do try not to push yourself too hard, okay? Sayuri-onee-chan would be worried if something happened to you, owner-chan~"
"If it means I get to see more of you, I can't make promises." Dante flirted.
"Here ya go, boss!"
As if to purposely throw his groove off, the cook had Dante's roasted sweet potato all wrapped up in tin foil and ready to go. Rather than fuss at the cook, Dante quickly recalled what he had originally gone to the food shack to do.
"Oh, yeah! That's right!" Dante remembered, grabbing the sweet potato. Before he took off, he took one look at Sayuri, and said; "I think I might need you sooner than I thought."
Misaki sat patiently, waiting for her manager to return. Of course, she wanted to keep an eye on this strange girl who was still in the same position that they found her in, but the sheer awkwardness of the situation was so palpable that she could feel it creating sweat down her back. What was she to say to the quiet, white-haired girl, who did nothing but sit there; face down, ass up? Every so often, she would even stare at Misaki without blinking or saying a word. Her nerves were about to reach a boiling point.
"Hey, Misaki!"
Like the bells of Heaven, Dante had finally returned to the scene.
"Oh, thank god, you're…huh?"
Misaki noticed a new face join Dante; a new beautiful face that made her forget what she was going to say. If ever there was the true definition of an angel, this new woman would be it in Misaki's eyes.
"Misaki, I got the sweet potato." Dante said, "I also brought a nurse to look after her."
"Huh? Nurse?" Misaki whispered to Dante in disbelief. "That's the nurse? She doesn't look like she has a lot of experience."
"She looks plenty nurse to me~" Dante smiled.
"Of course she does to you, but I don't think that—"
"Here you are."
Both managers turned to see Sayuri already in motion. She first slowly helps the white-haired girl onto her bottom, sat her up, then gave her the sweet potato. From there, she places a cool washcloth onto her forehead. Dante had no idea where she even got the washcloth from in the first place.
"Please keep this applied to your forehead and eat some of this." Sayuri instructed.
The white-haired girl did so, and began to open the tin-foil while balancing the wet cloth on her forehead. She took one bite from the roasted spud, before chowing down on it like an animal. She didn't waste a single shred of the potato, right down to the skin. All three were worried she would eat the tin-foil right along with it.
Once she had eaten the last of it, she let out a hardy burp that took the girls by surprise. Dante only nodded; he understood good eating deserved praise through a good burp.
Suddenly, the white-haired girl rose back to her feet with a jolt of energy, despite her face not showing it at all. Dante couldn't help but notice the impressive bust size. He's pretty much accepted all the women he'd come into contact with would be like that from now on. She placed her hands onto the top of her head to mimic bunny ears.
"Pyon, pyon, Pyooon~" Said in a monotone voice. "I am fully restored~"
Dante, Misaki, and even Sayuri stared at her in confusion.
"That was good." She said almost emotionlessly. "Now then, who are you three?"
"Wha—really? That's all you have to say to us?-!" Misaki exclaimed. "We should be asking who you are!"
"I? Well, my name is Luna. I am a scholar. I'm traveling the world, you know. Or at least, I was. Despite my figure, I am in very good shape."
"That's not what we saw a few seconds ago…" Dante commented.
Luna had suddenly eyed the fellow white-haired man. Her face didn't really show any emotion, but she simply pointed at Dante and said; "Ah. Your hair is like mine."
"Uh, yeah, I dyed it this way." Dante lied with a nervous grin. "Coincidences, n' all that…"
"I see." Luna said, "Though I would rather no one confuse us for siblings. It would be quite troublesome to my investigation."
"Your…investigation?" Sayuri wondered.
"Never you mind. Instead, I would very much like more roasted sweet potatoes, thank you." Luna said, hand out, expecting one to be placed there.
Dante and Misaki shrugged their shoulders. They had nothing to offer to the girl. Both looked over to Sayuri, who said "Allow me to escort you to the nurse's office. It seems you collapsed out of hunger. We should make sure you sit down somewhere cool off for a little while."
"No, I cannot. I would still like to see the rest of the—"
"She'll give you a shit ton of roasted sweet potatoes if you go with her."
"Let us proceed." Luna quickly replied, wrapping her arm around Sayuri's like a child.
"Good." Sayuri smiled, "We should first check your temperature to make sure you haven't suffered from a heatstroke."
"Yes, yes, but roasted sweet potatoes first." Luna insisted.
The two were on their way towards the main building where the nurse's office most likely was. With those two gone, Dante and Misaki could finally breathe a sigh of relief.
"One problem down…" Dante started.
"…and probably 99 more waiting in the wing." Misaki finished in dread.
Both Luna and Sayuri had arrived back into the main plaza, where the hospital wing wasn't too far from the entrance. They were just about to turn into a hallway, where the hospital door was.
"Oh!" Sayuri yelped.
She looked up and realized she had accidently walked into someone. She looked up and saw that it was a rather large man, with a buzzcut and a few scars. He looked down at Sayuri with cold, dark eyes, but said nothing to her at all. He simply stood there in silence.
"U-Um, please, excuse us." Sayuri asked timidly. "We need to get to the hospital wing."
After a couple of seconds, the man did as he was asked, and stomped past Sayuri and Luna. Off he went across the plaza and towards the exit without another word to any of the other employees. Sayuri noticed how distant they all were from interacting with the tall man.
"That was odd. Who was that man, Luna? Hm?"
Sayuri noticed Luna starring off towards the tall man. She was almost motionless in her eyes barring towards him as he exited the plaza. Sayuri wondered what was the matter, but Luna beat her to asking.
"I found it." Luna said to herself. "The source of my investigation."
The problems couldn't have come quick enough. Or at least, quick enough for poor Misaki.
She had expected to simply walk into the runway stage room to make sure the light fixtures were up to date, the tables had been polished, and the pole was properly disinfected—that was all. But it appeared that wasn't going to be an easy go for the young assistant.
Now, she was stuck in a compromising position that made her feel extremely uncomfortable. She regretted separating from Dante and going towards the back of the runway by herself. Who she had the unfortunate luck of running into, made the situation even worse. She had been brought into one of the changing rooms; void of anyone else. It was just Misaki, and her.
"Um…Could you…Mmm…" Misaki tried to say with rosy cheeks. She stood awkwardly with her hand clutching her arm. She tried to look everywhere except the camera.
"Yes…Yes, that's very nice…Mm-mm~" Said the other woman, taking pictures on her phone like a professional photographer. "Alright. Just a little more…this." She bent forward, showing off more of her breast.
"L-Like this…?" Misaki asked timidly, bending over a bit to show off her chest under her hoodie.
"Yes! Just like that! This is amaaazing~" The woman smiled. She then began to take different angles of the embarrassed Misaki with glee. "Yes, I'm feeling this~ You're Misaki, aren't you? No one told me you'd be such a cutie!"
"I-I…really need to get—"
"Awww~ so soon? I think I'm actually falling for you."
The mysterious woman approached Misaki, much to her anxious disposition. It was hard for her not to try and avert her eyes from this woman's revealing bathing suit. It certainly didn't leave much to the imagination. She only focused on her face.
She was a beautiful woman with pale green eyes and chin-length green hair mixed with a strand of red hair. Misaki also noticed the beauty mark under her right eye.
"Anyway, why don't we get that top off of you, hmm?" She said with a flirtatious smile.
"E-Eh?" Her hand caressed Misaki's arms as she attempted to remove her hoodie from her shoulders. "P-Please, stop! I-I'll tell my boss on you, a-and have you l-leave…!"
The woman's smile fell into a pout. "Jeez, you're no fun."
"T-That's enough of that! I am the assistant manager here!" Misaki said, adjusting her hoodie back on.
"Oh, so you're the cute assistant I've been hearing so much about~" The woman said, "Where are my manners; my name's Tamaki. I happen to work in costume design. It's nice to finally meet you, assistant-san~" She finished with a wink and the blow of a kiss.
"Believe me, it's n-not nice to meet you right now!" Misaki exclaimed while covering herself.
"You'll have to excuse me. When I see a cute girl, I can't help but go into designer mode. It's sort of my thing~" Tamaki shrugged. "Though, I must say; you have quite the body frame. As a former model, I think you definitely got a shot at the runway."
"Eh? I-I'm not…!" Misaki said, trailing off with red cheeks.
"Ah, but I guess your shy disposition wouldn't do much, would it?" Tamaki figured.
"I don't wanna be a model!" Misaki blurted out. "I-I'm perfectly fine as an assistant."
Tamaki looked around. "Not much of an assistant without a boss to follow. Where is he?"
"Doing inventory in the VIP room." Misaki answered, checking her clipboard. "It should only take a couple minutes. Why is he—"
"Excuse me, Ms. Misaki?"
Just then, an employee had walked into the dressing room, distracted by Tamaki's revealing swimsuit. He quickly snapped out of it and looked back at Misaki.
"A-Anyway, Ms. Misaki, there's someone here who wanted to see you!"
"Eh? Me? Who is it?"
"It was a woman who claims to be your…sister?"
Suddenly, everything went quiet. Only the sound of a clipboard hitting the floor could echo throughout the room. Both the employee and Tamaki looked at Misaki, who was wide eyed as if she were in a trance. Sweat began to fall down her face, while her pupils seemed to dilate.
"D-Did you…say…my sister?" She uttered.
"Um, yeah. Said her name is Nagisa. Is that a—"
Before he could even finish a word, Misaki was off and out of the dressing room in a flash. Both Tamaki and the employee were left stunned by the change in character.
"Hmm, interesting~" Tamaki said with a sneaky grin.
Tamaki had caught up to Misaki, who was in the massive plaza where stage shows went on. The color pink was its central theme with tables placed around to get a good view of the main stage ahead. A bar sat at the very back with a couple of ticket booths beside it.
Tamaki saw Misaki desperately looking around for something. The perfect moment to give her a good fright in Tamaki's case.
She creeped up quietly towards the frantic Misaki, and let out a loud "BOO!" That made the assistant yelp and almost jump out of her own skin. She quickly turned around to the grinning Tamaki with fuming rage in her cute little eyes.
"Stop that!" Misaki yelled, "I don't have time for your right now!"
"Relax." Tamaki giggled. "You forgot something."
Tamaki handed Misaki her clipboard that she dropped. She had been so shocked by her sister's arrival that she didn't even realize it wasn't in her hand.
"T-Thank you…" Misaki said begrudgingly.
"Let me guess; looking for this sister of yours?" Tamaki assumed.
"Yes! Now please leave me alone!" Misaki said, going back to searching.
"Why are you so adamant on finding her? Is she that bad a person?"
"No, of course not! She's the best older sister any girl could ask for. The problem is that…well, she's way too protective!"
"I see." Tamaki nodded. "So, she's the type to ruin a date on a Saturday night if he even thinks about you in a lewd manner."
"Exactly!" Misaki answered.
"Right…so, this sister of yours, Nagisa; she wouldn't happen to have black short hair, and brown eyes, does she? Wears weird outfits that always involve a scarf?"
Misaki was shocked at how on the nose Tamaki was. Right down to the scarf. Misaki desperately asked "Have you seen her?"
"I saw her head into the VIP room not long after you came into the changing room."
Misaki's heart sank. "VIP room?-! That's where…oh, no!"
With that, Misaki rushed off towards the VIP rooms without a moment to lose. Tamaki was left there, giggling to herself at the situation.
"This festival thing is getting more and more fun by the minute~"
"Well, care to make it more fun?"
Tamaki was a bit surprised to hear another voice call out to her in the seemingly empty room. She turned to see another woman standing before her. What caught Tamaki's eye was the odd bunny suit that she would see most Casino dealers wear. As for the woman herself, she had gray eyes, and shoulder-length, dirty blonde hair.
"Care to play a game, Ms. Tamaki?" The woman smirked, pulling out a pair of cards.
"Oh, I know you." Tamaki said, "You're our new casino dealer. Monica, I believe?"
"You have a keen eye for names…but do you have a keen sense of luck to go with it, I wonder?" Monica smiled sneakily. "Shall we see in a quick game of poker? Maybe put your modeling pride to the test?"
Tamaki knew a challenge when she heard one. It was just too good of an opportunity to see just how good this casino dealer was. Screw Misaki's sister, she had a victim to embarrass.
"Alright." Tamaki said with a matching smirk to Monica's. "But I get to decide what kind of poker~"
"Very well…hm?"
Monica's attention seemed to have been focused on something just towards the entrance to the plaza. Tamaki, confused as to what made her smile drop into a look of caution, followed Monica's gaze to see a towering gentleman, dressed in black with a buzzcut, scars on his face, and sharp, sinister eyes.
"Can we help you, sir?" Monica asked. "If you're looking to play, we're not open until tomorrow."
The towering man said nothing. He only gave them the evilest of glares that was slowly diverted as he turned on the heel. Without another word, the strange man walked away into the rest of the plaza.
Both Monica and Tamaki were confused to say the least.
"What was that all about?" Tamaki wondered.
Misaki ran like a chicken with her head cut off, desperately trying to find her sister. And why wouldn't she? Her sister, Nagisa, was notoriously against Misaki traveling to Venus Island for the job as assistant manager.
Even before the job, she had always been against Misaki being with any type of man; whether they be a teacher or even a boyfriend. She remembered Nagisa always being that way ever since they were kids. All Misaki wanted was for her to see that she was no longer a child to coddle, but she could never get Nagisa to understand that.
What made it worse was that she neglected to tell Nagisa that her boss was a man. If word gets to her about that fact, Nagisa would do everything in her power to bring her back home.
Just as she turned the corner in one of the pink-colored halls, she happened to hear the sound of loud pumping music coming from the door on the far end of the hall, followed by hollering from, what she could decipher as a man and a woman.
"Wait…! Isn't that the VIP room?" Misaki recalled.
She ran down the hall and towards the door where the music came from. It was so loud; she feared the door would fall off its hinges. Nevertheless, she quickly opened the door was hit with the loudest blast of music that almost made her ears ring.
Inside, she saw the two people she never wanted to see together. However, their interaction was nothing like she had thought it to be.
Rather than a confrontation brewing, both Dante and her sister were actually dancing together like two drunks at happy hour.
Just as Tamaki described, Nagisa was, in fact, dressed in a ridiculous white, risqué swimsuit, with black leggings, matching boots, and a grey scarf. Her hair was black and short, while her eyes matched Misaki's.
Both seemed to be so distracted in dancing that neither noticed Misaki standing there, watching the two idiots dance like no tomorrow. Dante had been going at it on one of the stripper polls like a drunken mess, while Nagisa danced right along with him like a hot mess.
"N-Nagisa?-!"
Nagisa finally noticed her sister and was immediately overcome with happiness, that she jumped off of the table she was on, and ran right towards her sister.
"Misaki!" She exclaimed as she wrapped her arms tight around Misaki. "Oh my god! It's so good to see you again! It's been way too long!"
"Augh! I-It's only been a couple of days…!" Misaki squeaked through the tight embrace. "Now…could you please ease off of me!"
"O-Oh, sorry about that." Nagisa apologized. "I just can't help hugging my lil sis at any chance I can!"
Once she was able to breathe again, she saw Dante approaching them and immediately felt the sweat drip down her back; anxious of what her sister would say.
"Wait, Misaki was your lil sis?-!" Dante said in shock. "No fuckin' way! How did I not see that?-!"
"Seriously? We're practically twins!" Nagisa laughed.
"Trust me; you don't know twins till you see mine!" Dante chuckled.
"If he's anything like you, and decided to dye his hair white, then we're in trouble!"
"You carry most of the trouble on your back, Ms. I-mooned-the-mayor!" Dante said, wrapping his arm around Nagisa's waist.
"Ugh! That was one time, you jerk! Heh heh~" She shot back, wrapping her arm around his.
"Will someone please explain to me what the heck is going on here?-!"
Finally, Misaki's cry for context made Dante and Nagisa pause their bantering and realize that Misaki was far too out of the loop.
"Oh, right. I guess we should explain." Nagisa said, looking up at Dante.
"It would soften the blow if you said it." Dante offered.
"Yeah, you're probably right…" Nagisa let go of Dante and went to her sister. She had a rather serious face; as if what she was about to tell Misaki would be earth-shattering.
"Me and Dante…we use to date."
That was so far from what Misaki thought she was going to hear, that for a moment she was lost on the last word; 'date.' It had echoed into the farthest corner of her mind, before returning loud and clear, and snapping her back to reality.
"D-D-DATE?-!" Misaki exclaimed in a sudden burst. "Wh-Wh-Wh-What you you mean 'date'?-!"
"I mean that me and Dante, once upon a time, use to go out with each other." Nagisa said with rosy cheeks. "Don't make me have to say it twice."
"S-Seriously?-!" She questioned, looking towards the white-haired Nephilim for answers.
"Yep. Back when she came to Limbo City." Dante replied.
"Misaki, do you remember when I graduated college—"
"You did not graduate."
"Okay, fine, remember when I dropped out of college? Well, I didn't want to come home and feel like a failure, so I decided to move from place-to-place to find a good fit."
"Oh, yeah, I remember that!" Misaki recalled.
"Exactly." Nagisa once again, went back to Dante with an arm around his waist again. "One of those places I stayed was Limbo City for a couple of months."
"She was down on her luck, so I helped her out by lettin' her stay at my place." Dante continued with a grin on his face. "Those were some good memories."
"The late-night pizza runs…" Nagisa fondly recalled.
"The amusement park stuff we got into…" Dante also recalled.
"The time you showed your butt to the mayor of a city?-!" Misaki interrupted. "You actually did that?-!"
"Again; once." Nagisa made clear. "But Dante and I were pretty close."
"So…what happened to make you both…y'know?"
Misaki's question made the smile on both their faces drop.
"Well…things just…didn't work out like we thought it would." Nagisa said solemnly.
"A whole lotta stuff just got in the way." Dante added, equally solemn. "We still agreed to be friends, but that's all."
Misaki felt as though she stepped on a land mine with that question. It wasn't right of her to impose like that; especially towards her sister of all people.
"Oh…I'm sorry for mentioning it." Misaki said with a bow.
"Don't be." Dante assured her. "Just 'cause we broke up, doesn't mean we stopped bein' friends."
"Yeah. Every now and then, we do talk, so it's not like the break up destroyed anything." Nagisa added with a relieving hand on Misaki's shoulder. "After all, I am trusting him to be the manager over you, so there's that."
"T-That is true…" Misaki did agree with that. There were not many men that Nagisa ever trusted besides their father. There must have been a real tight connection between Dante and Nagisa for her to just up n' trust him to be owner over her.
"Right? So why don't you two hurry up and get this inspection stuff out of the way so the three of us could get to having some real fun around here!" Nagisa said to liven up the mood.
"I hear that!" Dante chimed in.
Both looked towards Misaki in curiosity for her to join them in the positive attitude. While Misaki was still a tad put off at the fact that this scruffy-looking guy with odd white-hair, use to actually date her no-nonsense, tough sister. It baffled Misaki to no end. Still, she was just relieved that she didn't have to come up with some lame excuse for the owner as to why she was working under a man. It meant she could stay and continue her job in peace.
"Yeah…Yeah, I guess you two are right!" Misaki joined in on the good vibes. "Okay! Let's get the rest of this job done! C'mon, Dante!"
"Uh, you go on ahead." Dante suggested, "I still got some other things to check on while in here."
"Ah, of course. I'll just meet you outside of the plaza when you're done. There's just one last place left to check."
"Sounds good." Dante nodded with a thumbs up.
Misaki hurried out of the room, leaving Dante and Nagisa alone. When they could no longer her footsteps, Dante proceeded to go right along towards the door.
However, he was stopped in his tracks. He did not need to even turn around and see why. He knew Nagisa's hands tugged at his sleeve, along with her silence speaking louder than words. He knew just what was on her mind.
"Don't worry." Dante assured. "If Limbo had reared its ugly head on this Island, I would've felt it by now."
"I know…I just…I just wish it wasn't the reason we broke up." She said in a low voice. "Even though I couldn't see it…I felt it…it was so intense that I…I just couldn't stay in that city anymore…"
Dante finally turned around to face her. He could see the tears begin to well up in her downcast eyes.
"It's fine. I don't blame you for leavin' so suddenly." Dante said tenderly. "It was the best thing you could do."
"I guess…" Nagisa uttered.
"And hey, I promise you; even if Limbo followed me here, I would never let it anywhere near your sister." Dante said confidently. "I swear on that."
Nagisa didn't need to question Dante's motive. She knew him far too well to put any doubt in him. She had enough faith in him to believe every word.
"You better…" Nagisa smiled, with a kiss to Dante's cheek.
The day was beginning to lose sunlight—edging into the evening. The sun sat on the edge of the ocean with the skies becoming a mix of pink, orange, and yellow across the clouds. The critters were beginning to make the most noise within the mountainside of the excursion.
Both Dante and Misaki followed the path to the last area they needed to check, but where confused as to why it was located all the way out into the undisclosed areas of the island. Regardless, a job was a job. And so, they were left with nothing but to just walk into the deep forest, and towards the mountains.
"Ugh, how much longer is this nature hike?" Dante complained. "Day's losin' sunlight and I still don't got a fancy coconut drink in my hands."
"If these directions are correct, there's one more place for us to check." Misaki said, going over her notes. "Apparently, there's a small burrow around here that houses another guest. Our job is to convince this person to be a part of the festival and play nice with the others during the extravaganza."
Dante thought about what kind of guest would be staying in a burrow in the mountains? Whoever it was, he was, for sure, going to give him a good thrashing if he ended up missing his entire vacation time just to do these responsibilities. Just climbing up the mountain side was about an hour's worth of walking.
"Here it is!"
Misaki and Dante arrived at the designated location; a small cave on the side of a mountain that was so dark, nether could barely see anything inside. Misaki was a tad frightened to even step any closer towards the unknown cave. Dante, on the other hand, took out a flashlight and shined it inside for any sight of someone or something.
"It's empty." Dante said in disappointment.
"What? B-But that can't be!" Misaki panicked, skimming through her notes. "No! No, no, no, no! S-She has to be here! There's no protocol for if she's gone!"
"She?" Dante noted. "Who exactly is it we're lookin' for?"
Misaki stopped skimming her notes. She took a deep breath, before turning towards Dante. "Okay. You may not believe me when I say this…"
Dante raised a brow. "Trust me; I've seen it all."
"If you say so…You see, there's an…Oni that—"
"Wait, stop right there." Dante said irritably with a hand up to pause her. "She got reddish orange hair, yellow eyes, horns, about yea high?"
"Y-Yeah. How did you…oh no." Misaki uttered in horror.
"Ah, fuck…" Dante hissed, turning on the heel. "C'mon!"