Hey guys, Alito Here!
School's back in session online and I dunno how I'm gonna juggle story writing and classes. I want to say I'll find the time, but I have other things I need to do as well, so we'll see. But I guarantee that we'll get to the tournament arc after this chapter.
I hope I don't end up going away again for so damn long, but we'll see.
So new girls were introduced while I was writing this chapter in the form of Patty and Tsukushi; a tan, energetic girl who sniffs people, and a shy artist whose possibly bi.
Devil May Cry 5 has a new mod for PVP, which looks fun as hell, but something tells me it's gonna be a hassle to deal with higher rank players. And since there's no way to break out of being combo'd on, it'll just be even more annoying. I wonder how they'll balance it out...
Anyway, its time to finish off this fun lil Beach arc.
DISCLAIMER I OWN NOTHING. DmC: Devil May Cry and Dead or Alive 5 belong to their respected owners.
Chapter 49: Venus Festival (Beach chap. 2/2)
She had finally done it.
So many years of dreaming, and watching it from afar on television, she had finally reached it. Though it had been long and strenuous, she finally got to experience the softness of sand beneath her toes, the cool breeze of the air merge with the natural scent of the ocean. The beauty of the evening sky casting an orange filter across the beach. It was all she could have ever asked for.
She danced ever so gracefully in the sand, taking in all that the island had to give. Her long, wisteria-purple hair swayed, just as her matching purple dress did. She also wore purple mantles with a sapphire heart at its center. Her purple eyes could not get enough of the beauty of Venus Island.
"Clear blue skies, the bright sun…heh-heh. I love it~" She said happily twirling around. "I just might be able to find true love here yet."
"Hey, you!"
The princess-like girl stopped to look around, startled at the sudden voice to appear. She saw no one around her, despite looking everywhere.
"Ugh! Why does everyone do this? Down here!"
Finally, the purple-haired girl looked down to see a rather young girl with auburn pig tailed hair, yellow eyes, and peculiar horns. She even had a strange swimsuit and sharp teeth to further play into her uniqueness.
"Wow, what an amazing costume!" The princess said in admiration.
"Costume? Surely you jest, naive!" the young girl said with enough bravado to fill a room. "I am known as Kanna! The Oni of legends!"
"O…ni?" The princess giggled. "What an interesting title. My name is Fiona."
"Fiona, hmm? Well, Fiona, I would like you to know that I am the grand owner of this island." Kanna lied, "And as its owner, I hereby command you to do only as I say!"
Fiona was confused. "Eh? I did not know this island had an owner."
"Heheh~ now you know, and now you will be my gracious servant!" Kanna demanded.
Fiona was even more confused at Kanna's rather boisterous attitude. However, she quickly put it all together and figured out (at least in her mind) what was happening.
"Oooh, I see! It's a game!" She said cheerfully.
"Eh? W-Wait a—"
Before Kanna could explain herself, Fiona was already on one knee, playing the part as a servant; bowing head and all.
"I humbly await your orders, Master." Fiona said, doing her best not to giggle.
"O-Oy! I'm not playing around!" Kanna tried to say with authority, but only came off as whining. "I-I really am the owner of this island!"
"Well, owner, I was told something very different." Fiona said, standing back up. "I was told that a man named 'Dante' was the current owner of this island."
"Huh? That jerk? Not even close!" Kanna said rather harshly. "He doesn't deserve such a title after the way he humiliated me!"
"He did? He doesn't sound very nice." Fiona huffed, crossing her arms.
"Exactly! As such, if anyone deserves to be ruler, it should be me!" Kanna announced.
"Yes! All hail Queen Kanna! Whoooo!" Fiona cheered.
Kanna soaked in the praise as if it were the sun. She embraced her unofficial title and wore it with absolute pride. That would show the Nephilim to know that she already had a follower at her beck n' call.
"Y'know, what? I like you, Fiona." Kanna said, "Rather than my servant, you shall be my right hand. Together, we'll rule this island in no time!"
"Oh, I understand." Fiona played along. "Let us do it!"
"Ho-hoo, whadda we got here?"
Both Kanna and Fiona were startled by the deep voice that erupted from right behind them. Both turned around to see a towering man with buzz cut hair, and scars across his face. He looked to be in his 40's in a black suit. He wore a sinister grin with those piercing eyes that made Fiona uncomfortable and Kanna on the defensive.
"You two playin' princess, huh? Well I hope that means I get ta be the prince." He said, licking his lips with the creepy grin. "Then again, I'd rather play a few more games with the big-boobed one instead~"
Fiona was already shaken up by the man as she covered her chest with her arms. However, Kanna did not bow out so easily.
"Excuse me! Who might you be and where do you come off speaking to my right hand in such a manner?"
"Wow, look at you; thinkin' you're some kinda big girl!" The thug grinned. "How 'bout you both come play with me, so we can have some real fun, huh? I don't even mind if you're a little girl~"
And there it was—the trigger. The one word she always hated being called by anyone. It was bad enough to be treated like a child, but it was even worse when people called her one. That was all the excuse Kanna needed to put this bastard on his ass. And that's exactly what she did.
"Just who are you calling a child, you giant bastard?-!" Kanna yelled.
With only the snap of her fingers, the giant of a man had suddenly felt light headed. His body felt too heavy for his own weight as his legs gave out. Without much warning, the buzz cut man fell onto his back and right into the sand.
"Augh! W-What the hell…?" He growled, "I-I can't move! What'd you do to me?-!"
Hmph! You can stay down there and think about what you've done for a while." Kanna smirked.
"Wow, amazing!" Fiona expressed, "You really are an Oni! I can't believe I'm in the presence of a real Oni!"
This only gave Kanna more of a swelled head then she needed. "Of course. And as long as I'm here, I won't allow anyone to bother us again!"
"Boss!"
As if right on cue, Both Fiona and Kanna saw a group of men in leather jackets and weapons come running after him from behind one of the shacks. They were all dangerous in nature, and the assortment of guns and melee weapons certainly proved they were trouble.
"Get the princess!" The 'Boss' yelled, while trying to break free of the curse. "She's gotta stay alive if we want the money!"
The men did as ordered and began to sprint at the frightened Fiona. However, Kanna acted fast and swung her arm across to release a powerful gust of wind. It picked up the sand and sent it at the men like a tidal wave. The girls could hear them gag and spit out sand, while others yelled that it got in their eyes.
"Now's our chance! C'mon!" Kanna said in a hurried voice.
Fiona's arm was grabbed by the small Oni, as the two escaped back towards the plaza.
"Augh! This ain't over!" The boss yelled, as he finally began to move his arms. He reached into his pocket and dialed a number to talk, "She's here! Headed towards faction 2's location! Get after her now! Kill anyone else inside who gets in your way!"
"We are, sir! But there's—Gah!"
The sounds of bones breaking and other men screaming could be heard from the phone itself.
"Huh? What the hell's goin' on in there?-!"
What was going on was subtle take down of a number of thugs in the main stage plaza.
Tamaki, still dressed in a bathing suit, had just thrown down her last macho thug using her expert skill in Aikido. Meanwhile, Monica dealt with the thugs in her own way with the use of blade-edged playing cards that she threw at their hands, allowing Tamaki to put her Aikido training to good use.
By the time they took down the last thug in the plaza, there was enough knocked unconscious to fill every table there.
"Phew, that was fun~" Tamaki smiled, wiping the sweat off her forehead. "It's been a while since I worked up a good sweat like that. Perhaps I should think about entering that tournament I heard so much about."
"Yeah, I'd definitely bet on your victory." Monica lied as naturally as she breathed. "Hey, the coast is clear you guys"
From the bar area, Sayuri, Luna, and Nagisa all popped up from behind the counter.
"Thank goodness that's over." Sayuri said with a relieved sigh.
"Who were those guys?" Nagisa wondered. "They were talking about a 'princess' they had to find. Wonder who they meant. They better not mean my sister…!"
"No. They do not."
The rest of the girls pointed their attention towards Luna.
"I know whom it is they seek. It is the princess of a wealthy businessman. Her name is Fiona."
"I know that name." Tamaki recalled. "She's next in line to inherit the family fortune. She's so rich, she lives in a castle with butlers and a dog to keep her company."
Wow, I can't believe an actual princess is here…" Sayuri said in astonishment. "I hope the poor dear is alright."
"Wait, how do you know this?" Monica asked Luna.
"Because this is part of my investigation." Luna explained with a cheerful tone, despite her monotone voice and expression. "I am more than just a pretty face. I am also a scholar for the unusual. My studies took me to a scawy investigation of vewy bad people, owo~"
"I will literally pay you to never talk like that again…" Nagisa offered.
"So, where's the princess now?" Tamaki wondered. "Hopefully she's kept herself out of trouble."
Fiona and Kanna were able to take refuge in one of the supply rooms where they kept many lost and found items. It was spacious enough to hold shelves of items and made for a good place to hide. It was the closest door Kanna had found to lose the incoming thugs as quickly as they could.
"Okay, we should be fine here if we keep quiet." Kanna said, leading the two down one of the rows. "We'll stay here until they—"
"—until they what? Leave?"
Fiona quickly yanked her hand out of Kanna's grasp. The red-headed Oni turned around to try and grab hold of her wrist again. However, she saw that Fiona wanted none of that by the way she held her wrist from being grabbed again. Kanna looked up at Fiona and the tears that fell down her cheeks. She had been so preoccupied with escaping those men, that she hadn't noticed her crying the whole time.
"I'm sorry, Ms. Kanna…This is all my fault." Fiona confessed. "They're after me…because of who I am."
"Who you…are? What do you—"
At that moment, Kanna's words were smacked right out of her mouth by a gloved fist locking with her cheek. She was thrown right into one of the shelves with a pain-filled yelp. She fell right on her bottom, while massaging her cheek. Looking up, Kanna saw the sight of another one of those thugs were joined with five other creeps with weapons in hand.
"Ms. Kanna!" Fiona called fearfully.
"Keep an eye on the princess. She moves, you break her leg." The thug said. A lustful grin grew on his face as he stared at the young body of Kanna. "I'm gonna get a lil action of my own~"
Kanna looked up in horror as the man pointed a gun at her head, and proceeded to edge closer and closer to touching her.
"N-No!" Kanna uttered. "I-I'll kill you!"
"Oh, I like it when they're feisty." He whispered.
His hands had reached her top. His dirty fingers reached into the folds of it and almost touched a place she did not want it to be. Her powers The intense amount of stress she was under had dulled her ability to use her powers. Despite Kanna being an Oni, she was still immature and began to tear up. Try as she did to push him away, he would not budge and only became more forceful.
She didn't want Fiona to see her, but there she was; forced to witness the horror of it all with the other men threatening to kill her if she moved. It was the first time in so long that she felt absolutely powerless.
Kanna finally cried to herself. She desperately wanted someone to save her.
As if a miracle occurred, she caught only a second of the thug's face be slammed across the cheek with, what looked like a bowling ball. It had hit his skull so hard that Kanna swore she could hear the crack.
The other criminals, Fiona, and a shaken up Kanna all looked over towards where the bowling ball came from, only to see two new people arrive; one being a man with white hair and a red amulet. The other a cute girl in a single pigtail and a white hoodie.
Misaki went to look after the frightened Fiona, while Dante approached the thugs by himself.
"Are you alright?" Misaki asked the shaking Fiona. "Don't worry, we're here to help you guys."
"H-Help…?" Fiona uttered. "I-I'm scared…I don't know what to do."
"Don't worry." Misaki said with a comforting smile. "Leave it to your managers."
Meanwhile, Dante had gotten in-between the crowd of thugs who began to surround him with weapons in tow, like a pack of hyenas.
"Tsk, tsk, tsk. All this noise, and you didn't think to let the managers know." Dante said. He then looked over towards Kanna, who was fixing herself up and wiping her tears. "You alright, Karen?"
"Wha—It's Kanna, you big idiot!" Kanna yelled through a trembling voice.
Dante could see Kanna quickly fixing her top, and her sash around her waist. At that moment, he knew what was about to happen to her. The shade of red he saw was almost to that of a devil. Those burning eyes aimed right towards the group of men, who quickly picked up on just how outmatched they were.
"So…you motherfuckers were about to have a lil fun, huh?" Dante practically growled. "Then why not have…some…Wait…"
Dante's rage subsided for a moment. He got one good luck at the first goon in front of him with a baseball bat in hand. It took him a moment to realize, but once he did, even he had to admit to being astonished.
"I know you! You're the cook who gave me those sweet potatoes earlier today!"
"Ah! And you!" Misaki pointed to the other thug right beside the first. "You're that employee who told me my sister was here!"
"No shit, dumbasses!" One of the henchmen said harshly. "We tied up the real employees, and faked our identities to be able to capture the princess over there!"
"Princess?" Misaki said, looking at Fiona in shock. "You're Fiona? As in the princess that was supposed to be here tomorrow?"
"Y-Yes…" She answered shakily.
"She's a princess?" Dante questioned.
"Well, yeah. Mr. Zack said that she'd be here, and part of the job was to look after her." Misaki explained. "Her dad said she was supposed to come either tonight or tomorrow. At least that's what I was—oh my god, Mr. Zack didn't tell you, did he?"
Suddenly a lot of those missing pieces in this deal began to reveal themselves to Dante. He had begun to see what Zack really wanted out of him. He didn't want him as a temp. manager to keep any order in the place, he did it so as to have a bodyguard on standby so that her father would pay him now instead of tomorrow. It was all a trick by Zack from the get go.
"Zack, you shades-wearing fuck weasel…!" Dante muttered bitterly.
"Ugh! Enough of this shit! Get 'em!" Yelled one of the thugs.
The first of them to come at Dante was the cook, running at him, screaming and waving a metal baseball bat at the Nephilim as if it were going to scare him.
Instead, Dante turned the tables on him, by catching the bat mid-swing with his bare hands, and snatching it out of his grasp. From there, he lazily swung that bat across the goon's face and watched him hit the floor.
Dante eyed the metal bat with wicked grin as he tapped the head on the bat onto his other hand.
"It's not a sword, but it'll do. Hey, you three!" Dante called to the girls. "I got this. Get outta here while you can."
"But what about you?" Misaki worried.
"I'm gonna be just fine. Go!" He ordered.
Still uncertain of whether or not it was wise to leave him alone with a couple of thugs, she did as he wanted and took Kanna and Fiona with her towards the only exit out of the supply room. Once they were gone, it was time for Dante to have his fun with the cronies in black.
"Batter up!" Dante grinned.
Misaki had been able to lead the two through a secret hallway that lead right into the changing room halls where she and Dante first met Tamaki and Nagisa. The place sounded practically empty of anyone else. However, she quickly heard a couple of female voices ahead; one of which was without a doubt her sisters.
"Nagisa? Nagisa!" Misaki called.
"Misaki?-!" Called Nagisa from the end of the hall. This only encouraged the three of them to run faster.
By the time she had entered the main stage plaza, she was first caught off guard by the array of men that had been knocked out across the floor. None of them could begin to figure out what had happened until they were caught off guard by Misaki being bear hugged by another unknown woman.
"Misaki! Oh, thank god you're okay!" Nagisa cried. "I was so worried about you! If something had happened to you, I'd…I'd…!"
"O-Okay, okay, I understand!" Misaki said, trying to break free of her tight embrace. "Now can you please stop putting your snot on my jacket?-!"
"Ah, are you…?"
Sayuri referred to the new woman who was with Misaki. She was shaking like a leaf, but still did her best to be as polite as possible by waving and saying "H-Hello…"
"Oh, you poor thing." Tamaki said, wrapping her arms around Fiona to stop her from shaking. "You must've been through so much tonight. Don't worry, we're going to get you out of this."
"No…I am."
All eyes turned towards the unfamiliar red-headed girl with the horns. She seemed to try and feign confidence, but her sniffling and puffy eyes told them she was obviously as shaken up as Fiona was.
"Those bastards…! They tried to do things…! And then they scared my right hand…! But no more!" Kanna proclaimed. "I will not stand by and allow this to go on any further!"
Kanna approached Fiona and grabbed her hands tight. "I promise you, Fiona, we will get out of this alive! Trust in your Queen!"
Fiona didn't know why, but she immediately felt a wave of relief from Kanna's presence. She had only known her for a couple of minutes, but in that time, she already believed everything she said. Perhaps it was her actual conviction or the fact that she was an Oni, but regardless, the purple-haired princess nodded in agreement, as she wiped her tears away.
"Y-Yes…thank you, Ms. Kanna."
"Y'konw what? She's right!" Misaki said, getting all the other girls' attention. "This is a dire situation, but as long as we stick together, we could be able to escape with our lives. I know that combined, nothing will be able to stop us!"
Their small moment of relief had quickly come to an abrupt halt at the sound of the stage's double door entrance being kicked open. In came a good number of men dressed in black with AK-47's aimed at the girls. And there, at the center of them, was none other than the buzz cut, big guy; now more blistering with rage than before.
"There they are!" He yelled. "Kill the others, but bring! Me! That girl!"
"Okay, that could be a problem!" Misaki said fearfully.
Luna acted fast and yelled, "Get down!"
All of them followed suit as the rain of gunfire ignited. They had taken refuge behind the bar counter as the rain of bullets destroyed the alcohol bottles in front of them. Sayuri, Tamaki, Fiona, and Monica all covered their ears to the sounds of the guns' rapid fire, while Luna kept a keen ear on when the bullets would stop and give them time to escape. A crying Misaki was cradled in Nagisa's arms to shield her from it all. Kanna tried to get herself together to use her powers, but every gunshot ruined her own concentration.
The situation seemed hopeless, as the goons were slowly approaching the counter with guns still firing on. All seemed lost, until…
"Hey, is this spot taken?-!"
The girls all looked over and opened their eyes to the lone, white-haired male with a bloody, metal baseball bat in hand, kneeling right next to them behind the counter.
"D-Dante!" Called Misaki, Nagisa, and Sayuri.
"Ah, so you're the manager I've heard so much about!" Tamaki called in the rain of bullets, with a hand extended. "My name is Tamaki! Fashion designer for the island!"
"Monica! I'm a casino dealer for the Venus festival!" Monica added with a hand.
"Nice to meet you two!" Dante said, shaking their hands.
"Guys! We are in the middle of a bullet shower, and you choose now to get acquainted?-!" Misaki yelled.
Dante ignored Misaki and focused right on Kanna. "Hey, Kammy!"
"I told you already! It's Kanna!" She yelled back.
"Whatever, look, I can assume you got some power to turn the tide, right? Now might be the best time to get a move on!" Dante suggested.
"I would, but I must be more focused, and these primitive weapons are not doing it for me!"
Dante thought on it, and figured it would've been better to reduce the numbers to at least get the girls out of there.
"Alright, you guys stay here! I'll knock some sense into these assholes!"
"W-What?-! Manager-san, that is not wise!" Sayuri insisted.
"She's right! You'll die out there!" Misaki also called.
"Wow, they have a lot of bullets…" Luna commented.
Dante placed a hand on Misaki's shoulder to calm her nerves a bit.
"Don't worry, I'll take care of this." Dante said with his signature grin. "I am the manager, after all."
Before Dante went into the line of fire, he happened upon an entire bottle of whiskey that sat inside the counter. His eyes lit up as he grabbed the bottle, spun the cap off, and began to down the entire bottle like it was water. The girls watched him, stunned at how easily he could even drink that much. Nagisa wasn't at all surprised. It wasn't the first time she'd seen Dante do something crazy.
"I like this manager." Tamaki said, joining in on the opportunity to take a drink from one of the bottles behind her.
When it was all gone, Dante gave a loud breath of satisfaction. When the gun fire finally ceased and the men were reloading their guns, Dante took that chance to step out of the counter, bat in hand, and the empty bottle in the other.
He tossed the bottle into the air, and swung his bat into it with enough force to send broken shards across the air and scattered across the goons' faces. While they grunted and yelped in pain, Dante took that opening in full to drop kick the first goon in the face.
The second one came at him, but the Nephilim recovered his footing in time to swing the gun out of his hands, and bash him across the skull. The rest came at him at full force, but Dante more than easily maneuvered himself through them while swinging that metal bat like it were a sword.
The way in which he cleared the room was like many situations that the girls had only seen in movies. Misaki was the most shocked to see that the person she was working with this whole time was actually a good fighter. Meanwhile, Nagisa had only ever seen him fight a couple of times, and in all of them, he was a one-man army.
Finally, Dante finished off the last one with the most devastating combo of metal bat meeting rib, shoulder, knee, gut, and finally the back of the head. Dante had stood before knocked out (or possibly dead) goons.
Needless to say, the boss was not pleased in the slightest.
"Shit! Throw 'em!" He ordered.
His men began to throw orbs into the air towards Dante, where they exploded into a gust of white smoke upon impact with the ground. A couple of them began to submerge the entire stage theater in a thick cloud of smoke that made it difficult to see through.
"Shit!" Dante hissed.
"I-I can't see anything!" Misaki said.
"Yeah, that's what smoke bombs can do." Luna answered.
"I didn't ask!" Misaki snapped.
"Kyaa!"
The women all heard a yelp, followed by the muffled screams of a girl, mixed with harsh grunts that slowly trailed away. It took only moments before the smoke had finally cleared enough for them to be able to see again.
"Is everyone alright?" Dante called.
"Yeah, we're—wait!" Tamaki said, looking around. "Where'd snow white go?"
The rest of the girls and Dante looked around, but could see no sight of Fiona within the clearing smoke. All that was left of her was a small parchment of her dress that was forcefully ripped off of her in the spur of the moment.
"Shit!" Dante hissed. Immediately, he took off running without a second thought. "Misaki, look after the others! Kanna, you're with me!"
Kanna did not hesitate, and run off with Dante through the double doors, and into the hallway.
Their run took them back to the lobby, where they were able to catch the sight of the giant of a boss with an crying Fiona over his shoulder. Dante and Kanna followed them out of the building, and down the patio pathway against the full moon. Despite keeping up, they were not quick enough to prevent them from jumping into a parked jeep. He practically threw Fionna into the back of the truck, before jumping in himself.
"We're not gonna make it!" Kanna said fearfully.
"Oh, yes we will! C'mon!" Dante said.
He grabbed Kanna's hand, and pulled her towards the row of motorcycles that were left by the knocked-out goons from within the plaza. He jumped right onto the bike, with Kanna sitting behind him. The rev of the engine propelled them out of the dirt, and drive off onto the dirt path that lead into the forest. Their headlights carried them onward in keeping up with the jeep, tunneling through trees and branches in the way.
"How will we stop such a chariot?!" Kanna called.
"I was honestly gonna throw you at it and hope for a miracle!" Dante replied.
"Are you insane?-!"
"That's a good question!"
At that moment, the white-haired Nephilim felt the distinct vibration in his phone go off; as if enough couldn't haven gotten on his nerves. The worst time for such a thing, but Dante didn't bother to ignore it. He reached into his pocket, and passed it to Kanna.
"Hey! Press the green button and put it to my ear!" Dante called.
"Uh, okay!" Kanna answered with uncertainty.
She did as asked, and placed the phone to Dante's ear. "Yeah!" Dante answered.
"H-Hey, Dante, buddy! What's goin—"
"YOU BALD-HEADED FUCKIN' MORON!" Dante yelled into the phone.
"O-Okay, I can tell you're mad at me…!"
"Naw, what would give you that idea; you trickin' me to be a goddamn bodyguard under the disguise of a manager, or the fact that I gotta ride this motorbike with a little girl in tow—no offense—"
"How could not take offense to that?-!" Kanna exclaimed.
"—just to save a rich girl whom you neglected to tell me was bein' tailed by a goddamn gang of kidnappers! What, did you just skim over that detail?-!"
"I'm sorry, man! This was one of the richest deals dropped onto my lap! I didn't want that to blow up in smoke! I knew no one else would've gone with it like you would!"
"I'll blow you up into smoke!" Dante hissed.
"Okay, okay! How 'bout this; you save Ms. Fiona, and I promise to triple your pay! I'll buy you a car! I'll kiss your feet every other day! Just please get Fiona as quickly as possible!"
"Obviously, that's what I'm doin' now, but I can't stop the car without somethin' to slow it down!"
"Say no more! Look up!"
Dante did so, not expecting anything right away. Instead, he was surprised to see a drone flying along with Dante's bike and the car. From its clutches, he saw, what looked like, a small box being launched from the drone, towards the two of them. With her Oni reflexes, Kanna was able to wrap her legs around Dante's waist, as she leaned back to catch the box.
Kanna sat forward, and opened the box. To her surprise, she pulled out a familiar pair of girls that Dante knew well. A grin formed on his face as he saw his two girls gleam in the moonlight.
"It's…guns?" Kanna said, confused.
"I'll take those." Dante quickly said, taking Ebony & Ivory from Kanna and keeping Ivory on hand to slow down the jeep.
"I hope this doesn't get in the way of our beautiful friendship, of which I cherish—"
"Hang up on him!"
Kanna pressed the red button and slipped the phone back into his back pocket. "Now what?" She called.
"Listen!" Dante called to Fionna. "I'm gonna get close to the car! When I do, you jump on and get Fiona out of there!"
"O-Okay! I understand!"
Dante began to catch up with the speeding jeep as they finally reached the end of the forest, and into the clearing that overlooked the beach. Kanna was almost ensnared by the beauty of the sea, as it reflected the full moon above. If not for the situation, she would have been back at her cave, enjoying the view. If there was the slightest chance that Fiona could be saved, she would have wanted to watch the sight with her.
That quickly became just the powerful motivation Kanna needed to feel an overwhelming abundance of her strength return to her. She could feel it rise into her chest, before spreading out to her hands.
"Nephilim! Stop the motorcycle!" Kanna commanded.
"What? Are you nuts? We do that, and they'll—"
"Stop it now!" She yelled back.
Her scream rang into Dante's ear, and forced him to slam on the breaks. The tires skidded through dirt, before finally coming to a stop. Dante watched the jeep drive off and was just about to complain to Kanna for her sudden decision.
However, he caught sight of her just in time to see her eyes go an eerie red, and her hands glow with similar aura. It was then that Dante remembered she was an oni after all. She aimed her hand towards the jeep, as clutched it into a fist.
The jeep, so many feet away, had suddenly stopped in its tracks. The tires attempted to kick it into high gear, but had only successfully made a mess of the ground it dug its tires into. Dante could hear the chatter of angry yelling to get a move on, but to no avail. The jeep was headed nowhere fast.
Meanwhile, with her other hand, Kanna acted as though she took hold of something, before pulling it back. Immediately, the white-haired Nephilim watched the roof of the jeep rip off like a can of tuna. Out of the opening, levitated the princess, who was just as shocked as Dante and the men in the jeep.
"Fiona!" Kanna called.
She got off the motorcycle, and ran after the slowly descending Fiona. Meanwhile, she had let go of her grasp on the truck and let it drive off into the distance towards the peak of the island's massive volcano.
"Oh, no you don't!" Dante smirked.
He revved up his motorcycle and took off after the out-of-control jeep.
Meanwhile Kanna had leaped into the air with her arms extended to catch Fiona. The white-haired girl looked below her, just in time to see her new friend gently catch her, and carry her as the princess she was. She looked down to find the ground slowly getting closer towards them.
"Are you alright, Fiona?" Kanna asked.
Fiona could barely form the words to describe what she felt. It was an unusual mix of fear, excitement, and something in between. All she could do was look down at how high they still were. It wasn't until she looked at Kanna, did she see the red-haired oni's eyes.
Kanna realized her power probably frightened the sheltered girl. It was to be expected given her being a normal human being. She quickly allowed her eyes to return to normal, for Fiona's sake.
"K-Kanna…" Fiona uttered. "Y-You're…you're…"
"Fionna…" Kanna started. "…I know this is all a lot to take in, but—"
"…amazing…!"
Kanna was certainly taken by surprise by that response. She expected more screams of terror, or at least a troubled reaction. However, that wasn't the case. Instead, Fiona had stars in her eyes once the initial terror had passed.
"You're so cool, Kanna!" Fiona gushed. "You really are an Oni! I can't believe you were able to stop such a large truck with your powers! I've never seen such a feat before!"
"R-Really?" Kanna uttered. "Y-You're not afraid of me?"
"No, of course not." Fiona said, "At first, I was shocked, but to see your abilities in such a way to save me; why would I be afraid?"
Kanna could not believe it. Rather than fear her or call her a monster, instead, this girl embraces her abilities and considers her amazing. It was an entirely new feeling for her; almost overwhelming even. Kanna could hardly stand it. She did not know how to react to it. But her emotions made the decision for her.
The tears quickly streamed down Kanna's eyes. With her arms preoccupied with carrying Fiona, she had no choice but to show a side of her that her pride had always prevented her from showing. Fiona did not know what to do or say to her new friend to calm her down. She could only be carried in silence as Kanna broke down into tears.
"I-I'm sorry…please, don't leave me alone…"
Fiona began to understand the reason for her tears. It was a situation she was all too familiar with.
"Kanna…" Fionna said. Her hand slowly caressed Kanna's cheek. Kanna was taken aback and looked at her brimming smile.
"…I'm not going anywhere." Fiona said. "Promise."
Kanna's heart was full. Butterflies filled her stomach. She feared the weight of her emotions would be too much for her to carry Fiona any longer. Once her feet finally touched the ground, her legs gave out on her. She broke down once more in a fit of tears. Her loud wails were muffled by Fiona's chest, as she embraced the red-haired girl tight. Kanna had held back years of pain, loss, and being abandoned by those she made come to love for so many decades. But now…she sat with a friend, under the full moon across the ocean—one that would last a life time.
Dante had caught up to the car just a couple of feet from the peak of the massive volcano. From the looks of the vehicle, it had crashed right into the volcano's mountainous structure, and was producing smoke from its engine.
Dante watched as the big boss himself, kicked the door off its hinges and pathetically crawled from the driver's seat. He seemed dazed as he grabbed his head and groaned in agony. Blood poured down the side of his chrome-dome of a head.
"Aw, got yourself a headache, do ya?" Dante smirked, jumping off of the motorcycle. "Don't'chu worry; I know how to make it go away forever."
"Ugh…! Heh…I didn't think I'd have to tussle with the likes of you." The giant man grinned through the pain, "But then again…this is the perfect opportunity to settle the score."
"Score?" Dante questioned. "The hell're you talkin' about, I don't even know you."
"Oh, but I know you…We all know you, son of Sparda."
Suddenly, Dante watched as the big man's eyes became black with matching veins across his face. He let out a hellish roar that made the ground under Dante's feet shift like an Earthquake.
"Oh, you gotta be kiddin' me…!" Dante sighed.
Suddenly, the very world around the white-haired Nephilim crumbled into the familiar malice he'd grown so accustomed to. The ground crumbled with black muck. The volcano was covered in fiery red veins, ready to ignite at any moment. The skies grew red; spiraling faster than the human eyes could keep up with. The world had been completely overtaken by Limbo's miasma once again.
Meanwhile, the Boss himself had transformed into an even larger form of his former self. His body was encased in leathery skin of a sickly green and red, while its face morphed with sharp horns that appeared from his skull. Wings ripped out of his back with blood and bone marrow. And to top it all off, its arms were elongated into claws.
The Boss had fully morphed into an unrecognizable demon with its glowing red eyes set on the white-haired Nephilim.
The Boss took off into the air and hovered near the volcano. Dante took that opportunity to leap onto the top of the abandoned car, Force Edge already in his hand and over his shoulder.
"Huh. I figured I'd have to deal with somethin' Limbo related here." Dante said, "I was more so expectin' the type of Limbo that'd have me goin' under a stick."
"Jest all you want. Though my men were useless in capturing the princess, we will be more than satisfied with the others of your company."
"Others?"
"As we speak, my other faction of soldiers are currently storming the secondary island, filled with the other competitors of that infernal tournament. Their blood will be on your hands, Nephilim."
He laughed with such boisterous confidence that it made Dante sick. However, even Dante himself knew that a bunch of dudes with guns weren't gonna be enough to take out any of those ladies without a fight. He had no reason to worry.
Nothing confirmed this theory more than the sudden phone call that came from the car. A ringing sound from inside that made the demon's laughter cease.
"You, uh, gonna get that?" Dante asked.
The Boss snapped his finger and the ringing ceased. What replaced it was the sound of carnage and men screaming to the sound of wild gunfire.
"Hello?" The Boss answered.
"B-Boss! T-These ladies! Th-Their stronger than we—oh Jesus, she just broke his arm in five places! We can't possibly stand up to the—Aaaaguh—"
The connection broke before any context could be found. The demon floated there; dumbfounded and unsure of what to do next after the sudden change in the plan. He looked back at the white-haired Nephilim, who wore the most conceded grin on his lips.
"Problems?" Dante asked coyly, much to the demon's chagrin. "You really didn't think this shit through, did ya, big man?"
"I-It matters not! I still have enough strength to rip your skin off your bones." The boss said, harshly. "Try as you might here, you will not hasten the inevitable!"
"Inevitable?"
The demon chuckled. "You will see…you will you come to understand that you and your brother are not the only abominations anymore."
Dante raised a brow at his words, but moved it aside to put an end to this needless quarrel. He pointed his sword at the Boss and said; "'Least we won't have to see you anymore, you ugly pri—"
Just before Dante could even finish his sentence, Dante felt his body slammed with enough weight to crush a building. His body was sent flying across the beach, before one of the demon's wings extended a pair of arms of their own. Those arms glowed with red aura, that took hold of Dante's body, and forced him to fly back towards the Boss.
The Boss cackled like a mad man as he threw Dante's body towards the volcano. The Nephilim was sent soaring across the sky and straight onto the very edge of the volcano. His body rolled right towards the edge of the boiling heat of lava just below him. Before Dante could even make the slightest move, he felt his neck grabbed by tight hands that threatened to crush his windpipes.
In his grasp, the Boss was drunk off of his own arrogance as he held his prize in the palm of his hand. Never did he believe that he of all the demons, would have been so successful as to capture the Nephilim.
"Heh heh heh. So, this was the true power of a Nephilim? I'm disappointed."
Silence had taken over to the sound of the boiling magma, just one cliff jump below the both of them. In his victory, the Boss demon had been ready to gut the Nephilim into mush.
However, his hand stopped, just before he could even ball his claws into a fist. The Boss heard…laughter. It was small and subtle, before it erupted into laughter loud enough for him to hear clearly. It came from Dante himself. The demon stared at the Nephilim in utter shock. He did not believe even after such damage and destructive power; not to mention the blood dripping down the side of his face, that the Son of Sparda still drew breath; let alone laughter.
"O-Okay, I'm sorry." Dante said through chuckles. "I was just fuckin' with you back there." He let out a breath to calm himself down. "Okay, Big Pussy, let's take it from the top."
Dante quickly took hold of The Boss' arm and gave it the tightest grip he could muster—so tight, they both could hear bones shatter.
The Boss let go of the white-haired Demon Killer to mend his own arm. Giving Dante the chance to extend his arm to summon the Force Edge back into his grasp.
The Boss, quickly regained his second wind. His second set of arms had become massive blades that were rusted with the years of blood they swam through. For any normal human, it would be a terrifying sight, but to Dante, it was just another weekend.
And Dante made that more than apparent by running headlong at the demon with no fear in his grinning face. The Boss swung his bladed arms at the white-haired man, but to no avail. He could get not one hit on Dante. It was as though his massive body moved in slow motion, compared to how easily Dante avoided his attacks.
Once Dante had found himself close enough to strike, he lunched force edge right into the giant demon's gut, ala, Stinger. Blood had poured from the Boss' chest, as he roared in anguish. But the brutality did not stop there, as Dante let go of his sword in favor of his twin pistols to riddle the demon's torso with holes.
Mercy had not been spared for the Boss; whose body began to give away in the fury of Dante's bullets. After an almost uncountable number of shots, the demon finally surrendered to his limitations and fell to his knees. He Could no longer feel his own body; only sheer pain and agony. It was only made worse once Dante removed Force Edge from his chest.
"Augh! N-No…! T-This can't be it…!" The Boss groaned, blood pouring from his mouth. "This isn't fair…! All I wanted was that stupid girl…! I could've had more money than that bastard, Mundus…! I could've had it all…! But you…! You ruined everything! How dare you…! How dare—huh?"
The Boss looked up to see the white-haired Nephilim stand over him, sword over his shoulder, as those cold blue eyes looked down at him like a pitiful roach. He then lifted his foot, until it was just below the demon's chest.
"Haven't you heard?" Dante grinned. "I'm the manager. And I'm afraid you've caused enough trouble around here. Hope you enjoyed your stay."
Dante extended his foot with little effort, but enough strength to send the Boss flying off of the cliff. His massive body had hovered over the pit of lava with just enough time for Dante to aim his gun dead center with his skull.
"And Jackpot."
A single gunshot rang across the island. It startled most of the girls who rode in Tamaki's car towards the base of the volcano. They all saw Dante's motorcycle and the destroyed truck that Fiona was thrown into, and assumed the worst. The only ones who weren't too startled by it were Luna, who had been more curious than frightened, and Kanna, who had already assumed what it was.
"W-Was that a gun shot?-!" Misaki reacted, clinging to Nagisa, "Where did it come from? What happened to Dante?"
"Relax, sis, I'm sure Dante's fine." Nagisa assured her. Unbeknownst to all of them (save Kanna) Nagisa knew that a simple gunshot would not have been a thing to kill Dante of all people.
"Um…do any of you feel that?"
Fiona referred to the sudden shaking of the ground below their feet. It seemed to only increase with tenacity, that it made some of the girls begin to loose their footing on the dirt.
"It appears the volcano has been activated." Luna said, almost nonchalantly.
"Then why the hell are we still standing here?-!" Monica exclaimed.
"Severe burns from hot magma could prove life-threatening…" Sayuri noted.
"This isn't a doctor's office, Sayuri-san!" Misaki exclaimed. "We need to move! Now!"
"No need."
All the girls turned towards Kanna, who wore a grin that just spelled trickery.
"Unbeknownst to the original owners of this island, I had taken the liberty of adding a special concoction to the volcano's magma." She explained. "If ever activated in some manner, it will not erupt with lava, but instead, something more…festive."
"Festive?" Nagisa questioned. "Like what?"
As if right on cue, the volcano had sent a massive tremor across the island that could rock it into two. All the girls braced themselves for their own inevitable demise. Kanna however, waited with the smugness of a woman's plans coming together. And so it did right; before her yellow eyes.
The volcano had blown its top in a fiery explosion. However, instead of molten lava shooting burning rocks into the island, the explosion shot upward, and exploded into an array of colors and sparks. The loud bang put initial fear into the girls, before they all realized what was occurring before their own eyes.
"F-Fireworks?" Luna uttered.
A blast of magnificent fireworks blew from the volcano in a spectical beyond anything they could've imagined. The entire island lit up to the wonder of colorful lights blasting into the star-lite sky. The women were in awe with smiles on each and every one of their faces. Kanna had been especially proud the moment she felt Fiona embrace her, both too focused on the show to even say anything to one another.
Their attention had suddenly turned to the sight of the Dante, who skidded down the side of the volcano, Sword vanished off his person, before leaping onto the top of the truck. He then jumped off the truck, and simply strolled towards the girls; brushing his hands off of dust, while the volcano erupted with another explosion.
"Dante! You're alive!" Misaki exclaimed through welled up tears.
She immediately ran towards Dante, and practically buried her face into his chest.
"Whoa! Jeez, Misaki, tell me how you really feel." Dante chuckled.
"I-I-I thought y-you were…!" She said between sobs.
Dante was a bit taken aback by her concern for him. It was pretty rare that a complete stranger would warm up to him so quickly. Usually it took a long while before anyone could come to at least tolerate him. He figured he was getting too soft for his own good nowadays. Regardless, it was a good feeling for him to be worried about every once in a while.
"I'm alright, Misaki." Dante said, flicking her forehead. "You never gotta worry about me."
Misaki was still in tears, but could at least find it in her to be assured in Dante's words. Before long, the two looked up at the continuation of the fireworks above, in all their splendor.
Despite the work, the troubles, and the Limbo troubles. Dante had to admit, this was the perfect way to cap off his vacation…
…or so he thought.
As the night began to wound down to the AM, Dante had decided to take himself to bed for the night. He had a feeling that the plane ride that would take him home was going to be early and grueling. At the very least, a good night's rest was necessary, despite his strong desire to party more with the others.
While, he laid there in bed, he couldn't help but let his mind wander around what the Boss demon had said earlier. He spoke of there being more like him; more Nephilim that could be roaming around. He wondered if that was the 'Seditio' guy Barbatos referred to. Dante didn't mind him and Vergil being the only ones left anymore, but the thought of there being more was far too curious a thought to ignore. He wanted to ask Vergil if he knew anything. Then again, Dante also recalled that book Vergil gave him. He didn't get the chance to read it, and hoped to get back home to crack it open. Perhaps it could contain some answers.
It was hard to get the thought of more Nephilim out of Dante's mind. He figured nothing could be able to distract him from such a concept…again; or so he thought.
He suddenly saw his door open, and to his surprise, in walked Misaki. He could only see her head peak from the corner of the opening. He noticed that her hair was actually down for once.
"U-Um…Dante, are you awake?"
"I am now." He said lazily. "What's up?"
Misaki's face went red for some reason. She seemed to have had second thoughts about something, before she took a deep breath.
"I-I just…I wanted to thank you! For all that you did on Venus Island. I have to admit, I was really scared about taking this job. I was afraid I would never measure up to the expectations…but you really gave me the confidence I need to keep at it…which is why…I'm sad to see you go."
"Ah, don't sweat it, star girl." Dante smiled. "My opinion probably doesn't mean shit, but to me, you're the best assistant anyone could ask for."
That seemed to make Misaki happier than she thought it would. It made her face so red, that Dante was afraid she'd catch a fever. "T-Thank you…and to show you my…appreciation…I-I wanted to g-give you…a-a gift…"
"Really? What is it?"
Misaki was reluctant, but stepped from the corner of the door, and revealed herself to Dante. His eyes went wide to the sight of Misaki nothing but a cute pair of bra and panties with plenty of lace and stars for design. The bra left little to the imagination and only covered a partial amount of her impressive breast.
"Oh, I'm likin' this present." Dante smirked, sitting up and attentive.
"D-Don't get it mistaken…!" She said bashfully, approaching the bed to crawl towards Dante. "I-I don't wanna do t-that with you…! B-But…I-I don't mind if making you f-feel good any other way."
She had crawled up to Dante; their lips dangerously close to one another. Dante only needed to touch her shoulder to see that she was a tad nervous. The white-haired male could not help but crack a smile.
"Don't worry." He muttered to her. "I'll go easy on you."
"Misaki, what the hell do you think you're doing?"
Both Dante and Misaki paused in the moment like children caught red-handed. They both looked towards the door, only to be shocked to see none other than Nagisa standing there; arms crossed and with furrowed brows. She was also dressed in a complimentary robe.
"N-N-Nagisa!" Misaki exclaimed, jumping off of Dante. "I-I was—! I-I mean, I wasn't really—I-It's because he's—!"
"—stop!" Nagisa silenced her sister. "I know what you were planning, and I simply cannot allow it!"
Misaki was ready for the scolding of a lifetime from her big sister, as she always was use to. Instead, both she and Dante watched as Nagisa did the exact opposite. She dropped the robe off of her to reveal to most revealing swimsuit both had ever seen. There was barely any black cloth across her breast, while the bottom half was more of a thong than anything.
"If anyone's gonna give him a good bye present, then it's definitely gonna be me!"
"EEEEH?" Misaki reacted. "W-W-W-What are you saying, Nagisa?-!"
"Hey, I'm open to turn this bicycle into a tricycle." Dante commented.
"Then why not a quadcycle?"
All three watched as the ever-elusive Tamaki had entered into the room without any of them even noticing. She had chosen a swimsuit that, let's just say, was beyond the scale of NSFW. And she certainly had the flirtatious gesture of wrapping her arms around Dante to show for it.
"W-When did you get in here?-!" Misaki questioned.
"Around the same time I did."
Tamaki was accompanied by none other than Monica, who had a deck of cards in her hands, as well as the sexiest bunny lingerie that Dante had only ever seen in Playboy.
"Trying to spoil my fun, Monica?" Tamaki said.
"It's no fun if there's nothing to lose." Monica said, shuffling cards. "Perhaps a little strip poker to choose who gets to have a go?"
"W-We are not playing that!" Both Misaki and Nagisa exclaimed.
"Hmmm, I don't see the downside." Dante shrugged with a teasing smirk.
"Hmph! Playing such trivial games is meaningless!"
Suddenly, both Tamaki and Monica were thrown off of Dante with red aura around their bodies. Out of nowhere, Dante felt someone drop onto his lap. Her legs wrapped around Dante's waist with her hand planted on to the head of the bed behind him. Compared to the others, her choice in costume was a corset with a matching thong to go with.
"If it is a simple competition, I have already won!" Kanna proclaimed. "What do you think? Aren't I almost too sexy for you to handle~?"
Though she thought she had won, instead, she was disappointed to see no reaction from Dante that she wanted. Instead, he only sat there; feeling awkward about the situation. Needless to say, Kanna was furious.
"What's with that non-reaction?-!" She exclaimed.
"Uh, no offense, but I'm not into cradle-robbing." Dante said flat out.
"A-Are you calling me a baby?-!" That only seemed to make the Oni even angrier. "I'm hundreds of years older than you!"
"Fear not, Kanna!"
Suddenly, Dante felt arms wrapped around his neck, and the side of his face resting against something soft. Dante knew all too well what it was, and peered his eyes to the sight of breast with a swimsuit that covered only the most important parts, leaving plenty mound to see. Of all the outfits, he did not expect the princess to be the most immodest of them all.
"I will make the manager pick me as your servant!" Fiona said proudly.
"Hm! Very good, Fiona!" Kanna nodded in approval.
"Not good, you two!" The rest of the girls exclaimed.
Dante had to practically yank Kanna and Fiona off of him. Neither of them truly did anything for him. Kanna looked like a kid, while Fiona, being a sheltered princess, acted too much like one.
"Aaand there goes my boner…" Dante muttered.
"Ara ara~ It seems I was too late."
Like a heavenly chorus had just descended upon him, Dante watched the Venus nurse, Sayuri saunter through the door. The Nephilim did not know how such a modest set of a white laced bra and panties with white thigh-highs could be so erotic, but this beautiful woman was able to pull it off seamlessly.
"Okay, it's back again!" Dante blurted out.
"I can see that."
And last, but certainly not least, there Luna was, sat in the corner wearing the frilliest swimsuit, with a pair of bows in her short hair. She even let her bangs down. Dante was about to question what she was doing in that corner, before he noticed the famous Hitachi wand massager in her hands.
"Do not mind me." Luna said calmly, with rosy cheeks. "I'm simply observing the act as it takes place for the sake of science and knowledge…also, I like to watch."
The girls all eyed each other, unsure of how to settle the issue. On one hand, they all wanted to thank Dante properly since it would be his last day there. Who knows if they'd ever see him again. On the other, there was no way for there to be enough time in the night to make both him, and them feel good if they all did it at once.
"T-Then I guess we have no choice…" Misaki said reluctantly.
"I agree." Nagisa nodded.
"So, it has come to that. As much as I hate to admit it…" Kanna sighed.
"I don't mind it that way~" Tamaki smirked, licking her lips.
"You all are so vigorous. But then again, so am I." Sayuri giggled.
"I-I will do my best in the name of love!" Fiona said
"This is a game I can't afford to lose." Monica challenged.
"Hmm…perhaps a more physical demonstration would be more educational." Luna figured.
Before long, all the girls had crawled onto Dante's bed. All their eyes filled with lust towards the white-haired Nephilim as their bodies ached to give him the goodbye present they equally wanted to receive. Altogether, the girls made clear what they wanted;
"Please accept our present~"
Dante sat there almost as silent as a mouse. He had been used to threesomes or even foursomes. But an 8-way orgy was something he hadn't done since he was in his pre-adult age of 19. Did he have that kind of stamina in him to pleasure eight women at once? Only one way to find out it seemed.
"I'm gonna need a lot of Red Bull…"
The crack of dawn had risen over the horizon of the ocean. A new day had finally dawned on the Venus island with guest coming in from far and wide. Before long, the entire beach had been filled with hundreds of people to enjoy the festivities at hand. The fanfare kicked off with Misaki assisting guest with the proper manager by her side. It was difficult, at first, but she had gotten the hang of working with him.
The others had proceeded on with their own jobs as well; Sayuri nursing those who were in need, Tamaki acting as the fashion coordinator for the festivities, and Monica providing entertainment as a dealer.
Fiona and Kanna had the time of their lives together as they took part in the fun pool games, while Luna explored the wilderness with the group tour. Naturally, Nagisa stuck with her sister like glue, in protecting her from lingering eyes.
Other guest had shown up with their own unique quirk about them. From an energetic tan girl who determines people by smell, to a shy artist who loves drawing goddesses; The Venus Festival was about to go on with a bang.
However, not everyone was so thrilled.
As Dante was as chipper as can be after last night's events, he was more than ready to get back out there to kill Mundus and get answers on the other possible Nephilim. He had to admit though, a good vacation was just the thing he needed.
He arrived on the beach, and saw the massive helicopter waiting for him to depart. Much to his surprise, he saw Zack standing there. Dante had a right mind to beat the crap out of him for all he had put him through, but hesitated at the sight of him balling his eyes out.
"Ugh, I know I'm gonna regret askin', but what's the matter?" Dante begrudgingly asked.
"Oh Dante! I-It's horrible!" Zack exclaimed through tears. "My Original Paradise! My beautiful Magnum Opus! My Zack Island was destroyed!"
"How'd that happen?"
"I-It was those thugs! They stormed my Zack Island n' made a mess of everything!" Zack cried. "I mean, yeah, the ladies took 'em down, n' all, but at what cost? At What! Cost?-!"
Zack broke down in the literal sense of dropping to his knees and burying his misery into the dirt. Dante tried to calm him down in the eyes of other guest, before anyone got the wrong idea.
"Hey, man. Jeez, just work on the island you got." Dante tried to comfort. "Least there's still this place."
"*sniff* Y-Ya really think so…?"
"I know so—"
"Then we're back in business, baby!" Zack suddenly shot up as though his emotions flipped a switch. "Venus island is the new wave in Beach entertainment! Imma get big with this one!"
"Congrats…" Dante rolled his eyes. "Can I go home now?"
Dante walked right past the over-confident Zack as he took off towards the Venus festival. Dante was just glad to have him out of his hair with some major cash to spend. He went towards the helicopter where the private pilot awaited him. Before he could even step onto the chopper, he happened to look over his shoulder to give one last look at the resort. It truly was a good memory to spend, before going back into the fray of battle once more.
"Wait!"
Suddenly, Dante heard footsteps running in the sand towards the helicopter from the right of him. He stepped back to see Misaki trudging her way towards Dante, now donning a new hoodies and blue bathing suit.
"Misaki?" Dante called.
Once she finally caught up to Dante, she took a quick breath, before she spoke.
"Y-You're leaving already?"
"Yep. I got some things I need to do back home that can't wait."
"I see…" Misaki said rather solemnly. "…I guess you're a pretty busy guy, after all."
Dante figured she'd be a tad disappointed to see him go so soon. He hadn't been used to being worried about unless it had to do with him being an asset in fighting the demons. Genuine concern was still a new concept to the white-haired man. He felt a little bad about his departure from her and the others, but life had to move on.
Dante tilted her chin up so that he could meet her tearful gaze with his.
"Don't go cryin' for someone like me." Dante smiled. "I'm just gonna get in the way if I keep stayin' here."
"B-But…!" Misaki tried to say, before she was stopped by a hand raised.
"But since you seem to think you can't go on in a Dante-less world, I promise I'll get back here as soon as I can." Dante said, "Or I could visit you sometime. I got your sis' number."
Her eyes lit up like the stars she wore in her hair. "Y-You promise?-!"
Rather than answer, the white-haired Nephilim displayed his promise through a peck on her forehead. Just as she was last night when she was with Dante, her face went beat red.
"See ya round." Dante smirked, waving her off.
Misaki touched her forehead while putting on a gleeful smile to see him off with. "Yeah…See you soon."