Dante kicked the doors of his shop open, completely tearing them off the hinges from the force of his kick as he and Aqua walked out into the streets.
"Was that necessary?" she asked.
"Depends." he said back.
Suddenly, demons and the unversed appeared in front of the two at the steps of the building. Dante and Aqua then walked down to confront them until Dante turned and saw the damage done to his building.
"Damn it! You guys totally wrecked my shop! And I haven't even named it yet!" Dante shouted as he gritted his teeth in anger.
"I think there's more important things to worry about Dante!" Aqua said, referring to the horde in front of them.
"You're right. Insurance, you guys owe me for the insurance too!" he shouted while turning back and pointing his sword at them while the keyblade master facepalmed.
(not what I meant) she agitatedly thought.
"Now you're gonna pay for that." Dante said.
He then launched his sword in the air and twirled his red cloak around himself stylishly until finally putting it on with his sword coming back down into his hand. Immediately after this he sneezed, just as what was left of his building came tumbling down causing Aqua to throw up her hands in confusion.
{insert fight theme: DMC3 Taste the blood}
"How even?" she questioned.
"I hope you all have enough to cover all this!" Dante said while pointing his sword at them.
He charged forth and attacked the demons and unversed while Aqua summoned her keyblade and did the same. Dante dashed towards one demon and pierced them with his sword knocking them away while Aqua used a shotlock to destroy most of them.
Eventually, faster scythe demons and scrappers appeared who were able to dodge attacks. One dashed forward after Aqua but she just backflip over him then threw her keyblade destroying him as she landed; the same could be said about Dante who slashed upwards taking the demon with him then slammed back down destroying it. Yet another demon spawned in but this one was different. It held something pulsing on it's back as it walked slowly towards them while groaning and moaning.
"What is that?" Aqua questioned.
"Get back!" Dante shouted as he pushed her out of the way.
He pulled out his guns and started shooting at the thing on his back causing it to glow and explode, killing the demon.
"That was close. Thanks." Aqua said.
"Don't thank me yet." Dante said.
More demons and Unversed causing Aqua to get back up and into the fray. She used fire and ice spells on the enemies activating her, "Bladecharge" command style causing her to glow and her keyblade to become a sword of light. While Dante used his guns to blow up the explosive demon again, killing many other demons and unversed, Aqua did two slashes on a group of them before doing a diagonal twisting slash as a finisher; then she raised her blade up in the air and spun it above her head doing damage to the remaining enemies before doing a jumping slash, defeating them.
"Is that all of them?" she asked.
"Nope." Dante said before pointing towards a destroyed building.
Aqua directed her attention there and saw something teleporting from building to building before finally stopping, revealing himself to be a large scythe demon with one eye. It screeched loudly causing Aqua to cover her ears just as it teleported down to them.
The two then went in to attack but it blocked continuously until it counter attacked by slashing downwards only for Dante to side roll and Aqua to cartwheel to avoid the attack. This gave them an opening to attack so they strike at him with everything they had until it disappeared and reappeared behind Aqua and tried to attack again, but she merely countered his attack and cartwheeled out of the way giving Dante the chance to attack it again. With one last push the two managed to get one more hit on the demon, defeating it for good.
{end}
"Thank the stars it's over." Aqua said as she dismissed her key.
"Wasn't half bad for a warmup. Glad I got that outta my system, still sucks that they wrecked my shop though." Dante said as the two turned their attention to what remained of his building.
"I'm sorry." Aqua apologized.
"For what?" Dante asked.
"For what happened to your shop. It must've meant a lot to you." Aqua said.
"Eh, I can always rebuild. All that matters is that this is safe." Dante said while pulling out the framed picture from his desk and showing it to her.
Seeing the picture again made Aqua question who this woman was to Dante.
"Who is she?" she asked.
"Don't worry about it." he said while putting the picture back in his coat.
This made Aqua think again, but this time about who Dante really was despite his shoddy introduction.
(this guy's weird and also a pervert, but for some reason I feel like there's more to him then I'm seeing.) she thought to herself.
Suddenly, the ground started shaking and somewhere else in the city, a large crevice appeared and from it emerged a large tower that loomed over the city. At the top stood two figures: Terra and Vergil.
Dante walked forward and directed his attention to the tower in front of them.
"It's been nearly a year since we last met. Where does the time go?" he said as he looked up.
From atop the tower Vergil looked down at Dante.
"Who are you talking to?" Aqua asked.
"Someone I haven't seen in a long time. My dear older twin brother." Dante said.
"He's your twin also?" Aqua questioned.
Before she had time to process this, they saw the large demon from before had gotten up and jumped away before they could catch it, making Dante holster his gun.
"Let's go, I bet he's got something up his sleeve for this little party of his, and I bet your boyfriend's there too." Dante said, making her blush.
"H-he's not my boyfriend!" Aqua said, flustered.
"Sure he isn't."' he said as he started walking, making her grunt
"No doubt he's got something planned for me. Right Vergil?" he shouted to his twin.
(so that's his name, Vergil. Terra, I hope you're there.) Aqua thought to herself.
TEMEN-NI-GRU
At the top of the ancient tower, Terra and Vergil were staring down at the city while Arkham walked up next to them.
"Arkham." Terra said.
"Well, doesn't it excite you both?" Arkham said.
"The Temen-ni-gru has revived, the great one who once ruled this earth as the medium between the Human world and the Demon world." he said.
"Isn't it a magnificent view? The greatest minds of their time, those who revered Evil and Darkness, constructed this glorious edifice." he continued.
"Now after two millenniums of confinement, it can at last fulfill the purpose for which it was intended-"
"That's none of my concern." Vergil said, interrupting him.
"Did he have it?" he asked.
"Of course. He and his friend are taking good care of it." Arkham said.
"His friend?" Terra questioned.
"Or more specifically, your friend." Arkham said, making Terra confused.
(wait, what?) Terra questioned in his head
"After all, it is the only memento left from the mother you both lost." Arkham said.
"But he has no idea of it's true power." Vergil said.
The large scythe demon from before appeared before the three, making Terra shocked and causing him to summon his keyblade, only for Vergil to put his hand in front of him. Vergil turned around and walked ahead and as the demon followed him, he took out his sword and stabbed him. He then slowly sheathed his weapon as the demon's torso and head slid off each other until finally, he exploded and his parts fell off the tower and down below as Terra and Arkham watched.
"He's very powerful." Terra said.
"Indeed." Arkham.
"By the way, what did you mean when you said a friend was helping him protect the amulet?" Terra asked.
"I saw a blue-haired woman in his shop whose attire matched your's." Arkham said while turning toward him.
Hearing this made Terra surprised.
"What was her name?" Terra asked with a concerned look.
"Aqua." Arkham said, making him widen his eyes in shock.
IN THE CITY BELOW
The demon's body parts continued falling down as Ven and Mary watched from her motorcycle.
"Is that the place?" Ven asked.
"Yep, we found it." Mary said while putting away her binoculars
From behind them three demons appeared to attack but went unnoticed by the two as Mary merely started her cycle and flames burst out at the demons causing them to catch on fire as she drove off leaving the burning demons to fall and form a three.
Elsewhere, Dante and Aqua made their way through the city encountering new demons and unversed. They made it to an old bar where Dante managed to find a new firearm (which was a shotgun), then they made it to a strip club called, "Love Planet" where they had to fight more enemies and Dante made a certain remark to Aqua that got him kicked in the...lower regions of his body.
Once they left, they were now at the base of the tower where a glowing entrance was in front of them.
"Aah! You didn't have to kick me so hard y'know." Dante said with his hands between his legs.
"Shut up and die." Aqua said.
"Look, I said I was sorry." Dante said.
"No you didn't!" Aqua said.
"I-well I was going to." Dante said.
"Uh huh. Look, there's the entrance, let's go." Aqua said as she ran off to the bright door ahead of them.
"*sigh* women." Dante said as he ran after her.
ICE GUARDIAN'S CHAMBER
Once inside, they found the entrance to the tower was filled with ice and icicles making Aqua shiver a little bit.
"It's freezing here." she said while rubbing her shoulders.
The door entrance that had three frozen dog heads fell apart revealing a Cerberus that was covered in ice. It tore itself free and walked in front of the two with chains on it's back as it roared ferociously.
When an ice block launched in front of them, Dante cut it half before it could hit them.
"LEAVE NOW MORTALS! THE LIKES OF YOU ARE FORBIDDEN IN THIS LAND! YOU WHO ARE POWERLESS ARE NOT WORTHY TO SET FOOT HERE!" it roared.
"Wow, I've never seen a talking mutt before." Dante said in a calm demeanor.
"Dante…" Aqua said, cautiously.
"Y'know in a dog show, you'd definitely take first place." Dante mocked.
"YOU, A MERE HUMAN, MAKE A MOCKERY OF ME?!" Cerberus roared.
It blew a blast of ice at them, making them move out of the way and causing it to freeze the entrance behind them.
"Easy Fido! How about I take you for a walk? Come on puppy, let's go!" Dante taunted.
"Are you trying to kill us?" Aqua said.
"YOU'LL BOTH REGRET THIS, WORMS!" Cerberus roared.
"Looks like you made it angry, happy?" Aqua said.
"Very, because it's showtime!" he said as he got into a fighting stance
{insert boss theme: Anger Unchained KH3}
"Come on!" he shouted.
Aqua summoned her key and shot a fire spell at the beast while Dante shot it which caused the ice to fall off of its body. They then attacked its legs which angered it immensely causing it to blast ice at the floor, nearly encasing them, luckily they managed to jump back in time.
Aqua fired more flame spells and even threw her key while it was encased in flames.
"INSOLENT LITTLE WELPS!" it roared.
"Looks like you made him mad this time." Dante said.
"Shut up!" Aqua said.
She then activated "Firestorm" making her body become covered in flames just as the Cerberus slammed its foot down making huge ice come their way as they dodged to avoid it. Dante kept shooting at the canine until all the ice came off of its body, then he started attacking with his sword until it finally fell down in exhaustion.
"Now's our chance!" Aqua said.
"Let's get him!" Dante said.
The two launched consecutive attacks, burning him and doing massive damage until it finally got back up and slammed both paws onto the ground, making giant icicles appear as he glowed red with anger.
"Red's not good." Aqua said.
"No it's not, but that just adds to the fun." Dante said while smiling.
Soon enough, the Cerberus reformed the ice armor on his body while it continued to attack. It switched to another head and launched a block of ice that Aqua sliced in half this time while Dante attacked its feet. Aqua jumped and used her shotlock to shoot off more of the ice, but that just put her in his line of fire as it dashed forward to hit her, only for her to jump on top of his head and land right next to Dante.
"You certainly got some moves. You should show them to me sometimes" Dante said.
"Sure, want me to show you how to kick someone again?" Aqua said.
"Geez you're no fun." Dante said.
The Cerberus recovered and was dragged back to the door as the two put the guard back up. Aqua attacked him and actually managed to destroy one of its heads. It then roared causing ice to fall from the ceiling that the two had to run from. When the ice stopped falling, Dante jumped and sliced off another head of the beast. Now only one remained, with her command style still active, Aqua then used Dante's D-link giving her all of his styles and abilities.
"Keep it distracted, I've got an idea." Aqua said.
"You got it." Dante said
While Dante distracted Cerberus, Aqua used his trickster style to move faster. She then jumped in the air and did her finishing move on the canine.
"You're done!" Aqua shouted.
She sent three rings of fire towards him causing pillars of flames to shoot outwards and hit Cerberus dead-on, defeating it.
{end boss music}
The Cerberus was pushed back to the door of the tower.
"YOU'RE NOT HUMANS, ARE YOU?" he asked.
"I'm very much human." Aqua said while dismissing her key.
"Who knows about me though? I'm not even sure myself." Dante said.
"REGARDLESS, YOU BOTH HAVE PROVED YOUR STRENGTH. I ACKNOWLEDGE YOUR ABILITIES." Cerberus said.
"TAKE MY SOUL AND GO FORTH! YOU BOTH HAVE MY BLESSING." he continued.
"Wait what?" Aqua said confused.
The Cerberus then exploded in a burst of shards leaving behind only his soul which floated to Dante, surprising Aqua. The soul then transformed into a weapon of three interlocking rods which had ice at the bottom.
He then took the time to show off it's capabilities by twirling it around himself while Aqua watched in weirdness until he finally struck a pose.
"Too easy!" he said.
"Again, was that necessary?" Aqua questioned.
"Hey, always have to break in something new." Dante said.
The two started walking to the door, but before they made it, something crashed through the window on a motorbike. Before it hit them, Aqua cartwheeled out of the way while Dante jumped, allowing them both to see that it was none other than Mary and Ventus riding on it.
"What the- Ven?!" Aqua exclaimed.
"Aqua?!" Ven exclaimed while turning to see them.
"Friend of yours?" Dante asked.
"Yeah." Aqua said.
"Interesting, you both going to the party? What's the hurry, didn't you guys get an invitation?" Dante asked while walking towards them.
"Move to the left." Mary whispered to Ven.
"Okay, why-"
Before Ven could finish Mary pulled out her launcher and fired at the two. Dante ducked under it then put his foot on the missile then started riding it all over the place, surprising the keyblade wielders.
Ven/Aqua in thought: (What the Hell?!)
Eventually he launched the rocket at the ceiling of the door leaving a giant hole when he landed.
"WHOO!" he shouted in excitement while laughing.
He then turned his attention back to Ven and Mary and as he stepped forward he looked into her and his eyes making him stop for a moment. She started the bike again and drove towards him.
"Whoa, whoa, whoa, Mary!" Ven shouted.
Before she hit him, she made the bike jump and go through the hole in the ceiling.
"This just keeps getting better and better!" Dante said while turning around.
He looked back and noticed Aqua was looking down, frowning about something.
"What's with you?" he asked.
"Ven. Why is he here?" Aqua questioned.
"Whaddya mean?" asked Dante.
"I told him to go home. Why didn't he listen to me?" Aqua said.
"Is he also important to you?" Dante asked.
"...he's like a brother to me." Aqua said, surprising the young man.
"Me, him, and Terra, We're a family, and I think that family might be growing soon." Aqua said, muttering the last part while Dante stayed quiet.
"Our master gave me orders to bring him home no matter what, and every time I find him he just slips away again. I just don't understand why he won't listen to me. Doesn't he understand how worried the master is for him?" Aqua said.
"He probably got tired of his family, and that's why he ran away." Dante said.
This caused him to get slapped by Aqua who glared at him.
"Strong hit." Dante said while holding cheek.
"Shut up! You don't know a thing about Ven so how can you talk? You don't know what it's like having this responsibility on your shoulder. I have to bring him home." Aqua said.
"Why should that concern me?" Dante said.
This made Aqua widen her eyes slightly.
"I can't believe you. I thought I could understand what kind of person you are, but it's impossible." she said.
She bumped his shoulder while walking past him without saying a word as he stood there mulling over her words.
"Family, huh?" he said to himself.
Next chapter: Agni and Rudra
An: sorry this took so long. As you could tell I was busy with other stuff and this got pushed to the back because of it.
So yeah, you can see that at the end Aqua tries to open up to Dante, but he disregards her feelings because of his detachment to humanity. That's basically what Lady does in the game too and that's how I want the relationship between Aqua and Dante to go, she acts as a maternal figure teaching him how to connect with people.
Terra and Ven are gonna have moments where they question why the others are here as well, and since this takes place after Radiant Garden, you know there's gonna be drama.
Other than that, this marks the end for this chapter. I will get back to the other stories I promise.
See you guys soon.