Every time I think of you
I feel shot right through with a bolt of blue
It's no problem of mine but it's a problem I find
Living a life that I can't leave behind
There's no sense in telling me
The wisdom of a fool won't set you free
But that's the way that it goes ...

I feel fine and I feel good
I'm feeling like I never should
Whenever I get this way, I just don't know what to say
Why can't we be ourselves like we were yesterday
I'm not sure what this could mean
I don't think you're what you seem
I do admit to myself
That if I hurt someone else
Then I'll never see just what we're meant to be
Every time I see you falling
I get down on my knees and pray
I'm waiting for that final moment
You'll say the words that I can't say
~Bizarre Love Triangle, New Order


Luce ed Ombra
Chapter Six

L'Nero Angelo
[By Ultema and Guo]


Everything was in order -- what seemed endless amounts of stairs covered in a few moments to lead towards a rather spacious room. The stone walls were somewhat cool, but the view from the open balcony made it all worth it. There was neither a heavy scent of stale air, nor the looming presence of undeniable evil in these walls, and the staff that ran the establishment seemed all too friendly and cooperative with their pair of newest guests, the man of the two getting more of the gawks due to his considerably contrasting choice of style to the cool-clad business woman who had led him up the stairs, needless to say, dumping the weight of their luggage upon him once more for effect.

Everything had been laid out quite neatly, distinctly the single drawer was shared but divided just so they could distinguish one's clothing form the other ... as though it were difficult at all. The surroundings were strangely homey in comparison to Isabella's Penthouse Suite -- alas but a single bed with a canopy draped in a fine, chiffon linen, and heavy scarlet curtains covering the glass door that lead to the stone balcony offering a fantastic view of the cityscape. The mirrors were large, a fine fur rug below the bed, but the cold floor visible around the doors and the rest of the floor. The added-on bathroom was a fine piece, carved of pure white marble, though a little cold to the touch.

By now, Isabella had removed her killer shoes and stepped to the balcony to enjoy a cup of the complimentary wine, and a cigarette without smoking her partner out.

Dante's eyes took notice of each detail of the surroundings, studying them, attempting to see past the obvious. With each staff member glared at every time they neared, it was no difficult task to see right through him. He wasn't worried, he was cautious. Everything was always wrong when he was around -- so he thought. And her -- Isabella seemed to know the place like the back of her hand ... could have easily been her castle, or at least that was his guess.

His butt planted firmly into the couch in their room as he removed his unbearably large, but somehow practical boots (in his business, anyways), trench coat far from being removed; feet soon placed up on a coffee table and the rest of his body sunken into the cushions. His head slowly turned to view the other, and scrunch of his eyebrows showed his interest in her condition, and soon his body was nearing hers.

"I hope you don't mind the company ... I sure as hell could use some." His feet pivoted in the ground and body twisted to lean against the railing. Head cocked to the side, eyes staring upwards in her general vicinity.

"I like the company, for what it's worth ..." Isabella smiled, paying little attention to Dante as he continued to let his eyes pry in her direction.

"You seem familiar with this place, as if you're expecting something ... now could be a good time to fill me in. After all, waiting for nightfall seems dangerous... and all that are around here or tip-hungry bell-hop jerks..." A trailing voice was used as his concern for her grew to overcome his need for being told every little thing.

"-- do you smoke?" The open pack was offered in his general direction, as well as the unusually large Zippo lighter. Isabella's attention seemed to swivel fully around towards her white-haired companion, this time her eyes not hidden by the dark tints of her sunglasses, seemed to creep over every detail facing her. She sure as hell was sizing him up, for better or for worse, if the former were even possible in such a situation. A casual toss of the head, and she was back in business, both middle and index finger supporting the cigarette between them, before flicking the ash off without a care, and then turning her attention back on him.

"I don't care for them much myself, but it's a hard habit to break after you've done it for the image." A smirk pulled at the sides of her heavy lips, and Isabella had shifted around until she was standing directly beside the hunter, arms folded and elbows dangling over the side of the stone balcony.

Dante seemed to get a chuckle from one of her sarcastic statements as one hand reached out to draw a cigarette out of the box, placing it in his mouth like a toothpick. Smoking wasn't really something he had done often, but he too liked the image -- not something he'd admit, of course. You might have seen the crimson clad one squat to enjoy the taste of such a disgusting invention, had the situation not been so serious. Still, he managed to get in a line,

"I make it a point to come here every century or so, just to see if anything has changed ... basically, we're safe as far as I have seen. It doesn't take much to get through where I am going, but what is beyond the door is far passed what I could do anything about, and that is why you are here. Also, it's best not to stir up too much trouble with the bell-hops... it's not a decent paying job, mind you." Isabella finally continued, looking out over the land.

"Whatever it is you're talking about, I doubt it could stand up to me if I'm fighting for you... " He didn't exactly give time to respond for his relatively lame comment, and a follow up,

"You keep coming back... something must change often ... so ... what is it now?" Another glance around the room, looking for thieves and shadows alike, no doubt. What was this guy's deal, anyway? He motioned towards the couch, inviting her back to it, his barely started cigarette thrown to the ground, and coat pulled out from below him as he again took a seat on the couch.

"And if we can't do anything about it until nightfall ... I might as well get some sleep..." Such a relaxing position, or so it seemed, sprawled out while still sitting up, he almost seemed to beckon her to tell him whatever it was she could tell him along side him.

"Well, aside from the passing of power from the hand of monarchy, to the tyranny of tourist capitalism ... nothing. That's the problem. I've hoped for a while that maybe what lay beyond the doors would change, but it obviously hadn't." Isabella flicked the butt of her own smoke casually into the air, and away with the wind it was carried as she turned on the cold stones below to follow the demon hunter in his steps, and took a seat nearby; almost in his lap, regardless of the space there was to sit in. A slender leg crossed over top the other, and a hand rested on her knee as she placed her glass down on the glass top of the coffee table.

"And ... getting rest isn't a bad idea. I need to look over a few things before we start, anyway ..." With this, she rose and opened one of the suitcases, procuring several sheets of yellowed, worn paper with scrawling handwriting and diagrams. They must have been blueprints of some sort.

Dante nodded in agreement to her, it all seemed to make sense -- except of course her entire story... but that didn't concern him too much. He knew she wasn't lying -- real life always made less sense than it should -- especially with outside factors like him coming in. He seemed quite intent on learning all he could, but found himself beginning to doze off on the couch as she made her way through whatever it was she was looking at -- he couldn't tell. It took every bit of energy he had to try to stay awake, yet everything blinked in and out... all he could do was hope he'd be able to take care of whatever it was that he was there to stop when he needed to.

His confidence showed through as always, even in his incoherent state with what appeared to be drool slowly soaking into the couch pillow behind him. His body drifted towards her subconsciously and his mind began to put the pieces of everything he had been told together. Perhaps a dream could make sense of all of this madness.

Isabella paused for a moment, taking a quick glance at her partner from over the top of an old, yellow, weathered piece of paper. A risen brow slowly fell to lay flat across her forehead as she set the paper down gently on the coffee table, and stood moving quietly towards the bed and removing the top cover of it. With equal stealth and gentleness, she placed it over the drifting hunter, moved the pillows around slightly without jarring the young man, and gave him a soft pat on the top of his head.

Making sure that all was in order, she silently made her way towards the dresser, beside it finding a pair of flat-soled boots that were donned with ease, and pulled up over her calves, zipped up the inside, and carried herself out of the heavy wooden door. Pausing for a moment, one hand rest on the wood, before pulling it towards her body via the large, iron handle as she turned and slipped into the hallway. Not a sound made by the soft soles of her shoes, only the gentle click of the lock remained as the door was pulled shut.

That done, Isabella straightened, taking a glance left and right to see if there was anyone looking. Satisfied with her stealth mission thus far, the woman proceeded casually down the hall -- long jacket swaying with each step as she passed door after door, and thankfully there were no windows to the inside corridor. Further down the one they were on, was an area where the candles were no longer lit, and into the distance was a deep blackness that one could not see into.

Without much thought, she had moved beyond the guardrail that kept the area off limits (it was slightly demolished on one side, it seemed. Parts of the walls and ceiling lay prone across the floor), she crept below the newly installed security camera and dodged into the darkness. A stairwell rested at the end of this hallway, it's steps brittle and cracking as she approached. The woman paused, placing a hand on the wall beside her before taking another quick glance around; it was as though she had sunk into the floor, though what stood above a gleaming red circle was no longer a crouching woman, but a black feline. With the appearance of a normal domesticated shorthair, big green eyes, and about three times the size of the friendly neighborhood kitty, the animal swiftly dodged up the stairs.

The next hall around was easily moved through as the feline continued its path, as though knowing exactly where to go. Below her paws, the stones shifted slightly; threatening to give way even under the weight of her body. The cat paused, taking a cursory glance upwards at a candlestick. Without checking to see around her, the feline took two careful steps back, and then walked straight for the wall. Her muzzle disappeared, followed in rapid succession by her paws, shoulders, back and stomach, hind legs, and finally the tip of her tail. The wall rippled for a brief second, before she was standing in a similar hallway, candles lit, and an iron door ahead.

A not so inconspicuous heap of dark metallic garbage seemed to be crouched against the wall in the hallway. However, if one weren't to look, or had taken the short way into the hallway, as the light-footed and literally feline-esque Isabella did, perhaps it wouldn't have been noticed. Whether it's presence was recognized or not, it would have startled just about anyone as it began to rise out with no prior warning. A soft violet glow emanated from cracks in what was now a visible suit of armor -- of what make or time period wasn't so obvious. The sounds of heavy footsteps echoed throughout the hallway as the dark figure neared the one by the door -- which one was the true beast was a good question. A hand reached out to the feline, not in hostility, but friendship.

"I hope you know what you're doing ... you won't be betraying anyone from your past ... will you? ... " An extremely deep voice addressed the feline. The male apparently knew nothing of her agenda, nor of her personally, still he seemed to act as if he knew her.

Perhaps taken aback by some amount of surprise by the other voice, the shadow-like hairs on the back of the feline shot upwards, tail frizzed out as ears slicked back and body jerked, putting the catlike Isabella on her toes for a split second before the voice was recognized, and a distinct rumble which seemed to be somewhere between a disgruntled grunt and a contented purr ebbed forth.

"What exactly ... are you doing here, Euryon ... I thought this was all over.. " A hand motioned towards the door, as the large armor clad man walked beside her ... head nor body turning towards her... so stiff it seemed, as if there was little to no movement allowed in whatever outfit he was in.

As soon as the fur slicked itself back down, the cat had made its way towards the door, looking up at it, before looking over her shoulder towards the heavily armored man that was moving like a rusty gear.

"Of course I know what I'm doing... and what are you doing here, anyway?" If cats had such physical expressions, the speaking one dodged an eyebrow before hefting itself onto its hind feet and putting its paws on the cold iron door. Peering upwards at it, the feline's ears slicked back against its skull and she let herself drop back down to all fours. Pacing too and fro for a moment, the cat paused, and allowed itself to fall back on its haunches, still peering quizzically at the stiff figure not too far away.

The other's hands reached up to grasp was at first looked like a hideous face and was apparently some form of helmet, revealing a white haired young man. Similarities to the man that Isabella had came with existed in the bone structure of the face. Stepping forward to lean against the door she was attempting to gain access to, his eyes squinted slightly as his eyes looked over her.

"I'm here both by request, and on personal interest.... " He muttered, reaching out once again to her, this time attempting to make contact with the feline's shoulder.

"Request, huh?" the feline queried, peering upwards at the towering man.

"It's been a while ... I don't know if I can help you do ... what it is you're trying to do here ... unless of course you tell me what it is ..." It was quite obvious he was just trying to extract information from her ... yet it was a bit harder to tell whether or not his concern was sincere or not.

"More importantly ... what are you doing... with ... him?" This inquiry sounded a bit more serious... almost as if jealousy were involved, as well as concern.

Brow bones seemed to shift on the cat's skull as part of her green eyes were obscured by what was obviously a frown, instead now taking the chance to weave in and out of the other's legs in a figure eight before stopping and sitting down once again. It was obvious that she was suspicious of his motives, and the sound of what was like jealousy.

"I don't suppose you'd tell me by whose, but that doesn't matter ..." This said, ignoring the blatantly disguised questioning, the cat stood once again on its hind legs, though this time paws seemed to lengthen, the blackness of the fur seemed to melt; ears first, dripping down to reveal the glimmer of mahogany-and-ebony hair, a mocha face, bright eyes, cinnamon lips, and finally a human's body standing a good couple feet shorter than the man in her vicinity.

Those full lips of hers were twisted upwards in something between a pout, and obvious distaste for the situation, though Isabella's eyes had locked quite forcefully on his. It wasn't until she had thought about it more that the pout had turned up into something a little more devious. Something of a grin through which it was plain to see both rows of perfect teeth, and she leaned forward, resting her elbows on the darkened plates of metal covering the man's torso.

"What? Are you jealous or something?" The previously feline woman questioned, staring intently into the blue depths of the armor-clad man's eyes.

The man offered a monotone chuckle, his eyes staring back into hers with no real emotion visible,

"Just don't get delusions of grandeur ... and I can't allow you to be helping him ... I thought we all agreed on you staying out of all this." Once again, his motives were obviously a result of another higher authority ... he didn't have any intention on answering her questions, not until his were answered and some other portion of this conversations which didn't seem to be coming from the same person was concluded. The armored man took a step or two backwards the cat transformed into the humanoid, and when she simply stated that he was aiding her, it seemed to break the concentration of the other.

"What exactly are you doing here, Euryon ... or whatever it is you go by these days... why all of a sudden are you back?" Again, this question was restated ... but this time, his voice sounded less harsh, more of an actual person, interested in aiding a friend -- whether or not she would consider him a friend didn't appear to matter in his mind.

"He's helping me ... and since when ... have you ever wanted to help me with anything that had to do with this door?" Isabella indicated the iron portal just beyond them with a deft movement of her head.

"I'm not helping you ... not really," Sure, that's what he said; eyes switched focus between her and the door. " But, I can give you something ... as long as you aren't planning anything too conniving, like you usually are." A smirk appeared on the lips of the previously emotionless beast of a man.

"... And you know why I'm concerned with why you're taking my brother along for the ride ..." He eyed her while once again moving himself a bit away due to her glance.

"Technically, what's going on here doesn't concern anyone but myself. If I had it my way, I'd be doing this solo. I don't like admitting I need help any more than anyone else, Vergil." Isabella's smile seemed to melt into something more serious by now, flickering her attention momentarily from his face, to the door as she let her arms fall back down to her sides. Her weight switched, one hand rose to indicate the door slightly before resting again at her side.

"It's just something that I need to do ... and I can't do it by myself ... and Isabella. Just Isabella ... that's all I want you to know me as. "

She refused to elaborate any more on the point, but the stern look that crossed her countenance was something easily read that she was serious, no joking involved this time. She moved to one side of the wall, rested her shoulders on it, and peered intently towards the other, before flickering her hand dismissively as she thought of his previous 'whatever'.

The one referred to as Vergil appeared quite discouraged by Isabella's lack of cooperation and explaining, but he soon disregarded it, perhaps understanding that this is the way she was.

"Well, it's obvious you have your reasons, I'd assume you'd tell me straight out if you were doing what ... he thought you were ... no matter. It's of no concern ... the fact we aren't fighting should be proof enough for him." A grin entered his features, "You haven't changed a bit ... and I can't help you ... nor do you want mine, I'm sure ... but here. Maybe you should look at this ... or give it to him."

All this talk of 'him' and no apparent interaction from who it referred to seemed a bit odd and confusing -- obviously not the best speaker, Vergil clipped his talking short with a quick shake of his head, and handed over an amulet and two oddly shaped, gilded keys... they obviously didn't fit the door in front of them, nevertheless, it seemed as though he was aiding her in some way.

Something cracked in Isabella's serious glare, brows rising upwards sympathetically as she took a hold of the items he had handed over. Once breaking the eye contact with him to look over the trinkets, they slowly rose back upwards towards Vergil again.

"I don't want to see you killed, so be careful. I'll be around ... but don't expect me to be a help to you ... or him ... anymore. " Vergil walked forward; eyes locked on Isabella's. His face changed from a serious one to a slight smirk, surprising from a man of his nature. Moving past her, his hand tapped against her stomach.

"And, stay away from my brother." His hands replaced his helmet back onto his head, and a chuckle echoed through the material as his feet clanged hard against the wood below, a strange mix of sounds to be left with as he moved to make his exit in a sharp, thin beam of light.

For a moment, Isabella parted her lips as though to speak, but instead sucked in air, and let it out again. Some things it would have been nice to say, but couldn't pull herself to do so. Before she could muster her thoughts again, he already made his exit.

Her lower lip disappeared under her top row of teeth as she bit down slightly, and as the last glimmer of light vanished from sight, she had let her head hang slightly in response. Another glance was cast down towards the items in hand, and she tightened her grip around them. Shoulders rising and falling with a single breath, she took another glance at the door before her. All of a sudden, something felt amiss. Not taking the time to try and figure it out at that very moment, she turned on her heels, but not before placing the amulet around her own neck, and the keys in her pocket.

Once more assuming her feline form in a masterful transmogrification, the cat sauntered slowly back towards the wall in which it came, just to take another glance over her shoulder before she vanished through the water-like ripples in the stone, and headed back towards the room where 'sleeping beauty' lay, most likely soaking the upholstery.



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Author's Notes:Heh, a spoiler or two in there, but hey :P Yes, yes. Still working on more.