Disclaimer: I know I haven't been adding a disclaimer to every chapter. I
figured disclaiming at the beginning of the story was enough... But
anyway... Y'all know I do not own Dante or any of the DMC characters.
Nikki, Alma, Fulton, Psi, etc. are my fictional characters. Which by the
way, Psi is pronounced 'sigh'. Just in case y'all didn't know... (
Thanks for all the reviews (so far). I hope you guys enjoy the story so far also. I have been rereading and doing major editing to my fanfic, so some of the previous chapters may change a little.
Enjoy! Don't forget to review. Thanks!
Chapter 6
I'm sitting by myself in the bus on the way to the castle, the roar of the bus' engine humming in my mind. I look over to my left and see the white haired man in a black shirt and blue jeans talking to Nikki.
I don't know how else to describe him. He's about 6'2" and he looks like he works out. Very well toned body. He has almost shoulder length silvery white hair. His bangs are long and it's layered in the back, which covers most of the back of his neck. The sides are just long enough to cover parts of his ears. I can tell his hair is very light and soft, because even with a slight breeze his hair stirs with the same movement. He's quite handsome. And those eyes, he has the most lightest blue eyes. . .
I blink. What am I thinking? I shake my head trying to remove the thoughts running through my mind. I look back over to Dante and Nikki.
As if he knew I was looking at him, he turns his head and smiles. My eyebrow lifts and I turn my head the other way, looking back out the window. He comes over and sits in the seat next to me.
"Hey," he says, "Can I talk to you?"
I continuously look out the window.
He leans over and whispers in my ear, "Does your friend know?"
What is he talking about? I ignore him.
"You can't ignore me for very long," he whispers again. He gets up and sits back next to Nikki.
He starts talking to Nikki and says something loud enough for me to hear, "I like your friend, but she told me that she has a boyfriend. Is that true?"
Nikki laughs, "Who? Alma? She doesn't have a boyfriend. She's picky. She only likes certain guys." She looks over to my side of the bus, "Well, at least, she didn't say that she doesn't like you."
I look over at Nikki, "Don't put words in my mouth!" My eyes narrow before looking back out the window again.
"I guess we pissed her off or something?" Dante says with an arched brow.
"Nah, she's just grouchy because she doesn't have a boyfriend." Nikki says loud enough for me to hear.
I ignore her.
**********
The bus stops in front of a very huge and beautiful castle. It's far off in the distance, but because of its massive size it seems closer than what it actually is.
Dante and Nikki get up and start to exit the bus. After I knew they were off, I get up from my seat. As soon as I start descending down the steps of the bus, I can smell a slight aroma of roses. I stop at the bottom step of the bus.
"Excuse me." One of the passengers says to me, pushing me out of the way.
I look at the person, "Oh, excuse me." I mumble snottily.
I walk over to Nikki and ask, "Do you smell roses?"
"Wow, now that's a big castle," she comments. She looks at me, "What did you say?"
I eye her, "Do you smell roses?"
"No. I smell freshly cut grass." Nikki looks at me strangely. "Maybe you smell someone's cologne."
I scratch my head, "Uh, maybe."
Dante brushes up against me and I feel my skin tingle as if I had been electrocuted. I glance at him and move away. He looks at me and smiles. Or was it a smirk? Why does he keep smiling at me like that?
I turn my head, "Humph."
Nikki starts to follow the rest of the tourists, "Come on, Guys!" She motions for us to follow.
I completely ignore Dante. I'm about to catch up to Nikki until Dante grabs my hand. Something flashes in my head and I stop dead in my tracks. I follow the arm up and see him staring me in the face. I jerk my hand away.
"What's your problem?!" I yell.
"What's yours?" He says coolly.
"Ah!" I say stammering away.
He grabs my arm and turns me back around. "Are you hiding something? There's definitely something different about you, but you're not going to tell me, are you?"
"What are you talking about? You're the one who wouldn't answer me when I was talking to you earlier. There's something weird about you, and I'm going to find out before you do something to me or my friend, Nikki." I jerk my arm from his grip.
He threatens, "If you don't want your friend to get hurt, I suggest you lose her somewhere. She's definitely human, but you." he pauses, "You're not."
I stare at him. What? What the hell is he talking about?
He continues, "I don't know what happened in that place we were at, but I'm going to find out. Even if it means I have to kill you."
He walks past me. His demeanor changes quickly, "Hey, Nikki, wait up. I don't think Alma feels very good!"
I just stand there thinking, what the hell is going on? And what the hell did he mean by that? Thinking that he wants to kill me, I put my hand over my mouth in shock.
"What? No way." Nikki says sounding disappointed. "Is she sick?"
"I think so." Dante replies.
They're now standing next to each other talking. I can only make out a few words here and there, "... are you sure?"
"No problem, you go have fun. We'll be..."
"Okay... take... her."
I start to mumble, "What?... take her?... Nikki, no, wait."
I see Dante walking my way.
I've got to get out of here. Nikki and I have got to get out of here. I scan the area looking for a way to make a quick getaway. I glance back to see how far Dante is. I don't see him. I turn around to try and hide somewhere and bump into him.
I hear the familiar voice, "Going somewhere?"
I look up at him. Panic's written all over my face.
He puts his arms around me and pulls me close to him as if he is comforting me, but the tone in his voice tells me otherwise, "You don't want to make a scene here. We need to go someplace and talk, because you're going to tell me everything you know or else."
All I can do is stand there and nod a few times. Nikki sees this and thinks everything's okay and starts for the castle with the rest of the crowd. Dante and I don't budge until everyone is out of sight. When the coast is clear, I shove Dante from me, and he slams against the bus.
Did I do that? I shake my head thinking I should move my ass out of there, I run opposite the castle, away from the crowd and away from Nikki.
I can hear footsteps behind me. It's getting closer. I turn my head to look and Dante's right on my heels. I pick up the pace.
"Get back here. Running's not going to help you." I hear him say.
Not sure of the direction I'm heading, I make a beeline for the trees on the other side of the road. My heart's beating at an accelerated rate, and I feel like I'm going to pass out from lack of air. I take a quick look back. I can't see him, but I hear him.
Breathing heavily, I zig zag through the trees, running downhill. I run a few more feet, look back and don't see or hear anyone. I slow down. I stop to catch my breath and bend over to place my hands on my knees, "(Panting)... Where'd he go?" I look back up towards where I entered from the road.
I hear a rustling of leaves behind me, "You looking for me?"
I quickly turn around. But before I can react, he kicks me in the stomach. I go flying back a few feet and slide on my butt a couple of yards before I stop.
I cringe from the swift kick in my gut. I hear him walk towards me. I put my arms in front of me to shield myself from another attack.
"Are you going to run again? Or you going to stay put so we can talk?" Dante says after stopping at my feet. He is also holding his stomach.
I move my arms away from my face and without looking at him, I say, "What do you want to talk about?"
Dante crouches down and stares at me intently. After a long pause, he says, "You know, you aren't very smart."
I look at him, "What do you mean?"
"For being part demon, you should be able to sense my whereabouts." He states.
I look at him confused, "I'm not part demon," I stick my tongue out at him and say immaturely, "How do you know I'm not an angel?"
He looks at me like a curious little child. One arm drapes over one knee, while the other elbow is propped up on the other knee. His chin is resting in the palm of his hand. He reaches with his free hand and touches my leg. In a split second, I feel a tingle and something flashes before my eyes. Reacting, I kick at his hand.
"Ow! What the hell was that for?" He says rubbing his hand.
I try to scramble to me feet, "What did you just do?" I look at him a little shocked. "Don't do that again." I demanded.
He stands up. I back up, a little startled.
Dante puts his hand up, "Easy. If you don't run, you won't have to worry about anything."
I stutter, "W... What do you want?"
He eyes me, cocks his head and asks, "Who are you?"
I look at him confused.
He moves his head slightly towards me as if waiting for an answer, "Well?"
"What do you mean? You all ready know who I am." I say.
"I know that much," he says matter-of-factly. "Okay, let me ask another question. 'What' are you?"
"Huh?"
He taps his foot, "You know, this would go a lot easier if you'd just answer my questions."
"Sorry," I say looking away.
I sit back down drawing my knees to my chest. I hug them tightly.
"Sigh... Who do you work for?"
"..." I don't know what to say to him. What does he mean by that? I don't work for anyone. Does he think I'm related with the Mafia or Yakuza?
"Are you just going to sit there and not answer me?" He asks. I can tell that he's starting to get a little impatient.
I don't know what to do. What do I tell him? Why is he bothering me? He didn't seem to care when I was asking for his help in that castle.
All of a sudden, I hear him move my way. He grabs the front of my shirt and lifts me up, "Anybody in there?"
"Let me go! You're hurting me!" I yell while trying to pry his hand from my shirt.
He throws me back and I land on my ass. I wince thinking I'd feel pain.
I slowly get up and out of reaction; I rub my butt, "What was that for?"
He starts to walk slowly towards me. I back up to match his steps.
"Where are you going?" Dante says a little suspicious.
"Uhh... Somewhere where you can't bother me," I say as I make a dash for the road. I can hear him behind me. All of a sudden, I hear a gunshot the same time something nicks my ear.
I put my hand over my ear and turn around to see Dante pointing a gun at me. Did he just shoot at me?! Where'd he get the gun? I pull my hand away from my ear and see a few specks of blood.
Dante slowly walks my way and starts to speak, "I missed on purpose. If you don't want to die, I suggest you don't run again."
I put my hand to my ear again, "I can't believe you shot at me!"
He continues to walk with the gun still pointed in my direction.
"Who the hell do you think you are?! What the hell do you want from me?! If you're going to kill me, just do it, and quit teasing me!!!" I am yelling so hard that I can feel veins popping out of my neck.
Dante stops a few feet from me. "Come here." He motions with his gun.
I shake my head no.
His eyes narrow and he points his gun as if to fire.
I close my eyes tightly. I can feel my chest rising and falling from my breathing then I hear leaves rustling behind me. I open my eyes. He's not in front of me anymore.
"Click." An arm goes around my neck. I feel something metal pointed at the side of my head.
Dante whispers into my ear, "We're going to go further into the woods, and you're not going to run." He starts to guide me in the direction I'm facing.
I can hear his breathing because he is so close to me. I wish he wouldn't touch me. When he touches me, my skin crawls. I don't know if that's the best description, but it's the only one I can think of right now.
We're further away from the road. I can only hear the sound of the leaves rustling in the wind and his breathing. I wish he'd quit touching me.
Then a thought comes to my head. Is he going to rape me? Oh, my, God, he's some kind of pervert.
I start to struggle. There's no way in hell this guy is going to rape me and leave me for dead and then go after Nikki. I'll be damned if he hurts Nikki. That Bastard.
I try my hardest to break from his chokehold, but he seems to match my every move.
"Why are you trying to get away? Don't you know it's in your best interest to cooperate?"
"No, no, no. You're not going to hurt Nikki!" I say while trying to break free. "I will not let you hurt her! Do you hear me?! You can do what you want with me, but I'll kill you before you get to her!"
I hear Dante scoff at my accusations. "What are you talking about, Bitch? I wouldn't touch her. It's you I'm more interested in."
I keep struggling, "What?!... (pant)... You... (pant)... Bas...tard." I say under my breath.
"Okay, I've had enough of this," and with that, he hits me on the back of the neck with his gun.
**********
"Where the hell are those two?" Nikki says while exiting the bus. They've been gone for a while.
The bus driver looks at Nikki from his seat, "Hey, Lady. We need to go, okay." He says with his weird accent.
Nikki waves her hand as if to dismiss his gripe, "Yeah, yeah... Just a second. We can't just leave my friends here."
"Maybe they go already." The bus driver says rolling his eyes. "Damn American," he says under his breath.
Getting back in the bus, Nikki eyes the bus driver, "What did you say?"
He ignores the question. "Maybe you find them at hotel. You say friend sick, right?"
Nikki rolls her eyes at the driver, but she nods in acknowledgement. She sits back in her seat and thinks to herself how much she's going to cuss me out for leaving.
**********
"Uhhh... (groggily)... ugh, my head." I say finally waking up from my fate with the butt of Dante's gun. I open my eyes slowly trying to focus on my surroundings. "Uhhh... where am I?"
I try to lift my head to look around, but the pain in the back of my neck keeps me from rising too high. With what I am able to see, I can tell that I'm not outside anymore. The room looks like a log cabin of some sort. There is a small rug in the middle of the room, and it feels like the bed I'm lying on is made of logs. I can smell burning wood.
Groggily, I try to sit up. "Uuhh... Why'd he have to do that?" I say rubbing the back of my neck. Then realization hits me and I feel for my clothes. They are still on, "Whew." I chuckle half-heartedly.
I hear the door open up to the room I'm in, "You finally up?" I hear that all too familiar voice.
I look up from my clothes.
"Don't worry. I didn't touch you." Dante says as he begins to walk over to the bed.
"Don't get any closer!" I say angrily.
Dante stops. "Why are you being so stubborn?"
I don't know what to say. I just stare at him.
"I don't know why you won't talk to me, but you're going to have to say something sometime or another. I'm getting a little annoyed with your silence. Plus, you're giving me a headache." He says.
I take a deep breath.
"Okay, don't say anything. Let's get one thing straight, I'm not going to hurt you... unless, you do something stupid. Do you understand?"
I hesitate to answer.
Dante repeats himself. His tone is a little louder. "Do you understand?"
I nod a couple of times very slowly.
"Good. Now, I'm sure you're probably hungry so when you feel up to it, you can join me in the other room." After saying that he walks out leaving me alone.
Well, I can't do anything except comply. He'd probably kill me in an instant if he wanted to. Why is he so interested in me? What does he want? "Sigh. Oh, well, I better go see what's up." I get up from the bed and walk out of the room.
He's sitting at a table drinking something from a mug. He sees me and removes the cup from his lips, "Well, it's nice of you to join me. Are you going to be civil now?"
I smile, but upon feeling the dull ache at the back of my neck, I quickly frown, "Why'd you hit me? That hurt, you know."
He ignores the question. Dante takes another sip from his mug and pulls out a chair motioning for me to sit in.
I swallow hard. Why so close?
"I don't bite." He says patting the seat.
"Yeah, right, tell that to the back of my head." I say scornfully.
I walk over slowly and sit down. I scoot the chair a couple of inches away. Dante laughs.
"Do you want something to eat?"
I shake my head.
"You thirsty?"
I shake my head again. I'm watching him intently as he's asking this without even looking up from his mug. Must be something really good for him to be so interested in it.
I laugh a little.
He stops sipping from his cup and looks at me from the corner of his eyes.
I stop breathing for a couple of seconds.
"What." He says.
I shake my head, "Nothing."
There is silence for what seems like forever.
"So, are you going to start talking, or do I have to start every conversation?" He says looking down at his mug on the table.
Confused, I ask, "What do you want to hear?"
"Like what was I doing chained up on that stone slab? And who you are?
My brow wrinkles, "I don't know. I woke up on one of those stone slabs too..." Mumbling, I say, "...naked."
One of Dante's eyebrow lifts up and he looks at me.
Did he hear me? I look up at the ceiling and start to bite my nails. Okay, this is uncomfortable.
Dante slams his fist on the table and startles me, "Don't you have anything else to say?!"
I jump in my seat, "Geez."
He gets up from his seat and places his arms on either side of me grabbing the top corners of the back of my chair. He starts to speak as though he is interrogating a prisoner. "Well, obviously you changed clothes between the first time I met you and the second time. Either you start telling the truth, or I turn to more tactics to get you to spill your guts out." His eyes narrow, and he says with a threatening tone, "if you know what I mean."
I hesitate to answer. "Uh... What do you want me to say? I really don't know much. I only know as much as you do. I remember going to the museum and looking at some gothic stuff, and then." I pause for a second remembering the black cats that attacked me. I gasp and put my hand to my mouth, "the red eyes," I say, staring into Dante's shirt.
"What red eyes?" Dante shakes the chair.
I look back into Dante's face, "The big black cats. the ones with the red eyes."
Dante gives me a look, "Shadows?"
I look at him confused, "No. Big cats with red eyes... And spikes."
Dante states it this time, "Shadows."
I gaze into his eyes. I can tell that he is contemplating something. I try to analyze his expressions, but he's not showing any emotion. I blink, turn my head and end up staring at his arm.
Something is making my skin tingle. I shudder as I realize how close he is to me. I dare not move so I close my eyes to try and stabilize my thoughts. He's not even touching me, but my senses are tingling. Is he making me feel this way? Argh! This urge I feel. It's driving me nuts. He's too close. Before I knew it, I start to yell, "Get away from me!!!" I open my eyes.
I must have broken his meditation, because Dante is now staring at me, his eyes narrow.
I clench my fists and look away. Oops, I think I said something wrong. Dante lets go of my chair and stands up straight. He looks at me like I'm crazy. He starts to pace the room.
I look around the place trying to calm myself down. I notice a couch, a coffee table and some end tables. The fireplace is crackling away, and the place is fairly lit even though there aren't very many windows. I think to myself, what a nice cozy place. My concentration is broke by the sound of Dante's boots hitting the wooden floors. I stare back at him.
Dante stands there contemplating, hand on chin, "Hmmm... come to think of it. I remember seeing some shadows at the old castle, but they were killed by." his face lights up, "... by these two guys in robes." His face frowns, "There was a body on the floor and then they pointed to me. He turns to face me, "And it was you."
"Me??" I say confused.
"You were the body on the floor. Those shadows had killed you... I think. At least, that's what one of the men said." He pauses trying to remember, "One of them was worried."
"Sorry, I don't remember any of that." I say sounding a little cynical.
Dante still paces the floor. I can tell he was trying to put the pieces of the puzzle together.
I start to think to myself. I was dead. Two guys in robes wanted to get rid of my body. Dante was there. Thinking to myself that that has no relevance to anything. Dante was next to me chained to an altar for some reason. I woke up naked on an altar not remembering anything. I gasp. Did those guys in the robes do a ritual and bring me back to life? But I don't remember dying. I remember the black cats with spikes that protruded from their bodies at will. At will... Those last two words resonate in my head. My head starts to hurt. I grab at the bridge of my nose. The pain. The pain. The paaiiinnn.
"I did die!" I say, remembering the spike in my chest. The pain. How could I forget the pain and the blood? There was so much blood. I remember. "I remember!" I yell. I look at my hands thinking I would see the blood again.
"Alma. Alma?" I hear Dante's voice in the background.
Coming back to reality, I look towards Dante. He's looking at me like he just witnessed a mental patient having one of those moments.
"You okay?" He asks.
"I remember, Dante. I remember."
"Remember what?"
"That I did die." I pause, but continue again, "I guess they brought me back to life." I shake my head not believing what I just said. I look at Dante again and say, "That's ridiculous. Was I really dead? No one can be brought back to life. Can they?"
"Uh, that's a good question. One thing's for sure, you're definitely not human. At least, not all human."
"What? Not all human? What do you mean by that?" My brow wrinkles, "You keep telling me that, but you don't ever explain."
Dante rolls his eyes, "You're like me. Half demon, half human."
I recoil in disbelief, "Half what?!" I put my head in my hand. "Mmmm. You're talking nonsense."
Dante walks up to me, grabs my arms and stands me up. "You feel that? You don't get that feeling unless you're a demon. You can also sense me close by. I sense you close by. Humans can't feel that. That's why devils and demons can roam around without humans knowing, but you and I know when they're around."
I try to speak, but my mouth doesn't form the words. Finally, "What?! What are you saying? Devils and demons? What demons? You're talking nonsense. Me a demon?" I look over to the table and see his mug, "What the hell were you drinking?"
Dante follows my gaze and realizes what I was talking about, "Coffee, Silly!" He lets go of me.
"I need to go." I say.
"Go where?"
"I need to get back to Nikki."
"And put her in danger?" Dante replies angrily.
"Well, she's going to wonder where I'm at."
"You'll put her life in danger. She can't sense denizens of the Underworld. Only you can. They'll sense you and go after you... and her."
My eyebrow lifts and I repeat in my mind what I heard Dante say. Underworld??? I won't even ask what that's all about. I shake the word from my head.
"You found out what you needed to know about me." I say.
"Yeah, but it still leaves a bunch of questions unanswered. Like why was I with you when you were brought back to life? Why were you brought back to life? And who the hell were those robed guys?"
"I don't know, and I don't care. All I know is I'm alive and that I need to get away from you!" I say, poking at his chest.
"Away from me? Why?" Dante asks confused.
I stand there feeling like I'm about to have a tantrum. "Because!"
He realizes why I'm uncomfortable around him and starts to taunt me. "Because why?" He says mischievously.
"Because my senses are tingling and it's driving me crazy!" I yell walking towards the door. I try to open the door, but Dante slams it shut keeping his hand on the door next to my head.
I turn around to face him, "Hey! What did you do that for? Can't you see I'm trying to leave? You all ready got most of the answers you needed. I don't know the answers to the other ones." I say trying to sound calm.
His face is only a few inches from mine. He looks into my eyes. "Do I make you nervous?" He says his eyes narrow.
"W, well. No." I say feeling a little awkward. God, he's too close. I feel like passing out. This sensation is too overwhelming. What's he doing? The silence is too much for me and I stutter, "Wh, what?"
He smirks and nonchalantly says, "Kiss me."
My eyes widen. I think I swallowed my tongue. I get all huffy. "What?!?!" I push him from me and turn around to face the door. I pause for a sec before opening the door. Don't know why, maybe just wondering what the hell he meant by that. It didn't make sense or maybe I was just trying to convince myself that it meant nothing. I storm out the door. I can hear him laughing behind me.
"Hey, do you know where you're going?" I hear him yell.
I stop in my tracks still feeling a little embarrassed. I stand there with my hands on my hips not turning around. "NO!"
"Oh, well." I hear the door shut.
"Arrgh! You asshole!" I say turning around.
He's standing there with his arms folded.
Oops.
"That's a nice thing to say."
I look to the side, "Just point me in the direction and I'll find my own way out. I told you that I wanted to get away from you anyway." I say looking back in his direction.
He rolls his eyes and points to the left.
"Thank you." I start to walk away.
I hear him yell at me, "Don't wander off too far, Baby!"
Thanks for all the reviews (so far). I hope you guys enjoy the story so far also. I have been rereading and doing major editing to my fanfic, so some of the previous chapters may change a little.
Enjoy! Don't forget to review. Thanks!
Chapter 6
I'm sitting by myself in the bus on the way to the castle, the roar of the bus' engine humming in my mind. I look over to my left and see the white haired man in a black shirt and blue jeans talking to Nikki.
I don't know how else to describe him. He's about 6'2" and he looks like he works out. Very well toned body. He has almost shoulder length silvery white hair. His bangs are long and it's layered in the back, which covers most of the back of his neck. The sides are just long enough to cover parts of his ears. I can tell his hair is very light and soft, because even with a slight breeze his hair stirs with the same movement. He's quite handsome. And those eyes, he has the most lightest blue eyes. . .
I blink. What am I thinking? I shake my head trying to remove the thoughts running through my mind. I look back over to Dante and Nikki.
As if he knew I was looking at him, he turns his head and smiles. My eyebrow lifts and I turn my head the other way, looking back out the window. He comes over and sits in the seat next to me.
"Hey," he says, "Can I talk to you?"
I continuously look out the window.
He leans over and whispers in my ear, "Does your friend know?"
What is he talking about? I ignore him.
"You can't ignore me for very long," he whispers again. He gets up and sits back next to Nikki.
He starts talking to Nikki and says something loud enough for me to hear, "I like your friend, but she told me that she has a boyfriend. Is that true?"
Nikki laughs, "Who? Alma? She doesn't have a boyfriend. She's picky. She only likes certain guys." She looks over to my side of the bus, "Well, at least, she didn't say that she doesn't like you."
I look over at Nikki, "Don't put words in my mouth!" My eyes narrow before looking back out the window again.
"I guess we pissed her off or something?" Dante says with an arched brow.
"Nah, she's just grouchy because she doesn't have a boyfriend." Nikki says loud enough for me to hear.
I ignore her.
**********
The bus stops in front of a very huge and beautiful castle. It's far off in the distance, but because of its massive size it seems closer than what it actually is.
Dante and Nikki get up and start to exit the bus. After I knew they were off, I get up from my seat. As soon as I start descending down the steps of the bus, I can smell a slight aroma of roses. I stop at the bottom step of the bus.
"Excuse me." One of the passengers says to me, pushing me out of the way.
I look at the person, "Oh, excuse me." I mumble snottily.
I walk over to Nikki and ask, "Do you smell roses?"
"Wow, now that's a big castle," she comments. She looks at me, "What did you say?"
I eye her, "Do you smell roses?"
"No. I smell freshly cut grass." Nikki looks at me strangely. "Maybe you smell someone's cologne."
I scratch my head, "Uh, maybe."
Dante brushes up against me and I feel my skin tingle as if I had been electrocuted. I glance at him and move away. He looks at me and smiles. Or was it a smirk? Why does he keep smiling at me like that?
I turn my head, "Humph."
Nikki starts to follow the rest of the tourists, "Come on, Guys!" She motions for us to follow.
I completely ignore Dante. I'm about to catch up to Nikki until Dante grabs my hand. Something flashes in my head and I stop dead in my tracks. I follow the arm up and see him staring me in the face. I jerk my hand away.
"What's your problem?!" I yell.
"What's yours?" He says coolly.
"Ah!" I say stammering away.
He grabs my arm and turns me back around. "Are you hiding something? There's definitely something different about you, but you're not going to tell me, are you?"
"What are you talking about? You're the one who wouldn't answer me when I was talking to you earlier. There's something weird about you, and I'm going to find out before you do something to me or my friend, Nikki." I jerk my arm from his grip.
He threatens, "If you don't want your friend to get hurt, I suggest you lose her somewhere. She's definitely human, but you." he pauses, "You're not."
I stare at him. What? What the hell is he talking about?
He continues, "I don't know what happened in that place we were at, but I'm going to find out. Even if it means I have to kill you."
He walks past me. His demeanor changes quickly, "Hey, Nikki, wait up. I don't think Alma feels very good!"
I just stand there thinking, what the hell is going on? And what the hell did he mean by that? Thinking that he wants to kill me, I put my hand over my mouth in shock.
"What? No way." Nikki says sounding disappointed. "Is she sick?"
"I think so." Dante replies.
They're now standing next to each other talking. I can only make out a few words here and there, "... are you sure?"
"No problem, you go have fun. We'll be..."
"Okay... take... her."
I start to mumble, "What?... take her?... Nikki, no, wait."
I see Dante walking my way.
I've got to get out of here. Nikki and I have got to get out of here. I scan the area looking for a way to make a quick getaway. I glance back to see how far Dante is. I don't see him. I turn around to try and hide somewhere and bump into him.
I hear the familiar voice, "Going somewhere?"
I look up at him. Panic's written all over my face.
He puts his arms around me and pulls me close to him as if he is comforting me, but the tone in his voice tells me otherwise, "You don't want to make a scene here. We need to go someplace and talk, because you're going to tell me everything you know or else."
All I can do is stand there and nod a few times. Nikki sees this and thinks everything's okay and starts for the castle with the rest of the crowd. Dante and I don't budge until everyone is out of sight. When the coast is clear, I shove Dante from me, and he slams against the bus.
Did I do that? I shake my head thinking I should move my ass out of there, I run opposite the castle, away from the crowd and away from Nikki.
I can hear footsteps behind me. It's getting closer. I turn my head to look and Dante's right on my heels. I pick up the pace.
"Get back here. Running's not going to help you." I hear him say.
Not sure of the direction I'm heading, I make a beeline for the trees on the other side of the road. My heart's beating at an accelerated rate, and I feel like I'm going to pass out from lack of air. I take a quick look back. I can't see him, but I hear him.
Breathing heavily, I zig zag through the trees, running downhill. I run a few more feet, look back and don't see or hear anyone. I slow down. I stop to catch my breath and bend over to place my hands on my knees, "(Panting)... Where'd he go?" I look back up towards where I entered from the road.
I hear a rustling of leaves behind me, "You looking for me?"
I quickly turn around. But before I can react, he kicks me in the stomach. I go flying back a few feet and slide on my butt a couple of yards before I stop.
I cringe from the swift kick in my gut. I hear him walk towards me. I put my arms in front of me to shield myself from another attack.
"Are you going to run again? Or you going to stay put so we can talk?" Dante says after stopping at my feet. He is also holding his stomach.
I move my arms away from my face and without looking at him, I say, "What do you want to talk about?"
Dante crouches down and stares at me intently. After a long pause, he says, "You know, you aren't very smart."
I look at him, "What do you mean?"
"For being part demon, you should be able to sense my whereabouts." He states.
I look at him confused, "I'm not part demon," I stick my tongue out at him and say immaturely, "How do you know I'm not an angel?"
He looks at me like a curious little child. One arm drapes over one knee, while the other elbow is propped up on the other knee. His chin is resting in the palm of his hand. He reaches with his free hand and touches my leg. In a split second, I feel a tingle and something flashes before my eyes. Reacting, I kick at his hand.
"Ow! What the hell was that for?" He says rubbing his hand.
I try to scramble to me feet, "What did you just do?" I look at him a little shocked. "Don't do that again." I demanded.
He stands up. I back up, a little startled.
Dante puts his hand up, "Easy. If you don't run, you won't have to worry about anything."
I stutter, "W... What do you want?"
He eyes me, cocks his head and asks, "Who are you?"
I look at him confused.
He moves his head slightly towards me as if waiting for an answer, "Well?"
"What do you mean? You all ready know who I am." I say.
"I know that much," he says matter-of-factly. "Okay, let me ask another question. 'What' are you?"
"Huh?"
He taps his foot, "You know, this would go a lot easier if you'd just answer my questions."
"Sorry," I say looking away.
I sit back down drawing my knees to my chest. I hug them tightly.
"Sigh... Who do you work for?"
"..." I don't know what to say to him. What does he mean by that? I don't work for anyone. Does he think I'm related with the Mafia or Yakuza?
"Are you just going to sit there and not answer me?" He asks. I can tell that he's starting to get a little impatient.
I don't know what to do. What do I tell him? Why is he bothering me? He didn't seem to care when I was asking for his help in that castle.
All of a sudden, I hear him move my way. He grabs the front of my shirt and lifts me up, "Anybody in there?"
"Let me go! You're hurting me!" I yell while trying to pry his hand from my shirt.
He throws me back and I land on my ass. I wince thinking I'd feel pain.
I slowly get up and out of reaction; I rub my butt, "What was that for?"
He starts to walk slowly towards me. I back up to match his steps.
"Where are you going?" Dante says a little suspicious.
"Uhh... Somewhere where you can't bother me," I say as I make a dash for the road. I can hear him behind me. All of a sudden, I hear a gunshot the same time something nicks my ear.
I put my hand over my ear and turn around to see Dante pointing a gun at me. Did he just shoot at me?! Where'd he get the gun? I pull my hand away from my ear and see a few specks of blood.
Dante slowly walks my way and starts to speak, "I missed on purpose. If you don't want to die, I suggest you don't run again."
I put my hand to my ear again, "I can't believe you shot at me!"
He continues to walk with the gun still pointed in my direction.
"Who the hell do you think you are?! What the hell do you want from me?! If you're going to kill me, just do it, and quit teasing me!!!" I am yelling so hard that I can feel veins popping out of my neck.
Dante stops a few feet from me. "Come here." He motions with his gun.
I shake my head no.
His eyes narrow and he points his gun as if to fire.
I close my eyes tightly. I can feel my chest rising and falling from my breathing then I hear leaves rustling behind me. I open my eyes. He's not in front of me anymore.
"Click." An arm goes around my neck. I feel something metal pointed at the side of my head.
Dante whispers into my ear, "We're going to go further into the woods, and you're not going to run." He starts to guide me in the direction I'm facing.
I can hear his breathing because he is so close to me. I wish he wouldn't touch me. When he touches me, my skin crawls. I don't know if that's the best description, but it's the only one I can think of right now.
We're further away from the road. I can only hear the sound of the leaves rustling in the wind and his breathing. I wish he'd quit touching me.
Then a thought comes to my head. Is he going to rape me? Oh, my, God, he's some kind of pervert.
I start to struggle. There's no way in hell this guy is going to rape me and leave me for dead and then go after Nikki. I'll be damned if he hurts Nikki. That Bastard.
I try my hardest to break from his chokehold, but he seems to match my every move.
"Why are you trying to get away? Don't you know it's in your best interest to cooperate?"
"No, no, no. You're not going to hurt Nikki!" I say while trying to break free. "I will not let you hurt her! Do you hear me?! You can do what you want with me, but I'll kill you before you get to her!"
I hear Dante scoff at my accusations. "What are you talking about, Bitch? I wouldn't touch her. It's you I'm more interested in."
I keep struggling, "What?!... (pant)... You... (pant)... Bas...tard." I say under my breath.
"Okay, I've had enough of this," and with that, he hits me on the back of the neck with his gun.
**********
"Where the hell are those two?" Nikki says while exiting the bus. They've been gone for a while.
The bus driver looks at Nikki from his seat, "Hey, Lady. We need to go, okay." He says with his weird accent.
Nikki waves her hand as if to dismiss his gripe, "Yeah, yeah... Just a second. We can't just leave my friends here."
"Maybe they go already." The bus driver says rolling his eyes. "Damn American," he says under his breath.
Getting back in the bus, Nikki eyes the bus driver, "What did you say?"
He ignores the question. "Maybe you find them at hotel. You say friend sick, right?"
Nikki rolls her eyes at the driver, but she nods in acknowledgement. She sits back in her seat and thinks to herself how much she's going to cuss me out for leaving.
**********
"Uhhh... (groggily)... ugh, my head." I say finally waking up from my fate with the butt of Dante's gun. I open my eyes slowly trying to focus on my surroundings. "Uhhh... where am I?"
I try to lift my head to look around, but the pain in the back of my neck keeps me from rising too high. With what I am able to see, I can tell that I'm not outside anymore. The room looks like a log cabin of some sort. There is a small rug in the middle of the room, and it feels like the bed I'm lying on is made of logs. I can smell burning wood.
Groggily, I try to sit up. "Uuhh... Why'd he have to do that?" I say rubbing the back of my neck. Then realization hits me and I feel for my clothes. They are still on, "Whew." I chuckle half-heartedly.
I hear the door open up to the room I'm in, "You finally up?" I hear that all too familiar voice.
I look up from my clothes.
"Don't worry. I didn't touch you." Dante says as he begins to walk over to the bed.
"Don't get any closer!" I say angrily.
Dante stops. "Why are you being so stubborn?"
I don't know what to say. I just stare at him.
"I don't know why you won't talk to me, but you're going to have to say something sometime or another. I'm getting a little annoyed with your silence. Plus, you're giving me a headache." He says.
I take a deep breath.
"Okay, don't say anything. Let's get one thing straight, I'm not going to hurt you... unless, you do something stupid. Do you understand?"
I hesitate to answer.
Dante repeats himself. His tone is a little louder. "Do you understand?"
I nod a couple of times very slowly.
"Good. Now, I'm sure you're probably hungry so when you feel up to it, you can join me in the other room." After saying that he walks out leaving me alone.
Well, I can't do anything except comply. He'd probably kill me in an instant if he wanted to. Why is he so interested in me? What does he want? "Sigh. Oh, well, I better go see what's up." I get up from the bed and walk out of the room.
He's sitting at a table drinking something from a mug. He sees me and removes the cup from his lips, "Well, it's nice of you to join me. Are you going to be civil now?"
I smile, but upon feeling the dull ache at the back of my neck, I quickly frown, "Why'd you hit me? That hurt, you know."
He ignores the question. Dante takes another sip from his mug and pulls out a chair motioning for me to sit in.
I swallow hard. Why so close?
"I don't bite." He says patting the seat.
"Yeah, right, tell that to the back of my head." I say scornfully.
I walk over slowly and sit down. I scoot the chair a couple of inches away. Dante laughs.
"Do you want something to eat?"
I shake my head.
"You thirsty?"
I shake my head again. I'm watching him intently as he's asking this without even looking up from his mug. Must be something really good for him to be so interested in it.
I laugh a little.
He stops sipping from his cup and looks at me from the corner of his eyes.
I stop breathing for a couple of seconds.
"What." He says.
I shake my head, "Nothing."
There is silence for what seems like forever.
"So, are you going to start talking, or do I have to start every conversation?" He says looking down at his mug on the table.
Confused, I ask, "What do you want to hear?"
"Like what was I doing chained up on that stone slab? And who you are?
My brow wrinkles, "I don't know. I woke up on one of those stone slabs too..." Mumbling, I say, "...naked."
One of Dante's eyebrow lifts up and he looks at me.
Did he hear me? I look up at the ceiling and start to bite my nails. Okay, this is uncomfortable.
Dante slams his fist on the table and startles me, "Don't you have anything else to say?!"
I jump in my seat, "Geez."
He gets up from his seat and places his arms on either side of me grabbing the top corners of the back of my chair. He starts to speak as though he is interrogating a prisoner. "Well, obviously you changed clothes between the first time I met you and the second time. Either you start telling the truth, or I turn to more tactics to get you to spill your guts out." His eyes narrow, and he says with a threatening tone, "if you know what I mean."
I hesitate to answer. "Uh... What do you want me to say? I really don't know much. I only know as much as you do. I remember going to the museum and looking at some gothic stuff, and then." I pause for a second remembering the black cats that attacked me. I gasp and put my hand to my mouth, "the red eyes," I say, staring into Dante's shirt.
"What red eyes?" Dante shakes the chair.
I look back into Dante's face, "The big black cats. the ones with the red eyes."
Dante gives me a look, "Shadows?"
I look at him confused, "No. Big cats with red eyes... And spikes."
Dante states it this time, "Shadows."
I gaze into his eyes. I can tell that he is contemplating something. I try to analyze his expressions, but he's not showing any emotion. I blink, turn my head and end up staring at his arm.
Something is making my skin tingle. I shudder as I realize how close he is to me. I dare not move so I close my eyes to try and stabilize my thoughts. He's not even touching me, but my senses are tingling. Is he making me feel this way? Argh! This urge I feel. It's driving me nuts. He's too close. Before I knew it, I start to yell, "Get away from me!!!" I open my eyes.
I must have broken his meditation, because Dante is now staring at me, his eyes narrow.
I clench my fists and look away. Oops, I think I said something wrong. Dante lets go of my chair and stands up straight. He looks at me like I'm crazy. He starts to pace the room.
I look around the place trying to calm myself down. I notice a couch, a coffee table and some end tables. The fireplace is crackling away, and the place is fairly lit even though there aren't very many windows. I think to myself, what a nice cozy place. My concentration is broke by the sound of Dante's boots hitting the wooden floors. I stare back at him.
Dante stands there contemplating, hand on chin, "Hmmm... come to think of it. I remember seeing some shadows at the old castle, but they were killed by." his face lights up, "... by these two guys in robes." His face frowns, "There was a body on the floor and then they pointed to me. He turns to face me, "And it was you."
"Me??" I say confused.
"You were the body on the floor. Those shadows had killed you... I think. At least, that's what one of the men said." He pauses trying to remember, "One of them was worried."
"Sorry, I don't remember any of that." I say sounding a little cynical.
Dante still paces the floor. I can tell he was trying to put the pieces of the puzzle together.
I start to think to myself. I was dead. Two guys in robes wanted to get rid of my body. Dante was there. Thinking to myself that that has no relevance to anything. Dante was next to me chained to an altar for some reason. I woke up naked on an altar not remembering anything. I gasp. Did those guys in the robes do a ritual and bring me back to life? But I don't remember dying. I remember the black cats with spikes that protruded from their bodies at will. At will... Those last two words resonate in my head. My head starts to hurt. I grab at the bridge of my nose. The pain. The pain. The paaiiinnn.
"I did die!" I say, remembering the spike in my chest. The pain. How could I forget the pain and the blood? There was so much blood. I remember. "I remember!" I yell. I look at my hands thinking I would see the blood again.
"Alma. Alma?" I hear Dante's voice in the background.
Coming back to reality, I look towards Dante. He's looking at me like he just witnessed a mental patient having one of those moments.
"You okay?" He asks.
"I remember, Dante. I remember."
"Remember what?"
"That I did die." I pause, but continue again, "I guess they brought me back to life." I shake my head not believing what I just said. I look at Dante again and say, "That's ridiculous. Was I really dead? No one can be brought back to life. Can they?"
"Uh, that's a good question. One thing's for sure, you're definitely not human. At least, not all human."
"What? Not all human? What do you mean by that?" My brow wrinkles, "You keep telling me that, but you don't ever explain."
Dante rolls his eyes, "You're like me. Half demon, half human."
I recoil in disbelief, "Half what?!" I put my head in my hand. "Mmmm. You're talking nonsense."
Dante walks up to me, grabs my arms and stands me up. "You feel that? You don't get that feeling unless you're a demon. You can also sense me close by. I sense you close by. Humans can't feel that. That's why devils and demons can roam around without humans knowing, but you and I know when they're around."
I try to speak, but my mouth doesn't form the words. Finally, "What?! What are you saying? Devils and demons? What demons? You're talking nonsense. Me a demon?" I look over to the table and see his mug, "What the hell were you drinking?"
Dante follows my gaze and realizes what I was talking about, "Coffee, Silly!" He lets go of me.
"I need to go." I say.
"Go where?"
"I need to get back to Nikki."
"And put her in danger?" Dante replies angrily.
"Well, she's going to wonder where I'm at."
"You'll put her life in danger. She can't sense denizens of the Underworld. Only you can. They'll sense you and go after you... and her."
My eyebrow lifts and I repeat in my mind what I heard Dante say. Underworld??? I won't even ask what that's all about. I shake the word from my head.
"You found out what you needed to know about me." I say.
"Yeah, but it still leaves a bunch of questions unanswered. Like why was I with you when you were brought back to life? Why were you brought back to life? And who the hell were those robed guys?"
"I don't know, and I don't care. All I know is I'm alive and that I need to get away from you!" I say, poking at his chest.
"Away from me? Why?" Dante asks confused.
I stand there feeling like I'm about to have a tantrum. "Because!"
He realizes why I'm uncomfortable around him and starts to taunt me. "Because why?" He says mischievously.
"Because my senses are tingling and it's driving me crazy!" I yell walking towards the door. I try to open the door, but Dante slams it shut keeping his hand on the door next to my head.
I turn around to face him, "Hey! What did you do that for? Can't you see I'm trying to leave? You all ready got most of the answers you needed. I don't know the answers to the other ones." I say trying to sound calm.
His face is only a few inches from mine. He looks into my eyes. "Do I make you nervous?" He says his eyes narrow.
"W, well. No." I say feeling a little awkward. God, he's too close. I feel like passing out. This sensation is too overwhelming. What's he doing? The silence is too much for me and I stutter, "Wh, what?"
He smirks and nonchalantly says, "Kiss me."
My eyes widen. I think I swallowed my tongue. I get all huffy. "What?!?!" I push him from me and turn around to face the door. I pause for a sec before opening the door. Don't know why, maybe just wondering what the hell he meant by that. It didn't make sense or maybe I was just trying to convince myself that it meant nothing. I storm out the door. I can hear him laughing behind me.
"Hey, do you know where you're going?" I hear him yell.
I stop in my tracks still feeling a little embarrassed. I stand there with my hands on my hips not turning around. "NO!"
"Oh, well." I hear the door shut.
"Arrgh! You asshole!" I say turning around.
He's standing there with his arms folded.
Oops.
"That's a nice thing to say."
I look to the side, "Just point me in the direction and I'll find my own way out. I told you that I wanted to get away from you anyway." I say looking back in his direction.
He rolls his eyes and points to the left.
"Thank you." I start to walk away.
I hear him yell at me, "Don't wander off too far, Baby!"