I knocked on the large doors of Devil Never Cry. (I couldn't exactly
remember how many times I'd done that in the past week.) A few seconds
later I heard a very familiar voice. So I opened the door just to see him
in his leather chair, with Ivory resting on his chest as he polished Ebony.
Dante looked up and immediately started laughing.
"God, why don't you just live here?" He asked jokingly.
"Oh, like you could handle living with a girl."
He tilted his chin back. "You're right, they're too much trouble."
"You do realize that you could be getting into serious trouble, right?"
His only reply was a light chuckle, which was enough for me. "Got a demon to slaughter today?"
Not shockingly, that sent a shiver down my spine. "Not exactly."
"Then what is it?"
"Well, you might have already told me this but I was wondering if you knew the locations of the other eight Hunters."
"Yeah, I do. But... why?"
"Because I'm leaving and I plan on finding them."
Dante shook his head. "You'll have a hard time doin' that."
"Why?"
"Cause I only know what countries they're in. Not their specific locations."
"That'll be enough."
"Alright." He said, gesturing for me to, once again, sit down. "The first one is here, in the United States. From what I've heard she's somewhere out west cause I'm holdin' the fort over here. Our second Hunter is in England and the third is in Egypt. Another is in... shit... oh, Tibet. Forgot about her for a second. The fifth Hunter is somewhere in Peru, I believe. The sixth one is in New Zealand. The seventh is in Japan and the last one is in Scotland."
I blinked after hearing all of that. "They're widely dispersed, aren't they?"
"That was the whole idea. We're supposed to cover as much of this Earth as we can, which isn't a lot considering there's only nine of us."
"Nine... why only nine?"
Laughing, he seemed a little uncomfortable telling me this. "This is gonna sound like the corniest thing you've ever heard but apparently the 'god' or 'gods' who first had the idea of the Hunters was fucked up. And in that really fucked up head they thought that there should be one Hunter for each planet in the solar system. Not even considering the fact that more than nine Hunters would be really great. It's like those damn 'gods' were dumb as hell. And each planet has a special quality to it that they share with each of us Hunters. As if it does any good; none of us have even bothered tryin' to use that power." I nearly started laughing because that was the corniest and the strangest thing I'd ever heard.
"Do you know why?"
"Probably just to fuck with us." He said it as if he believed that it was the true reason why.
"So... what's your planet?" I asked with an extremely broad smile.
He took a deep breath. "You're such a bitch... Mercury."
My eyes widened at hearing that planet's name. "Really?"
"Yeah. What's the big deal?"
"Oh, nothing. Nevermind." But it wasn't nothing. In fact, I was born on a Wednesday. The day of Mercury. Which, I suppose, could explain a lot of things concerning Dante and me. But I wasn't about ready to tell him that or assume anything, at least, not yet anyway.
Dante cleared his throat like it would get off the subject. "It's gonna take a long time to get them all together."
"Oh well. I have to do this." Just a second later, the look he gave me was the most...confused I'd ever seen him wear.
"Why? What's it gonna do?" The look didn't stop, telling me to go on.
"It's the Underworld. They're planning on an invasion."
He stood up, clearly upset. "You know, you seem to be the only who knows this shit. Why is that? I've been in contact with the others and even they don't know what's going on. Why do you?"
I sank back into the chair. "I..." Not being able to go on, I stopped.
"You're one of them." Dante stated simply, knowing perfectly well that he was right. "You're a fucking demon... and I told you everything that would help those fuckers."
"Wait, just listen to me." Begging as I heard the angriest tone from him, I almost lost it.
He walked over and grabbed his sword from off its hook on the wall. "Only if you're gonna tell me why you're here and what you're doing."
"Give me a minute to explain." Before I could start he pressed the point to my neck.
"Why are you here?" He growled, repeating the question to get an actual answer. The fierceness that he said that with made me truly believe that he was going to push his arm out, just enough, so that it'd pierce me. So I answered truthfully, thinking that lying to him would only make things worse. Not that they could get any worse...
"I was sent here to..." I could barely say it. "To... lead you into a trap."
Dante closed his eyes forcibly and shook his head. I could feel the sword pressing closer. "So when are they comin' for me?"
"They're not." I knew that was going to catch him off guard and that's what all my hopes rested on.
"Why not?" Thank God he was wanting answers, otherwise...
"Because they don't know anything I found out from you. I never told them."
"And you did that, why?"
"I didn't want them to take over this world."
"Whoa, hold up. How would leading me into a trap, when there's eight other Hunters, bring around the confiscation of this world?" He pulled the sword back, sensing no threat he couldn't take care of.
"You're the strongest of them all. If the Underworld can take you then surely the others will be no challenge. They know that if you go then this place is theirs for the taking."
"Alright. So don't you want them to take over?" He repeated, trying to get himself to believe it.
When I neglected to answer he gave me the angriest look ever, telling me that he did want an answer to that question. "No, I don't."
"Dammit, aren't you a demon?" He asked, so frustrated that I thought he would just mercilessly kill me. But I realized that he was a man of honor and would never kill without a reason. At least... he wouldn't kill a human without a reason which made me extremely curious as to why he didn't just do me in.
"Yes. But don't you remember Trish? She was and she changed."
He didn't reply.
"Listen. Don't you think that if I was going to go through with all of this 'trap' shit you'd already be dead?" He still didn't reply. "Don't you?"
"Yeah."
"Then why aren't you?" That was my last, desperate attempt at getting him to understand what I wasn't going to do.
It was obvious, by the look on his face, that he didn't want to admit it. But he did. "Because you didn't do it. But, you know, I shouldn't forgive you, no matter what."
"Fine. You don't have to but I want you to know that the first time I came here made me give up my alliance with the Underworld forever. I'll have you know that I have forsaken everything I ever knew so that your ass would be safe." The tone I spoke with was a bit harsher than I'd planned on it being.
He clearly knew that he'd done something to me and the look in his eyes either thanked me or apologized, because, to do either, he was too proud. "Can we get off this subject? Before one of us dies..." I was beyond thankful that he wasn't as unforgiving as everyone made me believe but that last part had me worrying, again. Breathing a sigh of relief, I watched as Dante put Alastor back in its place.
"Gladly."
"I know for a fact that you've already told me this but... say it again: why are you leaving?" Dante looked almost nervous.
"I need to get away." Biting my lip, I was really hoping that he wouldn't pressure me into saying it but his stare convinced me to tell the story. "My new instructor is the best tracker in the Underworld and he's also, most likely, the smartest one there. He will hunt me down. And he will kill you if he finds you. Which is why I must leave tomorrow."
"Then do me one favor before you go."
"Name it."
"Let me borrow that sketchbook tonight."
"Why?"
"Just let me." Having not one clue why he'd want it, I doubted him for a second but I gave it to him anyway.
"Thanks." He whispered, the soft anger of his voice showing how upset he was with himself for letting a demon get off freely.
As soon as he grabbed it, I left, finding that, this time, he didn't stop me.
"God, why don't you just live here?" He asked jokingly.
"Oh, like you could handle living with a girl."
He tilted his chin back. "You're right, they're too much trouble."
"You do realize that you could be getting into serious trouble, right?"
His only reply was a light chuckle, which was enough for me. "Got a demon to slaughter today?"
Not shockingly, that sent a shiver down my spine. "Not exactly."
"Then what is it?"
"Well, you might have already told me this but I was wondering if you knew the locations of the other eight Hunters."
"Yeah, I do. But... why?"
"Because I'm leaving and I plan on finding them."
Dante shook his head. "You'll have a hard time doin' that."
"Why?"
"Cause I only know what countries they're in. Not their specific locations."
"That'll be enough."
"Alright." He said, gesturing for me to, once again, sit down. "The first one is here, in the United States. From what I've heard she's somewhere out west cause I'm holdin' the fort over here. Our second Hunter is in England and the third is in Egypt. Another is in... shit... oh, Tibet. Forgot about her for a second. The fifth Hunter is somewhere in Peru, I believe. The sixth one is in New Zealand. The seventh is in Japan and the last one is in Scotland."
I blinked after hearing all of that. "They're widely dispersed, aren't they?"
"That was the whole idea. We're supposed to cover as much of this Earth as we can, which isn't a lot considering there's only nine of us."
"Nine... why only nine?"
Laughing, he seemed a little uncomfortable telling me this. "This is gonna sound like the corniest thing you've ever heard but apparently the 'god' or 'gods' who first had the idea of the Hunters was fucked up. And in that really fucked up head they thought that there should be one Hunter for each planet in the solar system. Not even considering the fact that more than nine Hunters would be really great. It's like those damn 'gods' were dumb as hell. And each planet has a special quality to it that they share with each of us Hunters. As if it does any good; none of us have even bothered tryin' to use that power." I nearly started laughing because that was the corniest and the strangest thing I'd ever heard.
"Do you know why?"
"Probably just to fuck with us." He said it as if he believed that it was the true reason why.
"So... what's your planet?" I asked with an extremely broad smile.
He took a deep breath. "You're such a bitch... Mercury."
My eyes widened at hearing that planet's name. "Really?"
"Yeah. What's the big deal?"
"Oh, nothing. Nevermind." But it wasn't nothing. In fact, I was born on a Wednesday. The day of Mercury. Which, I suppose, could explain a lot of things concerning Dante and me. But I wasn't about ready to tell him that or assume anything, at least, not yet anyway.
Dante cleared his throat like it would get off the subject. "It's gonna take a long time to get them all together."
"Oh well. I have to do this." Just a second later, the look he gave me was the most...confused I'd ever seen him wear.
"Why? What's it gonna do?" The look didn't stop, telling me to go on.
"It's the Underworld. They're planning on an invasion."
He stood up, clearly upset. "You know, you seem to be the only who knows this shit. Why is that? I've been in contact with the others and even they don't know what's going on. Why do you?"
I sank back into the chair. "I..." Not being able to go on, I stopped.
"You're one of them." Dante stated simply, knowing perfectly well that he was right. "You're a fucking demon... and I told you everything that would help those fuckers."
"Wait, just listen to me." Begging as I heard the angriest tone from him, I almost lost it.
He walked over and grabbed his sword from off its hook on the wall. "Only if you're gonna tell me why you're here and what you're doing."
"Give me a minute to explain." Before I could start he pressed the point to my neck.
"Why are you here?" He growled, repeating the question to get an actual answer. The fierceness that he said that with made me truly believe that he was going to push his arm out, just enough, so that it'd pierce me. So I answered truthfully, thinking that lying to him would only make things worse. Not that they could get any worse...
"I was sent here to..." I could barely say it. "To... lead you into a trap."
Dante closed his eyes forcibly and shook his head. I could feel the sword pressing closer. "So when are they comin' for me?"
"They're not." I knew that was going to catch him off guard and that's what all my hopes rested on.
"Why not?" Thank God he was wanting answers, otherwise...
"Because they don't know anything I found out from you. I never told them."
"And you did that, why?"
"I didn't want them to take over this world."
"Whoa, hold up. How would leading me into a trap, when there's eight other Hunters, bring around the confiscation of this world?" He pulled the sword back, sensing no threat he couldn't take care of.
"You're the strongest of them all. If the Underworld can take you then surely the others will be no challenge. They know that if you go then this place is theirs for the taking."
"Alright. So don't you want them to take over?" He repeated, trying to get himself to believe it.
When I neglected to answer he gave me the angriest look ever, telling me that he did want an answer to that question. "No, I don't."
"Dammit, aren't you a demon?" He asked, so frustrated that I thought he would just mercilessly kill me. But I realized that he was a man of honor and would never kill without a reason. At least... he wouldn't kill a human without a reason which made me extremely curious as to why he didn't just do me in.
"Yes. But don't you remember Trish? She was and she changed."
He didn't reply.
"Listen. Don't you think that if I was going to go through with all of this 'trap' shit you'd already be dead?" He still didn't reply. "Don't you?"
"Yeah."
"Then why aren't you?" That was my last, desperate attempt at getting him to understand what I wasn't going to do.
It was obvious, by the look on his face, that he didn't want to admit it. But he did. "Because you didn't do it. But, you know, I shouldn't forgive you, no matter what."
"Fine. You don't have to but I want you to know that the first time I came here made me give up my alliance with the Underworld forever. I'll have you know that I have forsaken everything I ever knew so that your ass would be safe." The tone I spoke with was a bit harsher than I'd planned on it being.
He clearly knew that he'd done something to me and the look in his eyes either thanked me or apologized, because, to do either, he was too proud. "Can we get off this subject? Before one of us dies..." I was beyond thankful that he wasn't as unforgiving as everyone made me believe but that last part had me worrying, again. Breathing a sigh of relief, I watched as Dante put Alastor back in its place.
"Gladly."
"I know for a fact that you've already told me this but... say it again: why are you leaving?" Dante looked almost nervous.
"I need to get away." Biting my lip, I was really hoping that he wouldn't pressure me into saying it but his stare convinced me to tell the story. "My new instructor is the best tracker in the Underworld and he's also, most likely, the smartest one there. He will hunt me down. And he will kill you if he finds you. Which is why I must leave tomorrow."
"Then do me one favor before you go."
"Name it."
"Let me borrow that sketchbook tonight."
"Why?"
"Just let me." Having not one clue why he'd want it, I doubted him for a second but I gave it to him anyway.
"Thanks." He whispered, the soft anger of his voice showing how upset he was with himself for letting a demon get off freely.
As soon as he grabbed it, I left, finding that, this time, he didn't stop me.