As I opened my eyes, everything felt strange and unfamiliar. The room I was in was too normal to be mine, the bed was too soft, and the air was too relaxed. The large window, in the wall in front of me, allowed the extremely pale moon's rays to shine through clearly, though it was soon going to leave. My room didn't have windows. So I took a moment to let everything sink in but it didn't, at least not until I felt an arm around my waist, then I had a sudden realization of what happened and where I was.

I looked back to see Dante, pressed tight up against my back. His skin golden skin, a beautiful match to his white hair, was, as I realized it for the first time, quite a bit darker than my ghostly-white skin. But, forgetting that, I soon saw another change in him. That look on his face was so peaceful, more so than I'd ever seen. It was like all of his cares had been pushed aside. I was liking that.

As I laid back down, Dante opened his eyes and propped himself up on his elbow, making me jump. A sigh was the only thing I could manage.

"Well, aren't you jumpy this morning?"

Rolling over onto my back, I looked at him like he was... stupid. "It's two-thirty in the morning. And I don't even know this place so I think I have a right to be, at least, a little jumpy."

"You're a demon and you're afraid of this place? Now tell me, why does that sound strange?" A sure smile passed over his lips.

"Okay," I said, wanting to make it seem as though I wasn't scared. "It does sound strange because it's not true. "

"Fine. Whatever you say, love." Dante lay back down on his side, thinking. "Weren't we supposed to do something?"

"Well, I was going to leave town and find the Hunters but I think you've convinced me to stay. So... no, I don't think we were."

"You said that the Underworld is going to make war again, right?"

"Yep."

"Then we probably should get them." I sprang up, pulling the sheet with me and catching a disturbed look from Dante.

"Did you just say that?"

"Yeah. Unless this isn't me." He rolled his eyes. "What is it?"

Smiling, I found that I had actually caught him. "You just admitted to needing help."

"No. That may have been what it sounded like but that's what it meant."

"Liar. You know that we're going to need help but you just can't admit that you admitted it."

"Do you have to win every argument?" That was his show of defeat. I was practically swelling with pride.

"Of course I do. Why else would I be here?"

"So you think that the only reason you're here is to keep me in line, huh?"

"Sort of... yeah, that might be it. And I think it's working."

"God, I can't believe I gave you that note." He spoke as he fell down onto his back. "I'm goin' soft."

"You know, I hate to confirm it, but, yeah, you are. Like a big, soft... teddy bear." I could see it so clearly. The look in his eyes just screamed "I'm pissed off, now" and I was loving every minute of it.

"I swear to God, if you ever compare me to a fuckin' teddy bear again..." It was fake anger, I knew that, because he was a little softer now.

"What'll you do?" I loved being able to do that. Pushing him was so much fun because he was surprisingly playful and good-natured about it. And, from one past experience, he seemed to always make it exciting.

"I will hurt you." He said, completely lying. So I leaned down and whispered into his ear. Dante laughed harder than he'd ever done before, when I was there. "Damn, Zoe. You just don't quit, do you?"

I was shocked. "Do you want me to?"

"Hell no." Apparently he'd noticed more confusion from me because he wrapped his arm around my waist again. "Come here."

I let him drag me down, burying my cheek against his warm chest. Dante ran his fingers through my hair and pulled me even closer to him. From the corner of my eye I saw a tiny glimmer so I looked up and saw a small pendant hanging from his neck. It was the crest of Mercury, his "Hunter" sign.

Knowing that I had a question to ask but was extremely frightened to do so, I started drawing patterns on his chest, catching a concerned look from him. "How are we gonna find them? You know how large those countries are?"

"I don't know, honey... I don't know." For the first time since the day I met him, he was without an answer and that worried me.

"Then, tell me something you do know."

"Ask and I will."

"Why'd you do it?" He stopped breathing for a second and I knew that was one question he didn't want to answer.

"Because I didn't want you to leave."

"But I'm one of them."

"No, you're not."

"Okay, then... did you want this?" I asked, referring to our current situation.

"You won't be upset with the hard truth?"

"Nope."

"Well, I did want this."

"Then you are just as bad as I am." He shook his head, smiling. "I've got another question."

"Do you ever stop?"

"Sorry but I'm curious."

"Fair enough, go ahead."

"What are we gonna do when we get the other Hunters?"

"Hell, I never actually thought about that. I've always been too caught up thinking about how we're gonna get them."

"So, you don't know, again?" It was evident that he didn't like not having some answer because of the constant sighs.

"No. But we're gonna have to let them know everything that's goin' on. The demons, the plans, the... everything else. They'll need to know."

"Well, at least it's a start."

"Better than nothing--" He stopped as he heard a loud knock coming from, what seemed to be, the door downstairs. "What the hell?"

Dante got up and quickly slipped on a pair of pants and, after noticing my aroused curiosity, threw me a large jersey of his. I sat there for a second, wondering if he ever really wore it. As fast as I could, I put that and a small pair of shorts on and followed him to the stairs. He had Ebony in his right hand, back pressed against the wall halfway down the steps, stealth-like, and had Ivory at his left side. There was a faint click and the door slid open silently. It, honestly, felt like one of those movies where the suspense is hanging so thickly in the air that it suffocates you but this was worse. I had every reason in this world to think that it was some demon, sent by my father, to come take me back and kill Dante. And he knew I didn't want that but the stubborn half-demon peered out from behind the wall anyway.

From the look on his face I understood that there was a demon, one he'd never seen before. So I moved right next to him and, in a very, very soft whisper, asked him a burning question. "What's it look like?"

He bit his lip. "Look for yourself." As he backed away I stepped to where he was and took a look. And, the moment my gaze fell upon that horrid creature, my fears were assured. It was an Isedon. A spirit demon.

The thing was nearly transparent, so nearly, in fact, that I could see the wall right through it though it retained a bit of a gray color. It was strong, the muscles in it's body were very apparent. I would've loved to be able to say that it looked like something but, unfortunately, I couldn't, as it looked like practically nothing. Nothing, that is, except for a Frost. Which, after seeing this Isedon, seemed like a younger, weaker, less experienced demon.

"Do you know what it is?" Dante asked.

"Yep." I replied softly.

"Do you know how to kill it?"

"Yep."

"Do you know how it attacks?"

"Yep."

"Then you can kill it...?"

"Nope."

"Why not?"

"Because these damn demons, curse them, can only be killed with a--" Actually, instead of cursing those demons, I cursed myself for being the owner of such stupidity. I had my weapons that could kill them. They were the only ones I was bent on keeping at all times. I silently ran up to his room, grabbing the two pale, slender blades and bringing them back down to Dante.

"Those will do it?" I nodded in response. "Then you can kill it?"

"As long as you keep its attention, otherwise I don't have a chance." So, while he started gliding down the steps, he turned around and started firing at the demon. After he was on the ground floor, he started walking around, luring the Isedon away so it's back was facing the stairs. As soon as it was turned away I went down and walked up behind it. But it was quite a bit smarter than I'd expected. Letting loose a feral growl, it lashed it's right arm back at me and threw me up against the wall. It took a few moments for me to gather myself and stand up but when I did it shot out a "spirit..." dart, or something of the like, that scraped my arm.

Being, relatively, pissed off, I spun the dagger in my hand, for speed and force, then I threw it at the creature. Dante was still there, in that one spot, firing away without moving at all. The Isedon howled out and turned to face me so, tossing the dagger over to Dante, he came up and decapitated the beast. I turned away, half expecting it to squirt demon blood all over, but all it did was turn into what looked like a puff of smoke, disappearing quickly into the air. Dante handed me back my daggers before he was stopped, by another demon.

"Oh, dear. I'm quite sorry for all of this, really. I told the brute that I could handle it well enough but he followed me anyway. Ah," said Dartan as he saw me standing there. "Now, Zoe, your father is willing to forgive this if you'll just come back."

"I'm not going anywhere." I stated simply.

"Yes, well, he rather expects you to."

"Then he is expecting too much."

He walked over and eyed Dante for a minute. "You're the Hunter?"

"Yeah. And you are...?" He looked sort of disgusted as his eyes fell upon my instructor.

"Dartan. Zoe's instructor." I rolled my eyes.

"Well then, sir, I'm going to say this in the nicest, most polite way possible, okay?"

"Sure."

"Get the fuck out." Dartan just stood still, as if he was shocked which, I know, he wasn't.

"Excuse me but if I am to go then so is Zoe." Dartan planted his foot down firmly.

"Listen, I've already told you, I'm not going. I hate it there. All they ever think about is destruction, death, and parties. And, I might mention, the parties are never even good."

He raised an eyebrow. "You do have a point there. But, my lady--"

"Wait, just... wait." Dante said, impatiently. "What do you mean 'my lady?'"

"You never knew? Well, Zoe is the daughter of our leader." I nearly collapsed.

"Are you really?"

"Yeah." That word barely came out.

"And you're rebelling against them?"

"Uh-huh." Looking away, I thought he was going to kill me for that.

"Oh, that's great." Dante spoke with a broad smile. Then he looked back over at Dartan. "And you're here to... get her back?"

"Yes. But seeing how she doesn't want to and not forgetting that I happen to like this world very much, I suppose I could let her go."

"You're joking, surely?"

"Not at all. As long as I can do something to kill that bastard leader of ours, no offense, Zoe."

"That could never offend me. But why? What did he do to you?"

"I've always been a puppet, a servant of others, and I want that to change."

"So you're gonna help us, huh?" Dante questioned. At that point I couldn't really tell whether he was relieved or upset.

"If there is room."

"Plenty." He said in a tone that brought another shocked expression to my face.