(Smiles thankfully at everyone) Thank you all so much for reviewing my first fic without Arson. I'm trying for something new, and I sure hope that I'm not being similar to anyone else. But thank you so much for the reviews. I didn't expect this many for the first chapter. (hugs everyone) Please keep reviewing!

Chapter 2

            Trish stirred slightly in her sleep and then woke up, a smile on her face. She turned onto her other side to see Dante asleep beside her. Her smile broadened as she held him to her. Dante mumbled something unintelligible in his sleep and nuzzled closer. He jerked awake, blinking as the phone rang shrilly.

            'Argh…God damn it!' growled Dante, rising quickly, head butting Trish's chin accidentally as he moved. Trish yelped and fell back.

            'Damn, Dante! What the hell is your head made of? Rocks? Wood?'  Dante glared at her but said nothing. Instead he picked up the phone.

            'Devil May Cry?' He didn't hesitate to growl as he answered. There was several seconds of silence as the person on the other line babbled on about something or another. Trish tried to guess what he was saying; one of the games she tried to play when she failed to pick up the phone before Dante. 'Sorry. No password.' Trish mouthed out the words along with him, rolling her eyes when Dante rolled his. She grinned when Dante put down the phone.

            'Let me guess…the Loch Ness Monster?' Dante sighed wearily.

            'No…King Kong.' Trish sighed.

            'It's been so long since we've had a real job,' she said softly. Dante snorted.

            'Tell me about it.'

            'We've barely got enough to keep food on the table.'

            'I know.'

            'Maybe if one of us got an ordinary job…' she suggested. Dante glared at her. 'Or not,' she quickly said. Dante's face took on that famous smirk of his as he got up. Trish smiled slyly as she watched him stretch and walk, bare-chested across the room. She shuddered a little.

            'Maybe we should just take the next job that comes along.'

            'Even if they don't give the password?'

            'Even if they don't give the password.' Dante snorted again. 'Come on, Dante. We really need the money! In fact, we desperately need the money!' Dante sighed but said nothing, though secretly he knew that she was right. Instead, he went down the stairs, saw the post at the door and swept up the envelopes, riffling through them quickly.

            'Crap,' he finally said, eyebrows raised. Trish was definitely right about the money. It was hard enough to get enough to eat but now bills as well? Dante sighed again and sat down on the couch, watching the television. It was not long before he got bored of the channel. Dante grabbed the remote and listlessly started channel hopping.

            '…in a land far away, Teletubbies-' Click. '…I love you, you love-' Click. 'Dr. Octopus!' Click. 'Goose! Oh God, Goose! No!' Click. 'I'm detective John Kimble!' Click. 'Wolverine! Get to the X jet!' Dante sighed and then settled on Kindergarten Cop, feeling that he could sympathize with Arnold Schwarzenegger. He hated kids as much as Arnie did, anyway. Trish soon came down the stairs.

            'Don't tell me you're watching this, again?!' Dante smirked and nodded.

            'It's either this or watching Spiderman or X-men.'

            'You know…you could go out and get some food instead of lazing about…'

            'No money.'

            'Point…' Trish sat down beside him and blinked and dust went up from the cushion of the couch. 'We really need to clean up sometimes.' Dante looked at her in disbelief.

            'It's one thing to have you living here with me, but to say we need to clean up?!' Trish pouted and grinned.

            'You can't deny that you love me being here with you.' Dante at last smiled but said nothing, his eyes switching back to the television. He was satisfied for about ten minutes before he grabbed the remote again, switching to the news.

            'Dante?'

            'Yes, Trish?'

            'What are we going to do?'

            'I don't know…We'll be lucky if we get another phone call this week.' Trish nodded, her eyes distant. Dante rested his head back and closed his eyes. The situation seemed hopeless right now. They had been financially in trouble before but it had never been anything like this. Outside, birds sang on merrily, oblivious to the sour mood Dante was in. Trish blinked and shook Dante suddenly.

            'Look!' Dante sat up properly and watched the television attentively.

            'This just in, Police have just found the body of a strange creature dumped in an alley way. It had multiple injuries and had lost a lot of blood. They took it for observation but it died on the way. Scientists think that it may have been the last of a species from the Prehistoric times.' Dante blinked as a picture of a black, scaly thing was shown on the television.

            'Prehistoric Times my ass, that's a demon.'

            'But what would a demon be doing over here?'

            'I don't know. But it sure as hell don't look friendly.'

            'Think this is some kind of a sign?'

            'Trish…demons come up here and there. Just wish we'd been hired to kill it off.' He sighed. Trish frowned but then blinked as Dante changed the channel. The news was showing again. Dante sighed with irritation.

            'Yesterday, a girl was attacked in an alleyway by what she called a black demon. When she described it to the officials, they were able to draw it and came up with a drawing similar to the face of the Prehistoric animal that was found yesterday. She said that the only reason why she escaped was because she had some outside help. When described, she said that the man had jet black hair, hazel eyes and was of tall height with a medium build.' Dante rolled his eyes.

            'That could be anybody.' Trish scowled and gave vent to an unladylike growl.

            'So that's the person who's been stealing our jobs! No wonder why we haven't had any jobs for some time!' Dante looked at her witheringly.

            'I doubt it. He was just at the right place at the right time.' The rest of the day passed uneventfully. Trish spent her time reading and studying up on all the demons, remembering all the tactics that had to be utilized, and for what demon. Though it had been well over three months since any demon had even appeared, Trish had thought that it would be best not to let down one's guard and keep training and revising what she already knew. Dante spent his time sleeping. Towards the end of the evening, when the darkness had settled in properly, the phone rang. Trish reached for it.

            'Devil May Cry?' The usual few seconds pause. Trish's face paled. Dante looked up at her, having been awoken from his deep slumber.

            'What is it?'

            'Someone wants us to kill a bunch of Marionettes.'

            'For what price?'

            'For ten grand.' Dante's eyebrows raised. Trish grinned.

            'We'll be there in ten.' Dante grinned and quickly shrugged into his work clothes, his famous red leather trench coat, his red leather pants, boots, quickly slipping Ebony and Ivory into his holsters that lay on the side of his leg. Grabbing his sword, Alastor, he grinned.

            'I'll take this one. You stay home in case anyone else phones up. I've got a feeling that something's going to happen' And without another word, he went out into the darkness, hopping onto his motorcycle, revving it up, smiling at the familiar sound before riding off into the night.

            Dante soon came to the area that had been pointed out in the phone call. He blinked and looked around. The whole site was deserted. Dante snorted. They had been pranked again by the looks of it. He sighed heavily, wishing that devil hunting could be just that little bit easier. Perhaps even more reliable as a job. He tensed and blinked. Something was here. He could feel it now. He grinned, his fingers itching to pull the trigger of his guns.

            A Marionette jumped out at him. Dante blinked but easily managed to dispatch of it with a single blow. More soon came. Dante blinked as he was grabbed from behind. That was a new move, he thought grimly to himself. And is it me, or are they more powerful then before? Dante hissed as several blades struck him in the back, sudden realisation shocking him momentarily. They were about as strong as several shadows on steroids…each!

            Dante groaned, finding for the first time in his life he was well and truly pinned down, completely surrounded, with no means to defend himself, his sword and guns having been ripped away from him. He groaned as he felt steel boring into his stomach. Any deeper and he wouldn't be able to heal. He tried valiantly to kick out, but it was useless, as his legs were also pinned down.

            The puppets suddenly stopped, limbs creaking as they suddenly let go off Dante. The wooden cracks as some were suddenly destroyed filled the air. Dante lay still on the ground, his yes staring numbly at the sky as he concentrated on healing. Everything soon became silent. Dante closed his eyes as he felt his wounds closing up, only opening them when he could no longer feel fresh blood gushing out over his clothes.

            He blinked several times as he saw a dark figure bending over him.

            'Are you alright?' Said the stranger. A man. In reply, Dante simply nodded wordlessly, suddenly feeling embarrassed and angry with himself. He should have been able to handle it. Was he losing his edge? No…no way. He was the Son of Sparda. He couldn't lose his edge. The figure nodded once in acknowledgement and then moved away. Dante sat up as soon as he was sure he had gone and held his head in his hands before getting on his motorcycle and slowly driving back home, his mind filled with questions. Who the hell did that guy think he was helping him like that? And how the hell did he get so strong?