Hope you enjoy it!
Chapter 11
Stephanie offered a smile but the devil hunter did not return it. Instead, he sat there, eyes narrowed, face scowling. He had changed some time ago, and now dressed in red, he looked even more intimidating. Stephanie quickly lowered her eyes when Dante had simply looked at her as though in revulsion.
'Um…' she said, her voice sounding loud in the silent building. Dante's eyes flicked onto her face again.
'What?'
'Do you know where Reiko went?'
'Out.'
'…oh…' Silence. 'Do you know where he went?'
'No.' Stephano blinked and looked at the floor quietly. Dante stood up with a faint growl and began pacing. She watched fearfully as he walked to and fro, to and fro, from doorway to stairs, from stairs to doorway multiple times. She again smiled at him nervously.
'Is something wrong, sir?'
'Yes.'
'Want to talk about it?' she suggested. Dante shook his head.
'It ain't the type of problem you can talk about, doll.' Stephanie suddenly trembled.
'Is it…M-mostro?' Dante glanced in her direction and stopped pacing and nodded once.
'Something like that. I'm not sure whether it's him…but…' He shook his head and frowned.
'What are we going to do?'
'We wait.' Stephanie blinked and then nodded, sitting back down on the couch. Dante did the same, sitting as far away from her as was possible as he switched on the TV. Steph stole a glance at him out of the corner of her eyes. For one who had said there was danger nearby, he sure didn't look as though he was bothered. Steph sighed and nervously started watching the flickering screen of the television, her thoughts with Reiko.
Reiko slowly opened his eyes to see Trish watching him, a smile on her face. He blinked at her and frowned.
'What are you doing here?'
'I followed you.' Reiko sat up while yawning, still holding his cuddly toy. Trish saw it and giggled.
'What?'
'You looked so cute sleeping with that thing!' Reiko blinked as though confused but then noticed the toy that stared up at him from his arms. He frowned again, his eyes darkening. Trish's smile faltered and vanished.
'They gave it to you, didn't they?'
'It was a present.' Trish shrugged and moved to the window, opening the blinds. Reiko hissed slightly and flinched. Trish looked back at him and quickly dropped the blinds.
'Sorry…I forgot,' she said simply. Reiko said nothing but narrowed his eyes as Trish went to the trunk that was still open and started rummaging through it.
'Would you stop going through my stuff?' he growled. Trish blinked and smiled sweetly.
'What is this? A memory chest or something?'
'Not quite.'
'Well what?'
'Look, it just has some stuff of my parents when they were still alive, and in them there are a lot of memories.' Trish blinked and watched silently as Reiko made his way over and dug about carefully in the chest, not wanting to damage or break anything. It was strange, he actually seemed more relaxed. Trish noticed this and smiled at him, and found that Reiko was smiling back at her. His face suddenly took on a look of puzzlement.
'Why did you follow me?'
'I was concerned.' This brought out a bitter laugh from the vampire. 'No really. He didn't mean it, he was just stressed. And to be truthful I think he's a little scared.'
'Dante? Scared? Yeah right.'
'I'm serious. He hasn't ever been brought down to that state before. Being laid up in bed unable to move properly? I can only imagine what must have been running through his mind. If Mostro can bring him down like that, what else can he do?' Reiko shook his head in disbelief.
'He's Dante. He's legendary. He wouldn't ever be scared.'
'He may be a legend but he's still part human,' said Trish softly. Reiko shook his head silently and went back to looking through the old worn out trunk. He blinked again as he lifted out an old leather bound case. Inside it was a worn out photo album. Trish's eyes brightened up and she grinned.
'Ooh! Baby pictures! Lemme see!'
'No!' Reiko laughed and jumped away from Trish's reach, the album safe in his hands. 'Now I'm definitely not looking at it!'
'You're not?'
'No.'
'Well I am!' Trish tackled him to the ground and pried the album from his hands, surprised that Reiko wasn't really trying to fight her off. He was a vampire after all, he possessed incredible strength and speed that might easily surpass her own. The thought crossed her mind in an instant but was instantly washed away when she found the book in her grasp. She giggled as she opened it but then blinked.
'Your parents?' Reiko righted himself, a small smile on his face and crawled over on his hands and knees so then he was peering from behind Trish's shoulder. Trish heard him breathe deeply and knew for a fact that she had guessed correctly. She turned the pages and smiled as she bore witness to Reiko's childhood experiences at Christmas, in the summer, in autumn, watching with his mother as he grew into from a tiny baby to a young boy. She smiled as she saw a small child hugging a cuddly toy close, smiling, hazel eyes sparkling. He had been lifted onto a man's shoulders. He looked heavily built and had the same hair. The woman standing to the right of them had the same stunning hazel eyes. She turned the page again, the paper clicking enticingly as she did so. She blinked and then shrieked dropping the album to the floor. Reiko gasped sharply as he saw that the next page was splattered with blood, indelible. The pages after that one bloodied spread were empty. A sob tore itself from his throat but he held the rest back, shaking slightly as memories replayed themselves in his mind.
'Reiko…' breathed Trish, 'why is there blood on that page?' Reiko shook his head and gathered the album in his trembling hands, picking up the various photos that had fallen out. He glanced at them. Holiday photos. In the mountains.
'She was listening to the radio while looking back at our photos. She had just finished putting the last one in when…' He suddenly growled and stood up. Trish could sense the deep-seeded hatred. It seemed to emanate from him, touching everyone around him. Trish felt a deep anger rise up inside herself to see this man constantly fighting against his grief. Reiko had started to pace.
'I swore over and over again that he would pay for taking them away from me. I won't rest or give in until he's dead! I'll kill him!' Reiko growled and suddenly whirled around, kicking the heavy steel table to the side of the room, denting it, warping it so then it's old shape was barely recognisable.
'We'll be here to help you all the way.'
'No.'
'Yes. I understand you're angry-'
'Angry isn't the word.'
'-but you came to us for help because the whole world is at stake here.'
'But-'
'Do this for your parents and for everyone else. Everyone is at risk. You, me, Dante and Stephanie. Everyone.' Reiko had clenched his hands into fists and his jaw was clenched also. His eyes were burning red but he blinked and they had returned to their normal hazel colour. The anger that was flowing in the room like a red mist suddenly disappeared and Reiko fell to the ground, shivering and choking back his tears.
'Reiko…' Trish didn't move towards him but she didn't back away either. She watched him calmly, her face serious. 'You have to pull yourself together.'
'I know…I know…it's just…every time I think of them…I…' Reiko slowly raised his head and shook it slowly.
'When I say pull yourself together I don't mean don't talk about it. That's what you've been doing wrong all this time. You've been keeping it inside.'
'No one will listen to me. Look at me. I'm a vampire. A being of evil.'
But you're proving that wrong as the minutes pass. Trish said nothing however.
'I hate myself. I hate everything about myself. I should be outside right now but here I am cowering inside like some miserable insect.'
'You have no choice.'
'I should have been more careful.'
'So what happened?' Trish sat down on the couch again and sat back, the thought that she was acting more like a counsellor than ever passing through her mind.
'I was walking…' he said in a low voice.
'As people do.'
'Yeah, as people do.' Reiko allowed a small faint smile on his face but it soon vanished. 'Someone was following me. I turned around after a while to try and get the person to stop. I guess I was planning to fight. As soon as I saw the fangs I ran for it. It's suicide to try and outrun a vampire. I was turned before I even knew what was going on. When I woke up I found myself in my bed. I only figured out what had happened when I tried to walk outside and nearly died. That was when I knew and when the point hit home. I'd been turned.' Reiko now looked somewhat calmer and had finished with a shrug. 'What does it matter now? My life's going to go on and on and on eternally, never ending.'
'How long have you been a vampire for?'
'I'm relatively young. Three years. I was twenty-two when I was turned.' Trish was silent but then stood up. Outside, the sun was beginning to set. Reiko had also noticed and had already stood. His hazel eyes looked at her dully. 'I had so much more to do.'
'Look on the bright side. If you were still a human, you wouldn't have been able to gather the strength to even try and put up a decent fight.' Reiko nodded softly.
'That thought had crossed my mind.' Trish smiled. 'But I'll never regain what I once had.'
'What did you have?' Reiko was silent but his eyes dawned with realization.
'…'
'Reiko?'
'…nothing…I had nothing…not even then…' Reiko suddenly scowled. 'What the hell does it matter anymore? I'll only die willingly once I see he's dead.' Trish sighed.
'Well, we're not doing any good standing around inside here. The sun is down. Let's go.' Trish ran out before Reiko could even say anything. When he got outside, Trish was nowhere to be seen.
Stephanie screamed and cowered down in the corner. Shadows seemed to dance above her but one suddenly fell back. Dante grunted softly as his back fell hard against the floor. He quickly righted himself and scowled.
'So…this is all the Legendary Son of Sparda is. A half breed. You are no threat to us but my master's orders are orders. You must die.' Dante blinked at Trish and frowned.
'What the hell has gotten into you?' Trish flew at him, kicking his feet out from under him. Trish grabbed a sword and aimed to throw it into his chest, straight for his heart. Steph streaked out in front of him, arms widespread.
'No! Wait! Trish please don't do this! I know he can be a jerk sometimes but please don't do this…'
'Me? A jerk?' Dante snorted. Trish looked back at Dante and discarded the sword, picking him up by his neck, raising Dante clear off the floor. Dante's icy blue eyes widened in surprise before he started gagging and choking. Stephanie felt a hot rage sweep over her as she grabbed the first thing she could, a sword that had been holding up a skull on the wall. She staggered under the weight of it but kept her footing.
'Leave him alone!' She swung the sword wildly and Trish turned around quickly, dropping Dante in the same instant. Dante tried to Devil Trigger but found he hadn't the energy to do so. Steph screamed and backed away as Trish's eyes turned red and her body was engulfed by an orange aura. Dante blinked.
'Stephanie. That's not Trish!' Steph's eyes widened.
'What?' Trish continued to walk towards her, tossing her hair over her shoulder in a show of arrogance. A smirk played across her face. Steph felt tears sting her eyes as she felt her back hit against the wall. Trish raised hr hand, energy forming into an orange sphere. Dante growled, seeing the chain that hung around Steph's neck. He stood up quickly and closed his eyes.
Steph let out a high pitched scream as red lightening struck him, shattering glass. Black wings unfolded and a red blur appeared in front of her view, shoving her out of the way, a black demon standing in her place instead. A loud guttural snarl rent the air and Stephanie closed her eyes expecting to be killed.
'Mostro!' Steph's eyes opened to see Reiko, clad in all black bursting through the door. Trish lagged behind, looking weary and slightly battered. The impostor slowly got to her feet, her figure changing as she did so. Reiko soon found himself staring at his mirror image. His eyes seemed to turn cold and his face looked as though it were made of stone. Trish cursed and glared at the vampire that stood by her side.
'Did it just slip your mind to tell us that Mostro was a shape-shifter?' Reiko shook his head.
'Not Mostro. Jaal. He learnt many spells before he was turned.' The two had started circling each other, one crouched down low in a fighter's stance, the other watching, eyes serious and alert. Steph tried to choke back a whimper but it was audible in the silence that had now fallen on the room. Trish saw as one of the vampires looked towards her.
'Dante! Go for the other one!' Dante sprung into action, knocking one of them off balance. The other spun around and pounced on the other. Steph got up and made a run for it. Trish watched as one of the vampires got up and dashed after her before being tripped up by the other.
'Stephanie! Run! Just hide!' The one who had been tripped said nothing but snarled and struggled. Trish scowled but then blinked as Stephanie stopped running. Dante growled out in frustration and sped into the attack once again, impaling one using his sword. The other simply stood up and laughed as his ankles were freed.
'You're all pathetic. You can barely hold your own against me. How do you expect to face up against Mostro?' Dante looked down from Jaal to Reiko, and cursed. The stricken vampire looked up at Dante weakly but then slowly tried to get to his feet, staggering slightly. 'Reiko's parents were the first to know of his reign and of the power he holds. You will be the next on his long list of prey!'
'Shut up!' screamed Steph. All sense was destroyed as her anger took a hold of her. She flung something at him and then fell to her knees crying and shivering. Jaal's eyes widened and his mouth fell open as he stumbled back, a silver cross in his chest.
'You fools…you think…getting rid of…me will…aid your…cause? Mostro's p-powerful…b-but…but if you think he's…the real threat…I pity you…' Jaal screamed his last as his whole body turned grey and then black, dissolving into a pile of ash.
Reiko staggered and fell to his knees. He groaned in pain but then stood up once more, his wound fully healed. He turned at stared at Jaal's remains thoughtfully. Steph continued to cry. He blinked and then went over to her, kneeling down and hugging her softly. Steph buried her head in his chest and eventually quietened. Dante shook his head and lowered his eyes.
'I know who the threat is…'
'Who?' Trish looked up at him.
'My brother…Virgil.'