Thanks for the reviews but this fic is nearly finished. There's going to be two more in this weird series called Dark Legion! I am feeling ill but I'm singing still. Why? Why? I don't know why! I feel like crap but I am in a good mood, my stomach is growling and it's begging for food. Don't blame me if it sounds like I'm on crack, it's what I do when I feel like crap!
Ahem…
My singing mood is over now and now a headache has settled in. Anyways, you guys have been saying that I should update. So here is the update. Fear me. Or not.
NB: To try and apologize for the crapness of the last two chapters, I've been working hard on this one. Don't kill me.
Chapter 19
As soon as Dante walked out of Devil May Cry, he realised that Reiko was nowhere to be seen. Not only that, but he hadn't even been in the building when he had left. If this huge energy surge was anything to go by, he'd need the vampire's help. He felt Reiko's taint flicker somewhere but then die out completely. He blinked and turned in a full circle, trying to pin point the direction that the life force was coming from. No luck.
He could hear nothing apart from the mournful dirge of the wind as it howled through the empty streets, sounding utterly wolf like. Dante blinked as he realised that the huge power surge from before had suddenly gone. Strange. Something weird was going on, and he had to get to the bottom of it. In fact, the only taint he could feel was Trish and his own…and something else. Not human, that was for sure.
Something flickered within his mind. He raised his head, the light of battle burning brightly in his eyes. He strode towards his motorcycle. Within minutes, he was roaring off through the dark streets.
In the main city centre, the streets were completely devoid of people. Where had all the people gone? Surely someone should be out and about, going clubbing? But everything was dead and quiet, as though someone had switched off the city using a remote control. It unnerved him.
Lost in his own thoughts, he didn't see the black shape in the road. His eyes widened. He slammed on the brakes. His bike thumped into the figure. It hurtled up into the air, came crashing down. The bike skidded on, the tires screeching in protest. The cycle tilted wildly to one side, leaving marks on the road. Sparks flew as metal ground against concrete. The bike suddenly gave a last screech. It ground to a complete halt and toppled over onto it's side, sending Dante to the ground. As soon as he hit the floor, he flipped back up to his feet with a grace that was only reached by the supernatural, and turned in one fluid motion. His eyes narrowed slightly in the dark as he heard the unmistakeable hiss of an enraged vampire.
He neatly side-stepped and whirled around, his coat swaying against the back of his legs as the wind continued to howl. Quick as lightning, he pulled out a gun and aimed.
'Silver bullets in this gun. Won't kill you but you'll be wounded. You'll heal as slow as a mortal, vamp.' He spat out the last word. Surprisingly, the vampire backed down, looking unsure of himself as Dante continued. 'You're one of the last of your kind in this city. Do you know of any others?' The vampire snarled at this.
'What's it worth?' Dante growled.
'How about your food?' The eyes of the vampire blinked and peered up at him, confused. Another urgent flicker made itself felt in Dante's mind somewhere. He pushed on. 'Do you know of a vampire called Reiko?' The vampire hesitated and shook his head.
'No.' Dante was no fool but he narrowed his eyes and lowered his gun. As long as the vampire felt threatened he wouldn't tell him anything, even if it meant he'd be severely wounded. Dante decided to put some of his knowledge about vampires into good use.
'Reiko is the master vampire of this city. He came to me for help. But now he's missing.' Was this wise of him to even let out this information? Probably not, but he had to take any chance he had. And was Reiko really the master vampire or was he just jumping to conclusions after learning that he had been the leader of the guild? Again, he had no answer. Whatever, he needed to find Reiko urgently, and he had no idea where he was. If this vampire knew him, then maybe he knew his favourite haunts.
'No doubt you've heard the name Mostro spoken by your race. Reiko formed a guild designed to try and kill him off. Unfortunately, all the members were wiped out by the one they intended to kill, apart from Reiko and presumably you. Mostro is dead now, but you'd have to be a fool or a human not to notice the huge power surge that appeared only a few minutes ago. I…need Reiko's help.' Dante fought back a shudder at the last word. Help…ugh…He wasn't used to the word, and if there was one thing he had sworn to do, it was not become too accustomed to the notion. Trish was a different matter. She helped of her own accord. He never asked her for it.
Looking at the vampire now, he realised that he felt as though he recognized him from somewhere. He had met him only once, he knew, but for the life him he could not remember his name. The vampire however, showed no sign of recognition. His face remained blank, impassive, and his eyes were dim, lifeless. Dante turned away and righted his motorcycle before he got the ignition going, ready to continue on his search.
'Wait,' the vampire had moved closer to him without Dante even hearing his footsteps. 'I'll come with you, Dante.' He nodded without even looking towards the vamp. 'The name's Remy, by the way.' Dante still chose not to respond, but drove off almost as soon as the vampire had sat down behind him.
'Can you sense his presence anywhere?' Dante broke the silence after a while. Remy shook his head, but then remembered that Dante couldn't see him. He was half demon, but that didn't mean he had eyes in the back of his head now, did it?
'It's true that because I am a vampire, I am more sensitive to the presence and auras of other vampires. But no, I can't feel him.' Dante said nothing but nodded once to show he had heard him. Even so, he felt dread building up.
'I just hope his dark side hasn't taken over again…' Again, that flickering in his mind. It was more urgent, more powerful than it had been before. Remy straightened up, alert.
'I can feel him!' The taint died out. Dante strained his senses, trying to search for the taint of something old, something new; the mark of a master vampire. However, he couldn't pick it up again. God damn! He couldn't even feel Remy and he was right behind him! Damned vampires…they had to be contrary. If Reiko had been anyone else, he would have felt his power straight away, but because he was a vampire, it made everything all the more difficult.
'Where?'
'Take a right!' Dante nodded and banked sharply to the right. Remy jumped off even before Dante had brought the motorcycle to another stop. Something flashed in the darkness of the alley they had pulled into and then Remy was gone. Dante switched off his bike and blinked into the darkness, looking around.
'Remy?' he whispered.
'Up here! Come on!' Dante raised his head towards the source of the voice and saw Remy standing on the rood of a house nearby. 'It's quicker this way.' He seemed to vanish again, like smoke on the wind. Dante followed after he limbed up onto the roof, his footfalls light, but not completely silent like that of the vampire's. Not only that, he was made only too aware of how Remy's speed surpassed his. The vampire paused, waiting for him to catch up before moving on, acting for all the world like a well-trained dog. He suddenly gasped and stopped, staring out into the distance, blinking. Dante drew up alongside him and looked in the same direction.
'There he is! But…who's that with him?' Dante's night-vision was as good as Remy's. For this he was thankful. He was beginning to worry that perhaps all vampires were stronger and quicker than him. Possibly it was just Remy who was quicker, and Reiko who was stronger. Maybe it all varied. Whatever…
Some alleys away, Reiko was suspended in mid-air, limp, his head falling onto his chest, and showing all signs of unconsciousness. A blue aura seemed to surround him. Even as Dante watched, Reiko's life force suddenly came into his mind's focus. It was slowly dripping away, getting fainter and fainter.
He growled, his hands tightening around the holsters of his guns. He ran forward, leaping across the gaps between the rows of buildings, coming to land lightly on roof after roof. Remy was at his heels one second, the next overtaking him, jumping down from a roof into the alleyway, jumping to the aid of his leader and friend.
Dante sent himself flying into the air and opened fire, his guns blazing, giving vent to a blood curdling war cry. The figure snarled and dropped Reiko to the floor, his eyes fixed on the red clad Demon Hunter. Remy dropped to his knees beside the fallen vampire.
'Oh no…' Dante's eyes remained fixed on those of Virgil's.
'So, we meet again.' A slow smile spread across Virgil's lips. In response, growled angrily.
'After this battle, we won't have another meeting.' With that said, Virgil slowly began to circle him, red eyes taking in every minute detail. Dante's eyes never left his. 'So alike, yet so different,' he said, musingly. Virgil ran a hand through his neat silver hair that was slicked back from his face. Dante sighed softly, as though unwilling to fight him again.
'You always were the one who tried to be presentable…' Virgil smiled, and for once, it reached his eyes. Even though he had been corrupted by evil, he could still remember some things.
'And you always were the one who showed attitude. Rebellious and contrary, sometimes on purpose, just for a chance to seem like an individual.' Virgil paused, and the warmth had gone from his eyes in an instant. 'A shame it's like this, wouldn't you say? All these memories we share, and they'll all go to waste.' Dante growled.
'You're the one who forgot the legacy of our father and turned to the dark side! And how can you say you have memories? You forgot all about what you once called your family!'
'I've remembered now though, haven't I? I've remained by myself, in solitude for what seems like an eternity, slowly remembering everything of my past. You're so swollen with pathetic love for what once transpired from simians. Humans.' Here, he gave a derisive snort. Dante's eyes only narrowed, but other then that, there was no sign of rage on his face. 'Mundus was right. They deserve to die. They are pathetic. They are inferior to us.'
'You say you have memories…yet you forget our mother also. She was human.'
'Ambition has given way to pitiful relatives. And as for your other question, you were too unimaginative to even think about turning to Mundus' side.'
'You didn't turn of your own will. You were abducted, and our mother killed. I saw everything.'
'And how was it you weren't taken with me? Were you cowering in some dark corner?'
'Shut up!' Virgil smiled, but changed the subject.
'I could have this city at my feet after this battle. Others could follow.'
'Could?'
'Let's be realistic, brother. There's always a chance I could slip up. You may be unimaginative, but you are also unpredictable.'
'I can only be either one or the other.' Virgil smiled.
'We shall see, brother. We shall see.'
'You're no brother of mine.' A pause. 'I thought I killed you on Mallet Island.'
'You killed Mundus. But you didn't kill me.'
'That much is obvious.' An amused grin from Virgil but then he continued.
'I had to recuperate. I knew at that point that you were too strong. So I trained.'
'Training alone didn't get you this strong.' Again Virgil smiled, but this time with slow indulgence.
'Insightful. I see no harm in telling you how I became what I am today. I want you to know exactly what you're getting yourself into.'