Disclaimer thingy…which I forgot, I don't own devil may cry, one or two. I merely like torturing the tormented Dante.

Caprom, (surprise surprise, has finally pulled out a decent game) does.

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A few days later….

Rain thundered down on the empty street, lighting crashed miles away. The raindrops fell so hard, they bounced off the tarmac on the road. Cats scrambled madly for a safe dry spot underneath the cars. A lone dog jogged miserably down the street, looking for a dry place to settle.

He regarded the scene with cold blue eyes, hoping to feel at least some of the warmth he once did. This was his favourite haunting grounds, he once loved the people here…alright, not so much loved but he had a healthy tolerance which was slowly turning to like.

Hell, this had been his home for a little over two years. His family home for heavens sake. Here he stood, like a drowned rat. His leather coat sticking to his skin. He stood like a maniac in the middle of the road, waiting for a truck saying ACME to come trundling by and hit him.

His vintage motorbike and car sat in the driveway, waiting patiently for the return of their owner. Milk bottles lay neatly lined on the front doorstep, the daily newspapers had been placed in another neat little pile.

Normally, that would of brought a small smile to his features but it felt like his face had been frozen to the numb look he had right now. Nothing could replace the once loving and warm feeling he had in his heart.

He closed his eyes, trying to recapture the last moments of his once happy and perfect family. Hating the woman who had intruded into the scene and telling him of one big score that would set him up for life…

Dante laughed as the small baby crawled over to him, the baby's movements awkward and clumsy. Not yet used to the whole moving in synch thing yet. The child's mother looked lovingly at both her lover and child, enjoying the scene. Enjoying the look of peace on her husband's chiselled features.

Dante kept the smile on his face as he stood up, he towered above the baby as he walked away. The half demon warrior picked up a small throw away camera and motioned for his wife to get in the shot.

"Come on, get in the picture," he urged.

His wife rolled her eyes, Dante was always taking pictures.

"What now?" she teased, "Tales of how you captured the evil nappy at bedtime when he's older huh?"

Dante looked blank for a long second before drawing his gaze back to his son who had escaped from the diaper somehow. He sighed with a patience much older than his own years.

"Blackmail for when he's older," Dante offered her with a sly grin. He saw the confusion and laughed harder.

"When else are we gonna see him wiggling his naked ass in the air and not caring in the front lawn? Sides, I thought mom's loved naked baby pictures to show possible girlfriends?" Dante fiddled with the small camera, never fully understanding how people could use such small plastic things.

It wasn't that he couldn't use it, his fingers weren't dainty, they were long and strong, tapered to the years of wielding his swords and Ebony and Ivory.

The last camera he had seen was years ago and was the one favoured by reporters, the huge one that could drown a small child.

"Does that mean, you'll be gracing us with your presence in this picture?" his wife called over to him, knowing full well what the answer would be. A resounding no.

"Nah, wouldn't want to ruin a perfectly good picture. Sides, the damn thing would show my true side," Dante stated, hating how he turned it into a joke, "Don't want the mother in law thinking I'm sort of demon do we?"

His loving wife smiled, "I couldn't tell you. Every side is perfect to me."

The picture of his son and wife forgotten, Dante pulled his wife to him, dropping the camera to the grass. He took in her smell and slowly gave her butterfly kisses down her bare neck, not caring if half of the street could see him making out with the woman of his dreams.

"Abbey, why don't we put Shay to bed early and ah…have an early night ourselves?" Dante breathed, he felt Abbey shiver under his gentle hold.

"Dante Sparda?" a female voice cut through the romantic feeling that was growing like a knife through butter.

"What?" he didn't turn round, he could feel how tense his wife was.

He got a feeling deep down that whoever it was, he didn't want them hanging round his family.

"Just making sure your him," the woman said, "I don't want to get the wrong guy."

Abbey's clear tenor of a voice sounded muffled as she spoke into Dante's broad shoulder, "He's not interested. Whatever it is your offering."

"Take Shay inside. I'll have a nice chat with the…lady," Dante felt his skin tingle, the stranger was of demon blood. Part of him wondered if the child crawling around naked could feel it too.

Slowly, he let go off Abbey but not before Abbey 'marked her property' by pulling Dante into a deep kiss. She pulled back and enjoyed the look of bliss on his face.

Dante opened his eyes and turned round to face the unwelcome guest. Surprised at how petite she was yet built like a tank.

"So," Dante waited until Abbey and Shay were out of ear shot, "The fuck do you want with me? I don't do the bounty hunting shit now."

"Dante, this is the score of a lifetime. You do this, you'll never have to work again. You won't have to worry about providing for your family," woman made the offer so tempting.

The sun warmed the grass and the air but it left Dante feeling cold. No matter how many demons showed their nicest smiles to the general populace, they were still demons.

He cursed himself for even entertaining the unholy offer, the age old, I'd-be-providing-a-nest-egg-for-my-family won out.

"Awright, who'dya want me to get rid of? Which local demon has been making such a fuss that people are willing to pay a ridicules amount of money for me?" Dante stepped forward, not wanting Abbey to hear or anyone else for that matter in the street.

The female smiled broadly, "Not a local one. How do you feel about facing a god?"

Dante let out a loud laugh, unable to believe what he had been told, "A god? God, where'dya manage to pull that one from?"

Slowly, he walked up to the front door, sidestepping the sour milk bottles. It was almost painful to see the small baby carrier perched beside them.

He should of listened to Abbey then, shouldn't of brushed her off. Rain drops mingled with icy tears, a cold drop fell onto the back of his neck but it felt no different to the man.

"We thought you folk had upped and left," a voice called from behind him, "and when some strange looking folk came, well, we thought the worst."

He said nothing as he pulled out a key from his pocket, his hand shaking. He was inches away from the wooden door to his family home, inches away from the life he once had.

Yet he didn't feel invited, didn't feel like he belonged here. It hurt more than any of his physical pains but not more than his last memory of his child.

Hearing him crying and not being able to do anything about it. Being pinned to the ground like some animal, pausing for that split second.

That made him sick beyond measure.

"Huh?" Dante turned round slowly, he knew this man in front of him. The name escaped him though, Ted…bill…something or other.

"Some folk stopped by, looking for you," the man repeated.

"Oh…" Dante muttered, "…I'm…I'm home now. At least for a bit."

Ted or bill or something placed a concerned hand on Dante's shoulder, sensing something wrong with his neighbour.

"You all right?"

Dante managed a numb nod, trying to kick his brain back into some order but failing. The dagger had done more than kill his family, it had done a nice job of killing his humanity too.

"Well, once ya get in side, you'll feel better eh?" the neighbour offered helpfully, "Megan will bring you something over in the morning."

Before Dante had a chance to answer, the man left. Leaving Dante to his own thoughts.

Dante turned back round to the door and slowly opened it. The home felt empty long before he stood inside the dark hallway. The lights were out, he had grabbed Abbey and Shay from sleeping and had not bothered turning any on.

It had been chaos on that night. He had came home from meeting with a few close friends, Lei and Arman. Lei, not usually one for gossiping, had divulged a few worrying facts about the person Dante had been hired to kill.

"Oh yeah, real nasty. Last sod that crossed her path was never quite the same…" Lei had slurred, Dante managed a small smile. Getting Lei drunk was never that hard.

"So, Dante, for the love of…fuck…I was gonna say God but…does he even exist? I mean for all the shit he does now…," Lei started to ramble into his drink, quite happy to talk to the ever decreasing liquid.

Arman, however, had a concerned look, "Lei, what happened to this guy?"

"What guy?" Lei sniffed, he looked at Dante lovingly, "God…If you weren't straight…if I wasn't straight…if your were drunk…"

Dante frowned, why was Lei avoiding the subject? Granted, Lei couldn't hold a proper conversation in the first place but the point was usually given at some point.

"I'll kiss you if you tell me," Dante blurted out, his mind telling him that he had way to much to drink if he was even thinking about entertaining this idea.

Abbey would be more than pissed if she found out but even she had done wild things in her teens.

Lei's grey eyes looked at him with big pupils, "Ah…kay. The guy's family had their skin ripped from their ones. Their intestines…"

The drunken Lei turned an odd shade of green, a look of disgust and revulsion forming on his handsome face. Horror slowly crept up and he lost the drunken look.

Dante felt his heart stop for a sickening second, he knew that look. Lei was one of the rare telepathic demons with the clairvoyant gene thrown in for good measure.

Arman lowered his drink, his hand shaking as he placed it on the table, "Lei…what?"

Lei closed his eyes, "Run Dante. NOW!"

That had been it, Dante had rushed home, forgetting his friends at the bar. The car had tore up the roads like they were nothing. He blasted his way through stop signs, he ignored red lights.

His family was more important than life itself, more than his own. Abbey had been pissed at her husband bolting up the stairs and crashing into the bedroom. Shay had started crying as Dante slammed the lights on.

He shook his head, clearing it of all the past memories, he didn't want them. He should of gotten home sooner, shouldn't of went out with the guys.

Dante made his way through the hall and stopped outside the living room, sensing someone there. He drew out Ebony and Ivory, pointing them to the ground.

"Hey Dante," a voice called from the dark living room.

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Umm…thanks to the four whose review actually have inspired me to keep up with this. Cheers very much. Chapter three coming soon….I hope.