Yay!!! I got a lot more reviews than I was expecting for the first few chapters. Big big thanks to any and all who took the time to review. I appreciate it.

I also found it amusing to hear what you guys thought of the prologue thing...All I can say is you guys are in for a big surprise later on from your assessments....grins maliciously

Anywho-idge

Enjoy the next chap,

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Awake & Dead

Chapter 2: Gauntway

The lid grated the rim of the stone coffin and landed on the floor with an echoing thud. The newly awakened vampire sat up and blinked in the darkness of the mausoleum, taking in a deep breath of stuffy air. The small stone building smelled rankly of death and he frowned at the stench, climbing out of his resting place. He would be happy to be out of his tomb.

Patting off a small accumulation of centuries of dust, he made his way towards the exit and pushed open the large slab door. The moonlight filtered in and lit the doorway of the mausoleum. The figure breathed again, glad for the night's fresh breeze, and straightened his fingers through his long, dark brown hair. In the light, his astonishingly pale green eyes almost disappeared.

He looked around the cemetery, crowded with graves and other mausoleums. Much had changed since he'd gone to sleep and the hills that formed Gauntway were now filled with the resting places of people passed away over the centuries. It had been empty the last time he'd seen it. It had been his property and his home but now Gauntway belonged to the hundreds of bodies whose souls had left them. The former manor where he had grown up was all but torn down where it sat, decrepit yards away, and the front lawn that stood before it had become a cemetery for people who had never stepped foot in the manor, let alone knew who had once lived there.

The tall man shook his head, forcing his disappointment and hurt aside. He had not reawakened to reclaim any real estate, only to kill. The hunter that he sensed approaching had brought him back to life and he was looking forward to meeting him.

"Sparda..." he whispered, smiling and scanning the graveyard for a place to wait for the devil hunter.

His eyes fell on a small pond at the base of a hill, near the center of Gauntway; something-a little girl-thrashed in the water while two boys amused themselves by throwing rocks at her.

The dark-haired man scowled and walked silently down the path and veered off towards the two boys.

"I do hope you are enjoying yourselves, children."

The small boys turned, immediately dropping their stones upon seeing the vampire's pale face. They looked at him frightened and unable to speak.

The dark figure frowned and folded his arms. "Is it customary for children nowadays not to answer an elder's question?"

Both boys remained silent, but looked down at the rocks at their feet, puzzled and terrified.

"Is it not past your bedtimes?" the vampire asked sternly. He got almost imperceptible nods from the boys in return. "Then should you not be leaving? It would be a shame if something were to happen to you two...or do neither of you fear death?"

He stepped closer and the boys looked up, eyes widening as he bared his sharp teeth. He knelt.

"Do you know what a vampire is?" he asked softly.

The boys gaped at him.

"Do you know what it is vampires do to their victims?" he continued.

The boys were too petrified to answer but the dark-haired man could tell by the look in their eyes that they understood his meaning.

He smiled. "Leave," he whispered, "Run away before I choose to satiate my hunger with you two."

The boys made to run but the vampire grabbed them by their shoulders. He felt them shaking in his grip as he turned them back towards the pond and the girl, sitting in the rushes, sopping wet.

"Apologize," he commanded, without having to say the words.

The boys complied, stuttering quick apologies before taking off as fast as they could towards Gauntway's exit. The girl climbed shakily to her feet and eyed the dark-haired man with interest.

"Thank you," she said sweetly and through chattering teeth, but without any noticeable fear in her voice.

The vampire stood and walked over, looming above the girl. "You are not afraid?"

The girl shook her head. "Uhn uhn-nope," she smiled. "What's your name? My name's Darylia. But you can just call me Dary-That's what my mum and dad call me. My brother calls me Dairy-but I don't like that. He's stupid anyway and-"

"Stavios," the vampire interrupted, "My name is Stavios."

"Stavios?" the girl chirped, "That's a weird name. Where'd you get that? Is it short for something? Can I call you Stavey? Cuz then it would be shorter and I could remember it better cuz it's kinda like my name-"

"No," Stavios said shortly, "My name is not short for anything and you my not call me Stavey. You also should not worry about remembering my name because we shall not be meeting again."

Dary frowned slightly, "But you're a vampire...doesn't that mean you live in a cemetery?"

"Yes."

"This one?"

"...yes...for the time being."

Dary smiled excitedly, "Well then I'll come and visit you and you can scare away all the mean boys and I'll bring us supper and we can have a picnic and-"

"No," the vampire raised his hand to stop the girl's chattering, "There will be no picnic bec-"

"Oh that's right!" Dary exclaimed, "You don't eat real food. You drink blood right?"

Stavios sighed.

"Well you don't have to worry. I'll bring some nasty boys from my class over and you can eat them and I'll have my supper so we can still have a picnic." Dary bounced around excitedly, looking around the graveyard. "Where do you live?" she asked, "Did you come out of the ground? Were you buried? Did somebody bury you alive?"

"No I-"

"Oh yeah, you'd be dead if somebody buried you alive, eh?" the girl smiled, "So were you sleeping in a coffin? Was it comfortable? Did you sleep okay? How old are you? How long have you been a vampire? Did it hurt when you got turned into one? Is your family still alive? How many people have you killed? Does blood taste good? How much do you drink? Have you turned anyone else into a vampire? Ca-"

"For the love of God, STOP!" Stavios yelled, massaging the bridge of his nose. "Do you always ask so many questions?"

"Yup," Dary chirped, "I like asking questions."

"And do you ever listen for the answers?"

Dary was quiet for a moment. "Can you make me a vampire?" she asked, brightly, "Cuz then I can get back at the boys at school who pick on me and then you and me can get married and be vampires together and-"

"No," Stavios said gravely, "I will not make you a vampire. I would not wish this hell on anyone-besides you are far too young."

"But I'm almost 9-years-old," Dary argued, pulling at the vampire's sleeve, "Pleeeeeaze," she whined.

Stavios frowned and pulled his arm away, "I am not making you a vampire. And I believe it is time you went home and bothered someone else with your incessant babble. I am sure your family must be missing it-you."

"Yeah," Dary said, "But I don't wanna go back. You're much more fun than they are." She smiled. "Hey, wanna play tag-or hide and seek? I'll be 'It'"

Stavios slighed loudly.

"...or you could be 'It' first," Dary beamed, "I don't mind."

Stavios breathed to calm himself but he could already feel the darkness flaring in his veins. He turned to Dary, his eyes flashing momentarily. "Leave!" he hissed, trying to push away his desire to harm the little girl. Already the thought of her sweet, innocent blood rolling down the back of his throat was overwhelming.

He lashed out, pushing her out of the way as she just stood there; completely unaware of the peril she was in.

"Stavey?" she asked, falling to the ground. "I don't get it. Are we playing tag or hide and seek? Cuz first you told me to leave, so I thought you wanted me to hide and then you pushed me, so am I 'It' now or what?"

"LEAVE NOW!!!" Stavios barked at the girl, but she did not move.

Dary furrowed her brow, "Leave to do what? What are we playing?"

"We're not playing," Stavios said through gritted teeth, leaning over and clutching his stomach."

"Oh!" Dary said, smiling, "You have a stomach ache. That's okay. We don't have to play right now. We could just sit here and talk until you feel better." She moved towards the dark-haired man and touched his shoulder. "See," she pointed, "We can sit by that tree and look at the water or the stars. There's a lot of 'em today and maybe we'll see a shooting star and we can each make a wish. I've always wanted to, but I never remember in time when I see one. But maybe if we're both looking, one of us'll remember."

Dary reached down and grabbed Stavios' hand, attempting to pull him towards the tree, but he wouldn't move.

"Come on!" she said, "You're tummy'll feel better when you sit down. Co-"

"I told you to leave," he said darkly, "I told you to go home. Why didn't you listen to me? Why are you making me do this?"

He raised his head and Dary shrank from the look in his eyes, letting go of his hand and taking a step back.

"What happened to your eyes?" she asked apprehensively, "The black's gone."

"...yes," Stavios grinned, no longer holding his stomach, "My pupils have paled...that is what happens when I am about to kill."

Dary's eyes widened, for the first time fearful of the vampire. "T-to kill?" she asked weakly, her knees shaking as Stavios began advancing on her. In the moonlight his eyes shone eerily.

"Do you fear me now, Dary?" he asked, grinning as the girl tripped over her own feet and fell to the ground.

"Y-yes," she sobbed.

"Good," Stavios got to his knees beside the shaking girl, "You should. But it is a shame you were so accepting of me before, otherwise you would have run off like those boys and I would not have to do this right now." He wiped the tears off Dary's cheek, "Such a shame," he said, baring his teeth.

"P-please," Dary whimpered, "I d-d-don't w-want y-you to s-s-suck my b-blood."

"No?" Stavios raised an eyebrow, "But you wanted me to make you a vampire before and I would have had to suck your blood to do that. What is so different about me taking your blood to kill you? Being a vampire, you are not really alive anyway."

Dary scrunched her eyes, tears leaking out the corners. "P-please d-don't...I j-just wa-wan-na-na go h-home."

Stavios smiled and his pupils darkened. He took Dary's hands and pulled her to her feet. "Very well," he said, "Go before I change my mind about you."

Dary opened her eyes in shock. "Really?" she sniffled. "I-I can go?"

"Yes," the vampire said, "And I do not wish to find you in this cemetery-or any others-again. Is that clear? There are very few vampires who are as lenient as I am."

Dary nodded energetically, "Yes, tha-"

"GO," Stavios commanded, pointing towards Gauntway's iron gate, "You're going to catch cold. Just go."

"Ok," Dary ran away, holding her arms against the chill, she turned at the gate, "BYE STAVEY!" she called and slipped through the gate.

Stavios shook his head, feeling his blood suddenly chill at the thought that he had almost killed a child. His desire had never been that strong before. He had never preyed on-or been so close to bleeding an innocent until this night. He hoped that it was only the desire for blood that had been building up over the centuries, even though it was not an excuse he would allow himself to accept.

He was starving...but the devil hunter would change all that.

Dante was still griping to himself as he walked along the dirt road. It was dark and he couldn't see more than a few feet in front of him at a time.

'Trish could have at least given me a flashlight or something.'

He had been hoping at first that Trish was only messing with him and he would find her waiting for him somewhere down the road, or maybe come back for him in fifteen minutes, when she realized she'd been too hard on him, but he quickly realized that the blond woman was just as stubborn as he was.

"I can't believe she left me in the middle of nowhere! There aren't even any cars coming down this road for me to hitch a ride with!"

The traffic on the country road was few and far between. When a car did happen to pass by, it was heading in the wrong direction and Dante couldn't manage to get the driver to stop anyway.

The thought of flying back to the city in his devil form had even crossed his mind, but Dante wasn't sure if he could hold out for such a long trip.

In any case he was tired and discouraged by the fact that he didn't really know where he was going and he couldn't see his way to begin with.

The events of the night had freaked him out and he found himself on his guard at even the slightest noise. Everything seemed to echo and become more menacing sounding at night.

Something was also nagging at the back of his mind, like he was going the wrong way, or being drawn towards something. Dante couldn't tell who or what, but something was calling him. He was sure of it. And he was getting closer to the source.

"Dammit! Where the hell am I go-AGH?"

Dante coughed as two objects charged into this stomach and bounced off. He quickly realized they were young boys as they stared down the barrels of Ebony and Ivory.

Dante pulled his arms away, holstering his guns. "Sorry," he said.

The boys wearily got their feet.

"What the hell are you guys doing on a road like this in the middle of the night?" Dante asked, taking a deep breath to slow his rapidly beating heart. "I could have killed you. Don't you have families to get back to?"

The boys gulped in unison.

"Yeah," one said, "We were just going home."

The shorter of the two nodded, "That's right. We were playing in the cemetery up there," the child pointed but Dante couldn't see through the darkness to what the child was directing his attention to, "We were playing and a vampire attacked us."

Dante frowned, "A vampire?"

"Yeah," the boys said animatedly, "He wanted to kill us but we got away."

Dante folded his arms, watching the children, unamused. 'What does Trish see in them anyway?'

"Hey," the taller boy yelled, "You have guns, mister, you should go kill him!"

"Yeah," cried the other boy, "That's a great idea."

"No it isn't," said Dante.

"Yes it is!" said shorter boy, "That vampire wouldn't be a match for your guns."

"Yeah! They're really cool," admired his friend, "I bet you could kill him with one shot."

"Probably," Dante mumbled, "But I won't"

"Why not?" the boys asked together.

"Why not?" exclaimed Dante, "Do I look like fucking Buffy the Vampire Slayer? I don't do vampires, okay? Especially not for two annoying kids I just bumped into."

"Ah, c'mon..."

"Please mister..."

"No," Dante yelled, "Now go home and leave me alone."

"Fine," the smaller boy pouted.

"Yeah, you suck," said the other before they both ran off, leaving Dante once again alone on the road.

"...damn kids," he grumbled, "As if I'm gonna go to a cemetery and kill a vampire, which probably is just a figment of their imaginations anyway. They must have just been freaked out by a tree..."

But even as the words left his lips, Dante realized that he was headed for the cemetery after all. His feet seemed to be guiding him there of their own accord and he couldn't stop himself.

In ten minutes he found himself standing before the tall, wrought iron gates of the cemetery. The name Gauntway was just visible enough in the full moon light.

'Great, what the hell am I doing here?'

"BYE STAVIOS!"

Dante heard a girl yell to someone before he was forced to dodge out of the way of the speeding girl. She ran right passed him and didn't acknowledge his presence.

'Stavios?'

The dark-haired vampire sat back against a tree, eyes closed and breathing smoothly. He was trying to hold his hunger at bay until the hunter arrived, but it wasn't long before he felt the man's presence.

He rose to his feet, grinning as he saw the white-haired demon hunter coming into Gauntway. The man would not be leaving the cemetery if he had anything to do with it.

"Come to me," he beckoned soundlessly, watching the hunter weave between the graves until he stood a few feet from him.

Dante studied him with his eyes, "You the vampire?"

Stavios smirked and instantly swung out a fist, dropping the hunter to the ground.

Dante tasted the blood in his mouth. He wasn't really hurt, but the punch had been enough to damage his pride a little. He glared at the man stooped over him, his head pounding with rage,

"Who the hell do you think you are?" he blinked, lifting himself angrily off the ground and rubbing his jaw.

The vampire straightened and held a hand to his chest in mock apology. "Please forgive me," he said, "I did not realize it was customary for hunters and their prey to share life stories before entering into battle. You must think me terribly rude for attacking you just now."

Dante narrowed his eyes. "Rude wasn't the word I was thinking of," he said, "But I don't want your life story-just a name."

The taller man smirked, "Stavios, then," he said, taking a step closer, "Will that be sufficient?"

Dante didn't say anything. He looked around him at the darkened cemetery, lit only by the full moon, wondering if the man really was a vampire. At least it would explain why he was hanging out in a cemetery in the dead of night. He didn't notice Stavios come around him.

"A simple yes or no will do," the dark-haired man said quietly in his ear.

Dante jumped and swung around. "How did you do that? I didn't see you move."

"Well no, you wouldn't have," said Stavios, "You were much too busy daydreaming...Care to share your thoughts?"

Dante scowled at being taken by surprise for a second time. "I ran into some kids who said they'd seen a vampire. I was wondering if it was you, cause you definitely seem like more than just a pretty face."

"Do I," Stavios grinned, showing Dante his teeth, "I suppose it would appear that I am a vampire, now wouldn't it?"

"...yeah. I guess it would."

"Well then," Stavios said, clapping his hands together, "Familiarities aside, shall we get on to business, son of the Legendary Dark Knight Sparda?"

"Business?" Dante asked, shocked, 'How does everyone know who I am? Is this the evil that that whack-job lady warned me about? 'No,' he eyed Stavios, 'It couldn't be him. He doesn't seem that strong...i think.'

Stavios frowned, "Have you not finished daydreaming yet? Must we postpone your death until your mind has finished gazing into the clouds? I must say I have been waiting centuries for new blood and I am quickly growing impatient with your mindlessness."

"What?"

Dante fell to the ground as a punch collided with his left temple. He saw sparks before his eyes and was soon holding his already wounded side in agony.

Stavios' eyes danced at the sight of the hunter's blood on his boot. He licked his lips and kicked Dante again in his torn side, making him writhe onto his back. He pressed his foot onto his chest and glared.

"You are not putting up much of a fight for someone who is so renowned. I expected much better from you Young Sparda. Perhaps my credit to you was misplacesd."

Dante looked fiercely at the vampire.

"You took me by surprise, that's all. You didn't fight fair."

Stavios shook his head and pressed his heel down on Dante's chest until the white-haired mercenary cried out at the sound of his rib cracking. "Who ever decided what is fair and unfair in a fight, Young Sparda?" he asked, continuing to put pressure on the rib until it broke and separated and Dante shrieked, grabbing the man's boot and trying to yank him off.

The vampire stomped on Dante's chest to make him release his leg and he hopped to the side, waiting for the hunter's moaning to quiet. He watched Dante painfully get to his feet, but noticed he was seething.

"You fucking bastard," the devil hunter hissed through clenched teeth, "You're gonna fuckin wish I was as goddamn weak as you seem to think I am."

Stavios smirked, "Such profanity. I do hope you did not use your entire vocabulary in that one sentence."

Dante ignored the comment and was already building up energy. A blue aura surrounded him and it grew larger until he roared demonically and transformed into his devil state.

He lunged at the dark-haired man, swooping into the air and coming quickly down. Stavios raised his arms in protection.

Flash

Stavios smirked. "Such profanity. I do hope you did not use your entire vocabulary in that one sentence."

Dante felt the demon rise inside him and he quickly changed into his devil form; climbing into the air for a diving attack. The vampire raised his arms to shield himself. Dante stopped the attack.

Flash

"Such profanity-"

"I do hope you did not use your entire vocabulary in that one sentence, right?" Dante asked, seeing Stavios' shocked face.

The vampire nodded, slowly, understanding.

Dante frowned, "So I'm not the only one with a serious case of déjà vu then?"

Stavios returned the scowl, "So it would seem." He looked squarely at Dante. "Déjà vu is never a good sign, especially if it is shared by more than one party."

"Whoa," Dante smirked, "Don't go all Matrix on me now."

Stavios lifted an eyebrow, "Matrix?"

"...uh-nevermind," said Dante, "So what does this déja vu mean anyway?"

Stavios sighed, "It happened twice so it means that it is not a simple case of us believing we have already experienced an event. Someone is manipulating time and I believe it has something to do with you, Young Sparda."

"Dante."

"Dante then," Stavios corrected, "I strongly believe that someone is altering time to affect your life in some way-probably for the worst."

"And what makes you think that this déja vu shit isn't about you?" Dante asked angrily.

Stavios sighed, "Because I am not the son of Sparda and I have never had any encounters with the darkness Mundus, despite my age. I have been asleep for centuries and only awoke tonight."

"To kill me?"

"Yes."

"Lucky me."

Stavios waved a hand at him, "You should feel honored. I only prey on the strongest devil hunters."

"And what about the strongest devils?"

"I have my reasons for wanting to kill the hunters, but that is none of your concern."

Dante shrugged, "Whatever."

Flash

Dante burst through the bedroom door and froze in his footsteps, his feet squishing into the blood soaked carpet. Cooling blood seeped down his hand from the doorway and he jerked his arm back in surprise and horror. The bedroom was spattered in blood as if someone had exploded a paint can in the center of the room. The thickening red liquid oozed off every object and died everything a sickening crimson.

Dante looked on the bed and he choked, his head spinning as he heart stopped completely. He fell to his knees, suddenly completely weak. The tears poured down like a storm.

Flash

The wooden door flew inwards as Dante smashed it open. His boots sank into the drenched carpet. The blood from the doorframe was on his hands. The room was an ocean of blood.

His knees gave way and he fell.

The bed...

Flash

"NOOOOOOO!!!!!!" Dante screamed, sobbing horribly. He felt a hand on his neck and he wrenched his head up, seeing Stavios looking down on him, concerned.

"Did it happen again?" the vampire asked.

Dante couldn't speak and he couldn't stop himself from crying in front of the dark-haired man. His breathing was still haggard and he couldn't slow the blood rushing in his veins. He was incredibly dizzy.

'I can't be real. It just can't. It isn't déja vu. It's impossible because I know I didn't see that before. She wasn't...Trish isn't....'

"SHE CAN"T BE!! IT ISN"T REAL!!"

Stavios stepped back and cried out at the top of his voice. "Who can't be?" he asked, "What isn't real?"

Dante got shakily to his feet, still sobbing. "I have to get back to her. I have to know. This can't be...it just can't..."

The dark-haired vampire watched in awe as Dante transformed into a devil and tore off into the sky, disappearing into the night.

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Well that's about long enough for this chapter. Hope you guy's liked it.

BTW, Bustahead: I don't know why but Dary reminds me of you. I didn't write her that way but when I was rereading her part, you just came to mind. I don't know.shrugs Hope you don't hate me for it.

Anyway, REVIEW REVIEW REVIEW