Right, I finally got another chapter out for this thing. (I did this just for you darksithlord77) And there's actually some action this time, but it's only just the beginning and there's also a look back into Dante's past, as I see it.
Anyway,
Enjoy guys
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Lone Awakenings
"Give that back!"
"No!"
Dante clenched his fists, staring his brother down. He did not want to fight. "Mom gave you your own treasure, Virgil. Give me back mine."
The taller of the silver-haired twins smiled, holding a large red gem by its gold chain out in front of him. "Make me," he goaded, snatching back the amulet as his brother reached for it.
Dante growled and leapt at the white-haired boy. They grappled to the floor, punching, and kicking each other until they both sat back, winded. The gem rested between them and Virgil leaned over, pulling it into his hands and rubbed at the smooth red surface with his fingers.
Dante glared at his brother, seeing his prize still in the wrong hands. "I hate you," he panted, wiping blood from his split lip.
Virgil gave him a black look, holding his shirt to his bleeding nose. He rose to his feet, dropping the amulet between his brother's legs. "Here, big baby," he said and left the room.
***
"Mom! Virgil! Where are you?"
The shrill voice of a frightened child echoed in the darkness. Dante was his younger self again, alone and running through the now unfamiliar hallways of his house. Below his feet flowed a swirling river of black and red. The walls were lined in thick, impenetrable shadow and there seemed no end to the gloom. He was trapped and lost in a world he had only seen in his nightmares.
He could hear blood curdling laughter echoing from all sides. Though he hadn't known it at the time, the sounds he was hearing would haunt him twenty years later, on Mallet Island. They were the shrieks of the puppet demons; the marionettes governed by the evil hand of the dark Lord Mundus. Their twisted faces and vacant eyes erupted like sparks in the shadows. Their body's rose from the ground from glowing red rings and hovered with bent arms, encircling the terrified demon boy. From their hands they grasped sharp daggers and pendulum blades. They chuckled menacingly.
"Mother!" shrieked Dante in desperation. "Where are you? Virgil?"
The marionettes rose into the air and fell back down on invisible strings, inching their way closer to the boy. A blade whizzed by his head and he ducked in fright, cowering into a ball at the center of the onslaught. Tears fell from his eyes, streaking down his pale cheeks. His ashen hair stuck to his moistened skin. "Where is everyone?" he whimpered.
Bloody Mari laughed. Dante felt the wind rush past as the red puppet slammed a blade into the ground. The other puppets clunked to a halt beside him. The silver-haired boy's blood was chilled. He cringed; expecting the end, when from the darkness came a sweet, comforting voice. "It's alright Dante, my son. Do not cry."
***
"Mother!" Dante started awake, sitting bolt upright, blinking to adjust to the light.
"Let's go Dante. We got a call."
"Trish!" The devil hunter said in surprise, seeing the blond woman with a large sword slung over her shoulder.
She smirked. "Who else did you expect? Come on," she beckoned with her hand. "Let's go." She ran out the door.
Dante tore after her. As he exited his bedroom he realized he was now standing in a back alley. It was dark and there was only one street lamp, all the way at the other end of the passage. The mercenary heard footsteps approaching and whipped out his handguns. He pointed one in each direction. Whichever way the figure came, he was ready.
"Just a little closer," he whispered to himself, waiting for the shadow to come into view. Something whisked by, a strange sort of energy he had never felt before, a blur of darkness, almost nothing. The wind rustled his red jacket and hair, but he did not bother with something he couldn't see. There was some other creature lurking out there.
From the left came heavy footfalls; whatever it was, it was definitely not human.
A large red, lizard type creature with slit yellow eyes blundered up the alley. It roared into the air and came at the white-haired mercenary with enormous clawed feet. Dante shot off less than a dozen bullets from Ebony and Ivory and the monster fell to the trash littered ground with a thud.
"Too easy," he smirked and pulled back his arms.
His head shot to the right as his name was called; ringing in the form of a piercing cry. The next second, the scenery flew by and Dante was standing over Trish's lifeless, mangled body. Sparda lay at her side, close to her open hand. She was face up and her eyes were still open, her last moments of terror caught in them.
Dante collapsed to his knees, unable to keep shocked tears from falling. His head dropped over the blond woman's body and he pulled her into his lap, delicately closing her visionless eyes with his fingers.
"Trish," he repeated over and over again between painful sobs.
***
"Trish!"
Dante shot up, panting, he stared glossy eyed at his bed covers. Sweat ran down his heated face and chest. The white sheet that draped over his body clung tightly to his frame as he shifted in his bed. His entire body was drenched in a sticky sweat. He wiped his face with the back of his pillow, realizing from his sore eyes that he had been crying. He waited for his vision to clear before glancing around the room. His eyes drifted from the doorway, to the window. Everything seemed normal but Dante was still unsure whether he was dreaming, or whether he had finally managed to wake from his nightmares.
The curtains rustled in the open window. The tall mercenary felt a cool, damp breeze on his wet, naked flesh. He welcomed the cold and for a moment began to breathe easier. He was still shaken by his vivid dreams, but the images were thankfully, beginning to fade. More and more, the calm of reality was taking its hold. The visions; the painful memories of his past were heading back to the distant recesses of his mind where he kept them locked away from conscious thought. Only in dreams did they still plague his troubled mind and anguished heart.
"Morning, Hero."
Dante sprang to his feet, the bed sheet dragging off the bed as he stood, glaring angrily in the direction of the window and the source of the voice. The curtains continued to sway in the breeze, but other than that, there was no flicker of movement. Still the devil hunter did not relax. Raven was in the room, he could feel her presence, and he had not forgotten the sound of her voice despite all he had heard and witnessed in his nightmares.
"I'm beginning to think I should start locking my windows," he said in greeting, noticing the leather clad woman standing by his dresser, a few steps from his open bedroom door. "How long have you been standing there? I thought you were coming by the office."
Raven smiled, scanning the half-devil with interest and slightly amused eyes. "I wanted to see how much of an early riser you are...though in this cold; I suppose there isn't much hope of that."
Dante glowered. Looking down, he noticed that the sheet barely covered his lower region and that it was gradually slipping to the floor. He roughly grasped the edge and pulled it around his waist before returning his attention to the dark-haired woman.
"Ha, very funny," he growled, "But why are you really here? I know I'm irresistible, but couldn't you wait a few more hours for my services?"
"Hate to deflate your ego hun, but you aren't as wonderful as you may think. My people are under the impression that you aren't all you're cracked up to be. They think you've lost your touch over the years, gone soft." Raven stepped away from the wall, a sudden dark gleam in her russet eyes. "So I'm here to put you to the test."
"Whoa, back the fuck up babe," Dante warned. "You're the one who wants to hire me. If you think I'm gonna prove myself to you, or anyone, then you're seriously more whacked than I originally thought."
"I'm afraid you have little choice in the matter," answered Raven dispassionately, holding a slightly opened fist to the side as if grasping an invisible weapon. "It's either this, or you die."
Dante frowned, about to protest further when the woman swooped forward, her right arm rose in front of her. "Think fast," she advised, but the devil hunter did not have time to react. In a split second he felt something razor sharp plunge into his torso. Raven held her fist, as if clutching the hilt of a sword, inches from Dante's heart and every agonizing second; thrust the invisible blade deeper and deeper until blood shot from his back as well as his chest wound. He could feel an icy cool blade twisting inside of him. He was frozen in place, only able to reach a hand to his bleeding heart for a second before it fell limply to his side.
Raven at last withdrew her arm. The feeling of cold steel immediately disappeared, but the excruciating pain remained. Dante fell to the floor, once again gasping for air and life as the warm, crimson liquid continued to spill, trickling down his body until it pooled on the floor. His gray eyes sparkled with rage. This wasn't over. Whether this was a test or not, Dante was going to survive and make the dark-haired woman pay; her and all her so-called 'people.' The devil hunter would be damned if he was going to let them get away with barging into his house and his business. The son of the legendary Sparda would not fall so easily.
"Bitch," he muttered, rising to his feet as if he felt no pain. The wounds in his chest and back disappeared in a slow red glow. Dante's pale eyes flashed dangerously. "So did I pass? Or is there more to this little test of yours?" He took a step towards Raven, who somehow seemed drained. Her shoulders were hunched and her head tilted to the floor, only her eyes were raised to him.
"For now," she breathed, "You've convinced me at least, but your assessment isn't over just yet. Get some clothes on and meet me on the street. It's time to take you underground."
Dante folded his arms. "I've been there thanks. It was lovely, but I'm not going anywhere with you until I learn what the hell you want me for and who you really are." He ran a hand across his chest. "Not to mention what kind of guns you're packin'. I've never seen, or rather, not seen a weapon like yours."
Raven smirked. "You're right. But now's not the time for explanations. You'll learn all you need to soon enough." She stepped into the hallway. "See you downstairs."
"Not using the window?" Dante quipped before she had gone.
"Thought I'd give you a break and walk this time," answered Raven, disappearing down the hall. "You have 5 minutes," she called back.
When she had gone, Dante quickly put on his usual red get-up and swung his handguns into their holsters. His sword was still at Devil May Cry and he and Raven would have to make a pit stop there to get it. There was no way Dante was heading into the bowels of the earth to face unknown perils without Alastor.
Checking his reflection in the mirror, not that he cared what he looked like; he left his apartment and headed down the winding stairs to the ground level. At the bottom he walked through the grungy lobby and pushed open the decrepit doors of his building. Outside Raven leaned against a tree growing out of a grate in the sidewalk.
"Ready to go?" she asked when Dante had exited into the daylight.
The half-breed joined her by the tree. "I need to stop by the office first; to pick up an old friend."
Raven raised an eyebrow.
"My sword," Dante clarified.
"No need," the dark-haired woman said, walking towards her motorcycle which was of the same color as her attire. "If you're who I think you are, you're not going to need it." She slipped a matching helmet onto her head and leaned over to start her bike. Dante did not move and she sat back up, "What are you waiting for? Get on your bike and let's go."
Grudgingly, Dante obeyed and swung a leg over his own bike, hoping that Raven did not make him regret his decision to follow her armed only with Ebony and Ivory. He stepped on the starter and did not bother with a helmet. Gripping his handle bars, he revved his engine loudly and his bike sprang to life, deepening to a rumbling purr. He held out a gloved hand. "After you," he said to his escort.
Raven nodded and took off down the street. Dante followed close behind, wondering where exactly they were heading and what trouble he had gotten himself mixed up in.
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Hope this was as interesting as I tried to make it. REVIEW and tell me. And in any case, just review. I won't bother continuing this if I don't get any more.