VATICAN CITY: A FRIEND AWAITS

                  "Follow me," Van Helsing said quietly.
"I don't need your help hunter."
He walked swiftly down the alley way. Dante had little choice but decided to follow anyway to learn who this mysterious person was that knew him.
"Where are we taking him?" Carl asked.
"Some where that he can be questioned."
"Questioned my ass. Your probably going to kill me which I find is really hard thing to accomplish."
"Questioned?" Carl asked ignoring Dante's outburst. "Ohh I see. We need to see if he knows the location of that thing he brought with him."
Dante stopped feeling a familiar presence. A presence that made him grin a sadistic grin. Checking to see that his supposed guide was to busy talking wouldn't noticed him slipping off. Dante slipped into the shadow without making a sound.
Van Helsing noticed that Dante had slipped into the shadows and was making his way after Shriven. Carl just kept up talking as Van Helsing tried to get his attention.
"Carl?"
"This guy can't be trusted."
"Carl?"
"I'm telling you Gabriel that this is going to be really bad even if one of our own can vouch for him."
"Carl?"
"What?"
"Go back to Vatican and don't tell them of this."
"You want me to lie?"
"It's not a lie if you don't say anything."
"Don't go after Dorian without me."
"You got it."
The friar rushed away. Silently Van Helsing followed Dante. When he got so far something cool and hard was pressed against head.
"I doubt you can dodge my bullets especially at this range."
"Do you really think killing me would prove a point?"
Dante remained quiet.
"I don't believe it will prove a point, I know it will."
"How do you figure that?"
"You'd be dead."
"So you think."
"What makes you so sure you can dodge my bullets at this range? Ebony and Ivory seldomly ever miss at point blank range."
"She said that you were this way and I didn't believe her. It's a shame to say that you need to work on your attitude problem."
Van Helsing just stared forward. Dante shoved Van Helsing forward and shot into the darkness. A snarl of pain was heard and then the scent of blood filled the air. Dante snorted. The smell of blood always reminded him of her and that past he was trying to forget. It wasn't helping that a light rain was causing a mist all around them.
"What exactly are you hunting?" Van Helsing asked.
"Shriven," he muttered to himself.
"What's this Shriven?"
"He's a devil sent by Moonduce to destroy me."
Dante watched the shadows waiting for another attack that never came. He put away Ebony and Ivory. The scent was fading slowly. The memory though wouldn't go away.
"Curse this," Dante snarled to himself. "You have ruined the chances..."
He whipped around and fired a shot at the man standing behind Van Helsing. A laugh echoed from the dark figure. The figure stepped from the shadows. He was tall and lean and had shimmering dark blue eyes. A smile graced his ivory skin. His dark hair was wavy and his voice was like silk.
"So you must be Van Helsing," the stranger acknowledged.
"And you are?" Van Helsing asked.
"They call me Dorian, Dorian Grey."
Dorian bowed before them in a gentlemanly fashion. Van Helsing just smirked. He tipped his hat up to get a good look at the infamous Dorian Grey. "Good evening gentlemen."
"Are you going to come peacefully Dorian?"
"What makes you think that I'd come peacefully Van Helsing?" Dorian asked calmly.
"Either that or the other way could be useful," Van Helsing told him.
"I'm immortal remember?"
"Or you could be taken away in a body bag," Dante replied easily.
He was getting tired of this argument fast. Pulling out Ebony he put a single bullet in Dorian's head. The other man fell flat on his back. Something was wrong here and Dante could see that. Normally at point blank range blood tended to splatter all over the wall. There wasn't trace of blood anywhere.
"That was uncalled for Dante," Van Helsing said with a sigh.
"He annoyed me."
"A lot of things annoy you don't they?" Van Helsing asked.
Shaking his head Van Helsing noticed that Dorian was moving and the bullet in his head was disintegrating. Dorian stood up and shook his head. His gaze settled on Dante. He put away Ebony. They just stared at each other.
"And you did that because?" Dorian asked in curiosity.
Dante just stared back. "Ahh the strong silent type. Your not one for much talking are you..."
Dante still didn't say anything to the other man. Their gazes were still locked. His hands were poised ready to draw Alastor and cut the man down.
"So Dorian are you going to come peacefully or not?"
"I don't think so Van Helsing."
"As always you people want to do it the hard way."
"The hard ways is more fun," Dante replied.
Van Helsing stared at Dante in confusion. Shaking his head he smirked. He readies his blow gun. It had seven darts in it ready to fire.
"You heard the man. The hard way or the easy way."
"There is no way you can destroy me."
"If I'm correct I think there is."
"And that would be?"
"Your picture. That's how you stay young the picture is always that way."
"Very observant... Your name is?"
"My name isn't necessary to get the job done."
"Cocky aren't we?"
Dante just shrugged not caring that this guy thought he was cocky. He wasn't the first and wouldn't be the last to think he was cocky. Looking around he wondered if it was possible for his enemies to cross over. He kept getting this feeling that something was wrong here put he couldn't pin point what it was.
"Something wrong Dante?" Van Helsing asked as if reading the Devil Slayers thoughts.
"No, nothing," he said absently.
Van Helsing continued to talk with Dorian. Dante couldn't shake the feeling no matter what. It just was centered upon something so vague he couldn't recall. His hand went to the smallest chain around his neck. The one that she had given him. The pulsing power was coming from it.
"Sorry about this old man but I have to be going."
"Your not going anywhere," Dante said dangerously low.
"And you going to keep me here how?" Dorian said smugly.
"We have the picture," Dante said.
"Sure you do."
Dorian wasn't fazed in the slightest because he knew for a fact that the portrait was safe from their hands. He turned around and threw something on the ground that emitted a bright light temporally blinding the pair.
"Catch you later Hunters."
It took a few moments for their vision to clear. Dante was the first to recover. He cursed himself for allowing the target to escape.
"He's gone?" Van Helsing asked.
Dante remained quiet. His hand was still on the Angel's Tear. Why would it beat with power now that he was in the past?
"I could find him easily," Dante muttered.
"Save it for another day Dante."
For loosing the bad guy Dante was being really calm about this. He couldn't understand this man. He was like a complex puzzle that was unwilling to be solved. Then the necklace he was holding caught his attention.
"I've seen a necklace like that somewhere but I can't remember where."
"It's not a common gift."
"From an Angel I guess. She called it the Angel's Tear. Not change the subject or anything but how did you know his weakness?"
"A book."
(I know, I know, it doesn't seem likely that our hero would read to gain knowledge of his enemy but just humor me once.)
"Okay, I'll take your word for it."
Dante was confused on how this Van Helsing knew so much about the stone. It was a gift that not a single person knew he had except the giver and her little friends.
"Come on Dante. We'll see about getting you home."
He snorted and shook his head. His bangs fell into his eyes. They headed towards Vatican City.

At Vatican City....

Dante followed Van Helsing deep within the darkest part of Vatican City. They entered what looked like to Dante a large lab. They moved between the scientists, monks, priests, and everyone else. Carl was amoung them trying to work on something. The people stared at Dante. Of course when he caught them they turned their heads to look at something else. Dante caught a familiar presence amoung them. He dropped the necklace and put it under his shirt. The answer he was looking for came faster that he expected.
"Hey Van I finished...."
The girl took one look at Dante and dropped the box she was carrying. She knelt down beside it and began to get the glass contents out of the box. "Curse it all. Sorry Van."
Using her magic she recreated the object. She handed the sphere that held what looked like flames in it to Van Helsing.
"What's it do?"
"It created a flame that does not burn it just entraps the one within it.I call it the Phantom Fox Flame."
"Interesting."
He noticed her glares that were in Dante's direction. "Is something wrong Alexial?"
She ignored the question and glared daggers at Dante. He just stared coolly back at the girl.
"It's nice to see you again Dante," she said sarcastically.
"Your sarcasm is getting really bad Alexial."
"Listen to me you pompous, conceited moron it was because of you I lost everything."
"Why me?"
Her eyes flashed amber before turning back to their normal hue. Her nails began to grow longer to form claws. Her teeth were becoming fangs.
"Are you going to change in front of all these people Alexial?"
"No, Dante."
She calmed down and her features returned to normal. Dante noticed that she still carried the Blade of Sorrows.
"I see you still carry that damned blade."
She drew her blade. Alexial held the blade before him as if she wanted him to buy it. The contempt in his eyes made hope vanish. Anger raced through her.
"I'll save my old promise for another day."
Alexial sheathed the sword and walked away. Dante's heart clenched as he saw her walk away just like the last time in hurt. He noticed that he did that to her a lot. He shook it off but couldn't shake the memories.
"I missed you Alex."
Her youkai hearing caught that and it made her start. Shaking it off she walked away. She made a lot of noise as she exited the building.
"What was that all about?"
Dante just stared after Alexial choosing not to answer him. "What promise? She said, 'all connections she had in the world were dead'."
"The last time we parted she told me that she hoped we'd never see each other again..."
"Why?"
"One of us would loose our lives."
"Interesting paradox wouldn't you say?" Carl asked as he came up.
"Don't you ever shut up?" Dante snapped at the friar.
"Maybe, maybe not."
Dante put Ebony in his face. "Okay I'll be quiet now."
"Good."
Van Helsing shook his head and went to talk with the distressed hanyou. She was on the roof of the highest building in Vatican City meditating.
"You know Alexial..."
"Just drop it Van Helsing."
"What did he do that made you so angry?"
"Being a man that can never return true love. He'd rather die first."
Van Helsing nodded in understanding.
"I guess you're against giving him a second chance?"
"No way in hell. I'll never measure up to his first love Trish, no one ever will."
She stared off into the distance. "Besides who could want me with an omen over their heads."
"What?"
"Death comes to everything I love..."
"And?"
"Except him. He can't die."
"Neither can you."
"My life is far different than his."
"How's that?"
"He bows to a human half, and I do not."
"That has to do with this because?"
"I'd hoped that his human side would soften towards me, but no. He should of let me die that day, but no he had to think those three words that make my heart beat again. To make life worth living only to throw it to the wind."
"Tell me everything and maybe I can help."
Alexial sighed heavily not knowing where to begin. "Start from the top."
"Okay..."
She prepared herself by sinking into her memories. "It began like this...."
"It was raining that day I remember. They say that the rain is God's tears crying for those who are lost and need to be saved. Some say that they are the tears of the guardian angels that failed to save those they watch."
"What do you believe?" Van Helsing asked.
"I believe it's the tears of Angels that have failed to find true love and companionship."
"Continue..."

All right I'm trying to correct a lot of this. But I'm trying to write to much at once. Sorry if I can't get exactly what you guys want to hear but it's just the way I write. Not many of my stories focus on the main characters of a story. They tend to focus on the character I made up. Such as Alexial.
Anyway I hope you think the edited version is better. I extended the fight scenses and I tried to make Dante more shall we say Dante.