Author's Note: Here we are back in action, guys. I'm actually enjoying writing fluff, for a change. : )

Kireiko: Thanks muchly for your support, I promise I'll write longer chapters! For as long as my caffeine starved brain can manage! Thanks champ!

kiki0303: Resident Evil… hmmm now that you gave me the idea.. –grins- wait! Is it a deadite? –scratches head- hmm, evil dead doesn't mix well with devil may cry! But you're right, zombie, yeah…not to mention other nasties…

Have fun, guys. Please don't deny me your feedback!

After a brief and uneventful journey the car slows down to a halt outside the cemetery. Dante stops the engine, and they get out.

Lady pulls out her flashlight and turns it on, glancing about warily.

Dante flicks up his crimson collar, observing their surroundings, his eyes on the lookout for trouble.

The cemetery is a vast, isolated yard of headstones weathered by age, blanketed with a foggy, semi opaque darkness. A raven perched on the skeletal branch of a tree caws once and flies off. The ambience is one of eerie quietness.

"Welcome to the Twilight Zone." Dante mumbles to himself.

Heading through the iron gates, the duo stride down the cemetery trail, scanning the area.

Dante grins broadly, his blood pulses with sweet anticipation of a fight.

Suddenly, his sharp gaze focuses on something by a mausoleum a bit further into the distance and he lays a hand on Lady's arm.

"Over there." He says to her.

Lady snaps her head up and follows the line of Dante's gaze, lowering her flashlight.

The scene is disturbing to say the least. The ground is littered with fresh corpses, the faint, sickly sweet smell of decay mingled with rain soaked damp earth wafts from the area. A lone man clad in a stained lab coat crouches by the stone wall of the mausoleum, wheezing and shaking.

Lady's face sets in a stern frown.

"What a mess!" Dante observes.

The man doesn't make a move for long moments, and then suddenly raises his head, squinting his eyes as the blue beam of the flashlight falls on his face.

"Don't come any closer!" The man howls.

In the artificial light, his face seems a sickly pale, dark rings under feverish bloodshot eyes. Sweat trickles steadily down his forehead. His oddly bluish lips tremble.

Lady pulls out her gun and flicks off the safety, her frown deepening.

"Then you'd better start explaining yourself, and be quick about it!" Lady says icily.

"I told them not to do it… but they didn't listen." The man murmurs, then repeats feverishly. "I told them!"

"Chillax pal! Look, my girl's getting a little twitchy here, so shoot." Dante says unfazed.

"Lately there's been a whole lot of weird things happening…" He licks his lips.

"No shit!" Dante cuts in.

"They thought they could control the thing, but they couldn't…I told them…The re-animated corpses will overrun the whole city, there's no way of stopping it…We're all going to die." The man murmurs.

"Uh, who's they?"

"Black Sun Incorporated. It's an extensive medical and scientific research facility, funded by the government. They're also responsible for eliminating toxic wastes and radioactive dumps I… I work for them."

"How unfortunate." Dante says in a sarcastic tone. "Keep going."

"Last night , an alien creature was brought into the premises..."

Dante looks mystified. "Alien eh?" He repeats incredulously. "Ah, .the plot thickens."

The man nods shakily, and gives an accurate description of the weird tentacled Enigma demon Dante encountered within the Temen-ni-Gru.

Lady and Dante exchange glances.

"We were going to run some tests on the deviant creature, but it became too unstable, and eventually attacked my colleagues. The operation failed, and the termination process backfired. Those killed by the abomination didn't remain dead for long, however…" The man trails off, coughing up blood.

Lady is very quiet at this.

"Man, you guys gotta be A grade morons for sticking your noses where they don't belong." Dante sighs. " So, where's this little munster now?"

"I… I don't know…it could be anywhere…Spreading the disease…"

"Riight, but, what exactly are you doing in a cemetery?"

There's no reply. Fresh blood trickles down his chin, and the man bows his head, suddenly stark still.

In a flash, Dante draws Ebony and Ivory, aiming for the head.

"Sorry, champ. It's nothing personal." At that moment the dead man, revived by the unholy infection, springs to his feet, gleaming teeth bared, his eyes burning ghastly white.

With diabolical speed, Dante fires, blowing the dead man's brains out. . The zombie collapses on the ground like a rag doll.

"Man, that was nasty." Dante whistles shrilly, and turns to Lady, who's been stark silent for the past couple of minutes.

"Hey Lady, hello, u still there?" He sounds concerned.

She nods slowly.

"Penny for your thoughts?"

"Just leave me alone." Lady snaps. She starts walking back to the car.

Dante follows. "What's wrong?"

"I said, leave me alone!"

"Who pissed in your cornflakes! Geez, Lady, take a chill pill!" Dante catches up and grabs her arm.

Lady spins around, flashing a glare at Dante. She's about to kick him a good one between the legs, he releases her.

"What did I do this time huh? Just talk to me, Lady! Don't shut me out!" Dante says in frustration. He rakes his fingers through his silver-white hair.

She gives him a long, thoughtful look. "Before my father became corrupted, he used to work for Black Sun. They're not what they seem." Sadness creeps into her voice.

"What's that supposed to mean?" Dante enquires.

Lady shakes her head slowly. "I have to get to the bottom of this. I have to stop the demon."

"Has anyone ever told you about team-work?" Dante says playfully, ignoring her earlier outburst.

Lady rolls her eyes in response. Then, she looks away.

"I'm just a bit tired, that's all." She says.

"That makes two of us, babe."

"Um, do you want to grab something to eat, while we think of a way to sort out this mess?" She asks, pulling some confidence together.

Dante shoots a toothy grin. "Great minds think alike."

The interior of the 24-7 coffee shop is warm and inviting; decent food, an old juke-box, and soft lights.

The only occupants are seated at a booth at a far corner, the tranquil silence is only interrupted by the sounds of a cleaning lady sweeping the floors, the low humming of the fridge ,and a slow, obscure 70's music filling the air.

Dante finishes his greasy fries and leans back in his seat with a contended sigh.

"I'm sorry I overreacted." Lady says in a low voice.

Dante studies her…Despite her courage and strength, beneath the tough exterior, she's still a distressed, emotional and sensitive teenager.

"That's ok." He says simply.

"No, I mean it. It's just…whenever I'm reminded of my father, something tears inside me, I hate him with passion, but I…I miss him at the same time. It just sucks."

She stares at her untouched cheeseburger.

"There's nothing wrong with that. It's understandable. You've been through a lot."

Lady nods absent-mindedly, popping a chip into her mouth.

Dante reaches across the table and nudges her. "Hey, if you really want to make it up to me, cheer up, ok?"

Lady slowly looks up, her wayward, glossy raven hair falls in her eyes, the blue-brown eyes light up, and a half-smile curves her lips.

"I know why you're so tense. You need to get laid, seriously." He grins. "I'm more than happy to help."

A crimson blush stains Lady's cheeks. "I don't need that kind of help!"

"So, aren't you going to go out with me?" Dante presses.

"Not a chance! You're a pest, Dante!" Lady grumbles.

"Why the hell not?" He persists.

"Well, you're a demon for starters…" She says quietly so as not to be overheard by the staff.

"Half-demon." Dante corrects. "Besides, we've been through this together, we might as well hook up."

Lady raises an eyebrow. "You're weird."

"I try." Dante smirks.

"Dante, how can you think about dating when the town's pretty much turned into a freakville, with a demon on the loose?" Lady asks, wiping her greasy hands on a tissue.

"How can I not, when I'm with you?" He smiles at her.

"Don't give me that crap." Lady says dryly, but she seems more relaxed in his company now.

Dante stares past her, out the window, Lady turns in her seat to look as well, and gasps, her eyes widening at what she's just seen.

"Looks like the party's getting out of hand." Dante grins broadly. "Let's rock!"