Clean Hatred

Disclaimer: Do I really have to get into this further? Fine. We don't own DMC, or anything related to it. We own Lia and Dar, and that's it. Everything else belongs to someone else.

Author's note from Luna: Damn, am I over-due for this chapter or what? Sorry 'bout that, but I promised Sol I'd finish chapter 11 before I posted 8 because I've been working on that chapter for almost two months now. So, anyway, this one's late, and I apologize, but 11's done now, so we should be getting back on schedule. Oh and by the way, I wanted to give a special thanks to Goddess, without whom this chapter probably wouldn't have been up yet. Thanks for complimenting us on our Dante/Verg personalities. I am totally insecure about that kind of thing, and your kind words motivated me to get off my ass and write chapter 11, so, thanks. Ok, incredibly long A/N done, moving on.

Chapter 8

Inside Devil May Cry, the atmosphere was empty of tension. The two girls sat side-by-side on the sofa, cleaning their weapons. A strange, almost loving, smile curved Adara's lips as she used a large, red terrycloth rag to wipe down her Sai's reverently, gently running the soft fabric across the perfectly polished silver planes of the weapon. Her sister was more matter-of-fact, cleaning her katana carefully, but not nearly as emotionally invested as Adara. She made certain every speck of blood was off the blade before she re-sheathed it, stowing it safely in her black duffel. That done, she glanced over at her sister.

Adara rocked back and forth slightly as she gently stroked her cloth along the lengths of her Sai. Her eyes were half-closed lazily. As she continued cleaning, even after all the blood was off and the blades were spotless, a small, quiet moan of pleasure escaped her throat. She carefully stored the weapons in their case, snapping it shut securely before hugging it to her chest, tucking her legs up around it. She allowed her eyes to close fully as she laid her head down, her cheek resting on the end of the case. A sound almost like a purr rumbled through her chest as she relaxed.

Liara smiled happily at the perfectly content picture Adara made. It was rare for her sister to be so relaxed, but she always savored the moments when they occurred. The innocence in Adara's countenance made Liara long for the camera they had long-since pawned, but lacking that, she resolved to memorize the image for her own enjoyment.

The door opened to let in Dante and Vergil, and Liara smiled at them as she perfunctorily zipped up her duffel. "Hey, what took you so long?" she asked brightly. "More demons come?"

Dante smiled back at her, while Vergil just nodded on his way to his desk. "No," Dante responded, replacing his sword and whipping off his guns to hang them on their hook behind his desk. "Everything's fine."

Accepting that was the most answer she was going to get out of him, Liara nodded. "Okay."

"What's wrong with her?" Dante asked, tilting his head at Adara, who was still curled into her ball, her eyes closed.

"Oh, it's nothing," Liara reassured. "She's always like this after a fight. Don't ask me why, I don't get it. It's kind of her cool-down phase, I guess."

"Speaking of…" Vergil muttered as he whipped off his coat and tossed it expertly to it caught on the hook behind his desk. He pulled off his sword and slapped it down on his desk as he sat in his chair.

"Yeah," Dante responded, sitting down in his own chair after removing his own coat. "Where'd you two learn to fight?"

At his astonished tone, Adara sat up, the black case falling to her lap. "Don't sound so shocked!" she snapped angrily. "We're not completely incompetent, you know. We can do things other than strip and play the damsel in distress!"

"I never said you couldn't!" Dante quickly demurred, his hands palms-out in front of him as if to hold off her righteous anger. "I was just surprised. I mean, last time the demons attacked, you didn't even really seem to know how to fight."

"You know, we did manage to take out a demon weaponless last time, if you remember," Liara said, a tiny bit of upset slipping into her tone as well.

"Okay, let's all just calm down and start this over," Vergil said calmly, his eyes flicking between the indignant girls and his brother. "Dante wasn't trying to imply that you two couldn't take care of yourselves," he said, once both parties seemed a bit more subdued. "We were both just taken slightly aback when you two pulled out weapons. Where did you get them?"

"We were given them," Adara answered shortly, cutting off whatever her sister had been about to say. "After last time, we agreed that we should start carrying them, in case we were attacked again."

"Fair enough," Vergil murmured.

"When did you learn how to fight?" Dante asked, clearly slightly impressed by the skill and teamwork they had displayed in the previous battle.

"It was-" Liara began, but Adara cut her off again.

"A long time ago. It's not really important, and I bet you two boys aren't really interested in something like this, are you? So, why don't we just forget you ever asked, and Liara and I can go out and buy us all some dinner?" she asked with a clearly-forced smile.

"How come you never told us you could fight?" Dante asked, ignoring Adara's question entirely.

"When we were younger, our father told us that some people might want to take advantage of our fighting abilities, so we should be careful who we told about them. Until now, we've never told anyone."

Adara groaned lowly. "Liara!" she hissed under her breath, before flashing a fake smile at Dante.

"What?" Liara exclaimed exasperatedly.

"Don't you think you should maybe not tell them everything!" she hissed through gritted teeth, her smile widening even further.

"Dar, they're here to help us! I don't think they're going to turn on us," Liara said with a slight laugh.

She shook her head and, before Adara could voice another concern, looked back at Dante. "We started learning hand-to-hand combat almost as soon as we could walk. Father told us that it was important for young ladies to be able to defend themselves, so we had to concentrate on our lessons and work hard. Master Tierce trained us until father died when we were nine, and then mother took us away.

"Before Father died, we were also beginning to be trained in other forms of combat. We were both trained with our katana, though I took to it better than Dar did, and she excelled with Sai, where I never could master them. Eventually, our lessons were split, me training solely with my katana, and she with her Sai. Father died, leaving behind a pair of katana, one for each of us, that had been in the family for a long time, apparently.

"When Mother took us away, Adara was given her Sai as a gift from her Sai Master, and I was given another katana, the one I was using in our fight. But that's beside the point, and you probably didn't need to know it." Liara let off a slightly-embarrassed laugh and shook her head.

"Anyway!" she exclaimed, resuming her answer. "Mother started training the both of us in the bow, which was her weapon of choice, and insisted we continue our practice in our other weapons. Dar was the only one who really liked the bow, and she's continued to use it, where I dropped the lessons as soon as I was able."

"Liara…" Adara groaned desperately, burying her face in her hands.

"Oh calm down, Dar," Liara said, rolling her eyes at her sister's theatrics. "Stop being so uptight. It's not like either of them are going to use this against us, and it's not like its some huge secret."

"So, your father trained you?" Vergil asked curiously, actually leaning forward in anticipation of the information he was going to receive.

"Oh god no!" Liara exclaimed, laughing. "Father was far too busy to train us. No, he hired someone; Master Tierce at first, then Masters Kotohama and Xiao, once we progressed to weapons. Father hired a lot of people to take care of us," she elaborated at their slightly confused expressions. "We had our tutors, because we weren't allowed to attend a regular school, our Nanny, our Governess, and then, our Masters. Father only took care of a couple things, teaching a few specialty classes. Mother taught us about running a household, our Governess about proper behavior, our Masters about combat, and our tutors, about all manner of other things Father and Mother thought we should know."

"That sounds… somewhat lonely," Vergil observed quietly.

Liara shrugged with a bright smile. "I don't know! I thought it was fine. We were always occupied, and we saw our family often enough. No, I think it was all right."

"Well, what about your nanny? What did she do?"

"Oh, she was like a second mother. She took care of us, cooked, helped us with our homework once our tutors were gone, that sort of thing. In fact, one of my favorite things about her was that, when I couldn't sleep, she would comb her fingers through-"

"Okay, that's it!" Adara exclaimed, leaping to her feet, her face twisted in fury. "You've said enough!" she yelled, thrusting a finger in Liara's face.

"Dar," Liara began, her expression wounded.

"No! Shut up! You have already done enough damage, without telling them everything about our childhood! Have you forgotten everything Mother told us! Did nothing she said about concealing our background sink into that thick skull of yours? My god, why don't you just go and scream it from the rooftops! 'Hi, I'm Liara Laeka, my family's rich, powerful, I'm trained in weapons, so why don't the people who killed my father and abducted my mother come and get me! I can be found at this address…'" she sneered sarcastically, tossing her head slightly from side to side with a vapid expression. Her fury drowned the fake expression again, twisting her face into an ugly shadow of its usual self. "I swear, Liara, I knew you were overly trusting, but I never thought you were stupid. Until now," she growled dangerously, glaring violently at her sister.

With that, Adara turned on her heel and stalked out, jerking the door open so forcefully that it slammed into the wall and ricocheted back, falling closed with a faint click behind her.

The three people left behind stared at the closed door in shock, before Vergil stood rapidly, shrugging his coat back on. He looked between Dante and Liara, who looked completely stunned, and moved out from behind his desk. "I'll just go see if she's okay," he said, striding toward the door.

The door slid quietly shut after Vergil, leaving Dante and Liara alone in the office. The silence was overpowering, drowning the pair in its oppressive presence.

Dante watched with a small frown of concern as Liara stared at the closed door blankly. She hardly blinked for almost two full minutes, her lips slightly parted and eyes wide in disbelief.

The stasis that filled the room was broken when Liara's eyes fell closed, her expression filling with pain. A tear slipped out from under her lashes, falling to her cheek and sliding, slowing as it approached her jaw line. A matching track was drawn down her opposite cheek as another tear fell, then another, and another, until she was crying in earnest.

Dante froze in alarm, his eyes wide and panicked as he could do nothing more than watch while the woman in front of him fell to pieces. He fidgeted nervously, biting the inside of his lower lip as he mentally debated how to handle the situation. Hesitantly, he moved to the couch beside her, reaching out a hand and patting her awkwardly on the back.

Encouraged by his action, Liara turned and buried her face in his chest as she cried. Her hands clutched at his sleeves desperately, holding him in place.

Uncomfortable though he was with the situation, Dante found himself enclosing Liara in his arms, pulling her to him and making vague, comforting sounds against her hair. Under his ministrations, she gradually calmed, her tears slowing, and eventually stopping altogether.

She stayed in his embrace for a few seconds to compose herself, before she sat back and wiped the remnants of her tears from her face. She opened her face, smiling at Dante, but that expression soon turned to one of dismay. "Oh no, you're all wet…!" she exclaimed sadly, gazing at the darkened area of his cotton shirt.

At the incongruous statement, Dante found himself beginning to chuckle. The corner of Liara's mouth began to twitch as he laughed, and within a moment, they were both laughing.

As their laughter died down, Liara covered her face with her hand and groaned. "I can't believe I actually said that…"

Dante responded with a lascivious grin. "Hey, I'm willing to explore the possibilities. Are you game?" His eyes twinkled mischievously at her and he raised an eyebrow suggestively.

Liara's eyes widened, along with her smile, as she leaned away, her hands held up in front of her. "Oh, no, I'm not even going to take that one, mister. You'll just have to jump in a shower if you want to explore those possibilities. Maybe a cold one," she snickered with a devious smirk.

Dante recoiled in mock innocence. "Me? What did I say?"

Liara narrowed her eyes at him playfully. "Oh, you know exactly what you said. And you meant it, exactly how I took it."

"Well… maybe," Dante conceded grudgingly.

"Maybe?" Liara said with an incredulous laugh. "It was more than 'maybe', Dante, and you know it."

OoOoOoOoO

Vergil found Adara leaning against one of the light posts outside the office. The bulb had long since been shattered, but she didn't seem to be craving light. He sat on the curb near her, folding his long legs awkwardly, and spoke without turning.

"Are you all right?"

Adara snorted derisively, rolling her eyes at the question. "Do I look all right?" she snarled bitterly, glaring at the back of his head. The thought ran through her head for about the five hundredth time that week that he really should do something about that hair. But the superficial jeer was rapidly swallowed by the still-boiling anger at her sister.

Vergil ignored her obviously-rhetorical question. "Why did you come out here?"

"Because I wanted to be fucking left alone!" she yelled furiously. "Can you not understand that concept! Is it beyond the comprehension of that miniature lump of flesh you have the audacity to call a brain that someone might not need the constant droning of idiots filling their day!"

Vergil finally looked at her, shocked at the blatant ire in her voice. He hadn't heard that much hatred in a very long time, and never from this slip of a girl. Even when she had yelled at Liara, her anger had carried an undertone of caring that couldn't make it completely horrible, but that was gone now. For some reason, it upset him that she was upset, and he determined to try to calm her. "Is there something I can do? I know, I'll make you a cup of tea."

Adara outright growled at that, a primitive sound that startled Vergil even more coming from her throat. "You will not," she hissed through clenched teeth.

He backed off quickly, turning his head back to look out over the empty, darkened street. There was a stretching moment of silence during which Adara began to hope he was going to leave her in peace, before he spoke again, shattering all her dreams of solitude. "I know for some reason you don't like us, but I am here if you ever want to talk, Adara."

"You betrayed me, Andre!" she exclaimed. "Why would I ever confide anything in you!"

Vergil started when she addressed him as Andre, and immediately looked around for someone else. Seeing no one, he returned his gaze to her face. Most of the features were hidden in the planes of deep shadows, but her eyes practically glowed in the rapidly-falling night, angry emotion flaming within them.

Adara's eyes suddenly dulled, all the fire leaving them as rapidly as if doused with water. Her eyes flicked away from him, her entire face turning toward the empty street as if she were embarrassed. The sudden lack of emotion scared him, he was surprised to realize.

"Who is Andre?" he asked when she didn't speak again.

The question brought her eyes back to his, and he was relieved to see the fire flare back to life in them, even if it was in anger at him. "That," she hissed, "is none of your business. Now, if you don't mind, I am going to remove myself from your distasteful presence; and, in the future, you would do well to remember that I would prefer you not approach me unless it is related to demon hunting." With the last poisonous words spat from between her lips, she pivoted on her heel and strode back into the office, leaving Vergil sitting on the curb, staring after her in bewilderment.

"Women…" he muttered, shaking his head slightly in confusion, before standing and following her back inside.

OoOoOoOoO

Liara slapped Dante playfully as she laughed at another of his teasing, somewhat lascivious, remarks. "You are such a… I don't even know how to describe you! That was a totally inappropriate comment! You can't say things like that to a lady!"

"What lady?" he quipped in return, looking around in fake puzzlement.

Liara glared at him without any venom behind the expression, before the smile twitching at her lips couldn't be repressed any longer, and broke out over her face. "You are so bad," she said lightly, shaking her head at him.

Dante's mischievous grin returned slowly, overtaking his face and making his eyes sparkle enticingly. "And, what, exactly, are you going to do about it, Liara?"

"I know precisely what I'm going to do about it, Dante," she responded with a matching grin as she leaned toward him slightly.

"And what is that?" he asked, raising a challenging eyebrow as he leaned toward her as well.

"This," she stated victoriously, closing the last few centimeters between them and pressing her lips to his.

The kiss was chaste, lasting mere seconds before she pulled back slightly. Liara's eyes glowed slightly in satisfaction, her lips curved into a purely-female smile as she looked at Dante.

His eyes darkened, clouding with lust, before he leaned forward again, claiming her lips with his. His hands clasped tightly on her upper arms, pulling her into him as he kissed her. She responded by moving closer to him, leaning over his lap, her body supported by her hand on the arm of the couch beside him, as his tongue darted out to trace her bottom lip, prodding gently as it sought entry into her mouth.

Liara succumbed to his authority, opening her lips under his, allowing him inside. Their tongues tangled together, teasing and twining around one another as the kiss became more passionate.

Dante growled low in his throat, yanking Liara closer, so she was practically lying in his lap. She followed willingly, a moan of pleasure welling up in her throat as he continued his fierce seduction.

Unfortunately, they were forced to part for air, each breathing in ragged gasps as they tried to regain themselves. Panting, their eyes met, and they were unable to stay apart, diving forward as one until their lips met again, tongues immediately intertwined with one another, each dueling for dominance.

A sound somewhere between a scandalized gasp and an angry scream interrupted them, jolting them apart. Liara flung herself from Dante's side and onto her feet, wiping at her mouth hastily. "Adara!" she exclaimed hastily. "I can explain…"

"Save it," Adara growled venomously, glaring at the pair. "I don't want to hear it, Liara. You do whatever the hell you want, just leave me out of it." She scooped up her bag, slinging it over her shoulder as she turned to leave. She was halted in her quest by Vergil, who had come in after her and was blocking her path to the door.

"Do you mind?" she asked harshly. "Get out of my way."

Vergil hastened to obey, stepping to the side and watching as she strode to the door.

She paused in the doorway, holding the door open, as she looked back at Liara. "If you ever decide to stop sucking face and remember who your real family is, you know where I'll be." Without another word, she left, rapidly disappearing into the shadows until she was invisible.

As the door swung shut gently behind Adara, the remaining three found themselves in a very familiar position, staring at the place she had been only moments before.

Liara cringed slightly as she stood, gathering her own duffel. "I'm sorry about that," she said contritely. "I'm sure she didn't mean it, she's just upset. I'll go find her and see if I can calm her down." She started toward the door, but Dante's voice gave her pause.

"Be careful."

Liara turned back and smiled. "I will, don't worry. I'll see you two tomorrow."

All too soon, the door swung shut behind her as well, leaving the brothers alone again.

After a moment, Vergil and Dante looked at each other, then, as if one, they shook their heads and sighed.

"Women…"

OoOoOoOoO

Liara made her way down the deserted streets toward their apartment, silently rehearsing what she would say to Adara. She muttered under her breath as she walked. "'Dar, I know you don't trust them…' no, that won't work. Okay, 'Listen, they're trying to help us…' No, she'll never go for that one. How about 'Look, if they were going to-'" she broke off abruptly and paused in her walk, sensing something was wrong. She glanced around, turning to look behind her. "Is someone there?" she called, but the street was silent. She stood still for another minute, before shrugging and continuing on her way, the only sign on her continued unease her increased pace.

She was practically running when she reached the apartment building. She bolted inside and up the stairs, throwing open their door and locking it behind her, leaning back against it as she panted lightly. "Well, that was weird," she said aloud to the empty apartment.

Liara pushed herself off the door and moved into the apartment. "Dar? Are you here?" she called, but no answer came. She looked around, seeing her sister's black duffel, so she knew she had been here, even if she wasn't now.

Liara shook her head, walking past the huge, worn sofa that often served as Adara's bed and into her bedroom, one of two in the apartment. She dropped her duffel on her bed and stripped out of her sweat-soaked t-shirt, tossing it on the pile of dirty clothes in the corner. She walked to her dresser, opening the second drawer and shifting through the stacks of neatly-folded shirts within. She located the one she was searching for and pulled it out, slipping it over her head and smoothing it down over her stomach carefully. She changed out of her worn jeans into a pair of neat black flares and slipped on her favorite pair of black leather boots. She moved out of her room and to the bathroom, where she started pulling a brush through her hair. If she was right about where she thought Adara was (and she was), she needed to be more presentable than she was right now.

She twisted her hair up into a loose knot on the back of her head, securing it with a veritable mountain of bobby-pins, before she moved to the full-length mirror in the main room to look over her appearance. She nodded in satisfaction of her outfit, picking a miniscule spot of lint off her semi-casual, dark purple, V-neck sweater before she moved to the table beside the door.

Liara quickly filled the black purse she found there with a small wad of cash and one of the several false ID's she had, along with a few more hair-pins. She slipped a slim dagger into her boot and cast a final glance around the apartment before leaving, stowing her keys in her purse as well once she had locked the door. She set off down the dark street with a slight bounce in her step, toward Adara's favorite club, 'Special Prejudice'.

The bright neon lights of the club were an oasis in the desolate portion of the city, beckoning her toward them. Her steps picked up as she made her way, skipping past the line queued at the door. She trotted up to the bouncer, tossing him a wide smile. "Hey Greg!" she greeted cheerfully. "Is Adara inside?"

"Hi Liara, yeah, she's inside. I didn't expect to see either of you here tonight."

"Hey, neither did I, but things don't always turn out like we expect, you know? Can I go in?"

"Of course. Head right in," he said, opening the door for her.

"Thanks," she chirped, throwing another grin at him before making her way into the crowded club.

After paying the cover charge, she made her way up the stairs leading to the balcony. She paused halfway up, casting her gaze over the throng of bodies filling the hardwood floor, dancing to the pounding beat flowing from the speakers. She smiled as she caught sight of Adara, dancing in the center of the floor, surrounded by at least seven men all vying for her attention.

Liara made her way back to the main floor, weaving through the dancing pairs or groups toward her sister. She had to push her way through the circle around Adara, but she managed to get close enough to be heard over the music. "Dar!" she yelled.

Adara barely turned her attention from the man with her, sparing Liara hardly a glance before she went back to her partner, writhing against him in time to the beat.

Liara rolled her eyes, but pushed closer. "Dar!" she yelled again, this time taking hold of Adara's bicep. When her sister turned fully to face her, she pointed a finger at each of them, then jerked her thumb toward the side door. "We need to talk!" she yelled.

Adara rolled her eyes, but nodded, leading the way to the door, to the disappointment of her partners. Liara followed her, and they made their way out to the somewhat-quieter alley.

"What is it?" Adara asked as soon as the door closed, cutting off the majority of the music, though the pounding bass could still be heard through it.

"Why did you leave?"

"Well, gee, I thought that would have been obvious," Adara said dryly, rolling her eyes again. "I left because I was pissed. That's why I came here, to calm down."

"I just don't understand why you're so mad!" Liara exclaimed, gesturing helplessly.

"Do you even remember what it was like after Father was killed?" Adara asked angrily, glaring at her. "Do you remember the running, the people hunting us, the hiding? Do you want to have to do that all over again, just because we're careless? I don't. We've got a good thing going here; I don't want to have to leave again."

"What, like we did after the place on Mission?" Liara asked sarcastically, referring to their previous apartment.

"Yes, like that," Adara snapped. "Last time we left was because I got careless and someone found out about us. Do you want that to happen again? If you do, by all means, continue telling Dante about our past. But I, for one, don't want to run again. I like it here. I like our apartment, and our friends, and our job. I don't want to leave it all."

"Neither do I!" Liara exclaimed. "But… I don't know, I just feel like we can trust them!"

"Well, that's all well and good, Lia, but what happens if we can't? What happens if you tell them about us, and they turn on us, and we have to run again? I don't want to do it. I won't do it."

"We won't have to. They're not going to turn on us. They're helping us!"

"Fine. You can trust them all you want. I'm not going to. Just…"

"Yeah?"

"Can you… not tell them about us? It's too risky. Let them think we're just half-angels. It's safer."

"Okay. I can do that," Liara said with a small smile. "Now, can we go home? It's late."

"Sure," Adara said with a laugh.

"Good," Liara sighed. She held out her arm to her sister. "Shall we?"

"We shall," Adara responded, linking her arm through Liara's. Together, the two made their way out to the street and back toward their apartment.

Neither of them noticed when the shadows behind them shifted, a dark figure visible against it for a mere instant before it blended back into the darkness again, invisible.

OoOoOoOoO

"That Adara is just strange," Dante stated abruptly into the silence that had reigned at Devil May Cry since Liara left to follow her sister.

Vergil paused for a moment as he secured the door, his movements stilling before they resumed. "She's not so odd," he said, his tone carefully controlled.

"Yeah?" Dante snorted indelicately in disbelief. "How do you figure? She's a freak."

"She's just… different," Vergil said democratically as he turned the last lock. He turned from the door and made his way back to his desk, his face kept turned to the floor.

A smirk appeared on Dante's face as he observed his elder brother. "You like her, don't you?"

"No," Vergil hastily said as he shuffled papers on his desk, but the color tinting his cheeks belied his assertion.

"You do!" Dante exclaimed, his smirk widening into a full-blown grin. "You like Adara!" he exclaimed with a delighted laugh. "Oh, this is just classic! Vergil's got a cru-ush," he teased in a sing-song tone, laughing louder as Vergil's color reddened.

"Shut up," Vergil snapped, glaring at him balefully. "So what if I do like her? You're one to talk, with the way you were hanging all over her sister."

"Ah, but that's different," Dante said sagely.

"How so?"

"Because I never denied I liked Liara, and she's so much more normal than her sister."

"Adara's not abnormal. She's just quiet, and withdrawn. That doesn't make her odd. It makes her cautious."

"Yeah, well, whatever. All I can say is good luck to you, buddy. You got your work cut out for you with that one."

"I know…" Vergil murmured as his hands stilled on the files he was arranging. "She just doesn't seem to trust anyone…"

"Well, that's not true. She likes women well enough. It's just men she's leery of. Hey," he grinned, "maybe she doesn't swing our way."

Vergil glared at him venomously. "Oh, do shut up."

Dante's delighted laugh reached the street.