Carnal Spark
Sooner or later
You're gonna hate it
Go ahead and throw your life away
Driving me under
Leaving me out there
Go ahead and throw your life away
--Breaking Benjamin "Sooner or Later"
+Fifth Spark: Emotional Asphixiation+
Riii---ing.
Riii--ing.
Ruby red eyes of demonic descent fluttered open. The electrical spirit testingly sucked in a few breaths, making sure that his physical body had not died after the brutal attack. He found he could breathe normally again, although his windpipe still hurt like hell. Not to mention his whole torso.
Damn. He can kick hard. Alastor moved the thought back in his brain, trying not to think about the beating he had just recieved.
Riii--ing.
Riii--ing.
Alastor arose into a sitting position, holding his bruised stomach, looking for the thing that was making all the noise. He noticed that Dante was still passed out over in the corner. Ebony gleamed dangerously at him. If the fever had not caused his rather violent master to faint, he would probably be floating around in a million particles of energy by now. The demon was about to move over to help his owner, but that annoying ring once again resounded throughout the shop.
Riii--ing.
Riii--ing.
With some trouble, he was able to stand. He staggered out the bedroom door and out into the main area. His muscles ached as he walked and he started to rethink ever inventing this mortal body. He saw the irritating, old-fashioned phone sitting on its cradle on the oak desk beyond the hallway. He stumbled over to it, finally making his way into the chair that was at the desk, and then picked up the receiver before another sound could be made.
"Hello?" the demon asked, timid about his speaking since this was the first time he had ever used this contraption. The other person on the line waited for a moment, before asking something in a non-convinced voice.
"Is this Devil May Cry?"
"Uh, yes. B-but, we're closed."
"Closed? How does a shop like that close?" The skeptic asked. Alastor had overheard Dante's conversations with his potential clients, but he wasn't Dante and the real demon slayer couldn't exactly get up and open his eyes long enough to take a job. Plus, he didn't know the password Dante often spoke of.
"I'm sorry but Dante isn't...uh...available to take any jobs."
"I need someone, anyone! I've got a serious problem!" Alastor pitied the human, but he wasn't about to steal his master's job.
"Sucks to be you," he replied as he hung up the phone. It was very unlike himself to say something like that, but he summed it up to be his master's doing. Being around Dante that long had made him pick up some of his nastier traits. The electrical demon sat back in the chair, trying to get back the motivation to stand again. He thought back to the spat that he and his master had just had. He didn't mean for those words to come out of his mouth; he knew how sensitive Dante was when Vergil was mentioned. The demon seethed with anger just at the thought of the traitor's name. He had been the one to turn Dante into the emtionally asphixiated man he had come to be. It seemed the demon slayer's life was seemingly being controlled by the traitor beyond the grave. Why wouldn't Vergil leave his brother even after his death? It was suffocating just to think about it. Alastor stood from the wooden chair and walked towards the bedroom, his stomach and chest not really feeling any better. He opened the door slowly, ready to retreat if Dante had woken from his fever-induced slumber with Ebony so close to him. The raven-haired demon peeked inside, releasing the breath he had been holding when he noticed that his master was still unconscious over in the corner. Alastor hesistantly made his way towards the fallen half-demon. He bent down, picked up his ill owner and slung his arm over his own shoulder. He drug the rather heavy demon slayer to his old bed not too far away, setting him down carefully. Dante stirred some, moving to lay on his side. Alastor sighed, cursing the stubborn bastard.
What keeps him so attached to that damned traitor? The electrical demon could not understand why Dante would continue to pine over someone who had done nothing but stab him in his back so many times. Not to mention the attempted murders...
"You stupid bastard..," the demon spoke, looking at the flushed face of the man who had just tried to kill him. He watched as the white brows of his master knitted together in pain. Alastor moved the young Sparda's silver-white bangs out of his face, feeling his forehead in the process. He didn't know how to make his owner feel any better. He surmised that this was mostly his fault. That blast of electricity earlier on must have messed with his immune system...fried his demonic regenative powers. He didn't know how long it would take for his powers to come back either.
Alastor soon found himself sitting next to his master, watching him forlornly. He hoped he would get better soon... Then he would be able to help with the other illness...Vergil's curse. He would be damned if he would let Dante throw his life away for something so petty as that absurd excuse for a demon. Alastor unconsciously drew the back of his hand across the slayer's cheek. This action was only to be abruptly stopped when a gloved hand caught his pale one. He looked into exhausted, dull blue eyes with surprise. Dante had some trouble breathing, but this was probably due to recent developements in sinage problems.
"Stop. Touching me," he said carefully, as if speaking to someone on the opposite end of the I.Q. bar. He sounded tired, but Alastor could pick up the underlying anger. "It's bad enough that you're a demon now... It's even worse that you dogged on my brother like that..," Dante spoke, drowsily.
"Is that why you tried to kill me?" Dante gave a half-shrug. He wasn't really feeling in top form.
"...Hell if I know. You piss me off." Alastor rolled his eyes. He desperatley wanted to express his 'feelings' about Dante's moping and Vergil's back-stabbing, but he didn't want his master to get more worked up than he already was. He didn't need Dante to get even sicker... "Hey," he said dryly. "What was that ringing earlier?"
"Your phone," Alastor answered simply. Dante's eyes widened a little, then he sighed.
"You mean a client called? Did you at least pick it up?"
"I did, but then I told him you weren't available for any jobs."
"You said what?" Dante asked, a little ticked off. "I'm fine for a fuckin' job! Dumbass!"
"I don't call fainting, fine, you stubborn bastard," Alastor spoke with a hard glare. Dante's face expressed complete surprise. Where had the sudden attitude come from? Wasn't he supposed to be an obedient little dog? "You're not fine. If you went on one of those suicidal jobs of yours, you'd die! You would probably faint during a crucial moment, after having your ass kicked, and then be eaten alive by some two-bit demon! You're such a fucking moron sometimes!" Alastor growled, suddenly leaping up the bed. Dante chuckeled to himself, as Alastor kind of sounded like a worried wife. He had definitley been taken by surprise by his no longer timid speech and proper grammar. Hell, he had even said 'fuck'.
"The next time someone calls, you tell me. Don't hang up on anymore of my clients. I need the jobs." Alastor turned to him, brows furrowed.
"I know you, Dante. I know you don't care about money. You do these jobs for the thrill of it. I swear, you're either suicidal or trying to prove yourself. Although, I have no idea who you would have to prove yourself to. I hope it isn't that dead bastard..." Alastor said in a fit of anger. Quite frankly, he was quite tired of Dante's attitude to the whole situation. He wasn't allowing his human body to rest. If he hadn't been half-demon, he would probably be on the edge of death right now from the infection.
Dante noted who the electrical demon had been talking about, and didn't like it. He grew angry at the demon again, on the verge of yelling at him again almost.
"Get out," he said, restraining himself. Alastor's brow turned upward at the statement, almost regretting what he had said.
"Look, I'm so--."
"Get out. Now."
"Dante, I'm not going. You need someone to look over you."
"Oh yeah, you've been doing great. Get out." Dante's hand motioned to the empty glass on the nightstand next to him. Alastor frowned, barring his fanged insicors, trying to reinsert his position in the whole situation.
"I'm not going! You need to learn to get over that damn brother of yours and worry about yourself for once!" The electrical's demon fists clenched. The demon slayer laying sick in bed grabbed the glass and hurled it across the room.
"Get the fuck out!" The broken shards of the cup fell to the ground with a clatter, a couple had been imbedded in Alastor's cheek from where it had hit him. Alastor looked back to his master, eyes blazing with anger and hurt. It was quiet for a couple moments as the raven-haired demon plucked out the few shards stuck in his cheek. Dante noticed that there was no blood, instead the cuts in his face seemed to glow with energy as they sealed themselves. The electrical spirit sighed before speaking.
"Look, you big baby, your fucking traitorous dog of a brother is dead. You killed him. Get over it. You didn't even know it was him until after he was dead. Start worrying about yourself and the people around you. I mean, look at yourself! You're in bed incredibly ill! Now, some of this is my fault, but the reason you can't seem to get better is because all that fucking moping you did earlier on is catching up to you!" Dante growled, despite his illness.
"Just SHUT UP. You don't know what you're talking about!"
"I've watched you all these years, Dante. This isn't like you! What happened to you? When did you suddenly just lose it and say 'Today I think I'll slit my wrists open because I happened to kill my own brother, who I thought loved me oh-so-much, without knowing it'? I don't care if you hate me, but I want to help you! I don't want to see you waste your life away pinning over Vergil! It's not right! It's not who you are!"
"So you're saying I shouldn't give a flying rat's ass about that fact that I killed my only living family?"
"No, you should care. But this is too far! You need to stop! One day its going to kill you!" Dante heard some of the hurt creep out of his voice. It reminded him so much of the speech Trish had given him before she left... The once-energetic demon slayer was quiet. There was no more yelling to be had... Some of what Alastor said held its own truths... Dante didn't think he was ready to throw Vergil to the wind though. Alastor suddenly became worried about his master's sudden solemness. "...Master?" He asked, adding in the formality.
"...Just get out." The demon was ready to protest again, but he bit back his words, and headed out the bedroom door. The demon slayer had just...given up. Alastor bit his lip.
What have I done?
OoOoOoOoOoOoOo
A word from the crazy side: ...WTF?
A word from the sensible side: Whoa. Emotions running wild... o.O The future is suddenly looking a little brighter, though. Some more angsting, less arguing from now on. I promise my loyal fans that Dante will indeed go back to his former self. Word to the wise though, happiness is found through suffering...
By the Way (a.k.a Author's notes): 'Asphixiation' means to die by suffocation. Be reminded, this fic updates on weekends.
And now... Koneko's Notes to teh Fans!
Bustahead: I don't know if your predictions coming true are good or bad. :X I hope I haven't made the story boring for you. But yes, there will be a lemon. Like, two and a half of them. O.o
KarasuKuro: OMG, yay. I love you. You made my day. o.O If you like surprises, then you'll be quite happy with the next, like, four or five chapters... Also, I'm glad my crazy side amuses you. If it didn't, it would be out of a job.