Disclaimer: I don't own anyone from Capcom... If I did, DMC2 would be a LOT better than it is.

A note from Fenice: Each chapter represents one hour passed in this fic. This is probably why it's taking so long to get to the good and final stuff.

Recommended Listening:
Séance-E Nomine
Das Rad Des Schicksals-E Nomine

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Mitternacht

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The woman in the picture had beautiful blue eyes, long blonde hair and was wearing a red cape, which back then it didn't seem unnatural. Back then the unity between demons and humans lasted a lot longer than it did with devils. Back then, Sparda was alive and his two little boys were just as they were... two little boys.

Dante found himself staring at his mother as she washed their earthenware dishes. He stared at her long enough to burn her angelic face into his memory. He glanced at the man at the table, on foot on the surface, the chair tipped back slightly so he could watch his wife work. Amber eyes peered past her delicate human features and Eve looked back at him. The man was handsome, she had no doubt, from his long white hair and his dark complexion, to the oddly pointed ears and muscular body underneath his chainmail and leather-plated armour. She smiled, but always wondered why he wore armour. He never told her he was the legendary Dark Knight Sparda, savior of all humankind from the devil of his world. He supposed he should tell her soon, but at the right time.

'My father... I act a lot like him,' Dante thought. He noticed that he was invisible to them, so he stood and watched his memory unfold.

"Vergil's surpassed Dante in height and weight," Sparda commented as he glanced at the other room where the two boys were wrestling on the floor. "But it still surprises me that Dante can topple Vergil."

"Dante has his own strength, darling." Eve replied and dried her hands of the soapy water. The hot water, even on a cold winter's day, was enough to make the human woman glow, even a tiny bit. Sparda nodded in thought.

"He'll be strong one day. He'll need that strength to topple his adversaries," Sparda replied, keeping his eyes on the boys. His amber eyes hardened slightly.

"Are you okay?" Eve questioned, watching her husband's face with concern. He shook his head.

"I suppose not... Evelyn," he turned to his wife, "I'm afraid there's a secret I have been keeping from you... from our boys."

"A secret?" Eve tilted her head slightly and sat down next to Sparda.

"Where I'm from... I'm a legend, a savior to say the least. You had always known that I wasn't normal, and now the truth is, Evelyn, that I'm not human. Neither are our boys. Almost two millennia ago a devil general by the name of Mundus rose to take control of the Underworld. I saw through his evil and alone I took on his defenses. I saved your race from destruction. But I'm afraid that it will be all in vain if I don't do something now." Sparda took a small breath and gazed into Eve's calm eyes. "I must return to the Underworld and make sure Mundus stays where I imprisoned him. I want you to take care of Vergil and Dante; tell them stories about me, and if I don't return, then I went in honour."

"You must leave now?" Eve, though a bit flustered about a secret kept from her, wasn't fazed much by his truth. She reached her hand out to touch his cheek.

'No wonder Mother always told us about him... all the time...' Dante thought as he leaned on the wall.

"All for the better, my love. I must keep this earth safe from Mundus' evil," he stood and turned towards the two boys. "Vergil," he addressed the taller of the two twins, "Dante," the smaller twin with wind-whipped hair, "you boys be good. Take care of your mother and each other."

Vergil raised his fist over his head and exclaimed, "Will do!" Sparda smiled, kissed Eve gently on the cheek and walked over to his two sons. He ruffled Vergil's hair and kneeled in front of the younger twin.

"You're not coming back, are you?" Dante said softly, his face calm but his heart breaking. Sparda frowned slightly, thinking.

"I promise I'll return one day. Only if you promise to lighten up, okay?" Sparda smiled slightly as Dante nodded. Sparda stood again and glanced at the both of them. "My boys. You have powers beyond human comprehension. Use them wisely." And with that, he was gone.

-

Dante found himself in their old bedroom as the boys were getting ready for bed. At their young age, they were able to sleep in the same bed. That and Eve couldn't afford anything better.

"You think Father will return, Verg?" Dante wondered as he held his shirt in both hands. He looked at his brother in hopes of getting an answer, and was met only by a pair of pajama bottoms smacking into his face.

"Of course he'll return!" Vergil replied as he sat on the bed, the only article of clothing on him being his pajama top and underwear. Dante threw back the bottoms and Vergil placed them over his legs. "He promised, remember?"

"I suppose so," Dante muttered as he put his nightshirt on. A small knock on the door and Eve stepped in.

"Ready for bed?" she asked and was met by two nods. She picked Dante up and placed him in the bed next to Vergil and sat on the end of it. "I want you two to have sweet dreams."

"Of course, Mum," Vergil yawned. Dante looked at Eve.

"Mother... sing us your song." He whispered. She smiled and kissed their heads softly. Very softly, she began her song:

"In the field so green and so free, seeds gaze up
The clouds keep them from the light
And the sky cries white tears of snow..."

Her voice faded and so, too did the scene Dante was watching. The haze toppled his senses until he felt the pain from the blast once more, and realized he could hear again.

Steve Burnside gazed at the unconscious figure lying on the desk again. The figure looked horrible, Steve wasn't sure if it was Dante or not, but a small voice in his head said that it was.

And it was Dante... only covered in blood and cuts and bruises, burns from the explosion, and the outfit that was normally red leather became nothing but seared and tattered coverings. He felt sorry for him more than he did for himself or Claire.

Dante, it seemed, had a deep impact on Steve.

And Steve, on Dante.

Steve watched as Claire wiped Dante's face off, her own contorted in a look of sadness and ferocity. She looked up from the figure and smiled at Steve. "At least he's still breathing... but these clothes are a wreck."

"I'm sure with the training facility, they'll have clothes and with the showers..." Steve looked away, "When he wakes of course."

"Of course." Claire looked back at Dante, keeping her body perfectly still to gaze at the sleeping figure. "Do you think that... with Wesker... Dante mentioned a Trish, but was that her?"

"I don't know!" Steve snapped, still looking away from the two. His mind was somewhere else. Mainly the guy Dante had to fight to get him away from them. Nelo Angelo. Dante made mention earlier about his brother and...

"Dante just killed his brother..." Steve whispered.

"What?"

"That guy back there... Nelo Angelo, Wesker called him, that..."

"Was Vergil," the sleeping figure, now awake, began.

As he opened his eyes, the red haze that covered Dante's eyes earlier had dispersed, but left a blurring that could leave in time. He tried to sit up, but was gently guided back down by Claire. Disgruntled, he pushed her away and sat up. He was fine, but knew otherwise that he didn't look the part.

"You have a lot of explaining to do."

"Shove the explaining," Dante growled and said nothing more. He was too busy checking his weapons and kept his mind on Wesker. He hadn't forgotten about his memory either, nor the battle with Nelo Angelo, as it was still fresh in his mind, and the worst of his pain. Dante swung his legs around to the edge of the desk and gently lowered himself onto the floor of the mansion.

"Are you okay?" Claire squeaked softly after a few minutes of stone silence.

"Fine." Dante replied harshly. He looked at the two fullbloods. His icy gaze softened slightly as he turned around. "I'm heading to the Training Facility. Wait for me here, it's safer."

"No," Claire continued. "We stick together until this is over."

"My but you're a stubborn woman," Dante replied sardonically and headed toward the large double-doors that headed out of the mansion. Footsteps behind him made him sigh and stop again. "You two are not following me around like a couple of puppies that just happened to be abandoned."

They stood stunned as Dante opened one of the doors and, without looking back, left for the training facility. As he closed the door, he couldn't help but follow the trail of dried blood... his blood... to the last place he saw Vergil.

-

... To find that the body had disappeared.

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Dante wasn't the least bit surprised. Vergil always had a thing for leaving him. But it was all in the past. And perhaps it had ended. Dante wasn't sure as he made his way to the Training Facility.

"So what are we going to do?" Steve asked, looking at Claire as she nimbly checked the windows.

"I'm going to follow him."

"You heard what he said, Claire, you can't just –"

"I know what I can and cannot do. He talks big but is still infected. I have to keep an eye on him... and get answers." Claire turned around to face Steve, but the boy had his back turned. "You stay here and see what you can find. We'll meet back here and we'll get out of here. All of us. Even Rodrigo."

"But what about your wounds?" Steve didn't turn around, but his fists were tightly balled.

"I'll be fine if I go slow enough. My brother's Chris Redfield, remember?"

"How could I forget?" Steve mumbled sarcastically. Addressing Claire he said, "Well, fine. Do what you want. I'll search for medicinal supplies and perhaps some food too."

"I saw a few machines in the Training Facility. I'll get some there and store them in the purse I found the Hemostatic in." Claire opened the door. Steve was about to say something when she closed the door.

"I don't want to be alone..." he muttered. He sighed and looked around the spacious front room, gazing at the tiles of the floor to the poles in the lobby, enticed at two that had been pierced by bullets, followed where the bullets hit the floor all the way to the door at the back. The door at the back. Steve managed to stumble out of his position, his feet not wanting to move when his body did. Instead of landing on the floor, he managed to keep himself up and head towards the corner door. He opened it slightly before remembering that there were no zombies... not any that would return to their used bodies.... And pushed it all the way.

He entered a hallway, stepping into it and hearing something breaking underneath his foot. A piece of an expensive earthenware vase. He glanced down the hallway and saw that there was a whole other room he forgot to investigate on his earlier adventure. Steve rounded the corner and observed one of them lying on the floor; face down in a pool of its own blood. He kicked it to make sure it wouldn't get up. Backing up slightly, he decided to head to the room behind him, break some glass and load a couple of those guns in there. So he did.

When he came back out, the zombie was where Steve left it, but just to make sure, he popped it in the head with a few bullets. He then, with ease, pushed the double-doors open to see what lay behind them.

Nothing really of interest to Steve in the room that opened up to him. It was nothing but an Ashford history lesson. He snorted and looked around anyways. In the far back was a shattered urn, apparently nothing inside. A closer look concluded...

The same thing.

Steve groaned outwardly. "Nothing. Nothing, nothing, nothing! Why isn't there ANYTHING in this God-Forsaken place?!" he screamed and chucked a piece of the broken urn. It hit a picture of a beautiful blonde woman (underneath, the caption was written: Veronica), and the canvas, despite the frailty of the marble urn piece, tore into two clean halves. Both of the halves fell from the frame, revealing a small hole in the wall. A shimmer of light came from the hole in the wall, sparking Steve's interest. He went to go examine it.

Claire Redfield gently strode towards the Training Facility after Dante. She knew she shouldn't be on her feet, but with the suspicions that arose during the seven hours she's been there... talking with Dante, observing him... something definitely wasn't right about him. Six bullets... standing after being mortally wounded... she needed answers.

-

And so she trudged along at the ready, heading to the facility.

Dante made his way through the Training Center to the showers and locker room. He wasn't thinking clearly, but who could at that time? All that went through his mind was Vergil and getting himself and the fullbloods off the island. He passed a mirror and took a glimpse of himself. From what he could see through the cracked glass, he looked fine.

It was a trick with Devils and halfbloods like him and Vergil. After a while one's wounds would heal, and at the same time left few scars.

Dante's hair was still coated with a bloody crimson sheen, from the battle with Nelo Angelo. He decided a shower of sorts would do him well, if only let it cascade down his body while he thought of a way to purge the virus from his system. He might have a way if he could stay away from the fullbloods for a few minutes.

Nobody needed a zombie half-devil.

He closed his eyes as soon as his back hit the shower stall. Thinking of a way to get rid of the virus... thinking of a way...

-

And Dante found himself somewhere else again.

-

The mist hung low and thick in the place Dante had found himself. He could see nothing, even with his enhanced vision. Nothing but a thick haze that surrounded him.

Dante took a few steps forward, the echoes of his heels clicking on a hard pavement seemed to continue forever, and he wondered where he was. Even the silence couldn't hold the sound of a pin drop.

Footsteps approached him, and as he dropped down into a stance, he realized he had no weapons. And the mist parted, revealing a shadowed figure walking towards the half-blood.

"Dante..." the figure uttered, his soft, yet deep voice echoing around. "It's been too long." He continued as he stepped into the light.

"...Father...?"

Sparda nodded once. "You realize why you're here."

"Last time I checked, I was at the Training Facility's showers, hoping for a miracle." Dante replied, easing out of his stance and looks down at his tattered and torn leathers. Sparda smiled warmly. "And this is my miracle, I assume?" Dante asked.

His father nodded.

"You've been watching over me all this time, haven't you? When I defeated Mundus... when..."

"All this time, my son," Sparda replied. He placed a gloved hand on his son's shoulder. "And I'm proud. We both are. Of you and Vergil for surviving this far." Dante looked up into the amber eyes of Sparda.

"Vergil... is alive then?"

"Rather than dying there, I protected him and... freed his soul, so-to- speak."

"Is he..."

"One cannot say. He hasn't chosen this path, yet it is the path he must walk," Sparda looked thoughtful. "The path he had chosen for himself was a Protector... for his brother." He looked at Dante. "His nobility and honor had kept him from killing you, for the real Vergil was still fighting."

Dante looked down again. "The amulet... but Trish has the amulet now... and the Sparda."

"Have faith."

"The virus..."

"This meditation will allow you to restore yourself as you want."

"Meditation?" He looked at his father again. The older held sadness in his eyes as he stepped back and raised his arms above his head.

"I... I'm glad I was able to see you again, Dante. You've grown into a fine young man, capable of protecting the humans."

"Father..."

"In the mansion, you will find the key..."

"Key?"

"Just have faith..." A light formed around Sparda and he spoke no more. Dante on the other hand, had more to say, but when he opened his mouth, nothing came out. The light dissipated form Sparda and he disappeared, but within Dante, he felt the strength of his father twofold. Violet light surrounded the half devil, and he felt his own strength returning.

-

In the instant his body was renewed, he returned to the showers, in Claire's arms.

-

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Another note from Fenice: I apologize for the exceptionally long wait for this chapter, but you probably understand writers blocks. It'll be even longer before chapter 8 is out, since I'll try to make the chapters itself longer (about 8-9 pages in my word now... my goal is to make them about 14-17 pages long). I've overloaded myself with too many fics (still have to update The Allegiance) and promised artworks for my friends. I swear I'll get to them all!

I have most of this plotted out for what happens at the Antarctic Base (Kudos to Shakahnna for giving me clips of Alexia's transformation!) and the ending. And maybe it's a good time to say: If you like this fic, it will continue on to another DMC crossover. And only a couple people know what the cross is going to be.