Chapter Seven

As the ground fell out from under them, Rose and Rayne gave out a scream. Before they plunged into the darkness forever, Rose was stopped with a jerk. She looked up and saw ice-y blue eyes staring down at her from above. Next to her, Rayne was also being held onto by a hand.

As they were pulled up with a rough yank, they tumbled onto the floor. "Thank you so much!" Rose gushed, happy to be on solid ground again.

As she looked up, expecting to see Dante, she was startled to see Virgil. She blinked up at him as she stood up. Rose got stuck in his eyes, once again. 'He has such pretty eyes,' she thought wistfully.

She moved closer when Rayne interrupted her thoughts, "So…where is Dante?"

"On the other side of the Tower," he said impassively, face like a stone.

"Well let's go Rose!" Rayne said, grabbing Rose's arm. She did not trust this solemn devil.

As Rose was dragged away by Rayne, she shot one last glance back at Virgil over her shoulder. But instead of seeing him, he had disappeared from sight, leaving her to wonder if he had been there after all.

As the two walked around the tower looking for a way up, they encountered no one and found no way up. When they came back to the other side of the giant crack they had fell into, they sighed in despair. They couldn't make it up any other way, they would have to climb.

"Remind me –wheeze- never –wheeze- to climb a –wheeze- demon tower again," Rayne said as she reached the top of the tower, bent over and gasping for breath.

Rose didn't reply as she collapsed on the top of the tower, gasping for breath. Her eyes shut slightly as her breathe slowly came back to her and she felt something light and soft brush her cheek. She looked up and saw, "…snow?"

Rayne looked at her, "What?"

"It's snowing now."

"That's not snow," Rayne narrowed her eyes, "It's...its feathers."

"Why is it coming from the sky then?"

Before the two could continue their thoughts, a rainbow light began to shine and to floating figures appeared. They seemed to be Angels except for the fact they had demonic read eyes set into a black face. They held long lances that were glowing a blue-white, but their extremely pointy ends were a sinister black.

"What are these things?" Rose called over to Rayne confusedly.

Rayne was silent, racking her brain for any clue she could have on these new...creatures. Her book didn't give anything about these creatures so she was as clueless as Rose. Before they could say anything else, the two angel-like creatures charged at the two holding the lances out strait for the heart. The two quickly rolled to the sides, Rayne pulling Adara and Mara off of her back in one smooth movement as she stood, Rose grabbing two of her guns off of her thighs.

Rose immediately began to open fire on the demons, now sure they were definitely not angels while Rayne began her own attack.

Left swipe, half twist bring up the right blade to cut a wing, then attack with the left at the same time making two X's, Rayne's mind and body chanted at the same time moving through the moves with ease. The wings on this demonic angel opened leaving a gaping darkness as a stomach. Rayne strove to attack that spot, but the angel, Fallen she decided mentally for they seemed to be evil angels, stabbed at her with a lance, and Rayne only escaped by dodging, but she still sustained a deep cut in her right arm. She hissed in anger and surprise and pressed forward again.

Rose kept up a steady reign of fire on the demonic angels and slowly advanced forward. A lance was thrown at her direction and Rose dodged it, still keeping up her attack, but the lance near her exploded and she flew backwards some, hit something solid, and fell down to the ground. Blearily, she looked up to see a fuzzy figure yet again. Her eyes focused on blue and she had a thought of white roses before she blacked out.

Virgil looked down at the girl at his feet with a stoic expression wondering how she always seemed to get hurt or almost die when he was around. But he stepped over her, shedding his blue coat before stepping into the fray. His yamato began to flutter and cut, leaving butterfly like paths in the air as he relentlessly went on the offense against a Fallen.

Rayne was slowing down as she fought the Fallen, the cut in her arm bleeding sluggishly and causing pain with every move she made. Rayne didn't back down though, stubbornly gritting her teeth as she blocked and attacked. The Fallen were slowly gaining on her, easily getting past the feeble blocks she made. Stumbling over a rock, Rayne groaned, knowing she was doing horribly, but a sword cut in front of her face, stopping the lance.

"Gesh, can't even protect your self now can you?" Dante's sarcastic voice cut in.

Rayne rolled her eyes, trying not to let on her gladness from his help. He gave her an arm and she hoisted herself off and the two soon finished of the Fallen in front of them working with the same mind.

Virgil slashed and cut his black leather vest and pants moving with him as a second skin, and cut straight through a wing. As he held the pose for a little to long, he didn't see the lance aiming for his back. A gunshot went off behind him and his head shot around to see the Fallen disappear in a fluff of feathers as Rose's guns let out a slight smoke and she smirked at him.

"Can't let you always be the one saving me right? Anyways, it was great to see it disappear like a pillow explosion," Rose commented, putting up her guns.

Virgil nodded at her, his bare arms revealing the rippling muscle as he sheathed his yamato. "You appear to be right; their death was most...amusing." A dry smile came to his face, not quite reaching his icy blue eyes.

"What are you doing here?" Dante asked irritated at his twin's appearance.

Virgil faced him, returning the "friendly" and "brotherly" glare. "The same as you Dante, helping, or is that not allowed?"

Dante opened his mouth wordlessly, his glare intensifying the point of lasers. "I would be okay with it, brother, if you weren't using it to your advantage."

"My advantage and what would that be?" A single white eyebrow was raised.

"Who knows what goes on in that mind of yours, but usually it's just stupid."

"Well Rose, shall we leave these two idiots and move on?" Rayne held out her arm for Rose to take.

"Why not, it's not as if they are accomplishing anything." Rose accepted the arm, and the two started walking forwards.

"Wait a second, I save your life, and you just leave?" Dante asked outraged.

"I refuse to be in the company of a two year old," Rayne said no looking back.

Dante marched forward and spun her around, "Who are you calling a two year old!"

"You."

"I oughta kill you!"

Rose watched the familiar bickering start up again, and sat down with a weary sigh. The days of fighting and little or no food were catching up to her. Crunching footsteps grabbed her attention and she saw black boots pause in front of her before a body entered her weary sight.

"Are they always doing this?" the stoic voice asked as the owner pulled on the blue jacket.

Rose just nodded in reply, not bothering to speak.

Virgil just shook his head, "One day Dante will learn not to open that big trap of his."

"I doubt it; his brain is so squished by his ego it has no room to think. It amazes me he can even speak."

Virgil just smiled, a real one Rose noted with surprise, and the two arguers looked over at them as if to tell them to hurry up. The two picked themselves up and walked towards the two, waiting for the commands.

"So we shifted this tower three times, fell on our bums three times, and defeated hundreds of demons three times, just to begin where we basically started off?" Rayne's unbelieving voice said, the trio standing in front of the door. Virgil had left them without a word, leaving the three to go through this stage by them selves, Dante grumbling about no good brothers the whole time.

Together the trio walked into a new room, only to discover themselves once again blocked off from where they wanted to go.
"What it up with this place and locking itself up?" Rayne yelled frustrated.

"It just hates you doesn't it?" Dante passively remarked.

"No, it is just hates mortals, but just sitting here isn't helping, come on, lets go find the keys," Rose said exasperated at the two, heading towards the doors in the western region. The two exchanged looks as if to ask what was eating her, and followed Rose through into a chamber.

Two giant balls hung from chains in the center of the room, just sitting there, looking impassive and immobile. Rayne's twin blades were being idly spun in her hands as she stared up at the spheres. Dante was pulling on some metal gauntlets as Rose examined one of the spheres, on tip toe trying to see more then just the underside.

With a sigh, Rose backed up, "Could someone tall please come here?"

Rayne slowly meandered over and looked at her as if to say, 'what now?'

"Can you please hit this to move it forward?" Rose said, backing up.

Rayne put up her blades, "I'm not going to break Adara and Mara just for you, I'll just push it for you, shortie." Rayne smirked at Rose who stuck her tongue out in return.

Rayne leaned up against the ball, straining forward with all her might. Though her muscles strained and grew tight; the ball refused to budge. Sweat began to run down Rayne's face as she continued to push for another minute.

"What's wrong, are you too weak?" Rose's voice rang out mockingly.

"Shut it shortie," Rayne said stopping, gritting her teeth.

"Gesh, you humans are so weak," Dante said, smirking at them.

"Oh, and I guess you can do better Mr. Half-Demon?" Rayne said, her eyes flashing at him.

"Yeah, move over lady," he stretched his arm out as if he was about to go right, and then with one smooth and powerful movement, he punched the sphere. Right as he hit the ball, a loud "OW!" echoed in the room.

Lady strapped her rocket launcher onto her back. Feathers littered the ground around her left behind from the fallen Fallen. She had chanced upon them when she reached the top of the tower after climbing. Stepping over some guts left behind, she headed into the Tower to continue her quest for revenge.

Dante and Rayne turned to look at Rose who was blushing. "Sorry," she said, "its habit to say ouch or something when I see someone get hurt…"

Dante shock his head and just punched the solid ball again, sending it forward, this time closer to the other sphere. After he hit it again, he ran to the other side of the room and did the same. With a loud crash the two hit and exploded, but no shards of the rock went flying. Instead a gate opened and the shiny Onyx Moonshard appeared.

Rose immediately went forward and grabbed it, the shininess of it holding her attention. As she did this though, two Fallen appeared again. Immediately Dante and Rayne started to attack as Rose stayed where she was. One of the Fallen began to charge at her, and Rose frantically tried to pull down the gate again. Right as the Fallen was about to get her, the gate slammed shut and the Fallen slammed into it.

As the demon hovered about the gate, Rose unleashed an assault of bullets against it, baring the ugly hole rearing its head, and two blades made a x-cut through it, the feathers coming in a poof again.

Rayne just raised a casual eyebrow at Rose as Dante leaned on his sword, Rebellion, as he smirked. The two looked at each other before bursting out in laughter at the same time. Tears began to flow and Rose pouted, waiting for them to stop. When they finally did, she stood up, dusting the dirt off of her bum.

"Now will you get me out?'

This set off another round of laughs and finally the two hyenas got her out.

Author's Note: So me and the lovely Hann-chan, the one I dedicated this story too, just love puns. If you saw the one I believe it was one in this chapter. You get a cookie, made by my dad so they must be really good. Mmhmm, good. I'm thinking once I finish this, and I don't have much left that I'm gonna go back through and have all my comments and such in the story, cause there are lots and its fun…just ask Vampy Sparda about it. Would you read it?

Ps. I apologize for this being a day late, I had told people it'd be out before the last day of March…but it's only one day late! Haha...hides