Hey everyone. Okay, so this is the first romance I'm trying to write that doesn't involve two OCs. So go easy on me. So what exactly made me choose to write this? Well...(smiles) I can't explain it. I just felt the urge. How does that saying go? "Fools give you reasons, Wise men never try"? No wait, never mind.
Anyway, important note to make here. This fic is dedicated to Lady Gryffin. Because she loves Lady/Dante so.
Recollections
It was a hot, humid night and the clouds were swollen thick. Dante could smell it, could smell the onset of a summer storm. While it was happening, it would suddenly become cool, and the rain would paint the world anew. Dusky leaves would bloom into a beautiful lime, the yellow blades of grass would suddenly burst into a lively green. Birds would stop singing their exhausted faded melodies.
And all that could be heard was the sound of the rain.
But as soon as it stopped, the air would become muggy, so hot that one could barely breathe without choking on the humidity. Dante would be forced away from his leather and would find himself wearing more conventional clothing. He felt however, that they made him feel bulky and graceless even though in reality he was just as beautiful as he was in his usual clothes.
Recently, Dante had been feeling restless and he knew it was not because of the coming storm. He knew it was not because of the excitement he usually felt before he went out on a mission. For once, Dante found himself to be nervous, a feeling he was unaccustomed with. And what was perhaps irritating, or rather, humiliating was the fact that this anxiety or -dare he say it?- fear was not brought on by any devil.
No. It was a human girl. Woman. Dante hastily corrected himself. Woman. Lady hated being referred to as a girl and Dante could see why. It underestimated her drastically and it made her seem incapable of doing anything for herself. No, Lady was a woman in her own right. She had grace, she had dignity and a poised beauty that Dante sometime felt that she wasn't even aware of. But what was perhaps even more appealing to Dante was her sense of determination, her refusal to give up, no matter what the odds. In her, he sensed a kindred spirit.
But there were more things than this that he admired her for. Her innocence for one. It had helped to win his heart but it wasn't the ultimate cause. No…it was her humanity. It called to him like a beacon and he was shamelessly attracted to it, like a moth to the flame, like Icarus to the sun. Yet he had never made a move since that episode in the library, where he had leaned in and where she had averted her head in something akin to revulsion. Now he understood it to be something closely related to fear. Icarus sprang to his mind again. "Don't fly too close to the sun, you'll get scorched". Don't move too close to Lady, you'll fall to the ground like a dying bird. It was odd, sometimes Lady intimidated him, but only because of the fact that she was so beautiful, and so full of grace. He felt that she was perfect for him and could only hope that he was right for her too. Recently, even though he had tried to hide it, he had been careful in the way he treated her, not wanting to do something that would cause their friendship to suddenly rot and turn to ash.
The enormity of what he wanted to do made itself known yet again and he was daunted. A sudden stab of worry lanced through him and he found himself close to backing down. Close. He gritted his teeth and heard a knock on the door. He felt his body brace itself as though he was going to take an extremely dangerous leap or as though he was going to jump off the top of Mount Everest.
He flung open the door, his nerves causing his movements to become abrupt and stared around. There was no-one in sight, just a stray cat that blinked up at him in confusion, mewed and then disappeared into the darkness. Dante shook his head in disbelief before closing the door and leaning against it. A crack of thunder suddenly rent the air and rumbled ominously, shaking the building to the rafters. Dante closed his eyes and sighed as he felt the power of the elements wash over him and drown out his thoughts. The temperature was falling rapidly, all he could hear was rain, and the sound helped to calm him, turning his anxiety that had been so cumbersome into something small, compact and above all, manageable.
His cool shattered immediately when his ears picked up another knock at the door. He wrenched the door open, only to get nearly decapitated by a branch from a nearby tree. A wind had picked up, teasing the branch playfully and causing it to rap harshly at his door. Dante glared at the offending twig balefully; he had meant to chop it off sometime ago and it hadn't been the first time he had been tricked by the wind and the branch either.
He sighed before moving back inside and resumed his pacing, his eyes continually darting to the clock, then to his watch and then to the clock on his microwave display. When he had told Lady about tonight's mission, she had told him that she would be here by seven. It was now five to seven and Dante was on tenterhooks, his nerves stretched like they had never been before. He'd been on dates before but none of them ever felt as though they were going to turn into something serious and Dante had soon become bored and had ended it after a few weeks or so. They simply weren't his type.
But Lady…she was something else entirely. She wasn't like one of those silly girls he'd been with before, she didn't throw herself at him, she didn't try to flash a breast at him while trying to act coy at the same time. Okay, so maybe the latter hadn't actually happened but hey, he could exaggerate sometimes!
Dante looked back at the clock again and his eyes widened when he saw the time. Two minutes left! Soon now, he would hear her bike roar down the street, screech to a halt and then purr as she cut the engine. Then she'd knock on the door, the way she always did out of force of habit before shoving the heavy doors open. They'd banter, they always did before finally leaving for the mission, usually racing each other, testing their skills at driving. Dante had to hand it to Lady, she had good taste. It had been her who had made him realize exactly how much he loved motorcycles.
Dante's eyes flicked to the time again. Thirty seconds left! He grinned before taking up his usual position, his usual pose, so then he looked as cool as ever, as controlled as he always was so then he could hide his worry and his misgivings. Lady wasn't like other girls, he had to be careful how he asked this. His eyes darted towards the clock yet again.
Three…two…one…
Dante blinked before frowning and looking at his clock before quickly checking his watch. Oh good, another five seconds. Four, three, two, one…
There was nothing.
It was only then that Dante realized that he hadn't even heard her bike approach or stop. She hadn't turned up.
Had she known somehow that he was going to ask her out on a proper date? Had she known somehow, like how she had known that Dante was going to try and kiss her when all he had done was lean towards her? He hadn't even puckered up for God's sake! That lean could have been anything right? Like maybe he was trying to get a crick out of his shoulder, or maybe he had been…uh…had an itch? Okay, so maybe there wasn't a lot he could have been intending to do but she had somehow anticipated it, even before he had leaned in. He had felt her stiffen straight away, even before he had made a single move towards her. Had she somehow known of his intentions today as well?
He slumped down in his chair and sighed despondently. Maybe she'd just gotten caught up in traffic? Or maybe she'd met with some kind of accident? It could be any accident. She was a human after all. If she was hit by a truck, she wouldn't be able to get back up. Worry flooded through him yet again and he got out his mobile phone quickly, planning to call her. It was at that point that his machismo persona caught up on him. He didn't want to seem too desperate, Lady might laugh at that. But then what if something had happened?
He bit his lip indecisively before his eyes flicked to his watch again. Crap! Had an hour already passed so quickly? And Lady still wasn't here? He started dialling her number quickly but then paused and tensed. Had he heard that or was he just imagining things? No wait, there it was, the low roar of her bike, rapidly increasing in pitch and volume. He quickly dropped the phone before resuming his previous pose, feet on the table, hands behind his head, a calm smirk on his face, trying to show he was unconcerned, carefree.
Lady's knock sounded before she pushed the door open. She was wearing that blouse of hers, and that short skirt, her long boots accentuating her shapely legs. Dante struggled to keep his eyes on her face rather than on her breasts but the fact that he was able to see a lacy pale pink bra did nothing to help his situation or to calm his nerves. What was even worse was the fact that Lady seemed completely unaware of the fact that her bra was on display. She smiled at him but he returned the gesture with an impassive expression.
'You're late,' he said calmly. Lady's eyes widened slightly before she frowned at him, resting one hand on her hip, balancing her weight on her uninjured leg. Though she still hadn't recovered from Arkham's attack, she insisted on continuing to hunt demons with him.
'I am not,' she replied firmly.
'And there I was thinking that I'd met a girl who could actually be on time,' Dante drawled, his eyes half closed. 'You're late by an hour.'
'Am not!'
'Are too!'
'I'm not!' Lady persisted. She paused before looking at the clock. Then she collapsed into a fit of giggles. Dante stared at her, baffled. This reaction was certainly not the expected one. He had been hoping for an apology. Lady eventually quietened down and looked at him, a big grin on her face.
'I guess fighting's all you're good for, huh?' She said, a teasing smirk on her face. Dante frowned slightly.
'Fighting's not all I'm good at,' he returned, quirking an eyebrow. He couldn't help himself, he loved seeing the somewhat shocked expression on Lady's face as he delivered each innuendo. But for some odd reason, it didn't work today.
'Dante. Do you know what day it is today?'
'Yeah…a Sunday? So?'
'Do you know what the date is?'
'Well, I was hoping it would be you,' he purred at her. Lady paused and frowned before rolling her eyes.
'The clocks went back today.'
'What!'
'It's seven now. Not eight,' Lady continued, enjoying herself. Dante continued to stare at her before getting up and grabbing his guns.
'Let's just go, okay?'
---
Lady couldn't help but notice that the drive over towards the infested house was subdued. Dante was being unusually quiet, as though he was deep in thought. Lady frowned inwardly; surely he didn't feel insulted? After all, forgetting that the clocks had gone back or forth was an honest mistake. It had happened to her enough times. Somehow though, Lady had a feeling that this was not what was bothering Dante. He had a face on him that matched the weather; thunderous.
Eventually, the two pulled to a halt. Dante got up quickly, kicking the stand down, and looking around eagerly. As long as demons were around, he'd be able to keep himself distracted. The issue about how to ask Lady for a date would be pushed to one side until they were all gone. For a crazy minute, Dante wished that there would be an endless supply of demons, but right now, there didn't seem to be any in sight.
The streets were empty. There was no sound, save for a dog barking in the distance. It growled and gave a high-pitched squeal before turning silent. That was all Dante needed to know, to understand that perhaps the streets were not as silent as they had at first seemed.
'Come on, this way.'
'Just because a dog yelped, it doesn't mean a demon did it,' Lady said. 'It could have been that it's owner came out and whacked it on the nose with a rolled up newspaper.' Dante sighed. That was another reason why he admired Lady so much. Most other girls wouldn't dare disagree with him. Lady had flown in the face of all that and never hesitated to argue and disagree with him. In fact, whenever she had the chance to dispute his opinions she would never pass up the chance and would pounce on the opportunity with glee. At first it intrigued Dante, and then it irritated him. But now it delighted him to know that Lady was the one for him, the only one he had ever found himself wanting desperately.
He was suddenly jerked out of his thoughts by a sudden gasp. A Vanguard stood before them. Dante frowned.
'Is that it?' he scoffed. 'One?' It was suddenly joined by two more. Lady took a step back. She had only seen two before, and that had been at a distance. She had watched it as it fell from the tower dead but never before had she come so close to one. The other time she had seen one, was when Dante had just come back from the demonic realm and when they'd been forced to do battle with over one hundred demons. But Dante had taken care of that one before she had even had a shot at it.
She remembered the first time she had seen a demon and she had been terrified. She would have been a fool not to be scared at first. Until she learnt an important lesson. They could bleed and they could die. They had added strength, yes, but in that respect, they were not so different from humans. It seemed as though she would have to apply the same logic for these demons too.
But even before she had the chance to ready herself, a scythe came flying her way, knocking her off balance. Pain blasted through her like a cannon, white stars thudded behind her eyes, blinding her vision and she screamed as something pierced her injured leg. She was still screaming when she blacked out.
---
'Damn that Scythe…' Lady groaned softly, placing her hand to the bandage on her injured leg. When she took her hand away, it was stained red with her own blood. They were back at the agency, and Dante had been watching her with a strange unfathomable expression on his face. He quirked an eyebrow at her comment.
'Scythe?'
'Yeah…that thing we just fought…that Scythe…'
'Oh, you mean the Vanguard,' Dante said in realization.
'No…it's a Scythe.'
'It's a Vanguard.'
'Hey! I call them as I see them and I saw a Scythe!' Dante looked down at her, saw the defiance in her eyes and the grim set of her face and then shrugged before bending down to help her.
'Okay then…Scythe…' he murmured. Lady frowned. She hadn't expected Dante to bow down to that. She'd expected some more fight from him ending in steely silence, the way it always did. 'Let me get that for you.' Dante motioned at her reddening bandage.
'No. I can do it myself!' Dante paused, hearing the sharp protest but then decided to try and help anyway. Lady swatted at his hands, not wanting him anywhere near her legs, possessed by a sense of virtue. 'I can do it myself!' she repeated. Dante raised his head and looked her. The look in his eyes took her breath away. She had never seen him look at her in such a way, as though he was hurt or wounded.
'Dante?' she said uncertainly.
'Just let someone help you. Just this once.'
'Dante-'
'Please…' Lady fell silent, and Dante took it as acceptance and redressed the wound deftly, quickly. He drew away from her once he was finished and helped her to her feet. She stumbled, wincing and hissing in pain as her weight fell upon her hurt leg. He steadied her and held her in her arms. Her eyes widened and thoughts raced through her head.
What was he up to? He knew she didn't like being touched…what was going on? Why was it that she actually found herself enjoying being held in such a way? She raised her head to look at him and felt her body tensing as she found his face close to her own.
'Lady…' he whispered meaningfully. Then before she could pull away or react, he kissed her. For a fleeting second, she thought of pushing him away and running for it. Only for a fleeting second. She nuzzled into his chest, pressing her body against her warmth and found herself kissing back.
As he felt Lady responding to him, Dante felt his heart burst with happiness.
He was not to know of the sorrow that lay before him.
