Author's Note:

As promised, here's chapter 6! Now, finally, we get to the point where this story actually becomes a crossover. It's still mostly WHR though, so don't worry. That's why it's listed in the WHR stories and not the Devil May Cry fics.

To Jayde Katt: Just as a warning, things aren't going to be getting any better for Touko in my story for awhile. If it makes you feel any better, it's not because I really have anything against her character. Her condescending attitude irritated me a bit in the series, but I never hated her. Somehow, I just ended up writing her kind of evil like I'm writing her father. But I tend to like evil characters myself (especially ones who can be sympathized with), so it's kind of a compliment from me to turn her into a bit of a bad guy. Sakaki will have more delusions in the future though, so I hope you'll keep reading! :)

To Amon's Angel of the Darkness: Doujima's one of my favorite characters too. She had me fooled for the most part through most of the series, though I always had my suspicions about her. I hope the party lives up to your expectations!

Chapter 6

Speak of the Devil

Beatrice. Hear my voice, and listen.

The silver flame leapt higher and the one known as Beatrice threw her dark hair back over her shoulders, feeling the specter of her master slipping into her mind like a shadow across water. I am here, my lord. Tell me, what am I to do now? They wish to hunt me, and I still have not gathered my entire coven.

Our window of opportunity is coming. You must be patient, my servant,the dark lord replied, his voice as deep as the cracks of a volcano. These hunters . . . among them is one you need to find. She is the key to completing the circle. Without the strength of her power, the door may remain closed no matter how many witches you gather.

The demon lord sent an image into her mind. The fire witch?! She exclaimed in surprise. Why, she's nothing more than a child, and her powers--

Are greater than you know. She has not fully realized them yet, but we could take advantage of them, bring them to their full potential.

Then I must find her.

Yes, but there is a danger.

The demon hunter? He is always lurking in my shadow. He still does not know who or what I am, but if he continues to be so persistent, he will eventually find out. The knowledge will make him even more dedicated to stopping us.

What did you expect from him? He too is a child of Sparda, the one demon who dared defy his heritage. But he is not the danger I speak of. This girl has dangers of her own. She is surrounded by protectors. They flock to her. But there is one in particular who could put a stop to our plans. He alone holds the key to her heart--his voice alone could call her back from the edge of the abyss. Until he is out of the way, we cannot hope to hold her.

Shall we find him, and kill him?

I fear his death would put her in too much turmoil for her to be of any use to us. But we must keep him from interfering. He is not currently weak-minded enough to be manipulated, but perhaps someone close to him is. There is a woman who is filled with bitterness and jealousy. We could use her.

Will she be there? At the gathering?

Yes. An image of the woman she was to find appeared in her mind; long blond hair, lithe figure, and sensual smile. Find her, and exert your influence over her as well as the others. Be wary though. The demon hunter may be there as well.

-----

Robin felt lost. The music was too loud; the house was too crowded and stifling; the people were too drunk; and she didn't know how to move in the short skirt she was wearing, let alone the ruffled top which dipped just a little too low for her comfort in the front. It was nothing so scandalous as what the girls around her were wearing, yet she couldn't help but feel self-conscious and naked even if her skirt was a good five inches longer and her collar at least three inches higher. Her arms were bare though and her hair flowed freely over her shoulders except for the handful of strands which Doujima had braided into a crown around her head. Already she was annoyed by the loose hair, but what truly unnerved her was when she happened to catch her reflection in a mirror and actually thought she was looking through a window for the little resemblance she saw there.

She had never worn makeup before in her life, but Doujima had taught her how to accent her eyes with eye shadow and give her cheeks color with blush. Yet, even with the makeup she looked as pale as a ghost. Perhaps it was because she felt so uncomfortable in this crowd. She wasn't worried about being assaulted by anyone with her craft to protect her; the inebriated males who attempted to force their attention on her found themselves feeling rather unpleasantly hot all of a sudden and found themselves stepping outside to cool off. Rather, she was simply painfully aware of how little she fit in with others. Living such a sheltered life had done irreparable damage to her social skills. Clutching her amulet, which she had refused to take off despite the makeover, she wandered through the crowd again, looking for Doujima.

"Hey, green-eyed lady," a man not far from her slurred, "how about you and I take a trip upstairs?" He slid his hand around her waist and Robin almost gagged at the alcohol on his breath as he leaned toward her.

"Why bother with the stairs?" an unfamiliar, very masculine voice commented. "You can trip just as easily down here." The sound of a punch landing in the man's kidney warned Robin to step out of the way just in time before he stumbled off to the nearest window and emptied the contents of his stomach in the grass below.

She looked back to see a tall man with strikingly silver hair and pale blue eyes smirking down at her. He wore black leather and a crimson jacket, and she thought she caught the glint of a gun--perhaps two--inside his coat. Looking at him warily, she decided he seemed at least as out of place at this party as she did, though he did have a beer in his hand. "Sorry about that, babe," he commented, gesturing to the man at the window. "He seemed like bad news."

"Thank you," she replied quietly, wondering if he could hear her over the stereo blasting in the other room.

He nodded. "No problem." He seemed about to walk away when he paused and studied her more closely, the intensity of his gaze reminding her strangely of Amon's when he was at his most enigmatic. Then, his eyebrow quirking at something he apparently discovered, he glanced around cautiously before stepping a little closer to her. Though she should have been nervous, for he was clearly dangerous, she did not back away. "You wouldn't happen to know if there's a witch here tonight, would you?" His voice had dropped in volume and seemed almost intimate in its roughness.

Robin's eyes widened as she repeated, "A witch?"

"Yeah. I've been chasing one for a while now. She has a penchant for manipulating people and starting fires. Sold her soul to the devil in return for her powers, and now she's trying to open a gate to the underworld." He paused, shaking his head. "Just like every other wacko out there . . . I mean it's not as if it's the vacation spot of the season, but they all want to open the door just the same."

Robin's jaw fell slack as she contemplated this strange man and his even stranger comments. Her mind told her to be careful of a trap, but her gut told her she could trust this man she barely knew. "Why do you think I could help you?"

He touched the pendent hanging around her neck lightly. "I recognized that. I know Father Juliano. He hired me once to help hunt down a demon."

"A demon?"

"Yeah," he shrugged. "It's kind of what I do. Anyway, do you know anything about that witch I'm looking for?"

She shook her head slowly.

"Ah. Well, it was worth a shot." He saluted her with his beer. "Thanks for your time."

Uncertain what prompted her to stop him though she had a feeling it had something to do with his connection to Fr. Juliano and her sense of homesickness, she reached out and placed a hand gently on his arm. "I still might be able to help," she said uncertainly, a little unnerved by his intense gaze though she should have been used to such gazes by now. "I have some unusual sources of information."

"Do you now? Hmm . . . might come in handy." He pulled out a business card which he slipped into her hand as he gently removed it from his arm. "The name's Dante."

"Robin," she replied, glancing down at the card. It read Devil Never Cry and named Dante as a demon hunter. She had never heard of such a thing.

"So you're the Robin he talked so much about."

She looked up suddenly, seeing the warmth in his eyes. "Juliano?"

"Yeah. I guess it was quite the stroke of luck I wandered in here. My instincts are rarely wrong and they were screaming at me to check this place out. Not what I expected, but hey, who can complain about free beer?"

Robin!" The sound of Doujima's obviously intoxicated voice made Robin cringe. Her friend was stumbling across the room, using person after person as support to make her way to Robin, the drink in her hand sloshing all over the floor and the people around her as she went. Finally, when she was close enough to lean against the wall next to Robin she stopped and glared at her coyly. "Forget Amon--who the hell is this fine specimen? And how the hell do you get all the hot men?! She gestured sloppily at Dante who was merely gazing back at her with a raised eyebrow and a barely repressed grin. "All I ever get is stupid-ass Sakaki," she muttered, then realizing what she had just said, her eyes widened and she covered her mouth. "I'm glad I didn't say that out loud. He would be so pissed if I let that one get out," she mumbled.

Robin glanced at Dante who was looking back at her with amusement twinkling in his eyes. "Um, Doujima, I think it's time to go home now." Robin snatched what remained of the girl's drink out of her hand and poured it out the window.

"Oh, I almost forgot!" Doujima cried suddenly with a half-laugh, half-snort. She poked at Robin. "You won't believewho I ran into here.

"Who?" Robin asked without interest, simply keeping Doujima distracted as she pulled her arm over her shoulder to keep her upright.

Doujima however somehow managed to slip out of her grasp, still laughing. Amon! Isn't that a crackup? Amon, and your stupid roommate hanging out at a party like this!" She dissolved into another fit of laughter.

Robin attempted to catch her as she lost her balance and crumpled toward the floor, but Dante intervened, scooping Doujima up and tossing her over his shoulder. "It looks like you might need some assistance," he commented dryly to Robin.

"My plan worked!" Doujima squealed, wriggling in Dante's grip. "Mmm, what's this?" She pulled out a gun from underneath Dante's coat, looking at it quizzically as if she couldn't identify it.

"Keep your hands to yourself," Dante ordered gruffly, snatching the weapon out of her hand and tucking it back into its holster. "Time to split," he added to Robin.

Nodding, Robin followed him as he led the way to the door, Doujima still mumbling nonsensically. She wasn't sure if Doujima had been hallucinating or if she really had seen Amon, but she was certain she did not want to find out. Regardless, she was grateful for running into Dante since she had no idea how she would have gotten Doujima home otherwise. The party no longer seemed so intimidating now that she knew she was leaving it, and Robin said a prayer of thanks for making it through the night without more trouble than she had--especially after the way bad luck had been following her like the plague the last few days.

She was close enough to the door to feel the chill air from outside when she almost ran into someone--a tall, darkly dressed someone. She forgot to breathe for a moment as she looked up slowly to find Amon's slate eyes glowering down at her. It seemed she had spoken too soon, and just in time for more bad luck to catch up to her. "Amon," she breathed, hearing her heart pounding in her ears. She wanted nothing more than to crawl under a rock, but she didn't see any convenient rocks in sight. Unless you counted the rock wall standing in front of her which would offer absolutely no solace at all.

"Robin. I thought I saw you in the crowd, but I had all but convinced myself I was mistaken. I barely recognized you. His voice was as frigid as the Antarctic, but his gaze burned as he paused and glanced down at her attire, swallowing before continuing. He sounded almost angry as he continued, "Michael said you were sick. What are you doing here?

"Robin?!" came the sound of Touko's voice as she floated into the room to stand next to Amon, snaking her arm around his protectively. The glint in Touko's eyes as she pulled Amon closer struck a hint of fear into Robin, though she had no idea why. She supposed it was jealousy, though she couldn't help but relate the expression on Touko's face to the look in a boa constrictor's eyes as it wraps itself around its prey. "That girl said you were going to a party, but I didn't think--"

Amon's eyes glanced at Touko cuttingly. "You knew about this idiocy?"

"Oh shut up already, Amon!" Doujima's exasperated shout interrupted as she managed to twist out of Dante's grasp and lunge at Amon. Geez, you can be so annoying sometimes!" Dante saved her from falling over completely with a steadying hand around her waist. His expression was pure annoyance and Robin felt bad about how he was being forced to baby-sit her inebriated friend when he barely knew her. She wondered how long his respect for Juliano would inspire him to continue helping her before he simply decided it was far too much effort.

"I see someone's drank a bit more than they could handle," Touko commented with a wicked smile as she watched Doujima flail about.

Amon did not even seem to notice the exchange. His eyes were focused on the demon hunter. "Who are you?" he demanded.

Dante met his threatening gaze with a soft scoff and a shake of his head. "A man who's putting up with an awful lot of shit for a free beer." He turned his cool blue gaze back on Robin. "Do you think we could get your incoherently drunk friend out of here sometime this century, Robin, babe? Preferably before she brings the roof down on our heads?" He looked back at Amon with an assessing expression. "Or before your other friend here decides to get stupid and pick a fight? Because God knows I'm ready for one right about now." The fingers of his free hand hovered near the edge of his coat, near the gun Doujima had discovered and Robin felt panic pumping through her veins.

Without a word or a glance, Robin turned her back on Amon and crossed the small anteroom to Dante. A strong hand clamped down on her arm so hard it brought tears to her eyes as it dragged her a step or two backward. "What are you doing here with him?" Amon hissed in her ear.

"Amon!" Touko cried in warning, now a pace or so behind them.

The sound of a gun being cocked drew Robin's attention upward as she saw Dante standing in front of her with his gun pressed against Amon's temple. The fact Amon had not even reacted yet frightened her. It frightened her because Amon had the quickest reflexes of anyone she had ever met, and if Dante was that much faster, how much better must he be? It also frightened her because though she wanted to trust Dante, she didn't have proof that she could, and if he had an advantage over Amon, she didn't want to think where this might lead. More than anything else though, she was afraid because she had never heard fear before in Amon's voice, but she had certainly heard it in his question a moment ago. Amon did not release her arm, but slackened his grip enough to at least stop it from being painful. He pulled her closer to him--so close she could feel his heart thudding in his chest--and she realized dimly that Amon seemed to think he was protecting her. Did he know more about this demon hunter than she did?

"I suggest you let her go," Dante commented nonchalantly, as if he didn't have a gun against Amon's head. "Ebony hasn't been fed in awhile and she's getting hungry." It took Robin a moment to realize he was talking about the gun.

Amon did not respond, but she could feel his muscles tightening like a coil ready to spring, though she feared what Dante's reaction would be to whatever Amon had planned. "Dante," Robin murmured and she thought she felt Amon flinch. She reached up to lay a hand lightly on Dante's forearm. "It's all right. He's not my enemy. Please, don't hurt him."

Dante glanced down at her and shook his head with a sigh. "Whatever you say, babe. Looks like trouble to me." He dropped his gun arm only to find an orbo gun pressed against his neck a moment later. Amon had moved too quickly for Robin to even follow, restoring her faith in his quick reactions, but it still annoyed her that he would provoke someone he didn't even know when she had just defended him. "Heh," Dante laughed dryly, "you're trying your luck, buddy." Then he added, leaning closer to Amon, taunting him. "Go ahead, shoot me. You might be surprised by what happens."

Suddenly, Doujima yawned loudly and dramatically. "C'mon, Robin," she slurred. "I'm chokin' on the testosterone in 'ere.

"Amon," Robin said coldly. At the tone in her voice, Amon dropped his weapon to his side and looked at her. The pure, unrepressed emotion on his face made her stomach drop to the soles of her feet. Hurt and brokenness gazed out at her through his eyes and she felt lightheaded from the adrenaline which surged through her body in response to it. What could she have done to cause him such pain? Then he blinked and the emotion was gone as quickly as it had appeared. His face was again a mask as he looked away, and she had to wonder if she had imagined the entire thing.

When she returned her attention to Dante, she found he had already scooped Doujima up in his arms to keep her from attempting to escape again and was waiting patiently for Robin just outside the door. Making her decision, Robin followed with only a glance back, cringing when she heard Dante remark, "Please, tell me that prig isn't one of your unusual sources."

-------

The demon hunter has arrived. And is Amon a bit jealous perhaps? We shall just have to wait and find out in Chapter 7: Meltdown, to be uploaded soon. And why do I suddenly sound like the Robotech Announcer? "Questions posed by two people living under the shadow of ultimate destruction." And one of my personal favorites: "Life was returning to normal on the SDF-1, if you can call normal living in a city inside a giant spaceship near the orbit of Pluto."

Ah, Robotech . . . brings back memories of better, simpler times. When the bad guys were huge aliens with weird distorted voices and the good guys were cocky fighter pilots who used to fly in the circus. And the captain was a pipe smoking Russian with a very generic name.

CAPTAIN GLOVAL: I was just holding the pipe in my teeth. I wasn't going to light it.

And Minmei was annoying, and--wait. This isn't a happy memory anymore. Would somebody put Minmei out of our misery before I start bleeding from my ears?

Sorry, got a little off track there . . . The random bug bit me, but I'm better now. A little Elixir fixed me right up. And it refilled my MP too. Cool.

No good. I'm still random. Oh well . . . Hope you enjoyed the chapter!