In all of the chapters I ever wrote for this story, this chapter was by far the crappest. Flame me if you must.

Chapter 10

Dante watched his face carefully, wondering what had got him looking so shocked. Arson sat up quickly, hiding his chain underneath his top and then turned to face him, his face suddenly pale. He looked at Dante frostily before he walked out of the room, leaving Dante to puzzle. At length he shrugged and looked for the second book. Arson was not as thick as he thought. He had taken it with him.

Arson looked for Trish, his eyes hard and serious. Siren watched him carefully from her room and then followed him, silently making up lost ground, a playful smile on her face. She placed her hands over her eyes, bringing him to a halt.

'Siren…' Arson's voice sounded irritated. She would soon cheer him up. She hummed gently in his ear and pressed her body against him. Arson slowly turned, his eyes warm and soft again.

'Do you know where Trish is?' he murmured gently. Siren shook her head and allowed her hands to travel over his body. Arson closed his eyes and breathed in deeply; her perfume was exotic, tempting. He wanted to taste her. Siren seemed to know, and tightened her grip, tilting her head back. But he needed to find Trish. He didn't have the time for this. He pulled away, looking somewhat dazed by what had just happened. Siren looked hurt and angry.

'Is there something I should know about you and Trish?' she said coldly. Arson frowned at her.

'Don't be crazy.'

'Then why are you so cold to me?'

'I'm not! Jeez, Siren!' Siren turned on her heel without listening to Arson's explanations. Let him blunder on about his mission and so on. She didn't have the time for him either. Her mind wondered fondly onto that complete stranger she had been talking to on the day when Arson was hurt and in bed. He knew how to treat a woman right.

Trish looked up as Arson fell down the stairs, a small black book in his hand, and a stunned expression on his face. He looked sheepishly at her and then got up on his feet, stumbled and then fell onto the couch.

'I take it Siren was playing with you again.'

'He saw my chain.' Trish looked up at him sharply. 'Not the whole thing...just the chain bit of it...not the amulet bit...'

'Who? Dante?'

'Well Dante and I are the only guys in this place! Who else do you think?'

'I don't know, Inferno?' Arson had no reply to that. Trish saw again the book that he was holding in his hands. 'What's that?'

'If Dante had seen this, then he would have figured out about my past, about my lineage. I thought this was going to be so easy. If I simply told you about Razzia and then stayed to help out, it would have been so much easier for us all. But there are so many changes. Now there's two Razzias, no Val, you're still alive and that's a good thing. I didn't realise that to change one thing in the past would mean dealing with so many problems.' He opened the front cover of the book and stared longingly at one picture. It depicted a family. A man, a woman and a boy and girl. Everyone was smiling. He looked up at Trish with a nostalgic look in his eyes. She could sense his feeling of loss.

'We were a family then. My mother was happy and content with her life. Dad was still alive and I wasn't hurt. I wish times were like that again.'

'So that's Dante's son?' Arson nodded. 'They look so alike.'

'Which is why I must hide this. If he sees this, he'll be able to figure it out.' Arson's eyes grew hard again, his senses properly clearing.

'Siren's very powerful, isn't she?'

'She has very little strength…but she has her ways of getting past that.' Arson could still feel her hands upon his back. They had seemed to sear through his clothes, leaving their mark on him. He smiled to himself. Siren certainly had her ways of getting past through her weaknesses. Trish looked at him and noted the dreamy look in his eyes. For a single moment, she envied Siren. If she had powers like that, Dante would be putty in her hands. She frowned. She didn't rely on powers. If Dante loved her, he wouldn't need to be hypnotized into thinking it.

'You didn't tell Dante anything, did you?' Trish shook her head to Arson's question.

'You've got to be careful now, Arson.'

'I know.' Arson looked up nervously as he heard a sudden sound. Siren was standing at the top of the stairs looking down at both of them, her face furious. Arson rolled his eyes and stood up.

'Siren, listen!'

'I think this explains everything!'

'But we're not even doing anything!' Siren looked at him haughtily.

'Are you questioning me?' Arson looked sheepishly at her but did not reply. A look of pure bewilderment entered his eyes. Trish got up and laughed quietly to herself.

'Siren, you can be so immature at times.' Siren glared at her, her violet eyes blazing with rage.

'At least I'm not ashamed to admit to how I really feel about things.'

'I listen and understand how others feel. I don't just steam ahead and do things anyway, without giving a damn about it.'

'It doesn't seem that way to me.' Trish shifted her stance slightly, one hand on her hip, one eyebrow raised challengingly.

'Oh really? How does it look to you then?'

'You act like a school kid! Too damn embarrassed to say anything.'

'For your sake that's a blessing.'

'Meaning?'

'Well, we all know that you're a nymphomaniac! We just don't say anything.' Arson looked puzzled by this and looked at Trish questioningly. Siren turned to him suddenly, causing him to step backwards with surprise.

'You don't agree with that, do you?'

'Uh…I don't even know what it means.' Arson smiled apologetically. Trish rolled her eyes.

'It means a sex crazed female lunatic.' Arson lowered his eyes, trying to hide a grin. Siren noted the look on his face.

'Arson!' she snapped.

'Well…you do kind of throw yourself at me at times. But I wouldn't call you that.'

'He'd be more polite and call you a slut instead,' cut in Trish shortly.

---

Dante frowned as he saw Arson holding back a kicking and screaming Siren. Trish was sitting down on the couch, an expression of pure boredom on her face as she flicked through the channels of the television. Dante pushed his hair out of his face and yawned.

'Does anyone have the time?'

'Sure I do!' Arson let go off Siren and pressed a button on his wrist strap. A green flash erupted from the watch, showing the time in a luminous yellow colour. Dante looked at it without the least bit of surprise and looked expressionlessly at Arson, Trish and Siren before he headed for the kitchen. Siren slowly stood up, having fallen down when Arson had suddenly released her from his grip.

'Who wants some ice-cream?' Siren and Arson looked at each other, Arson blushing slightly. Trish stretched and followed Dante into the kitchen.

'You wouldn't, would you?' moaned Arson.

'It's all you deserve after dropping me like that.'

'It was a mistake.'

'Whatever! We're through!' Arson blinked. That was sudden, he thought to himself. Siren dashed into the kitchen, smiling wickedly to herself. Arson gave another groan before he shuffled in.

'I think I'll pass, guys,' he said quietly. Dante grinned.

'You sure? You said it'd be cold in England. I don't think any of us would want to have an ice cream there!' Arson frowned at Siren as she giggled. He felt his face slowly grow hot.

'I'm sure.' Trish frowned.

'You don't look very well.'

'I'm fine.' More chuckling from Siren. 'Really.'

'He's allergic to ice cream!' shrieked Siren amidst giggles. Dante and Trish looked at Arson, both looking as though they had just been slapped in the face. Arson shrank down miserably as Dante struggled to stop himself from laughing. Siren grinned at him maliciously.

'There's a lot you don't know about Arson...' Trish and Arson quickly looked towards each other and then at Siren. Arson's eyes had grown wide with alarm and Trish felt her stomach flop. Dante appeared to be unconcerned. Siren continued to grin, her eyes narrowed. She opened her mouth as though to say something and Arson sank down further into his seat.

'Like the fact that he loves strawberries...'

---

Arson waved them off and shouldered his duffle bag, holding his arm out slightly. Inferno perched on top of it and straightened out his feathers. Arson looked down at him and smiled, a serious expression in his eyes. The smile suddenly vanished as he heard a voice behind him.

'Well well…what have we got here?'