Disclaimer: I do not own My Hero Academia or Devil May Cry.

A/N: AU. Possible instances of OOCness. Genderswapped Izuku. Switched parentage of Izuku. Swearing. Mentions of violence, blood and potential gore(More so with DMC due to the demons and stuff). Mature themes/Situations. Demonic abilities/powers, as well as potential fits of possessive/overprotective nature, etc.

Again, this is a revised version of the chapter as I've gone back and done some edits, fixed things up a bit, etc.

Without further ado, enjoy!

Strange Encounters

Lady was looking especially proud of herself while slowly pouring the very girly(in Dante's humble opinion anyway) shade of purple into the paint tray. Running her paint roller through it a couple of times before starting on the wall closest to her. She had so kindly given - or rather thrown - the roller Dante's way telling him to 'get to work'.

"Okay, I still don't get why we need to paint."

Next to him, Lady sighed and brought up a hand to rub against her forehead in a practiced motion while pausing, rolling her eyes at him.

"Because Dante, we want our child to feel welcome. And water stains aren't welcoming, right?"

Dante gave out a 'tsk', hands on his hips and frowning while he surveyed the spare bedroom. True, there were still quite a few water stains decorating the ceiling from when a pipe burst last winter, and it probably also didn't help that the wallpaper was starting to peel in several places. Still, you could hardly really even see them….maybe. Nevertheless, Lady was still dutifully painting away, the two of them working together for the last two hours or so, having almost finished with the smaller room.

It had been just a few months since she dropped the bombshell on him that he was going to be a dad-still couldn't believe it!-but he and his leading Lady(brushing off the conk to the back of the head she'd given) had already made several important trips to the furniture store, baby store, grocery store and a bunch of other places Dante didn't really, particularly care for. Lady also made it her mission to go perusing through every cabinet, drawer and hidden compartment in search of his 'special' magazines before chucking them all in the nearest garbage. And while he'd like to say he handled it maturely, well…

"There. See?" Lady took a small step back, seeming to sway a bit and Dante bolted towards her just in case. One of her hands moved to rest against her more swollen belly with Dante taking that cue to mean she was done working for the day.

He was fine with it honestly, putting far more priority on the sweet little seductress now in his arms and the fragile life still inside her. He hadn't realized he was staring until familiar, slender fingers combed through his hair, shifting his attention back up into dual-colored eyes. "Look at you, thinking so hard," she teased, lips pulling back into a smirk.

"Just admiring our handiwork." he met her smirk with his own while looking around the room as he spoke. He had to admit, the green and purple did look nice. She let out a scoff, rolling her eyes some more.

"I assume you mean the paint, and in which case, yes. Much better than that god-awful hotrod red you wanted to go with."

"Hey, red's a hot color, thank you very much."

"In your head maybe."

"Well, it certainly won you over, didn't it?"

She doesn't respond to that, merely smiling. Then little by little, still seeming hesitant, she leaned her head to rest against his shoulder. She exhaled a deep, shaky breath, feeling her more slender arms tighten around him.

"Dante...I still can't believe it. I'm going to be a mom," her words were thick with a myriad of emotions. Identical to when they first met, only under far better(hopefully?) circumstances.

"Yeah, still kind of trying to wrap my head around it myself." Dante admitted, sounding unusually solemn for a change.

"Never thought it'd happen like this." Lady added, tears shone in her dual-colored eyes. "No mom, no dad to lean on for support..Just me and you. What if-what if we mess it up? I mean-" she cut herself off, struggling to choose the right words.

"Well I don't know about that, but what I do know is this-" Dante interrupted, starting to carry her out of the room for some much needed R&R "-like you said the kids gonna have me and you, plus the others like Trish, Morrison and Inko-"

"That reminds me, are you sure they're okay with us being a little behind on the rent this month? I just, you know, don't want us falling back into old habits." She says fixing Dante with a(somewhat) accusatory stare. He scoffed, rolling his eyes and brushing the accusation away with practiced ease.

"Hey come on, this is me we're talking about? Why would I lie about something like that?" Dante said, making it downstairs and slowly setting her onto the couch so he could flop down into the spot beside her. "And like I was saying, the kid's gonna be fine because we're gonna be there. We've done all the stupid shit ourselves, so we know what not to do and for everything else we have ones like Trish to probably scold me over it."

Lady laughed, some of the worry ebbing away. "They might scold me too, you know?" Lady teased, giving Dante a playful shove with one hand, the other stayed resting on her belly.

"Nah, they wouldn't want to risk damaging the precious cargo and even afterward, both Trish and Morrison are too used to giving me shit for things." Dante said, amused. His silverish-blue eyes resting on the swollen lump of Lady's belly.

"You know, in all seriousness," Dante began, his smile dropping for a moment. "Even though she looks like her, I think...you remind me more of my mom than Trish."

"Please tell me that wasn't why you did what you did that night-"

"What? God, no! I just meant…" He trailed off for a moment, shrugging. His gaze became a little more distant. "My mom saved me all those years ago, most people when they think of my family think it's my dad who deserves the praise, but...my mom was the one who was there when he wasn't. She died protecting me, and so when I met you at the Temen-nii-gru and you said all that stuff about your dad. It kind of made me think of her, of my brother in a not so painful kind of way."

"Family matters, you know? And uh, well you, me and the kid, we're gonna be a family so-" Dante swallowed, suddenly seeming a bit nervous to look Lady in the eyes, running his fingers through his hair, a bit frustrated. "I-I haven't done as good of a job as I would have liked admittedly, but...protecting family; Keeping you and our child safe and happy, if I can do that then I want to. From now until the day that I die, if you'll let me I-I mean," Dante said, fumbling with his words a little more at the end.

Lady's eyes softened a bit in understanding. Her fingers reach to intertwine with his. Moving her other hand from where it rested on her stomach and threading the fingers through his icy-white hair, gently lulling him forward to rest his head against her.

Looking back on things he wouldn't say that he never thought of Lady in the romantic sense really, he did, god how he did sometimes. Mostly chalking it up to wishful thinking in the end, reminding himself of how they met and how someone like him could never...settle down...live a happy life. Not unless he wanted them to end up like his mom.

The day he lost his mother; When his brother was set down the pursuit of power; When Dante's entire world came crashing down all around him. The thought of going through that a second time, he wasn't sure he could handle it.

.

.

.

"Foolishness, Dante, foolishness. Might controls everything, and without strength, you cannot protect anything. Let alone yourself."

"Dante, did you hear what I said?"

Dante's head shot up like clockwork, surveying the room. The Commission lady had stepped out quite some time ago, mentioning something about grabbing a certain file containing important information on a specific string of demon attacks they wanted to go over with him. Dante wasn't all that interested.

"That kid, Hawks," the bewitching blonde began with her arms folded against her chest and looking deep in thought over it. "I'm sure you felt it too, that spike of demonic energy. There was something strange about it, not to mention the sudden wave of demons that spawned a few minutes ago."

"So what? You think someone's after the kid then?" Morrison said, taking a slow, meaningful drag of his cigarette and fixing the two devils with an almost pointed look.

"Well if they are, the real question becomes why haven't they done anything?" Trish rebutted, hands moving to her hips.

"Whaddya mean?" Morrison looked confused now.

"It's the Commission, think about it. If a demon wanted something out of a place with nothing but humans to defend it, why has it been left untouched? Especially when they're not hiding the fact that they want something to begin with," Dante surmised looking up towards the ceiling. The black feather he'd picked up outside felt heavy in his pocket.

"They revealed themselves to Dante on purpose. They made a point of singling out that boy." Trish added, circling the room a bit, appearing to be looking for something.

"Heh, maybe they thought they could take him?" Morrison muttered with a chuckle, causing Dante to throw a very unamused smirk his way at the subtle jab. "I mean, no offense, but you have been slacking off more than usual lately."

"Yeah? Well, excuse me for wanting to have more 'family time' rather than hang around assholes like these all day long." Dante grumbled, mood a bit soured since all the pizza was now gone.

At the mention of said family, Trish and Morrison's features softened. "So...the school was another bust, huh?" Trish inquired softly, picking up on the look of frustration brewing across Dante's face.

"It's not like she's showing up with horns on her head and three rows of teeth or whatever, bunch of assholes," was Dante's hiss of annoyance. Running his fingers through his hair in clear irritation. "Maybe we should look into homeschooling. That'd probably work better for her anxiety anyway since she gets too nervous being away from me or Lady for long periods of time."

"You mean since that incident in Mayushiba?" Morrison watched the other man shake his head, looking more and more like he was experiencing the beginnings of a bad migraine. The darker-skinned male opting to stay quiet now.

" I knew coming to this meeting was a bad idea…" With any luck, at least Dante might have a sundae waiting for him back home.

~/~

"Alright, now remember we can't tell Daddy we stopped here, okay?"

"Yes, Mommy," Izuki nodded before looking up at Freddie's menu in awe, bouncing on the balls of her feet excitedly.

"I always forget, taste-wise she seems to take more after her father," Inko remarked with a soft laugh.

Lady rolled her eyes a bit, scoffing. "Tell me about it, I remember the first time I went grocery shopping…"

"Dante, I finally managed to go shopping and got all kinds of healthy food. So now we can-"

Lady stopped, feeling especially proud of herself for actually taking the time to look at some of the more recent grocery ads, scoping out the best deals so she and her quaint family could finally have a meal that didn't involve take-out. Part of her marveling at how her mother had made it all look so easy while growing up, only tagging along a few times at the supermarket.

Only her good vibes plummeted when she entered the kitchen. Irritation washing over her seeing her newly-wed husband standing near the counter, their precious offspring in his arms. It was the slice of pepperoni pizza hanging from her child's lips however that Lady found her focus immediately drawn to.

"Danteeee…" Her left brow started twitching a little. She didn't dare risk spilling the groceries, not after taking the time to hunt down the best deals.

"Wait, it's not what you think!" Dante tried to defend, clearly not expecting her home so soon. "There wasn't anything else to eat and she was hungry, I swear!"

It came as no surprise when the next time Trish stopped by Izuki was happily munching away on a plate of fresh fruits and veggies while Dante, the durable guy that he was, was nursing a certain spot between his legs.

"I think he just does it for attention sometimes," Lady remarked once they were seated at a booth. Izuki clamoring onto the seat beside her mother, munching away on a bunch of chicken nuggets as the two adults continued talking. "Still, he does have his moments…" Lady admitted, her thoughts seeming to go into a much more pleasant occasion, or so Izuki and Inko were led to believe by the soft smile on her face.

"Mommy's thinking dirty thoughts," Izuki piped up, grinning mischievously when Lady sputtered a bit.

"Am not, you little rascal!" She rebuffed, flicking her daughter on the nose playfully, making the small girl giggle as she refused to let go.

"One strawberry sundae, here ya go!"

"Hooray!" Izuki cheered, all her attention going to the delicious-looking bowl of ice cream stacked to the brim with strawberries, hot fudge and whip cream, her favorite! Her small hand reached for her spoon, accidentally smacking it right off the table just as the bell on the door chimed loudly.

"Oh no!" Izuki said, immediately hopping out of her seat to get it. Stopping when another hand beat her to it. It was a bit bigger than hers and accompanied by eyes that were the prettiest shade of red Izuki had ever seen. Though they looked a bit angry, which she didn't understand.

"Well?" The owner of the pretty eyes said in a waspish tone, all but jamming the fallen spoon back into her hands. "Don't just stand there like a dolt!" Her lower lip trembled, feeling the familiar burn of tears starting to well up in her eyes.

"Oi, brat!" Another, more high-pitched voice shrieked, accompanied by a fist to Mr. Pretty eye's head. "What have I said about-huh? No way, Inko, is that you?"

"Old bat-!" The smaller person hissed, nursing the lump on his head while Izuki blinked, watching Aunt Inko stand suddenly.

"Mitsuki? I don't believe it!" Inko says, astonished.

"Mitsuki?" Lady said aloud, looking as confused as Izuki suddenly felt. "You mean your longtime friend from Japan?"

"It's so good to see you!"Inko exclaimed, embracing the woman now dubbed 'Mitsuki' in a friendly hug. All the while the boy accompanying her seemed to be muttering curses and whatnot, looking up towards Izuki after another moment or two. His lips immediately pulled down into a prominent scowl, snapping at her.

"What the hell are you looking at, huh!?" Izuki clung to her mother's leg, letting out a small 'eep' of fright. Her mind went back to the lady from the school.

"Oi, mind your manners you little brat!" Mitsuki yelled, bonking the boy on the head again.

"Oh, and Katsuki's with you too!" Inko says happily, seeming to ignore the two miniature sparks flying between the mother and son duo. Inko turned back towards Lady, still smiling. "Mitsuki, this is my friend who I mentioned before named Mary."

"Oh? Nice to meetcha!" Mitsuki says, offering her hand for the other woman to shake. "So if you're Mary, then I'm guessing," she kneeled a little more, looking directly at the still cowering Izuki, "this must be the darling little Izuki Inko's been gushing about."

Mitsuki and her son, Katsuki, sat on one side of the booth with Izuki clinging to her mother on the other, Aunt Inko on her other side. Katsuki wouldn't stop glaring, making her too nervous to eat her sundae. It didn't help matters that Izuki had never actually gotten a chance to interact with kids her age, she wasn't sure what sort of things Katsuki might like. Not that it matters she supposed, once he finds out she's a freak he'll just-

"You're annoying, muttering to yourself over there." Katsuki says loud enough to be heard without actually shouting.

Izuki slaps her hands over her mouth, blushing. She hadn't meant to start muttering, it was a habit she started doing in class too. It was something that annoyed her teachers too.

She pulls her hands away after another moment, cheeks still burning. Stealing another glance into his eyes, thinking how pretty they were, they reminded her of the bright candy apples her dad sometimes bought whenever they went to a carnival or something. The memory made her smile a little more, missing how Katsuki scowled a little harder in response.

"Hey, what's so funny?" he grounds out through clenched teeth.

"Uh-um, w-well I uh-"

"Are you laughing at me or something over there?" Katsuki demanded, temper flaring ever higher it seemed.

"Uh, n-no that's not-"

"You are, aren't you!"Katsuki insisted, slamming his small hands down on the table ignoring the pointed stare from his mother and how a few of the other customers were now looking at them. "Well, what kind of a wimp hides behind their mommy like you are anyway!" He feels a swell of satisfaction seeing the small girl flinch at his words.

The victory is short-lived however by another hard clout to the head, courtesy of his mother.

"I-I just...um...w-was thinking what pretty eyes you had, th-that's all…"Izuki mumbled, just loud enough for him to hear.

.

.

.

"Huh?"

~/~

"You want me to do a team-up with someone? Why?"

The Commission representative let out a sigh, as though expecting Dante's blatant annoyance at the suggestion. Nevermind the fact that it was a good representation of him as well.

"As I mentioned before Mr. Sparda-"

"Dante." The correction came automatically, laced with years of bitter feelings towards the old man.

"-Dante. There has been an increase in demonic activity in the following areas, a fair number of which are already pending investigation in another, majorly relevant on-going case." Dante didn't look like he cared and as cruel as it may sound, he probably didn't. The idea of teaming up with someone-anyone really-was always such a pain because it meant he wasn't going to be fighting demons but humans.

"And why exactly is this relevant to me? I already told you I go after demons, not-"

"Are you familiar with All For One, by any chance?" Dante didn't give an immediate reply, instead opting to let Trish take over the questioning. He was getting too old for this kind of shit anyway.

"You mean the villain All Might was hellbent on taking down, correct?" The beautiful blonde inquired, pointedly moving to stand between the Commission woman and Dante, allowing him a much-needed mental break for now. "A human villain, which brings us back to why exactly you feel it pertains to us?" She cocked her head to the side in an almost playful manner making Dante scoff and the other woman pale just a little.

"Especially since, if I recall correctly, we were informed he was dead." Dante reminded her, not that he bought into that shit for a minute. All Might looked dead on his feet at the time and it wasn't long after that when his trusted sidekick at the time, Night- something or other-decided he had enough, the two parted ways. Dante wasn't really a vengeful person or so he liked to think, but for someone who just supposedly won against their arch-nemesis All Might didn't seem all that satisfied with things…

Then again, he never claimed to be All Might's friend. In fact, of the select few who knew his true heritage, the only one who seemed even remotely comfortable around him may have been Best Jeanist and Dante wouldn't exactly call them 'Best Buds'.

"I don't understand why we can't just buy baby clothes online! A lot of people do it. Isn't that why we have the internet?"

"First off," Lady began as they walked through the door offering a courtesy wave to nearby greeters who froze at the sight of Dante. One of them looked a little more green when he met her stare, watching her all but run back over by one of the counters.

"We have the internet because it helps us with work. Secondly, ordering online means we might be able to tell what fits." Lady reasoned, adjusting her hold on their newborn daughter. Cooing a little when Izuki's big, watery green eyes went looking at all the bright colors and such, gurgling happily.

"And we just coincidentally have to shop at the same place you and Trish buy clothes at because…?" Dante says, trailing off and meeting his wife's more annoyed stare. He folded his arms, doubtful that coming here was the right call.

"You know, we're not here for you Dante." Lady says, careful so as not to raise her voice. Izuki wasn't too keen on yelling. "We're here for Izuki," Lady affirmed, offering their precious baby girl a smile. She then looked back up, walking over to the greeter lady who looked just a tad more relieved when Dante didn't follow.

"Excuse me, can you please tell me where the baby aisle is?" Lady asked, looking a tad sheepish. "I'm afraid I don't quite remember…"

"Oh, that's quite alright," the female employee assured with a beaming smile. "Would you like to follow me and I'll be more than happy to show you?" She went on to say, much to his wife's delight.

"Great! Come on Dante, let's go."

Then like magic, the good mood was gone and the fear came back in the employee's eyes. It seemed to be such a struggle for her, trying not to cower when Dante took that small step closer to his wife and child. He could see her lower lip tremble and tears shining in her eyes, like he was Mundus himself, come to eat her alive. Lady noticed it too and couldn't help but frown.

"Hey, is something wro-"

"Ah Rebecca, there you are." A smooth voice cut in, as though sensing the rising frustration that was seeping into Lady's tone. Both her and Dante turn off to the side and see a familiar blue-garbed individual. "You and Monica were scheduled for a break thirty minutes ago, I understand you are new and commend you for wanting to go the extra mile...however, sticking to the scheduled shifts is for everyone's benefit."

"You're…" Dante mumbled, struggling for a moment as he tried to recall the other individual's name. "Uhh...Best thing or other, right?"

"Best Jeanist, at your service." The male in question greeted politely, not seeming at all offended by Dante's rather short attention span. He eyes Dante rather critically for a moment, the blue orbs going along the other's clothes in an appraising fashion. "I see you decided to wear a shirt today, a wise decision." Lady failed to stifle her giggle in time while Dante let out a huff of irritation.

He then turned his attention onto Lady, "and of course it's always nice to see a returning customer. Though if I heard correctly, you are here for baby clothes today?" Lady nodded, little Izuki clapping happily in her arms.

"Yes, that's right!" Lady said over Dante's derisive snort.

"She's cute," Best Jeanist says while Lady is preoccupied picking out clothes, dismissing every suggestion Dante tries to give. The demon hunter turns with guarded eyes when the other speaks, waiting for the eventual scornful remark or such that always came when people commented on his daughter. "I was not aware you had any children. Or That you were even married for that matter."

"I wasn't aware I had to tell you people everything," Dante rebuffs. Lady is fully invested in picking out what deems suitable for their daughter and Dante was fine with that, truly he was. Figuring she and his kid were worth it.

"You don't. Though trust works both ways, no one will harm-"

"I'm sure you were already informed," Dante cut in, interrupting whatever the other had been about to say. "Both my father and brother, even her father," Dante says in a soft hiss of words. "Betrayal is something I'm used to, be it by humans or demons. It's kind of part of the reason my family's famous anyway." Best Jeanist stays silent for a few long moments, almost like he was contemplating the other's words.

"I don't have very many good things left in my life," Dante says not wanting to risk any sort of backlash on his wife or child from this. "Those two are probably the most important though, they're why I signed the damn contract and agreed to work with ones like you." Dante turned when his wife called for him to come over and look at something on the shelves, missing the way Best Jeanist's eyes widened as he went.

Once Lady had all that she felt they would need, they headed towards the checkout.

"O-oh my…" The employee ringing them up says, eyes widening dramatically.

"What is it?" Lady asks, blinking. Already having her money out to pay.

"W-well...uh...i-it says you have an outstanding balance of over t-ten-thousand yen."

Unsurprisingly, Lady smacked Dante on the arm looking furious all of a sudden. "You said you were gonna take care of that!"

The devil hunter took the blow, letting out an annoyed huff at his oh so 'loving' wife. "Look, I forgot alright! Not my fault you and Trish have an addiction. I'll take care of it now, so what's the big deal?" he muttered, already going for his wallet.

"I don't need to hear that from a grown man who insists on eating nothing but ice cream and pizza all day, everyday." Lady responds with a roll of her eyes.

"That won't be necessary," a familiar voice cuts in just as Dante is putting his money down on the counter.

Best Jeanist is punching something into the register, offering the two a polite smile. Even returning little Izuki's happy wave.

"Consider it a show of good trust," Best Jeanist says while meeting Dante's questioning stare.

Dante decided right then and there that he liked the other guy more than the others since the money he didn't have to spend on clothes became money he was able to spend on pizza as a result.

"Who'd you want me to work with anyway?" Dante said, cutting into whatever heated debate Trish and the Commission lady had going on. He was curious, to a degree anyway as to what poor sap they'd decided to try and lump with him this time. Smirking a bit with pride at how the last one had run away in tears after a nasty little encounter with some of the more vengeful, not to mention stupider demons hunting him.

"He's one of the up and coming heroes working in Japan right now," the Commission representative said.

"He? Wait, did you say Japan?" Dante's brows rose into his hairline. "What's he coming out here for?"

"Technically he hadn't planned to, as I mentioned he was working in Japan." the Commission rep continued saying, leafing through a few gathered papers from a vanilla folder. "While working a case he found seven irregularities in what we assumed to be a standard string of abductions that would suggest a possible non-human element."

"You think it's a demon?" Dante said, amused. "Okay I get that, but why bring it to me? I'm sure one of the branches out there can-"

"Some of what he found indicates that there may be a group of demons attempting to do what your brother, Vergil, did all those years ago." The woman cut in, both her tone and expression were grim. "That is, we believe they may be trying to unseal the portal to the demon world again and as I'm sure you're well aware, to do that they would need-"

"The blood of Sparda and the human priestess, yeah I know." Dante cut in, eyes narrowed in thought. "And what exactly did this guy find that made you think something like that?"

"You can ask him yourself if you'd like. He wouldn't tell us over the phone, implying the information was too sensitive and that communications may have been compromised." The Commission lady replied, sounding a little annoyed herself.

"Are you sure that's wise?" Dante says, a lazy smirk spreading across his face while he continues. "Most people that end up working alongside me who aren't one of the higher up heroes usually spend the next few days traumatized in some way or another, you know, since demons have more of a tendency to appear. This guy might see something he can't un-see."

The reminder is an unsettling one for the Commission rep to hear if the involuntary shudder was any indication. Still, it was them forcing him into these co-op missions where rumors stemmed from regarding his more 'inhumane' tendencies, especially after the one-time demons attacked while in the guise of regular humans, leading one such hero to assume he killed innocents. Dante was somewhat used to it now, used to the hateful, albeit terrified stares aimed at his back.

"Be that as it may, if there's even the slightest chance of someone attempting to recreate the Temen-nii-gru incident, then we-..." her words cut off and not for the first time, Dante could certainly understand why. Recalling the event that many referred to as his debut. He remembered the long list of casualties, injuries sustained. "We need to stop it." The Commission rep amended a moment later and Dante couldn't help but wonder if she was perhaps one of the many to have lost someone during that whole debacle.

How many lost friends? A family member? (Dante technically did too but no one needed to know that.) How many simply lost their own lives while trying to flee to a safe haven, all the while hell rained down upon the world.

Some called it Judgment Day, Dante would always remember it as a huge pain in the ass.

"How long will it take him to arrive?" Dante inquired, feeling curious.

"He won't be arriving for a few weeks I'm afraid, however during that time, there is another assignment we would like you to take…" Dante's mouth fell into a thin line, immediately bored with the change in conversation as the woman slid a picture across the table for him to look at. "It involves the Lowell family, I assume you've at least heard of them before, correct?"

Dante smiled, a cross between the oh so charming visage he displayed for the press with a touch more of arrogance and pure sarcasm. "Nope, can't say I have. They in the pizza business? Ice cream connoisseurs maybe? Otherwise I can't say I give much of a damn." If possible the Commission lady looked even more annoyed, it was something Dante considered a personal win.

"I've heard of them," Trish intervened.

"Me too. They're one of the richest families to date, something about them owning and investing in several businesses across the globe. The head of the family was almost as shrewd in business-related ventures as that David Shield guy." Morrison says while fumbling with something in his back pocket, pulling out a lighter and an unopened box of cigarettes.

"Heard he passed away recently though, don't tell me a demon was involved?" Dante wrinkled his nose at that. Chances being that if that were the case it was probably in an attempt to get the said individuals money, Dante had seen it one too many times.

"No offense but humans are a conniving bunch, some more so than demons. I wouldn't be surprised if someone with a personal grudge made some kind of deal with a demon in hopes of getting all that money. Though if that's the case the one who summoned the demon may already be dead, after all they're not known for playing nice or keeping their word." Dante grins, the smile is one of all teeth. "They wouldn't lower themselves to serve what they deem as the lesser species, quirks or not."

The lady before him looked ready to protest, to deny humans could somehow be worse than demons. Only she thought better of it in the last second or two, returning her sharp eyes back down onto the assorted papers lying between them.

A somewhat awkward and tense silence settled in the room following Dante's words-

"Is your name Dante? Son of Sparda?"

-and Dante felt a twisted sense of relief when there was no maniacal laughter afterwards.

~/~

Kai felt dead on his feet. Separated from his mother once again. Grateful to at least be able to move.

Wishing he was still asleep more than anything. When he was awake the voices would come. It started when he had turned four, around the same time his quirk first appeared. He didn't have a home back then, not with parents at least.

When she finally found him, his mother explained there was an unfortunate mix-up at the hospital. It was no one's fault really, in the end Kai's mom came for him and he was genuinely happy about it. Before that though, he had to contend with an orphanage.

He was picked on a lot, beaten up by other kids when those in charge weren't looking. Then the 'incident' happened-Kai just wanted the voice to stop, for the monster to leave him alone!-and next thing he knew, Kai was waking up to a mountain of butchered bodies-women, children, it made him sick-and a burning orphanage behind them.

Kai ran, terrified because when he looked...when he looked he saw it; Standing in one of the windows was one of the things that haunted his worst of nightmares. Kai had never been a religious person, never really giving it much thought.

That day, he prayed as he ran. He prayed and prayed that whatever the thing was that he saw would not follow after him. He prayed that it stayed behind and burned. Only somewhere deep inside of him, Kai knew that would not be the case.

No fire could purge a devil after all, was there?

His feet suddenly stopped, swaying a bit when he paused and turned. His deadened gold eyes fastened to a peculiar sight.

Kai...Kai...Kai…

His vision blurred seeing a clown standing still at the far end of the alleyway, or maybe it was a person? He couldn't be sure really, barely able to make their weird multi-colored mask and odd puffed-out pants.

"Hiya little boy!" It sounded normal but Kai wasn't at all convinced. "Are you lost?"

Kai frowned. "No."

Silence permeated the air between them and Kai felt a sudden chill go down his spine as he blinked. The clown was suddenly in front of him, grinning widely from beneath a small mask, allowing Kai to see the razor-sharp teeth it had. Dread settled in his stomach and he turned to run.

"NoT sO fAsT, dEsCeNdAnT oF PLuTo!"

Kai had just barely taken a step back, already turning when teeth that were too sharp to be anything other than a demon tore through the tender flesh of his shoulders. Crying out in pain as he was brutally slammed down into the ground and dragged back, the teeth sinking deeper and easily tore through the layers of clothing he had, exposing seeping red amounts of muscle tissue to the world.

"Nngh…" His vision started to tunnel just as he registered the crunch of what sounded like bone. Blood going everywhere.

"Hey! Le-...m...go, yo-...mon scu-...!"

Kai slipped back into the blissful realm of nothingness. He was tired of trying to hold on any longer.

His blurred vision barely made out a strange mix of green and black, hands smaller than his own tentatively touching where the blood was. A strange buzzing in his ears, feeling lightheaded. His slow-closing eyes landed on a pair of much darker, forest green orbs blinking back at him.

"An...gel…?"

His world went dark.

Hope you enjoyed~!

For this chapter I would like to try something a bit unorthodox, so pick a quote and I'll give you a neat little drabble:

1)"I'll help you get back on your feet... You were dealt a bad hand, but you can atone for your deeds and start over. Because you're a good person."

2)"If you wanna stop this, then stand up! Because I've just got one thing to say to you! Never forget who you want to become!"

3)"Because being a hero means protecting everyone."

4)I get the feeling mom and sis here want to forgive you. But all I see here is the same maniac, who all of a sudden is getting rave reviews. You might look like a changed man, but you're not.

5)"If you're trash, at least burn and be kindling for my flames."

6)"Each and every one of your actions kill people. You are a cursed existence."

7)"I might not understand your grief. Your rage. Everything that led you here... but I know all about solid bonds! And my friends don't use each other... because friends don't eat friends."

8)"Maybe I failed this time, but... I'm not giving up. I'll show them I've got what it takes to make the hero course, and I'll become a greater hero than all of you."

9)"There ya go-one big commander guy totally neutralized! Now let's mop up the others real quick... so the guys we left behind don't need to worry!"

10)"It's hard to believe that's the look of someone who's sold her soul to violence!"

Review.