Note: I kind of changed this chapter a little. There was something about it before that bothered me. Actually it still bothers me but I'll let all of you decide if it's good or not. Please enjoy and review.
A lone dark figure watched through a window as Dante protectively kept an arm around Rona. Its eyes glowing red with anger, the figure slowly turned towards a street lamp. Masculine features revealed, he vowed vengeance for his master.
He turned away from the light and towards a wall, seeming to walk straight into the red brick.
"You have seen your target?" A power filled voice asked.
"Yes, sire. I have. Are you certain there will be little resistance?" The figure asked.
"Dear Banith. Haven't you learned not to question me?" A pair of glowing red eyes appeared close to Banith, behind him. "The girl. She will make them both weaker. After that, you will be met with little resistance. That is the time to strike."
"How can you be so sure she will do this?" Banith asked.
"No more questions. You are my servant. By now you should realize I know everything."
Banith bowed his head. "Forgive me, my lord."
"Go." The voice bellowed. "You know what to do."
"I will take care of it, my lord." Banith left, his mind running through his master's plan for revenge. He couldn't understand why a half-breed posed as such a threat to him, his master. Especially the one Banith was sent to kill. This half-breed hardly looked like a problem. Why was a demon hit man needed for such easy prey? But then his master had warned him not to underestimate his target. He had been told that there was more to this half-breed than met the eye. This one had killed a powerful demon without much aid from another. Banith always though of this as an overstatement but never spoke about it. His master had the power to destroy him in a split second. He would do whatever it took to please the master he served so faithfully. Even waste his time with a half-breed that was no match for a full demon.
Dante watched as Rona stirred from her sleep. "Good-morning beautiful." He whispered.
Rona opened her golden eyes and smiled up at Dante. "Is this how you plan to greet me every morning?"
"Only when you're lying next to me." Dante caressed the side of her face. "You hungry?" He asked, his eyes examining every inch of her face.
"Yeah." She answered, moving off the couch. "I'll go find something. I don't want to be stuck with pizza again." She looked back at Dante, a grin on her face that told him she was enjoying her stay already.
"I'm going to take a bath." Dante muttered. "Want to join me?" He added in a louder voice.
"I don't think so." She answered. "I'll take one later, like when you aren't around."
He chuckled and walked into the bathroom. "I'll surprise you." He whispered.
Rona stood in front of the fridge, searching for anything that was still edible and wasn't pizza. She looked on the counter next to the fridge and found a bowl of fruit. "Why didn't I see that yesterday?" She asked as she reached for an apple. She heard footsteps and, thinking it was Dante, asked, "I thought you were going to take a bath?"
"Who are you?" Came the reply.
Rona paused. The voice was a woman's voice, not Dante's. "I'm a friend of Dante's." She answered. "Who are you? And why are you hiding?"
The woman came into Rona's view. She wore a black, sleeveless leather shirt with matching black pants. Her long blond hair was braided neatly and draped over her shoulder. "I'm Trish. I live here. And I'm not hiding."
Rona smiled. "I'm Rona." She held out her hand to Trish, expecting her to accept the formal greeting.
"I've heard a lot about you from Dante." She answered instead. "He couldn't stop talking about you."
"I tend to have that effect on few guys." Rona muttered, dropping her hand and biting into her apple.
"I didn't think I would get to meet you. He told me you lived too far from here, he never told me where."
"So he never told you I was from a different world."
Trish gave her an odd look, a look that questioned if she was crazy or not.
"Never mind." Rona tried to think of something else to talk about. "So, what's it like to live with Dante now?"
"He's still hard to live with, believe me." Trish was slowly beginning to relax around Rona, the reason being that they had at least one thing in common. They lived with Dante. "It's hard to get him to clean his room. I guess it was always that way. I know he never liked to listen to his mother when it came to keeping the house habitable."
Rona snickered. "Yeah, Virgil had to clean up after him when they were visiting me."
"I think I'd rather live with Virgil instead of Dante." Trish confessed. "Virgil never complained about there being less pizza. He only complained about hell."
Trying not to laugh, Rona answered, "I'm sure he would."
As he left the bathroom,Dante heard Rona and Trish talking in the kitchen. He wondered if it was such a good idea. He waltzed in with confidence that they hadn't said anything that he might regret. "Hey ladies. What's for breakfast?"
Rona and Trish stared at him blankly. "Eat what you always do." Trish answered. "Pizza."
He smiled and grabbed a few slices before sitting down. "How was the mission?"
"Dull." Trish answered, winking at Rona to show her it wasn't. "Hardly anything happened." She then turned towards Rona and asked, "How about we go for a walk? I'd like to get to know you more. At least more than what Dante told me."
Dante suddenly gave his full attention to what might be going on. "She hasn't seen the whole house yet, Trish. I think she should stay here where it's safe and she can get used to her new home."
"Walking is a good way to do that." Rona answered. "Lets go."
Dante frantically tried to change her mind. He couldn't admit to her why he wanted her to stay but he could admit it to himself. He had lost her once and didn't want to take a chance on it happening again. He would do anything to be just as happy as he was that time he was with her. But Trish wasn't going to let him have his way. She never did. She was reminding him more of his mother each day.
"So, what happened?" Trish asked as she and Rona strolled down an empty street.
"What do you mean?" Rona was already confused.
"Why are you here? Not that I'm sorry you are. It will be nice to have another woman around. It gets tiring after a while of trying to talk to Dante."
The two of them chuckled before Rona answered, "I didn't belong in my home any more. It wasn't exactly the place for a half demon. No one even knew about the possibility of demons existing. Then again they could erase their memories easily of anything out of the norm."
"It sounds worse than living with Dante." Trish commented.
"It was." Rona looked to her left, noticing someone walking towards them. She soon realized it was a man. He was close to Dante's height, probably a little shorter. His hair was bright red, almost like fire that reached to his shoulders. As he came closer, Rona noticed his eyes were two different colors. One was a bright emerald green while the other was an icy blue. "Hi." She said before realizing what she was doing.
"Hello." He answered, his voice as soft as a spring rain and just as musical. "I'm Devon. I thought I had recognized you from somewhere before and thought I'd come over."
Rona smiled, her mind running with the idea of flirting with him. "We haven't met before." She answered.
"You sure?" He watched with a grin as Rona shook her head. "Not even at a party at some bar?"
"Nope." She answered, enjoying the attention but wishing Dante was there with her instead. "I don't go to bars and I don't party."
"Well, maybe I can change that." His hand strayed to her shoulder, gently caressing her skin. "Why don't you come to the park tonight? Bring your friend too." He looked to Trish, knowing she had recognized him.
"We can't." Trish answered sternly. "We have some business to attend to. Come on." She took hold of Rona's arm and pulled her along the sidewalk. She was in such a hurry to leave that she didn't realize Rona had given him her name.
After being dragged for nearly two blocks, Rona asked what was wrong.
"I can't explain it." Trish spoke. "Just don't talk to him. He's trouble."
"So is Dante." Rona answered, looking back to where she had seen Devon. Her eyes drifted into a dreamy haze.
"Not like him. Keep away from him, Rona." Trish lightly slapped Rona's cheek to get her attention. "Do you understand?"
"Yes, I do. Don't go near him. I get it." But she didn't consider the idea that maybe Trish was trying to protect her from something. All she could think of was the attractive Devon and his beautiful eyes that held so much mystery; it was almost like looking into Virgil's eyes again. "What happened to Virgil?" She asked.
Trish hesitated. "He's dead." She whispered. "Dante, he…"
"I already know about that." Rona said, hiding the fact that it was depressing her. "I mean, what happened afterwards? Does he still exist?"
Trish thought about it. "I don't know. Mundus never told us what he did with those that failed. Most of the time he destroyed them. But I don't know what happened with Virgil. Why?"
"I was just curious." Rona looked back to Trish. "So there is a chance that he could still be alive?"
"I doubt it, unless he escaped. But that's even less likely. Do you miss him?"
Rona looked at the cracked concrete they stood on. Did she miss him? "I don't know. I guess I just want things back to how they were when I first met Dante and Virgil. It's not easy to let them go."
Trish nodded. She understood what Rona meant. She herself had trouble letting go of the fact that Virgil had died without knowing who he truly was. She had known but never told him. After meeting Dante, there were times where she wanted to tell both of them but didn't. She never could understand why.
Dante waited impatiently for the girls to get back. He couldn't seem to get himself relaxed with the knowledge that they were out there without weapons or any way to protect themselves. Trish was a good fighter, but he didn't think she could protect both herself and Rona. He didn't even want to think of Rona fighting demons in his city.
He heard the front door shut and ran to meet the two laughing women. "What have you been doing?" Dante asked, trying not to appear panicked.
"We've been looking for the devil." Rona answered. "I was hoping that maybe I could hook up with him. Maybe even become his queen."
Dante laughed. "You didn't need to search very far for a devil. I don't think you would want to find the devil though."
"No?" She asked, looking up into his eyes. "Then what should I do?"
Dante took a step closer to her. "You should—"
"Keep yourselves apart from each other when I'm around." Trish interrupted. "And from now on, Rona is sleeping in my room. Dante can have his room back."
"What's the problem with her sleeping with me?" Dante asked.
Trish gave him a look that told him not to ask again. "Go get your clothes and we'll find a place for them. We can stay up all night talking tonight."
"And you haven't talked enough already?" Dante asked, taking Rona's hand in one of his.
"But there's so much more we could learn about each other and you." Rona answered before Trish. She smiled about the nervous look Dante had and knew there were a few things she could learn that wouldn't be too bad to know.
"You're staying with me." Dante said, pulling her close to emphasize the statement. "I won't have Trish telling you what's happened in these last few years."
"But you would never tell her." Trish said innocently.
"Yeah." Rona agreed.
"No." Dante answered, pulling Rona towards his room. "And I'm going to tell you why in a minute."
Rona looked back at Trish and acted like she was trying to fight Dante. Trish smiled and crossed her arms. She was worried about what might happen if Rona stayed. She had never seen Dante act this way, had never seen him so intent on keeping someone in his sight. She figured it was just her motherly instincts kicking in like they tended to do so often. But she still couldn't shrug off the feeling that something was going to happen because of Rona's presence.
Dante gently threw Rona into his room, listening as she laughed. "I'm not letting you leave this room until you tell me what she's already told you." He said.
"Then we'll be here for a while." She answered, walking over to the bed and sitting down. "Because I'm not going to talk."
"Really." Dante said with a devilish grin. He took a few strides before reaching her and brushing her hair back from her face. He suddenly pushed her back and began tickling her ribs. "How about now?"
She laughed so hard that she could hardly move enough to try to fight away his hands. She rolled over onto her side, kicking at Dante who was now kneeling on the bed. "Stop." She squeaked.
"You'll tell me now?" He asked, giving her time to stop laughing.
"No." She answered before sticking her tongue out at him.
He began again, this time tickling her back whenever he had the chance. She suddenly threw an arm around his neck and threw him onto the floor. He landed with a loud thud, laughing despite the light stinging pain in his back. He grabbed her hands and pulled her down onto himself.
"I'm not going to let you go until you tell me." He said as he wrapped his arms around her tightly enough so she couldn't get away.
"I guess I'll say goodnight now then." She answered. She squirmed a little to get comfortable until she asked; "Could you possibly let me go a little so I can get ready to go to sleep?"
"No." He answered simply.
She let out a short laugh and relaxed. She felt Dante's hold relax as well and closed her eyes to listen to his breathing. "I'm never going to get up, am I?" She asked jokingly.
"Not if I have anything to say about it." He mumbled.
"What are the two of you doing?" Trish asked from the door.
Dante suddenly pushed Rona up and onto her knees before sitting up and saying, "We're just talking." He smiled when he heard Rona giggle.
"It sounded more like you were fighting." Trish was almost sure she had seen a look in Dante's eyes that indicated there was something else he had hoped would happen. "She's staying in my room tonight." She said after seeing this change in Dante's eyes. "And you are not going to argue with me about it."
"Yes mother." Dante muttered sarcastically.
Trish glared at him, her eyes showing more of a happy light than what her face said.
Rona soon thought of how the three of them were almost acting like a family. Trish was like a big sister to them both where as Dante she couldn't say. One minute he was acting like a big brother, the next he was acting like something else. She didn't want to admit that he was more like a boyfriend to her. She didn't want a repeat of her past. This was a new life. She wanted it to be better than what she had before.
Banith watched from outside, perched on the roof of a nearby building. He hadn't expected her to act as she did on the street. And Trish, he hadn't expected her to be there. And Trish was the only one who knew who Devon truly was. He would have to find a way to get Rona out alone. She was the key to destroying his target. Then again, he might have to destroy all three in order to get to his target without problems.
He imagined holding her beating heart as her life seeped away. He would look forward to killing all three traitors. But the one he would torture the most would be the one his master wanted revenge against the most. The killing of his target would be even better than watching the other two die.
Rona watched the outside through Trish's window. She had the feeling that something was calling to her. She quickly and quietly ran outside and followed the silent voice. Coming to a dead end, she turned to go back when she saw a dark figure standing in the entrance. She cursed herself for not having any weapons but decided she would be all right without them. Besides, she hadn't seen where Dante kept the weapons that weren't being used as giant pins.
"It's been a long time." The figure spoke.
Rona tilted her head. She knew that voice. "Virgil?"
She slowly began to run to the figure, knowing she was right.
"I knew you'd come." Virgil spoke, taking a step closer to Rona. "You never could leave anything alone after becoming curious. You were always so much like a cat."
"At least curiosity won't be killing me." She took a step closer to him, seeing that he was now dressed in black with no trench coat but a loose open shirt. She looked into his pale eyes, remembering his death in the game. Without any thought, she lunged forward and hugged him. With her arms wrapped around his torso and her head against his chest, she could feel a tear sliding down her cheek.
"I'm so sorry." She whispered. She almost jumped when she felt Virgil lightly touch her shoulders, his hands moving behind her to meet between her shoulder blades. She closed her eyes and relished the contact.
Virgil wondered why he was holding her. It wasn't how Dante would hold her but it was still more than he had expected to do himself. Even after all those years of suffering he still had the ability to love her. And he had sworn to hate her. But the hate melted away when he heard her voice.
"Come with me." He whispered.
Rona shook her head against his chest. "I can't. Dante will try to find me. I can't let him know."
"You'd betray him to keep me secret?" Virgil asked, surprised.
"I'd do anything to keep you alive." She answered, pulling away from his light hold. She wiped away her own tears and added, "Not when I've just gotten you back."
Virgil quickly closed the space between them and crushed his lips against hers. He had wanted to feel her this close, even closer. He would have this moment before she was gone forever. He would have the contact he had craved for so many years.
The few minutes they spent together almost seemed to be an eternity until Rona pushed Virgil away. She looked down at the asphalt they stood on and quietly said. "I can't do this any more."
Virgil curiously asked, "Can't do what?"
"I can't keep hurting Dante like this." She looked up at Virgil. "He deserves better."
Virgil nodded and watched her walk past him. He knew everything was going to end, as it should have ended years ago. He would have what he wanted most.
Note: Just to let you know, Virgil actually wasn't supposed to show up in this chapter. I just wrote him in for some reason. I hope it works out, though. And, because a friend of mine asked me about this, do you think I should have Rona paired up with Dante or Virgil? I just mainly want opinions on this. Thank you for reading. And it might take a while before I get the next chapter up. I'm starting work tomorrow so that'll be taking a lot of my time. But I'll try to keep updating every day.