Chapter 17

The darkness blanketed the city, yet the city itself was still full of life. Men laughed as they drank in pubs. Club music blasted out of speakers in full volume, and the high rising giggles of women as they danced could be heard easily. Cars roared as they sped down the roads, and the wail of police and ambulance sirens could be heard for miles. There was only one thing that could stop the life in such a town, and the darkness of the night was not one of them.

Rose sighed softly as her senses picked up on all these sights and sounds. It was amazing, sad even, that it was only when her life was in danger that she noticed all these small but essential things that made this city what it was. She stared around before sighing, slipping into the shadows, away from the lights of the cinemas, the pubs, the clubs and the restaurants. In her eyes, they all held a sense of normality that she was being denied at that very moment. She felt a sudden surge of anger. How could these people act in such a frivolous way? How could these people not know, or realize there was a dragon living in the sea near their homes? How could they not realize or notice the deaths that were taking place?

Because the harpies, the vampires, the demons…they had been in hiding for so long. They had been too scared to show their faces. They had simply lived quietly, almost in solitude. Even in death, they remained hidden. Even those who were innocent and were kind of heart were forced away by the blood that ran in their veins. Not only that, but if any of the mortals saw the dragon, or saw any winged creature apart from a bird or bat, they would blame it on the alcohol, the drugs. They would not face the reality, or they couldn't bring themselves to. But, if that was so, then how did one explain the behavior of the humans that actually enjoyed a vampire's bite?

She sighed, feeling depressed, wanting to go inside, curl up around a cushion and cry as though her heart would break. It was then that she decided she had spent too much time around a certain gloomy vampire.

She looked down at the book in her hands before taking off at a run, yet again finding that she had forgotten the true purpose of her meeting with the vampire. It was in this dazed, confused state that she found herself running headfirst into a group of vampires. They looked towards her almost hungrily before one stiffened and growled softly, eyes narrowing as he glared at her balefully.

'Harpy,' he hissed. 'You are a fool for straying into our territory.' Rose swallowed hard, her eyes seeming to dance in her head as she quickly took in the numbers of the vampires. She turned in a full circle, desperately casting about for an escape route, only to find that the vampires had been quick to close around her, forming a circle, trapping her within their folds. Wherever she turned, there was a vampire waiting. A cruel smile touched the lips of the one that had spoken. 'Your kind have killed many of us. Now it is our turn to repay the debt.' He paused before he smirked, his voice low, guttural. 'Kill her!' he shouted.

'No,' someone suddenly growled. Rose turned gratefully, half expecting Reiko to be standing behind her. Instead, and much to her surprise, Reiko hadn't appeared, but it had been a wiry, lanky vampire that had spoken out. His eyes had a fierceness which seemed to be covering something much more sensitive hidden within. It was obvious that he was not a warrior, and dark drowning eyes framed by pale features and dark hair seemed to make his vulnerability all the more evident, as though a single harsh word would injure him. Rose licked at dry lips and looked from him to the other. Fragile or not, this vampire was the only one who seemed to be defending her. She instinctively moved closer to him, still clutching the book to her tightly, as though protecting a child. The first vampire looked irritated.

'No? Did I just hear you say no? Why ever not? This is a harpy for God's sake! It has no feelings! It's scum! Lower than the dirt on which we stand!' For all his weak appearance, the other vampire stood resolutely and calm, as though confident that he had some power over the rest of them.

'If you attack this harpy, you will anger our master.'

'And what makes you say that?' The first vampire hissed, amber eyes blazing. A wry smile flitted across the face of Rose's defender before it was replaced by a hard, stone glare.

'A poor member of our clan you must make, for you don't recognize your own master's scent.' Rose blushed slightly at that, some part of her still feeling guilty for associating herself with Reiko. She looked towards the vampire that stood beside her to try and gauge how he felt about the matter. The expression on his face was unreadable. Her thoughts were sliced in half when the hostile vampire began to speak.

'Are you saying that we should spare her life?'

'That's precisely what I am saying. If we attack her, all of Reiko's work will be dashed to pieces and he will never gain the alliance he has been ordered to create.'

'And if the harpy's killed him?'

'I smell no blood on her hands.'

'She's dangerous!'

'It would be just as dangerous to kill her. Or do you not care for Reiko's plight?'

'Kaneshiro is none of my concern,' the other hissed. Rose's vampire narrowed his eyes at that.

'Then why are you still here?' The other six vampires had moved to stand behind Rose and the vampire, murmuring nervously amongst themselves. One of them, a female, stepped forward, a scowl on her face.

'Kaneshiro told us all that he was ordered to form an alliance. He also told us that if we didn't like what he was going to do, then we could leave. We were given the chance. You should have gone then!' Another vampire growled close to Rose's ear, making her flinch and huddle closer to the apparent leader. The vampire that had growled appeared not to be menacing her, but the hostile.

'How dare you disobey our master!' Rose's vampire sighed softly.

'You know the price for mutiny or betrayal. We are to extend the hand of friendship towards the harpies, and instead you wish to kill them and defy your master. The penalty is death.' He spoke softly, almost regretfully. The other six vampires surged forward aggressively. The vampire gently took hold of her hand. Rose was stunned to find that when compared to other vampires, he was certainly as frail as he had first appeared.

'Come,' he said, as a loud cry rang through the air. 'Where were you going to?'

'D-d-d-' She stammered, as another piercing cry sent shivers down her spine. The vampire licked at his lips before sparing a glance over his shoulder to witness the scene of carnage. He immediately turned away and began walking, still holding Rose's hand, pulling her with him. Rose let out a whimper as she stumbled after him, holding the book close to her chest, as though it would ward off any evil that came her way.

The two continued walking in silence until the vampire cleared his throat and smiled at her. Rose blinked; she had never seen a vampire smile so sincerely. She had only seen Reiko smile, and that was usually tinged with irony or bitterness. It was almost repelling, something dark and sorrowful crawling behind his eyes, yet because of that same darkness, it made her ache to comfort him somehow, attracting her and clouding her thoughts. However, in this vampire's face, everything seemed to be laid open.

'My name is Remy. Pleased to meet you.' He shook hands with her almost enthusiastically. 'What's your name?'

'R-Rose…'

'You know Reiko?' Rose nodded in reply to his question. Remy clapped her hand in both of his own.

'How is he?' he asked fervently. Rose blinked.

'Um…he's fine..?'

'Has he said anything about me? He asked, still in that same tone. Rose shook her head.

'Not to me, no. We've only met a few times. And nearly every time we've saved each other's life. He lent me this book. I was going towards Devil May Cry…' she trailed off, seeing something familiar yet alien in the vampire's eyes. 'Thanks for helping me.'

'It was nothing,' he whispered, sounding almost crestfallen. Rose frowned slightly, praying that he wasn't going to start moping like a certain vampire she knew…gah! She shook her head slightly in frustration, trying to shake Reiko's face from her vision's eyes, trying to prevent that face from clouding her thoughts. Remy caught the movement.

'What's wrong?' he asked quickly. Rose gasped slightly with surprise. Her movement had been slight; she hadn't expected him to see.

'Oh! Uh…nothing…'

'Let me escort you to Devil May Cry. There might be other vampires around and well…after today, you can't be too sure who understands Reiko's predicament.'

'I noticed you were the only one who would call him by his first name instead of his last,' she said casually. Remy laughed at that, almost shyly.

'I'm something of a good friend of his…at least I…hope I still am…'

'Why? What happened?'

'Nothing…it doesn't concern you…' a guarded, almost shamed tone crept into his voice. Rose decided at that point that it was best to let things alone.

The two eventually arrived at Devil May Cry, and the two halted at the door uncertainly. Rose turned to Remy and smiled at him in what she hoped was an endearing manner.

'Thanks again.' To her disappointment, Remy's once lively face looked towards her, his eyes haunted, watching her half-heartedly.

'It was nothing…' he sighed. Rose frowned slightly at him.

'What's wrong?' she asked, quietly. Remy looked up.

'I did something stupid some time ago,' he said softly. 'I think Reiko's scared of me, or extremely angry with me.'

'Reiko? Scared? That doesn't seem likely. He seems so fearless!'

'Then you do not know him as well as I.'

'…oh…' Rose wasn't too sure what she could say to such a statement. Instead, she looked down at the book she held in her arms, studying the murky green cover once more before she cleared her throat and timidly knocked on the door.

It swung inwards and Trish looked upon the two before smiling.

'You're back. Good. Dante's been about to rip out his hair!' she chirped. Rose's eyes widened with horror.

'Why!' she cried, fearing that Dante had finally completely lost his mind.

'Oh…he's just impatient. You know him; he always wants to keep moving, and he always wants something to-Remy!' Rose looked towards the vampire, noticing that he had stepped out of the shadows only at that point. She resisted the urge to roll her eyes. What was it with vampires and having to have a dramatic entrance? The vampire smiled towards Trish shyly.

'How are you? The last time we met was the day of the guild massacre. We would have met had that evil tyrant not injured you. Dante told me all about it.'

'Oh…well I-'

'She recovered,' said a gruff voice. The silver-haired man seemed to glare icily at them all before his eyes fastened upon the book in Rose's hands. He immediately stepped out of the doorway, allowing the vampire and the harpy inside. Remy looked around the dwelling with interest before his eyes fastened onto the several skulls that Dante had impaled to the wall, a macabre warning to all those who dared enter.

Rose sighed softly as she went straight to her usual place on the couch, rubbing nervously at her arms as Dante took the book from her. Remy paused, giving Dante a fleeting glance over his shoulder and slunk over to sit beside Rose on the couch. Trish blinked and watched the pair. It was hard to believe that a vampire and a harpy were sitting side by side without trying to kill each other outright. Granted, she had heard that Rose and Reiko were becoming friends, but she had never seen them together in the same place. Seeing a vampire other than Reiko with a harpy sitting together on the couch filled her with a hope, that maybe Reiko could achieve what had previously been deemed as impossible; that he would form an alliance between the two races.

Dante sighed at that point as he settled himself down, opening the book and beginning to flick through the pages quietly. Three pairs of eyes turned to watch him, one pair of eyes were filled with a desperate hope, another filled with a quiet resignation, as though doubting, and the last were filled with curiosity, not really understanding, yet not wanting to be left out.

At last Dante settled upon reading a page, his brow furrowing with concentration. Remy fidgeted slightly where he sat, only too aware of the tension that hung in the air, overpowering, maddening. Trish looked towards him quickly and shook her head warningly. Almost immediately, he was uncomfortably aware of the dry sensation in his throat which was becoming increasingly irritating as the seconds ticked by. He swallowed hard, trying to rid himself of the feeling but to no avail. It left him only one more option. He cleared his throat nervously.

Three pairs of eyes automatically switched onto him. Rose giggled, it sounded high pitched and unnatural. Trish shook her head. Dante glowered at him, a growl escaping his throat.

'S-sorry…' Remy apologized. Dante turned his silver head back to the book before a thin smile tugged at his lips.

'I think we might have something here that could be of use,' he concluded. Rose gasped and jumped up from the couch, moving towards him quickly and hugging him tightly, nearly knocking him off-balance.

'Oh thank God! Thank God!' she cried. 'Does that mean you'll help us? You'll help save my kind?' Dante growled and shook her off him.

'Yes. I'll help. But I don't know whether this book is a rumour or whether it's true.'

'What does it say?'

'It describes a legend,' he said. He paced around the room before looking out of the window. Rose watched him, expecting him to say more. When it was evident that Dante would not speak, she moved towards the book and picked it up, scanning the chapter on dragons until she found the passage of which Dante had spoken.

'It says, "According to legends told and retold over the ages in many countries, dragons are immortal and cannot be killed by any means. No weapon can kill the dragon, and when the seven dragons of earth are released all shall die. All races shall be killed. Each dragon has an element. Earth, Wind, Water, Fire, Thunder, Ice and Metal. Each is filled with tremendous strength. Each dragon is designated a race to prey upon.. Demons, Angels, Harpies, Vampires, Humans, Weres will fall to each dragon's taste. Metal feeds upon all others…" ' Rose trailed off, looking up at Dante, looking scared and alarmed. Dante watched her before gesturing for her to read on. Rose licked at dry lips before turning back to the book.

' "When the dragons meet, everything shall perish and all those that live on Earth will be wiped out. It came close to happening according to Chinese myth. An old priest summoned forth an entity powerful enough to stop the dragons from wiping out the nations. He prayed every day for the Earth's salvation, and God replied in the form of a messenger, a phoenix. That phoenix alone had the power to stop the dragons. There are seven phoenixes in all, one for each dragon. The phoenix that came to the priest sang a beautiful melody, that awakened the rest of the clan and brought them to the same spot. They took off into the sky and then fought in the heavens above, where no eye could see.

' "When the danger had passed, God came down to the Priest and told him that the phoenix came to him because he was pure of heart and was noble at mind. He told the priest that if trouble should ever arise, then one with a pure heart, noble intentions should go to the mountains, any mountain and read the following words:

Deliver us, Free us

We ask only for salvation.

O warrior of heaven!

Warrior of flame!

Create for us a sanctuary from these destroyers,

This plague…Free us from their tyranny!

Lend me thy strength, Lend my thy song, thy speed, thy courage!

Lend my thy hope, and together, let us destroy all evil.

"This myth has never been proven, but it is one of immense popularity and is one of the oldest myths. Some people believe that it is true, and they await with trepidation for the return of the seven dragons of Chaos." ' Rose finished reading the passage and looked up. Dante massaged his temples, sighing heavily. Trish started to pace around the room.

'So what do we do?' she asked. Remy remained silent, and looked towards Dante. He was taken by surprise when Rose answered her swiftly.

'We go and find the phoenix. What else? It's the only chance we've found that looks somewhat promising. If this myth is true, then we could defeat the dragon!'

'And if it's a rumour?'

'Then we're in deep shit.' Rose said, with a grave finality. Dante laughed, it was a bitter sound.

'I couldn't have put it better myself. Let's think of it this way. We could stay here, do more research and find nothing else of interest. By the time we finish researching, your race will most likely be extinct. I say we take this chance. It's better than staying here and wasting time. One of us should go to the nearby mountains and try and summon forth the phoenix. The rest of us should stay here and research and try to find anything else out. Or try to find this guy.' Dante grabbed a piece of paper from the desk. It had Trish's drawing of the man who had been with the dragon on the night when Lorelei first saw it. Trish frowned slightly.

'Who should go then?'

'I think Reiko should!' Rose said enthusiastically. Dante shook his head however.

'No. It definitely can't be him.'

'Wha-why not!'

'Because he's needed here to form an alliance between your people and his. Not only that but where will he find shelter when the sun rises on the mountains?' Rose sighed softly at Dante's explanation but then nodded.

'I guess you're right. I can't go either. I need to stay here and help Reiko too. I could also scout about the place, and tell my people to keep an eye out for the dragon master. How about you, Trish?' Rose turned to the demoness but frowned when she shook her head.

'Only recently have I been pure of heart. I used to work for the dark side, remember? The phoenix would most likely want to peck out my eyes rather than help me.'

'Then that means it has to be…' Rose looked towards Dante. The Demon Hunter sighed before stepping away from the window.

'I have demon blood in me.'

'You're also half human. You've always fought against the demons, you could be accepted,' Remy spoke up at that point. 'You've saved mankind so many times. I'm sure the bird would recognize that. It takes great courage to do what you have done. What you have achieved in two years is something that people never achieve in a lifetime.' Remy quailed slightly, seeing the frown that Dante aimed at his direction. Rose however, sided with Remy.

'He has got a point, you know.' Trish sighed.

'If only Ar-'

'Trish.' Dante cut in quickly before she could finish her sentence. E looked at her and shook his head once. Trish sighed before lowering her head. 'Fine. I'll go. Someone had best go and tell Reiko though. He needs to know what's going on.' Remy stood up and bowed slightly towards the Hunter.

'I'll go.'

'Fine. Trish, get me some vital stars, I might need them if I get attacked on the way to the mountain top. Rose, take care of yourself. Make sure you pass on the message about the dragon master.'

'Yessir.' Dante swept out of the room to pack some clothes. Rose took off without another word as Trish followed Dante. Remy decided that now was the time to move. As he left the agency, he felt a deep pit of worry twist his stomach. The vampire sighed before turning back to look at the agency.

'Good luck, Dante. You'll need it.'