Thanks everyone for being so patient with me. I'm having exams however, and updates will be slow until the 24th June. Then I'm gonna be back with a bang, I hope. (hopes fervently) Anyway, things are finally hotting up now with this plot, and I hope everyone enjoys this chapter and lends me their strength and support. You guys have been wonderful.

It's been a while since I've done this...

Disclaimer: None of the characters who have been mentioned in either Devil May Cry 1, 2 or 3 belong to me. However, everyone else does. Augren, Reiko, Remy, Lorelei, Rose etc etc etc etc Yadda yadda, blah blah. You know who I mean guys.

Read, review if you want to, but most of all ENJOY!

Chapter 18

After Rose had left, Reiko had had no choice but to throw her coffee down the sink, knowing that Lorelei probably wouldn't want to drink it, and knowing that he really couldn't anyway, whether he had wanted to or not. He sighed softly as he put the mug back in the cupboard and then found to his consternation that his thoughts were falling onto Lorelei yet again.

It was odd, ever since they had had that heart to heart where they had exchanged their life stories, Reiko had noticed that Lorelei seemed to be getting more and more comfortable with his presence. She no longer flinched every time he entered the same room as her, and she no longer accused him of wanting to secretly kill her. In fact, for the past couple of weeks, Lorelei had been positively civil towards him, even going so far as to smile at him genuinely.

In short, Reiko didn't know what to make of the situation. He was pleased, certainly, but he was terrified of doing something wrong that might reverse the situation and send Lorelei into feeling that she was threatened. Feeling fear usually led to abuse which usually led to hatred. And once the hatred stage was reached then there was not really much left to go before an attempt on your life ensued. Not that Reiko really thought that Lorelei was capable of murder, but one could never be too careful.

Recently, Lorelei had decided to go one step further in trying to be gracious towards him by constantly asking whether he needed anything or how he was feeling or how his back was doing. It was nice to have such attention but for one who had been on his own for so long and who had isolated himself, it was confusing as well as terrifying.

Reiko sighed as he washed the dishes and put them away. He felt his eyes constantly falling upon the blinds that were drawn over the windows. At last, he sighed and pulled up the blinds. The world outside was as dark as it had ever been for him, since he had been turned into a vampire. Even though he looked hard through the window, he could see nothing of the land outside; the lights were on and all he could see was his own reflection staring back at him bleakly, with an expression of resignation and the faded vigor of wistfulness etched upon his face.

Did he really look like that? It had felt like such a long time since he had seen his reflection; he had had no time for such frivolities. Yet seeing his reflection in the window made him stop and stare. His skin looked pale and ghostly in the window, as though he were fading away. His eyes widened slightly as he was struck by an unsettling thought. Maybe he was fading away and slowly becoming a shadow of his former self, in a time before when he was human. Since he had become a vampire, he had lost so much and had isolated himself almost entirely. Before, he had been a loner, but now he had more or less turned into a total hermit, curling in upon himself. At least when he was human, he had had some semblance of a family. Now he had also tried to distance himself from them too. Was this really the way he wanted to live his life? His pretend life? No…He wanted to feel like someone again, as though he actually existed and wasn't drifting from day to meaningless day while waiting and praying for his pretense to come to an end.

Lorelei had said that he acted more like a human than humans themselves. Was that true or was she just humoring him and flattering him? Why couldn't he just find it in himself to just trust people without thinking about whether they had some underhand motive? Why did he always have to be so cautious? He decided that he would just trust Lorelei and believe her, that yes, he was human, and he was a somebody. Reiko couldn't help but wonder to himself what it was exactly that he was afraid of.

Then Stephanie's face flashed before his eyes and he knew. He was scared that more people would be killed and hurt by his presence. Yet Lorelei knew, and she didn't stay away from him. But then again, Lorelei didn't really have much of a choice, she was here against her own will. And now, recently, she had been civil. Reiko decided to put this down to silliness. Lorelei was a bit silly sometimes, the thing about being a rapist was laughable. Stephanie had been a silly girl too…but he had liked her too. And he couldn't deny that he felt a certain something for Lorelei, a desperate urge to do what he could to please her somehow. He had never really felt that way about anyone before, not even Stephanie. All these feelings were new and alien to him, and for once in his life, he wasn't sure what it was exactly that he was meant to do.

He wished that he could talk to someone, and together he and this someone could puzzle it out and come up with some sort of solution. He suddenly realized that he was thinking of his foster mother, of Vera. What was it that Lorelei had said to him before?

'You lost one set of parents…don't distance yourself from the second set. They obviously loved you.'

Reiko found himself moving towards the phone, regardless of the time. He picked it up with a shaking hand. With trembling fingers, he dialed the first digit. And that was when the doorbell rang.

He blinked before hurriedly putting down the phone. His whole body tensed up and he automatically grabbed the first thing that came to hand, a kitchen knife. Before he was aware of what he was doing, he had crouched down into a fighter's stance. He paused, frozen in that position. The doorbell rang again, and then there was an urgent knocking. Reiko relaxed; if it was a harpy that had followed him here then it wouldn't have bothered knocking. Unless that was what his enemy wanted him to think…He growled softly to himself and crept towards the door, mindful of the window that was still uncovered. He silently placed his hand on the door handle and waited. There it was again; the doorbell followed by the knocking. He hissed softly with frustration; he had hoped that it had been one of those door to door salesmen and that he had given up and gone on his way. But this person was too insistent for that. Gritting his teeth, he flung open the door and hurled himself into the body of the one who stood outside.

Two voices mingled as one. Reiko was blinded by his fighting instinct and he could feel the other responding to his attack in a similar manner and was spurred on to greater efforts. Roaring out, adrenalin fuelling him, he punched and kicked wildly, dodging all blows that came his way. Light suddenly poured down on him. He gave a sudden cry of terror, as vampire instinct took over him, causing him to roll out of the light and flee into the shadows. He stared down at his body, but could feel no pain. He looked up cautiously and immediately felt like laughing at himself. It was electric light, false light. His high spirits suddenly plummeted. But that would mean…

Lorelei stood framed by the doorway, a silhouette against the glare of the lamplight streaming from his house. Reiko blinked and then turned to look at his foe, seeing him clearly for the first time. Remy. He looked worn out and battered but other than that he wasn't seriously hurt. Reiko quickly looked towards Lorelei and bit his lip anxiously, scared that he had frightened her. Remy slowly got to his feet, saw the anxiety on his face and knew what was going through his mind. Reiko liked her. Even though he probably wouldn't admit it to himself, it was true nonetheless. Remy swallowed the feeling of sickness that was inching its way slowly up his throat and launched himself into laughter. Reiko turned to him, looking shocked and confused, as well as guilty.

'Always the vampire master, right? Always on the alert! That's great! I've always enjoyed sparring with you; it teaches me a great deal, friend.' Remy laughed some more for added effect. Reiko stared at him, his back to Lorelei, his eyes wide, an eyebrow quirked, his mouth slightly open. He looked at him aghast, the expression far removed from his usual composed self. Remy grinned at him easily. 'Reiko, you have always taught me well when we spar like this.' He swept past him, walking towards Lorelei. She saw the gleam of his fangs and her eyes widened. However, she did not flinch or step back but resolutely held her ground. Remy took her hand and bowed courteously.

'My name is Remy. I am a friend of Reiko's. Do not be alarmed, I'm not here to hurt either of you.' Lorelei searched his eyes and frowned slightly.

'You're not hurt? You weren't trying to kill each other?'

'Not at all. My powers and fighting skills are weak when compared to other vampires. Reiko kindly consented to give me lessons.'

'Yes,' said Reiko, finally catching on and nodding in agreement. 'He has improved greatly.' He smiled at her gently. Lorelei looked from one vampire to the other and then to the knife that was still in Reiko's hand doubtfully. Then she smiled nervously, unsure of herself.

'I thought you two were trying to kill each other,' she whispered. Reiko shook his head again in reply.

'No. Not at all. We often do this sort of thing. You look tired and worn out. Are you all right?' He asked kindly. Lorelei smiled meekly.

'No…I mean yes! I'm fine! I'm just going to try and sleep.'

'It should be easier for you now that the lesson for tonight is over. I am sorry for disturbing you.' Lorelei smiled at Reiko's apologetic tone.

'Don't worry. It's fine. Goodnight Rei!'

'Goodnight, Lore. Sleep well.' He smiled as he watched her close the door behind her. He turned to Remy and looked sheepish. 'I am sorry.'

'Already having nicknames for each other, master?' Remy smiled slightly. Reiko looked towards him impassively, choosing not to answer. 'You are the master of this city; you have to be wary. I do not blame you.'

'How did you find out where I live?'

'The harpy called Rose told me.'

'Ah…'

'She got into some trouble as she was walking towards Devil May Cry. I helped her.'

'Is she hurt?'

'No.'

'That's good news…but why would my clan wish to attack her though? They know my orders.'

'She had your scent on her. They were worried you had died at her hands. We killed a traitor who was against you. There should be no further problems.' There was an awkward pause between the two vampires. Remy cleared his throat and Reiko felt dread enter his heart. 'Reiko, about that night…'

'Remy…' Reiko tried to stop him.

'No. Let me talk. I'm sorry. What I did that night was dumb. I should have known better.' He paused and cleared his throat again, fidgeting nervously. 'I'm sorry. I understand if you wish to banish me. I never ever meant to hurt you.' Reiko looked around, almost as though he was searching for some sort of escape route from the awkward situation.

'I'm not going to banish you.' Reiko looked distinctly uncomfortable. Remy could sense that Reiko didn't know what exactly it was that he was meant to do and decided to change the subject, becoming more business like.

'That's not the reason why I came here. I have important news.'

'Would you like to come inside?'

'No. I'd rather stay here. We'll run no danger of being overheard.'

'Lorelei will not be of any trouble. We have more chance of being overheard if we stay outside.'

'Good point…' Remy said softly, feeling sheepish.

'I can make you a coffee too,' Reiko said absently. Remy looked at him, thunderstruck.

'Coffee!' he said, surprised. 'Reiko! I'm a vampire!' It was Reiko's turn to look sheepish.

'Ah…yes…of course…' he looked slightly uncomfortable yet again. 'I suppose I have been hanging around with humans for much too long for my own good. Do you know, I've been feeling more and more human, as though I'm actually alive, as though I am someone.' Remy continued to watch him, a small but knowing smile on his face. 'Sorry about the remark about the coffee,' Reiko continued. 'I'm so used to making them now. Lorelei says I'm good at it, that she can't get her coffee to taste as good as mine.' Remy's smile widened slightly as he caught the obvious note of pride in Reiko's voice.

'You've changed.'

'What?' Reiko looked surprised and looked at him defensively. 'I haven't.'

'Change is not always for the worst Reiko. This is a prime example of where it is for the better.' Reiko was silent, not exactly sure what to say to this bizarre statement. 'You like her, don't you?

'Of course I do. She's very witty at times. She is becoming a good friend.'

'Maybe a little more?' Remy suggested candidly. Reiko narrowed his eyes at him, warning him not to push his luck. He gave him the merest trace of a glare before his countenance returned to normal.

'Let's just go inside.' Remy was hard-pressed to stop himself from sighing and rolling his eyes.

Lorelei sighed as she sank back onto her bed. The mattress seemed to embrace her and swallow her whole. She smiled happily as she snuggled down into the covers. If her mother and sister could see her now, living like some sort of princess they'd be so jealous! Or they'd just find some fault with it, like they always did with everything that had something to do with her. Her eyes closed happily. Reiko was absolutely amazing, always so courteous, so gentle, so polite…She sighed happily again but then her smile suddenly faded. But he was a vampire…he was a natural killer. Hadn't the incident today shown that only too clearly? But they had both said that it was a sparring match and was nothing too serious. Could she really believe him? She desperately wanted to. She wanted to trust him, she wanted him to trust her too in return.

Just as she had been becoming closer and closer to him, and had come so close to forgetting that he was not a human, she had seen him holding a knife, had watched him as he fought like an enraged beast, had heard him snarl. She was not sure what to believe, what to think, whether she could really trust him. But surely he would have hurt her in some way by now? But he was a friend of Dante, and Dante had seemed gruff but a good man, one that didn't really care for evil. What was that saying she had heard somewhere? If you want to learn about someone, then you should observe the friends he keeps. And Remy had been very polite. Lorelei felt slightly encouraged. None of Reiko's friends seemed to be evil. Trish certainly didn't seem to be, even though her attire was…unconventional…And Reiko's recent behavior towards her had given her no cause for concern.

Ever since the day when she had dressed his wounds for him, he had been a superb host, always ready to get her whatever she wanted whenever she wanted. Yet the way in which he spoke to her was as cordial as ever, as though he had reconstructed the cold shell that had been around him before, as though he was afraid to be as open as that again. Lorelei suddenly understood what it was that she really wanted from him. She wanted him to like her as much as she liked him.

As time had passed and as she continued to live with him, she had felt that she was beginning to know him more intimately than anyone else. The thought appealed to her, and made her feel honored and pleased. Not only that but as the two became more and more warm towards each other, Reiko had taken her out several times, always on the pretext that she must be getting bored, or that she could do with some fresh air, or that she would feel better about the situation if she could still interact with the outside world from time to time. He acted as her constant companion. They had seen films together, and the two would always take it in turns to choose the films. Lorelei was amused to see that Reiko had at first usually picked thought provoking films, that usually included something or another on self discovery. He was also fond of foreign films, especially Japanese films. He had told her once that it made him feel as though he was keeping in touch with his "roots". Lorelei didn't mind, she found the films quite interesting. Of course, he also liked picking action films, the sort that usually consisted of things going "boom" and general chaos. She didn't mind those either. She loved watching the reflection of the lights playing in his eyes and found herself staring for ages at his change of expression that varied from enjoyment, to excitement and then to pleasure when he correctly guessed what the ending of the film was going to be.

At first, Reiko had been extremely reluctant to see the films Lorelei picked, which were usually dippy love stories and chick flicks. But after a while he had simply adjusted and had resigned himself to his fate. He was completely docile and didn't constantly complain like so many other blokes that had been dragged to the cinema by friends, girlfriends, sisters, whatever. Occasionally, Reiko would actually grudgingly admit that he had enjoyed himself after swearing her to secrecy. For Lorelei, that was really the highlight of the night out. It was amusing really, Reiko's macho act didn't fool her one bit, she knew from experience that Reiko was really quite sensitive.

Eventually they both had decided that comedies were their favorite films. Reiko actually laughed at some of the jokes and found the escape from the harshness of his life. Lorelei loved the films because Reiko's true laugh was the most beautiful thing she had heard.

Afterwards, Reiko would usually take her to a restaurant and gently nudge her into sampling all kinds of exotic dishes. Chinese food had mainly consisted of egg fried rice and chicken chow mein before she had accidentally walked into Reiko's life. But the vampire had opened up a whole new world for her by introducing her to crispy aromatic duck, seafood and all kinds of different noodle dishes. Of course, when the seafood didn't agree with her Reiko stayed by her side all day and refused to go out that night, even when he knew that he had to attend a guild meeting. Instead, he sat on the foot of her bed, typing away at his laptop while Lorelei lay in bed reading magazines and occasionally sipping at a glass of water. There had been no real need to talk, there had been a companionable silence, and Lorelei was more than happy to bask in it. Reiko had kept her well away from seafood after that night.

Sometimes, they just walked together, their path lighted by the silvery glow of the moon. As the nights grew progressively warmer, Reiko bought a box of ice pops for her to eat as they walked. Though he never ate, he never seemed to feel as though anything was lacking; he would smile, and laugh, and talk and generally be entertaining and sweet and kind.

But by the next night after Lorelei had reawakened, he would be back to his old self; shy, reserved and somewhat cold. At first Lorelei had wondered whether she had done something wrong the previous night, or whether she had said something insulting. But then she began to grow accustomed to it, and knew that it would only be a matter of time before Reiko would start acting warm towards her again.

She yawned sleepily, her eyes closing. She gave a fleeting thought about what Reiko and his friend may be talking about, but then decided that it had very little to do with her, and that she shouldn't be worried. Reiko could take care of himself, he could take care of anything.

A few hours later, she woke up, gasping, her heart racing. She lay frozen in bed, wondering what it was exactly that had alarmed her. Her eyes darted here and there, scanning the shadows, the ceilings, the floors and the walls, but there was nothing there. She swallowed hard before relaxing. And promptly screamed as she heard a loud cry from outside.

Without pausing for thought, she ran down the stairs clad in only her nightdress, and flung the door open. The sight that met her eyes stunned her, and stopped her in her tracks.

Reiko was down on the ground, his eyes half closed, blood streaming out of his body, some flooding out of his mouth. Several people surrounded him, pinning him down tightly. He struggled briefly, trying at least to raise his head but was promptly struck heavily. He let out a soft groan before his head sank back down. Remy was cornered against the wall, his eyes wide but burning with fury.

'Is this the way you treat one of the only vampires who does not hate your kind?' he yelled. This seemed to draw forth some amusement from the others. They smiled at each other indulgently.

'You are all against us. You may look different and you may behave differently on the surface, but deep down all of you are the same. You are all bloodthirsty monsters, and you will all be killed, first starting with your leader.' The one who had spoken, beckoned another one forward with the grace and imperiousness which came with usually being obeyed. The man came forward, holding a silver-tipped staff, which flashed in the moonlight. Remy's face became stricken with fear.

'Reiko! Reiko, get up!' he cried, struggling against the ones that held him prisoner. 'Reiko!' His leader didn't seem able to obey. Blood continued to collect in a pool around his body. He gave vent to a few wet coughs, causing more blood to ooze out of his mouth but that was all. Lorelei watched with mounting dread and anger as the man walked forwards, finally stopping in front of Reiko and raising the spear over his head.

Lorelei screamed before she was galvanized into action.

'No! Stop!' She ran down and came to stand in front of Reiko, standing over him like a sentinel, throwing her arms wide. Surprisingly, the man stopped and frowned, watching her. The woman who had ordered him frowned.

'And who are you to disobey my orders? Do you not know who I am?'

'No! I don't know who you are and you know what else? I couldn't care less!' Rage made her speak without thinking, made her act without really caring. All she wanted was to see him safe and get him back inside. The people around her gasped collectively, shocked by her impudence. The man grabbed her roughly by the arm.

'You will not speak to the Queen that way!' He yelled. Lorelei twisted and squirmed in his grasp before kicking him hard below the belt. His face twisted in pain before he collapsed to his knees, eyes watering. Lorelei whirled around, glaring daggers at her. The woman mirrored her glare before suddenly laughing in her face.

'You really don't have a clue. Well…I suppose that is only to be expected considering…'

'I told you, I don't give a damn about who you are! Leave him alone!' She was breathing fast with anger, her eyes were wide with fury. The queen looked towards one of her other henchmen. He promptly spread out his wings and Lorelei found herself gasping with shock. Taken completely by surprise, she felt herself being grabbed from behind and being dragged away from Reiko. Another man came towards him, grabbing the silver-tipped spear and raised it over his head, preparing to bring the spear crashing down with all the force he could muster. Lorelei felt words ripping from her throat.

'No!' She was crying, she didn't know when she had started to cry but only now was she properly aware of it. She struggled wildly, as though she was possessed. 'No! Don't! I love him!'

Immediately, everything seemed to freeze. Remy was staring at her, looking even paler faced than usual. Something momentarily flickered in Reiko's eyes but then died out. He let out a soft groan, and tried to raise his head yet again. This time, no one stopped him. The queen's eyes bored into her, wild with rage.

'What? WHAT? You love this thing? How? Why? It's a vampire, a being of evil! It deserves death! It is a monster!'

'The only monster I see here is you!' sobbed Lorelei, still struggling. She suddenly broke free and hurled herself at the woman that stood before her. The ground underneath the queen suddenly exploded with a wild cacophony of sound. She was sent flying, screaming with pain. The rest of her people cried out with terror, and rushed to her aid before retreating hastily. Remy shuddered before slowly, cautiously staring at her. He blinked, his breath catching in his throat as the sound of Reiko's moaning caught his attention. He quickly went to help him up and found to his relief that his master's wounds were already beginning to heal. Lorelei whimpered softly with fear, in shock. Remy turned to her slowly, his face a picture of disbelief.

'What are you…?' Lorelei licked at dry lips, feeling nervous under Remy's intense stare.

'I…I didn't do that…I swear…I can't…'

'You did,' Remy said grimly. 'Believe me…you did…' And with that, he swept inside, carrying Reiko with him, leaving behind a very confused and scared Lorelei.