The Lone Musician

Chapter One - Lazul

Disclaimer: I do not own DMC. Altoids are yummy… I don't own Altoids either.

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Dante felt his body being dragged outside. He shivered because it was a little below 30 degrees.

" C-C-COLD!!!" he screeched. Mundus laughed.

" That's what you get! Now c'mon! We have a set tonight at this dance... Sounds pretty lame, but that school has juvys in it! Our kind of people!" Mundus explained with a smile. Dante grinned slightly. Greeeaaat... More fangirls.

" W-W-When are t-the auditions?" Dante asked, taking to his feet.

" Tomorrow... Now c'mon! WE GOTTA SET UP!" Mundus chimed, a I'm-So-Happy-That-Everyone-Thinks-I'm-On-Drugs look on his face.

'No wonder Lucia left early' Dante thought, running back into his room, as quickly as he was able as to not be tackled by the wasted Mundus. Once the door was locked, Dante sat on his bed and pulled on his old white t-shirt, black jeans, and that red leather jacket he always had that flowed down past his knees. Slipping on his boots, he unlocked the door and walked out into the living room, grabbing his guitar from the wall and threw it on his back, carrying it as if it was a sword. He crept out the door as quietly as he could... But-

*GLOMP!*

Dante lay face down in the grass, Mundus dancing around on his back.

" If you don't get off him in 3 seconds, you're dead..." Lucia muttered, walking toward the pair.

" He started it..." muttered Dante from the ground.

" Actually, I did, didn't I?" stated Mundus, who just stood up and scratched his head. Dante was very sure he had gotten messed up the night before... Or even that morning. Yes, that would explain a lot. Mundus jumped of of him, knowing that Lucia usually filled out her threats brutally. Dante got up and grinned at his old friend.

" Thanks Lucia... I needed some help with that butthead..." Dante muttered, dusting off his clothing. Lucia smiled and nodded, pulling the strap on her base farther up on her shoulder. They all continued to walk to the school, where they we setting up for the night's events. Dante's old school, Alastor University.

" It's been awhile..." he murmured subconsciously. He walked into the school, the memories flooding back in waves as he passed different things. School was still in session, so he got a couple of odd stares from passing students. He continued to walk down to the auditorium, but then stopped when he saw girl, probably a senior, plopped down on the floor. She had brown hair with what seemed like gold streaks in her hair, but he face was stuck in a book. Lucia had walked far past him by then, but he walked toward this girl. He seemed somehow drawn to her.

" Is there something you need, sir?" she muttered without looking up. He was caught off guard and stopped in his tracks. She looked up, her eyes seemed green with that small hint of brown. He smirked.

" What's that assignment?" he asked, looking at the back of the book. She shook her head.

" Not an assignment... I'm too caught up with my homework for it to be an assignment... Just catching up on some reading." she mumbled, looking back down at her book.

" You a senior?"

" Yep... And you are?"

She looked up again.

" The name's Dante."

" Hmm... So you're the musician coming to play tonight..."

Her eyes seemed to light up, as she bookmarked her page and stood up. She faked a smile and walked off as the bell rang loudly in her ears. They'd see each other again, but now was not the time to converse.

The rest of the day seemed to go on forever. Lazul could barely keep her eyes open in Latin, fell asleep in Trigonometry, and had to be woken up twice in the last two periods. She had kept wondering to herself about that man, Dante, that she had met in the hall. She fiddled with her medallion in her hands and got poked with one of the sharp sides, drawing a slight mark of blood.

" Ouch!" she muttered painfully, biting at her finger. She pondered the idea of going to the senior dance tonight. Didn't seem like a bad idea. Didn't seem like a good idea. She was undecided in the fact that Dante would be there and she would get harassed by a group of kids, like she did every day. She couldn't take being harassed much longer, but for some reason wanted to learn more about this Dante guy...

Wait...

If he was Dante and his band was at the school... He must be part of the Devil May Cry! He could give her more information about the audition. She schemed about the night ahead and smiled to herself. Maybe her dream would come true after all. Despite the fact of the harassment and beatings she was going to have to endure.

Dante left the guitar on its stand, sitting down on the stage as fangirls crowded around him while they were supposed to be setting up for the senior dance. Most of them couldn't even pass off of nerds Meaning, they were EXTREMELY ugly and had no lives but ones that revolved around him. Once he was done signing autographs, he had to start waiting for people to come, so he sat in chair against the wall, his red leather helping him blend in with the tacky colored streamers and cardboard cutouts people called decorations. His only thoughts were:

GET ME OUTTA HERE!

Soon, people began to arrive. None of them he recognized, but soon a familiar face strolled through the door. That girl he'd met earlier that day. He watched he look around and lay her eyes on him, then she ran over.

" Hey Dante... You're band is the Devil May Cry, rightio?" she asked, seeming less serious than she had earlier.

" Yeah... Why do you ask?" he answered, asking a question right back.

" It so happened that a flyer was handed out yesterday about you're band and that you're having auditions for a singer. Am I right, or am I right?"

" Neither, you're right."

She snorted slightly.

" I'll guess we'll be meeting more than twice then..."

She began to walk off to the equipment on stage, examining what was what, an actually smile on her face. But, she wasn't necessarily a fan of the music, but he had to admit, she was pretty and she knew what she was looking at. He saw her talking to some of the stage managers about some of the equipment and finally she got off stage, or platform, or whatever it was. She sat down in a seat near the speaker, and opened her book again. Dante sighed and stood up, realizing he was staring at her for awhile. He made his way to the stage to be greeted by a still-messed-up Mundus and Lucia.

" You think you're gonna live, Mundus ol' buddy?" Dante asked with a laugh.

" Oh, shut up... I'd kick your butt, but as you see... I'm not as stable as I should be..." Mundus muttered, struggling to not pass out. Dante shook his friend gently and walked past him. Lucia smirked, but sighed as Mundus fell from her grasp onto the floor.

" You really need to get off those, um, "supplements", Mundo..." she muttered, dragging her friend back stage.

Dante, after checking his instrument again, walked out from back stage and look out at the crowd that had appeared when he wasn't looking. He scanned the room, looking for the auditioner. He spotted her heading for the door and fleeing the scene, followed by a group of guys.

" Gang members..." he muttered and rushed out the door after the girl.

Lazul didn't know how much longer she could keep running. She was on 13th street when she stopped, completely out of breathe. She huffed and glanced over her shoulder just in time and missed being hit with a fist covered in metal. She leapt back and stood up, ready to fight. One of the men lunged at her and she swiftly dodged and kicked him in the stomach.

"You stupid girl!" another yelled and tried to punch her. She stopped his fist with her hand and twisted is arm. With a simple crack, she felt the bone splinter and man cried out in pain. Lazul smirked and knocked him aside. Two on them pinned her down by the arm and two others got her legs. She fell over, the wind being knocked out of her.

"What the heck?!" she yelled, looking up at the last man standing.

"Ms. Lazul... So we meet again... Now, just give up and give us the data..." he muttered with a slight grin.

"I-I don't know what you're talking about..." Lazul said, hurriedly.

"You're lying!" one of the men that pinned her arm said, and he struck her across the face. Lazul couldn't help but wince.

" Tell us the truth, you stupid girl... Or we'll harm you is ways you can't begin to imagine!" said another, taking a switch blade from his pocket. Lazul gritted her teeth as the burning pain was slowly taking her sight. She wouldn't give in to whatever this men were talking about, so she shut her eyes, praying to God that someone would help.

"What the heck is going on?!" a familiar voice yelled. Lazul opened her eyes to she that man, Dante. Dante pulls out a metal baseball bat from his back. It gleamed with a blue light sizzled in a way, like electricity. She looked away as each one was beaten. Soon, her body sprung from her assaulters. She stood up, clutching her still bleeding arm. She looked around and smiling. Nice handy work. Dante put the bat back on his back and looked at her.

"Who were those guys?" he inquired as Lazul began to walk past him.

"Local gang... Stupid men... Whatever..." she muttered. Dante shifted his weight onto his other side, then began to follow her.

"It looks like you held your own... But you're still bleeding pretty badly... We should get you to-" he started.

"A docter? A hospital? A place with many, many bandages? No duh." she finished with a smirk. She winced.

"What's your name?" Dante spat out. She turned to look at him, her hazel eyes shimmering slightly as she seemed to smile.

"Lazul..." she muttered, then she felt faint and fell from where she was standing.

The world around her went completely black.

This is the edited copy. Hope it was better than the first.