Ah, finally done with all of those damn essays! For the past week or two, I've had to do about three or four essays and two of them had me busting my ass to get sources for and then edit them a few times before I had them done. Damn, sure hope I don't have to do any more essays for awhile after Winter Break.

Anyway, enough with my whining. Here's the next chapter! Hope you enjoy! I know I'm happy now that those essays are done.

Chapter 8

Takashi, Rei and the others along with Saya's parents sat down in various places in a huge room. All of them stared at Dante and Lady who sat across from them, both of whom seemed to ignore the tense atmosphere in the room.

Takashi wore new clothes, a black long sleeve shirt and blue jeans, that fit his lean muscular frame better as his school clothes, which he had been wearing from when the outbreak occurred at school up until his fight with Dante were coated with blood. He stared down at the floor, a shocked expression on his face.

Every now and then, he'd rub the spot where Dante's sword had stabbed him, almost wishing that he actually had an injury of some kind there, even if the injury were fatal, anything to make him feel as if he were normal.

Everyone else though, with the exception of Rei, had all of their attention on the colorfully dressed duo before them. They were all feeling almost as shocked as Takashi. It wasn't every day that you see someone get skewered and find out a not even a minute later that there isn't a wound when there clearly should have been.

Dante and Lady on the other hand didn't feel as tense as them. Far from it in fact as Dante returned their stare with an obvious look of boredom on his face. He came here to talk with the kid, not sit before a group of people like someone before a jury. Lady stared at them as well, but her gaze was more analytical as she sized them up, wondering how good they were at defending themselves. Sure the fact that the teenagers made it from their school to here was a sign of their skill, but she would like to see them in action.

Dante sighed. "Alright, could you stop with the looks already? It's starting to creep me out a bit," he said, ending the silence.

Souichirou's eyes narrowed as he mulled over how to respond. When he brought them all to the room after the fight, he had intended to have some men placed alongside the walls, but knew that it would be pointless given Dante's strength and skill. He wasn't the head of a nationalist group for nothing. "Why did you attack him?" he asked, getting straight to the point.

Souichirou didn't need to tell them who he meant. Dante sighed. "Like I told your daughter, I was just doing it for proof."

Saya had told Souichirou what Dante and Lady approached them for before coming to the room. Souichirou's eyes narrowed even more. "Demons?"

He stared at the duo, but unlike anyone else, they didn't even flinch at his gaze. Instead Dante observed the others, feeling a bit more interested in what they were feeling. Rei was still keeping close to Takashi, Saya sat next to her parents, Kohta was next to her, and Shizuka and Alice stood alongside Saeko, who also happened to be on the other side of Takashi.

As Dante took note of their worried expressions - or in Saya's and Saeko's case, an angry one - he couldn't help but notice the curvaceous, well endowed figures of the girls. It amazed him at how big their breasts were especially for girls that were still in high school, the exception being Shizuka, whom he couldn't help but think that she had to have a lot of cosmetic work done to look that way. To think that those massive breasts were all natural would be crazy even by his standards and that's saying something.

"Christ, either japanese girls has some damn good genetics or they're doing something that american girls aren't," he thought.

He looked at Souichirou again after dragging his mind away from his thoughts and could tell that he was expected to answer soon if he didn't want to cause some trouble. Well, more than he already has anyway. Dante spared a glance at Lady, who leveled a glare of her own as if to say "you caused this, you fix it."

Dante sighed. "Yeah, demons."

"You will have to explain it more than that," Souichirou seemed to growl out.

"Look, I can tell from the way your daughter reacted to what I said that you're just as skeptical too, but trust me, demons exist," Dante said, trying to be as polite as possible. Now that he's done what he has wanted to check out, he didn't exactly have any plans to get into more fights. He's satisfied as it is fighting demons. "Now you saw what the kid did to me and what I did to him. You gotta admit that it has to be supernatural."

He didn't get a reaction from Souichirou or anyone else. Lady sighed at how bad Dante was at explaining things so she felt that it would be best if she took over. "Have you ever heard of Sparda?" she asked, figuring that it might be wise to start with that first.

Surprisingly, the name made Souichirou raise an eyebrow out of curiosity. "Sparda? You speak of the legendary dark knight?"

Everyone turned to him, even Takashi as the name snapped him out of his stupor. "Who's Sparda?" Kohta asked.

"Let me make this short. Sparda was a demon that rebelled against his own kind 2000 years ago when the emperor of them, Mundus, attempted to take over this world. Sparda managed to defeat Mundus and his minions, after which he sealed the demon world away, losing his power in the process. After that, Sparda lived here in the human world," Lady explained "to put it in a nutshell". She waited for them to start rolling their eyes and laugh, but to her surprise they didn't. To the contrary, some of them looked intrigued.

Saeko, Souichirou, and his wife all seemed to ponder something. Saya and Kohta appeared to do the same as well while Shizuka was still being her ditzy self with Alice looking amazed at the very short tale. Rei was confused, wondering what the tale had to do with this other than Sparda being a demon. Takashi however, looked shocked as if he had seen a ghost.

Takashi's expression didn't go unnoticed by Dante or Lady. They knew that something was up. "Don, it seemed as if you've heard of Sparda before," Lady pointed out. "Care to tell us?"

Souichirou looked up at her for a moment. "For ages, there have been stories that hundreds of years ago, a man by that name had helped invent the way of the sword that I abide by," he said.

Dante cocked an eyebrow. "You serious?" he asked. He almost face-palmed himself. "Ha, leave to good ol' dad to go everywhere back in the day," he muttered. Dante couldn't help but wonder just how many places his father had gone to and what kind of legacies he had left in the process. Next he'll know, he'll be heading out to the Himalayas and find out Sparda killed Bigfoot or whoever is said to roam around there.

They all perked up at what Dante said. "Your father? You are Sparda's son?" Souichirou asked.

"Wait, you mean he really existed?" Kohta asked.

Dante sighed for what he felt had to be the hundredth time since this whole mess started. "Yeah, ya caught me, I'm the son of a devil," he replied to them sarcastically.

"This still doesn't explain why you attacked Komuro-kun," Saeko said as she focused her attention on Dante. Inwardly, she was as shocked as everyone. Sparda really existed? Having been trained in the same way as her father and as Souichirou, she had heard of Sparda as well, but to think that he was real was more than surprising. And to be more or less face to face with his son was another shock. Of course, in her mind, there was still a chance he was lying.

"Come on, just take a look at the kid," Dante pointed at Takashi, "can't you see a little resemblance to me?" And he was right. They both had the same hair and eye color, similar lean muscular builds and maybe if Takashi changed his hairstyle to look like Dante's, he'd likely look like a mini-Dante.

Rei suddenly stood up. "Are you saying that Takashi is somehow related to you?" she nearly yelled. She was feeling a bit more than frustrated. First, the outbreak at school, Hisashi is killed, followed only by equally mind scarring incidents like her nearly being taken by that creep at the gas station, not to mention all of the other events that have occurred until now and now here was someone that was implying that he might Takashi's long lost relative or some shit.

Dante looked at her and she grew a bit afraid of his stare. He mulled over something. "Maybe, but I really don't know."

This made the room fall silent once more. Everyone started to wonder if there really was some kind of relation between the two. It wasn't unlikely given their similar appearances and, although no one will admit it, something about how they survived fatal wounds seemed to only prove this thought rather than disprove it.

Takashi looked back down at the ground. The name Sparda has stirred something in him, bringing back to him the dream he had in the car. Was he really related to Dante? Or was it merely a coincidence? But more importantly, should he mention his dream?

He looked at everyone then at Dante and Lady who eyed him in return. Takashi took a deep breath, his mind now made up. "When I was attacked by that... thing," he said, not being able to use the word demon instead, "I lost consciousness, naturally and I... had this dream..." he trailed off.

Takashi took another look and saw that all eyes were on him. Rei and the others were shocked as he expected them to be; he didn't tell them any of this since he didn't want them to worry or anything. "In my dream I saw this guy. He looked like you," he gestured to Dante, "only his hair was swept back and he had on a purple coat instead of a red one like you... he wouldn't happen to be this Sparda guy you talked about?"

Dante and Lady, for once, looked surprised. They didn't expect something like this, but they quickly recovered from this. "Yeah, that's Sparda. Heh, I can practically see him in that damn coat of his," Dante remarked.

"So I really am related to you?" Takashi asked. He felt that it had to be true now. After all there's really no way of denying it if the man in his dream really was Sparda. There's only so much that can happen before something goes from being labeled as coincidence to being true.

Dante leaned back. "Guess so." He surveyed Takashi for the moment. "How old are you kid?"

"I'm 17," Takashi answered.

"Well then you can't be a long-lost brother because I'm 29 and dad died before I was 10," Dante replied.

Everyone looked on at the two, not really sure of what to say; things were just becoming too much for them to handle now. "So then what? Am I like a distant cousin or something?" Takashi asked.

Dante thought about it. "I guess. The old man must have had a fling way before he met my mom and his blood must have past down all the way to you." That was the only thing that made sense to him and from how things have been for Takashi, it seemed like he was right.

Silence once again overcame them. Things were now really moving too fast. First, Dante had attacked Takashi and now here they are practically examining an imaginary family tree.

However, the conversation was cut short as one of Souichirou's men entered the room. "Don, we have more survivors," he said, obviously pleased that more people have endured the outbreak.

Everyone stood up at this and Rei, Takashi, and Kohta moved towards the window to see. As they looked outside the first thing they saw was a bus coming through the gates. They froze as they recognized it.

A look of anger appeared on Rei's face and before Takashi could do anything, she bolted out the room. "Rei!"

Dante and Lady looked confused at this. "What's eating her?"

Saeko, Kohta, and Saya didn't reply and instead dragged Shizuka and Alice out the room with them. Dante and Lady shared a look and followed them alongside Souichirou.

Outside, Shidou had just parked the bus and got off, being greeted by a guard. "Who would have thought that the son of Shidou the politician would be helping people even at a time like this! Well, we won't be having any elections with things as they are now."

Shidou did a little bow. "That doesn't matter to me. I'm merely a humble teacher." He was soaking up the praise. After having put a considerable distance between the bus and those things, he had felt out of it. He'd never seen anything like them, it was as if they were something out of a gruesome movie. It had taken quite some time to compose himself and calm the students and the praise he was now receiving was just what he needed to really lift his spirits.

"Truly honorable! That you brought along surviving students with you when you escaped from the school!" the guard said.

"Of course, it's a teacher's duty," Shidou replied with a twisted smirk. The guard didn't notice this.

"I should have expected as much from someone brought up by a man like your father!" This comment from the guard set Shidou off.

"I'd have to disagree with you on that," he thought as memories of his father running for cabinet minister flooded his mind, along with how he had studied to become a teacher as his father campaigned only to find out that his younger brother would be the one to succeed his father. He remembered how he had burned with rage yet never directly confronted his father, instead doing everything he was demanded to do even when it hurt other such as when he held Rei back a year as a way to punish her dad as a favor to his father.

"I know that things are difficult here as well, but can you at least help these poor students? I'm fine on my own..." he trailed off as he heard approaching footsteps.

"You're a real saint, aren't you, Shidou-sensei," Rei said as she stood to his side, gun drawn at him, the knife attached to the tip of the barrel merely inches away from Shidou's face.

He broke out in a sweat as the students from the bus got off and looked on in shock. "M-Miyamoto-san, I'm so glad you're alive and well..."

"Do you know how I got so good at soujutsu? It's because I was instructed in the use of the bayonet! And I learned that from my father who had never known failure in the prefectural police!" Rei said angrily, "he suffered because of you. He's the kind of person who can take anything, but he was brought to tears as he asked for my forgiveness. It's all your fault that I was held back a year!"

Takashi and the others quickly approached as Rei continued her outburst. "And I've known it all along! You were the only one managing the grades! But I took it! My dad told me that if his investigation went well, he could have arrested you and your father! But... now..."

She moved the knife closer and closer until it drew a little blood. "A-are you going to become a murderer? Do you, the daughter of a police officer, intend to become a criminal?"

As this occurred, everyone finally caught up and they stood by and watched, uncertain of whether or not to interfere. Dante and Lady were the only ones though that thought they shouldn't bother. The second they laid their eyes on the guy, they knew almost instinctively that he was a real psycho, the look in his eyes was proof enough. He was a manipulative son of a bitch that they thought resembled Lady's equally deranged father, Arkham. The only thing this Shidou guy has that Arkham doesn't is a head of hair.

"I... I don't want to hear anything more from you!" Rei cried out.

"Then kill him!" This startled them and they turned to see Souichirou walk up to them. "I know that man's father! However, that means nothing now! If it is what you want, then kill him!"

People had gathered around to witness and some of them, the ones from earlier who thought they could help Them began to shout out protests. "How can you..." one began, but was cut off by Souichirou.

"Of course." This short statement alone made them back off. "If I had reason to, I would do it myself!"

Takashi was about to stop Rei, but Saeko placed a hand on his forearm to stop him. "Miyamoto-kun has to make this decision on her own."

"Yeah kid, just let your little girlfriend do this her way. The little fucktard probably deserves it anyway," Dante said as he walked up next to him.

"This is something that we really don't have a place in interfering. Besides, from just one glance it's obvious this Shidou is nothing but scum," Lady also remarked.

Shidou backed up a bit and spread his arms out wide as if to welcome Rei. "Go ahead... kill me! Kill me, take my life away. You're free to go down that painful path! Me being a teacher and you being a student, that would be an appropriate learning experience!"

Rei stood perfectly still, the knife still close to Shidou's face. Everyone held their breath as moments passed by with nothing happening. However, slowly, but surely, Rei lowered the gun and turned away from Shidou. "Is that what you think? You're not even worth killing," she said as she walked away.

Shidou grew infuriated by this. "Good show! Souichirou exclaimed with a short laugh.

"You have no idea what I went through to make it this far... little swine like you just keep their mouths shut and..." Shidou muttered, but everyone could hear him. He looked at Rei and all he saw was red. In his mind, he felt that he had things the worst, that he's endured things that they couldn't begin to understand.

He began to move towards Rei, slowly at first, but picking up the pace the further he moved. He nearly broke out into a run at her and was just a few feet away from Rei when he stopped suddenly as he felt two different metals placed at his face.

Dante stood to his side, Rebellion being held almost lazily at Shidou's neck, barely breaking the skin while Lady was in front of him, machine gun drawn and pressing hard up against his forehead.

"I'm pretty sure the little lady said for you to pretty much fuck off, ya Charles Manson piece of shit," Dante said in cold tone.

"Back off if you don't want me to put an entire clip of bullets in your head," Lady said just as icily.

Shidou didn't move at first, feeling completely petrified by these two people. He's never seen them before and he know from the way they spoke that he'd go through real hell at their hands if he didn't do what they said. Quickly succumbing to his cowardly nature, he backed away.

"You leave!" Souichirou said, quite impressed by Dante's and Lady's speed and their way of stopping Shidou. "You over that as well," he continued, pointing to Shidou's students, " you have already been tainted by this man's dastardy! You should cleanse youselves, but for now we do not have any open space! Leave here in the bus you to us in!"

"Do you think that was wrong?" Saya's mother asked Takashi as the students obeyed Souichirou's order.

"I can't say that I'm happy about it, but if I was in Don Takagi's place... I don't know what I would've done. Sorry," Takashi replied.

Souichriou overheard him as he walked past. "I respect that kind of thought, but things are not going to change back to how they once were! If you want to stay alive, remember that."

"Yes, sir," Takashi replied reluctantly, not sure how he should be feeling about all this. So much was going on all at once that he really didn't know how to feel let alone what to think or do.

Dante whistled. "Gotta hand it to the guy, he knows his stuff."

Takashi ignored him and went to Rei. "Hey..."

He barely got that word out before she turned on him. "Don't try to console me. I hate that! That's what you always do! I even wanted to ask for your help with Shidou so I talked to Hisashi instead about it... it's difficult. Everything is so difficult." She wiped away a few tears she had in her eyes. "But... it doesn't matter. It's over now."

She smiled now. "That time is finished. Now we only have the future ahead of us! Even though it looks like it's going to be hard."

While that went on, the others were several feet away watching them until Alice turned and looked up at Shizuka. "Sensei, weren't you going to call someone?" she asked, remembering that when they all headed to the room to talk alone with Dante and Lady, Shizuka had remembered a friend's phone number, but since everyone was so focused on the weapons toting duo, they didn't listen to her.

"Oh yeah!" she exclaimed, much to Shidou's displeasure as he quickly drove the bus out the gates. "Komuro-kun, phone, phone!"

Takashi, confused by this handed her his cell phone anyway. Shizuka held the phone up close for a moment. "Let's see here, 1 is here, 2 is here, 3 is here..."

They all sweatdropped a bit at her childish attitude. Dante on the other hand snickered, finding it hard to believe how Shizuka can act like this despite her age and appearance. "Do you want me to dial for you?" Kohta asked.

"Don't interrupt me or I might lose my place," Shizuka replied with a smile. Several seconds past before she finally finished dialing and it began to ring. A few more seconds past before someone answered.

"Rika, you're alive!" Shizuka shouted in joy. "Me too, but we've been through an awful lot."

Everyone smiled, Takashi and Dante more so than the others since they could actually hear the person on the other end of the call with their heightened hearing. "We had to leave there! Oh, we borrowed some of your weapons and things..." she said, referring to when they stayed at her friend's place for awhile to rest up.

However, before she could continue, a bright light suddenly appeared in the sky and the call ended. Shizuka looked at the phone in shock. "Hello? Rika?"

Everyone look up at the sky, all of them falling into a stupor at the light. No way, no how, did any of them see this coming. Takashi shivered. He had a feeling that things were about to take a turn for the worst.

Near the blockade that Shidou had driven through earlier to get the mansion, two guys were yelling about something."Hey, why did you stop?" a guy said to another man driving a forklift around the mansion, moving things around.

"The engine...!" he shouted in surprise.

As they argued, they didn't notice Shidou driving the bus towards them. Shidou was also experiencing some engine trouble. "I can't believe the engine would stall at a time like this. What the hell is going on here?" he said aloud.

One of his students got up out of her seat and moved towards Shidou, fear in her eyes. "Sensei! Look out! Look out!"

Shidou looked up just in time for a look of terror to appear on his face as the bus collided with the forklift, killing the two guys in the process. The bus continued on past that and knocked over a good portion of the blockade, the windows bashed in with most of the students nearly outcold from the force of the collision.

"Uh... what in the world?" Shidou began to say, but stopped as he looked up and fell deathly silent as he saw one of Them walk past the bus. Then another walked past. And another. And another until a whole swarm has appeared. And little did any of the students or nearby guards knew, a large group comprised of Scarecrows, a few Mega Scarecrows, and two Assaults followed the small army of Them, keeping back far enough as to not be noticed yet.

And all of them were heading directly for the mansion.

And there we go! The eighth chapter is done.

I was worried that it would haven taken longer to get this done, but I soon got into my groove (by listening to rock music of course to give me an energy boost) to get this done. oh and as for Dante's age, that was a guess on my part since it looked as if he were in his mid- to late- twenties in DMC4.

I hope you all enjoyed this and are looking forward to the next chapter because I can tell one thing right now and that's that the next chapter is going to be one hell of a party.

However, I am going to be working on a new one-shot so I won't be working on the next chapter for this or my other fic for some time. But I do hope the upcoming action and gore will make up for it.

Thanks for reading and please leave a review.

Oh, and Merry Christmas! Hope you enjoy the holiday!