A/N Well, I got a message from the laptop repair people that included so many complicated words that I was forced to look them up. To spare you guys the trouble; I'll give you the short version: R.I.P. Laptop 2005-2008(Wow, talk about a short lifespan…)
Obviously, I needed to get a new computer. And I did! Truth be told, I've had this comp for the past two weeks. Unfortunately, in said past two weeks, school became a living hell, so I had to shelve writing fan fics until things calmed down. Now, it's pretty much vacation time, so I'm back! Yeah!
Unfortunately, I couldn't come up with any extra scenes for this mission, aside from describing two murder reports that the Mayor hands Dante. And thinking ahead, I don't think I'll be able to come with any for 'Rolling Thunder' either. Sorry.
I assure you, however, that I'll have a couple for 'In Private.' But, of course, that'll have to wait until we get there.
………Oh wait!! One just popped into my head for this chapter right now! Alright! Talk about timing. Hmm…it'll require another disclaimer. It might give the whole thing away, though. Ah well, I'd rather spoil it, than get the story taken off of fan-fiction for not putting it up
Disclaimer: Phoenix Wright: Ace Attorney, and all related characters that make a one-time appearance in this chapter are the sole property of Capcom.
That's enough rambling, on with episode 3!
--
Angelina was running along the walkway. She was very pretty, with a gentle, attractive face, and large, pretty eyes, "I'm late! If I miss my curfew, father'll be so angry with me!"
In her haste, she tripped over her own feet while running down some stairs. No surprise, since running in high heels wasn't all that recommended. She hurt her ankle when she fell, and clutched it, "Ow…"
Just then, a young man came up to the landing she was on from the other direction, "Are you okay?"
"Ah…" Angelina looked up, mildly surprised by this man's sudden appearance, "I think I sprained my ankle…"
"Here, let me see it." The man said. Angelina took the opportunity to look him over. He was rather handsome. He put his hand to her ankle, and strange green light seemed to glow between his palm and her ankle.
When the light died down, the pain was gone. "There. Can you stand?" The man asked.
"Um…I think so."
She tested her leg; it felt good as new. "What was that?" She asked, "A slight of hand? Or could it have been actual magic?"
The man chuckled, walking past her, "Have a nice evening."
As he started climbing the steps, Angelina called to him, "Wait! What's your name?"
He stopped, and turned back to face her. Overcoming what seemed to be a bit of hesitation, he answered, "Brad."
"Brad…" Angelina repeated, almost in awe. Just then, the sun set completely, and the light by the walkway bathed them in what was almost a romantic light, "Will I ever see you again…?"
They did. The next day, the two new friends met in the same place, obviously intending to spend some time together. Brad stuck a rose in Angelina's hat, and the young woman gave him a smile that could have warmed the most hardened of hearts. In fact, even the meanest of people would have smiled if they had seen the two running together through the park just a short while later.
--
A few evening later…at the Mayor's house…
"Do you understand me, Angelina?! You are NOT to see that man anymore!" The Mayor yelled at his daughter.
"But why?!" Angelina asked, in grief, "Brad is such a nice person!"
"I don't care! You will not see him anymore! You cannot leave this room until you promise me so!"
The Mayor walked out of the room, closing the door behind him. He put a giant padlock on the door and locked it, "This is for your own good!" He called from the hallway.
In a quieter voice, he handed the key to Alfred, the butler, and said, "Here."
"Of course, sir." Alfred replied.
Back in the room, Angelina fell to floor, and sobbed herself to sleep.
--
The next morning…at Devil May Cry…
Sounds of a struggle could be heard coming from inside. It sounded like an all out brawl, in fact. A couple who happened to be passing by quickly ran on when they started hearing the sounds. They notified the police of possible domestic violence, only to be informed that for that particular building, it was an unusually quiet day.
In fact, what really was happening, was nothing more than one Patty fighting with one television. The noise woke Dante from his nap, and he said, "Hey, keep it down. You can mess around with a broken T.V. all day, but it won't just magically fix itself."
"Grrr…and today's episode of 'Spring's Bolero" was supposed to be the series finale!" Patty replied testily.
"Well that's too bad. I'm pretty sad, too. Would you like to know why? Because a certain girl named Patty, not naming any names, just interrupted my afternoon nap."
Patty set the small T.V. down and demanded, "Go and buy a new one!"
"With what money?"
"Ugh…how the heck did you blow through that much money so fast?"
"Because of a certain female devil debt collector, plus I have a tight-fisted bastard for an agent."
"Just who are you calling tight-fisted?" Morrison asked, opening the door and leaning against it.
"Well. What do you know? Here to bring me more work that doesn't pay?"
"You know me. I only bring you jobs that pay the big bucks. But that's assuming you actually do the job properly, and you've messed up all the recent ones some way or another."
The magazine fell off his face, and Dante threw Morrison an annoyed look. Patty was happier to see him, "Morrison, can you fix the T.V.?"
"The T.V.?"
"It's broken! And today's the last episode of 'Spring's Bolero!'"
"You got the car, Morrison?" The half-devil interrupted.
"Yep." The older man replied.
"Then I'll take the job…as long as you let me get some sleep on the way there. That T.V. has been causing me to lose some sleep." Dante climbed into the passenger seat and reclined, putting his feet on the dashboard, "What are you waiting for? Let's go. I don't care where you take me, so long as I don't have to listen to her chronic whining anymore."
Morrison started for the car, bidding a fuming Patty good-bye, "See you later, little lady."
"Uh!" Patty spluttered, "What about the T.V.?!"
"You can ask Dante to buy you a new one with the money he'll be making from this job." Morrison climbed into the driver's seat, and he and passenger were off in seconds.
"Hey!! Hold up!! The finale'll be over by then!!…YOU JERKS!!" And with that, Patty walked back into Devil May Cry, grabbed a few, uh…'tools' from Dante's wall, and proceeded to attempt to fix the T.V. herself.
How did it go, you ask? Well, try to imagine performing open-heart surgery…with a sledgehammer. Yeah, something like that.
--
Angelina sat on her bed, the basket of flowers that Brad had bought for her in her hands. Her attention was captured, however, when she heard a car pull up, and the gates open. She went to the window just in time to see a car pull in. She heard the door to her room open, but didn't turn around. "Miss…" The maid began, "Your father wanted me to inform you that your meal is ready."
"I'm not hungry." The teenage girl replied bluntly.
"Please Miss…if you don't eat something, I'll be in trouble with your Father."
Being a kind soul, Angelina could not knowingly allow another person to be harmed for her actions. As such, she attended the maid to the dining room.
--
"Nice place." Dante said, giving the room a look-over, "I can only imagine what kind of evil deeds went into building it."
"The owner is the Mayor of Capulet City, so can you at least try to behave?"
"Capulet City? What the hell is he doing in Brooklyn, then?"
"This is his vacation home."
The door opened just then, and the Mayor said, "Gentlemen. Sorry I'm late. That meeting dragged on longer than I thought it would. Thank you so much for coming."
Morrison respectfully stood up to shake the Mayor's hand, "I'm Morrison. Nice to meet you."
The Mayor turned to Dante, only to find that he had disrespectfully stayed sitting. The half-devil yawned, and said, "Listen Mr. Mayor, how 'bout we cut the chatter and get down to business before I fall asleep again?"
The Mayor blinked, and turned to Morrison, "This is him?"
Dante's agent gave him a thumbs-up, "I can assure you: he's got the skills. He's just a bit rough around the edges."
The Son of Sparda turned his nose up at that.
--
In the dining room, Angelina hadn't eaten a single bite. After ten full minutes of playing with it, she stood up, and walked to the door. "Miss!" The maid called after her.
"You know the rules." Alfred said when Angelina reached him.
"Can I at least just use the washroom on my own?" Angelina asked, still despondent over recent events.
Alfred relented, and stepped aside to allow the young lady passage. Angelina walked towards the washroom with her head, and didn't even notice her father speaking until she heard him say something heart-stopping.
--
Meanwhile, the Mayor had dropped a picture of a young man on the table. Morrison picked it up and memorized the face, then passed the photo on to Dante. He had just taken a look at it when the Mayor said, "I want you to kill this man."
The half-devil's gaze immediately shifted from the photo to the Mayor. His eyes had gone from lazy and uncaring to ice cold in a split second. "Please…" The Mayor continued, "Kill him!"
Dante waited for him to continue, and the Mayor obliged, "I've got a daughter. My only daughter: Angelina. And I've raised her all on my own ever since her mother passed away. My daughter means everything to me. And now this Brad bastard is trying to take my lovely daughter away from this city and me! I won't allow this worthless drifter to take my daughter away from me just because he feels like it! I'm sure you gentlemen can understand. I mean, she's my darling daughter…my baby girl!"
"And so…" Dante finally spoke up, tossing the photo back onto the desk, "You wanna kill him. Well, what a lovely story. Turn it into a soap opera and I'm sure Patty will love it. I smell ratings."
The Mayor growled at Dante's indifference, but Morrison stepped in, "Haven't you heard that there's been a string of murder's in town lately? It's been all over the news. Where's your head been, under a rock?"
"My TV. is broken, remember?"
"Oh, yeah…I forgot. In any case, there's been a bunch of ugly incidents around here lately."
The Mayor dropped a file in front of Dante, "This is it."
Dante opened it up, and read the first newspaper clipping he could find while the Mayor continued talking, "These murders have been so hideous, so disgustingly horrendous, that the police are saying they don't believe the killer is even human!"
The half-devil took another look at the clipping in the file. The clipping he was reading reported a young lady, about 22, who had been found with a sword stabbed through her heart, and her limbs nailed to the metal floor. Ouch. And to top it off, some bloody teeth marks were found on her neck, as though the killer had drank the blood from her body. Another clipping next to that one also had the bloody teeth marks, but the victim was male. His head had been severed off, and it was found a few feet away from the body.
"So, he's not human?" Dante asked, his human half cringing in disgust, even though his devil half was basking in the bloody mental images.
The Mayor nodded, "These random homicides began happening at around the same time Brad showed up."
--
Angelina gasped from outside, and pressed herself against the wall.
--
"So, you're saying that this Brad is not only a serial killer, but a demon in disguise?" Dante summarized, "That's a little hard to swallow. I'm not buying it."
"I saw it with my own eyes…" The Mayor said, "A few days ago, Angelina confessed to me that she was seeing someone. At first, I found myself rather delighted that my darling had found someone at last, and didn't press her on it. But that very afternoon, almost evening, I looked out the window and saw Brad there, waiting for my daughter. He picked up a dead rose from the ground, and put his hand to it. A moment later, there was a green glow, and the rose bloomed again!…he's a demon…I'm sure of it! Please, kill Brad!!"
--
Angelina let out a startled gasp, and stepped away from the door as her mind tried to understand what she had just heard. When it did, all out panic took over, and she ran. Ran out the door. Ran to park. And ran down the stairs until she could see Brad standing where she had first met him not to long ago, "Brad!"
"Hmm?" Brad turned to face her, and almost lost his balance as she collided into him and hugged him tightly, "Angelina, what's wrong?"
"Brad…please…let's run away together…please…"
"Angelina. Please calm down and tell me what's wrong."
"Oh, Brad!…It seems…it seems my father has hired someone to kill you."
Brad blinked, "To…to kill me? Why?"
"Because of you special power. He thinks…he thinks you're a demon!"
"Does he now…" Brad sighed, resigning himself to death. If the Mayor had discovered the truth, then there was only one person the Mayor would send after him.
"We…we can run away!" Angelina said, "Let's leave here!"
"My dear Angelina…" Brad hugged her lovingly, "Please understand…I can't let you get wrapped up in something like this."
"But I…"
"Angelina, I don't want you to worry about me in the slightest. You understand? I'm going to be alright." It was a lie, and he knew it. But he felt he had to comfort his girlfriend, "Someday, I'm sure your father will understand."
"Oh, Brad…"
"You should go home…I'm glad…I was able to see you."
--
Not too long later, Brad was walking down a street. His demonic senses easily picked up the car following him closely behind. He didn't turn around. He didn't have to. Not to sense the incredible power of a certain person in the passenger seat, at any rate.
--
"You still can't find her?!" The Mayor roared into the phone, "Don't you dare come back until you do!!"
He slammed the phone onto the receiver, "Did she go to that demon's place again…?
Alfred gave an apology, "Forgive me, Mr. Mayor. If only I hadn't taken my eyes off of her…"
He was interrupted when the door opened, and Angelina walked in. "Miss!", the butler gasped in surprise.
The Mayor bared his teeth and stomped over to his daughter. "Father…" Angelina didn't get a chance to finish what she was about to say, because at that moment, the Mayor slapped across the face.
A short while later, Angelina was in her room, with her father yelling at her from the door, "From now on, you will only leave this room for meals, and you will be followed everywhere you go!!"
The door slammed shut, and the lock placed on it, but Angelina didn't care. There was only one thing she was worried about right now. "Brad…" she muttered from the window.
--
Brad took a small sip from the glass of iced tea he was drinking, and continued reading his novel. The door to the bar opened, and Dante walked in. He came up next to Brad and asked, "Mind if I sit here?"
"Uh!" Brad stuttered, having not expected the half-devil to follow him into the bar, "Um, no. Not at all."
"Thank you." Dante sat down, and called to the barkeep, "I'll take a beer and a large pizza. I don't care what you put on it so long as there's no olives."
"Coming right up." The bartender replied.
"Go about your reading." Dante told the demon next to him, "Don't worry about me."
"Um, okay." Brad said warily, surprised to still be alive, "Thanks. I think I will."
The silence went on for a few minutes more. Finally, Dante asked, "Sorry for being curious: but what are you reading that you're so into?"
"It's a romance novel." The low-level demon replied.
"Hmm? How is it?"
"It's great. Amazing, even. A man a women falling in love is a beautiful thing." He turned to face Dante, "Wouldn't you agree?"
All he received in reply was a smirk and a small chuckle. Brad frowned, "Is that somehow amusing?"
"Not at all." Dante replied, "I just never thought of it that way."
"Here's your beer." The barkeep said, placing a rather large mug in front of Dante.
"It took you this long just to get a beer? What about my pizza?"
"Being made as we speak."
"Damn…" The half-devil sighed. He lifted his mug and held it towards Brad, "Cheers."
"Oh!" Brad lifted his mug as well, "Cheers."
They clacked their respective drinks together, and each took a gulp.
"By the way…you look like a drifter. Where you from?" Dante asked, but the demon next to him didn't reply, "Well, that's fine. You don't have to answer if you don't want to."
"Well." Brad said, closing his book and standing up, "It's about time for me to be going. Good-bye."
"See ya." the half-devil replied.
Brad just walked out the door as the barkeep put a delicious and huge pizza in front of Dante, "Here you go."
"Huh? Hey, there are olives on this!"
"Well, of course!"
"Shit…" Dante looked over his shoulder, at the door that the low level demon had exited through just moments ago. It was a dilemma: follow the possible serial killer, or eat the pizza.
Ugh…it was life-changing decisions like this one that the Son of Sparda just hated so much.
--
Brad walked up the alleyway, feeling the presence before seeing it. And as he expected, his shadow grew to twice his own size. A demon of moderate power leaned out of the wall, "It seems that the gateway will be opening tonight."
"Is that so?" Brad asked.
"Yes…but to leave the human world so suddenly like this is such a shame."
"So…it was you, after all. The one who's been behind the recent string of homicides."
The moderate-level demon licked his lips, "The blood of these humans…so warm and delicious…I love it…"
Then the plate crashed into his face, "WHO DID THAT?!"
Brad spun around to see Dante walking into the alley, stuffing the last of the eighth pizza slice into his mouth. He spoke with his mouth full, "Eating a large size supreme pizza in under five minutes. New World Record, I'd say."
"You followed me here?" Brad asked incredulously.
"Don't you mess with me!!" The wall demon shouted, obviously oblivious to whom he was about to fight. And somehow, Brad felt no desire to warn him.
The wall demon thrust his arm into the wall, and it came out right next to Dante, pinning next the other wall. Even so, the Son of Sparda wasn't bothered, "That's quite a fancy handshake you got there."
He fired a few rounds from Ivory into the demons arm, severing it and causing him to roar in pain. Dante started slowly approaching the pair of Hell-dwellers. Wasting little time, the moderate-level demon punched his other arm through the wall. It missed Dante by less than inch, passing behind him. The half-devil shot that arm, too, but the demon pulled it away and retreated, leaving Brad to fend for himself.
Brad, however, didn't seem too worried, "You're as strong as I heard…"
Dante narrowed his eyes, "That almost makes it sound like you know me."
"I've been in the human realm for about a month, now. That's more than enough time to hear about the Devil Hunter, and Son of Sparda: Dante."
Dante's eyes narrowed even more, "Can I take that as a confession that you are, in fact, a demon?"
Brad closed his eyes, "…yes."
Dante aimed Ivory at the low-level demon's forehead, "Then I suppose you've got no objections, right."
"No, I don…"
"OBJECTION!" Yelled a loud voice, causing both Dante and Brad to stumble in shock.
They both looked down to the end of the alley. A male human with a blue suit, red tie, and very spiky hair was standing there, pointedly pointing at Dante with his pointer finger, "Hey! You with the red coat! I heard everything! You can't kill this man just for being a demon!"
"OBJECTION!" Yelled a slightly deeper voice from the other end of the alleyway. Dante and Brad, becoming more confused by the second, turned again, and saw a rather handsome man with a red suit, and stylish hair.
"Phoenix Wright." The human in red said, "The fact that this man is a demon is reason enough to hold him in suspicion! These spawn of Hell kill without remorse, or hesitation, and we must ensure that he doesn't get another chance to kill an innocent. It is the prosecution's belief that the defendant, Brad, willfully took part in the recent string of murders!"
"OBJECTION!" Phoenix yelled, "Edgeworth! I understand your reasoning, but I cannot agree with it. This man may indeed be a demon, but do you have proof that he killed a single one of those victims?"
"OBJECTION!" Edgeworth roared, "Proof? I'm sorry, Mr. Wright, but have you forgotten in your seven years of being a hobo? Forgotten that the burden of proof falls upon the defense?"
"OBJECTION! You want proof? I'll give it to you!"
"OBJECTION! You lie! You have no proof!"
"OBJECTION! That's where you're wrong! I have the one piece of evidence I need!" Phoenix reached into his pocket, and took out his cell phone, "I recorded the conversation this low-level demon had with his moderate-level demon contact!"
"WHAT?!"
"Indeed! Listen carefully…" Phoenix pressed the 'play' button.
"…but to leave the human world so suddenly like this would be such a shame."
"So…it was you, after all. The one who's been behind the recent string of homicides…"
"You see!" Phoenix yelled triumphantly, "Brad made clear that he no idea that the moderate-level demon was killing!"
"OBJECTION! Wright…don't you think it possible that the defendant just said that because he wanted people to believer he was innocent?"
"OBJECTION! It was just the two of them! Ergo, he couldn't possibly have known that someone had been around to hear it!"
"OBJECTION!…that was…objectionable!"
"THAT'S ENOUGH!" Dante roared, slamming his fist into the brick wall, and making a sizable dent, "What's the hell is wrong with the two of you?! Do you think this is some sorta court room?!"
"Um…" Phoenix began, "Sorry, I guess we kinda, um…"
"…just got carried away." Edgeworth finished for him.
Dante's eye twitched, and the two lawyers ran away before he could go off on them. Finally, the half-devil turned his attention back to Brad. Once again aiming Ivory at his forehead, Dante modified his previous question, "Well…I suppose this means that you don't have any obje-er…complaints?"
"No, I don't."
"Well then…"
"But first!…I want to ask you something."
"Yeah?"
"I heard that you're a half-breed. Born half-human, and half-demon. If that's the case, then did your parents…did they love each other? Was it possible that there was true love between a mortal and a devil?"
Dante wasn't sure what to say. So he opted for the truth, "To be honest, I'm not sure. You hear all the time about those couples who look together, but on the inside, they don't care for each other in the slightest."
"That's not what I mea…"
"However! In the case of my parents, Sparda and Eva…I think they loved each very much."
Brad smiled contentedly, "I see…"
"Is that all you wanted to say?"
"Yes." Brad closed his eyes, awaiting the inevitable.
Dante squeezed the trigger on Ivory, and a single shot rang out. Realizing that he wasn't dead several moments later, the low-level demon opened his eyes. Dante was pointing Ebony upwards…straight at the moderate-level demon from earlier. Blood poured out from the bullet in his forehead, and he dropped to the floor, dead. With Ivory holstered, and a twirl of his cape, Dante turned and walked away.
--
The two reconvened at the park, where Brad and Angelina first met. "I thought for sure that you would try a surprise attack on me." Dante said.
"What would be the point?" Brad asked, "Even if I tried, I could never vanquish an opponent like you."
"Well…aren't you one demon who's swelling with confidence."
Brad chuckled without any humor, "I may be a demon, but my power is nothing compared to yours. Besides, my role is finished here. I'm leaving in just a bit."
"What do you mean by that?"
"My Master will be coming to this world tonight. From Hell to the human realm. I was summoned by a human here to get things ready for him. I did as he ordered, and now I'm done here."
"And you're telling me this, because…?"
"Because…maybe I want someone to stop him. To put an end to his plans. My Master is greedy. He will try to devour this entire city, no doubt about it. That café with the wonderful coffee…the hill that has such beautiful sunsets…everything…" Brad fell to his knees, gripping the guard rail.
"And Angelina, too?"
"What should I do?! I don't want to lose her. I've always been treated so cruelly in Hell, because I'm so weak. But she…she would smile at me. I can't stand the thought that she will be eaten by my Master." Tears started to fall from his eyes, "But I'm just one demon…I don't have the power to fight him."
Dante was convinced. Not only by the story, but by the tears. After all, tears were a gift only humans had, "Okay. I think that we can both agree that as a demon, you're pretty pathetic. But…if you care about her so much, who's to say you can't live on as a human?"
Brad looked up in surprise, "Me...a…human?"
"Get up." Dante said, a kind smile on his face, "We're gonna have to move if we want to get the welcome party for your boss set up in time."
--
At the Mayor's Mansion…
Angelina heard her father scream in pain, and immediately sat up in bed, "Father!"
She ran to the door and banged on it a few times, calling 'father' while she was at it. The lock wouldn't give, however, and she couldn't get the door open. She came up with a solution fairly quick, however. Running to a corner of the room, she took a potted plant off of a table, and then lifted the table itself. Slamming it three times against the door was enough to shatter the lock, and she ran to the foyer, "Father! Father!"
She reached the stairs and looked down. Her father was lying in the middle of some drawing, but what she was most worried about was the river of blood coming from his shoulder. She ran down the stairs, "Father! Father!"
When she reached him, she checked his shoulder, sobbing in panic. She heard the footsteps far too late. "Don't move." Alfred demanded, putting a knife to her throat, 'If you had stayed in your room like a good girl, then you would have been able to die without being scared."
"Why…why would you do this?"
"Soon…a powerful devil named Belphegor will be summoned to this city by the ritual I have performed. That demon and I…together, we will destroy this world!"
In his craze, Alfred had allowed the knife to drop from Angelina's throat, and she took the opportunity to make for the door. Unfortunately, it was locked, and the teenage girl could only turn around and watch as the clearly insane Alfred walked menacingly towards her, knife in hand. He raised the knife, and brought it down. Angelina closed her eyes…
And was saved as a hail of .45 caliber rounds tore through the door. One of the bullets luckily grazed Alfred hand, forcing him to drop the knife. Then Dante gatecrashed, knocking the door in with Rebellions hilt. "Dante!!" Alfred cried.
"Sorry." The Son of Sparda said, meaning the exact opposite, "I guess I knocked a little too hard."
"I had a bad feeling from the moment I saw you with the Mayor. But you're too late!"
Now it was Brad's turn to gatecrash, breaking in through the window, "Angelina!"
"Brad!" His girlfriend replied in unconcealed joy.
"Mr. Mayor! Please hold on!"
"Brad!" Alfred cried in shock, "Are you actually going to betray the great Belphegor?!"
The demon was too concerned with getting the Mayor somewhere safe to bother with a reply. Good thing, too, 'cause just as he cleared the demonic symbol on the floor, all hell broke loose. The symbol activated, announcing the arrival of Belphegor, and Alfred laughed in glee, "You're too late! He has arriv-ugh!!"
The 'ugh' came as a result of Dante kicking him in the temple and rendering him unconscious. And possibly paralyzed. The half-devil jumped into the air, holding onto the chandelier right above Belphegor's entry point, and holding Ivory between his jaws. He dropped just as the devil attacked with his tentacles, "I'm sure it must've been a long journey for you to get here!"
He fired a few rounds from Ivory, and cut through the tentacles attacking him, "Unfortunately, I'm afraid that entry is prohibited beyond this point!", He shoved his sword into the devil's face, "I'm afraid I'm going to deny you passage!"
Eventually, Belphegor was forced back into the hole from whence he came, and the portal sealed up. Dante holstered Ivory, and slung Rebellion over his shoulder. Then he turned his attention to Brad and Angelina, who were taking care of the Mayor. "Angelina?" The Mayor asked weakly, "What's happening?"
"Don't talk, Father." Angelina said, "Brad, can you do anything for him?"
"I've never done a healing for such a huge wound." Brad admitted, "I'll try my best though."
He put his hands to the Mayor's chest, and the green glow began working its magic. Literally. "Do you…think I'll…approve you relationship…with my daughter just for doing this?" The Mayor asked Brad.
"Don't worry. That's not why I'm doing this. I just don't want to see Angelina so sad anymore."
"You…devil…"
"Sorry Mr. Mayor." Dante interrupted, again meaning the opposite, "But I'm afraid that I can't accept your job. Brad knows about, and understands 'love.' That's enough for me to believe in him. I only exterminate real demons. And only evil ones at that."
He walked out the door, leaving the unconscious Alfred to whatever fate Brad had planned for him. Sure, the low-level demon was a peaceful one. But Dante knew for a fact that Brad must feel some demonic urges, and his anger at Alfred was just the opportunity to let it all out.
--
The next morning…at Devil May Cry…
"Come on Morrison!" Patty whined, "Haven't you gotten it fixed yet?!"
"Yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah. I've almost got it. By the way, Dante…" He addressed the Devil Hunter reclining at his desk, viewing a photo that a certain new couple had taken, "I've been meaning to talk to you. It's great that Angelina and Brad got the Mayor's approval to be a couple, but I don't get how that leads to me playing repairman. My TV repair days are a thing of the past."
"Less talking, more fixing!", then the TV screen came on, "All right! And just in time for the rerun of the finale!"
Morrison chuckled at his own successful handiwork, "I'll be deducting the repair bill from your next check."
"Hmph." Dante snorted, dropping the picture of Angelina and Brad on his desk "Do what you want"
"Jesus! At this rate, it doesn't matter how many good jobs I bring you! You'll never get out of debt!"
After he slammed the door shut behind himself, Patty spoke up, "But you seem happy, Dante. Even though you're always whining that you never make any money."
"Well…" the half-devil started, "Sometimes there are days like this."
"I hope those two will be happy together." Patty referred to Brad and Angelina, smiling.
That smile was quickly replaced by a look of surprise. Why? Because the smile currently on Dante's lips radiated more warmth than the crater of an erupting volcano.