Rays of sunlight made themselves known in a small shop a few miles away from Fortuna. Golden light twinkled through beige blinds that were hung over the windows, purposefully placed there to block out the day. But the sun did not give in, and she spread her glowing fingers through the gaps, blazes of yellow and bright orange separating shadow from image throughout the shop.

In all fairness, it was quite a nice place. The usual things were all present; the desk, an occasion registry book here and there, a couple of chairs, and a phone. But the other little details seeped secrets to any intruder, giving away a couple of facts about the person who owned this shop.

A large juke-box rested in a corner, nothing but rock music available on its menu. Where those occasion books scattered the window panes and laminate desk, pizza boxes lay upon their covers, suggesting laziness rather than intellect. And if one took a peep through the arch leading to the back room, one would see a large pool table and refrigerator, covered in magnets that read such messages like "a lap-dance a day keeps sexual frustration at bay."

But still, there was nothing to suggest that the shop was not open for respectable business. Though, however, it was very empty…

However, if anyone had been present in the main room of the shop, they would have heard a high, grumbling roar of a motorcycle approaching on the outside street. The sound of hot, skidding wheels screeched as the bike came to an abrupt halt, and a few seconds later, the bell to the shop screamed for attention, and the locked door rattled as the being on the other side shook the handle vigorously.

No answer.

A deafening fist then pounded the door, reassured due to the sign that read "open".

Nada.

A loud sigh came from outside, before the door was forced aside impatiently, the lock sounding with a broken crack, the bell above chiming happily.

Footsteps disturbed the quiet shop, echoing off the wood. They soon came to a halt, as the being surveyed their surroundings closely.

The intruder was a young man, around the temperamental age of nineteen. His long legs were enveloped in a pair of black pants, a weapon harness adjusted around his hips and thighs, holding a silver pistol in a holster. His torso was encased in a black t-shirt, with a red hoodie over it. Two swords were strapped to his back, one rather large one with a complicated handle which was attached to a mechanism, and the other was a katana, its blade hidden since it was sleeping soundly in its sheath.

The young man's face twisted a little, thinking to himself. His eyes were unreadable since they were shielded by a pair of black sunglasses, and his silver hair contrasted with the colour, hanging down over his forehead.

"Where the hell is that guy? So much for open business…" The youth muttered to himself, sniggering somewhat as he placidly set himself down behind the desk, threw off his sunglasses, and helped himself to a piece of cold pizza.

He pulled a magazine towards him, opening up the cover curiously. He flipped the page, before ceasing to chew and gulping down quickly.

Page 3 girl…

"Uh, so Dante…" he whispered, continuing to flick through the magazine while munching on his pizza. A few minutes went by before he heard a cough come from the floor above him, followed by an upstairs door banging open, and the heavy sound of a body descending the stairs. His eyes shifted to the banister, waiting for his partner to round it, and on q, an older man than he appeared.

The elder was combining a hand through his wet hair, apparently after taking a shower. He wore his usual pants, but his torso was shirtless, the way he always looked after a morning shower.

You would think that the elder might be surprised to see a young man with his legs resting upon his desk, reading his articles and consuming his food. But no. Instead, the elder only rolled his eyes and approached.

"I thought I locked the door…" he sighed raising a brow at the youth, who returned his goofy gesture with a roll of his sulphuric eyes.

"Yea, well, if ya wanna keep me out, your gonna have to reinforce your locks." the youth sneered in a more playful manner, rather than a scoff. He eyed up his boss again, a little judgmentally. "And put a shirt on old man. Seriously, no one wants to see an old guys pecks, Dante."

The elder, Dante, smiled at his young employee while shaking his head, before pulling on his usual garments, followed by his signature red coat.

"Um…I don't think your gonna need that coat, Dante. Its like a hundred degrees outside. I left mine on my bike…"

"I always got my coat, kid. Never know when the weathers gonna turn."

Shrugging, the younger jumped to his feet and picked up his sunglasses.

"So we're ready now, right?" he questioned lightly, Dante clearly able to see how impatient the youth was due to his constant fidgeting.

"Nope. Gotta wait for Lady." Dante murmured, pulling on his boots and fastening the laces.

"Who the hell…?" the youth asked, more to himself than his boss. But then he remembered, and a kind of grimace washed over him. "Oh…yea…the girl."

"Don't put your money where your mouth is, kid. Cause she could roundhouse your ass in a second, Ima tell you that now. One thing you should know bout Lady, Nero, don't piss her off. Hell, I should now. That dame is feisty."

Nero cocked a brow again before snorting, making Dante grumble lowly to himself.

Damn kid. Friggin insubordinate youth today…don't know nothing bout real women…hell, all he's got is that dang damsel who aint got the first damn clue bout self defence…

Actually, that reminded him of something…

"So, kid." Dante broke through the awkward silence that he had created. "How's your gal taking all this? I mean, your both living together now, so doesn't she get a little pissed with you? Always working outside of Fortuna and all?"

Nero waved a hand impassively, a bored look on his face.

"Nah, it doesn't really bother her. I prefer it this way, 'swell…"

"Why? From where I'm standing, that doesn't sound like your relationship is very solid…"

"No, it is." Nero insisted, a little agitated. "Its just…Kyrie's got these…ideas."

Dante grunted lowly, moving from fold to stand.

"Like?"

"Well…she wants…more, if you get me. More out of our relationship."

Dante cocked his head. It seemed he was missing the point. He himself was not an expert on the 'female mind'. He could just about manage with Trish because she was pretty much a clone of him, only the female version. And he had learnt to deal with Lady since he had been forced to take the time needed to listen to her problems years ago. Still, her temper could be a burden, even to this day…

"More as in?" Dante remained clueless.

Nero pouted, pacing a few times before he answered.

"Kyrie wants…a family. She wants kids, and marriage, and the whole deal. And…I'm not really ready for that kind of commitment."

Dante could not help but laugh. Honestly, the kid's words were bullshit.

"Oh, c'mon kid! You risked your life for the girl! I think the whole "big commitment" ship has sailed! You've shown her that she means more to you than life itself; is having a family really all that bad?"

Nero looked as though he had just been hit by a train.

"Of course it is! Damn, Dante, I'm barley nineteen, and I hunt demons as an occupation! That's doesn't scream 'happy families' to me! What the hell were you doing when you were nineteen, huh? Cos I'm sure that you weren't raising no family!"

When I was nineteen? I was putting my best effort into stopping my brother from opening up hell…

The chiming bell above the door made both Dante and Nero look around, and Dante couldn't help but snigger as he saw the kid gawp a little.

A young-looking woman had just entered, dressed in a very customized kind of suit. She had no shirt under her cream coloured jacket, therefore a lot of her cleavage was on display, hence catching Nero's eye. She wore shorts that only came to mid-thigh, revealing a lot of leg, though her long boots came up to her knees. A humungous weapon that could even challenge its wielders size was strapped onto her back, and she shifted its strap more to the left of her shoulder-blade as she intruded. She too had a weapon harness entwined around her hips, three or so holsters on each side, even though she only had two guns.

Her natural shade of skin was perfect, not a blemish to be seen anywhere. Her eyes were hidden by a pair of brown-lensed shades, and her hair was cut into very stylish layers, ebony in colour.

She looked over at Dante, approaching confidently without flaw. Nero, however, still had not averted his eyes, and Dante took a step closer to him, elbowing him in the ribs.

"Well, well…" Dante sighed, arms extended in a jesting manner as the woman came to a halt, sagged her poise, and folded her arms. It seemed that she had already lost patience…

"Haven't seen you for a while, Lady. Not that it's a bad thing…"

The woman's lip curled, frustrated vibrations bouncing from her tempered mouth. It looked like she was trying desperately hard not to mouth him off.

"You owe me a lot of money, Dante. That last mission of yours should have been my rent…" she had a very clean voice, close-cut and clarified. It was rather narrative, yet soft and pleasant, despite the venomous touch that had seduced her words.

Dante cocked a brow, seeing open opportunity for a tease.

"Ah, rent? So where are you staying, babe? Maybe I could come over later and…you know…"

Lady opened her mouth almost immediately, no doubt in order to release a clever insult. But instead she stopped herself, picked up a hand, and waved it once, dismiss-fully.

"Shut up and introduce me properly…" she sighed, sagging her poise to the right.

"Fine. Nero, Lady. Lady, Nero. All done. Lets go…" With that, Dante retrieved his sword from behind his desk, strutting towards the door with it hoisted on his shoulder.

Lady looked over to Nero, and he could see a dark eyebrow arch from behind her shades. Something about her professional demeanour intimidated him, though it didn't show on his surface. She was just so strong-willed, it seemed, and the way she held herself made it very hard to be able to interoperate with her character. Usually, Nero could understand within seconds the little details that stitched together someone's persona. But it was different this time. This woman was an entirely new kind, one that he had not come across in his young life. She wasn't like Trish, who Nero had managed to stir up a steady relationship with. Lady was far more closed, and she didn't seem to be one whom talked about matters of irrelevance, unlike Dante and Trish. When Nero took missions with those two, he was sure to be part of a conversation, no matter what the situation. And the oddest thing about Lady so far that he had realised, was that she was not unconfident for such a kept soul. In fact, she might even be more confident than himself…her quick snide remarks and knowledge for business that Dante had informed him of told him that…

"Ignore him…" Nero murmured, taking in a breath, and offering her his hand to shake. As those words escaped his mouth, however, he mentally slapped himself.

Why the hell did I just say that? That makes me sound like I think I know Dante better than her, makes me sound arrogant…and she's the one who's known him for years, not me…

The woman only looked at his outstretched palm like it was some strange object, but after a little while, she unfolded her arms and took his hand into her own red leather-gloved fingers.

"That's how I deal with him…" she sighed airily, before snatching her hand back, and walking after Dante through the front door.

While scolding himself for being so ignorant, Nero rested his shades back on the bridge of his nose, slowly making his way outside.

He wondered what they had installed for him. Or rather, what Dante had installed for them…

He had known Dante long enough now to understand how truly…hard…he made things. Missions were never easy with Dante, and they excelled far beyond simplicity, even when they concerned matters that Nero could handle all on his own. For example, if there was a horde of demons that could be dismissed with a bit of raging ammunition, you could bet your ass that Dante would find a way to be so overly dramatic, that it wasn't even funny. Instead of just taking them out with Ebony and Ivory, he would go the whole damn way, releasing the shebang by bringing Rebellion out to play. Time was not of the essence in Dante's mind…for he would spend a good twenty minutes slicing and dicing…style, he called it. Fun, he called it. Practice, he called it.

And what did Nero call it? A waste of blood, sweat, and valuable time…

Though similar in many ways, since the youth had begun his work with the hunter, he had realized that they were both very opposite, too.

So, after all this experience, working with Dante over the past few months…he wasn't sure that today's task was going to be so easy.

Then again, maybe Lady would be able to make Dante less childish in the heat of battle. Either way, Nero supposed he didn't care. As long as he could get home in time for Kyrie not to suggest him abandoning his job to work closer to home, it was fine by him…

He hated the idea of working in Fortuna…

Even if he felt like Dante was sometimes a corruptive boss who made him lose time with his loved one, he would pick him over a dreary office job any day…

"Hey, kid, c'mon already!" He heard Dante call from outside Devil May Cry. He walked out into the blazing sun, which immediately began to bake his skin, before a horrified look heavily took him.

Oh…no way…

"Dante, get off my bike! You have your own!" Nero cried, approaching Dante heatedly, who was straddling his dear bike, inspecting the gears.

"Cant. It's broke." the elder mused with a cock of his brows. "Now stop being a little girl and hop on, Dorothy."

"Shut up, jackass." Nero growled, but abided by Dante's command, and jumped on behind him. "I should at least be able to drive my own bike though, old man…"

"Yea, well, I called it, so deal with it." the elder sighed, kicking the bike so that it roared furiously. And at the sound of the purring engine which followed, he wolf-whistled.

Nero looked about himself, searching the area…

"You ready to race, kid?"

"What the hell you talkin' bout now?" the younger asked dreamily, trying to find a glimpse of Lady.

Where did she go?

The opposing, thunderous sound of an engine made him start a little, and he saw an amazing looking motorcycle round the corner of the street behind him, Lady riding it at high speed. She kicked into further acceleration, and as she passed the unmovable Nero and Dante, reared the bike into a wheelie.

"Damn showy babe…" Nero heard Dante sigh as he held onto his seat tightly, the bike revving into speedy pursuit.

The wind ripped through their hair as they went, combing strands and locks into ever-changing styles as the mileage clock's dial swivelled to the right.

"Hey, Dante, where we going anyway? What's the mission?" Nero called to his boss over the wind, eyes tearing due to the swift breeze that gouged at his sight.

"Don't worry 'bout it…Lady will lead the way."