Hello dears:D

So I decided to make this a story told in small chapters, leading to a romance:D

A big thank you for all the comments aaaand a little announcement:

Patty is, in my story, fifteen years old in the first chapters. However, it is declared on some Fan made Pages that she is eight in the anime and that seems, at least to me, a little bit unfitting.

It is wrong anyway like kind emeraldd30 told me - thank you very much again:)

Dante is about 28/29 in the Anime and she is around 11-12 years (In episode 10/11 her real mother says she's orphaned her about 10 years ago when Patty was 1 or 2 years old). So, in short: there is a time gap of only two or three years between this fanfiction and the events happening in the Anime (because the anime took half a year too). So keep in mind: She was 11-12 years in the anime, what's a lot more fitting for her and her character; she even talks about how to treat a girl in the right way and she goes shopping and all that stuff.

By the way, did you realize her embarrassed reaction when Dante told her he'd go out with her in ten years? This was sooo cute and the reason I love them so much. Or in Episode 10 when she points out that, even if she searched for a boyfriend, Dante would in no way be an option because of his lazy behavior - just suspicious she talks about this no-way-her-boyfriend all the time, non stop.

Okay, enough, enough. Also, I have put the last chapter and this one actually in one main chapter: Throbbing Heart.

This is the version.

My chapters in german language always contain around 5000 words and perhaps I will be able to create this one shots around the same length - one day. But we'll see!

Wish you the best ^_^

.-.-.

Throbbing Heart

I curse, piercing Angelica with the uttermost hate I could bring up - which was a lot in her case - and openly displaying it.
I know I shouldn't be so stupid doing this; provoking the girl and making my by now to be expected punishment even worse. But I couldn't let her say those - those things!

The girl with smooth black shining hair that reaches her waist, sends me a look of the same negative emotions but is better in hiding it from the teacher coming close. She knows how to behave - I do too, normally. If this day would have been like every other day, I would have passed Angelica - a very paradox name for the devil himself - without another word. I would have ignored her venomous pronouncements not giving in, not dashing into her, scratching her perfect face.

But today is not a normal day.

First thing in the morning: I overslept. Not just by ten minutes but half a damn hour. So I rushed into the bathroom, kicking off the pajamas - of course there had to be Mrs. Twiggles laying in my way - stumbling over my cat, bumping head over heels into the bathing tube and getting myself a good head ache along with bruises on my right temple, elbow and the side of my hip.

I was on the edge of crying but I did not. I'm no one who cries easily, mainly because I am proud and Dante hates weak persons. So I resisted the urge and walked - carefully this time! - taking a shower.

I had been out pretty long last night, way over midnight, assisting Dante on a job with a Devil in the neighborhood town. I have to admit I still am very useless for fighting but my talent is to get Information out of people anyway, especially since Dante is not really sociable enough to get anything out of anyone without threatening them to death.
So, yesterday I had to pretend being the sweet, lost girl in an unknown place, searching for her big, beloved brother. In the end it all went well, even though the Devil almost ripped me apart. Almost. As always, Dante had him under control too fast for any movements to be made and we got home around three in the morning with a winning of 1450$ and bills of 1125$ for the demolished Hotel bar.

At least we got a little plus.

He dropped me off at the apartment complex my Mom and I are living in and mumbled something about visiting an old friend before he drove off. And that's how I ended up way to late at home - luckily my mom is on a short business trip for three more days - and overslept.

And there I was, taking the shortest shower of my life, throwing on my school uniform, taking my bag and rushing down two streets without breakfast or anything. My heart was near to collapse, my breathing short and gasping when I finally arrived at the Devil May Cry.

I had a pretty clear plan on what to do - get Dante to drive me to school so I wouldn't be that late but it all went worse from that on.

I stumbled up the stone steps, through the jingling wooden door and was about to run into his bedroom above when his door opened surprisingly soft.

I had my mouth open, wanted to shout for him to get down and hurry up but froze the moment I realized it was not the silver haired half demon.

There was a woman. Tall, about twenty years, beautiful face, long black hair and a voice of pure honey mixed with milk. I knew because I heard her; her alluring, sweet words of goodbye she told Dante.
I was not stupid or naive and I already heard of some girls in my grade to have had their first boyfriends and some about losing their virginity to one night stands. I also knew that Dante is a grown man with a strong urge to flirt with woman.

But I never realized until this very moment, as she passed me with maturity and satisfaction displayed in her whole appearance, that Dante did have such a side. A side I didn't know, one I probably would never have if this had not happened.

She didn't even glance at me, not once. The 'child' did not gain her precious attention as she passed me, probably thinking I was a client.

The small girl of fifteen years, blond curls and blue, shadowed eyes, hidden behind a curtain of hair that was not even worth one look.

He had been the lazy, old, always in debt Dante. The one who would live in a messy place, feed himself with pizza - without olives - and Strawberry Sundays until a job eventually comes across to make his bills even larger.

And now this picture was cracked.
I have to admit, it was not the first. It was the second gap, the first one being the moment I stared at his lips, allured to touch them, just a week ago. I had forgotten about it - no, I had brushed it aside as not important, as a onetime thing of curiosity.

And then I stood there, lonely, paralyzed in the entrance of the Devil May Cry.

I didn't know this feeling, the tightness squeezing my heart that it hurt. Like it had been caged in a far too small jail.

"Patty? What the fuck are you doin' here? How late is it anyw- uuh" His voice was unexpected, the deep growling hinting at the fact that he had a head ache.

I didn't dare to lift my face. I simply turned around and left.

And that is how I ended up two hours late, with half uncombed hair, an empty stomach and a serious warning of getting detention the next time I would be so careless.

And Angelica, the to be damned girl that is a year older than me, had to choose this exact day to bring up this specific theme.

Her words she just spat out a minute ago still linger in my head like fresh wounds sliced with the rusted, jagged knife she loves to use.

Usually it doesn't affect me.

But today it hit.

Right into my heart.

Patty, little sweetie. You have a bird's nest in your hair? Or was it, by chance, a naughty night with your boyfriend?

She laughed, shaking her head, stroking a strand of black hair behind her ear. She spoke in a quiet but still aggressive tone, the words meant for me only. Every outsider would have considered it as a nice chat between us.

Owww, how stupid of me, Tweety. As if any boy would consider you as a possible girlfriend. I'm sure they don't even realize you're a girl. So what was it? A one night stand? A night in the park on a ben-

And that was the moment I hit her, putting the by now bleeding red wound on her cheek.

She looks furious and somehow I wish for her to slap me back. So that I have an excuse to continue.

I'm not aggressive or violent but her words hit me deep inside my chest.

It hurt. Hurt like this morning and I feel hot tears swelling up. But I suppress them. Not in front of Angelica, not in front of anyone.
The teacher has reached us by now - adding to the long list of bad things that happened today, it is the one that gave me the warning - and with a disapproving look he sends us both to the principal.

I hate this day. I hate Angelica. And the most I hate Dante.

My chest feels like bursting every second, throbbing in silent pain.

.-.-.

The Principal of this private school is usually a calm person, at least what I know of him from the day my mother and I were introduced to him. He was pleased with my well mannered attitude and gave me the permission to enter this school in the middle of the term relatively fast.

In general, he is a noble man in his fifties, wearing a proper grey suit and a black tie around his collar. And right now, he is not amused.

His brown eyes are narrowed and even Angelica, the beast sitting right beside me in front of the large wooden desk in the office of the Headmaster, is unusual quiet. Finally, after what feels like an eternity, he clears his throat and begins speaking in a strict, serious tone.

"So, Miss Morrison, Miss Lowell. What happened?" His glance wanders between her and me but I stay silent. Even though she said those things, it was wrong to slap her. It is never reasonable to hurt someone, whatever he may say. On the other side, Angelica knows I am a well respected student and she already got into a fight - though only verbal - with another classmate recently which leads into her being suspicious already. It means, we both are in trouble.
After a minute of no one saying a word, the devil finally finds her voice again and proves my security of her getting into the bigger problems apparently to be wrong.
She sounds vulnerable, young and incredibly hurt.

"Sh-she slapped me. Out of nowhere! We just talked and I mentioned something about my...my boyfriend" She even dares to fake-blush! I bite my lower lip to suppress the inner urge to strangle her. I repeat myself: I'm not a violent person but today is definitely the wrong one to quarrel with me!

"And...I- I didn't know she liked him too! And when I told her he confessed his love to me, sh-she attacked! I thought we were friends!" Her big eyes sparkle with tears and a sob disturbs the otherwise quiet office. I can almost taste the blood of my lip being bitten through. This is so damn absurd! Why would I like any idiotic boy in the middle of his puberty?! Especially one who thinks Angelica to be attractive with this rotten character of hers?

That damn actress deserves an Oscar!

At least a little bit of luck seems to be on my side because instead of punishing me right away, the Principles gaze drifts to me. He looks questioning, as if to make sure she was telling the truth. Obviously, she did not.

I am a little bit surprised by his suspicion but I take my chance.

"She lies." I begin, my voice heated but still under control.
"I- my day began horrible and somehow, everything went worse from this morning. I arrived at school pretty late and looked...not really good. She accused me of things I do not dare to repeat and usually I simply ignore her meanness but today I was so tired and I didn't think for a moment and then I slapped her what was definitely wrong and I know it."

I don't lower my eyes, looking him right into his, but I am nervous, my breathing short from fast speaking. Would he believe me? I shift around in my seat restlessly until he eventually releases me, writing something down.

"Miss Morrison, you may leave now" He does not look up but I see a victorious grin flashing her face as she stands and turns to do as she was told.

"After school you will sign up for detention, for the next two weeks to be precisely, Miss Morrison" His words are still in the same serious matter as before and I hear her cough, but remain silent, leaving the office behind with suppressed anger, I am sure.
At least a little bit lighted I sit quietly until he looks up again.

"Miss Lowell. I know Miss Morrison does not always tell the truth and I am also aware of her harassing other students. I believe you due to the fact that this is the first time I hear something negative about you. However, I cannot accept your aggressive behavior towards another student. You are suspended for today, your guardian will have to get you and you will sign up for detention as well for a week from tomorrow. I expect you to clear things with Miss Morrison and come to an acceptable understanding. Am I clear?"

I nod, head lowered and hands nervously playing with the hem of my skirt. He sighs, entering a number into the phone in the desk.

He calls my mother.
My eyes grow wide. My mother is currently not in this town, how should she pick me up?

To my surprise, someone picks up the phone. With a fast glance I read the number - her mobile phone.

They talk, I try to not listen to his short explanation but they seem to come to an understanding very quickly because he lays down the phone within a mere minute, nodding me goodbye.

"You may go. Your mother will send someone to pick you up at the front gate."

I follow his instructions, wondering how my mother's reaction to my misbehavior will be like. Will she scream? Give me house arrest?

I rise from my seat, heading to the large entrance door of his office, when suddenly his voice stops me for a moment again.

"I expect such an incident to not happen again."

There is no question in his words and I understand the clear message. If such a thing occurs again, I will have to deal with a far worse punishment than this.

As the door shuts behind me with a soft click I take a deep, refreshing breath.

Back to my mom's possible reactions:

I have no idea. It hasn't been a long time since I've been living with her, about two years and we never got any problems before so I am curious, nervous.
I walk the long, bright floors to the main entrance in a slow, thoughtful pace, hearing the teachers inside their classrooms lecturing and a few low whispers shared between friends but not paying real attention to it.

I leave the school behind, my bag swinging within my steps and wonder what to do now.

In my chest lingers the numb pain, the one I got distracted from while being with the headmaster but it begins to swell up again, throbbing painfully.

Maybe, I think, looking into the blue, paradise like sky, I'll just go to bed, leaving my worries and this stupid, stupid heart disease behind, never getting up again. Perhaps ordering a Strawberry Sunday, or two and sinking into self-pity, cursing Angelica in my thoughts.

Finally reaching the front gate and passing it, I turn towards the empty bus station and let myself sink onto one of the cheap plastic seats, squeezing the brown leather bag against my stomach.

I burry my head into it, blond, uncombed hair shutting me from the outside world.

The unwanted image is right in front of my eyes, displaying a half naked Dante - I refer his body to the moment I saw him coming out of the shower when I first met him - with this black haired model woman, arm in arm, lips on lips. It's really hard to accept and my heart won't stop aching.

I wonder why it is so painful to see the man I trust with my life without a second thought, with this extraordinary beautiful female. It doesn't make sense, after all I'm just Patty, the girl cleaning up for him, the one always beating him in gambling - okay, I have to admit this is no real ability - and the one who has known him for a few years by now. Yes, he had been away a few times - once even half a year! - but it's still a pretty long time in my opinion. So, there is no reason for my heart to react the way it does, is there?

I open my eyes again, puffing up my cheeks and letting a loose streak of hair flow in the wind.

And then, there is a sudden flash of understanding in my head and I know what's going on.

I am simply shocked. Shocked with the fact that Dante, my lazy, old, always in debt Dante, is a man which has a...a sexual - I shudder inevitably - side in his personality, one I still have to accept.

That is all, this is the cause of my strange reaction, this is the explanation for it! I don't know how to handle him because of this newly found facet.

Finally having found the answer, I take a deep breath and smile, happy to have solved the puzzle of my heart disease.

An unexpected hoot snatches my attention away from the victory of understanding and draws it to a flaming, dark red and absolutely unique Cabriolet that has stopped right in front of me.

Speaking of the Devil, there is the Demon Hunter sitting in the drivers seat, one arm loosely laying on the car door, the other holding onto the steering wheel. He's dressed like always, the red coat not hanging from his broad shoulders but somewhere on the back seats, wearing tight, dark pants with holders around the upper thighs - of course, his guns are inside - and a black, thin pullover showing off his trained body, the big muscles. Our sport teacher is a real fitness fanatic but his body is not nearly as well built as Dantes. I have wondered about this a few times but in the end I found the answer to be that the man in front of me is a Devil Hunter, doing all sorts of exercises for a long time by now and his job leading to a rushed life as well. He has to be trained as he actually is, it is a logical consequence - and maybe his genetics hold responsibility too, but that is a whole other thing to discuss.

However, his waistcoat, the one with the brown leather belts around his stomach, is not present as well is what I realize as I examine him unintentionally.

Maybe he forgot it in the bar he was last night, after he dropped me off.

I bite my lips, suppressing the wish to say it out loud and ignore the returning pain in my heart. Or the anger heating inside me. Instead, I rise from the cold seat and cross the last meter between his car and me.

"What are you doing here?" I ask, not able to keep the rage completely out of my voice. Fortunately, he obviously makes my suspension responsible for the bad mood I'm in.

"Hop in, Kiddo. I'm here to take you home. Got a call from your mom" He's relaxed, amusement and fatigue in his tone and not giving a damn about my - at least for me rude - behavior.

Of course he's tired, probably didn't get much sleep last night! I frown but do as he says, opening the car door and slipping into the seat. A thought crosses me, making me imagine the woman from this morning instead of me, riding beside him, flirting with him.

I push it into the far back of my head, pull the seatbelt over me and let my gaze drift into the exact opposite direction of Dante, who quietly drives off.

"What's bitten you?" he asks after a while, his voice lazy and not too interested.

Why do I do this? Why can I not look at him? What is my body doing, resisting my mind?

"Nothing" I answer, trying hard to sound normal.

My heart hurts. The woman's picture is in my mind and I squeeze my eyes shut, wanting to erase the memory of her leaving his room.

He says nothing and the radio is playing the only voice preventing complete silence.

"It's not what happened yesterday, is it?" he sounds a bit skeptical.

I sigh. Normally, Dante is the one wanting me to shut up and I'm the one talking about whatever comes into my mind. But today is not a normal day, like I already figured out.

He's referring to the fact that the demon almost crushed me between his slippery arms but he knows I don't care about it that much. Of course it's disgusting and I still scream if I'm on the edge of dying but I am used to it by now. And I'm always aware of the fact that Dante will rescue me in time.

"No" I won't make it easy for him and if I'm lucky, he will stop bugging me. It's not his style anyway.

He stops for real and I hate myself for hating it. Hate this feeling besides my heart aching, the feeling of disappointment.

I wanted him to ask further.

I'm on the verge of crying, confused with what I feel, what I want.

I don't understand my reaction to him, acting like he always does or the thing that happened when I was investigating his lips.

What is wrong with me? With my tight stomach, my aching heart, my eyes wanting to cry and my head displaying him with the woman over and over again?

"Why did you come pick me up? I mean, It's not like you like driving me around" I ask, wanting to avoid more thoughts coming up, more questions to be made by my own brain, questions I am unable to answer, I do not want to answer because I fear the result deep down inside me.

Dante would never pick me up for no reason. Once I asked him to, nearly three months ago. I had sprained my ankle throughout our sports festival, running like a possessed for victory in the competition of our relay - honestly, I didn't care that much but Angelica had been my opponent.

I stumbled and in the end, I limped. My mother had been busy and not accessible, so I called for Dante. He had dared to hang up on me, even joking about my poor condition and clumsiness so a nice teacher sent me home.

"Of course not. I'm paid by her and who am I to turn down a job where I get a hundred dollar for driving a noisy kid home" He yawns with widely open mouth and I cramp, feeling hurt.

"I'm not a kid!" I yell, furiously throwing my head to him for the first time during our ride.

I want to continue, lecturing him about me not being a child anymore but the expression in his deep blue eyes prevents me from doing so. They sparkle with soft amusement and I suddenly get that he's making fun of me. Not in a bad way, he only wants to improve my mood and despite my own anger, he is successful. I cross my arms over, not capable of denying the small smile on my lips.

"No, young lady, a kid wouldn't be as irreverent as you are. It's not my fault for you having your red days."

My face turns bright red - what if he's right, doesn't mean a thing! - and in a reflex action, I smash my bag right into his damn, handsome, provoking face.

He laughs, deep voice shaking with amusement and I say some things to him, to make him embarrassed as well. I don't succeed and after he drops me off, I don't know what I had said anymore.
My heart doesn't ache as much as before, is the first thing I realize when I enter our apartment. He may have shared a few very intimidate moments with her but I am still the one chatting with him almost every day, laughing and fighting with him. I'm not as meaningless to him as she is and that is what calms my hurt feelings, at least a bit.

In the end, I cannot deny my changed feelings for Dante but I still am too frightened of the unknown to accept them in what they mean. There is something new, something I have not experienced yet, what makes my mind run crazy and hating to see Dante do certain things.

But I fear them, pushing them back as strong and far as I can.

It would be doomed to fail anyway, after all he's still Dante.

Dante, who sleeps with black beauties, drinks too much, eats only Pizza without Olives and Strawberry Sundays and tends to make his debts rise with each job.

The one I was tempted to touch just a weeks ago, not catching my propulsion.

Just my Dante who confuses me so much I can't think straight anymore.

.-.-.