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Disclaimer: I do not own Devil May Cry

AN: Well here we go, another chapter! I've written a few more chapters as well and I can say now that there is going to be more romance in this story. I didn't mean it to happen but it kinda did. So you can expect more LadyxDante smut in the future. This chapter, however, is action so hopefully you'll enjoy!

croaky - thank you very much! I'm glad you enjoyed it. I spend a lot of time revising the chapters I write so hopefully that helps make things flow a little better. Enjoy the next chapter!

EricDraven201 - I'm glad you liked it! Poor Lady never gets it easy! Thanks for the review!

KuteInsanity - I'm so glad you liked it. Action isn't my strong point so it's proving a little difficult, but actually this chapter was really fun to write. Lady action scenes are easier to write than Dante ones, just cos he kicks ass so much, it's hard to make them long. Lady, however, is only human and though she's strong it's good because you can have her life hang in the balance. I'm going to be introducing new enemies every chapter, so hopefully you'll like the next ones as much as the first. But yes, the scene is set for Lady and Dante. I think I'm going to have fun toying with these two. In any case, enjoy this chapter!

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MISSION 2 – DEMON MASTER

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The phone rang.

The receiver rattled.

But the phone might as well have been ringing at itself.

Dante was sitting in his chair, slightly tilted back, with his legs sprawled across the desktop. In one hand was a magazine, in the other was a slice of pizza that looked as if it was about to lose it's topping to the floor. He yawned, lifted the pizza and took a bite.

The phone continued to ring.

"Someone's persistent."

Maybe he should…just answer it?

No, it was either someone with a crappy job offer or Lady insisting that he pay her back the money that he owed her. Well, after today, she'd be happy. He'd finally gotten himself a job, though it wasn't for…

He checked the clock.

…Another three and a half hours.

So there was plenty of time to spare and four magazines to get through. The way he saw it was, if he was going to risk his life later then he might as well spend his time doing something that he enjoyed. Because who knew what day would be his last? What was that saying? Live every day like it's your last? Well, he was certainly doing that.

He finished his pizza, sighed with relief when the phone fell silent, and turned the page of his magazine.

Peace and quiet. He revelled in it, treasured it like some precious jewel. It was a rare occurrence, it always had been, and Dante was learning to love it. Of course, his peace and quiet meant no one demanding things of him and the juke box playing one of his favourite tunes.

He had to admit that work had been slowly picking up lately, or for Lady at least. She'd had at least one job every three or four days – which didn't sound like a lot but was far better than the one every couple of weeks. The situation was certainly improving but it was hardly enough to rake him in a fortune. He supposed that it was the way it would always be, unless of course he failed to do his job and the gates of hell flew open. But then, if that happened, he doubted he'd get paid for slaying them. But he'd do the job through the sheer desire to protect, though if anyone wanted to reward him he wouldn't say no.

But the reason why Lady was getting more jobs didn't annoy him. He knew the reason. She actively went out looking for work and was rewarded for her efforts. Dante preferred the; sit at your desk and wait approach. And hey, it usually worked. People had his contact, passed it on and they called to offer a job. However, if there were no demons causing havoc around the people who knew about his business then that meant empty pockets.

He'd come across this particular job completely by accident. He'd been in the bar a few evenings ago, flirting harmlessly with the waitress when he happened to overhear a conversation. The men had been talking about an unusual animal that had been stalking the harbour. People had gone missing and their bodies never found. The authorities had put up a reward for the wild animal's capture. Well, after delving a little deeper, Dante discovered that it tended to appear once a week, late in the afternoon. So, that was when he was going to pay a visit to the harbour and track down the shady creature behind these mysterious kidnappings.

After that, he'd reap the rewards.

It was true that most people believed demons to be nothing but mere imagination, or stories of crime hideously exaggerated. Only those who had witnessed a demon firsthand knew them to be real, though it was rare that anyone believed their odd stories. The authorities, however, had seen enough to know that they did exist and on occasion, had called upon Dante's services to exterminate the little blighters. Which was interesting, because usually they would have contacted him by now…

Either the authorities were lax in the area or the demon was so good at hiding the evidence that they had no proof whether it was a demon or not. It seemed silly of them, however, to assume it was just some guy up to no good or some mad, stray dog roaming the streets.

The phone started ringing again.

Growling with irritation, the devil swept the phone up to his ear. "What?"

"Dante? Well it's about time you picked up." It was Lady, no surprise there.

"Sorry, wrong number."

"Don't you DARE put that phone down."

"Listen, stop bugging me already. You'll get your money. I've got a job today."

"You've got to be kidding me."

"It's not that hard to believe. It is my business, remember?"

"Actually, that's the reason I'm calling."

"What?"

"I need your advice on something."

"My advice? Well now, I feel honoured."

"Are you going to listen or not?" He could tell her patience was waning and a smirk spread its way across his face.

"Go on."

"Just out of curiosity, your job doesn't have anything to do with these disappearances, does it?"

"How did you know?"

"Apparently there's a big reward up for anyone who can catch the one involved. I heard someone talking about it when I was out this morning. I don't think you'll be the only one going for the reward."

"Don't tell me you're going to try as well."

"No. I'm not a bounty hunter. I'm a devil hunter."

"But the marked one is a devil, right?"

"A devil with a bounty on his head."

"Don't they all?" Dante curled the phone wire around his fingers.

"It's not the same."

"Weren't you telling me just the other day that you can't turn down jobs just because they aren't your style?"

"This is different, besides, if I take on the job that means you'll fail and I still won't get my money." She growled.

"So, what did you want my advice on, exactly?"

"Well, unlike you, I managed to find myself a proper job." There was a smug hint to her voice. "But the demon's behaviour is…odd."

"Odd?"

"Yeah, this guy was attacked by a demon and thrown to the ground. He tried to fight it, but his hands and arms were cut to ribbons. Then just as he thought the demon was going to kill him, it stopped and calmly turned and walked away. I don't know about you, but I've never heard of a demon being merciful."

"It almost sounds like it was bringing down prey for its master, don't you think? Like with wolves. The whole pack hunts to bring down the prey but it's the alpha who eats first."

"But if that was the case, then where was the alpha and why didn't it tear my client to shreds?"

"Who knows? Maybe it wasn't hungry, or maybe it was too busy chatting on the phone."

"Yes very funny. Well since you were so helpful I'll let you get on with whatever you were doing whilst I was trying to call you." She hung up.

"Yeah, see yah." With a sigh he dropped the receiver back into place and opened his magazine.

Three hours and fifteen minutes to go.

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Three hours and fifteen minutes later, Dante was weaving his way through the labyrinth of back streets, head hanging and hands shoved into pockets. His red coat billowed behind him, snapping in the fierce wind that was being funnelled between the buildings.

He knew this city like the back of his hand; the shortcuts, the escape routes. He could navigate them with his eyes closed if he wanted. But that was just part of the job. He needed to know his fighting ground to give him the upper hand, to take his foes by surprise. And even though Lady was always on his case for being a lazy idiot, he knew it was just her backwards way of complimenting him. And in some ways he was lazy, especially when compared to the pains she went to for good work.

He smiled.

Lady was always so defensive, always trying her best, as if she had to try and prove something to herself and to him. Maybe she felt a little out of her league, being the only human in their team.

In Dante's opinion she was far superior to either of them, because unlike Trish or himself, her life was fragile. He could take a good beating and still be on his feet. Lady couldn't, and she knew it.

But he didn't worry about her. Not really. Dante wasn't the type to worry, especially when it wouldn't change anything. And, like himself, he supposed that dying in style was the only way to go for a devil hunter. Retirement was overrated.

The scent of salt water was carried in the wind and Dante lifted his head, gazing upwards. The city's harbour was unusually quiet. Water sloshed against the sides of gently rocking ships. Wood creaked and metal rings clinked in the wind. A few sailors sat out on the piers, cigarettes dangling precariously from their mouths. Deck hands busied themselves with carrying cargo, sweeping decks and making sure everything looked its best. A group of men, heading towards the nearest 'watering hole' clamoured with laughter. They glanced suspiciously at the man in the red coat as he passed by.

Dante didn't spare them a look.

He was watching the shadows, watching for any sign of movement. Any sign that he was being watched.

Nothing.

He frowned. Had he heard wrong? Tapping a boot heel impatiently against the kerb, he pivoted himself slowly around, watching for any signs of disturbance. Still there was nothing.

Growling with irritation, Dante slumped against a wall, trying his best to look inconspicuous. Maybe he'd already been spotted. If he tried to look as if he wasn't paying much attention, maybe the demon would make an assassination attempt.

After five minutes, he grew bored again.

And then a scream, a woman's scream.

He jerked into action, sped across the street, slipped into an alleyway and slung rebellion from his back. The sword sang through the air as he readied it.

The alleyway opened up into a narrow little street, full of shops that, when open, sold an assortment of fish brought in by the fishing boats. Now the street was empty, empty except for a woman stumbling down the street in sheer panic. The woman saw Dante, and all but fell into his arms, clinging to him as if clinging to her life.

"What's wrong?"

"M-m-m…" Her mouth opened wordlessly and she pointed back the way she had come, her hand shaking uncontrollably. "Monster!!" The word finally came to her and suddenly she was pushing past the devil hunter and scrambling away.

A second later and the 'monster' came scrambling down the street. It was an odd creature indeed. It ran on all fours, its hands heavily clawed and sharp. Its spine dug almost painfully through taut, yellow-hued flesh. It was like a small, distorted human, so twisted and ruined that it had become more beast than man. Its pink eyes bulged from its head and from its odd beak-shaped jaw flicked a long, pink tongue. It screamed and threw itself at Dante but it misjudged the distant and landed a little way from Dante's feet.

With a smirk, the devil hunter swept Ebony from its place and fired.

The bullet bounced off of stone.

Shocked, more than anything, Dante swung around, certain that the demon would be throwing itself at him again. But it wasn't. It was running down the street after the terrified woman, gurgling and cackling like some rabid hyena. It was moving fast. Surprisingly fast for something so vile and twisted. Dante raised his gun, shot, hit the demon in the hind leg and sent it sprawling.

It screamed, thrashed like an overturned insect and then righted itself. It leered back at Dante with it's huge pink eyes and growled.

Dante lowered his gun.

The demon turned and limped off.

"That's right. Lead me to your master."

It wasn't a demon he had ever seen before. But it certainly wasn't one of the greater demons. This one was nothing but a mindless minion, capable only of following orders from another. Sure it was fast, but it wouldn't be able to keep that speed up for long. No doubt there was something far more sinister than the scrawny little demon that showed itself now.

An explosion shook the ground beneath his feet, had the buildings quaking all around him. He glanced up, almost expecting to see the 'master' looming over him. There was nothing except grey clouds and a billowing funnel of black smoke curling upwards above the buildings.

"What the…?" He was off again, following the ashy-blood splatters left behind by the demon to guide him across two more streets.

Then, the air filled with the mournful call of the demon. It reminded Dante of a dog trapped in a noose, weak and desperately fighting to get free. What had happened now?

He rounded a corner and came to a sudden halt.

He should have guessed.

The demon writhed weakly, trapped beneath the boot of Dante's companion and rival. She stood leering over the demon, pressing the toe of her boot into its throat, all but strangling the pathetic creature to death. Her mismatched eyes glistened with a deathly glow and in her hands was Kalina Ann, its bayonet directed at the demon's heaving chest.

"I thought you said you weren't a bounty hunter."

Lady's eyes flashed up, focused on Dante's face. "I'm not."

"Well your standing on one hell of a bounty there." He pointed. "So, I'll take it from here."

"You've got the wrong demon. This is the one who attacked my client."

"I don't think so. That little bastard is mine."

Their eyes lit with understanding.

"Okay, so what now?" Lady's voice darkened.

The demon continued to wail under her foot.

"Call a truce? Team up?" Dante offered with a shrug, replacing his weapons to their rightful place about his being.

Lady looked undecided. "Split the reward?"

"No, you collect the reward from your client, I'll collect the reward from the authorities." Dante smirked. "What could be more perfect?"

"Okay, so what's the plan? You need this body for evidence right? Which means you need it alive else it'll turn to dust."

"That's the way it works."

"So…?"

"I'm planning to find the alpha if you think you're up to it."

She arched a brow. "Are you serious? When am I not up for a challenge?"

"Ready then?"

"Of course." And without another word she released the demon. Like a shot, the creature was off, tearing down the street.

"Last one there is buying the drinks for the after party!" Dante called over his shoulder, taking the lead.

Lady, smirking, raced after him. She was never one to back down from a challenge. Besides, she knew the city as well as he did. The demon had been running back to the harbour which meant that the master demon was probably slinking around there somewhere.

Even still, with Dante's unnatural stamina and speed, no matter how far Lady pushed herself, she could only keep up for a few minutes. And then she fell behind, weighed down by Kalina Ann and her own limits as a mere human. But, not letting it bother her, she slowed herself and slung the bazooka from her shoulder, readying it in case Dante was running into a trap.

The lesser demon, silent now so as not to attract attention, limped towards one of the bigger ships at berth in the harbour. It was at the very end, partially covered by the open sails of a smaller craft. Dante slowed too, waited for Lady to catch up with him.

"Well there goes any chance of a surprise attack."

"Come on, it'll be more fun this way." Dante grinned. "I don't know about you but I could do with the exercise." He flexed his shoulders experimentally then bowed to her, extending one arm towards the ship. "Ladies first." He grinned at the pun.

"Coward." Lady accused teasingly, striding confidently past him. There was no fear in her step, no sense of hesitation at all.

Dante, hung back for the briefest of moments and then followed slowly after.

Lady ascended the gangplank and ducked as she entered through the little side door that had been left swinging in the sea breeze. The ship was void of life but a foul smell hung inside. Lady gagged, brought a hand up to cover her mouth and nose. She knew the smell. Death, blood, decay, rotting corpses that she couldn't see but knew lay hidden somewhere. This was the demon's domain alright, but how could no one have known? Could they not smell the awful stench from the harbour? Surely someone passed by here! She coughed, felt her stomach convulse and struggled to keep herself from vomiting.

"Well this sure is a nice place you're keeping here." Dante called as he joined Lady in the ship. He wrinkled his nose and pressed his sleeve to his mouth. "Damn, you'd think they'd crack a window or something."

"Dante." Lady glared at him. "Shut up."

His eyes sparkled.

"I can't breathe!" Lady coughed again, pressing her hand firmly to her nose. "What the hell has been going on here?"

"I'm guessing a banquet fit for a demon lord." Dante replied.

A scuffling sound caught them both off guard and as one, they raised their guns, directing them straight into the shadows.

Then, the limping demon appeared, crawling towards them, gurgling and hissing angrily. Yet at the same time it seemed to be showing them the way, probably trying to lead them to their deaths.

"I think that's our invitation. What do you think? Shall we accept?"

"I didn't come this far to turn back now." Lady shouldered Kalina Ann and drew herself upright, though she looked a little pale in the face. "Let's go." And she led the way, trying desperately to breathe as little as possible. Her stomach churned dangerously, though she did well to hide how close she was to being sick.

Dante looked more angry than sick. He saw the empty eyes of decaying corpses in the fading light, saw the expressions of horror and agony frozen on the pasty faces. Dante tended to act as if he was carefree, that he didn't much care about anything, but in truth, he cared deeply about the lives of innocents. It was very much the human side of him, the compassion, the kindness that was so often hid behind cocky remarks.

Lady, smart enough not to let her eyes stray, was unaware of the carnage around her, though she could probably have guessed.

Maybe that's why she didn't look.

The demon had disappeared again, though it could be heard limping ahead of them, its claws scraping against the floorboards. And then there was silence and Lady slowed, creeping forwards now. She sensed the closeness of her foe, felt goosebumps prickle on the back of her neck. Her heart raced, she drew in a quick, desperate breathe and reached forward.

Her fingertips met with the firm panels of a door, which moved under her light touch. With an angry cry, she brought up a booted foot and kicked the door wide open.

The lesser demon turned back in horror.

Lady, watching it intently, saw it back up, cowering fearfully. But it did not cower alone. It huddled by the feet of a huge demon that looked as if it had been constructed from an array of different animals. It bore the muscled torso of a man and the head of an ox. Three serpent-like tails whipped behind it and from the waist down it had scaled skin and draconic legs, heaped with powerful muscle. A clawed toe tapped angrily against the floor, splintering wood.

Candles lit the room and in the centre of the room an ominous sign pulsed on the floor.

The large demon drew in a deep breath, dragging any freshness from the room into its foul lungs. And when it breathed out Lady could smell the blood in its breath.

"You, were you the one who wounded my servant?" The demon grunted, raising a hand to point at Lady.

"So what if it was?" Lady growled.

"Its useless to me now. I'll need a…replacement, if you would oblige." The demon laughed. "Humans are usually kept as cattle for slaughtering, but I'd make an exception for you. You're rather appealing to look at. You'd make a pretty little plaything." He growled deep in his throat.

Lady bristled.

"Trust me, pal, she might look cute but she's not worth it. High maintenance." Dante jabbed a thumb in her direction, laughing at his own joke.

The demon's head whipped around, large nostrils flaring, drawing in the scent of the new human that had been masked by the smell of rotting flesh. "You, you are not human." The demon cried, his small eyes narrowing to tiny slits. He shuffled forwards on heavy, clawed feet and rumbled deep in his chest. "You are the one they speak of, the one who is a mix of two." The demon continued. "You are Sparda's son!"

"Oh, so you remember his name but not mine." Dante looked miffed. "What is it with all you guys? I mean, you call yourself intelligent demons, but all you seem to care about it taking revenge on Sparda by killing his offspring." He held up his arms. "What's the point of having intelligence if you're not using it? I mean, would it kill you to have a bit of originality?"

"I did not come here to find you. I came here to make a claim on this city. You being here is just a pleasant coincidence. Now I can have my own farm full of human cattle and the head of Sparda's tainted spawn as a trophy." He smirked. "The name Remondis will go down in demon history!"

The minion at his feet screeched with agreement and the demon, Remondis, lifted a dragon-like foot and crushed it into dust. Then, without warning the master demon lowered his horned head and charged full force at Dante.

Dante raised his hands just in time to hold back Remondis' horns, keeping them from impaling him. The force of the charge had the hybrid sliding back until he was pressed against the side of the ship. His arms trembled but held strong, that was until the demon thrust its head upwards, practically launching the devil hunter into the air.

Dante span mid-air, Ivory and Ebony finding their way into his palms. He emptied the ammunition into the demon's back, landing neatly on his feet a moment later.

Remondis turned, snorting like an enraged bull. "You think your puny bullets can bring me down? A demon prince?" He charged again and Dante crouched, jumping at the last moment to get behind the demon. But this time Remondis' flailing whip-tails snapped upwards, cracking him across the chest and face and bringing him roughly back to the ground.

Blood welled up from a gash between Dante's eyes and a long bloodied streak appeared across his chest. "How about that? You learn quicker than I'd have thought." He pushed himself up onto his feet and loosed Rebellion.

Remondis threw his head from side to side, snorting impatiently.

Dante lunged, swinging Rebellion with such force that Lady thought it would split the demon's skull like an egg. But Remondis was ready. He angled his head and parried the blow with a horn, grunting as the shock of the strike rattled the teeth in his skull.

Dante swung again, forcing Remondis to back away from arm's reach.

Dante pursued and the demon cracked his tails around, intent on lashing the hybrid into the ground. Dante, ducked the first, leapt the second and only just missed being struck across the back by the third. He was quick but it had been close. Rebellion sang through the air and impaled the demon through the shoulder.

Remondis swung a fist and landed a mighty blow into Dante's side, sending the hybrid reeling across the ground. Then, with a tremendous cry of pain and rage, he pulled Rebellion from his flesh, freeing himself of the metal's merciless bite. Then, he loomed towards the half-devil with a laugh rumbling in his chest like thunder. "Is this the best you can offer me? Is this the power that made it into legends? Your father would have been disappointed."

"Go file a complaint to someone who cares." Dante smirked as he picked himself up.

With a mighty clamour, Remondis threw the sword from him and lunged for Dante, smashing through the wall of the ship and bowling the silver-haired devil into a room that had once been a cabin. Then, using his weight to his advantage, he pinned the devil to the ground and used a fist to batter him into the floor, splintering wood.

Three gunshots stilled the demon's strikes, momentarily taking him by surprise.

Dante, looking up through a curtain of blood, laughed. "Forgot about your pet?"

Remondis blinked and glanced down at the hole punched through his middle. And in a rage he swept around, turning to face Lady who stood positioned only a few feet away. She lowered her gun and gave the demon a haughty expression.

"You still alive?" She called out to Dante.

"Well if I'm dead, the afterlife is a real disappointment."

"Cover your ears." Lady warned, and in seconds she was heaving Kalina Ann into her arms, aiming her straight for Remondis' chest. The demon sprang for her, tails cracking wildly. One caught her around the ankle and knocked her off balance just as she fired. The missile whizzed past his head and punched through the ship's deck, revealing sky through the gaping hole and raining debris on their heads.

Remondis was hit across the head with a chunk of wood and suddenly he was falling, being buried by the debris Lady was pulled roughly to the ground, releasing Kalina Ann to try and wrench herself free. But already the ox-headed demon was finding his feet, using his strength to break through the chunks of wood. His angry little eyes fixed on her as he righted himself and drew his tails back into order.

"I will enjoy feasting on your flesh, human." And he took a menacing step towards her, shaking splinters from his ruff.

"Hey buddy, forgetting something?" Dante was on his feet and before the demon could respond he had grabbed hold of two of the three tails and was swinging the demon from his feet. Muscles in his arms bunched as he pulled the demon across the floor, dragging him around and using the last of his strength to smash him against the ship's side. The ship rocked violently and water began to seep up through cracks in the boards.

Remondis groaned, frothing at the mouth as he turned his head back to gaze at Dante. There was nothing but pure rage in his eyes and it trembled through his being. His breathe rasped loudly between his lips, his horns lowering defensively.

And in a futile attempt to gain the upper hand, Remondis charged. Dante leapt aside, dodging the demon's attempt at gaining an advantage with ease. Lady rolled clear too, wincing as the demon crashed over Kalina Ann, his feet missing it by centimetres.

And then Dante realised what it was doing. It was trying to escape back to its own world via the portal on the floor. His hand went to his guns as he raised them to deal the final shots. The bullets caught the creature in the neck but was apparently not enough to fell it. Dante hesitated a moment, wondering whether it was worth wasting bullets on a demon who was quite clearly defeated.

Lady, however, didn't hesitate. She had retrieved Kalina Ann and raised it, firing a missile into the room. It streamed inside and exploded a second later. But when the smoke had cleared the demon was gone. The only sign of his transportation was in the faint glow of the now destroyed portal.

Dante ruffled the splinters from his hair and stretched his back. It was only then that realisation dawned on him. His evidence, had been destroyed! With a groan, he turned an accusing look to Lady. "You did that on purpose."

"Did what."

"Destroyed the evidence. How am I going to get paid now?"

She rolled her eyes. "What about that?"

He followed the line of her finger to a broken horn lying on the ground. It was one of Remondis' great horns, far bigger than any ox horn in this world. With a triumphant smirk, Dante moved to retrieve both Rebellion and his trophy.

Then, spinning on his heels, he gave Lady a wide grin. "Whilst I'm gone giving evidence to the authorities, you can get the first round of drinks in. How does that sound?"

"What? Why?"

"For losing the race."

"But I reached the ship before you!"

"Only because I let you."

"Then that's your fault. You should have gone ahead."

"I would have won anyway, I'm faster than you."

"I'm not going to have this conversation with you Dante."

"Okay, we'll compromise. You buy the first round and I'll buy the second one."

"…Fine."

"And after that, you can buy the others." He grinned and before she could respond, he was out of the room and disappearing down the street.

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to be continued...