Dante opened his eyes to feel a gentle hand on his own. He looked to see Akira lying on the ground breathing slowly and what he also took sight of was a small creature cautiously looking at him with crimson eyes and wings that covered it's entire back, making him realize it was a dragon. It looked different from the that was with Annabelle and Vergil. The dragon finally stretched it's wings and said, "Well, I see your awake. She's been out for awhile" Dante slowly stood up and rolled Akira onto her back and saw her circlet gem was glowing brighter as he said, "Unless you want to die, dragon, you might want to flock off" The dragon let out a snort and said, "I have a name and it's Nina. My name happens to mean 'fire' for your information"

Dante ignored Nina as he watched Akira slowly open her eyes as he smirked and said, "Morning, Sleeping Beauty, I was 'bout to kiss ya to wake you up" That comment made Akira shoot upward and blush a dark red while Dante bursted into laughter as Nina said, "Men, they love to play with a woman's emotion, whether demon or human" Akira looked at Nina and said, "You must be my dragon that Sedna told me about" "Ahh, that lad's been telling ya 'bout me, eh", Nina said, making Akira reply, "He only asked me where you were" Dante stopped laughing as he stood up and Akira did the same; she suddenly remembered what Annabelle did and that she fell off the tower with Vergil and that crazy bald guy Arkham. 'Vergil must've convinced her', Akira thought as she clenched her fist, 'He's going to pay'

Dante noticed her expression and gently placed a hand on her shoulder and said, "Babe, it's alright. What happened wasn't your fault" "How could she do that? We're friends", Akira cried as Nina cut them off saying, "The only way to find out if she's still your friend is to jump down the tower and follow them" Dante gave a quick smirk and picked Akira up as she yelped, "H-hey! What are you-AHHH!" Dante jumped off the tower with Akira screaming, cursing, and holding onto him for dear life with Nina following them close behind. Dante began shooting at the Bloodgoyles that attack them while Akira kept her eyes closed, waiting for imminent death, but it never came as she opened her eyes to see the wind flying and Dante holding onto her waist with one arm and another holding Rebellion in his hand; Akira admitted the way they were it felt like something out of a superhero movie until a gigantic demonic whale swallowed them whole.

Lady scanned the area she was around. She already hated the demon in the red trench coat for trying to flirt and there was that girl with him. Was she a human under a spell he put on her or was she a demon herself? All of these thoughts had her distracted until something nearly crushed her, making her stop and cover her eyes and once the dust settled she saw a gigantic demon in front of her. She couldn't tell if it was alive or dead as she slowly approached it when it's eyeball began to pulse with blood coming from it. She quickly raised her gun, ready for anything when out came the red-demon and his female accomplice, both covered in blood with the girl yelling at him, "Dante I swear that attitude of yours is going to get that sword shoved up your ass! Now I'm covered in blood because of you!"

She stormed off as Dante wiped himself off the blood that got all over him. He was definitely getting a shower once this was over as he noticed something written in what looked like blood saying, "Welcome!" He automatically knew it was that Jester as he said, sheathing Rebellion, "So this is the next stage" He began to walk off when he heard Lady say, "Wait!" He and Akira, who was already on the stairs, stopped as Dante said, "If you're asking for a date...forget it. 'Cuz I'm making it a point not to go out with women who shoot me in the head!" "Date a demon?", Lady mocked, "I'm not that desperate. Besides, I really don't care for guys who already have girls and stink like blood" Akira snickered that the "stink like blood" part as Dante smelled himself before he said, "Your right" He drew Ivory and shot behind Lady as she did the same, causing them to stand back-to-back as they shot at demons attacking them. "So tell me", Dante said, "What's your name?" "I don't have a name", Lady replied

"Ok, then what should I call you?"

"I don't care! Whatever you want!"

"Whatever, Lady"

Dante leaped from the circle, missing a scythe by mere inches and landed beside Akira and Nina yelling to Lady, "We'll leave this to you! 'Cause we can't miss the party!" He gave her a kiss by using two fingers and hurried through the doors with Akira and Nina behind him as Lady muttered, "Who counted on you anyway?"

They went from room to room until they made it to room that made Akira uneasy; it looked like it was covered in webs and unknowing to her, a spider/praying mantis demon was behind her. It suddenly shot out a webbing, covering Akira from her neck to her thighs and making her panic and scream, "Dante! Help me!" Dante quickly drew Rebellion and attacked the demon, killing it and the other demons like it while Akira began to hyperventilate because of her arachnophobia and once the last was killed, Dante hurried to get the web off of her. Once he was done, he quickly checked her for injuries while saying, "Babe, you need to breathe slowly. Calm down" Akira eventually calmed herself and began to breathe a little slower when tears fell from her face; she sat up and wrapped her arms around him, crying, "I was so scared. I froze up and panicked"

Dante wrapped his arms around her and gently shushed her as Akira clutched his coat and continued to cry into his chest and said, "I wanna go home!" Dante's eyes gazed on her when she said it, making him hug her more and after a short silence he said to her softly, "Ya know, you could stay with me. You could have a home with me" Akira looked at him and her eyes widened while she breathed, "Dante, I-" "You don't have to say anything, babe", he says, "Besides, a sweet, cute, and occasionally feisty girl like you...I'll take care of you" Akira felt her face get hot in an instant as she thought, 'St-stay? With Dante? I-' She fainted and Dante let out, "Why did this happen to me?" He tried waking her up but it was obvious she wasn't going to wake up, so he carried her on his back when he heard, "W-what happened?" He didn't have to answer as Akira groaned, "I fainted again didn't I?" Dante nodded and said, "Yes you did babe" Akira sighed and just stayed on Dante's back with Nina flapping her wings behind them when they all heard a laughing child echoing in the hall, making the half devil stop and look around as he let Akira slide off his back.

Akira followed the sound to a door with laughter from the other side; she cautiously placed a hand on the doorknob as her breath began to become shaky. She opened the door and it showed a park with a woman in her mid-thirties with dark hair sitting watching two girls that Dante realized was Akira and Annabelle; the woman looks up and smiles seeing the two playing but what caught her attention was a white van and a man in a mask held a gun, making the woman say calmly and serious, "Girls, you need to run"

They looked at the woman with confusion as she said for them to run again, and this time the girls ran. "Run girls! Hurry, whatever you do, don't look back and don't come out of hiding" To Dante, it was déjà vù but it wasn't him and his brother, it was Akira and he saw two more men in masks jump out as the woman yelled, "Stay away! Get away from me!" The first one with the gun only fired the gun almost killing the woman instantly as he saw the young Akira and Annabelle run, making him follow. Akira, Dante, and Nina found themselves in front of a house as the young girls run inside as the three of them did the same before the door closed; young Akira panted and said, "Mother, we-" she froze, not seeing her mom nowhere in sight, making the little girl cry, "M-Mommy?" Akira felt tears fall from her face not seeing her mom not home with them. Annabelle whispered to her, "Akira, come on. Your mommy is probably on her way here"

Then there was a knock at the girl's door and a familiar voice say, "Akira are you there?" Akira cautiously opened the door and there was a young man in his teens with dirt blonde hair and blue eyes that had concern and worry as he asked, "Girl, are you ok? Is your mommy home?" Akira still had tears fall from her face when a man in his twenties say, "The police just got called to the park. It's her. Lauren got shot" The teenager looked at the man and said, "I'll stay with the girls" After a few hours, the teen was able to bring Akira and Annabelle to the hospital where a woman with light blonde hair that held Lauren's hand and she saw her four year old daughter who was trying to hide her sadness and worry as the teen and the blonde haired woman left the room while Annabelle asked the blonde, "Is Akira's mommy gonna be ok, momma?" As soon as the curtain closed, Lauren looked at her daughter and said with a small smile, "It's ok Akira. Mommy's going to be alright" Akira looked at her and asked, "Why would someone hurt you, mommy?" Lauren felt a sharp pain in her body and said, "Listen real close, baby. Those people were...bad men and they weren't after you but me. You see...I had a bad past but I left it behind to raise you and now I have to pay the price" "What are you saying Mommy?", Akira asked, "Are you going to be an angel?" "Yes, but listen", Lauren said with a bit more seriousness in her voice, "I talked Annabelle's mother into letting you stay with her family until you were old enough to live on your own. Just know I never regretted in raising you" Her breath was growing weaker as she said, "Be brave my sweet Akira. I will always love you" And with that, the woman breathed her last breath and died; Akira cried as doctors tried to revive the woman, but it was too late. A few weeks later, the funeral for Lauren Bloodgrave went on as people who knew her and family, including Akira, showed up while the preacher went on about how kind Lauren was and after he said a verse from The Bible, Lauren's casket was buried.

Dante looked at the Akira that stood beside him as she softly cried and whispered, "Don't worry mother, I will be. Rest in peace" They left the room and Akira's legs gave out and she fell to the floor in tears, and after awhile she wiped the tears away as she stood up and turned to Dante and Nina saying, "I can't just sit here and cry. I'll help you fight your brother and Ann. I have to save her from Vergil" Dante smirked and said as he patted her shoulder, "There's the feisty side of you, babe! I love that side of you" Akira hugged Dante, and it threw him way off guard as she said, "Thank you, Dante" With that, Akira looked at him and he could see how beautiful her emerald eyes were; he felt like he was looking at a gem as he slowly lowered his head and before they knew it they kissed. This kiss felt different from the last as Akira felt Dante try to deepen the kiss and she let go and said, "Dante, we need to keep going. We have to stop Vergil and Annabelle" As much as Dante wanted to keep going with the kiss, he knew she was right as he said with a slight pout, "Alright, babe. We better save your friend and stop my brother" With that, they ventured forward, ready to fight any demons in their way.