The thought process behind students joining clubs was a simple one. Humans have multiple types of activities that they have in their schools. One of the most important parts of being at Yokai Academy was learning to be human. So, having the students get involved with club activities was meant to help them learn how to be human. Thus the reason why it was pushed so much for the students to do so.

Many simply walked around and chose a club that interested them. Unfortunately for Moka and Tsukune...

"Why are there nothing but weird clubs?!" Tsukune shouted as he and Moka ran away from the throng of students. They managed to get free and stopped just outside the hallway filling group. Tsukune's hands went to his knees as he tried to get this breath back. Worried, Moka gently patted him on the back to comfort him. Tsukune thanked her while straightening up. His face was sweating from the stress of dealing with all the clubs that approached them. A spirit Photography Club that asked for nude pictures. A Chemistry Club that wanted to make love potion powder. An Acupuncture Club run by literal mummies. The only club that seemed normal was the Swimming Club, but he avoided it outright considering Moka's issues with it. Though it did hurt to skip out on seeing the pretty girls.

"Urgh, it doesn't look like it's gonna be that easy to find a club, Dante," Tsukune looked up but was confused when he didn't see the Teacher's Assistant near him. He looked around, "Dante?"

"He's back there," Moka pointed toward the throng of students looking for clubs. Tsukune turned around to see where she was pointing. What he saw was Dante walking through the sea of students while being accosted on all sides by various clubs. Including the ones that he and Moka had just run through.

Dante kept smiling but waved each one of them off, "Sorry, kiddos. Need to keep myself open in case Kitty Cat needs me. And I've never been the kind of guy to slack off on a job."

He did point some finger guns at a few of the clubs he passed by. They were upset but most went right back to trying to recruit more students. The main thing was when he started passing by the swimming club. As he passed in front of it, Tsukune and Moka saw the girl in front of the club's stand make her way to him. She got close and tried to throw her arms around Dante's arm...only for Dante to spin on his heel and dodge her. The girl blinked, head turning to follow Dante's movement. Dante wagged a finger at the girl and shook his head, "Now, now, young lady. You shouldn't just hug teachers like that. While it's a nice gesture, it is also inappropriate for this school environment."

She pouted, "I was just trying to get your attention, Dante-sensei. The Swimming Club is only for girls, but we'd love to have you as an adviser. I'd put in a good word for you as the Club's Captain."

She smiled, a bright sight that made multiple male students immediately decide to sign up for the Swimming Club. Dante, meanwhile, just shook his head with a shrug, "Nice offer, but I'll have to decline. Though it certainly looks like you got plenty of new people who want to join up."

He winked at her, walking backward while waving goodbye. The Captain continued to pout but her attention was swiftly taken by the other students who were interested in the Swimming Club. Once she was gone, Dante walked over to Tsukune and Moka. He stopped in front of them, "So, see anything ya like? I'm pretty sure that the club where they swing those wooden swords is open. Might be good for ya, Lover Boy."

Tsukune looked away from Dante and shook his head, "I...don't think so. I wasn't able to find any...normal clubs. What about you, Moka?"

Moka placed a finger on her chin and hummed in thought. Then she shrugged, "I want to go to whatever club that you want to go to, Tsukune."

Her beaming smile made Tsukune blush. He chuckled and rubbed the back of his head. But Dante rolled his eyes, knowing that the two were gonna go back and forth with this. He tapped his foot against the floor while looking around the room. He could remember the clubs but figured that most of them wouldn't interest the two teenagers in front of them. Especially since most of them aren't exactly "normal". Though considering where he was, expecting a club to be normal to a human isn't a good idea.

Dante smiled then walked around the two to put his hands on their shoulders. He looked down at them with a smile, "How about we leave that for later? Instead, let's head off while classes are out to get started on our little project?"

"Project?" Tsukune and Moka said in unison. Then Tsukune's face turned pale, "You don't mean-"

"Yep!" he turned the two of them around and started walking them away from the clubs, "Time to get back to training!"

"Hiyaa!"

Tsukune's right hook landed on Dante's chin. Dante...didn't react. While Tsukune pulled his hand away and started to hiss in pain. He held his injured hand while his arm trembled from the impact.

"Tsukune!" Moka shouted, running toward the injured human. She grabbed his hand and started to rub it with her own, "Are you alright? Do you need me to get some ice?"

"N-N-No, thank you though, Moka," Tsukune tried his best to smile through the pain. But his rapidly reddening hand proved him wrong. And the tears that were threatening to fall from his eyes. Moka noticed and turned to Dante with a frown on her face.

Dante's response was to shrug and sigh, "I didn't do anything there, Fangs. Hmm, figured that you needed some work, Lover Boy. But this is a bit more than I expected."

"W-What is all this for anyway?" Tsukune said while looking around at their surroundings, "And why are we back on the roof for this?"

"No one seems to come up here often, and it's wide open enough for us to do stuff like this," Dante spread his arms out wide to show what he meant. His words rang true. No one else was around and the roof was wide enough for all of them to move around in. He put his hands on his hips and spoke, "As for what all this is for? I'm tryin' to gauge what Lover Boy's current level is. Will help me figure out the routine he needs to follow."

"Level? What are you talking about?" Tsukune asked as he straightened up.

"I'll explain in a moment. Fangs, you're up next."

"Wh-What? Me?" Moka said, shocked that he even considered her.

Dante nodded, "You said you were gonna start protecting Lover Boy, right? Well then, you should start training. Unless you can suddenly dye your hair white on command. But something tells me that won't be happening without a trigger. Am I right, Silver Fang?"

He bent over and put a hand on his ear as if he was waiting for a response. Tsukune looked confused, but Moka grabbed her rosary and lifted it up, "Are you...trying to talk to her?"

"Yep. Figured she could hear us, but was too shy to speak up. So I wanted to give her an in," Dante explained as he waited for the Other Moka to respond.

The response never came.

Moka shook her head and let the rosary fall from her hand, "Sorry, Dante-sensei. I haven't heard anything from her since last time."

"You mean, when I pulled the rosary off?" Tsukune asked. Moka nodded in confirmation. Tsukune went quiet as he thought back to that Moka. The silver-haired vampire that had fought against Dante and Vergil. She looked like the Moka he knew, but her aura was totally different. It was oppressive. Powerful. Dominating. As if she knew she was the strongest creature in the world and didn't try to hide it. Not to mention her way of fighting meant that...

Tsukune turned away as his nose started bleeding. Moka didn't notice as she turned back to Dante, "So...I just have to...hit you?"

Dante smiled, straightened up, then gestured for Moka to come at him, "As hard as you can. Don't worry about little 'ol me. I may not look it, but I'm sturdy as heck. So, come on! Hit me with your best shot!"

Moka hesitated as she spread her legs out. Swallowing audibly, she cried out while dashing toward Dante. Dante stood there with his hands against his hips as Moka came close...then pushed him with both of her hands.

Dante didn't move an inch.

"Huh?!" Moka and Tsukune said in unison.

Dante dusted his chest off then nodded, "Hmm...I think I get it now. Listen up, kiddos, here's your TA Dante's Official Analysis Of Your Combat Capabilities."

He pointed at Moka, making her flinch back as his finger pressed against her nose, "You, Fangs, have the power but lack the will and technique. You can hit as hard as your other self...if you wanted to. Problem is, you don't have the guts to actually throw a punch at someone and hurt them. And even if you did, you wouldn't know the first thing about throwing a punch. You have no form, no foundation, and no skill with it."

"I-I-That's just cause-"

"Cause ya don't want to hurt anybody. Trust me, I get that," Dante held up both of his hands, "But if you're serious about protecting your friend over there, you're gonna have to be willing to get your hands dirty."

As Moka considered his words, Dante turned to Tsukune. He snapped his fingers to get the boy's attention then pointed at him, "As for you, Lover Boy-"

Tsukune looked up, worried about what Dante would say about him. But he figured it couldn't be that bad...

"You're even worse off than Fangs here."

STAB

"You don't have the technique, power, or the will."

STAB STAB

"Personally, if I didn't care about keeping you alive, I'd tell ya to just stand behind Fangs and let her do all the work."

STAB STAB STAB

Tsukune fell to his knees, tears running down his face from Dante's barrage of word shivs. Whatever pride he had before was barely holding on. He stared at the ground while a sad chuckle left his mouth. Moka walked over to him, poking his back while calling his name in concern. Dante followed and continued, "But considering I do care about keeping you alive, can't let that happen."

He stood in front of the two students and clapped his hands together, "Taking all that into account, I have come up with a foolproof plan to get both of you into shape. Fangs, you're gonna start learning how to fight with me. Don't worry, I'll go easy on ya so you can learn."

"O-Okay?" Moka said with a raised eyebrow.

"And as for you, Lover Boy?" Dante reached down and pulled Tsukune to his feet. He kept a hand on his shoulder as he smiled, "You and me are gonna hit the gym."

Kurumu stopped dead in her tracks. She felt her body tense up as she saw a familiar man slowly approaching her. Her eyes widened and her body began to shake. She dropped the basket of sweets she was carrying as every instinct in her body told her to run away. But her muscles wouldn't move. She was completely stunned.

She screamed internally as the gravity of the situation hit her. She had just gotten out of the nurse's room. Her injuries had only just healed up. She was hardly even done observing all the open clubs! Yet, here he was again. The same man who was responsible for putting her in the nurse's office in the first place.

Vergil.

And he was walking toward her with his head held high and shoulders held back. His intense stare was directed right at her. His sword was nowhere to be seen, but she had no doubt he could pull it out at any moment. She swore his footsteps were moving in sync with her beating heart. None of the students got in his way, most moving to the side to avoid him. He didn't even bother looking at them. He only seemed to have eyes for her.

Which only made things worse.

She stood stock still, a dear in the headlights as Vergil got closer and closer. He stopped when he was three steps away from her. She trembled before his gaze while raising one of her arms defensively. If Vergil noticed her fear he didn't let it show. He stared her down, his sharp eyes making her feel very small as she stood before him.

"Kurumu Kurono?" his tone was ice cold and sent a chill down her spine. She swallowed and slowly nodded, while her body trembled before him. She waited as Vergil continued to silently stare at her without moving. So much time passed that she noticed something. That he was...shaking?

His hands specifically. They were shaking. Not out of fear like she was but...something else? The revelation made her calm down somewhat, her arm falling a bit as she examined him further. The tense atmosphere remained and only grew worse as Vergil's sword appeared out of thin air in his hand. Kurumu prepared to run but stopped when she saw him crouch down and...put his sword on the floor. Then he got down to one knee and stood there for a while. She noticed that his head was still held up and focused on her face. He didn't break eye contact with her for a single moment. His face and body seemed stiff, while his eyes were filled with conflicting emotions. He remained kneeling for a few moments...then punched himself in the leg he was leaning on. That leg went under him as he got down on all fours then slowly, ever so slowly, lowered his head to the floor.

"I...urgh," he choked a bit as he spoke. She heard him audibly swallow as more students gathered around to see what was going on. They muttered to themselves but Vergil didn't pay them any mind. Well...she didn't think he did. Though the way his ears twitched suggested otherwise. He took a few moments to speak again, "I...I...IaskforyoursincereforgivenessforanypainIinflicteduponyouoveramisunderstanding."

Kurumu blinked, "Huh?"

Vergil winced and took a moment to regain his nerves. Then he repeated himself, slower this time, "I...I ask...that you...forgive me...for any pain I inflicted upon you...over a...misunderstanding."

Kurumu's eyes widened even further. A part of her wanted to take advantage of this moment. Of having Vergil bowing down to her while in front of a bunch of students. Humiliate him for what he did to her. Make him suffer at least a fraction of what she suffered.

Then she remembered how he almost killed her because she ruined his lunch.

Feelings of revenge were swiftly drowned by survival instinct.

"I-I-I do?" she carefully ventured, closing one eye as she waited to see Vergil's response.

The Head Librarian swiftly grabbed his sword, got to his feet, and then quickly walked away from her without another word. Students made to move out of his way, with a few watching him as he walked off.

Kurumu watched him go, not entirely sure how to feel about what just happened.

"Damn, can't believe I missed it!" Dante complained as he and Vergil walked through the empty hallways. School was out and the students had all gone to their dorms for the day. Dante turned to Vergil and scowled, "Why'd you go apologize to her without me, Vergil?"

Vergil held a book in front of his eyes as he walked, "It was meant to be a punishment. Not a chance for you to be entertained, Dante."

Dante threw up his hands, "Who? Me? Want to see my older brother on his hands and knees with his head on the floor for entertainment? Perish the thought. I just wanted to be there to give you some pointers and give you confidence."

"Hmph, whatever you say, Dante," Vergil rolled his eyes while continuing to read his book.

Dante lets his hands fall. His tone becomes more serious as he speaks, "But being serious for a sec? I wanted to see how far you've come. The Vergil I know would never, ever, do something like that. He'd sooner take someone else's limb instead of supplicating himself before somebody else. And would never admit when he's in the wrong."

Dante stretched his arms toward the ceiling, "Honestly, makes me feel real proud of you, Vergil."

"As if I need your approval for anything," Vergil snapped his book closed as he glanced at Dante, "However, the compliments are appreciated. And I suppose that apologizing to that Succubus was not so bad. At least she had the wherewithal to not attempt taking advantage of the situation."

Dante chuckled, "Oh yeah. That would've been a huge mistake on her part. If she thought you were mad before, she ain't seen nothin' yet."

Dante continued to chuckle as the two brothers made their way down the empty hall. Eventually, Vergil came to a stop in front of a classroom with a plaque saying "Art Room" in front of it. He looked up at the door, "This is the place."

"We here? Cool," Dante came to a stop next to the door. He leaned against the wall and raised an eyebrow, "The Art Room, huh? So, why are we here again?"

"I struck a deal with the Art Teacher. She is a Medusa, and wished to see one of us after school for her modeling."

"Oh, Vergil. You sly dog-"

"Do not start."

"I'm not, I'm not. So, we're both gonna head in there and let a woman oogle our bodies?"

"Not we. You," Vergil turned and walked away from Dante.

Dante pushed off the wall, "Wait, what?! You said-"

"That she requested to see one of us. Not both of us. And considering you are not doing anything productive with your time, I shall leave you to it. Good luck, Dante," Vergil didn't even wave goodbye to his younger brother.

"Now hold on a-" Dante was interrupted as the door to the Art Room opened up.

Ishigami stood in the doorway, smiling in anticipation as she caught sight of Dante, "Oh good, you're here. Um...Dante, right? Come on in and we can get started."

She moved to the side to let Dante in the room. Dante turned to see Vergil, but his brother was already gone. Muttering a "That son of a-" under his breath, he cleared his throat and turned to the Art Teacher. Putting on his trademark smile he snapped his fingers, "You got it, Slithers. Don't mind if I call ya Slithers, right?"

He stepped into the room, eyes immediately adjusting to the darkness. He quickly took note of all the unused canvases, unopened paint cans, dry paint brushes...and the two life-like stone statues in the room. They were replicas of female students, both their faces locked in expressions of horror. The only other thing he could make out about them was that one had short hair, while the other had long hair. Outside of that, they were nearly identical. He stepped toward the statues and leaned forward to examine them. He placed one hand on his chin and whistled, "These are pretty lifelike, Slithers. Mind telling me how you made 'em? Or is that a trade secret among you artsy types?"

"Oh, there's no need to worry," the sound of multiple snakes hissing followed Ishigami's statement, "You'll find out soon enough."

Dante felt something bite his other hand but didn't make it obvious. He nonchalantly straightened up and looked down at his left hand. A dark black snake had bitten him and had just let go of his hand. It retreated toward its owner, Ishigami, who had removed her bandana and was posing in front of the door. A multitude of snakes sprang from her head, hissing and biting at the air in a frenzy. She licked her lips as her eyes met Dante, "You see, Dante, I tend to collect beautiful things. And the most beautiful things in this world are destruction and my stone statues. I've already started my collection with those foolish girls you see behind you. And soon, you and your brother will join them."

As she began to laugh, Dante looked down at his left hand. Sure enough, his skin was slowly turning to stone. He could feel the appendage getting heavier and heavier by the second. Ishigami could only laugh as she watched. It was only a matter of time before Dante succumbed to her ability. Once she managed to bite someone with her snakes, it was all over for them. He would start panicking and begging her for help any second now.

However...

"Ha, neat trick," Dante's tone remained nonchalant. When he turned toward Ishigami, his gaze held no mercy within it, "Want to see mine?"

With a single flex of his demonic power, Dante shattered the stone that was encroaching upon his hand. The dust around his feet flew up as the force of his power fell over the room. The stone that was on his hand fell to the ground and shattered like falling boulders. All of Ishigami's snakes stopped hissing and retreated to hide behind her head. They whimpered as Dante's power fell over them all. Ishigami had stopped laughing. She was now trembling in fear. Dante casually walked over to her, pulling out Ebony and Ivory while clicking his tongue, "Tsk, tsk, tsk, now Slithers. You should know that teachers are supposed to protect students. Not treat them like your own personal art gallery. Those two girls didn't deserve nor volunteered for this. Don't you worry though. I'll be sure to get them the help they need. But before that..."

"P-P-Please," Ishigami fell to her knees and bowed her head in supplication, "Please don't kill me! T-Take me on instead! I'm a powerful Youkai! If you let me work for you, I'll do whatever you say! If we work together, we can rule this school! Mikogami won't-"

"Won't stand a chance against us, yadda, yadda, yadda. Heard it all before, Slithers," Dante pointed both of his guns at the back of the woman's head, "And, let me tell you, my answer is always the same. Never gonna happen. Now, just keep your head down and think of England."

Ishigami tensed up as her heart froze in her chest. She realized, then and there, that she was going to die.

Her hands curled into fists as she released her claws.

She grits her fangs hard enough to make her jaw creak.

Her eyes widened as the adrenaline filled her body.

"YOU BASTARD!" she lunged at Dante, snakes coming out to surround and attack the Son of Sparda all at once.

Dante aimed both of his guns at her open mouth.

"Jackpot."

BANGBANG!

Vergil halted in his tracks.

Then he shook his head in annoyance, "Urgh, damn it, Dante."

Mikogami shot from his seat, hand going to his Holy Lock. He whipped his head in the direction of where Dante's release of power had come from. Sweat fell from his brow as he audibly swallowed the spit that had gathered within.

"That-That's just one of them? Then...then they weren't kidding," Mikogami slowly sat back down, arms trembling as his mind raced with a single question.

What the hell are those two?

Kaneshiro and Kiria turned their heads in the direction of the Art Room.

"Kiria, do you feel that?" Kaneshiro asked, his grip on his pencil becoming so hard it snapped in between his fingers.

"Kaneshiro," Kiria lifted a shaking hand to his face, covering up one of his eyes and half his smile, "I'm pretty sure I can taste that."

Sorry it's been so long guys. I've recently got a new laptop that should, hopefully, let me write more often than I usually do. So, hopefully, I can start getting more chapters out.

Review Replies:

abed7143: I don't hate Vergil. But this is kind of part the whole "Character Development" thing. Yeah, he wouldn't kneel to someone that he thinks is a fucking bastard. But fact of the matter is that this isn't him standing up to a Demon Lord that killed his father and fucked over his family. This is him apologizing for hurting a High School Girl because she ruined his lunch. As bad as Kurumu was acting, the worse she could do was injure Tsukune and Moka at the time. And that's if Dante didn't get involved, cause there's no way she could hurt him. Meanwhile, Vergil nearly killed her.

The whole point of this is to represent how Vergil's experiences from the end of DMC 5 have changed him. How, while he's still have elements of his old self, is trying to be a better person. It's not easy, it's not gonna happen instantly, but it's happening. And I want to show that off. Plus, Dante has always liked humans. Yeah he recognizes that they can be assholes, but he's never once said that he hates them. The name of his business literally represents that. "Devil May Cry" means "Humanity within Devils" cause in the DMC universe, crying is a thing only humans can do. Demons would never feel sad over the deaths of their kind. Humans can. And do. Demons that DO cry because of that have humanity in them. And Dante would helped them. Like how he helped that one Demon and Human couple survive in the anime (not the new one coming out).

That's really the only one I can think to reply to. Everyone else, thanks for checking out the fanfic! Hope you enjoy!