ATTENTION: I DO NOT OWN ANYTHING OF DEMON SLAYER: KIMETSU NO YAIBA OR DEVIL MAY CRY. ALL CREDIT BELONGS TO THE AUTHORS, CREATORS AND THEIR CORRESPONDING PARTNERS!
A Demon's Cry
[(2)]
"His sister, who is a demon? And you let her go! You idiot! Now she's slaughtered her brother! You gave a damn opportunity for the enemy to kill more people?!" Giyu fired his harsh outburst right toward Dante. It seems by the shocked expression on his face, he was equally aware that he messed up. The blame landed on both hunters as they mistakenly took their attention off the newly-transformed demon. Giyu hitched his breath at the sight before him. Dante equally couldn't believe his eyes.
"Well, I'll be damned…"
Nezuko.
It wasn't Nezuko.
Nezuko would never eat any humans!
Dante started to smile.
Nezuko spread her arms out in front of her brother, ready to take on both hunters. Despite being a full demon, she had full control over her instincts and mind.
Relentless growls soon died out as Dante put his weapons away and slowly clapped. "Oh, man. Isn't this something? Amazing! Bravo!"
Giyu on the other hand remained so shocked, he didn't even fire back at Dante.
"Nezuko!" Tanjiro smiled brightly as day. Nezuko really came back.
"I don't understand," Giyu growled.
"Well, let me put it into perspective for you ole pal," Dante smirked, stepping towards the brother and sister duo. "She's a miracle."
"That saying last came from someone who was devoured by a demon. When starving, a demon will feed on their friends and family. They are nutrient-rich. If I'm honest, Dante, I've seen it happen more times than I can count; and you still have a chore to do." This didn't settle too well with the swordsman. Plus, he just didn't want to hear the other 'miracle' anymore. Gripping his sword, he still kept it trained on Nezuko.
"Rrrrrraaaauugh." Nezuko flared in rage.
"Oh, well see! Now you're just antagonizing her. Didn't grandma teach you not to pick on people smaller than-"
POW!
Plunging both her feet into Dante's cheek, she launched him into a faraway tree before turning to her next target: Giyu
"Nezuko!" Tanjiro shrieked. Just as he thought he was in the clear, Nezuko set off for their attacker. If he didn't act fast, one or both hunters would end up killing her. 'If I don't do something to stop this, Nezuko could end up getting killed! I just got one of the hunters to hear me out! I can't lose! Not again!'
Despite the suddenness, Giyu concealed his amusement well. He nullified every attempt from Nezuko by evading her reach. Kicking up onto a tree branch, the swordsman waited till Nezuko leaped for him, quickly jumping over her. 'She's wounded and using most of her energy to recover. Clearly, her transformation drained massive amounts of her strength.' Reunited with the demon in moments, Giyu struck her chest with his palm and slashed at her neck.
CLANG!
Dante's sword halted Giyu's own blade, sparks erupting from the impact.
"Your face still has dirt on it." Tomioka hissed.
"We can't all wear makeup like you, Giyu." Dante eagerly smirked. "Plus, I think you pissed off the kid. Look behind you."
Giyu pushed off Dante only to dodge an incoming rock by the thread of his hair. "And you! Don't get involved. Gah!" Nezuko landed a clean strike to his body.
"HA!" Dante laughed, right before receiving a punch with his name on it. "Oooh- Right in the family Jewels…" Evading Nezuko, he could only think of ways to disable her, rather than kill her. If 'Miracles' like Dante existed, then there were surely more of them out there. Dante believed in this Miracle. He sure knew Tanjiro could use it as well.
Giyu backflipped to regain his posture and analyzed this foolish free-for-all. Dante wasn't making it any better. Rocks passed by Giyu, turning his attention to a charging Tanjiro. 'And now this one! Charging straight forward, driven by sole emotion?' "Foolishness!" Rather than strike him, Giyu followed with a similar palm strike, knocking the wind out of Tanjiro once more. "Stay down."
Tanjiro didn't abide. Rather, he grabbed a handful of snow and scattered it toward his adversary's eyes.
On the other hand, Dante kept dodging Nezuko like a parent playing tag with their toddler. She dove for his legs and he simply stepped to the side. Any attempt to lay a finger on Dante never even came close after her 'blind luck.' "Listen, I know you probably don't want to hear me out, but I have some questions. Have you seen a young girl like yourself anywhere? Short? Blonde hair? Named Alice? Before I ran into you, I heard she ran this way. Not sure if you've seen her."
"R-Raaaugh!" Nezuko kept lunging for Dante.
"I don't think I got that. You mind speaking up?"
"Raaaaaaugh!"
"Alright."
THWACK!
Dante delivered a Karate chop to the side of the neck. Quickly catching her, he carried an unconscious Nezuko back to the other angsty fighters. "Shame this couldn't be a snowball fight. I was working on my form all week."
Giyu and Tanjiro both faced the white-haired demon hunter.
He carefully laid Nezuko on the ground before crossing his arms. "She's alright. Just taking a nap."
"You caused more trouble than needed, Dante." Giyu sheathed his blade.
"If I'm wrong for protecting the Miracle, then I don't wanna be right. She did manage to get lucky; caught me when I was laughing at you. Look, she used her energy to recover from her wounds- sorry about that by the way -so in reality she was starving." Dante analyzed the after-action.
"Where are you going with this, Dante?" Seeing the other hunter smile was never an amusing occurrence.
But, to Dante, it always was. "If she really wanted to devour her brother, she would have. Yet, she protected him. Hell, she challenged us both believing that she had the drop on us. Speaking of."
"Eh?!"
Without looking, Dante caught the incoming hatchet; the blade a mere inch away from Giyu's face. "Eh. Eheheh! Eh heh heh heh heh!"
"..." A thankful Giyu just sighed. 'What the hell? The kid must have tossed it up behind a tree when I wasn't looking. He ran at me and threw snow at my eyes to keep me in position. He was willing to take me down with him.'
"I think it's safe to say that these siblings are different from others." Handing Tanjiro his hatchet and helping him up, Dante returned to Nezuko's side. He reached into his trenchcoat and pulled out a muzzle. "Hey, kid. When you get the chance, I wanna talk to you for a bit."
"Y-Yes," Tanjiro said, shocked. "W-What about my sister?"
"This will help her out. I guess you got lucky it's cloudy out. The sunlight would have turned her into a giant dust bunny. So, Giyu. You've been awfully quiet. I think this young man may have what it takes to be a third-rate demon hunter."
"Third-rate?"
"Second-rate if he tries hard enough."
Once the muzzle was tightened around Nezuko's mouth, Tanjiro held her close to him. He quickly sniffed out the tension between the two just from the silence and intense stares.
Glancing at the hatchet, then Tanjiro, then Dante, then back to the hatchet, Giyu sighed. He will never admit that Dante made more sense than he did. Little did Tomioka know of the man's true intentions as well. One would guess it was hard to change the world on their own, but it is possible to shift it little by little. "Fine then, Dante." Giyu then faced Tanjiro. "You want justice, kid? Do you want to make a real change and find the one who did this? In the mountains, there's an old man named Sakonji Urokodaki. He lives at the foot of Mt Sagiri. Find him. Tell him that Giyu Tomioka sent you."
"And Dante!"
"Not him."
"Aw."
Giving Dante one last glare, Giyu vanished from sight. It was truly mesmerizing. That swordsman was most likely at the peak of his human condition. Tanjiro could only scratch the surface when it came to imagining his training routine. Now left alone on the mountain-side, he and Nezuko remained with-
"Dante?" Tanjiro softly spoke up.
"That's me." He answered. "And you are?"
"Kamado, Tanjiro. I first wanted to say thank you. Thank you for listening to me. For hearing me out and defending Nezuko. Hopefully, she can thank you when she wakes up. If not, I'll thank you again!" Passionate about his gratitude, Tanjiro made it known to the young man.
"Hey hey, it's alright. Listen, I know how it is. Believe me. I can only imagine how today has been for you." Dante smiled. "You don't need to thank me."
"But I will! I'll thank you regardless!" The boy shouted. "Please accept our thanks!"
"Alright, alright! You're welcome! Aren't you lively?" The hunter chuckled.
Tanjiro nodded. "I know this may or may not be a question you get often. I apologize in advance if it sounds strange. Would you- never mind. We can do it ourselves."
Dante's anticipation tanked when Tanjiro revoked the question from him. But, Dante was willing to take a gamble on what the question was. Most likely it was him asking for help. "Make you a deal. I'll help you with whatever it is you need, then I'd just like to ask you some questions."
"You can ask me now!" Tanjiro insisted.
"Ok then. First, what else do you know about that pennant?"
At the top of the hill, Dante remained still while Tanjiro buried his family. Despite insisting to lend a hand, Tanjiro and his sister wanted to do the honors of sending their family off with one last goodbye. In the end, Dante assumed it was the most respectful thing to do. He didn't know the Kamado family. Plus, he never buried anyone's family before. Dante just needed answers from Tanjiro. Gaining his trust, little by little, surely was a good way to do it. Only then he could move on to his mission with a clear mind.
Nezuko stayed a fair distance away from Dante, keeping her eyes locked on him like a cat to a cucumber. Whenever he took a step near her brother, she took a step toward him. Whenever Dante backed up, Nezuko stepped away.
Shrugging, the demon hunter went to go peek around the wrecked home. Besides the floors and walls painted red, he tried to see if there was anything that could be of use to him. Maybe a clue? "So, this is where it all happened? I would be surprised if it wasn't. Just look at this place."
"Yes." Tanjiro huffed. "This is where I found them. There was a man in here as well. He was tall like you. Same color hair. He wore blue instead. I don't know if he was the one who did it. I couldn't see if there was blood on his sword. He also didn't smell like anything. Nothing like the smell that was there before. But, he was interested in the pennant I have."
Dante remained quiet through the description of this perp. White hair. Tall. Looked like Dante. Dots were presenting themselves. Whether or not they connected the right way was up to the demon hunter. Shaking his head, Dante stopped himself from tricking his hopes any further. "Well, that's a fine amulet you got there. Could be worth lots of money. I guess it was just someone who thought twice about robbing you."
"Maybe." Tanjiro dismissed his suspicions. "He just said that he could have taken it whenever he wanted. It just wasn't the time and place."
"There you have it. Probably some wannabe vagabond acting all tough. I would definitely find your local officials and put the word out so people can keep an eye out. I'll see if I can sniff them out. But, you're sure you didn't get that pennant lying around somewhere? Or your family?"
The young boy shook his head. "No, it was passed down in my family for a long time. Maybe a couple decades. My father's friend gave it to him. He said it was a gift of their friendship. I don't really remember the man. My mother would have known, but…"
"I understand. I'm sorry for your loss, Tanjiro. At least now you won't let this keep you down right? You got the old geezer in the mountains to see. He'll hook you to become a mighty fine demon hunter." Dante assured.
"Yes! You're right. I thank you for believing in me so strongly!" Tanjiro shouted.
Dante softly smiled, "No problem."
"Now, what else is it you wanted to ask me?" Turning to Nezuko, Tanjiro gently patted her head. "It's ok, Nezuko. We're friends now! See! We're all ok. You don't have to worry."
Softly smiling, Dante couldn't help but feel warmth at these two siblings. A brother and sister who made their situation work. They were attacked by demons and are now set on a new quest for power and vengeance.
Didn't that tale sound familiar?
"Yeah. I wanted to ask which is the fastest way to Tokyo. I have unfinished business to attend to. More like a search and rescue." He proudly proclaimed.
"Search and rescue! Of who?!" Interested, Tanjiro faced the taller teen. He remembered Dante was an active demon hunter. Despite proclaiming independence from the corps, he still got the work done. Maybe he had an inside scoop as well.
"A little blonde girl named Alice. The tale goes she was lured out of her village and into the big city by a demon. The demon wants to take something from her that should only be taken by the man she wants to marry." Time was of the essence, but if Tanjiro had valuable info, that would be a great asset.
"How terrible! Demons are capable of so much more? That's just awful! Uhh, Tokyo is east of the mountains! It's usually about a day and a half on foot. You should probably-"
"Thanks. That shouldn't be a problem. I should probably get moving. If I ever run into you again, you better have a few kills under your belt. That will tell me you took my offer seriously." The offer was one that many were able to take. Becoming a demon slayer though was not for everyone.
Tanjiro took Dante's words, igniting his own spirit and heart. Not only did he have the rest of humanity counting on him, but well-rounded people like Dante! He couldn't let his new acquaintance down. "Of course. I promise, by then I will have slain plenty of demons!"
"Good man." Dante gently patted Tanjiro's back. "Take care of the little lady there. She truly is a Miracle."
"Miracle? Huh? Dante?"
Dante was gone.
Tanjiro quickly looked around, speechless that the man disappeared into thin air. Just like Giyu. Did every demon hunter have the ability to just vanish like some sort of magician?
"D-Dante?" Tanjiro called out. "Dante! Mr. Dante!"
"Hmph." Nezuko leaned into her brother.
"I guess he's gone as well. If a demon as evil as that wants to take a little girl's purity, then I hope Dante gets to her in time. Alright, Nezuko. Let's go!" Running off into the forest with his sister, Tanjiro and Nezuko descended off the mountain to find the man by the name of Sakonji Urokodaki.
[Abandoned Inn, Tokyo]
Stepping before the gothic gates that lead up to the large Inn, Dante scanned the place from head to toe. Man did it need a makeover. The hunter had entered many properties before and had the chance to stay at the most exquisite hotels! This wasn't one of them. He received more Count Dracula wannabe vibes. Who knows, maybe this is the place that will start the rivalry between the vampiric people and the werewolf population over a somewhat attractive girl. At foremost believing he was alone, Dante personally remained quiet. Once the presence of another appeared behind him, the hunter smirked.
"Just as I thought. There's no 'wonder' mood. This is a mellowed-out wonderland." Fitting Ivory in his hand, Dante honed it towards the locked chains on the front door. "I don't need a babysitter, so how about you get outta here?"
BOOM!
Giyu overlooked the thunderclap that erupted. He squinted at Ivory's smoking barrel intently. A grimace, tinted with disgust, became present across Tomioka's lips. "I'm afraid I can't do that Dante."
"Keeping your all-seeing eye on me? Jealous much?" Dante's tone became less comical. Focusing on rescuing this girl, Giyu's antics only wasted his time; and money! "Or trying to steal my gig?"
"I have just as much business being here as you do. They wanted another Hashira for this job." Giyu confirmed.
Something about it made the white-haired hunter grin. "Oh really? Well if you wanted an autograph you should have just asked. No need to follow me like some celebrity."
Giyu silently drew his sword and stood next to Dante. He too scanned the abandoned Inn, dictating where to enter from first. The ground level? Maybe an upper floor? The roof?
"Giyu. Scram." Dante hissed.
"You're more proficient with your arms. The noise will gather the main demons toward your position. If there are any humans inside, it creates an opening to get them out." Giyu hummed.
"Did you not just hear me? Beat it!" He ordered.
Ignoring his ally, Tomioka continued. "I heard you loud and clear. Did you hear me?"
"Of course I did! I'm warning ya, hotshot. Don't get involved." Dante pursued.
"Being stubborn about this won't aid us any further. I'll count on you to do the main clearing. If you need help, just yell." Instantly, Giyu leaped up the side of the Inn before breaching in through an upper floor.
Back on the ground, Dante just huffed, "Some people. If I lose this paycheck because a little Hashira wants to mess around, he's gonna find out." Jumping right through the front lobby, Dante plowed right into a female demon. Her sudden roar was swiftly silenced by Ebony's muzzle in her mouth. "Louder into the mic for me, please?"
BOOM! BOOM! BOOM!
Lesser demons emerged from behind the counter and lobby furniture. They all rushed the white-haired hunter, hoping to take a bite of that sweet sweet 'human' blood. Dante sure provided a feast for them, giving each and every demon a healthy portion of lead. Gunshots rang out in all directions. Dante spun on his head, covering every angle with each trigger pull.
BLAM! BLAM! BLAM! BLAM! BLAM!
A singular demon looked around, dazed at its opponent's disappearance. Where did they go? How did they vanish so fast? Was there a trace left of the white-haired devil hunter? The questions only piled up until they felt a light tap on their shoulder. "Eh?"
BLAM!
"They really needed another Hashira for this? What a joke." He wiped the demon blood off the muzzle of Ivory, closing the distance between himself and the elevator. "Man, service sucks here. Review? One star. Hmm, maybe two for the entertainment."
Dante pressed the button, drawing out more demons to approach him from behind. His right foot, tapping the floor impatiently, swung across and kicked a demon's head clean off its body. Dante booted their headless body into another cluster of demons. A quick punch to a demon's chest, followed by a hard uppercut dispatched them through the ceiling. "Sorry, I don't think we'll all fit. You'll have to wait"
Peering from behind the couch, a demon lifted it over its head with the intent of throwing it at Dante. That's when a pair of dangling heels appeared in front of its face, kicking it repeatedly. Dante jumped from the couch and onto another incoming demon, riding them like a surfboard while shooting around the room.
The few demons that miraculously remained, chased their target all the way behind a check-in desk. They came to a screeching stop once the register was punched open, coins fluttering everywhere in the air.
"Any of you got change for a 20?" Swinging Rebellion across his eye line, the coins buried themselves deep in the demons' skin. Dante quickly sliced one's head off! Then another! Then- oh wait. He killed the rest on that first swing.
DING!
"Just in time." Dante started to whistle, stepped over the dead, and right into the open elevator. Part of him always remained amused when fighting demons. They all had one thing in common: they thought they stood a chance.
On the top floor, Giyu silently touched down inside the Inn's executive suite. The gothic, open interior began to put the Water Hashira on edge. The air hushed his senses. Every direction had a stake in wanting Giyu's life. Which direction would the demons strike from first? Above? Behind? Below?
Or would they strike the little blonde girl in the middle of the room? She sat patiently with her hands folded, not even looking at Giyu. The girl didn't even appear bothered by the distant noise of Dante 'cleaning house' with guns.
"Excuse me? Are you alright?" He called out. Not moving from his current position, Giyu kept his sight pinned right on the little girl. Upon no response, he called out to her again. "Are you hurt?" 'Something is wrong. Something is clearly wrong,' he noted.
WHAM!
The balcony doors slammed shut, curtains drawing the room to darkness. Growling and gurgling erupted all around. It ascended higher and higher into the air, consuming every open pocket of space. Securing its victory, the sound strangled Giyu's ears with a low-pitched-
"Uuuuaaaauuuugh…!"
"Water-breathing. Fourth Form: Striking Tide."
"UAAAAAUUUUUGHHHH!"
The intense burst of slashes tore through the transforming demon and the surrounding space. Once the curtain fell, Giyu clearly saw a demonically altered form of the little girl from before. Her bleeding limbs flailed around, spurting liquid like crazy. "Well isn't this a surprise? The mission said this was a twelve-year-old. Oh well, another demon's tricks down the drain."
The demon's body quickly extended itself from the open wounds, losing all human appearance. "BLOOD DEMON ART: WONDERLAND!" Multiple feral monsters appeared, taking the form of white rabbits. One launched at Giyu, biting onto his sword.
Clearly inexperienced, the demon's attack resulted in a lack of a head. Giyu closed the distance in a flash with all monsters cut up sushi style. The last rabbit dropped from the roof, teeth armed to tear through any level of flesh.
"Bad kids."
Penetrated through the mouth, Wonderland's last rabbit died instantly on Tomioka's blade. His hands remained covered in liquid. Rather than panic, Giyu inspected the substance to be sure of what that could be. "Hmm. Good. It's not blood. Tch. I got a bad feeling. Let's finish this." Kicking down the door to the hallway, Giyu received a welcome greeting from scythe-wielding demons. They appeared humanoid in nature, limbs covered by a black cloth. Yet, their bare skeleton easily derived them apart.
"At least you lined yourselves up for me. Have you all decided, which one of you will die first?" Giyu lowered his stance, adjusting his grip on his sword. "Water-breathing. Third Form: Flowing Dance."
Like a child drawing a crayon across a piece of paper, the tip of Tomioka's blade drew itself through the necks of each demon in that hallway. Recovering from his constant twisting, Giyu rose back to his feet, watching all targets crumble to ash. "I wonder if there are any more demons on this floor. Seems quiet enough."
BLAM! BLAM! BLAM!
"Nevermind…"
Two floors below Giyu, Dante bolted through a large gathering room, leaping over the camping hordes of demons. Rather than think about the practical situation, like how did these demons not escape and attack people, Dante spent his time filling said creatures with demonic-infused lead.
"Man! Is this a demon party or what?! Sucks I didn't get invited!"
BLAM! BLAM! BLAM! BLAM! BLAM!
Dante proceeded through his enemies with little resistance, incorporating every trick he could. Spinning Ebony and Ivory around his fingers, Dante quickly fired from the hip, putting down a rushing crowd. As more loomed behind him, he proceeded to put on a poorly attempted southern American accent. "This town ain't big enough for all of us."
"Raaaaagh!" Those demons spat.
"Draw!"
BLAM! BLAM! BLAM!
"And you!"
BLAM!
"And you!"
BLAM!
"Ah, we can't forget about you. Where do you think you're going?"
BLAM! BLAM!
"AND of course! My biggest fan!" Aiming right behind him, Dante kept his finger off the trigger. Slowly turning around to face a disturbed Giyu, the devil-hunter just gave him a shit-eating grin. "Aha. Aha. Heh heh! I'm sorry… autograph signing just finished."
"Finished?" Tomika inquired.
Dante looked around, gun still trained on Giyu. "I think by the way this night is going, I'm just beginning."
BLAM!
Dante quickly turned his firearm around and fired at the open door to the ballroom. Giyu even remained stunned for a moment before noticing the tall humanoid rabbit standing in the darkness. Its butler suit was stained with blood, steam coming out of the fresh bullet hole Dante put in it.
"A rabbit." Tomioka huffed.
Dante shrugged. "A humanoid rabbit. One with big balls too. And you know what that means?"
"Demon," Both hunters concluded.
Ebony and Ivory reclaimed dominance over the area, cutting off all other sounds with the thunderous claps of combustion. Each bullet threw itself into the rabbit, spilling blood with each exit wound.
"STOP!"
Alice suddenly threw herself in the way of the rabbit, ready to take a bullet for her trusted friend! Dante halted at her entry, dumbfounded and satisfied that he found his primary target. Because of Giyu's unwelcoming aura, the white-haired demon-hunter decided to read the room before making a final call. "So you're Alice? Your papa seems to have been longing and waiting for your return. I'm only responsible for bringing you back. Taking care of you isn't part of it."
"Dante," Giyu interjected. "Upstairs there was a demon with her exact appearance. Nothing about this seems clean."
"Where is that demon, Giyu?"
"Dead."
"Okay. In that case, you got it. I'm just in charge of bringing this little lady back, so I can collect what is owed and you can return to your little mountain with the others 'cause I'm not coming back from a pay like this." Ignoring Giyu's audible disdain, Dante started to approach the two, guns trained on the rabbit.
Alice looked up from her companion, eyes shifting between Giyu and Dante. "What- What will happen to Rabby?"
"The rabbit doesn't count as lost kids, I'm afraid," Dante informed her.
The little girl's reaction became intense, holding onto the rabbit demon and screaming. "Then I won't go back!"
"That rabbit of yours is a demon." Giyu hissed. Drawing his sword, he firmly held it by his hip. "Now I don't know what you have up your sleeve, but a Demon does not feel joy, nor does he cry. They aren't human."
Alice refused to believe them. "It's not true! Rabby has been my friend for a long time!"
'I guess that must be the blood demon art of the rabbit, taking the form of a haunted doll. It's not very common, but possible.' He assessed this situation.
BOOOONG! BOOOOONG! BOOOOOOOONG! BOOOOOOOOONG!
Once the clock struck the hour's end, the ballroom became flooded with the sounds of bells. Every window and open doorway slammed shut, sealing the hunters inside the Inn. The surprise blood-demon art morphed the room into a larger ballroom; one commonly seen in a royal palace.
"It's time for the tea party." The rabbit sneered.
Shrouded in darkness, Giyu and Dante remained close by each other's side. Focused on the floating spirits around them, Giyu only hoped Dante had his back. Banterless with nothing to retort, Dante, trusted that no matter the situation, Giyu knew what he was doing. But was this it? Was this the end? Was another Hashira going to fall?
"It's a tea party! A tea party!"
"It's a tea party! A tea party!"
"Tea made of blood!"
"A scone made of bones!"
"We can have a tea party! A meat cake!"
The whispers around the hunters gained more volume by the second. They hushed once a stronger, nasally tone pierced its way as an entrance.
"No. He is NOT a gift."
Floating above them, Dante and Giyu spotted the culprits dining at a round wooden table. This was apparently… a legitimate tea party. Well, whaddya know? Seems demons did have time to flaunter in the aristocratic tendencies of 'tea time'. It was almost amusing.
"He- He looks human. But he is not." The mad hatter started. "Demon's blood flows through his veins. Though just half. He- He is a Miracle."
Dante's lips were sealed. Giyu, for one, wasn't having any of this. "What the hell are you talking about? Miracle?"
"Meekly Hashira. Your mind wanders from the speculation of your fellow comrade. The one you call 'fellow' and 'ally' must be the child that Sparda and his human woman had. That is why he is a 'Miracle', a demon that lacks its full power and retains some shred of humanity." The Mad Hatter folded his hands. "It seems the mother and brother from the tale had been killed. Perhaps it's why he loathes demons and fights as a Hashira."
The rabbit elected to chime in, "Even though he's a freak of nature himself."
"His scone won't be good." Hatter groaned.
Giyu meanwhile ignored the supposed crap coming out of the other demon's mouth. "You have your history wrong. All who remain know that the Sparda family was slaughtered that day. You're just as deceiving as the rest of your nature."
"A deceiver? I see." The Hatter looked at his rabbit companion before back at the two hunters. "Do you want to eat?"
Dante broke his silence, "Me? For tea time I'll be good with just tomato juice."
"To-Tomato Juice?" A shocked expression radiated off the Mad Hatter.
"We won't hand over Alice." The Rabbit proclaimed.
Giyu's eyes swelled with darkness, landing on his white-haired companion. "Any bright ideas, Dante?"
"Yeah. Just one." Taking a deep breath, Dante shouted aloud. "Hey Pixie!"
A vein bulged under the hatter's eye. Clutching his fists, they looked at both devil hunters with malice. "I'm not a pixie! Not a pixie! My hat is not a pixie hat!"
"I'm not asking, shitty hat dude." Ebony and Ivory both aimed at the table. "Hand over Alice already. I don't have any tomato juice at home, you see."
"Tomato juice? Is that what this is about?" Giyu asked, "How typical of you, Dante."
The room fell to a judgemental hush. Glancing at each other, clearly disappointed by the hunters' resistance, they came to an agreement. Dante must die. "T-This guy is no good. Let's use him instead. Yes! Him. Let us call him to the tea party."
"Him?" Giyu rattled.
"The one with the same face as yours." The mad hatter pointed right to Dante. "Same face. Same face."
"I really don't see why they needed another Hashira for this. I can handle these assholes all by my- WOAAAAAAAAH!" Dante suddenly felt his leg coiled by something and yanked up into the air.
"That's why." Giyu soon endured the same fate. Both hunters dangled by their legs, upside down, over the floating tea party. 4 sets of eyes opened beneath them, larger than any other demon they had faced before. It prowled low to the floor, not taking its eyes off them for a moment. Giyu could feel the bloodlust radiate from the glare. On the other hand, Dante focused on Alice's decapitated head on a silver platter.
'What the…?' Dante squinted. "A-Alice!"
Alice faced Giyu and Dante. Nothing prepared them for her eyes turning into two lightless voids. "Wow! I never thought Sparda's bloodline was still alive! What a surprise! You foolish Hashira! The one you have been calling your comrade has been a demon all along! But, it doesn't add up. The mother and kids were killed a long time ago."
"Correct." Tomioka intruded. "Hence your ability to recount history is a complete and utter failure. For being a demon, the least you can do is get your history straight." Despite being hung upside down, Giyu didn't waste a moment clowning on a demon who deserved it.
"What did you say?! You disgusting bottom-feeding Hashira!" Alice shouted. "You should be eaten alive, starting from your head!"
"Shut up already!" The hunters groaned.
"Hey hey. Don't waste your energy. These guys are funny. Nothing but demons. So, how about they stop poking around in other family's businesses and get a hobby."
"Family?!" Alice's jaw unhinged itself, revealing more rows of monstrous teeth. "Like demons would be interested in a family!"
"Not interested? Thought so." Dante mumbled, jaw-slacking.
BLAM!
Ivory's payload tore through Alice's head. Then Ebony joined its fellow sister in combat.
BLAM! BLAM! BLAM! BLAM!
While the attack led both hunters to believe they were successful, the demon holding them decided to remind them who really had the power there. Flicking its tentacles like a baseball bat, it submerged Giyu and Dante through a sea of glass windows along the ballroom. This was no mistake. While not killing both Hashira, it would definitely slow them down. But no. This demon was just beginning!
Cutting themselves free, both Hashira landed on their backs. Every bone in Giyu's body roared with agony. Dante felt as if a bee had stung him on every joint of his back. Their eyes crossed the large rabbit and mad hatter floating over them
"Vergil. Has Ver-Vergil found Typhon's key?" The mad hatter smirked.
Emotionless, the rabbit stroked its chin, "No."
"Key? Typhon?" Dante groaned.
"If you wish to meet him, I can arrange it for you." How nice of the Mad Hatter to offer to arrange the meeting of a mere fabled legend. While he was very serious, Giyu was straight tired of all this mess. The hatter was tempted to start prodding the water Hashira, but leaving him in suspense was satisfying enough. "To think that the brother you thought was dead… is alive! Aren't you happy?"
"Vergil is present in this town."
~Sigh~ "What will it take to shut them up?" Giyu turned to his companion.
"Well, let's put it into perspective." Dante sounded depleted of all energy and emotional availability. Rather, his soft whisper was similar to that of a boiling teapot. "Two ranged demons and a larger demon present. A barrier seems to be separating us. Getting there with our swords would take too much time."
The only weapons available to reach their targets were-
"I see." Tomioka's silence lasted a short moment, his mind coming to terms with the answer Dante hinted at. "Fine. I'm willing to try it your way this once." He caught Ivory once it was thrown to him, staring down the floating demons.
"How kind of you to entertain us…" Giyu spat.
"...But no thanks," Dante concluded.
BOOBOOBOBOOOOM! BOOM BOOBOOBOBOOOOBOBOOOM!
Once the barrier shattered, the entire floor collapsed in on itself. Dante and Giyu kept firing at the silhouette of their previous attacker. Before they could hit the ground, both Hashira pushed off each other, bounced off a wall, and rolled back into a battle stance.
Fearless of their weapons, the demon thrusted ahead. Its jaw unhinged over its prey, swooping down to gobble them up. A feeling of sharp pinching entered its body, two bullets ripping into its black fur coat. Despite having all eight of its eyes, not one saw the possibility of being challenged by two meekly demon slayers.
"It's a cat." Of all the forms demons could take, Giyu was most surprised by this one.
Dante's sour state soon revived at the discovery. Collecting Ivory back from Giyu, Dante approached the demon with his hand out. "Pspspspspspspspspspspspsss! Here kitty kitty kitty kitty! It's time for some nasty dinner~!"
How far are you willing to go for something you desire? How hard will you look? Will it be no stone left unturned or a mere glance and move on? Perhaps, one would start in a place of vast information and secrets. Public archives scattered all across the world hold endless amounts of knowledge passed down since the beginning of time. A library. This library is exactly where HE wanted to be.
"It seems you can't find what you're looking for." A soft voice emerged from the darkness, followed by patient footsteps.
The man reading his book didn't respond. Shielded by his long white hair, he, even so, refused to look at the two approaching his side.
"There are many forbidden books here. Those that should not be touched by a commoner. So please, let me help you." Illuminated in the moonlight, the librarian's sturdy build was fully revealed to complement the black and white suit he wore. His white tie matched his single-stripe fedora for all to gaze upon with glory. "Perhaps the book you are looking for is the tale of the Dark Knight, Sparda. You should be looking through the ancient texts. Such knowledge would be held within her pages…"
To
Be
Continued...
Chapter 2 of A Demon's Cry is now up and live! So this is going to se tthe stage of what the beginning for the story will be. Since Demon Slayer has a 2 year timeskip, I have the freedom to explore what happens in those two years while Tanjiro is out training. And for those Devil May Cry fans, this will basically be following the manga. BUT. Yes, there is a but. It will only be a few chapters. This will establish a lot of the lore of this AU and Dante's place which is much deeper than one can expect.
As of right now, this will explore Dante and Giyu's past as this will explain and set up the story for after the timeskip. Primarily, when we do skip ahead, I plan for this to resume towards the mid / end of the Mt Natagumo Arc. It makes sense for what will be happening in these upcoming chapters and what it takes for the cast to meet. Dante is an interesting character to write for the situation since he likes to do his own thing and doesn't really camp out will allies outside of his own place. So I am figuring out new ways, lore and moments that can give us the full an truest experience of Dante's participation, Vergil's pariticpation and all that stuff without undermining Tanjiro or the other characters.
But as requested and asked, there will be tons of butts to kick and toilets to flush!