Fan Fiction ❯ Hell Hath No Fury ❯ Lagune Island ( Chapter 2 )

Dante held his ribs gingerly as he sat up. He'd been laying in that bed for two days now, and was starting to get cabin fever. He started to pull himself up when he heard the sound of two swords clashing. He frowned as he saw two shadows just outside of his window.

"You should be resting," Gabby said lowly. She carried a small tray over to the nightstand and sat it down. "Chara said that you need your rest. You'll be sore until sometime next week."

"Great," Dante mumbled sarcastically. He saw the way Gabby lowered her eyes and sighed. "But I'm fine, really," he told her. When she looked up at him, he tried to give her a reassuring smile. "I've lived through worse, so there's no reason for a pretty little thing like you to get upset."

Gabby felt her cheeks grow warm as she looked at him. "I brought you something to eat. Maede's meat rolls are the best on the island, and I was able to get some extra." Gabby turned away from him as she tucked a lock of hair behind her ear. A frown the crossed her face when there was a heavy thud on the roof. She couldn't stop the giggle that escaped her when she saw Dante reaching for a gun that wasn't on his back. "That's only Chara's class."

"Class?" Dante asked as he moved over to the window. He caught sight of a line of people, humans and demons, in front of the Angel's residence. His eyes turned back to Gabby and saw that she was looking for something in the closet.

"She gives fighting and weapons training to Gage, and anyone else in the village that wants them. This way, if she ever has to leave here, she'll know that the island is protected." Gabby looked over her shoulder and saw that he was looking at the crowd that usually observed the classes. "Do you want to go out and see? Gage is pretty decent with a sword, and Vaughn's kinda strong in her own right."

Dante looked at the girl and couldn't help but smile. "Is that pride for you big brother I see?" he asked as she pulled out a white tee-shirt.

Gabby giggled again. "Yes, but it's also a fact. Ever since Chara started with the lessons, Gage has always been the best student." She smiled triumphantly as she held up a pair of large black sweatpants. "You can put these on. The shower's down the hall and after you change, and eat, we can go see the lesson."

Chara mused as she looked at the two teens. Gage always went easier on Vaughn that anyone else he sparred against, and even that wasn't saying much. The young blonde girl didn't seem to realize that he had a crush on her, and only volunteered to be her partner as an excuse to spend time with her.

And currently, Gage was getting his tail handed to him as a result.

The boy barely had a chance to block any of the blows Vaughn sent at him. As it was, they had ended up on the roof of her cabin still locked in combat. She looked over to her side and saw Vaughn's father watching her with approving eyes. "She's been getting better," she said to the male demon.

Amused, the taller man folded his arms. "She's been practicing. It seems that Emery told her that Gage takes it easy on her just because she's a girl." He scratched at his pointed ear as Vaughn cursed at the loss of her sword. "I think she may still need some more work though."

Chara frowned as Vaughn lowered her head in defeat. "They all need work Wolfe," she said softly. "But everything's one step at a time." She glanced at her friend and found him growling at the figure slowly emerging from her cabin. A breath escaped her. From a distance, Dante really did look like him. "His name's Dante. He's a friend," she said placing a calming hand on Wolfe's arm.

"Are you sure Chara? Remember what happened last time you brought a friend here," a woman's voice whispered.

Chara lowered her head slightly. She knew every time she looked at Gabby what they all meant. Without a word, she walked over to where Gabby was leading Dante. "What are you doing out of bed?" she asked the demon hunter.

He looked at her with as much arrogance as he could muster. "I got lonely." His smirk fell into place as she raised an eyebrow at him. "Wanna keep me company?" he asked teasingly.

Chara looked at him for a long moment. She could feel her heart flutter at the idea of what he had in mind. As a blush tried to cross her face, she quickly turned to Gage and Vaughn, who were fast approaching. "Gage, you're attacks were shaky at best. You need to work on that. Vaughn, I'm glad you're showing improvement. Keep up the good work."

Dante tilted his head to the side as the girl beamed and the boy frowned. For some reason, he wanted to see the green-haired beauty in battle. She was a series of contradictions, and the half-demon wanted to see just how long it would take for him to see the real Chara. Not the Demon Hunter, not the Warrior from Heaven. But the angel that lay under the hard thick shell. "Hey, if you want Gage, I can show you a trick or two," he said with jade eyes focused on Chara's back.

Gold eyes lit up. "Really?" Gage asked in a whisper. He saw Dante's nod and had to fight from jumping in joy. "Oh, and Dante, this is Vaughn Kanzaki. Vaughn, this is Dante."

Cool blue eyes looked at him. Gage told her all about the half-breed stranger that Chara brought back from her patrols. "It's nice to meet you," she said with a bow of her head. Her mother had always told her to be wary of half-breeds. Sometimes they could be worse than their demon parents when it came to the lust for power. She shook her head trying to clear it, as well as to get her light blue hair out of her eyes. "Gage says that you're also a hunter," she said simply.

Dante glanced at Gage and saw that the teen was looking away sheepishly. He turned his eyes back to Vaughn and nodded. "Yeah," he answered easily.

Gabby looked around the cluster of people that were trying not to be noticed as they listened to Dante's conversation. She had a bad feeling, and it unnerved her. Worried gold eyes looked at her guardian. "Chara, have you gone on your patrol yet?" she asked softly.

Instantly, purple eyes looked at her. "What is it Gabby?" she asked.

"I don't know. I just feel cold, like when he had me," the girl whispered. She pulled her hand out of Dante's grip as she started to shiver. "You don't think he's coming back, do you?"

Chara went to Gabby's side and hugged her. For the past few days she had seemed to be coming down with some kind of cold, but now it finally came full force. "I want you to go inside and get in bed. I'll worry about dinner," she whispered into the girl's ear.

Dante looked at the pair and frowned slightly. "You okay Gabby?" he asked gently running his fingers through her hair. His frown deepened when he felt how warm she was. "Chara...."

The woman in front of him frowned. "I know." Before he had a chance to say anything else, she lifted the girl into her arms and went inside. "Gage, wrap up the class," she ordered.

Dante frowned as low whispers surrounded him. He looked at the villagers around him and saw everyone trying to look at him without being obvious. The only exception was a tall demon with short pale blue hair and steel colored eyes. He locked gazes with the demon for a moment trying to see if he would pose a problem for him.

Dante turned away from the demon first, a low chuckle leaving him. Just as he was sizing that one guy up, there was no doubt that he was doing the same. The white haired half-demon shook his head and moved to go inside. He wasn't here to fight. He really didn't know why he was still on the island. He should find his way to the nearest plane, train or automobile headed towards civilization.

"That's my father," Vaughn said cutting through his thoughts. When Dante looked at her, she walked over to the side of the house, where her fallen sword was. "His name's Wolfe"

"Why's he looking at me like he wants to rip my head off?" Dante asked.

Vaughn smirked. "Because you're standing over here with his teenaged daughter, speaking in hushed tones and laughing at him." She looked into Dante's eyes and laughed at the look she received.

"Vaughn," Wolfe called as he walked over to his daughter.

She rolled her eyes before turning to the tall man. "Yes Daddy?" she asked, the picture of innocence.

Wolfe ignored the look, knowing that she was too good at it. His eyes turned to Dante and again, he tried to size him up. "Who are you?" he asked somewhat rudely.

"Daddy, this is Dante. He's a new friend of Gage and Chara's." Vaughn wrapped on of her arms around Wolfe's and smiled. "From what Gage says, he'll only be here for a little while."

"Where did you come from?" Wolfe asked.

Dante looked at the demon and frowned. While he knew that the villagers here were mostly pacifists, that didn't give this guy a right to be so rude. "Hell, what about you?"

Wolfe's eyes narrowed. "Excuse me?"

"You wanted to know where I came from. I'm telling you. Chara found me when I escaped Hell." Dante found the look on Wolfe's face rather amusing. It was a cross between disbelief, shock, and utter respect. "Now, if you'll excuse me, I'm going to go check on Gabby," he said before straightening and slowly going back in the house.

In New York, a woman sat in front of a large book case going over a large piece of parchment. Her lavender colored eyes were studying every angle what was in front of her. "Where the hell are you?" she mumbled before turning to the thick text next to her. She didn't look up when the door opened to admit two other women. "We're closed," she called out.

A smile crossed the face of the shorter of the two blondes. "I see you decided to stay, Lucia," Trish said as she walked over to the book case. When the redhead looked up at her, she nodded. "Impressive. Though I think Dante would have a problem with so many books in here. Unless they're Playboys."

"I don't care," Lucia said before turning back to her search. "I've been running his business for the past two years, he can get over it," she added coldly.

The smile on Trish's face vanished. "Yeah, but it seems to me that you're the reason why you have to run Devil Never Cry," she said in a growl.

As Lucia look up, the taller of the two blonde smiled kindly and ignored the budding fight. "May I have a look at your map?" she asked suddenly.

Lucia looked at the woman with a frown. "And you are?" she asked brushing her hair out of her eyes.

The blonde held out her hand and smiled. "I'm Ariel," she said simply. Her blue eyes continued to look into Lucia's. "I'm also the last hope that you have in finding this Dante you and Trish seem so fond of."

The redhead turned to the other woman. "Dante?" she asked.

Trish lowered her head and rubbed her eyes. "Ariel's a Seer for the Heavens," she said in a soft voice. "She needs our help in protecting someone, and as payment, she'll help find Dante."

Lucia could only look at the woman. A frown crossed her face as she turned the map towards Ariel. "Did you ever think that I wouldn't want to work with you?" she asked folding her arms.

Trish shook her head and walked over to the refrigerator. She frowned when all she found were bottles of water. "No beer?" she asked with a raised eyebrow. When Lucia shook her head, Trish turned to Ariel. "Can you find him?" she asked tiredly.

Ariel rolled her eyes and fought back a laugh. She looked at the map and easily found the little island she was looking for. "He's here," she said placing a lean finger on the location of Lagune island.

Both demon hunters looked at the map. Trish frowned as she realized where the island was. "That's close to Mallet," she said softly. Her eyes focused on Ariel. "Are you sure that's where he is?" she asked.

"Yes." Ariel pushed her hair out of her eyes and looked at the two women in front of her. "He's on Lagune Island. It's about fifty miles west of Mallet."

Lucia frowned as she looked at the small island. "What's he doing there?" she asked.

Trish rolled her eyes. "He's picking flowers," she said sarcastically.

"You know Trish...."

Ariel frowned as she straightened. "Can you two please stop fighting?" she asked loudly. When two pairs of eyes looked at her, she ran her fingers through her hair. "It doesn't matter why he's on Lagune now. I found your Dante. Now you need to get your equipment, and get to that island. The one you have to protect is there as well."

Lucia stood and went to the bookcase as Trish folded her arms. "Okay, Dante's on the same island as our ward. So there's no rush. He's safe," Trish said easily.

The redhead looked at the smaller blonde as if she had lost her mind. "How can you figure that? Dante's on that island with our ward. He doesn't know who our ward is, so there's nothing saying that he won't hurt, maim or kill him?"

"Her," Ariel supplied.

Lucia easily pulled the bookcase forward and revealed a wall full of weapons. She heard Trish whistle and looked over her shoulder. "Still think he'll want this gone?" she asked the demon. As Trish shook her head, she turned to Ariel. "You said we're looking for a girl," she said strapping her short swords to her hips.

Ariel nodded as she looked at the woman. "Yes. A teenager that's about to discover the extent of her powers. Her name is Vaughn Kanzaki, and she's one of the few Thunder demons left."

The redhead nodded as the blonde frowned. "Why do we need to protect her?" Trish asked as she walked over to where the Lucia had the weapons hidden.

"Because if the they're all wiped out, that would off-set the balance of things," Lucia supplied. "Elementals aren't as malicious as most. They usually keep to themselves and help keep the eco-system balanced."

Ariel hid a smile. The truth was, that as long as too many innocents weren't killed, the Elementals could run free. "But that's only one of the reasons why I need you two to go to Vaughn," she said. As the pair turned to her, she brushed her hair out of her eyes. "Something is going to be attacking Lagune shortly, and Vaughn will be the only person that will be able to protect the island's most precious item."

Trish looked at the taller blonde and frowned. She knew Ariel was keeping secrets from them, but for now, she would have to let her. She turned to where the swords were hanging and frowned. Rebellion was gone. Dante either had that with him, or lost it over the two years that he'd been missing. She easily grabbed Sparda and strapped it across her own back. "I've always used this sword, get over it," she said as she felt Lucia's frown on her back. "Now, what to get for Dante," she mumbled as she looked at the various swords he had collected over the years. Green eyes narrowed as she heard something clear its throat. She turned to the large pair of swords to her left and frowned. "No. You talk too much," she said sternly.

Lavender eyes looked at Trish oddly. "What are you doing?" Lucia asked carefully.

A smile crossed Trish's face as she looked at Lucia. Evidently, she didn't know everythingabout Devil Never Cry. "These two," she started as she gestured to the swords, "are Agni and Rudra. They're swords of Fire and Wind, respectively. Boys, say hello to Lucia and Ariel."

Red and Blue eyes glowed on the hilts of both swords, making Lucia gasp. "Hello Miss Lucia. It is nice to finally get a chance to speak to you," Agni said in a deep, nearly echoing voice. When no sound came from it's partner sword, Agni sounded confused. "Brother, aren't you going to speak?"

"Master Dante locked us up for talking too much. I will not risk his wrath again," Rudra said diplomatically.

Trish smiled. "Smart sword. But Dante isn't here now. We're going to find him." A thought occurred to her and she found herself picking up the brother swords. "I want you two to guard this place until we get back."

Lucia frowned as Trish walked to the door. "What are you doing? I bought that alarm system...."

"And now you'll see why you never needed it," Trish said thrusting each sword into the floor, one on either side of the door. As soon as she stepped away, the floor started to shake, and two large stone statues shot from the ground and took the weapons offered. She looked at Lucia and smiled at the wide eyed look the redhead had. "The only person to ever take them down was Dante," she said proudly. She then looked at Lucia. "Nothing is getting in here."

Ariel looked at the headless sentinels, impressed. On the weapons wall she could see five more artifacts that had demon souls captured inside of them. If all of them had fallen to the man these two women were looking for, she would have to investigate this Dante more closely. "After you gather a few things for your Dante, I can show you how to get to Lagune."

Dante walked down the narrow hall. It was starting to get late and neither Gabby or Chara had emerged from the girl's room. He frowned as he thought of how quickly the girl had gotten sick. She was fine when she was talking with him earlier, and only a few minutes later she was feverish, and passing out. He didn't want to think that something was wrong with her, but it didn't make any sense.

He found the door to Gabby's room open. He was about to knock when he caught a glimpse of Chara placing a wet cloth on Gabby's forehead. As he looked at the Angel, he saw that she was exhausted. He leaned against the door frame and watched her silently.

"You precious thing," Chara whispered as she sat next to the sleeping girl. "You can't die on me. You have to let me honor the promise I made to your mother." She reached up and adjusted the thick pastel blue comforter around Gabby. "I swore that I'd watch you heal, and grow into the wonderful woman we know you would be."

Dante could hear the tears in Chara's voice. There had to be something to help the child, if only for Chara's sake. "Do you know what's making her sick?" he asked as he turned his eyes away from Chara.

She quickly wiped her eyes before turning to him. "I didn't know you were standing there," she said softly.

He nodded and finally looked at her. "I figured," he said easily. He walked into the room and stood behind Chara. "But that doesn't answer the question."

"Giga was a Demon Seer. I don't know how much you know about Seers, but their powers are handed down from one generation to the next upon death."

Dante took a slow breath. The last Seer he'd known had to be killed when his powers went out of control. "Is Gabby going to be alright?" he asked.

Chara shook her head. "I honestly don't know. Her fainting spells usually happen when something bad is coming. But she's never had a fever, or been out this long."

"What could that mean?" Dante asked, already fearing the answer.

Purple eyes turned to look at him. "Whatever's coming, it's big, bad, and not taking prisoners."

Dante nodded, his platinum hair falling into his haunted eyes. "Hell on Earth," he whispered.

Chara stood and looked at Gabby again. "I'm going to start on dinner. Do you think you can sit with her?" She felt a small smile cross her face when he nodded again. With a gentle touch on his arm, Chara left the room. As she walked down the stairs, she could feel her hands shaking. Her eyes closed as she remembered a quiet night Giga told her something special about Gabby.

"I'm a Seer, you know," the lovely demon said calmly. She poured a cup of tea for her new friend and herself. "Gabby is to be my successor. So, when I die, she will have all of my powers, plus whatever is lying dormant in her."

Chara frowned. "I thought all of the demon Seers were dead."

Giga shook her head. Her chestnut colored hair swayed with the movement. "No. There are very few of us left though. I'm afraid that once I pass, my little girl is going to know when the Horsemen are coming. She's going to be the one to see it."

Chara was brought out of her memories by the sound of a low rumble outside. She ran to the door of her cabin and found a number of the villagers running to the cliffs adjacent to her home. A frown crossed her face when she looked across the horizon, knowing that she was looking for Mallet Island. Chills ran up and down her spine as instead of seeing island ruins, all she could see were ominous blue and black swirls of energy.

Wolfe made his way to Chara's side and looked at her. "What do you make of this?" he asked lowly.

She looked at the Elemental demon. He was one of the very few villagers that would be able to put up a fight when the need comes. "Athos, an Angel of Death is coming," she said as she tried not to tremble. "And from the look of things, Hell's coming with him."