Fan Fiction ❯ No One Like You ❯ Such A Little Thing Makes Such A Big Difference ( Chapter 2 )

Elise sat at a table in her favorite café with her long-time friend Lily. They discussed news, issues, but mostly Elise's encounter the night previous, over hot cups of tea. She gazed around the room and saw a man at standing at the register, waiting to pay.

"And did ya see them demons last night?!" He was clearly excited yet disturbed to be a witness of a demon's attack. She looked at him with a suspicious eye but something else drove her attention away.

At a table only a few feet away sat the man she had met last night, Dante. He, too, was looking at the man with great curiosity. Though, she looked at him in amazement. Sitting there, he was not wearing leather like when she first saw him, but a casual jacket and jeans. Inside her mind, Elise admitted to herself that this was the most incredible, both physical and mental, man she'd ever met. And the way the golden rays of the morning sun shone through the plate glass windows and onto his silver-white hair perfectly illuminated his flawless features and gave him an amazing luminous quality. The contrast between his lightly tanned skin and his pallid hair kept her staring unconsciously.

Lily noticed the immediate change in her best friend, looked over at her, then him, and then laughed like mad. "He's the Hunter?!"

After a brief sigh, Elise responded. "Yeah, it's a bloody shame, too."

"You're right, I don't think I could ever watch him get hurt, he's way too sexy for that!" She winked.

"Are you hinting at something…?"

Lily tried to act as innocent as possible but wasn't quite fooling Elise. "Look, you're just really easily seduced in by extremely, extremely, extremely, hot guys like this."

"Lily, you twit! Have you seen another man like that?"

"No, I can't really say I have, can't say I want to, either. So, the Hunter, the Son of Sparda, is sitting that close to us."

"It's not that big of a deal. Bigger matters: how does that guy know about last night?"

"You mind tellin' me that, babe?" Unbeknownst to Lily or Elise, Dante had slipped into a vacant seat at their table. "Do you think he saw us?" He gestured his thumb towards the man.

"He probably did. Unless he had been attacked somewhere else and I can't imagine how he would have survived that."

"So, you do think he saw us?"

"Yeah, I do."

Dante pushed his chair away from the table and leaned back in it to watch the man leave the café in what looked like a drunken state. "Or…he was drunk."

Elise and Lily turned quickly, only in time to watch the door slam on the man's face. "Or that."

"Now, that old fool wouldn't let any really bad demons know, would he?"

"Shit, you know, I came here to get away from all this, thank you very much. And now you bring all of it back up again."

"Listen, honey," he laughed, clearly amused by her. "That's the worst part of the job: once they see you, catch your scent, or even simply hear your voice they'll only let you go if they or you die, one or the other. It's just the way the system is, the way they are."

Sitting across from him at the table, Lily sat in astonishment. She had never suspected the Hunter could be this understanding, sensitive, or reassuring. Or intelligent; she had been brought up to believe that the Hunter was purely a working machine, lacking great intelligence, but Dante proved it to be wrong.

Maybe it's me. Or maybe it's Elise. Why wouldn't he have a thing for her? She fights with a combination of an angel's grace and a devil's fury. Probably just the thing he wants, lucky bitch.

"I noticed that a long time ago. I just really wish for it all to end."

"So does everyone else who knows about this `little secret' but it's just one of those games where either you're in or you're out. This is purely black and white. And once you've decided you're in, it's highly impossible that you'll ever see a peaceful world again. We've got ourselves in a death-trap here, love, and I don't think many of us are comin' out alive."

"Did anyone ever tell you what would happen if we fail?" She looked into his curious eyes, just to see a man so full of mystery.

"No, actually. I have a feeling I know, but go ahead and enlighten me anyway."

"I was told years ago that if any of us fail…the ruin of all would ensue. The green, grassy fields would turn to black dust, a light from a black sun and a blood red moon would cover the mountains. We'd never again see peacefulness in the animals of the wild, but a wary, paranoid eye that never stops it's seeing, not even for rest. Fire will annihilate the life-giving trees, and turn them to pitiful ash. Rivers and waters will run red and be as blood. The clouds and the blue skies would disappear and in their stead would be only a reflection of fire and blood. The peoples of the world would be overrun by single-minded demons, their hearts filled to the brim with fear and pain. A dark, hate-filled world will take the place of this world now. And tell me, is that what it should come to? Because that's what it will come to, if we should fail our birth-given duties."

Dante looked at her and in her eyes saw the pain of a thousand wounds, the weight of a thousand men, and the belief of one who'd just seen their Lord. Confused, he rubbed his temple. "How long would all that change take?"

"Weeks at the most, days perhaps. But not long at all. The Dark Lords are breeding armies, armies with one order: take over the world. They could do it quickly, unfortunately. Which would give us very little time to unite the others and bring them down before it is too late."

"That's the greatest fuckin' thing I've heard in a long time."

"Before the end, you'll have heard it a good five hundred more times."

He laughed, "I'll be looking forward to that. But you shouldn't worry because we won't fail." Lily attention was grabbed just at the way he said we. "We can't fail, we've got too much to fight for."

"Alright, you're bright, I'll give you that, but where do we start, then?"

"It's not a question of where, but when. You see babe, we already have started. Thousands of years ago. Man destroyed a demon, and in doing so, he started this bullshit for us. If only the bastard would have finished it while he was at it."

Elise, who just couldn't believe it, stared him at. "Are you saying you don't have fun slaying their asses?"

"Hey, hey, hey. Don't get me wrong; it's great fun, but it a little too repetitive for me. And boring." He rolled his eyes. "Anyway, half of the dipshits can't even fight. The pathetic things."

"But the other half…?" Asked Lily, speaking for the first time in what seemed like forever.

"They can fight like Hell." Answered Elise with a knowing nod. "We've seen quite a few of them as well. They're the knights, the weak demons are the pawns, and Satan and whoever are the king and queen."

Dante realized it was time to put some intelligent chess strategy forth: "Beware the queen. That bitch is the true killer. To even get near the king she needs to be brought down…somehow. If only we could know who she is."

"She may not even be known to Satan, she just could exist, unknown to the rest of us."

"We'll find her though, right?" Questioned Lily, doubting that herself.

Again, Dante laughed. "If only we could find her. I think if anything, she'll find us. They've always had a habit of doing that."

"As fun as this is, discussing the end of the world and the like, I've gotta go. By the way Elise, Shadow said he'll be there. So don't even begin to ask me what that's gotta mean, he's your pal."

"Right, tell him I said hello as well."

"Can do." She reached out her hand. "Pleasure to finally meet the Hunter."

He shook her hand warily. "Likewise." Lily exited the café.

"So, uh, who's Shadow?" Asked Dante as he turned to face Elise again.

"A very dear old friend. Very old friend."

"He's human though, right?"

She smiled at his naiveté. "Not quite. He's actually an animal. A wolf-dog to be technical."

"And he talks."

"That he does. And don't even try to convince me that you've never heard of anything more strange than that, because I know you have."

"Fair deal."

They talked for some time longer about their current situation and other, more personal, matters. And in doing so lost complete track of time.

"I ought to leave as well." She got up from the table and headed toward the register to pay. Dante followed, needing to do the same.

"But where are you leaving to?"

"I don't really know, probably with Lily, like before."

"What, doesn't she like company?" Shocking him half to death was a thought about the spare room he kept upstairs in his place.

"Not 24/7, but sometimes, yeah."

"Honey, listen, if you need a place…" he hesitated for a moment. "I've got a spare if you want it."

"You're offering that to me aren't you?" They left the café.

"What else would I be doing?"

"I…don't know."

"Yes?"

She gave him an amused look of disbelief and relief. "Yes, thank you." It may have seemed strange, why she accepted his offer when they clearly only knew each other for a few days. But, as Elise would say, it felt like she knew him her whole life…

"No problem, love."

Love. Is that creepy or what?! The son of the Legendary Dark Knight, who is supposed to be apathetic, just called me love. Either he's defiant beyond belief or something really strange is going on behind my back.

Lily pulled up in her car. "You forgot these." She gestured to the bags resting on the back seat.

"What the hell is going on here?"

Dante leaned in close and whispered in her ear. "Lily's not psychic or anything is she?"

"Not that I know of, and if she is, then the world really is gonna end."

"Hey," called out Lily through the window. "You two are just really predictable. I like it."

"Shadow!" A large gray-white wolf was sitting patiently on the back seat of the car.

"That's Shadow?"

"Yeah," replied Elise as she opened the car door. "An angel he is."

"We goin'?"

"Yeah."

Dante reached in and grabbed two of her three bags. "Let's go then, it's only a few blocks from here."

Elise kneeled down and hugged her furry companion. "I'm sorry Shadow but I've got to go again." He whimpered, making Dante turn and look.

"You guys really care about each other."

"He's been with me through really bad times."

"Then, I don't see why he can't come along. If he wants to, of course."

"Aren't you just full of generosity? Again, I thank you."

He looked at her longingly. "And again, there's no need to."

Elise grabbed her other bag, put Shadow on a "leash" and said farewell to her friend. Approximately ten minutes later Elise realized Dante hadn't been joking: his place wasn't far at all. She saw the old building with the old car parked in front, and a fluorescent, pink sign that read `Devil May Cry.'

"By the way, Shadow isn't one of those really annoying attention seekers is he?" Asked Dante as he reached into his pocket for his keys.

"No, he's actually pretty reserved. But when he wants to play, watch out. Things do tend to get a little rowdy."

"Well, we'll have no problem then, if that's it." He opened the door for her.

"I wouldn't be a problem anyway." As educated as he was in the field of paranormal beings, he was kind of shocked to see a wolf talk.

"That's always good to know." After they'd all gotten inside, Elise looked around the room in amazement.

"Demon heads. Lovely décor they make."

"Yeah, had a hard time gettin' `em to stay, too. Room?"

"Huh?" She asked, still entranced by his frightening decorations. "Oh, yeah."

"It's upstairs, follow me."

He led them up a flight of creaky stairs and into a room to the left of the landing. "I know it's not the best looking of places, but it'll do, right?"

"Absolutely. But why didn't you act like they said you would? Or maybe I'm just being naïve."

"Mood swings I guess." His eyes showed clearly that he was hiding something he didn't want her to know about.

"Understandable." He took her bags in and sat them on the bed. Then took her around the apartment to get her familiar with the new territory. They ended up back upstairs by her new room.

"So, I'll leave you to get unpacked and if you need anything I'll be downstairs."

"Thanks."

He slowly nodded his head in response, turned, and walked down the stairs.

She entered the room and closed the door behind her. She removed her clothes and neatly arranged them in the dresser and closet he left her. But about halfway through the second bag, she found something that shocked her greatly.

"My…journal? Why on Earth would Lily pack something like this?"

"You'd just better keep that out of Dante's sight."

"Yeah, some things are for him to know, yet others are not. These things in here are definitely not for him to know about, at least not as of now."

"Secrets?"

"Some of them are but others aren't. Most are, yes. But alas! He may someday figure them out."

She walked over to the window and threw aside the curtains, allowing the afternoon sun to fill up the room like a golden pool of water. She fell back onto the bed and started to evaluate her situation. "Shadow?"

He sprung up onto the bed. "Hmm?"

"Do you think Sarlone will come after Dante?"

Sighing, he laid his head onto his paws. "I don't know what to tell you. He might, but probably only if he doesn't know about you. And Dante doesn't seem like the type who would flaunt a new partner. But then again, Sarlone may already know he's got someone who will watch his back."

"Feels like chess."

"Where did that come from?!"

Elise rolled over and looked at her wolf companion. "The object of the game is to protect the king, no matter what…"

A few conversations and months later…

Dante sat at the bar of a club called Masochist, clutching a bottle of whiskey in his hands.

"Something doesn't feel right. I mean, sure, this place is crawling with supernatural creepies but this tops them all." The bartender shuddered at his own thoughts.

"Yeah, whatever." Dante replied without hearing a word.

"I've seen some strange people come in here all the time, every night to be exact, but last night brought the strangest person."

The white-haired man perked up at this. "What, exactly, do you mean?"

"Young woman came by last night, I could only see her face though, she hid her face under her dark cloak."

"And…?"

"Well, I got the strangest, freakiest feeling as soon as I saw her step through that door. It felt, it felt like war, in the head, mind you. I swear there was a soft, silver light coming out of her too."

"Would you know her if you saw her again?"

"She'd be impossible not to recognize again."

Probably just another crazy, bitch wannabe. There's too many of them out there, and they're everywhere. It's like they stick a homing device in your skin and would follow you to the depths of Hell. They, have serious problems.

He downed the last of his whiskey. Dante had been going through rough times lately, even though Elise was there whenever he needed her. He had never really told her he needed her, but she always just seemed to know when he had to get something off his chest. And the greatest thing about her was that she always gave him the benefit of the doubt. He paid his bill then got out of there quicker than a starving cheetah on the hunt.

It was 2:37 in the morning when he finally arrived back home. He gently closed and locked the door behind him.

Elise lay on her bed, sleeping, but hearing her partner anyway. Every other morning he went out was either for a hunt or getting drunk. But, of course, it was the latter. Partially. His movements were kind of confused but he wasn't staggering like he had a habit of doing when he was really drunk. Those were the times when anything could get to him. The times when he was a danger to her and even himself. She had tried to get him to stop the whole drunk thing but, being a stubborn ass, he refused. That night, though, he wasn't actually drunk, just befuddled.

He gently turned his doorknob as he tried not to "wake" her. Then finally started to undress for some well-deserved rest. Before he was completely undressed he realized that there was something he wanted to talk to Elise about.

Yeah, it's urgent but it can wait for morning. The poor girl's probably sleeping and to wake her over some creepy bitch at a bar would be a shame, right?

He sighed as he finished undressing then he quickly fell into yet another unpleasant sleep that would just leave him with sweat falling off of his body and gasping for breath. It wasn't exactly something he could look forward to. Every night it was the same thing: he would relive every moment and every detail he saw and felt on the day that his mother and brother were murdered. Their screams could be heard, their pain could be felt, and their lives could be lost. Forever…