Devil May Cry: An Angel's Tears

Chapter Six: A Meeting and Fitful Dreams

She could hear Jasper barking in the kitchen and knew that an intruder had entered her home, but she made no move to get up. Aurora just calmly poured herself another cup of tea and glanced over her shoulder when her dog yelped and went silent. The room was bathed in shadows save for the streams of moonlight shining down through the windows. Despite that though, she could clearly see the outline of a person slip into the room and approach her at leisure pace, like they had all the time in the world.

Aurora sat her teacup down and clasped her hands together on her lap, watching the newcomers every move. They stepped into the moonlight and she saw that they were garbed in dark robes, with their hood pulled up to cover the top half of their face. Still, despite that she was clearly able to recognize them. Although it had been many years since they'd last met, she'd know this person anywhere even if she were blind. There was a connection between them — a bond — that could only be severed by death. It was so powerful that they could pinpoint each other even if they were on the other side of the world.

"It has been some time. Please, remove your hood so that I may see your face when addressing you."

The figure quietly adjusted their robes and soon Aurora was looking at a familiar woman who was around her own age, with silver hair that fell to her shoulders and milky blue eyes. At one time, when they were both young and beautiful, those eyes had been such a vibrant shade of blue that they could put a sapphire to shame and make men fall to their knees begging for her to spare them a single glance. No matter where the woman went, whenever a man saw her his eyes would cloud over with obvious lust and she'd use that to her advantage. She'd humor men and string them along until they'd served their purpose. It didn't even matter if a man genuinely cared for her, she'd use him and then send him packing like all the rest.

Perhaps if she'd experienced love like I have, things would be different. Aurora smiled when she saw her husband's smiling face in her mind's eye. Unlike the males that she'd been around for most of her life, he'd been a simple and plain-looking man. When she'd first met him, his mousey and jumpy behavior lead her to assume that he'd been the guy in school who'd get picked on and shoved inside his locker. After things became serious between them, he'd told her that she was the first woman who'd ever been interested in him and not his older brother Robert, who was a famous model.

"Why is that? I mean, how could a goddess like you be in love with such a klutzy nobody like me?" he'd asked her.

"Because the first time that I saw you smile, truely smile, I knew that I could never see myself loving anyone else but you."

"Aurora…"

"Samuel…"

It had been three years since her husband died of a heart attack and she missed him fiercely. Even as she grew older and her looks faded, Samuel still saw her as 'his goddess' and constantly told her that she only became more beautiful with each passing year. Looking back, she could honestly say that the happiest days of her life had been when she was with Samuel. He'd been her only love and she longed for the day that she could be reunited with him.

"I see you are well, Aurora."

"As well as I can be." Aurora, now roused from her memories, motioned to the teapot. "Would you care for some tea?"

The woman ignored her and went to sit in the chair across from her. "You know why I am here."

"You are mad. What you plan to do goes against everything that we once stood and fought for. And what you've already done…is monstrous. How could you do that to an innocent child?"

"It was necessary. He had to be prepared to play his part."

"And the other? What of her?"

"Why do you ask questions that you already know the answer to?" There was a bitter tone to her voice and Aurora shook her head.

"I'd prayed that I'd been wrong."

"Your visions are never wrong."

Aurora closed her eyes and was bombarded by images of a young woman with hair and eyes. The girl was wearing a white dress and strapped down on a bloody altar, with candles burning all around her. Tears were streaming down her dirty cheeks and she struggled against her binds, crying out for a silver-haired man who was battling against a horde of demons. Their sole purpose was to prevent this man from reaching the girl, but they were proving to be no match for him. Bullets rained down upon them and the ones that refused to die from the projectiles were soon cut to pieces by a large sword. The man's jacket flared out behind him as he twisted and turned, switching between his sword and guns.

When he got closer to the girl, he slammed his foot into the face of a demon before jumping into the air. There was a red flash and in the blink of an eye he appeared beside the girl, firing off a few more shots to finish the remaining demons. Once they were turned to dust, the man looked down at the girl and smiled, brushing the hair from her eyes and whispering something that made her eyes light up. He leaned closer and their eyes closed just as he pressed his lips to hers. They stayed like that for a few moments before he pulled away and went to untie her.

He'd almost gotten her left arm free before something black slammed against his chest and sent him flying back. He laded around 20 feet away with his guns out and aimed at the one who'd attacked him. This person was another man with long black hair and wicked emerald eyes that glowed like fire. He smirked and leaned down to lick the shell of the girl's ear, never once breaking eye contact with the silver-haired male. There was a roar of outrage and everything went red before Aurora was hit with another vision.

In this scene she saw the same girl from before, but this time she looked to be in some sort of church confronting a man. He was tall, with golden eyes and blonde hair tied in a braid that went down to his knees, and dressed in gold and white robes. Aurora couldn't hear what they were saying, but soon a young man with black hair and crimson eyes joined the pair. The two men withdrew their swords and lunged at each other with the intent to kill, causing the girl to duck out of the way so that she didn't get hit.

The two men battled ferociously, like two titans caught in some epic duel, but the older man managed to disarm the brunette and hurled him at the girls feet. She immediately knelt beside him and wrapped her arms around him when he cried out in pain. The young man clung to her like his life depended on it and Aurora thought that she could see tears falling from his eyes. A shadow fell over the two and the girl looked up just in time to see the blonde come slashing down with his sword.

Right as the sword was about to make contact, Aurora shook her head and banished the visions away. She was slightly dizzy, but that was not unusual and she focused her attention back on her 'guest.' "Why are you here? If you're so adamant about going through with your plan, why come to me? You know that I will not help you."

"I know that the girl will come here."

"So you plan to take her when she arrives?"

"No. I am here to remind you that you are not to tell her anything about herself. Only I shall reveal what she needs to know," she hissed. "That also goes for the Hunter. I forbid you from telling him anything."

"So, it is as I thought. He is an obstacle that you did not expect."

"He is hardly what I'd consider an obstacle."

"I would not get overconfident if I were you." Aurora advised and took a sip of her tea.

"I speak only the truth. Besides, I've already prepared someone to handle him."

The woman rose up out of her seat and Aurora watched her with sad eyes. It hurt to see that she'd become a cold and uncaring manipulator who would stop at nothing to achieve her goals. Okay, sure, she had used others in the past but never to this extent. What had happened to the woman that she used to joke and laugh with? Where was the person that she could always count on to watch her back and always do the right thing? What did this twisted snake do with the woman that had been close to Aurora's heart?

"Do not dwell on the past, Aurora." The woman dug into the folds of her robes and pulled out a necklace. "You are to give this to the girl. If she asks where you got it, you are not to mention me. Let her think that it's from Takashi, if you must." 

"What did you do to it?"

"Nothing. The boy requested that I give this to her. He knows how precious it is to her and personally retrieved it after she fled from her home."

"How did he know that she didn't have it?"

"Again, you ask a question that you already know the answer to." The woman gave the necklace to Aurora and pulled her hood back on just as Jasper came whimpering into the room with his tail between his legs. "Remember that you are not to tell the girl anything. If you do, I will take all that you love away from you."

"Don't do this. You know it can only end badly."

"Just do as I say. If you tell her anything, I will crush you." And with that, she was gone and Aurora was left with a heavy heart.

She didn't know what to do. The girl would be coming to see her very soon, looking for answers to all the questions she had. If things weren't so complicated, Aurora would tell her without hesitation. She had already foreseen some of the pain and suffering the girl would be subjected to and it made her want to cry. Here she was, forced to flee her home and come seeking answers from a woman who would be unable to tell her anything. That thought alone pulled at Aurora's heartstrings but she still couldn't risk telling the girl what she wanted to know. If she did, she would be putting her own loved ones at risk.

"What do I do?"

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You were dreaming again and this time you found yourself standing before a massive door. Your only source of light were the torches burning brightly in the corridor. However, the fire could be considered dim when compared to the blue trinity symbol that was pulsing on the door. Heavy and thick chains were strapped across the structure and they glowed a bright red that was just as intense as the symbol. You hesitantly reached forward to touch the door and just as your fingers brushed against it, shadowy tentacles shot out from under the door and wrapped tightly around you. The trinity symbol grew brighter and brighter and you were sure that you could hear the pounding of war drums. You winced and cried as the chains and door shattered into pieces and cut into your flesh. The shadow restraining you yanked you forward and you found yourself falling into a black abyss that seemed never-ending.

As you fell, you heard men and women screaming and the war drums pounded louder. The smell of smoke and blood sent you into a coughing fit and you screamed for your parents. White feathers coated with blood rained down on you as you plummeted further and further. Your head was spinning and just when you thought that you were going to die in this dream, everything stopped and you were standing on solid ground. You were still surrounded by darkness, but you could clearly see your hands and a familiar-looking boy who was watching you with wide eyes.

The child was identical to the boy from your previous dream who'd claimed that, like him, you were one of the damned. However, instead of being cold and cruel, the crimson eyes of this boy were warm and gentle. He eyed you nervously before looking down at his feet and muttering a small, "Hello."

"Hi." You were taken aback by how soft his voice was and you felt yourself relax.

"What are you doing here?"

"I…don't know. Where is here exactly?"

"You don't know?" he looked up at you and blinked.

"No. I mean, at first I thought this was just a dream, but it can't be, right?"

"A dream? This is a—" he clamped his hands over his mouth and looked around wildly, fear creeping into his eyes. This boy looked downright terrified and something made you want to hold and comfort him. You felt drawn to him and you didn't know why.

"What's wrong?"

"I-I can't tell you. If I do, he'll be angry." He dropped to his knees and cried into his hands. "He'll hurt me if I tell you. He'll make me disappear and I can't disappear. I can't disappear because he needs me. If I'm gone, he'll consume him completely and he won't get to keep his promise."

"What do you mean? Who are you talking about?" You were utterly confused. What did he mean by that? Who'll make him disappear? Did he mean that other boy who looked identical to him? If so, then who was the one that needed him?

You sat down next to him and enveloped him in a hug, rubbing his back. "It'll be okay. I won't let anyone hurt you."

He snuggled up against you and you could see that he was smiling. His eyes were twinkling and you could've sworn that they changed color for a second. "You're just as I imagined you would be."

"Imagined?"

The boy sighed and clutched the white fabric of your dress before he nuzzled up against your neck. You tightened your hold on him when his tears hit your skin and you suddenly felt very protective of this boy. It was hard to describe, but you felt like you had a connection with this boy. He felt familiar to you, but you didn't know why. This was the first time that you'd ever met him. Sure, you'd met his 'twin,' but that didn't count. Despite how identical they were to each other, they were polar opposites. This child seemed so innocent that you doubted he could even hurt a fly if he wanted to, while the other…well, you didn't even want to imagine what that one was capable of.

"Do you have a name?" you asked him.

"Just call me Cael," he whispered and something told you that wasn't his real name but you didn't question him.

You brushed his bangs out of his eyes and he smiled up at you. However, the smile died instantly when a chill wind nipped at your flesh and the pounding of footsteps echoed all around. Your heart hammered against your chest and Cael whimpered when he saw the newcomer appear from out of nowhere. The look-alike glared at the two of you and his red eyes were hard and unforgiving. They were so cold and you suddenly felt inferior when they focused solely on you.

He strode up to you and only looked away when his twin let out a choked sob. His lips curled up in disgust and his glare intensified. "Stop whimpering, weakling. You degrade me when you do so."

"I-I'm s-s-sorr—"

"Stupid fool. What did you tell her?" he hissed and yanked the boy away from you.

"N-N-Nothing! I didn't tell her anything!"

"LIAR!! You let something slip! I can tell!"

"NO!! Kain! I swear I didn't!"

Kain let out an inhuman snarl and slammed Cael into the ground before kicking him in his ribs. Just as you were about to pull him off the boy, he snapped his fingers and hands shot of out the dark and restrained you. They forced you into a kneeling position and yanked your head back, forcing you to watch as Kain brutally beat his twin. He yelled and cursed Cael for using his name, kicking him in the ribs and stomach several times. With each kick that he delivered, you noticed that his eyes slowly changed from crimson to onyx.

Cael cried and curled up in a fetal position, begging for Kain to stop. He apologized over and over again, but Kain just continued to beat him until he was coughing out blood. Apparently, this appeased Kain and he suddenly stopped and bent down to whisper something to Cael. The battered boy froze in fear and he looked over at you with wide eyes. He opened his mouth to say something, but Kain kicked him once more and he vanished in a wisp of smoke.

"Cael!" You cried out to boy and glared hatefully at Kain. "What did you do to him? Where did he go?"

Kain eyes flashed back to crimson and he grinned maliciously. "It doesn't concern you."

The hands holding you squeezed you harder and you were certain that your bones would snap at any second. You whimpered and weakly peered behind your shoulder to see several grotesque creatures holding you captive. Their bodies were so horribly burnt that they reminded you charcoal and red veins pulsed brightly all across their bodies. Inhumanly long tongues slid out of their mouths, showing off their jagged teeth, and they were constantly changing from green to orange. They moaned and groaned and eyed you as if you were a piece of meat that they wanted to sink their sharp teeth into. One of them even gave a long lick up your arm and you screamed. It felt like you were being burned and your skin even started to turn red from where it had left its saliva. What were these things? Why weren't you waking up? If this was your dream, why did you have no control over it?

"This is no ordinary dream." Kain remarked and snapped his fingers.

The beast that had just licked you was shoved to the side and another sunk its teeth into your shoulder. Hot blood bubbled up from the wound and you screamed louder, kicking and struggling to get away until you fell forward onto your stomach. The blood trailed down from your wound, soaking into your dress, and the crimson liquid sent the other monsters into a frenzy and they attacked other parts of your body. More of your blood and tears spilled and the drums from earlier started up again, pounding even louder than before. You screamed for someone to help you, to wake you up from this nightmare, but no matter how loud you shouted, no one came and you didn't wake up.

Kain was laughing his head off like some deranged lunatic and his eyes burned brightly. He might look like a child, but he was evil incarnate. Why was this happening to you? Why did you keep returning to this place?

"You and I are damned. This pain you are in now…it is nothing compared to the pain you will feel in the end." Kain had the creatures flip you over onto your back and he placed his hand around your throat. "We cannot escape from it. Ones such as us were never meant to exist. No matter how hard we try, in the end, we will vanish from existance. They shall use us like the tools we are and when they are done with us, they will dispose of us. Our ultimate fate is death and no one can change that. Our destiny was set from the beginning."

"What…what do you mean?" The pain the creatures had inflicted on you was now a dull throb. You felt lightheaded and you thought that you heard someone calling your name. Were you dying? Could you die in a dream?

"…"

"That damn hunter," Kain growled and leaned in close to your ear. "No one can help you. You can't escape and in time you'll accept this like he has. You will accept your fate."

"Hey, …"

"Don't mention this," he warned.

", wake up…"

"Never mention me!!"

You gasped and your eyes snapped open, but all you could see was black. You blinked and then all the color drained from your face when you heard a low rumble. Slowly, you looked up and your eyes widened when they locked with pale blue ones that were dancing with mirth. A light touch of pink dusted your cheeks and you immediately let go of Dante's shirt and scooted away from him, squeaking and pulling the sheets over you when you saw how far your (Dante's) sleeping shirt had ridden up. You groaned and covered your eyes, extremely flustered from this little wake up call.

Dante grinned and shook his head. He reached over and touched your shoulder, giving you a gentle shake with the hope that you'd look at him. "Hey, calm down. There's no need for you to get embarrassed, darlin'."

That's what he thinks. I've never woke up and found myself clinging to a guy as attractive as he is. You coughed and placed your hands on your lap, not once looking at Dante. Of course, this only made him chuckle again and you turned even redder.

"You know, you really are a lot different from what I'm used to."

"What do you mean?"

"Never mind. Nothing important." Dante lifted your chin and his eyes turned dead serious. "Are you alright?"

"Huh?"

"You were crying and tossing and turning your head when I came to wake you up. Feel like talking about it?"

"Oh, it's nothing. I just had a bad dream, that's all."

"Uh huh."

"Really!"

"Right. Whatever ya say, babe." He started to get off the bed, but before he could move, you'd grabbed his hand and traced the scratches on his hand. The cuts weren't that bad, but they were deep enough to make him bleed.

"What happened to your hand?"

Dante nodded towards the black and white feline who had his eyes narrowed at him. "That would be the handiwork of your possessed fur ball."

"Kyo?"

When you glanced over at Kyo, Dante noticed, with great irritation, that the feline was looking up at you with big green eyes that just screamed it was an innocent little angel and not some demon cat from Hell that's dead set on making his life miserable. The cat strolled up to you, his tail swishing behind him, and Dante was sure that, if it were possible, the creature would turn on the waterworks. You seemed to be buying the act and he decided to explain why he called your kitten a possessed furball.

"Yeah, when I went to wake you, the thing nailed me with its claws the instant I touched you." He glared at the cat when it jumped up on your lap and purred, nuzzling against you in an obvious attempt to make you think that it couldn't hurt a fly.

"Huh, that strange. Kyo's always been friendly with everyone he meets."  

"Yeah? Well obviously the thing doesn't like me." Dante got up and headed for the door, flashing you a quick wink just before he felt his right eye start to twitch. While you weren't paying any attention to it, your cat had decided to give him an evil look that said "I will get you." Oh yeah, that little furball definitely had it in for him. "Enzo should be here soon to take us to Aurora's, so I'll let you get dressed."

"Alright. I'll be down it a few minutes."

Kyo jumped back down to the floor and Dante gave him a brief glare before closing the door behind him. He leaned back against the wooden structure and groaned. "Damn. She's got a really nice set of legs."

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"What the hell did you do now, Dante?" That was the first thing Enzo asked after he entered Devil May Cry and saw Dante sitting at his desk, his feet propped up on it and engaged in a glaring contest with a cat that was sitting on top of said desk, while a young woman (you) came out of the bathroom smoothing the wrinkles out of her shirt.

"What are you babbling about you chubby bastard?" Dante tossed the Italian an irritated glare that made the man feel insignificantly small. The Devil Hunter was obviously in a bad mood and Enzo wondered what could have made him so foul and why he was up so early. Normally when he had a woman over, aside from Lady or Trish, he'd still be in bed with them or in the shower.

When you went to stand beside Dante, Enzo immediately recognized you from last night. You were still dressed in the same clothes, though they looked somewhat cleaner, and he couldn't help but let his eyes roam and focus on your legs. If there was one thing he could say about Dante, besides the man being an irate slob (of course he's never said that to his face since Dante would likely rip him a new one), was that he was one lucky bastard when it came to women. Honestly, it was downright criminal that Dante was easily able to score with beautiful girls like you.

Noticing that you'd grown uncomfortable with the Italian's staring, Dante cleared his throat and gave Enzo a look that clearly said "keep leering at her like that and I'll fill you up full of bullets." Enzo obviously got the point because he turned as white as a ghost.

"So why'd you call me so early? Shouldn't you still be in…bed?"

And again you turned red when you realized what he meant. He obviously thinks that Dante and I were…intimate last night. Jeeze, if this keeps up, my face will permanently be the color of a cherry.

"You're giving us a ride."

"I'm what?"

"She," Dante jabbed thumb towards you, "Needs a ride and you're giving us one. So don't argue with me because it's too damn early."

Enzo watched as the Devil Hunter leaned his head back and slung his arm across his eyes, while the cat scurried across the desk and leapt into your arms. You smiled and bowed to Enzo, saying something in a language that he didn't understand, before telling Dante that you were going to go outside for some fresh air. Dante mumbled his acknowledgment, but as you walked away, Enzo noticed that he shifted his arm up to watch you leave and he shook his head when he saw what part of your body Dante had his eyes trained on.

When the door shut behind you he sighed and crossed his arms. He could be at the Love Planet right now, hitting on Candy, drowning in booze, or just 'enjoying' the company of all the beautiful employees who worked there. Well, he could be if he weren't broke. Of course, that was all Dante's fault since the man hadn't taken a single case for the past three weeks. Enzo had offered him a ton of cases, but the man turned down each one.

"Alright, spill it Dante. Just who is this girl? She's not your long lost kid or something is she?"

Dante's head shot up and he eyed him darkly. "Now why the fuck would you ask me something like that? I'm not that old!"

Enzo cowered and held his hands up in surrender, fearing the half-devil's wrath. "Okay, I'm sorry! "

"For your information, she's my new client and temporary secretary." Dante gave him another nasty look before settling back down in his chair.

"What? When the hell did you take another case?" He paused when Dante's full statement sank in. "And what do you mean she's your new secretary?"

"She hired me last night and she's paying me by working as my secretary until her case is solved. Now stop questioning me."

Enzo shook his head in disbelief. He couldn't believe what he just heard. Dante was working on a case that he wouldn't even get paid for? What is he thinking. Here he is, in debt with almost everyone that he knows and he's taking a job doesn't even pay. Seriously, what was wrong with the man? Why were you so special? You seemed normal enough, though he doubted that you were from around here since he's never seen you before last night.

"Fine, but would you at least tell me where I'm dropping the two of you off?"

"Aurora Heartland's place."

"Aurora Heartland? What the hell Dante?! Are you suicidal or somethin'? Do you have any idea who she is?"

"Some old bat who can help ."

"Aurora Heartland is Candy's grandmother."

"So?"

"So? So?! Candy's a fuckin' sadist and you want to go meet her grandmother? You ever heard of that thing called genetics? And aside from that, haven't you heard the rumors about her?"

Dante plopped his feet down and got up out of his chair, pulling on his trademark jacket. "Nope. And I couldn't care less."

"They say she's a devil who goes out at night and stalks her prey until she captures them. Normally the victims are young virgins that she sacrifices to prolong her life. She's a monster and you're wanting to go to her place?!"

Dante reached out and grabbed hold of the ranting man's shirt to pull him towards the door. "As you pointed out, fatso, Aurora is Candy's grandmother and despite having the temper of a she-devil on the warpath, the woman's all human."

"But—"

"And if Candy's a human," Dante kicked the door open and shoved the bumbling Italian out the door. "That means Aurora is a human too. So shut the fuck up and get in the car before you piss me off."

While Enzo slunk over to his beat up old car, you moved to Dante's side and looked up at him. "This isn't a problem, is it? I mean, I can just take a bus if I have to. I don't want to be a burden."

"Don't worry about it, darlin'. You're not a burden. Enzo always complains whenever I'm involved." He put his hand on your lower back and guided you over to the car, secretly glaring at Kyo who was watching him with narrowed eyes. There was seriously something wrong with that ball of fluff.

You nodded and nibbled your bottom lip. To be honest, you were nervous about meeting Aurora. Takashi had said that she was a friend of his who should be able to help you, but you weren't so sure. What if she couldn't help you? What then? Your arrangements with Dante were only temporary and you had nowhere else to go if this Aurora woman couldn't help you. Were you just being a pessimist? After all, your sensei wouldn't send you all the way here for nothing, right? Still, if Aurora didn't help you, you could always wait for Takashi and try to get your answers from him.

Would Takashi-sensei even answer them?

Once everyone got situated in the car, with you in the backseat and the two men in the front, Enzo grumbled something in Italian and started the vehicle. From the scowl on his face, it was easy to tell that he wasn't happy with this whole situation and you felt guilty. You didn't like to be a burden to anyone and although Dante said you weren't, you still felt like one.

With a heavy sigh you leaned your head back and closed your eyes — unknowingly imitating Dante with this action. According to Dante, Aurora's place was about a 20 minute drive and you planned to use this time to take a short nap since you'd hardly gotten any sleep last night.

I'm so tired. You thought and drifted off into a peaceful sleep. 

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Twilight Elf

Edited by Moth - November 28, 2008