Part 5

“Hi. Excuse me. Are you feeling fine now?” I drifted back to painful reality to the soft voice speaking to me, tapping me lightly on my cheek. I opened my eyes blurrily, the pounding of my head still there, but slightly faded.

Trish knelt beside me with a worried expression.

I yelped out loud, jumping to sit up on an unfamiliar couch, in an unfamiliar room, in an unfamiliar house. This was one place Capcom never covered, but it was every bit of home that I would think a woman like Trish to have. It was clean and neat, and there was even a vase of flowers sitting by the window, bathing in the warm glow of sunlight. Trish didn’t look like someone who would indulge in flowers, but she definitely was keeping her vase of roses alive.

“How did I make it up here? I don’t remember leaving the taxi.” I asked, looking around with wide eyes as Trish drew up a short chair to sit beside me.

“I carried you. Are you fine now? You gave me quite the scare, just falling unconscious like that. I would have called the doctors, but I got the sense that whatever you were suffering from –it was demonic.” She asked worriedly, and while it didn’t really fit the badass Trish that Capcom portrayed, I decided I like this caring Trish too. There was just something charming about a woman with a fair amount of badass, balanced perfectly with a compassionate side.

“D-Demonic? But I’m not a demon!” I protested, but she shrugged.

“You don’t strike me a demon either, but for a moment there, I felt demonic power rolling off you, and boy, were you strong. I haven’t really met someone quite like you. Your power felt strong –almost like the half-devils back at Devil May Cry, but I don’t know how you’re still human now.” Trish admitted, eyes of green piercing through me with unmasked curiosity.

I tried not to squirm under her gaze, blushing up quickly. There was just something amazing at how my idol was expressing so much concern towards me when we were technically still strangers.

“I still feel human. I don’t know what came over me, but I heard the weirdest of growl echoing in me when my head decided to split itself into two.” I confessed, since she was being truthful and all honest. While it was stupid that I would trust someone I just met, I felt safe telling Trish my secrets. Maybe it was because of the fact that I knew she probably would keep my secrets.

“Well, that sure sounds like a demonic side to me. What’s your name, by the way? I’m Trish.” She asked politely, and I beamed at her.

“I know. I’m Leah Katherine Cartlier. But you can call me Leah or Lila.”

She gave me a confused look, seemingly suddenly on guard. It took a moment for me to remember that no matter the gentle and kind exterior she showed, she was still a demon, and still someone who killed demons for a living. She was still someone who was hardened by the world, someone who was still used to killing.

“What do you mean by ‘I know’?” She didn’t bother twisting her way around the subject, and I saw a little of Dante’s influence in that.

I considered lying to her, and spinning some crazy story of maybe how I found out about her and Dante’s services through word on the street or something. But it wouldn’t answer how I knew an angel, or much less how I was transported –supposedly –from my world into Limbo. It wouldn’t answer how I knew things about Dante and every one of the Devil May Cry franchise.

So I settled with the truth.

And prayed that Trish would be understanding.

_______________________________________________________________________________

“You mean to say that you are actually from a parallel word, where we are merely characters of a video game that you are a fan of?” Trish clarified, and crazy as it sounded, I nodded truthfully. So far Trish had been composed and entirely sane, not even bothering to try to put me under the ‘crazy and delirious’ section when I tried to explain to her that I belonged in another world.

“And between our worlds, you collected figurines of Dante, Vergil, Lady and me?”

“And Nero.” I admitted. We couldn’t forget the important main character DMC 4, could we?

“You know about Nero too?” Trish asked with wide eyes, and I nodded.

“In our world, Capcom covered how you and Dante met him, and helped him save Fortuna. Gloria was a totally chic look, though. Maybe if the hair was longer –you would have been a perfect Council Member.”

She nodded absently at my compliment, eyes far away. It was hard to believe that someone could take my crazy story with such seriousness, but it remained a fact that Trish had never once thought me to be insane. I was super grateful to her for that –because even as I narrated my own story, I realized that it sounded crazy and retarded to unknowing ears.

“This is quite radical, Leah. Do you think there are cross-over of stories in our worlds? Perhaps we have some TV dramas or video games based on anyone in your world?”

I shrugged. “I don’t know, but Azazel told me that he and his angel friends were the one who supported the Devil May Cry franchise, and provided Sparda’s story for background.”

Trish nodded again, thinking hard. “But the million-dollar question remains as to why you are brought here into this world. You said the angel was arguing with Vergil in Devil May Cry over letting you stay?”

I nodded.

“And you walked out on both of them?”

Again, I nodded. Trish was beginning to get a smile, as if she’d found the dress on the sale rack that she’d been looking forward to for the past few months.

“I suppose you don’t have a place to stay?”

I shook my head, and her smile formed fully. Yeap, I was most definitely the favorite metaphorical dress in the metaphorical sale.

“Then how would you like to stay here? You’ll be rid of having to put up Dante and Vergil, and we can spend some quality time together! I don’t know what it is about you, Leah, but I feel like I know you. I don’t feel like this around anyone else except for the Sparda brothers, but it’s only because I was made with part of Eva’s soul, and they’re her sons.”

I looked at her, trying not to let my jaw drop, but failing. Words left me as I stared at her, my slow mind trying to comprehend. I must have taken too long, because the excitement on her face quickly faded away to worry, as she started to be concerned whether there something wrong with me.

“I… I… can stay here?” I squeaked, unable to speak properly through the lump in my throat. I could stay in this haven, with Trish?

“For free! You can pay rent if you feel guilty, but I’m not demanding like Dante.” Trish reasoned, and I grinned, pulling her into a hug.

She was so going to be my best friend.

_______________________________________________________________________________

“You are kidding me.” I breathed with wide eyes on my new best friend. “You must be kidding me. Dante wouldn’t.”

She laughed, as if thoroughly amused by my reaction. She had found it extremely weird that there would be anyone in her entire world who would revere Dante, and since my proclamation that he was my favorite character of the entire franchise, she had been out to prove me wrong by telling me all the embarrassing things she’d caught Dante in, as well as the many embarrassing things she and Lady put Dante through.

“You bet. What could a man do caught in a baby spa, carrying a crying infant in his hands? Throw it to the nearest woman and hightail of out of there.” Trish mimicked Dante’s desperate expression again for a moment, then collapsed into entertained giggles along with me.

I was still struggling to compose myself again when the door to Devil May Cry opened. It was Day 2 in Limbo for me, and I seemed to be coping fairly well. Truth be told, I was surprised at my own ability to keep everything together too. I mean, it would be natural for someone to freak out after knowing that their life all to way until now was no more. The fact that this hadn’t happened was a cause for me to cheer for myself silently inside, but I had a feeling that this was going to make my breakdown afterwards doubly hard.

A sword came flying out of nowhere across the room, and the aim was perfect as it landed perfectly on its mount. Next came a pair of guns zipping through the air, and the landed in the same neat fashion as the sword did. My jaw dropped in awe as I turned towards the newcomer, wondering who could be so perfectly flashy.

“I thought I sensed some bitch here. I wasn’t wrong.” Dante muttered upon seeing Trish, eyes going to the floor as if tired of seeing more of his partner.

“Wasn’t the only one around you?” Trish was quick to reply, not even bothering to take offense. I got that she was waiting for my reaction at the sudden presence of Dante, but for the moment, I could still contain the fan-girl in me, but only barely as I feasted my eyes on him.

He was gorgeous. Like a God. Everything from head to toe was pleasing to the eye. Even how his hair dripped from rainwater that he must have collected from the storm outside was pleasing. Even how he had terrible cuts in his clothes everywhere, it was perfect. Even in the way his lips moved when he talked. That growing beard. Everything.

“Who is the breathless chick?” Dante didn’t bother to spare me a look, but it was obvious he was referring to me considering I was the only stranger in the room. My breath was further taken away by the fact that he’d called me a ‘chick’, in spite of the fact that I knew he would call anyone with the female anatomy a ‘chick’.

“Would you believe it if I told you that she’s your biggest fan?” Trish asked beside me, and I distantly registered that she had raised her brow in amusement while I continued to try to regulate my breathing.

“Fan? If fan service doesn’t get me money to pay the tight-fisted bitch in my life, then it doesn’t matter.” Dante breezed back, taking off his trademark trench coat and hanging it on a coat rack at the side.

Oh my god, everything here was just trademark Dante. If he knew how much anyone would pay for even a small patch of his trench coat or maybe just his shirt, then he would never have to fret about paying Lady ever again.

“I doubt that, but she really adores you.” Trish added, and I resisted the urge to hit her for that inappropriate comment that she didn’t have to tell Dante.

“Adoration isn’t going to help him.” A new voice interrupted on the ongoing conversation as Dante plopped his ass on his usual seat behind the desk, leaning back so that the chair was relying on its back two legs to keep his weight up. “Paying the debt is going to help.”

I put both hands over my mouth to stop my gasp of excitement from escaping my lips. I knew that voice. There was no asking who it was who had appeared after Dante. There was only one person that Dante owed a huge debt to, anyway.

Lady stalked into the room in a skilled-hunter manner, eyes scanning the room quickly. She exchanged an acknowledging nod with Trish, but heterochromatic eyes pegged on me quickly, scanning me up and down as if trying to look for signs whether I was human or a demon waiting to be killed. I hoped I looked innocent enough to her as I stared back at her with wide eyes, trying to drink her in quickly.

She was every bit like how they depicted her in Devil May Cry 4. Though she was wearing a tank top and a cardigan over it that covered her assets well, she was most definitely wearing a push-up bra to show off those treasures over the top of her tank. Strapped to her were a million arsenals, but my eyes tagged on quickly to Kalina Ann.

Maybe that was when I realized: I was in Devil May Cry haven.

I don’t know why it took me so long to realize this in full strength, but it pummeled into me with such a force that I lost my ability to talk.

“Your friend is going to swoon.” Dante’s voice came, muted from behind us, and I spun quickly to see him preparing to sleep on the desk despite the fact that he was dripping water on the floor.

I would have liked to protest against him, but I couldn’t deny the truth. I was going to faint anytime soon, but the problem was that I didn’t know when. I knew that I was hyperventilating at the sight of my favorite characters in the same room, sharing the same air as me. Their weapons, which I’d always admired, were all here in front of me.

I was in heaven. Devil May Cry Heaven.

“Who is she? I’m guessing that she’s human, but losing her breath so suddenly isn’t exactly natural.” Lady asked as she unloaded most of her weapons at the side on Dante’s pool table, placing Kalina Ann down with extreme care. I took to note that she laid the barrel facing Dante, and her fingers twitched on the trigger too –as if considering about shooting Dante when he wasn’t aware of it.

“Her name is Leah. Let’s say that she… knows of you and your adventures with Dante.” Trish replied, a worried hand on mine as if trying to tell me to keep breathing. I closed my eyes and did my best to do as told, for I wouldn’t want to faint and lose out on talking to them.

“Wait, she’s the girl who fainted. Didn’t Verge leave her in his room? How come she’s up, and he’s gone?” Dante asked, suddenly sitting up.

“I didn’t know you cared, Dante.” Trish asked, as surprised as me. I wasn’t sure if I should be secretly happy that he was suddenly concerned when it came to me, but the answer came to me quickly when Dante dismissed Trish’s surprise with a wave of his hand.

“I don’t care about her. I care about Verge. If he’s still keeping her in his room, then I’m collecting double rent. I rented the room out to one person only, so if a second is going to stay, I’m going to get double rent. Then I can pay this tight-fisted bitch and be done with her forever.” Dante reasoned, and while it made some sense (albeit very little), it was a marvel at how Dante always thought in terms of getting money.

I reminded myself to not get disappointed, that this was typical Dante, but I guessed that no matter what, a piece of my heart still soured at his words. I never thought that I was particularly charming, but wouldn’t Dante just respect a woman?

Oh wait. When would Dante ever respect a woman in his life?

I sighed, realizing –probably for the first time ever –that I’d chosen quite an unlikely person to admire.

“I don’t know why you still think of such stupid ways, Dante. If you really had the heart to repay me, then you wouldn’t have taunted the demon just now. It is your fault he transformed, and the repairs on that building is going to be in your debt.” Lady reminded, and Dante cursed, slamming the table with his fist enough to make the entire desk rattle.

“You didn’t say that earlier! You stupid bitch, you were fine when I stepped out to approach him!” Dante stood up to argue, and Lady didn’t back down either.

“It’s your fault for being such a natural-born bastard! If you would just learn to take a leaf out of Vergil’s book, then maybe you wouldn’t owe me as much as you owe me now!” Lady raised her voice in reply to Dante’s, and soon they were in an all-out shouting argument.

This was one side of Dante I didn’t see on the screen, but it didn’t mean I didn’t enjoy it. It was like watching a show, and I found my heartbeat returning to normal pace as Trish and I entertained ourselves by tallying out the insults the two made at each other.

“Fine! I don’t know how we led to this, but fine! If you have such motherly instincts, then go to that girl –Leah-or-something! I’m sure Vergil will give her to you! In case you don’t know, Verge is probably the most uninterested man alive in girls, so he’ll willingly give you a woman to play with! Just don’t blame me if you turn lesbian!” Dante yelled, throwing his hands up in defeat, then stomping from behind the desk.

“This is not over!” Lady stepped forward in an attempt to follow wherever Dante was trying to bring the conversation to, but Dante only ran towards the door leading to the upstairs, where the rooms were. There was no asking what he was going to do. He was going to perform the age-old trick of running when in an argument with a woman.

I gave him points silently for trying, and he almost succeeded when he slammed the door behind him and locked it. But Lady was not Lady for nothing. She drew out a gun that she’d yet removed, then shot twice on the knob. I jumped at the gunshots, watching as the metal knob fall to the floor with a noisy clatter. Lady kicked the door open, continuing her shouts of insults at Dante and the male population as a whole.

“What do you think?” Trish asked amusedly, tilting her head as if trying to inch towards listening to the argument continuing on upstairs. “They are still your idols?”

I considered their bickering, smiling.

“I guess.”

Trish sighed. “There is no dissuading you, is there?”

I grinned.

“Once a Devil May Cry fan, always a Devil May Cry fan.”