Archive of Our Own ^beta

Chapter Text

He hated this. Riding in the back of a strangers car instead of being with his band mates back at the hotel, but it was necessary, he wouldn't put them in anymore danger than he already had. They could still play their shows, he just had to distance himself physically for the time being until he could figure all this out. He was hiring a devil hunter. A devil hunter. Never in his life did he think he'd ever have to personally deal with demons. Yet here he was, driving with this demon hunters manager to their office for their first meeting. He was shaking, out of fear or nerves, he didn't know. The feeling was definitely uncomfortable.

He had no idea why he'd become a target for demons, and honestly he was scared to find out. But this man, Morrison, guarantees that this 'Dante' was the best in the business when it came to hunting demons, he promised this Dante would take care of his problem, and with the amount he was paying him he'd better.

As the car rolled to a stop Ikari looked out the passenger window, a large building standing tall before him, old oaken doors and a neon sign reading 'Devil May Cry'. It was incredibly out of place. "Alright kid." Morrison said. "This is the place."

"It looks abandoned." Ikari said, face scrunching in distaste.

"Trust me." The older man said, opening the car door. "If anyone can solve you're demon problem, it's him."

Ikari grunted in response, opening his door and tossing his duffle bag over his should as he followed the man up the stairs. Morrison didn't even bother knocking, simply opening the door and walking inside. Ikari did the same.

Inside the building was just as dismal as the outside. Pealing wall paper and trash everywhere, and old sofa situated on the left side of the wide space, an old pool table close by looking the be the old thing not collecting dust. The rustling of paper snapped him back to reality as his eyes shot to the table sitting near the back, sitting plainly in the middle, two long legs crossed and resting against the desks surface as a man older than him closed whatever magazine he was reading, white hair that seemed to clash with his age as he seemed not old enough to gone entirely gray. Ikari wondered how he hadn't noticed him first upon entering the building. "Dante." Morrison greeted, removing his hat and placing it on the rickety old coat hanger standing next to the open door.

"Morrison." Dante greeted back. "I wasn't expecting to see you today old man."

"Cute." He chuckled. "I've brought you a job."

That seemed to peak the devil hunters interest, raising one eyebrow curiously as he eyed Ikari still standing behind Morrison. He swung his legs off the desk, standing and stretching his arms above his head before making his way to the pool table, grabbing a que and lining up a shot into the mess of pool balls on the surface, striking one on the first try. "And what kind of job is this Morrison?" he asked , eyes never leaving the table.

"I should introduce you first." He said, stepping aside and gesturing Ikari inside. "This is Ikari. He's lead singer of the band Devil Within."

"Oh we got a rock star huh? Sorry to say I've never heard of you." he said, a sly smile on his face that made Ikari's face go red with frustration and embarrassment.

Before Ikari could say anything Morrison spoke up again. "He's been the target of demons for a little while now, don't know why, but he needs a body guard."

"I ain't no body guard." Dante said, taking another shot at the pool table. "Demons or not."

Ikari scoffed. "I thought you said he was perfect for this job." He said to Morrison, trying to ignore the devil hunter to the best of his ability.

"He is." the older man said. "He's just also stubborn as a mule."

"That's not all he has in common with a mule." Ikari said under his breath. If the other two heard him, they didn't speak up about it, which was just fine as far as he was concerned.

"This is a good job Dante, quite lucrative in fact, and we both know you need the money." Morrison said, pulling out a cigarette.

"I'm not in the business of babysitting pretty boy rock stars." Dante said dismissively. Ikari's face went red again.

Morrison sighed in frustration before turning to Ikari. "Can you give us a minute? Feel free to look around."

Ikari simply nodded as Morrison met Dante at the pool table, exchanging words in hushed tones as Ikari walked over to the large beat up desk. His lips tightened in distaste. Trash and empty pizza boxes littered its surface, stains and unwashed glasses that loom as if they've been there for far too long. The thought of having to stay here for an undetermined amount of time making him more and more uneasy.

He eyed the photo on the desk, the only thing that seemed to be clean and dust free. It was a gorgeous woman, long blonde hair and soft eyes, he wondered who she was. He continued to loom around, strange ornaments decorating the walls only making him uncomfortable. There was a door behind the desk, but he best not pry too much, though considering the devil hunter lived here there must be a kitchen and bathroom somewhere, perhaps up the stairs, it seemed the most likely, though he doubt they'd be in any better condition than the rest of this place.

He heard a groan from across the room, Ikari eyeing the two curiously as Dante ran his hand down his face in frustration, Morrison looking pleased with himself. He guessed they must have worked it out, much to Ikari's dismay.

"Ikari!" Morrison said, gesturing him over.

Ikari shifted the duffle bag over his shoulder, making his way to the two older men, glancing between them before settling his eyes on Morrison. "Good news." he said. "Dante took the job."

"Thats...great." he said, forcing and uncomfortable smile.

Morrison nodded. "He'll get to the bottom of your devil troubles, and keep you safe in the mean time, you have nothing to worry about now."

"Does he really have to stay here?" Dante groaned, leaning the pool que against the table and flopping down on the couch.

"How else will you keep an eye on him?" Morrison asked, though it felt more like a statement of fact rather than a question.

"Whatever." Dante groaned again. "You already got a bag, you got everything you need in there?"

Ikari was surprised with the question directed at him, stuttering a bit before answering. "More or less."

Dante nodded. "There is a guest bedroom. I've been using it as storage, so I hope you're good at cleaning."

Ikari bristled with anger. "I'm not cleaning your house." he said, crossing his arms.

"Then sleep on the couch." he sighed out, leaning his head back to stare at the ceiling. Morrison laughed. "You two will get along just fine." he said.

Ikari glared at the devil hunter, the other not even sparing him a glance as they fell into silence. Ikari shifted uncomfortably on his feet while Morrison took a drag from his cigarette. "Well." he said. "I should get going, let you two get to know each other."

Without tearing his eyes away from the ceiling Dante gave a wave of goodbye, Ikari giving a slight bow to the man. "Thank you." he said, standing back uo straight.

"No need to thanks me." he said, turning on his heel and heading back towards the front door. "I'm not the one acting as your bodyguard."

Ikari said nothing as the man left, only watching his back until the door closed behind him, leaving the two in silence as the door clicked shut. They sat in silence for some time, Ikari gazing around the large room and sighing in dissatisfaction. "So where is this 'guest bedroom'". He said, glancing at Dante.

Eyes now closed as his head still rested on the back of the couch, hand gesturing up stairs without looking at Ikari. "Upstairs. Second door."

Ikari grumbled as he marched towards the stairs, hand sliding up the guard railing ascending the stairs glancing at Dante once more before reaching the top. He walked up to the second door, assuming the first must be Dante's own room before opening the door. The air was stuffy and the room was littered with stacks of boxes, a lone bed shoved up against the wall and a barely visible path leading up to it. It seemed like no ones been in here in a long time, Ikari feeling against the wall for a light switch, his fingers finally brushing against it as he flicked it on, the room only looking worse in the bright light. He sighed as he maneuvered through the stacks of boxes, finally reaching the bed and tossing his bag onto its surface, a cloud of dust coming up to meet him as it invaded his mouth and caused him to cough.

'perfect. He thought. 'Just perfect.

Chapter Text

He'd been working for hours, sweeping, dusting, and unloading decaying boxes out of the room that would serve as his for however long he'd be staying here. He ran each and every unpacked object by Dante, effectively annoying the man before he'd throw the junk out. He needed to hurry, bodyguard or not he had band practice and he would not miss it now that he and his friends had protection.

The sun was slowly setting, the orange and red swirling through the clouds in a beautiful display, but he couldn't let it distract him. He'd made good time, one last box to bring down, larger than the others, and heavier too, Ikari struggling a bit as he lifts it into the air. He pushed the door open with his back, holding the box close to his chest, carefully making his way down the stairs and sighing with relief as he made it to the bottom without dropping the box.

Dante sat at his desk, same magazine from earlier laying on his face with his legs propped up and hands resting on his stomach. He looked asleep. Ikari approached slowly, shifting the box a little as he made his way to Dante's dirty desk, trying to place it down as quietly as possible before Dante's legs shifted, startling him. "That the last one?" Dante asked, removing the magazine from his face.

"Yes." Ikari said, trying to mask how startled he was by the others movement. "It's heavier than the others."

"Mm." was all Dante said, swinging his legs off the desk and leaning towards the box, opening it to examine its contents.

He remained quiet while he shifted the objects inside around, clearly not going to show Ikari until he asked. Carefully Ikari leaned a little closer, peering into the box before a look of confusion spread across his face.

The box was full of strange objects, gnarled and twisted, some broken, even looked as if they'd been severed from something, his eyes landing on a thick...thing. Spiraling into a sharp point, looking like some kind of horn? What were these things? "What is that?" Ikari said reaching and touching the point of the twisted thing with his index finger.

"Demon remnants." Dante responded nonchalantly, grabbing one of the misshapen things and holding it up in the light.

"Remnants?" Ikari repeated, same confused expression on his face, tracing his finger delicately along the twisting shape of the object.

"Yeah, you know, like body parts." Dante said, Ikari immediately retracting his finger.

"Oh my GOD." he said, wiping his hands on his jeans. "Just...why?"

"They come in handy." Dante said, tossing the piece up in the air and catching it again with ease. "Good materials for, you know, making stuff."

"That's disgusting." Ikari sneered.

"Don't be so dramatic." Dante said with a grin. "They're sanitary. I mean. Probably."

He grabbed another piece clearly looking like some sort of appendage. "Here take a look." he said thrusting the piece in Ikari's direction, causing him to stumble backwards in disgust.

"Do NOT touch me with that." He said, his voice shaky.

Dante laughed, placing the object back in the box and closing it back up. "I know someone who'll take these off my hands." he said lifting the box with ease and turning towards Ikari. "Take it back upstairs."

"I am nottouching that again." Ikari said, taking a couple steps back. "Take it upstairs yourself."

"Honestly pretty boy, its not a big deal. You're not gonna catch some disease from touching a box." Dante said, chuckling.

"Its a box full of body parts that have been rotting in your house for who knows how long." Ikari countered. "I'm not touching it again."

Dante let out a bark of laughter, shifting the box to one hand and sauntering past Ikari with ease. It seemed the conversation was over, and Ikari was so glad he'd packed hand sanitizer before coming here.

Ikari traveled back up the stairs, opening the door to his room and closing the it behind him, standing still for a moment as he admired the now clean and livable room, feeling a bit proud. He walked over to the bed, fresh blankets now beaten and dust free, opening his bag sitting neatly in the center and pulling out a tube of hand sanitizer, squeezing the substance on his hands and furiously rubbing it into his skin. He couldn't believe the demon hunter had such gross things just laying around like it was no big deal.

He sat on the bed, pulling out his cellphone to check the time. He had a little time before band practice, he ought to call and tell them he could make it. He dialed the number, holding his phone up to his ear and hoping Bruce or Sae-Hee would pick up. It rang a few times before a click could be heard on the other line. "Ikari?"

"Bruce!" Ikari said happily, relieved to hear his friends voice.

"Dude I didn't think I'd hear from you today with the whole demon hunter thing." his friend said, slight surprise in his voice.

"Yeah, but it all worked out, I can make it to practice." Ikari said, smike on his face.

"You sure?" Bruce said. "No one will blame you for backing out you know."

"No its all good." came Ikari's reply. "I can make it."

"If you say so. Bruce said, still sounding unsure. "So what's this demon guy like? We've never met a demon hunter before, is he cool?"

Ikari's face soured. "He's a slob."

Bruce laughed on the other line. "We all know how you hate that."

"Its not funny!" Ikari said, embarrassed. "This place is a mess. I feel more like a maid than a client."

Bruce laughed again, much to Ikari's dismay. "Anyway." he said. "I'll be there soon."

"You're bringing the demon hunter too right?" Bruce said excitedly. "He's gotta be cool."

"Temper your expectations." Ikari grimaced. "I'll see you at practice."

"Okay man, see you there." and just like that the phone call ended. Ikari sighing as he pocketed his cellphone, preparing himself to go speak to Dante. He hoped the man wouldn't give him any trouble, but he's barely known him a day and so far trouble is all he's given him.

Ikari sighed. It was now or never. He stood from the bed, dusting off his pants and making his way to the door. Dante was probably back downstairs, if he wasn't he didn't know what to do, he didn't feel comfortable knocking on the mans bedroom door. At least, he assumed it was his bedroom. In truth he hasn't gotten a tour of the place yet. He wasn't even sure where the bathroom was, but that could wait for now.

He opened the door and peaked out, glancing towards the door next to his before stepping out. He peaked over the guard railing down below, spotting the other mans white hair back at his desk. He walked carefully towards the stairs, descending as quickly as possible until he reached the bottom, his hand grasping the guard railing tightly. "Hey." he said, trying to keep his voice level, but getting no response from the man.

"Hey!" he said again. Still no response, Dante still flipping through the same magazine. Ikari was starting to wonder if he was even really reading it. He steeled himself and let go of the railing, walking as confidently as possible to the desk, standing in front of it and crossing his arms, a sour expression on his face.

He stood in silence for a few moments, assuming Dante would see him and react, but nothing. Just the turning of another page. "HEY!" he said, clapping his hands in front of the other man.

He barely flinched, simply lifting his gaze to lock eyes with Ikari. "Yeah?"

"Didn't you hear me?" Ikari said, annoyed. "I called you twice."

"Nope." Dante replied, eyes dropping to look at the magazine once again.

Ikari leaned down a little to peer at the cover, scrunching his face in distaste. "Isn't that a womens clothing magazine?"

"Yep." Dante said, without a hint of shame or care.

"Nevermind." Ikari said. "I need to go to band practice."

"Band practice?" Dante asked, raising an eyebrow curiously. "Ooooh right. Mister pretty boy rock star."

Ikari's face went red. He was not fond of this nickname Dante had assigned him, and he had a feeling the other man would call him this regardless of whether or not Ikari liked it.

"Aren't I your 'bodyguard'? With demons after you shouldn't you be staying inside?" Dante asked, closing the magazine and laying it on his desk.

"I can't stay in here forever. I have a job." Ikari said. "You're my bodyguard, so aren't you supposed to guard me where I go?"

Dante looked up at him curiously. "You want me to go to your band practice?"

Something about the question through him off. It's not like he wanted Dante to go, he just..had to? "Well...yeah.."

They stared at each other in silence for a moment, they're staring contest not wavering as the prolonged silence continued. He tried to keep a level head, muscle down the anxiety blooming in his chest to match Dante's relaxed expression until finally he couldn't take it anymore. "Are you coming or not?" he asked, heart beating loud in his chest.

Dante sighed. "Fine."

He stood up effortlessly, walking towards the front door and grabbing a long red coat that looked to flashy to just wear around, yet that didn't seem to stop the man. He opened the front door, stepping aside and looking at Ikari. "Aren't you coming?"

"Y-Yeah." he said, almost stumbling as he walked forward and out the door.

Stepping outside the sun was fully set, Ikari glancing around for a vehicle, he hadn't seen one when he rolled in with Morrison, but maybe he had just overlooked it. "Where's your car?"

Dante laughed. "Does it look like I have a car? Sorry pretty boy you'll have to settle for walking."

"Would you stop calling me that?" Ikari huffed, crossing his arms.

"Whats the deal?" Dante said with a lopsided grin. "You're a boy. You're pretty. It fits."

Ikari's whole face went red, he turned away from the other man as fast as he could, not even bothering with a response as he started marching down the street. He couldn't bare to see the other mans face. "Hey don't be mad!" Dante called after him, but he didn't stop.

"I'm leaving." Ikari spat. "Just follow me."

"Yeah yeah." the man said from behind him, the sound of footsteps against the pavement letting him know Dante was following.

They made their trip in silence, only Ikari knowing the way as they walked down the sidewalk. A couple passers by giving them odd looks but ultimately leaving them be. They had walked a couple of blocks before Dante was no longer behind him, but standing at his side with a serious expression, putting a hand on his and forcing him to go faster.

"What are you doing?" Ikari asked, stumbling a bit as Dante pushed him.

"Don't worry about it. Just keep walking." Dante said, practically shoving Ikari down the street.

Ikari just did as told, the seriousness of Dante's tone forcing him silent as they walked, his hand never leaving Ikari's shoulder as they walked. Dante never wavered, leading him down the street until they came upon the small bar where Ikari stopped. "We're here."

"This place? Really mister rockstar?" Dante said, back to his casual jeering self. "Its a hole in the wall at best."

"Shut up." Ikari grumbled. "I never said I was a rockstar. We're a local band."

"This place gonna be your first gig?" He asked, hand still firmly on Ikari's shoulder.

"Well...yes..." he admitted, touching Dante's hand signaling him to let go.

Dante retracted his hand, stuffing it into his pocket instead as they walked inside. The place was clearly closed, the bar keeper casually cleaning glass as four others mingled on the small stage, fiddling with instruments and subwoofers until one glanced in their direction. "Ikari!"

A girl practically bounced off the stage running up to greet them, wrapping her arms around Ikari's shoulders. She kissed him on the cheek and took a step back, looking him over before her eyes landed on Dante. "Oh." she said. "Oh"

"Hey there." Dante greeted. He held out a hand. "Dante."

The girl enthusiastically took his hand, shaking it up and down. "Sae-Hee."

"Ikari you never said he was hot." she said, grinning.

"Sae-Hee!" he shouted, pink rising in his cheeks.

"Well I try my best." Dante said with a smirk.

Sae-Hee bypassed Ikari, locking her arm around Dante's and leading him to the stage. "I'll introduce you."

"Sae-Hee!" Ikari called after her, but she brushed him off, guiding Dante to the stage where the others waited.

She untangled her arm with Dante's and hopped onto the stage with a smile. "So as you know I'm Sae-Hee, I'm our drummer!"

"Nice to meet you." Dante said, still grinning.

"And this." she said, pointing to the man next to her. "Is Bruce! He's our lead guitarist."

"Yo." Bruce said, raising a hand in greeting.

"And this is Markos!" she said siddling up behind the other man. "He's our bassist." Markos nodded.

"He doesn't talk much." Sae-Hee said with a smile. "Are you going to watch us practice?" she asked Dante.

"No!" Ikari said before Dante could answer. Everyone turned to face him curiously, Dante included. "He'll...He'll wait outside."

Dante grinned. "What, don't want me getting a private show?"

"Outside."

Dante sighed. "Yeah yeah I hear ya. Just scream if theres trouble." he said, turning his back and making for the exit, everyone watching him as he went, not saying a word as he passed Ikari and opened the door, stepping out and letting it swing closed behind him.

"What was that?" Sae-Hee asked, pouting a little. "We could've played for him!"

"Thats exactly what I don't want to happen." Ikari said, making his way to the stage. "It should, I don't know, be a surprise or. Something."

"Aw you wanna surprise him?" Bruce said with a grin.

"I've known him for a day what are you guys even talking about." Ikari grumbled. "Can we just start already?"

"Whatever you say man." Bruce said, pausing for a moment before speaking up again. "Not to be nosy, but you should try getting along better with that guy. I mean, he is protecting you from demons, yeah? You seem kinda hostile. Just look on the bright side! We have at least one person who'll be at our show."

"Yeah." Ikari sighed. "I guess so."

Chapter Text

They were just packing up when the bar door swung open, Ikari groaning assuming it was Dante coming to get him for one thing or another, looking up with surprise when it was Jess at the door, walking in with a look of guilt at their process of closing up for the night.

"Hey guys..." she said, sliding her hands into her coat pockets. "You finished with practice."

"Well yeah." Bruce replied, taking on a hostile tone. "Though it was pretty hard to preform without our synth player."

She sighed, everyone looking at her expectantly. They'd tried to call her, several times in fact, but to no avail. "I'm sorry, I was with Harry, lost track of time."

"Thats what you said last time." Bruce sneered, Sae-Hee making an uncomfortable cough as she helped Markos put away his bass. "This is serious for us Jess."

"It's serious for me too I just..." she trailed off, looking down at her feet.

"Guys lets not fight, a couple missed sessions suck but we're not out of the game yet." Ikari said, trying to ease the tension. It didn't work.

"The guy outside." Jess said. "With the white hair. That him? The bodyguard?"

The question through Ikari off, forgetting Dante was out there for a split second. "Yeah...that's Dante."

"Must be nice." she said, an unpleasant look on her face. "Knowing you're safe."

"Woah wait a minute." Bruce said, standing. "Is that what all this is about? Skipping practice, ignoring phone calls, because Ikari has...demon issues?"

Ikari felt as if his heart stopped beating.

"Of course it is!" Jess snapped. "We're all in danger and you guys are acting like its no big deal, like our lives aren't literally at risk just being around him!"

"Jess thats not fair." Sae-Hee spoke up, but Jess barely acknowledged her before continuing.

"Three people. Three people have died in 'freak accidents' near him and we all know its demons yet you're still going on with the show like it doesn't matter!" she yelled. "I'm just...scared."

Everyone was quiet, no one knew what to say. The bar keeper eyed them curiously at the mention of demons, looking weary before going back to his cleaning.

"Jess..." Ikari started. "I know you're scared. I am too. But thats what Dante is here for, he's going to protect us and stop these things from hurting anyone else. We can't just put our lives on hold forever. He'll protect us, you can still come to practice, we can still play the show! Just, trust me, please."

Jess looked apprehensive, shifting on her feet through the silence before sighing. "Okay." she said. "I trust you."

Sae-Hee let loose a sigh of relief before giving a huge smile. "Come to practice tomorrow, I promise its safe!"

The doubt in her eyes was plain for all to see, it seemed she just didn't have it in her to keep arguing. Hiring Dante was supposed to keep them safe, its why he was hired in the first place. He wanted his friends to feel safe. He wanted these things to stop. Morrison promised Dante could do it, he needed to trust Dante if he expected his friends to trust him.

They finished packing up, Jess standing awkwardly near the stage as instruments were moved or put away, until one by one they each said their goodbyes and walked out, Ikari waiting til they were all gone. Waving to the bar keeper before walking out the door last. "Hey."

Ikari looked to his left and there was Dante, eyeing him curiously as his friends all went their separate ways. "Y'all done?"

"Yeah." Ikari said. "Sorry for the wait."

Dante shrugged. "This gonna happen often?"

"For the next week." he replied. "Our show is on Saturday, we want to be prepared."

"Am I gonna have to wait outside every time?" he asked, sly grin on his face as Ikari blushed.

"Yes." he said, crossing his arms. "We don't need any distractions during practice."

"Am I that distracting?" Dante was taunting him, and he hated it.

"Maybe you are, regardless, you can't watch us." he grumbled, avoiding eye contact.

"Gonna have to get used to people watching you preform if you want to get big." Dante said.

"I know that!" Ikari shouted. "I just..."

"Its fine to be nervous." Dante shrugged. "You know I'll see it eventually. I'll probably be at your show."

Ikari's whole body tensed, as if the statement shocked him. He knew that Dante probably would be there, he was paying him to be after all, but the thought of playing in front of a crowd of strangers eased his anxiety, but knowing Dante would be there put him on edge. "Lets just go." he said, trying to avoid eye contact as he began walking.

"You got it boss." Dante said, following close behind.

Their steps quickly fell in tandem, walking in silence down the street back to Dante's shop. He was tired, working all day and practicing into the night, he really wished Dante had a car right about now, or if he had the money to call a cab, but all his extra money was going to the man next to him. He wondered if Dante would have to follow him to his day job. He took a couple weeks off, but who knows how long the demon hunter needed to fix this situation.

He was so wrapped up in his thoughts he didn't even notice Dante had stopped walking, and before he could do anything the other man scooped him up in his arms and dashed forward, Ikari not knowing what to do other than cling to the mans chest as they skid to a stop. "Finally showing yourself huh?" the man asked, but not to him, Ikari carefully looking to where the other man had focused his eyes, and his stomach dropped.

It stood tall, skeletal face looking passed Dante and straight towards Ikari. Its long arms reaching forward unsheething sharp claws, the beating heart seemingly sewed to its chest glowing red before it let loose an ear shattering roar, Ikari clinging to Dante further in fear as he closed his eyes tight. They were moving again, Ikari could feel the wind in his hair as they ran before coming to another abrupt stop, Dante unwinding Ikari's hands from his coat and setting him on the ground behind him. "Sit tight pretty boy." he said, unsheething the large sword from his back and drawing a gun Ikari didn't even know he had.

Dante slashed at the tall creatures legs, effectively severing one of them and gauging the other. It shrieked in pain as it swiped at him, Dante jumping out of the way as blood poured from its severed leg, the demon falling to its knee and pressing its large misshapen hands on the ground, roaring again as its beating heart seemed to strain against its skin. Dante stood tall, aiming one gun and firing a bullet straight into the beasts head, and another through its heart, the organ splattering as blood exploded from its body, drenching the road beneath it.

It crashed to the ground, laying motionless until its body seemed to disintegrate, leaving a large ashy silhouette behind. Dante returned his weapons to their place, stretching his arms up above his head before turning to Ikari with a carefree expression. "That takes care of that."

Ikari was stunned still sitting on the ground, staring past Dante to the puddle of ash laying just ahead of him. Dante lifted an eyebrow curiously, walking over to him and kneeling down, placing a hand on his back. "Whats wrong? Did it get you?" he asked, looking him over for any injuries.

"N-No.." Ikari stuttered out, his chest heaving. "I've just...never seen one that big before.."

Dante laughed. "Size don't matter." he chuckled. "It was weak, barely even a threat."

Dante sat down beside him, hand still firmly placed against his back. "It was following us. Only a matter of time before it showed itself. But thats why I'm here, right?"

"Y-Yeah.." was all he could say.

Dante pat him on the back. "C'mon, we can't sit here all night."

He stood back up, Ikari tried to as well, but his shaky legs wouldn't allow it. "I...I can't.." he said, grabbing hold of Dante's coat.

"Don't worry about it." Dante said, leaning down and scooping him back up in his arms with ease.

"You're going to carry me?" Ikari said, flustered.

"Well I can't just leave my employer here now can I?" he said with a smile, walking down the street as if Ikari's weight meant nothing to him. "It'll be easier this way than for you to come down from shock."

"Yeah...yeah ok." he said, wrapping his arms around Dante's shoulders. "Thank you."

"Don't mention it."