E V E R L O N G - - - - such a flight of fancy

Empty Revolution: Chapter I, Part I;

Pivoting on his left foot then, Dante raised his gun, firing yet another round into the dark night, grimacing as he watched his target leap from one tree branch to another, her movements graceful. Aiming once more, he launched another array of bullets and was finally rewarded by the sound of a soft cry, indicating that at least one had made contact with the nimble girl. Watching her jump to the ground, stumbling just a bit from fresh wound on her leg, he smirked and let his arm fall lazily to his side. "So, devil hunter, you ready to give up yet?" Quickly surveying her tattered dress, Dante chuckled, shaking his head; the girl was persistent, he would give her that, but she had to notice by now that he had taken only a few hits.

Smirking in return, the girl lifted her sword and gripping its hilt even tighter, pointed it toward Dante, eyes narrowed as a look of determination replaced the smirk. "Oh disgraceful demon of darkness, who is beyond even the reach of moonlight, you shall now be illuminated by the light of virtue. I hold no enmity against those forced into evil, but to those foul beings who take delight in causing pain and suffering in the lives of those innocent, I can have no mercy! We who have, since the time of our Ancient Ones, been your destroyers, rise up now to seal you within the shadows from whence you came! I swear by the noble blood of the Yamashita clan which flows through me, I, Yamashita Rekka, shall vanquish you!"

Raising an eyebrow at the speech, Dante rolled his eyes and lifted a hand, raking it through his hair. "Damn, you devil hunters sure like to talk, don't you? And its always the same spiel isn't it?" Closing his eyes then, he shrugged, cracking his neck in the process. "I mean honestly, don't you think I've heard it before? It never changes, no matter where I go or who it might be, its always that �oh disgraceful demon' and �foul creature emerged from darkness' or some other garbage like---"

"Save it, demon! I don't care to listen to your whining!" Rekka cried, dashing forward then as she brought her blade down, grimacing when the sound of metal clashing against metal rang through her ears, a small gasp erupting from her. When had he drawn that sword? She could not even remember seeing him reach for it and yet, there it was, glinting in the dim light, pushing against her own. Cursing demons and their foul tricks, she applied even more pressure, growling as her arms began to shake from the sheer force.

Finding the girl's persistence annoying now, Dante sighed and shook his head, tearing his sword away then. Watching as she stumbled, he lifted a leg and slammed it into her side, knocking her off her feet and into a nearby tree. Straightening, he lifted his sword, allowing it to rest against his shoulder and moving his other hand to the belt around his waist, hooked a thumb in it, shifting his weight to his right foot. "Face it girl, you can't beat me, I'm way above your league. And to be perfectly honest, I'm not all that keen on killing women."

Squeezing her eyes shut, Rekka took a shaky breath and tried to block out the pain now racing through her body. She could feel the small trickle of blood slowly running down the back of her neck, the liquid warm against her already burning skin and she shivered, immediately regretting this action when a sharp pain shot up her side. Crying out softly, she moved a hand to the spot, gingerly pressing down, cringing as this only hurt worse. Forcing her eyes open, she let her gaze move back to the demon, fighting to clear her blurred vision.

Rekka knew she was no match for the man, that had been clear from the moment she'd made her first strike and he had easily deflected it, swatting her away as if she were a mere insect buzzing too close to his ear. Still, despite this knowledge, she also knew there was no way she could simply back away and give up, not when she had so much on the line. Reaching for her sword then, she gripped the hilt and slowly, pulled it toward her and lifting it, slammed the blade into the ground, using it to pull herself up. Making sure to put most of her weight on the weapon, she swallowed, gaze still focused on Dante.

Raising an eyebrow at her sheer determination, Dante rolled his eyes and headed for her. "You are either extremely brave or very foolish, then again, it doesn't really matter I suppose." Coming to a halt then, he looked down at her, frowning as he noted the wounds she now bore. Deciding they were her own fault, he shrugged, focusing on another detail. "Tell me, who sent you after me? I'm well aware you devil hunters are for hire, so please spare me the lies." He demanded, truthfully not in the mood to deal with any made up stories at the moment.

Blinking at his question, she chuckled then, a dark smirk appearing on her lips. "Ever heard of the Mezame?" She asked, watching as a small spark of recognizing flashed in his eyes. "Ahh, I see you have, that's good, I've always thought it good to know the name of those who will kill you." Pausing for a moment, she allowed the pain in her side to subside to a dull ache, guessing that talking had caused the sudden flare. Swallowing, she continued, her tone quieter this time. "The Mezame want the Queen dead, she's a danger to their plans. If I remember correctly, she's your sister isn't she? How does that make you feel, demon? To know that there are people who---" her words were cut in half, an icy sensation ripping through her body, bringing forth a small cry.

Staring at the girl, Dante watched as she fell to the ground with a small thud, her body going limp. A thin needle could be seen protruding from her lower neck, glinting in the light. Chuckling, he turned, his eyes landing on the lithe form of another female, a smirk appearing on his lips at the sight. Quickly putting the sword back in its proper resting place, he moved forward and lifting his hands, began clapping, giving the woman a whistle. "Good job darling, you never cease to amaze me." Coming to a halt, he smiled brightly only to yelp when he felt a fist collide with the back of his head. Jumping back, he whined and began rubbing the spot, looking at her in confusion. "What was that for?" He cried, indigent at the attack.

Letting her arm fall, Sasuku glared at him, rolling her eyes then. "You were taking too long, you idiot. I was getting tired of waiting for you to stop playing around, especially after you said it would only take you ten minutes." Crossing her arms then, she brushed past him and made her way toward the devil hunter, kneeling to pluck the needle from her neck and stood, throwing the instrument off, never one to keep such dirty things. Feeling an arm wrap around her waist then, she squeaked and looked behind her, staring up at Dante.

Giving her a charming smile, he leaned down and quickly kissed her cheek in apology, placing his lips next to her ear. "Come on darling, let me see one of those dazzling smiles of yours." He pleaded, watching as she blushed brightly, chuckling once more when he felt her hit his arm, knowing he had at least gotten himself out of the danger zone.

Turning then, she leaned up and gave him a quick kiss before pulling back, deciding she could get him back later. "So, what should we do about this devil hunter?" She asked, glancing toward the body behind her, perfectly aware of how disastrous it would be to leave her just lying around in the forest. "And you know we're going to have to tell Sorina and Ichidou about this, especially if the girl was telling the truth about the Mezame."

Sighing, he nodded, knowing she was right. Detaching himself from Sasuku, he moved around her and headed for the girl, reaching down to grab her arm, heaving her up. "I suppose first we take her to the palace and lock her up, so we can try to get answers out of her later," pausing then, he frowned, hating what would have to come next. "And then, I guess we'll just have to interrupt their vacation, though I'm not looking forward to that visit."

Following him, she patted his arm, laughing lightly. "I knew you were smart," she teased, wondering why people were always so surprised when he came up with solid choices and plans of action. Then again, given his normal personality, she guessed it wasn't that hard of a question to answer. Sighing then, she nodded, not liking the second decision. "You're right, I can just hear Ichidou's curses now," she groaned, not at all happy about the prospect of disrupting them.

Chuckling dryly at her words, he nodded and called in a rope, the item appearing in his hand as he quickly tied Rekka up, despite knowing she wouldn't be waking up anytime soon. Throwing the girl over his shoulder then, he turned to face Sasuku, smirking. "Shall we go then?" He asked and watching as she nodded, took her arm and vanished from the spot, taking her with him, a light pop the only thing left in their wake.

Next Part?

Empty Revolution: Chapter I, Part I;

Credits;