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Devil May Cry: The End of the Line
PART XXX

Dante stared at the lifeless shape, sprawled out upon the red pedestal. Around it, a dozen or so crystal pillars ringed the pedestal, and the chamber itself was a marvel of perfectly carved obsidian.

But all Dante saw was Lady.

Slowly, he walked towards the body. It was the longest walk of his entire life. He felt like he had aged years by the time he reached her. Her chest was covered in dried blood, a large gaping wound in her mid-riff. Her mismatching eyes stared up at him, but he could tell that there was nothing behind them.

A jumble of thoughts and feelings writhed through his mind. And here he had thought for a moment that they had won – that they had saved the day. Oh, he had he supposed. After all, wasn't that what hero's do? Save the day? But … they also got the girl in the end as well.

Dante actually laughed aloud at that, and anyone watching might have been confused if they hadn't seen his eyes well up. It was funny … Lady wasn't just some typical female sidekick … she was a damned hero in her own right. She was the strongest human Dante had ever known.

Was.

Tears dripping onto her bloodstained vest, he reached down and, with leaden arms, scooped her body up in his arms. Blinking back more tears, he turned and carried her off.

---

The door Clanged shut behind him with an ominous finality. Vergil strode purposefully forwards, stopping for a moment to admire the sheer grandeur of it all. A throne room of immense size, crafted from white stone and polished marble, lit by a dazzling radiance that poured through the ring of pillars either side of him.

He moved onwards, towards the prize that lay at the end of the room. A decorative stone throne. The throne belonging to the King of Hell – Mundus. Or at least it had. Now it was his.

With deliberate slowness – he wanted to savour every second – he stepped up to the throne, which shrank down and reshaped itself to accommodate him perfectly. The brilliant light of the hall reflecting in his eyes, Vergil sat himself down, placing the Sparda sword upon his lap.

And that was it. He was the new ruler of the Underworld. He smiled. Not exactly. There were many Demon Princes that would begin squabbling amongst each other for power once word of Mundus' death spread. But Vergil had no doubt in his mind who would emerge triumphant.

He glanced idly down at the sword that radiated with all the power he had dreamt of his entire life, and noticed something. He had never really had the chance to examine the transformed blade up close, and now he did he saw minute scratches along its length. Peering closer, he saw that a tiny inscription had been carved in Demonic Scripture.

It read; With great power comes great responsibility … and the ability to affect great consequences.

Vergil looked up and stared off into space, thinking. After a few moments, an idea crept into the front of his mind. The beginnings of another smile appeared on his face as it took hold. Oh yes, that would be and ideal start to his new reign, he thought …

---

Dante approached the ledge, still clutching Lady's lifeless form in his arms. He had closed her eyes, and as he gazed down at her face he noticed that she seemed so peaceful.

"I'm sorry." He said in a barely audible whisper. Below, the lava churned and flowed, giving off a searing heat. He sighed and held her body out over the ledge. "Goodbye …"

Something happened. He blinked, and stared as Lady began to … well there was no other word for it – glow. A golden aura of light enveloped her, and Dante watched on dumbfounded as the gaping wound in her chest miraculously closed and healed, not even leaving behind a scar to show where it had been. In fact all of her wounds, from deep cuts to minor scrapes and bruises, were healing.

Within seconds her body was as good as new, and when her form shuddered in his hands his eyes shot wide and he pulled her in close towards him. Lady sucked in a deep, shuddering breath that went on for so long it seemed as if she was trying to catch up on all the air she had missed out on before.

Her eyes flicked open and she stared dreamily around, as if she had just awoken from a deep sleep.

"Dante?" she mumbled, blinking in a confused way at him. Dante was speechless … for the first time in his entire life he was genuinely at a loss as to what to say.

Lacking the words, he opted for action, and he hugged her tightly to him, screwing his eyes up and trying to convince himself it wasn't all a dream – that he hadn't collapsed from exhaustion upon seeing her body and was imagining it all.

Several minutes passed, and eventually he had to let go of her to allow her some air. He set her down on her feet but had to steady her as she wobbled precariously. He led her away from the ledge as memories of recent events started to catch up with her.

"Oh my! Dante, I was-"
"I know."
"But I was-"
"I know!"

She stopped and let out a laugh, her mind trapped halfway from being happy at this bizarre turn of events and confused as to how and why.

"I, for one, don't believe in miracles." She said at last. "So … how?"

Dante simply smiled knowingly. "Lets say I think someone was just proving that I had made the right decision after all, and leave it at that." He said, winking.

---

Several Months Later …

"Sorry, no longer open for business." Said Dante, hanging up and returning to his packing. His office was actually cleaner now than it had ever been, due in no small part to the fact that he had cleared most of his stuff out – save for a few bits and pieces that he was now in the process of placing into a worn cardboard box.

He picked up a picture frame containing the photograph of Eva, his mother. He placed it in the box and moved along, picking up another picture – this one of Trish, Lucia and himself, together after a job they had done in California a few years back. He smiled sadly and placed it in the box along with the rest.

The bell over the door jingled as someone strolled in. Without turning to face them, Dante continued his packing. "I'm sorry," he said "We're closed – for good."

"Too bad, I was dying to use your famous bathroom."

Dante grinned and spun to face Lady. It was quite a shock to see her with long hair and wearing casual jeans and a sweater – without her normal obligatory gun belts and combat webbing.

"Hey! Haven't seen you in weeks! What you been up to?"

Lady shrugged and looped her thumbs through her jeans belt. "Oh you know, packing for my long overdue vacation. I would have thought that's what you were doing as well, except I notice that your sign has been taken down. And did I hear right before? Closed for good?"

Dante rolled his eyes and turned back to finish the last of his packing. "Yes, you heard right. It's been a long time and I haven't heard so much as a rumour of a real contract. I reckon Vergil has done a passable job of taming the Underworld. Or more likely, has them all so busy fighting each other that they've since forgotten about us puny humans."

"So you're quitting?" she asked, not sounding as surprised as she intended. Dante let out a short laugh and carried on working.

"I've been sitting around scoffing pizza for far too long. If the world needs saving again, fine, I'll be around to save it. But in the meantime I think I really have to go and get a life, because this job isn't paying anymore and I'm getting too lazy."

Lady strolled across and leaned against the banister. "I guess I see your point. But if you don't have anything planned, I was wondering …" she stuttered and stopped, before trying again. "I mean, if you aren't busy, how would you like to come on holiday? With me?"

"Ah-ha!" Dante exclaimed, making her jump.
"What?"

He turned and jogged past her and stormed up the stairs, leaving Lady standing around mildly confused. When he returned, he had his hands held suspiciously behind his back.
"What?" She asked him again, feeling quite nervous. Honestly, she chided herself, you can face off against ferocious demons but this has you jittery!

"Happy Birthday!" Dante said cheerfully, bringing his hands around and handing two wooden boxes to her, each bearing a stylish (Or not) pink ribbon. Lady gaped at him.
"How did you know?" she gasped, taking the presents from him.
"The small ones from me, the long one is from Vergil." He said, dodging her question. Lady shot a surprised look at him at the mention of his brother's name, but he remained tight lipped.

The one from Vergil contained a long, gently curved Tachi sword in a smooth black lacquered scabbard. Lady took it out and drew the blade, gazing at it in admiration.

"Its beautiful." She said.
"He … wanted you to have that." Dante explained.

Lady sheathed the Yamato and placed it on the now empty desk, before pulling the smaller box towards her and opening it. Inside the red velvet lined container, nestled two twin custom handguns – Colt .45's by the look of them, bearing the words Luce & Ombra on their metal casing.

"And I'm sure my father wouldn't have objected to you having those." Dante added. "I know its no replacement for the Kalina-Ann, but-" He didn't get a chance to finish as Lady flung her arms around his neck

"Thank you, they're wonderful." Lady said, releasing him and pulling out the weapons, twirling them experimentally. Dante watched her and smiled. Some girls liked flowers, chocolates, even diamonds. Lady? She liked weapons. That was just the kind of person she was – like him.

She helped Dante to finish packing, and together they headed for the door. Dante stopped in front of it and turned, clutching the cardboard box in his arms as he surveyed the spartan office that had served as his workplace and home for years.

"I'm gonna miss this place." He said quietly.

From the desk, the phone rang. They both turned and stared at it. Lady glanced across at Dante, watching him carefully. He frowned, watching the phone rattle and ring. Then he turned and walked out of the office and into the street beyond. Lady followed him, and they set off together, chatting and laughing as the sun set on the horizon.

In the office, the phone continued to ring for a while longer, and then fell silent.

---

Snow drifted gently down, settling upon the mountain peaks like a flurry of tiny white insects. They were watched by a stern looking man dressed in thick black winter clothing. He lifted a pair of sunglasses and perched them on his nose, then turned to another similar looking man.

Together they stared down into the valley, which was packed full of endless stretches of snow and ice.
"How long until we locate the temple?" One asked. The other shook his head slowly.
"They don't know. It's a large structure, but it is buried under a ton of ice from that avalanche." He replied.

Down in the valley, dozens and dozens of people worked with heavy machinery to dig through the mountains of snow, as the gentle blizzard washed over them all. Above, a helicopter flew past the two men standing upon the ledge, overlooking the work. Its spinning blades kicked up torrents of snowflakes as it passed.

Upon its sleek black body, a logo was just visible. A snake coiled around in a circle, swallowing its own tail. Beneath the logo, printed in block lettering, was the word:

Uroboros

The icy wind howled as it flew into the distance.

THE END

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Thats it! The End! I really enjoyed writing this and I hope people enjoyed reading it as well. A million thank you's to everyone who has reviewed, I honestly wouldnt have finished this if it wasnt for you all.

EDIT - Tidied up a few bits and pieces to make the text flow smoother. I swear, spelling errors breed! Anyway, I have decided to write a sequal to this, which will be a fic centred on Lady and some of her adventures. Fic2 coming soon! (With any luck)