A new story to ring in the New Year! This takes place post-Chapter 38 of Season 1 of the R+V manga and DMC4.

I do not own Rosario + Vampire or Devil May Cry

Somewhere in a dimension separate from Earth, there was a school that sought to teach young monsters how to integrate into human society. In an office in the highest tower of this school was the headmaster of the establishment, a being by the name of Tenmei Mikogami, better known simply as the Exorcist.

Mikogami was not a being known to be quick to anger. What he did experience however was annoyance, and annoyed was how he felt when he read the latest damage report for Yokai Academy. A former staff member by the name of Hitomi Ishigami had smuggled a dangerous magical artifact into the school as a bid at revenge for being fired after she was caught turning several of her students into stone. The artifact in question forced a monster to reveal his true nature; the mass unveiling of everyone's forms had caused old racial tensions to boil up, which along with the violent subduing of Ishigami caused millions of yen in property damage as well as several deaths. Furthermore, while the chaotic group known as ANTI-THESIS had been disbanded over a month previous, the whereabouts of its masterminds Hokuto Kaneshiro and Kiria Yoshii was still unknown; this meant that it would only be a matter of time before they tried to expose the world of youkai to humans again.

While Mikogami had the means to repair the damage dealt to his school, he would be forced to send his students home months early in order to do so, as well as explain to several parents why their sons and daughters were now dead, a task that he did not look forward to. As he set down the report, his eyes fell on a stack of folders that he had noted as "Special Interest." Picking up the top folder, the white-robed being opened it to reveal the profile of a student named Tsukune Aono. Within the file was the boy's essential information along with a detailed list of his various exploits while attending Yokai Academy. Closing the file he set it back where it was before, resting on top of the files for the various girls that flocked around him.

This led to another problem: Now that Tsukune and his "harem" had more-or-less dismantled ANTI-THESIS, they had placed themselves as high-value targets for Hokuto and Kiria's wrath. While the group had demonstrated quite admirably during the past few weeks that they could handle themselves, they were still teenagers, and while undeniably powerful they lacked formal training to fully harness that power. Tsukune was a particularly vulnerable target as unlike his friends and peers, he had all the power and foreboding presence of an average human so long as the Rosario on his wrist kept his newly-acquired Ghoul nature contained. As Mikogami considered who would be both skilled and powerful enough to effectively train his students, his thoughts drifted to one particular individual; a man that he had not spoken to for nearly twenty years but still kept track of for old times' sake. Yes, he thought to himself with a grin, he'll do perfectly.

A few hours later in Limbo City, Washington, a young woman by the name of Patty Lowell was sweeping the street in front of a building bearing the name Devil May Cry. Ever since she had been saved from demons by Dante, the building's owner five years ago, the girl had found herself cleaning up after the man in a vain effort to keep his home and place of business from looking like a frat house; her only consolation was now that she was older, she could get paid for her efforts.

Her work was interrupted by a school bus suddenly appearing before her. That's strange, she thought to herself, I didn't even hear it coming. The bus doors opened to let out a Japanese woman a few inches taller than Patty herself, wearing a long dress with a pink corset and her hair done in a pair of handlebar-style ponytails.

"Hello," the woman said in clear, though accented English as she bowed slightly. "Is Dante here?" she asked. Ah, a customer, Patty thought.

"I'm sorry, but he's out right now," the blond teenager apologized. "But please, come in and have a seat," she continued, setting aside her broom and opening the door for her. Thanking her, the woman stepped in and sat down in the beat-up couch within the main area of the place. "Can I get you anything? Water, coffee?" Patty asked, playing the part of the gracious host.

"Tea if it's no trouble," the woman requested. Giving a thumbs-up, Patty went into the kitchen to prepare the order. While she did that, the woman took in her surroundings.

Ruby Toujo did not know what to expect when Mikogami had ordered her to meet this Dante person. The headmaster had told her that Dante was someone who would help Tsukune and his friends to grow stronger, but was otherwise vague on details. The witch fidgeted uncomfortably as she felt a strange energy pressing down from all around her; it was similar to Moka's vampiric aura when her seal was removed, but was at the same time different. Her attention was also drawn to the numerous weapons that lined the walls, along with a desiccated…thing hanging from the wall like a trophy, not a human corpse but also unlike any youkai that she had ever seen before.

"Here you go," Patty said as she offered Ruby a steaming mug of tea. Thanking the girl, the older woman took the offered cup and sipped the hot brew contained within. As the teenager drank from a bottle of soda, Ruby noted that she seemed unbothered by both the aura and the corpse suspended from the wall behind her, so she was either oblivious to them or was here so often that she had become used to their presence; the witch was unsure of what to think of either of those possibilities. Her thoughts were interrupted when Patty spoke again. "So, how'd you hear about Dante?" the blond girl asked conversationally.

"My m…employer," Ruby said, cutting herself off before she said "master," knowing that humans tended to view such relationships with oddity, "spoke of Dante. He seemed to believe that Dante could help us with something." As Patty nodded in semi-interest, a low rumbling could be heard from outside.

"Speak of the devil, there he is," the teenager said as she stood up. "Please excuse me," she added as she stepped outside. Ruby could not hear the conversation through the closed doors, though Patty quickly came back inside. "He'll be just a minute," she said in assurance as she ran into the bathroom and then went back outside with a towel in hand, all the while Ruby heard splashing and running water coming from outside. A few minutes later, Patty came in with a wet towel in hand along with a second figure. It was a man towering over six feet in height and dressed in black pants and shirt along with a blood-red trench coat; his wet silver hair hung limply just past his eyes. Clinging to his back by an unknown force was a broadsword almost as long as he was tall. Removing it with an ease unexpected from such a cumbersome weapon, he leaned the sword against his desk and sat down, linking his fingers together behind his head.

"So, how can I help you on this fine day?" he asked, leaning back in his chair comfortably. Ruby got up from the couch and settled down in the seat directly opposite from Dante, setting her mug of tea down on the desk.

"My name is Ruby Toujo," the witch introduced herself, "and I come from Yokai Academy." This seemed to catch Dante's attention as he straightened himself in his chair.

"Did you say 'Yokai?'" he asked. When Ruby nodded, Dante turned to his blond helper. "Patty, how 'bout you take the rest of today off?" he asked. Though the teenager was confused about the offer, she was not about to deny a free day, so she shrugged left, leaving the witch and half-devil alone. "Yokai," he said with a sigh. "That's a name that I haven't heard in a long time. Tell me, how's the old coot doing these days?" he asked. Ruby scowled slightly at the disrespect that Dante displayed, but responded nonetheless.

"He is well," she said. "In fact, he wants me to bring you to Yokai Academy to speak to him personally." Dante frowned at the suggestion.

"And how long would I be gone for this talk?" he asked.

"I don't know," Ruby said honestly, shrugging to emphasize her point. Dante supported his head on his thumbs while he considered the witch's offer.

"All right, I'll go," he finally said. He could leave the shop unattended for a few days, he reasoned to himself. "I'm gonna need a minute to lock up, though," he added.

"Of course," Ruby said as she stood up. "I'll be waiting for you outside," she continued as she left the building. With a heavy sigh Dante stood up and stepped around his desk. Grabbing an empty guitar case, he placed his sword Rebellion inside and closed the case; though he carried his trusty sword everywhere he went, he was still going to a school, and there was no point in scaring the students unnecessarily with a giant sword sticking to his back.

After checking to ensure that he had everything he needed, Dante exited his shop and locked the front door before turning to see Ruby standing before a familiar bus. Stepping up to the doors, the devil hunter set down his guitar case and bowed deeply.

"After you, my lady," he said. Despite her earlier annoyance at the hunter for his flippancy concerning the Exorcist, Ruby could not help but crack a smile at his current antics and stepped into the vehicle, Dante following close behind.

"Long time no see, kid," the Bus Driver greeted Dante, his ever-present cigar clenched firmly between his teeth.

"Right back at ya," the silver-haired man replied. Chuckling, the Bus Driver closed the doors and revved the vehicle's engine, driving around the neighborhood and back onto the main highway. As they passed through a tunnel, the world outside briefly turned into a swirl of color before the bus exited the tunnel, revealing a forest of dead trees next to a cliff that dropped into a crimson sea.

"Welcome back to Yokai Academy," the Bus Driver announced as he opened the bus doors. With a nod of thanks, Dante grabbed his guitar case and stepped off, Ruby following close behind him.

"I'm guessing that you were an alumnus of this school?" she asked as they walked the forest path to the school proper.

"Ehh, not really," Dante said with a shrug. "I came here once, a long time ago. The high school environment wasn't for me, though, so I dropped out after the first year," he explained. No further words were exchanged between the two as they made their way to the headmaster's office. Conversations were silenced as the two passed, the students sensing something off about the newcomer. Dante heard hushed words wondering if he was a vampire, to which he rolled his eyes in amusement. Soon, they found themselves in the office of the Exorcist.

"Thank you," he said to Ruby. "If you could give us a moment alone please," he continued with an order disguised as a request. Bowing her head, Ruby followed her master's orders without comment, leaving the two men alone. "It's been a long time, Dante," Mikogami said, "or do you still prefer to go by Tony?"

"Nah, Dante's fine," the hunter said as he sat down. "And it's nice to see you too. Now, what sort of job do you need me for?"

"There are several students here that have attracted the ire of some less-than-pleasant individuals," Mikogami explained. "Due to some recent events, I have to send the students home early, so I was hoping that you would take them home with you and train them."

"Look," Dante sighed, "I don't know what you've heard about me or what I do, but I don't run a babysitting service."

"These students can take care of themselves," the Exorcist assured the devil hunter, "they simply lack the knowledge and discipline to fully utilize their strength. I have been keeping a close eye on your exploits, Dante, and I have every confidence that you will be the perfect teacher for them."

"While I appreciate the vote of confidence," Dante responded, "I don't think I can handle a bunch of people living under my roof. I can barely feed myself, let alone a bunch of teenagers."

"You would be duly compensated, of course," Mikogami countered as he produced a pen and a piece of paper from his robes. "In fact, here is my payment offer," he continued, writing a number on the paper and handing it to Dante. The half-devil took the paper and read it, his eyes widening in shock. "I believe that that amount is enough to cover all your debts?" the Exorcist asked.

"Umm…uhh…yeah," Dante stammered, still stunned by the offer. And then some, he mentally added. After recovering from the shock, he asked, "So, how many people again?"

"Five students, plus Miss Toujo will be accompanying you as well," Mikogami said, sliding a brown folder three inches thick towards Dante. "I've taken the liberty of compiling relevant information for all six individuals; a little light reading, if you will. The students will be sent home tomorrow, so I believe that it is best if you spent the night here so they would go home with you," he suggested.

"Yeah, that sounds all right," Dante said in acceptance.

"Excellent," Mikogami said. "Miss Toujo will show you to where you'll be sleeping tonight. It has been a pleasure doing business with you, Dante," he continued as the silver-haired hunter stood up.

"Likewise," the half-devil replied as he grabbed his guitar case in one hand and the folder in the other. "One other thing though," he said. "Why these kids? What's so special about them?"

"Like I said," Mikogami responded, "they are powerful, and have made equally powerful enemies; I wish to protect them. And besides," he added with a mischievous grin, "I find their adventures amusing." Unable to respond to that, Dante gave a slight bow of respect before he exited the office, finding Ruby there waiting for him.

"Please follow me," the witch beckoned. "Our staff recently had an opening, so you'll be staying in the faculty dorms tonight," Ruby said as she led him to his room. Eventually she stopped in front of a door. "Here we are," she said.

"Thank you," Dante said as he set down his guitar case to open the door. "So, I'll be seeing you tomorrow then?" he asked.

"Yes," Ruby replied with a bow. "Good night, Dante-san," she said before leaving. With a muttered "'night" in response, Dante stepped into his room and shut the door. Deciding that he should study up on his soon-to-be housemates, Dante flicked on a light and opened the folder to the first profile.

Akashiya, Moka….

I'm going to be needing a beta for this story, so if anyone's interested in being a beta, please let me know! It would mostly be for the R+V aspect of it.

Don't forget to review!