I do not own Rosario + Vampire or Devil May Cry.

It was late when Dante returned home that night, Rebellion casually propped against his shoulder. By then, his guests had already gone to sleep, and he noticed that two of the pizza boxes that once occupied his fridge had been emptied and had found a new home in the waste basket. Propping his sword against his desk, Dante went to grab another box as well as a couple of bottles of beer before settling down to clean his guns. Once his guns sparkled like new and the third pizza box joined its brethren in the trash, Dante quickly brushed his teeth and removed his coat and boots before carelessly flopping onto the couch in the lobby, allowing sleep to overtake him.

He was awoken far earlier than he normally did by the sound of sizzling and the aroma of bacon. Hauling himself off his impromptu bed, Dante shuffled into the kitchen to see Moka and Kurumu working over the stove, both wearing frilly pink aprons over their clothes. Mizore was sitting at the far side of the table, sitting as far away from the stove as possible without being too conspicuous. Dante found it odd, but shrugged it off as an aversion of the heat from the stove due to her snow girl nature.

"Good morning, Sensei!" Moka exclaimed, taking notice of their now-awake host. "We figured that we should cook you breakfast as thanks for letting us stay here." Looking at the table, Dante noticed rather full plates piled with bacon, scrambled eggs, toast, and other assorted breakfast foods.

"Thanks," Dante said simply, mildly surprised at the idea of someone actually cooking for him. His simple reply seemed to satisfy the pink-haired vampire, who turned back to her cooking. Once the cooking was done and the group had eaten their fill, they traveled back to the fenced-off part of the forest where they were yesterday. "Okay kids, from what I've heard, you've pissed off some pretty nasty people," Dante said as he speared Rebellion into the ground and draped his coat over it. "I have five months to train you, and hopefully by the time you head back to school, you'll be the biggest badasses on campus. You two, up first," he said, pointing towards Tsukune and Moka.

After showing the two teenagers how to properly stretch their muscles, Dante began to drill them in a few basic blocking and striking techniques. Paying particular attention to Tsukune, he emphasized striking at weak points like the eyes, neck and joints, as well as how to use an opponent's energy against them. For two hours he worked them, allowing only brief respites to replenish the fluids that they sweated out.

Allowing the two teenagers to rest, Dante called Mizore forward. He taught the snow girl how to use her snow clones to distract her opponents while she snuck around for the killing blow. He also taught her that instead of using her powers to fix an opponent's feet in place – a technique that he had demonstrated was quite possible to overpower – to instead cover the entire ground in a thin layer of ice so that their footing would be unsure, as well as how to throw snow flurries into their faces to blind them. For another two hours, Dante relentlessly drilled the girl on what he taught her.

Yukari was the next target of Dante's instruction. For the young witch, he focused on improving the speed and accuracy of her ranged offensive spells like her conjured tarot cards. Using his sword to carve crude figures into several trees at various heights, Dante called out which target he wanted Yukari to hit. Though her marksmanship was well enough at first, at time went on Dante began to call out his targets with increasing frequency until the young witch had only a few brief seconds to attack a target before she had to find the next one, and her accuracy likewise suffered.

After Yukari had been firing at targets almost nonstop for two hours, Dante declared a lunch break; he opened his car trunk to reveal a cooler filled with pizza. After they had eaten their fill, Dante requested that Inner Moka be brought forth. He mentally noted that while the silver-haired vampire still had an air of arrogance about her, she seemed to show more respect towards him; he shrugged it off as unimportant and began his lesson.

He lectured that her kicks, while powerful were also slow, telegraphing her moves to her opponents and giving them ample time to dodge. Dante demonstrated his own technique by sending several swift kicks towards a nearby tree, his leg perceived as little more than a red blur and leaving a deep dent in the side of the tree. Inner Moka raised her eyebrows slightly in surprise, impressed by the speed and power that he had shown. He told Moka to practice on another tree, but try as she might, she could not bring her speed up to more than two or three kicks per second. By the time her session was over, her legs burned in exhaustion as she forced her muscles to exert themselves for far longer than they were used to.

Finally, it was Kurumu's turn. The blue-haired succubus stepped up with apprehension as Dante thought about what he would make her do, unfamiliar with flying humanoids insofar as how to most efficiently slay them. He finally decided on trying to improve her speed and maneuverability by making her fly through the trees at increasingly faster velocities. By the time she was allowed to rest, her wings had become so exhausted that they felt like they were about to burst into flames.

After allowing them a brief rest, Dante ordered his students to run the perimeter of the property. Though they initially groaned and cried out in protest, when Dante hefted his sword in a threatening manner, they decided that it would be unwise to further antagonize him and did as they were told.

After two hours of running, Dante finally decided to end things for the day and head home. Ruby ended up carrying Yukari on her back as Kurumu was too tired to fly. By the time they returned to Devil May Cry, the sun had begun to set on the horizon, and everyone was so sore that they barely had the strength to drag themselves inside and into the shower. As they went in one by one, they began to feel slightly better as the hot water washed away the dirt and sweat and soothed their aching bodies. After a dose of "medicine," courtesy of more green orbs supplied by Dante, they dragged themselves upstairs and into bed, quickly drifting into sleep.

This routine continued almost every day for the next month, which each Saturday having an "exam" in the form of all of the teenagers, Tsukune included, ganging up on Dante like the first day, and allowed Sunday to rest. He started to introduce using and defending against weapons in Tsukune and Moka's routines. He also began bringing out his Devil Arms to add difficulty to the other youkai's sessions, such as using either Cerberus or Ifrit to help Mizore train against those with similar or opposing powers to her. He also used more mundane methods, such as using a pocket mirror to blind Kurumu, or flicking pebbles at Yukari in order to distract her and throw her aim off. After the first couple of weeks, they began to notice a change in themselves: They were moving a bit faster than they were before, or firing their projectiles a bit more accurately, or not being quite so agonizingly sore at the end of the day. However, it seemed to make no difference to Dante, who still managed to beat them all with aggravating ease.

Halfway through the fifth week, as they pulled in front of Devil May Cry, they spotted an unfamiliar motorcycle parked by the door. While the foreigners did not know who the vehicle belonged to, Dante clearly did if the grimace on his face was any indication. He pushed open the unlocked door to see his uninvited guest bent over the pool table, knocking a ball into one of the holes. After taking a moment to admire the visitor's rather shapely rear end, Dante cleared his throat loudly.

"Y'know, Lady, when I gave you a key to my place, it wasn't an invitation to come in and mess with my stuff whenever you feel like it," he said. The visitor stood up and cracked her neck before turning to face her host, and Tsukune found himself having to pinch his nose to keep blood from oozing out at the sight. It was a woman in her early thirties; she was tall and with a curvaceous body that was barely concealed by her white pinstripe blouse and matching shorts. Her ebony hair was cut short and her eyes were concealed behind a pair of metallic orange shades. Several guns and ammo pouches were wrapped around her waist, giving the appearance of a skirt. Combined with her knee-high combat boots, the entire ensemble gave her the appearance of a particularly militant Catholic schoolgirl. Next to her, leaning against the pool table was a large black rocket launcher with a wicked-looking bayonet on the end, the name Kalina Ann etched into the side in loopy silver writing.

"Oh Dante," Lady said, the tone of her voice paradoxically equal parts teasing and disdainful, "I'm sure that's exactly what you had in mind when you gave me that key. And besides, as much as you owe me, I practically own this dump anyway." Ignoring Dante's cry of indignation against the slight against his establishment, she noticed the group of teenagers behind him and quirked an eyebrow in curiosity.

"I'm training them," Dante answered her unasked question. "Favor for someone I knew back in the day." Ruby immediately stepped forward and bowed her head slightly.

"Hello, Miss," the elder witch greeted. "I am Ruby Toujo of Youkai Academy. Pleased to meet you," she continued as she extended her hand in greeting. Lady looked at the hand for a moment before smiling slightly.

"Hi, I'm Lady," she introduced herself as she took the offered hand. "'Academy', huh? I never figured Dante for the academic type." She then said something in Japanese, which Ruby responded to likewise. Lady said something else that caused both women to laugh. The teenagers began to laugh too, but were quickly silenced by a death glare from Dante; the man was clearly upset that he could not understand what his fellow devil hunter was saying, but had a good feeling that it was something unflattering about him.

"So," he said loudly, interrupting the two women's laughter, "what exactly brings you here to my humble 'dump,' as you so kindly called it?" he asked as he leaned against his desk. Lady shot him a glare for his rudeness before she began to explain.

"I got a call this morning from LCPD," she said. "Last night, the night-shift workers at a construction site downtown died under suspicious circumstances." She paused as she looked at their audience; at Dante's nod of approval, she continued. "They were either eviscerated or dismembered."

"Sounds like the work of some psycho to me," Dante said with a shrug. "Why do the cops think that there's a demonic influence?"

"Because," Lady said as she tugged out a manila envelope that Dante had unwittingly sat on, "as it turns out, one of the workers brought his gun to work, and managed to get a few shots off before his death." Pulling out a crime scene photo from the envelope, she presented it to Dante. "Look familiar?" Dante took the photo and examined it. It was a photo of a pile of sand; not out of place at a construction site. However, what caught his interest was what else was in the photo: A tattered black hooded cloak and a large, wicked-looking scythe. Hell Prides, the devil hunter thought to himself. "I figure that it should be a cakewalk for someone of your skill," Lady added.

"Well, if it's so easy, why don't you do it?" Dante challenged, handing the photo back.

"Because I have another job on the other end of town, and I can't do both on the same night," Lady explained, slipping the photo back into its receptacle. "LCPD's willing to pay ten grand for the job; as a favor, I'll knock ten percent of that off what you owe me. You interested?" she asked, holding the envelope towards Dante. Dante sighed; one thousand dollars was barely a drop in the bucket from what he owed her, but he needed the money, and he had been meaning to find an easy job for the kids to practice what they had been learning on.

"Fifty percent," he counter-offered as he made to grab the envelope, only to have Lady pull it out of his reach.

"Twenty-five, or I take my chances with someone else," she said with a tone of finality. Dante gave a frustrated sigh, but nodded in acceptance.

"All right, twenty-five it is," he said. Smiling in victory, Lady slapped the crime documents into Dante's hand and slung her rocket launcher over her shoulder.

"Pleasure doing business with you Dante," she said. Turning to Dante's guests, she bid them farewell and left Devil May Cry, her motorcycle roaring off into the distance. Flopping into his chair, Dante took out the documents and began to study them.

"Dante-sensei, who was that?" Moka asked.

"She's a…" the half-devil paused as he searched for the right word to describe Lady. While "acquaintance" did not seem right, after all the times she shot him, ripped him off, and generally made his life miserable, "friend" did not seem right either. "…Colleague," he eventually decided on. "Nothing you need to worry about." He frowned as he looked at the photos of the victims. While a lifetime of slaying demons had long ago desensitized him to the sight of blood and gore, he still felt slightly bothered at the sight of the remains of a demon attack. Shaking away the troublesome feelings, Dante set the photos face-down and plastered a cheerful smile. "Rest up kids, we're taking a road trip tonight." His announcement was met by a chorus of groans. "C'mon, we're saving lives here! Think of it as your practical exam." Dante glanced at the small clock on his desk and mentally calculated how long it would take to get to the construction site. "We have three hours before we need to leave," he said, kicking back in his chair. "I suggest you rest up."

Four hours later, Dante and his group of protégés found themselves at the now-abandoned construction site. As they stepped out of the car, they could feel a presence in the air. It was similar to youki energy, but different, more evil.

"So how would these…'Hell Prides' show up anyway?" Ruby asked. "And why here?"

"The barriers that separate our world from theirs are full of little faults and imperfections," Dante explained as he gave his sword a quick inspection. "While the big names can't get through without assistance, small fry like these guys can slip through no problem. Unfortunately for those workers, this happens to be the location of one of those faults." Drawing a pair of night vision binoculars from his coat pocket, Dante gazed over the construction yard, where he saw several Hell Prides, skulking about the grounds in search of victims. High above them, a solitary bat fluttered over the area. Though with its large, round, brown-furred body, it looked more like a meat bun with wings than an actual bat.

"Hell Prides," the bat announced in a high, nasally voice. "Slow, dumb demons that manifest themselves through sand. Though they are weak, they can overwhelm a foe through their numbers." Spying a moth, the bat abandoned its dialogue in pursuit of its dinner.

"You guys say something?" Dante asked, turning to the group behind him. They shook their heads in denial, causing him to frown. He could have sworn he heard someone talking. Shrugging it off as unimportant, he returned to his surveillance. "There seems to be a dozen or so Prides down there; easy pickings for you guys. I'll be observing in case you run into any problems." Tsukune plucked off Moka's Rosario, unleashing her inner self before they marched down to face their quarry. Behind them, Dante furrowed his brow in concern. The demonic presence seemed too thick for just a handful of Hell Prides. Probably a Vanguard lurking around somewhere, he thought to himself. I'll have to keep an eye out.

The Youkai group tried to sneak into the construction yard, hoping to catch the Hell Prides by surprise, but one of the demons spotted them and alerted its comrades. It was quickly encased in a block of ice by Mizore and promptly shattered, courtesy of a kick from Moka. As the other Hell Prides surrounded them, Tsukune grabbed the fallen demon's scythe and held it up in a defensive pose; he was surprised at how light the seemingly unwieldy weapon felt.

Moka took a running start and jump-kicked the first Hell Pride before gracefully ducking under the swipe of the second. She delivered a swift kick into the back of the second demon, sending it flying into a steel girder so hard that it exploded in a cloud of dust; she followed it up with a hammer kick to the head of the first Hell Pride, destroying it. Mizore used her powers to bring forth spikes of ice from the ground, impaling her foes. Kurumu took to the air, out of reach of the demons' scythes, before swooping in behind them and bisecting them with her talons. Yukari stunned one with a brass pot to the head before riddling it with cards, while Ruby crushed three more with her powers. Tsukune used his newly-acquired weapon to defend against the attacks of the final Hell Pride. He fared decently enough, though his enemy's blade often came too close to his flesh for comfort. Managing to parry his foe's attack, he decapitated it with a single swing, causing it to burst in a cloud of dust.

"Was that it?" Inner Moka asked with a yawn, whether out of tiredness or boredom was unclear. "A child could have taken care of them." Any reply to her comment was silenced when a large, swirling portal appeared before them, causing everyone to back away in caution. Suddenly, a large cloaked figure wielding an equally enormous scythe burst forth from the portal, before being stopped with a loud clang by a red blur.

"Stay back!" Dante ordered. "You're not skilled enough to take on a guy this tough." Hanging from a high beam, the meat-bun bat observed the battle.

"Hell Vanguard," the creature said to itself. "The Elite warriors of the Hell Demons. With a powerful scythe and the ability to teleport at will, they are dangerous foes to face." Dante's eyebrow twitched in annoyance. Okay, I know I heard something that time. That was something that he could worry about later, though; right now, he had a demon to dispatch.

"Kids, sit back and watch how the pros do it," he said before launching his assault. He was relentless, his sword little more than a silver blur as it struck against the Hell Vanguard. With a fierce stab, he pushed the demon back before drawing his pistols and peppering it with lead. Knowing that it could not attack from its current location, a portal opened up beneath the Hell Vanguard and it began to sink into the void. "Oh no, you don't!" Dante shouted, dashing forward and knocking it into the air with an upwards swing, causing the portal to vanish. Leaping into the air, he slashed at the vulnerable demon a few times before sending it smashing into the ground. He finished the broken reaper with a well-placed shot to the head, causing it to dissolve into a pile of dust. "That's the last of them," Dante said as he placed Rebellion on his back and dusted off his hands. "Just gotta make sure that the fault's sealed, and we're done for the night."

The battle concluded, the mean-bun bat had no more reason to stick around, but gave a final parting comment: "Today's battle took three minutes and forty-two seconds," it declared as it flew off into the night.

"Okay seriously, does no one else hear that?"

Nope, I'm not dead! I do however, turn another year older this weekend, so I'm excited about that.

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