The Company CHAPTER 1

Hey all! Like I said, I'm going to continue the 'Shades of Gray' prompt from Ebony and Ivory Queens! I'm really excited about it, and I hope that all of you will be as well. Simple warning, I'm not sure if this is going to be DantexNero or if there will be no pairing, I have to see how it's going to write itself out, but I hope that won't deter you guys! :3

I don't own DMC or any of its characters, this is just for fun! :3

A sharp scream caused a young boy's blue eyes to snap open to the darkness.

'Oh no, not again. Please tell me this is a dream.' he thought, but looking around he was able to see the other foster kids moving around in the dark and he knew it was real. His sneakered feet hit the hard floor as crashes and more screams erupted from downstairs. The other kids made fun of him for sleeping in his clothes, but he had a reason for it.

He snatched into his small bag of belongings and removed the two keepsakes from his father, a pair of twin pistols named Luce and Ombra. Everyone thought they were broken, or unloaded because they couldn't figure out how they worked, otherwise they would never let a ten year old have them, and he wouldn't let anyone take them from him. It was times like now he needed them.

He moved to the door and one of the other kids grabbed at his leg. "Dante, those are toys, it sounds like there are real monsters out there."

The boy simply kicked him away and opened the door, slipping into the hallway and closing the door behind him as he shot furtive glances to both sides, holding his weapons at the ready. His hands didn't fit very well around the grips and his palms were sweating, but he could reach the triggers, so that was all that mattered.

He crept down the stairs, looking around as his fear started to crystallize into anger. The screaming had stopped but there was more still happening. The demons should be heading for the stairs any momen-

A sharp gasp was torn from his throat as a demon the size of a large man entered the doorway to the steps. It rustled as it moved and its' body was only held up by strings. It cocked its' head at him, blood dripped off the blades that made up its' hands and Dante recognized it immediately. His fingers clenched on the triggers of both guns, the bullets cutting through its' chest as the boy was thrown back against the edge of the stairs from the recoil.

Dante grunted in pain, but forced himself to raise his guns and fire again as the marionette lunged towards him. They were Mundus' minions, the same kind that killed his mother and brother. He forced himself to pull the triggers repeatedly, no matter how it flung his small body back against the steps. The damned puppet lurched forward and Dante had to roll to keep from having his head impaled on the same blade that had likely killed his foster parents only minutes ago.

He braced himself on a pair of steps, his back to the wall as he forced his little fingers to work faster, to pull harder on the triggers. These things were not going to follow him everywhere he went, they weren't going to keep haunting his nightmares and his life. He wouldn't let them anymore.

The thing finally collapsed and evaporated as a kind of purple smoke. Dante quickly pivoted his shoulders and opened fire on the next one. He could see two more, and one was stronger than the other two, probably the leader of the team. He ducked as a small blade whipped past him, catching his arm as he uttered a small cry of pain. This was apparently some kind of signal because both puppets moved words him. Luckily the stairs were narrow and would only allow one of them close enough to reach him at a time.

Two of the other kids had dared to leave the room and had peeked over the top of the stairs, finding him fighting the creatures. Dante saw that he had to keep the demons on the stairs. If he didn't…

He hated to think what a couple of demons would like to do to a room full of children.

He focused on his aim and the guns and as he did, he could see the bullets became more effective. One of the projectiles was strong enough to knock one marionette into the other down the stairs and he pursued them. He couldn't hear the gun blasts over the sound of his own blood and adrenaline pumping through his ears.

Next thing he knew there were men, all around him. Someone had called the cops from all the noise most likely. They weren't in the best neighborhood but when shrieks and gunshots fill the air, even the most un-nosey neighbor gets scared.

The men were dressed in all black, like a SWAT team and were focused on him. He looked around, letting his guns aim where they may, as all the commotion had caused him to lose the last marionette-the strongest one. The lapse in their attention was rectified when the final and strongest marionette plunged a huge blade through one of the men, cutting straight through the bulletproof vest and killing him. The demon threw the human carcass onto the floor like it was nothing, and the men opened fire.

One of the men scooped up the little boy but he refused to be stopped, he wriggled and squirmed until he was dropped onto the ground and he started shooting again.

The men's bullets appeared to pass right through the body without doing anything, but when Dante's bullets struck they seemed to be carrying a kind of golden light and with every hit the puppet's body convulsed. The men stopped shooting but Dante didn't. He looked more determined than ever, his face set in a scowl as he pulled the triggers so quickly it looked as if a machine gun was rattling the demon until it tore apart and disappeared into purple smoke.

The humans stared at the strange little white-haired boy, who was breathing heavily as he lowered his guns slightly. His arm had blood on it, but there was no longer the deep wound from the puppet's dart. His clothes were too big, and rather threadbare, hand-me-downs from foster children generations before him. How had this kid managed to take down something that their guns couldn't harm?

"What's your name?" a man who seemed to be the leader asked him and the child looked over.

"Dante. Dante Sparda." he replied tiredly, lowering his weapons so that the muzzles were pointed to the floor. He'd taken his father's first name as his last once he was taken into the foster system two years ago.

"Well Dante, how would you like to be adopted?"

That one question changed his whole life. The next day he was adopted out to a middle-aged couple who were unable to have children of their own. He started school and a kind of training regimen. He didn't know it at the time, but he'd been locked into a lifetime contract with the CIA.

The twenty year old demon hunter knew it was going to be trouble the moment the file fell on his desk. Bright red letters were stamped on the manilla envelope declaring: CLASSIFIED. Tony, also known as Dante though not at the company, arched a silver eyebrow at the bland agent in front of him, the one who had brought said envelope to his worn out, old oak desk with a rotary phone that he could use to kill a puma if necessary.

"What's this?" he grunted.

"You and your partner's eyes only." the man stated, his voice just as bland as his black suit and pasty skin.

"Right-in other words, something nobody else wanted." he grumbled, folding his hands behind his head, his ankles crossed on the edge of the desk. He wasn't the most typical of the CIA agents. Tony always balked at the dress code and did what he could to break the mold. He wore the suit-he had to, but it was rumpled and a little dirty. He had a red tie that hung loosely around his neck and had never seemed to be tied. His belt was graced with a large silver buckle and he wore black cowboy boots on his feet. Being pretty young for the company and damn good at what he did he was humored.

"Just read the file Tony. Lady already got her copy. You two are going on a trip." he smirked before walking away.

"…Asshole." Tony muttered under his breath. He tore open the envelope and pulled out a sheaf of photos. A boy was talking with a girl his own age, maybe a little younger than the agent. He had bleached out hair, cream skin, blue eyes and his right arm was in a sling. He was featured in every shot so it was definitely his target, but the question was target for what?

The paper just behind the pictures designated his mission as 'Threat Determination: Pending.' Threat? What about this kid was a threat? He supposed that was what he had to find out.

That's it! Hope you guys liked the first chapter! :3 I've been working hard to work this out! I have a few things set up, and then at a certain point I'll be winging it :3 So, I hope you guys are ready and excited for the new story! Until next time!

Ja ne!

~Bitbyboth May 19, 2012