Sleep seemed to evade Dante no matter how hard he closed his eyes. Thoughts consumed him, and took a firm hold in his mind. The prospect of finding out who he truly was excited him. Perhaps he would finally acquire the answers he yearned for since he was a young kid.

Till now, he had simply accepted he was a freak among weirdoes. He never quite fit in anywhere, and as he looked around The Order's little sanctuary he knew he would never fit in here either. This was not his plight or war. He was simply a spectator to the madness.

These thoughts swirled around Dante's mind even as he followed Virgil and Kat to the car, and out of the city to an unknown destination. He sat in the passenger seat while Vergil drove, and Kat opted to sit in the back seat behind Vergil. The landscape changed from a polluted city to a hilly nothingness. Occasionally, another car would pass them, but overall Dante was unimpressed and he was starting to have doubts.

The car ride was fairly silent. Dante wasn't going to make an effort to start any conversation. Despite Vergil being his "brother", he'd only met him yesterday and Dante was not interested in having any heart to hearts. Kat on the other hand didn't seem impressed by Dante's charms or lack there of.

Vergil tried to initiate a conversation or two, but they all had something to do with the rebellion against demon's, mankind's grievances, and some explanation about their past tactics against the demon's plans. Usually, Dante said some witty yet cruel comment and the conversation ended. He had no interest in their plans, and he most definitely didn't want to talk about them.

After an hour of driving past mundane hill after mundane tree, Vergil turned right onto a small dirt road. It was the first change in direction in some time, but the path was heavily overgrown with trees and shrubs so Dante couldn't exactly see what laid ahead at the end of the road. Ten minutes later, Dante spotted a structure. It looked like the top of a roof, but it was broken and crushed in. As they drove forward, the structure really started to take shape. A gate was ahead, but it was overgrown with vines, and wide open for any trespasser to enter. The car turned into the entrance, and in front of them was a mansion of sorts. Perhaps one day it was a marvel, but now it sat empty and crumbling.

Dante turned slightly towards Vergil trying to gauge his reaction, but it was to no avail so instead he took in the dilapidated architecture in front of him. Weeds and vines corrupted every crack of the structure. Some shingles from the roof were gone, and a few spots of the wall were missing brick.

The car stopped in front of the entrance, and as the trio made their way out Dante smirked and said "Lovely place you got here." not even bothering to conceal his mirth. Kat seemed to ignore him and Vergil smiled like he knew something but opted to not respond. Instead they made their way up the steps with Dante in tow.

Inside, things seemed much more intact, yet it was still worse for wear. Windows were caked with dust and dirt that hardly let any light shine through them. The marble floors were like the windows and covered with filth.

"This was your home."

Dante couldn't help but raise his brow at Vergil. This was his home? Dante couldn't recall a time he ever lived in something so grand. He surveyed the rubble and dirtied drapes before responding a bit cynically, "I don't remember it."

Vergil looked at the house with a fond smile before he turned his head slightly to Dante. "You will. Kat, open the portal."

Like a trained pet, Kat quickly obliged. She rolled out a tracing of a circular array, pulled out a spray paint can, and sprayed it over top.
Needless to say, Dante was confused. How could spray paint help his little memory problem? He even glanced at Vergil who seemed to care more about the dirt he was dusting off of his coat then what Kat was doing. "What are you doing?" he asked as he took a few steps closer to try and get a better look at the tracing.

Without pause, Kat kept on spraying making sure she had covered everything. "Our world and Limbo are very closely super-positioned. They collide in places causing what we call rifts."

Dante bent down next to her watching her work diligently. He doubted spray paint and some symbol would do much, but it's not like he had anything to lose.
"It's here, in the rifts, where we can create gateways to and from Limbo." Kat continued as Dante slid his fingers across some of the spray. It had an almost sticky texture to it, and smelled like milk that had been left out for a few days. He recoiled from the smell and said with a small hint of intrigue, "Doesn't smell to good. What's in the can?"

Kat was finishing up her work as she listed the ingredients off one by one "It's a compund I created based off an old Wiccan recipe. Sea salt, shark oil, iron shavings, desiccated squirrel seamen, wolf hair-"

"Good stuff." Dante replied as he nonchalantly wiped his fingers on the shoulder of her jacket. Truly, he wasn't that interested, and it raised more questions then it answered. He quickly stood up ready to get this over with.

Vergil, seeing that Kat was now finished, beckoned Dante towards the symbol. "Go ahead. The house holds secrets. I've found mine, but now it's your turn."
Finally. Dante thought as he stood on the little shape ready for some action. As an after thought he asked Vergil "How will I get back?". He wasn't even sure on the specifics of how he was getting in, let alone out.

"We'll take care of that." Vergil said reassuringly, "Just be careful, it can get rough in there."

A small smirk formed on Dante's lips as he turned to look at Kat. "I like it rough." he stated as he started to cross over and the world started to blur. He could see she quickly broke their eye contact at his vulgar words and turned her head. Amused with himself, he faced forward down the corridor preparing himself for whatever laid ahead.

The world looked much like the same except there was clearly something off. Instead of the yellow hue from the sunlight a deep crimson red took its place tainting the environment. Crude onyx rocks clung to the walls and ceiling, and Dante could even hear the familiar wails of lost souls forever trapped in this purgatory state. Vergil and Kat were nowhere to be seen.

He made his way down the corridor into the large foyer. It was a grand space that even in limbo looked elegant. Still, it wasn't bringing back any memories. "So, this was my home. Well then show me your secrets."

Dante looked around a bit, but decided the upstairs would probably be the best bet to unlocking his little amnesia situation. He went left on the steps then right down the first open hallway. At first it seemed to be just rubble, but then he spotted it. A portrait. His pace quickened at the prospect of discovery, and now he stood in front of the large panting. Most of it seemed intact save for the scratches that made it impossible to make out the face. It was a man dressed in what looked like an officers uniform. "And who the hell are you?" Dante asked aloud.

All of the sudden, Dante started to remember. The room shifted and changed into a pristine study. The rubble and debris was gone, and in its place were bookshelves, velvet couches, and posh drapes. A grin crept across his features as he took in the sights.

Dante turned back towards the painting, and noticed the nameplate underneath of the portrait.
"Sparda?"

"Son of Sparda." The demon wheezed causing Dante to lower the Rebellion a tad.
"Son of who?"

Dante remembered the Hunter demon mentioning Sparda, so Dante put two and two together.

"My dad?" He definitely wasn't what Dante pictured all of those years. He looked regal and sophisticated not drugged out and broke.
Just as he was lost in his thoughts, he heard the floor board creek, and saw the flash of metal slicing at his side, barely missing his flesh. Easily, he rolled away from it, and took out the rebellion. There were six stygian, yet Dante felt quite confident in his abilities despite it being a smaller area to maneuver. He was actually a little angry with himself that he almost let them get the jump on him though.

Dante made quick work of them all by easily dodging their swings, and slicing their limbs off with a few easy strokes. His eyes glanced over the carnage and he was quite pleased with himself.

Suddenly, the ground started to shake, and a crack formed in the middle of the room. Out crawled a demon, fiercer than the stygian, who carried not only a sword but a shield as well.

Dante couldn't help but laugh as he practically snarled "Don't worry tough guy, you're next." He lunged at the death knight, but it's reflexes were honed. As the rebellion met with the shield, the demon had readied his own sword, and sliced Dante's side.

With a grunt Dante reached down to the left of his abdomen, and could feel a slick substance start to seep through his shirt forever staining the white fabric. The wound was by no means fatal, but it sure did make Dante angry. He unsheathed Ebony and Ivory, in an attempt to shoot the demon, but he blocked all the incoming bullets. Now seething with anger, Dante knew he would have to devise some type of strategy. As he swung at the death knight a few times he began to see a weakness. When the demon readied himself to attack he allowed himself to be exposed for a few seconds. Dante stood in front of the demon prepared to attack, but a slight pang of worry crept into his thoughts. If he was to late or to early he would be totally open to whatever attack the demon wrought forth which meant a world of pain for Dante.

The demon pulled back his blade, and Dante did the same. With a snarl, he lunged forward ducking underneath the sharp tip of his enemies blade, and sliced the demon clean in half. The body slid to the floor in a blood mess of filth before breaking up into ash.

With a satisfied smirk Dante surveyed the small battlefield to make sure there weren't anymore demons hanging around. It was then that he noticed a faint red glow underneath the painting. The symbol looked like the same one Dante had imprinted on his back. He walked toward the faint glow as he whispered to himself with a hint of curiosity "What are you trying to show me?"

He reached his fingers out to touch the surface, but before he could even make contact something pulled his hand toward the glow. Dante tried to pull away, but he couldn't move.

Blood red vines started trailing up his arm, digging into his flesh, digging into his very being. He let out a loud wince as the vines seemed to burn with their touch. They engulfed his body, burying deep, before they disappeared and he was let out of the invisible hold.

There was a heavy weight on his back, heavier then the Rebellion, and to his surprise there was a new weapon. The axe was heavy, but seemed formidable. The colors made it look extremely demonic, and Dante could practically feel the power radiating from it. He held it in his hands trying to get a feel for it, and almost as if right on cue a group of stygian and a pesky death knight decided to show up and play. "Target practice, right on time!" Dante quipped with a sneer.

He found it was quite simple to switch back and forth between the Rebellion's demonic form and its original state as Dante practically slammed stygian into the ground with a bone crushing force. Gore littered the room before turning into ash, and a certain bloodlust filled Dante's eyes when he set his sights on the death night. A bit of pay back for the small wound was necessary, and he was quite sure this new weapon he procured would be a hell of a lot more useful against its shield.

With the Arbiter readied, Dante charged. Swing after heavy swing was tiring, but extremely effective. He could sense the demon's fear as each hit formed a new crack on the shields surface. The demon screeched attempting to parry Dante, but Dante lifted the heavy axe over his head and put all of his power behind the overhand swing. He cut through the death knight's sword like butter, and lodged his axe deep within its grotesque flesh.

A gurgled scream escaped the abomination before it disappeared in a puff of ash. Dante was highly satisfied with his new toy, and began to think that even if this house couldn't provide him with answers at least he got a nice prize for his efforts. With this in mind, he decided that the rest of the decrepit mansion should be explored in case anymore gifts were hidden among the carnage.

He made his way through a few different rooms before he ended up back on the ground floor were he started. Dante let out a frustrated sigh. He had searched half of the house and had yet to discover much more about himself.

Suddenly, he heard the giggles of children. Dante, intrigued, started to make his way up the stairs before he saw them. They looked like the spirits of two boys playing with wooden swords. It was definitely an odd thing to see here were death and carnage were the usual sights.
"This way Dante!" The one child giggled in delight.

It was enough to give him pause mid-step. Was this some kind of trick? He had his doubts.

The other spirit child responded in a jubilant tone that matched the other's, "Okay! You can't catch me!". The two little sprites ran through a barred door, laughing all the while.

Immediately, Dante followed them. Was that me? He had no recollection of a time when he was that young, but it seemed extremely likely. Dante envied the child, especially if it was him, for being so blissfully happy when Dante could never recall a time he seemed so carefree.
Once he broke through the door with his new prize, he followed the astral beings into a bedroom. At first, he neither saw nor heard the spirits, and thought perhaps this was just a trick and readied his guard. His suspicions were put to rest when he heard the giggling once again, and saw the small children slip under the bed.

Like before, something clicked and he started to remember. Nothing was clear yet, but he knew he was finally making progress. He neared the bed and kneeled down searching for more clues to his past. A tiny child sized wooden shield, hardly much bigger then his palm, was the only thing he could see of any import underneath the dusty bed. He snatched it up, and twirled it around in his hands for a few seconds trying to bring back the tiniest memory.

What he unlocked was much more then he could have ever anticipated.

A/N: I'm back! And for good if everything works out! Sorry for the long absence everyone. School, work, and the stresses of life just sort of had to get dealt with which meant writing had to go on the back burner for a little. I really hope you guys are still interested and I have read all of your reviews, and all I can say is wow! Thanks for being so supportive, and I hope I don't disappoint! I had to split this part up into two chapters, so sorry if the length is a bit short. More to come very shortly!