Even devils cry. The red trenchcoat wearing anti-hero knows this well. But what makes Dante the person he is? Who knows? But one thing is for sure…as long as there are demons plaguing our society, he'll be there, guns blazing and swords swinging while he wreaks mayhem upon them in style. For the stylish hunter for hire, the words 'chaos' and 'an army of demons' ring only one thing in mind…jackpot!
A/N: Hey there everyone. Let's give Dante and Co. a break from all the fighting. All they have to do now is relax at Evangeline's Resort.
Devil May Cry
Deviant Bedlam
Talking
'thinking/flashback'
Enigmatic Talking/Techniques
'Enigmatic Thinking'
Secret Mission 10: Glam Rock
Note: Dante will fight in Utau Hoshina's concert. Ikuto will get persistent about Dante, and ultimately, find out about Amu's predicament.
5:34 AM
Mahora Academy, Japan
The brown haired reporter named Miharu stood outside of Mahora Campus. Ever since she got some hard evidence on the previous 'Japanese Bank Bloodbath' her editor in chief gave her the go signal to continue her pursuit on this supernatural string of events.
She bravely entered the campus grounds all the while mulling about the evidence she has now.
'First was the battle at the motel.' She began. 'The second was the Bank Bloodbath, the third was the pizzeria massacre, and last but not least, the Hospital Breakout.'
She sat down on a nearby bench as she pulled out her wallet out of her right pocket. 'All of the events seem so random. The only thing connecting them are two people—the white haired guy and the pink haired elementary schoolgirl.'
As she was about to open her wallet, she heard her cellphone ring. She dropped the wallet on her lap and pulled out the cellphone from her other pocket.
"Hey chief." She started on the line.
"Miharu thank God you answered. I've been calling all day. Where are you?" answered an older man.
Miharu replied, "Chief, I'm in Mahora Academy. I think I got a good lead on this one."
"What the hell are you doin' there?" answered the chief. "You're gonna lose your job if you start waving a mike around there. Reporters—"
"Are off-limits ever since the Mahora Festival." She cut in with a bored tone. "But I gotta make this one exception today. I'm like Sherlock finally chasing down Moriarity into his lair."
"Ughhh." The older man answered. A headache was coming down. "Will you give it a rest? Okay, I gave you your shot but now you're about to ruin it for a lead into Japan's United Nations."
Miharu was losing her patience. "Chief, reporters take risks. That's how news got into the papers. I've prepared for this. I have my watch, hidden cameras, a walkman…"
"Did you include diplomatic immunity?" answered the chief. "Don't take this the wrong way. I believe you. But if this heat gets any hotter, I've got no choice but leave you to burn. You're on your own Miharu. Get that interview, and get out of there. I want that report by Friday morning. You've got three days till then."
"Will do chief." She grumpily answered.
She turned off the phone and stowed it in her pocket not noticing the familiar looking man in a red trench coat walking out of Mahora Campus.
Miharu stood up and turned to begin her patrol of the city wide campus.
Back outside of Mahora Academy, Dante walked around looking for a nearby cab.
"Another errand. Hopefully, I won't get shot down by Interpol or any of the other guys after us." He quipped to himself.
Raising his hand out, he hailed a nearby cab that was on route. It was white but badly damaged. Regardless, it stopped by allowing Dante to enter.
"Take me to Great Sound Studio. I've got a job interview coming up and I don't wanna be late." He told the cab driver.
The cab driver shifted gears and drove off to Great Sound Studio.
Just outside the sandy yellow, four story building, Ikuto loitered around wearing a brown leather jacket, black shirt and faded blue jeans. He was still wondering what Amu was doing when no one was looking. But wandering around aimlessly didn't help him at all.
Suddenly, a white beat up cab pulled up allowing Dante to step in front of the same building.
The white-haired man looked up and saw the sign, 'GREAT SOUND STUDIO' printed on the front just above the fourth floor window.
"Not bad for a recording studio. But I still prefer Abbey Road." Dante quipped again.
At this point, Ikuto's curiosity was piqued. He looked at the red trench coat wearing, silver haired man who could pass for a rockstar on the road. But before he could think of anything else, Yukari Sanjou popped out of the front door.
"Ikuto? Why are you waiting out here. Come inside, Utau has been waiting for you all morning." She replied.
As Ikuto entered the building, Yukari noticed Dante waiting as well.
"Hi. You must be the temporary new bodyguard and guitarist." She said to him.
Dante replied, "Yep. May I come in?"
Yukari chuckled a little and said, "Yes, you may."
They walked into the building and up the flight of stairs.
Dante noticed that most of the first and second floor was empty or under repair. "I don't mean to pry, but what gives? This place looks like a wolf can blow it down."
Yukari sighed. "I'm really sorry about this. My original studio is also under construction thanks to a leak in the plumbing so a friend of mine lent me his studio just for the week. It is Utau's first big concert since we left Easter so we had to rush the preparations."
Dante nodded as they reached the wider spaced fourth floor. "I see. We'll have to make the comeback the wildest ride the audience has ever paid for."
Ikuto looked at Dante for a moment but ignored him afterwards. He was glad that such a person won't get involved in his life for long.
Yukari strolled ahead and opened the white door allowing them to enter the rather square room with a set of couches facing each other in the center.
Dante looked around the room and noticed that the windows were opposite the door. 'No glints in the distance. I'd really hear it from Evangeline if I get shot down and caught again.'
He looked around and saw a small brown desk at the west side of the room. There was an ordinary PC and a few files on top as well as a basic fax machine. 'Modest space, modest equipment, enough to get by I guess.'
At the east side however were a few posters on the wall like one on 'Detroit Metal City', one on 'Kanon', another on 'Buono!', and one on 'Monkey Majik'.
He crossed his arms together after viewing the posters. 'The last three posters are okay but there's something about Detroit Metal City…of course, DMC! I better get my business patented before these guys get the acronyms right.'
"Uhm, excuse me." Yukari asked him.
Dante turned to face her and realized that Utau was already seated in one of the couches. "Oops. My bad." He walked over to Utau and reached out his hand. "Neil Gavin at your service my lady."
Utau's eyes widened slightly as she reached out her hand and shook his.
Having been acquainted, Yukari sat beside Utau while Ikuto and Dante sat down in the couch across them.
Yukari began the interview. "Ikuto, I'm really glad you came today. It means a lot to us that you'll be there for Utau's concert."
Ikuto replied, "I still work for Easter."
Utau answered, "Nii-san, even if you do, I'm still happy that you'll be there for me."
Ikuto looked away slightly.
Dante then asked, "So Sanjou-san, what exactly are the details for my job. I'd like to know what I'm really getting into."
Yukari replied, "Well, for starters, there will be a lot of fans coming and I have my hands full taking care of the technical details so I want you to be with Utau at all times."
Dante nodded and asked, "Is that okay with you Hoshina-san?"
Utau nodded. "I normally can handle myself, but being in an open place surrounded by the crowd is a little troublesome."
"Understood." Dante answered. "But you told me over the phone earlier that I had another job."
Yukari replied, "Yes, our lead guitarist called in sick last week and is in the hospital for a hand injury. I need you to learn the songs this week and play them on the day of the concert."
"Not a problem miss." Dante answered with confidence and a smile. "I used to be in a band myself so playing the guitar isn't a problem. When do I get started?"
Yukari and Utau looked at each other. They didn't expect such enthusiasm considering it was a rush job. Both looked back at Dante.
"We can start right away." Yukari replied. "I have my car out back so wait at the entrance."
The red car drove by, its passengers relaxed as a large grassy field came into view on the left side of the road.
"Why is it out here?" Ikuto asked.
Utau replied, "Because I chose this place. It's not too far from the houses and the wide spaces make it less cramped to be in."
They pulled up beside the lot, noticing the crewmen setting up the bleachers, stage and other equipment in place.
The small group left the car and walked towards the set, evading the crewmen carrying lights and speakers on the way. As they reached the stage, they noticed three men standing there by the instruments.
One of them (holding the bass guitar) had long brown hair and a gaunt look. "Wassup dude." He greeted them.
Another had a shaved head and was rather short but had a well built body. "So which one's the guitarist?" he asked as he twirled the drumsticks in his hands.
"You always know your manners." Said the last man wearing a turtleneck gray shirt and a red electric guitar.
Dante quickly approached them and began shaking hands. "Nice to see you fellas. The name's Dante. So who's ready for some music?"
Yukari suddenly cut in, "Dante, this is the band. They'll be doing the backup music for Utau's concert. This is the bassist—Kaiji, our drummer—Akira, and our 2nd guitarist—Shuichi."
Shuichi answered, "We're just about to begin practice. As soon as the staff plugs in the power, we can begin."
6:42 PM
New York, U.S.A.
Lady walked down the busy streets as the sound of traffic filled the air. The air was colder now so she wore a cream colored trench coat that ran up to her knees. Perfect to conceal warmth and weapons.
She slowed down her stroll as she came upon an intersection where she saw a blonde man with dark shades, standing at the corner, texting on his cellphone.
Lady halted for a moment and walked to a nearby magazine stand. She picked up a disposable camera from one of the trays there and inspected it.
"Hey, you gonna pay for that miss?" the man in the stall asked.
"Yeah. Caseless shots right?" she replied.
The man sighed. It wasn't who he expected. "Yep, the good stuff. I was expecting someone rougher looking."
Lady held out the camera in a playful manner. "With a name like Lady? Actual ones really exist you know. Are you mocking me?"
"No, no just doing my job… Anyway, it's easy, just point and shoot. Nothing too it right?" he replied.
"Maximum range?" she asked as she opened the box.
"About 50 yards give or take. My contact told me he'll be with his guys today. If you do it from a high place, you'll get the money shot." He answered.
"Good. I won't need to take snapshots then." Lady replied.
She took the camera and gave the man five dollars. Stuffing the camera in her coat, she continued her walk, tailing the blonde man from earlier.
She tailed him for an hour before the man finally stopped at a red hotel building. It was three stories tall but it was homely with several families walking in and out.
'So this is the meeting place.' She thought to herself.
Moving inside the building, she walked past the lobby and to the nearby stairs, keeping an eye out for any lookouts her target might have.
Suddenly, she heard several screams and a loud animal like growl that drowned them. Then it went silent.
Lady hurried up the stairs towards the sound-room 10 on the 1st floor.
Kicking the door down, she saw nothing but dead men.
One was sitting by the bed with a gaping hole in his chest, the other tried to climb the window but the 6 inch diameter hole through his back saw he never would.
Lady noticed the bathroom door was partially open. She walked to it and pushed it aside, and saw the last man bleeding to death with several deep gashes on his chest.
"You're…(cough)…too late." He barely whispered.
Lady approached him and asked, "Where's he headed?"
The man replied, "Don't know. They're transfer…ring(cough)…ring(cough)"
Lady sighed. 'This isn't good. They're abandoning Mongolia and moving here. I have to stop the flunkie before he does something insane.'
She pulled out her camera and said, "You're not gonna make it to the doctor or the police station. Any last requests?"
He coughed once more and said, "Yeah. I'd like to see a naked girl one last time."
She shook her head and said, "Men…all the same." She aimed her camera at his head and said, "Say cheese."
She depressed the clicker and a bullet soundlessly entered his brain.
Putting away the camera in her jacket, she ran out the door hoping she would be able to make it in time to stop Sebastian's flunkie.
5:42 AM
Mahora Academy, Japan
Tsukune and Moka wandered Library Island, carrying two baskets full of freshly baked bread. It was Tsukune's first time in Library Island so Moka decided to lead him through this strange, new place.
Saddling the basket in the grip of her left hand, she held Tsukune's left hand with her right.
"I'm glad we can finally rest from the training." Moka told him.
"I feel the same." Tsukune replied. "It was really nice of Evangeline to give us some time off."
They waded through the many narrow bridges till they reached a large rest area complete with a fountain and shelves of books by the sides. In the middle of the rest area, sat the rest of the anti-Sebastian Jenkins squad, with packs of food beside them.
"Damn that chibi-vampire! Who does she think she is ordering us to kill a bunch of lizards?" Yelled out Kurumu.
"It's a good thing you guys made it out. I thought you'd never leave that place." Stated Yukari.
Riiko sweatdopped at that phrase. "You don't have to be so harsh."
Soon Tsukune and Moka entered the rest area. They greeted their teammates and sat down to eat.
"By the way, where is Dante?" asked Mizore.
Trish replied, "He's off paying for that favor Amu asked him to do."
They looked to Amu wondering what she asked him. Seeing their curious looks, she answered, "I asked him to go help out a friend of mine in my place. I didn't want to leave Utau hanging after I made a promise to her."
"Utau?" Night muttered. "As in Hoshina Utau?"
Amu nodded. "Precisely. She's my good friend."
"You're quite the friend Amu." Tsukune spoke out. "Even if you can't make it yourself, you find ways to help her out."
Suddenly, a small cypher like object with a tv screen on it descended from the sky to eye level.
"We've got a report from our scouts in New York." Hakase told them. "It seems a man working for you-know-who was spotted having a meeting with a few realtors. According to our source, the meeting was halted partway by the flunkie who escaped after murdering the realtors."
"That's cruel!" yelled out Yukari and Kurumu.
"Hakase, what's a flunkie and a realtor?" Amu asked.
"A realtor sells real estate or land to people. A flunkie is someone you send in your place to perform duties." Hakase explained.
Amu thought about it for a minute then said, "So in theory, Jenkins-san sent someone to buy property in New York. He might be building another facility."
Mizore spoke next. "Where is the flunkie now?"
Hakase scratched her head. "Our scout is tracking him. We'll give more details when we have it."
The device flew off leaving the team to ponder about the situation as they ate.
"I think it's time for another raid." Moka spoke up.
"But where?" asked Tsukune. "We don't even know where to strike next."
Moka replied, "We do. New York. I think Jenkins-san is building another base in New York. He tried bargaining it legally but since that failed, he'll try to strong arm it from someone in charge of the land in question…the mayor. We'll march over to the mayor's office and safeguard him."
Mizore nodded. So did Amu. Trish shook her head and said, "Let's not rush. The mayor of New York is attending the US week long state conference in Washington D.C. Not even Jenkins himself can break apart that."
Night agreed. "It was on the news this morning. He should be fine for a while."
Trish spoke out, "Actually, you should worry about Evangeline's training. She's going to make it a lot harsher from here."
"What?" yelped Riiko. "But we just mastered how to bring out fire from our fingertips. She's a demon."
"Hoho, so you acknowledge I'm a demon." said a familiar voice right behind Riiko.
Their faces went blue with dread as Evangeline placed a hand on Riiko's frightened head.
"I'm sorry, I'm sorry! Please forgive me!" Riiko squeaked.
Evangeline strengthened her grasp and dragged her on the road out of Library Island. "Silence. You can ask for forgiveness after you finish your training."
The rest of the group watched in pity as Riiko was dragged out, still in fear of the Maga Nosferatu.
She dragged the poor girl into her resort and let her go by its center. Riiko got up and said, "Can't we rest a little? We just finished killing off those dinosaurs awhile back."
Evangeline wasn't amused. "Well, that is fine if you want. But at this rate, you'll only slow down everyone else."
Riiko smiled and put a hand on her chest. "It's fine. I can cover for everyone with my new skills."
Evangeline replied, "Tsukune said the same thing yet he wasn't able to prevent Moka from getting shot. There's no point lying about it. It's impossible."
Riiko frowned as her happy demeanor shed away. "You're right. Everyone else is powerful, even Amu-chan. Our enemies aren't people we can win against on a human level. What should I do Evangeline-san? There has to be a way to speed things up. You'll tell me right?"
Evangeline replied. "It's good you've realized it. This makes it much easier. At your current level, you'd be able to create a magic barrier around yourself. But in order to survive the next battles, you need to be able to cast a basic attack spell."
Riiko's face sharpened in seriousness. "Alright. What do I need to do to get to that level?"
Evangeline replied, "We'll skip the theoretical part and get to my kind of training." She begun to levitate as she summoned a magical blade, extending from her right arm. "Practical training."
Riiko's eyes became saucers as she panicked. "You're gonna beat it into me? Wait, Evangeline…"
"Listen carefully and do exactly as I say." Evangeline barked. "To summon a magic barrier, harness the magical energies within you and focus on turning it into a blanket over your entire body. Oh, and make it quick. My blade is very sharp."
Evangeline rushed the girl at a slightly superhuman level. Riiko dived out of the way. Stumbling as she did. But she quickly recovered and began focusing her magic. She wasn't able to do it on the fly but with enough time standing still, she can create the barrier she needs.
"Too slow." Evangeline stated as she closed in on the girl, aiming to stab her heart.
Riiko dived to the right, taking grazing wound on her left shoulder. Blood trickled as she got up and began concentrating for her life, while Evangeline pressed the attack.
Strike, evade…strike, evade…this became the cycle with Evangeline taking her speed higher and higher, causing more cuts on the teenager's body. Eventually, Riiko was pushed against the wall where Evangeline suddenly raised her free arm, summoning a binding spell over Riiko.
The poor girl was bound in magical chains of light to the wall. She had no choice but to put up a barrier.
Evangeline closed in ready to slice Riiko open. And at the last minute, Riiko mustered all her focus.
Evangeline made a swift stroke with her blade, cutting through the binds and cutting open Riiko's belly, creating a trickle of blood from the wound.
Riiko fell to her knees, exhausted as she held her bleeding stomach. Evangeline approached her and said. "Good enough. Even if it was last minute, you erected it perfectly."
Riiko faced her and said, "What do you mean perfectly?"
Evangeline replied, "My blade should have cut you in half. Suffering only a minor cut is commendable."
'She's a monster!' Riiko thought in even greater fear of Evangeline.
The vampire dropped to the ground and stopped the blade spell on her arm. She put her hands on her hips and said, "For the next part, I will personally tutor you on the basics of spell casting. Get yourself cleaned up and I will see you back here."
"Ha..hai.." Riiko managed to utter. She got up and walked to the bathroom, her heart still beating in dread.
An hour of washing and a few bandages later, Riiko reappeared at the center of the resort, scared to death at what the vampire was going to do next. 'She'll definitely kill me next time. I have to apologize for calling her a demon.'
When Evangeline was in sight, Riiko quickly ran over and bowed very low. "I'm sorry for calling you a demon! I swear I'm sorry! It won't happen again."
Evangeline looked at her and said, "It's fine. I'm not really mad."
Riiko faced her with a bright, yet forced smile. "That's great!"
Evangeline walked over to a nearby desk with three books of basic spell casting on top of it. She placed a hand on the desk and said, "In these books is the basics on spell theory and spell casting. By the end of the day, you must know how to cast a basic magical arrow. It's really simple. First is the opening of your magical channels. Western mages start by using a keyword or phrase as the focal point. But you don't have to do this."
"Why is that?" asked Riiko.
Evangeline replied, "Because of the training I gave you, you've been able to naturally focus and open your magical channels. Not even my first student was able to do that."
'First student?' Riiko thought.
"Since you can do so without using a keyword, we'll skip to the channeling of magic." Said the vampire.
She faced her pupil and raised her right hand to the sky. "Lic lac la lac Lilac." She said before slowly building her magic up onto her hand. Riiko paid close attention.
Evangeline gave the next instruction. "The next is shaping the magic. Doing this on your own is difficult for a beginner. Even magister magi take years to get here. So you have to invoke the spirits to shape the magic for you. This is what normal people see as incantation."
She took a breath of air and said, "Una Glacies, Coèuntes, sagittent inimicum meam. Saggita Magica Series Glacies!(O Spirit of Ice, come together and strike mine enemy. Magical Arrows, Series of Ice.)"
A powerful magical bolt of ice shot out of her hand and through the air in a straight line.
Riiko's eyes widened upon gazing the spell. Much like before, she was caught speechless.
"Su-sugoi! Evangeline-san, you're awesome! I can't believe that happened!" the teenager yelled.
Evangeline smirked and said, "Of course. I'm still a powerful mage in my own right." She turned to Riiko and said, "Now you will try it."
Riiko nodded and faced the sky. She took a deep breath, opened her magical channels, focused her magic, aimed her right hand at the sky and said, "Una Glacies, Coèuntes, sagittent inimicum meam. Saggita Magica Series Glacies!"
Nothing happened.
Evangeline laughed her head off.
Riiko burned red with embarrassment and faced the vampire. "Hey! You're mocking me on purpose! Teach me the real thing!"
Evangeline began to calm herself down out of pity for the poor girl. When she could breathe easy again, she told her, "That was the real thing. You performed it well from beginning to execution. However, it takes far more concentration to perform an attack spell than a defensive, instinctual one. Also, you need to know your affinity before casting a spell."
"Ah.." was all that Riiko could utter at first. 'She really intended on toying with me.'
Evangeline cleared her throat and said, "Now that you know the spell, research on why it didn't work and what you need to do to make it work. If you can perform the spell by noon, you'll be one step closer to fighting the Hell Demons on their level."
Riiko blinked for a few seconds upon hearing that. A fire ignited in her soul at the thought of such an exciting and challenging task. She marched off. She sat on the chair by the desk and started looking through the books, eagerly devouring every page.
Every few pages she'd find something new and desperately tried it out to make the spell work. She would fail now and again, but she kept moving forward.
Evangeline watched her latest pupil take to it like oil on fire. 'She's exactly like the bozu. Her movements are rough, but she excels through hard work and ingenuity. This could get interesting.'
Back at the stage in the middle of a grassy area…Dante had finished plugging the speakers and the electrical guitar he was given.
"Okay, we ready to rock?" He quipped.
The rest of the band nodded and took their places. The Drummer was stationed in the west side of the back, the bassist in the east side, the second guitarist beside him, with Dante a little bit in front of the drums.
"This setup is perfect. Utau and the backup dancers will be able to perform without worry." said, Shuichi.
They began to play a smooth tune to warm up. The Drummer played in rhythm as the bassist slapped a funky beat to the sound. Dante and Shuichi traded notes with their guitars, playing one tune and allowing the other to 'answer' it by playing his tune.
After 3 minutes, they ended the makeshift original.
"Not bad for a rookie." Said the drummer.
"Totally dude." Said the bassist.
Dante made a quick bow. "My pleasure. But I do wanna know the line-up so I can get some practice."
"Cool, dude." Said the bassist. "Alright so you know, we're coming on first. The lead guy, that's you, is gonna come on and check the mike as if he's a crew guy. So you gotta wear the clothes dude. Then, you plug in the guitar, and just jam along. Akira's gonna come on down looking the same and be all like 'Yo dude! What's the matter man? We gotta show to run.' But you just keep jammin' and he'll join in and start hitting the drums. Then Shuuchi is gonna ruin everything and tell you guys to stop, but then like outta nowhere I'm gonna pick up the bass and start pleasing the ladies. Then you guys start jammin' and Shuuchi is gonna give up and totally join us dude."
Dante nodded. It was really creative. "That's gonna be a good opening. Then I'm guessing, halfway through the opening we switch it up with Utau's songs."
"Yes. That's the plan." Shuichi added. "We'll start with 'Trickster' followed by 'Replay Machine' then move on to 'FAKE ANGEL' and 'BE READY!'. This will be the lineup of the first half."
The band began practicing the songs, doing their best to get the flow and rhythm of the song.
While they did so, Utau and a few backup dancers began to practice their routine in the space beside the trailers and tents. The choreographer in the front wasn't too happy seeing their sloppy performance.
"Girls, girls! What have I told you about moving in step?" the choreographer complained as he rubbed his bald head in frustration.
He clapped in beats as Utau and the backup dancers danced in step while Yukari and Ikuto watched.
"So what have you been doing lately Ikuto? Utau has been worried sick about you." Yukari asked.
Ikuto replied, "I've been keeping tabs on a friend."
Yukari instantly got the meaning. "Is it about Amu-chan?"
Ikuto didn't reply but Yukari knew she hit the mark. "Ikuto, that girl can take care of herself. She was able to do with Utau what I never could. You have to put a little faith in her."
Ikuto replied, "Yukari, have you had any contact with Amu lately?"
Yukari replied, "Yes. She's the one who recommended Neil Gavin as the replacement guitarist."
Ikuto looked that the white haired man and wondered where Amu met him.
"Where did she meet him?" Ikuto asked.
Yukari replied, "I've been thinking the same thing. Amu hasn't been the same. I don't know when she changed but she's become a whole different person. Now even her friends are different and I'm getting a bit worried. Ikuto, could you do me a favor?"
Ikuto listened in as Yukari said, "I'd like you to find out about this Neil Gavin. Something about him doesn't smell right. I don't want to find out he's another Utau stalker coming to kidnap her. Make sure to report it to me by tomorrow morning at 6:00 AM."
"That's really pushing it Yukari." Ikuto replied. "But I'll see what I can do."
They continued to watch Utau's practice while the band played through the first half of the lineup once again. After a few more hours, night fell and it was time to call it a day.
As promised, Dante doubled as Utau's bodyguard and escorted her to the nearby hotel that they had booked for the week.
Entering the lobby, Yukari, Dante, Ikuto and a disguised Utau went to the front desk and checked in.
They went into the elevator and rode it to the 5th floor. As soon as it reached its floor, they left it and Yukari bowed to Dante. "Otsukaresama Deshita(Thank you for the hard work). Utau and I will be sleeping in room 501."
Utau faced her brother and said, "Nii-san, thank you for coming."
Ikuto once again was wordless but they knew he was meaning to say thanks. He turned around and left for his room. Dante followed shortly and entered his room as well. The first day was done.
6:00 AM—12:00 PM
Utau's Concert Area, Japan
They woke up bright and early and drove on by to the nearly built arena where Utau and her band practiced long and hard.
The band would practice the lineup while Utau sang with them. After lunch, Utau and the back-up dancers performed on stage followed by an actual rehearsal with the band and sound team.
6:00 AM—12:00 PM
Mahora Academy, Japan
Whilst this happened, in Mahora Academy, the rest of the anti-Sebastian Jenkins squad trained under Evangeline in her resort for three days—three hours in real time. Since only Riiko, Night and Amu had school, the three still attended classes while keeping low profile of their double lives. It was especially hard for Amu as she still had duties as the Joker's chair. But she manages and successfully pulls things together much to her peer's amazement.
Riiko and Night, while not heavily taxed in responsibility, are heavily taxed socially. Night is a bishounen. Meaning he attracts a lot of girls. Riiko is an average girl. Meaning she attracts average guys. If the school were to find out that Night is her boyfriend, it would attract animosity and jealousy from the other girls and from her childhood friend—an average guy. Luckily, no one notices this despite Night's straightforward persona.
It is a different case with the Yokai Academy-gumi. As they are still exiles, they cannot attend classes. And since the fiasco in the Kinderheim Hospital, they are still being hunted and cannot move easily in the open. So they spend the day enduring the brunt of Evangeline's training, followed by physical training in the real world(including military maneuvers and weapon training) and cut off for lunch to end the morning.
12:00 PM—5:00 PM
Utau's Concert Area, Japan
The day coming to an end, Utau's rehearsal continues on well through the afternoon. The band, along with the backup dancers, is given the chance to practice their choreography of the second half of the lineup.
In the meantime, Utau is allowed to rest in her hotel room. She sits in front of her desk, using the laptop Yukari gave her to use. Currently, she was browsing through her email. Most of it was junk or the occasional letters from her fans. But one in particular was odd. This one had no return address, yet the title of the mail was 'I love you more than you know'.
"What could this be?" Utau commented as she opened the mail.
But when she opened it up, the mail read as:
Dear Utau,
I've been in love with you for a long time now. I can only say this through email because you're too far away for me. But I'm getting closer now. And I think I can meet with you very soon.
'Is this a stalker mailing me?' the young star thought.
It wasn't the first time she was being stalked. But no one had gotten as close as getting her email address.
She stood up and was about to call her manager when the woman in question entered the room.
"Utau, let's go get some dinner." The woman asked.
Utau nodded. "Yes, let's eat. I'm starving."
The two walked out of the room as Dante joined them.
"Where's onii-san?" Utau asked.
Dante replied, "Oh he's in school. At least I think he is. Don't bother with him. Stay on track and he'll be right back."
"I understand." Utau replied.
They went into the hotel dining room on the same floor and sat beside the band who were already eating a hearty meal.
"Come on, join us." Shuuchi coaxed them.
The waiter came and asked for their orders. Utau ordered a plate of salad and some juice while Yukari ordered a plate of chicken and some soup. Dante ordered the roast beef and some white wine as his meal.
"Well, here's my report…we found three stalkers by the bushes," Dante started, "and a paparazzi trying to bribe their way in. They won't be bothering us anymore."
"Dude, how'd you find them?" the bassist asked.
"I looked around. I'm not gonna let a few guys ruin the day now." Dante answered.
"Man. That really sucks. Second day, and already we're getting flashed." The drummer answered.
"It's a good thing you were there Neil. I'm so glad Amu asked for you." Yukari answered.
"Wait. Amu asked him for the job?" Utau asked.
"Yeah. She said I only knew how to play guitar and beat people up so I might as well use my God given talents to the best of my ability." Dante quipped.
"Aw don't be a wimp." The drummer replied. "I'm sure you got other cool things you can do."
The waiter arrived with their meals and served them with a smile.
As they ate, Dante casually looked around the room. It seems that there were a few people with cellphone cameras taking sneaky shots at the young star.
'Not much I could do about that.' Dante thought.
Soon, they all finished their meals, and went back to their rooms, ending another day.
12:00 PM—5:00 PM
Mahora Academy, Japan
While the Yokai-gumi relaxed, Riiko, Night and Amu slaved away in school.
Amu in particular was busy with the rest of the student council in the Royal Garden.
"That will be it for today." Tadase announced, ending their meeting.
"Aww, I want to go to Utau-chan's concert this Sunday." Yaya complained.
"Don't be like that Yaya. You'll never get any tickets that way." Nagihiko gently corrected.
Rima faced Amu and said, "Amu-chan, aren't you going to the concert?"
The pink haired girl replied, "I don't have any tickets either. I want to go, but it's all sold out."
Tadase suddenly added, "But the concert will be on TV the next day. We can all watch it then."
Nagihiko nodded. "Yes, that would be great. I'll get the time for it so we can watch together."
With their duties done, Rima, Nagihiko and Yaya left early leaving Tadase and Amu to fix the papers on the desk and bring them into the school.
"Let's take these in Amu." Tadase said as he picked up a stack of papers.
Amu nodded and picked up the remaining stack.
They walked into the school to dump the papers on the prinicpal's desk. As they traveled down the halls, Tadase asked, "Amu-chan, are you free this Sunday? I was thinking of going to the amusement park but everyone else said they can't make it."
Amu blushed a little, knowing that he was stealthily asking her out. "Um, it…it's okay. I have nothing to do that day."
Tadase's face brightened. "Really? I'm glad. Ah, what time should I pick you up. Oh, that sounds like I'm asking you out."
'Tadase, you already did. I still can't believe you'd be so forward.' Amu thought as her blush remained.
The two reached the principal's office and dumped the papers on his desk. With nothing more to do, they faced each other and Amu said, "Tadase-san…I-I'll be waiting at the entrance. How about ten o'clock?"
The blonde boy replied, "Ye-yeah. That would be great. I'll see you at 10."
They walked out of the school keeping their distance and eventually went their separate ways.
Amu walked to her house, with a light feeling in her heart.
'Tadase finally asked me out!' She thought, remembering the encounter.
Her Shugo Charas flew around her, knowing how lovey dovey the two were earlier.
"Amu-chan is finally going on a date!" Ran yelled out.
"Good for you Amu." Miki added.
"We'd better prepare what we'll wear on Sunday." Su pitched in.
'I'll have to buy some good clothes. Something Tadase will like.' She thought as she neared her house.
"Your face is red." Said a familiar voice beside her.
Amu looked and noticed it was Ikuto.
"It's nothing you need to notice. I still have a life. Did you spend the money well?" she asked.
Ikuto replied. "Only because you asked. I used it sparingly."
The pink haired girl looked a bit at Ikuto and smelled a sweet scent from him. "You've been visiting Utau lately. That's awfully sweet of you."
"How did you know?" Ikuto asked.
"Because I was the one who gave Utau the perfume that I'm smelling on you." She answered.
"That brand is very expensive Amu." Ikuto stated. "Did you save up for it?"
'He's investigating my accounts. He must have noticed the price on the perfume and realized it's above my allowance.' The pink haired girl thought. "Yes. I wanted to get Utau a birthday gift but the perfume she was looking for was about to be sold out so I bought it in advance and gave it to her during her birthday."
Ikuto was getting nowhere like this. She wasn't giving any hints that he could explore. So he decided to take the more straightforward approach.
"Amu, tell me the truth. Did you send a man in your place to aid Utau in her concert?" Ikuto asked.
Amu replied, "Yeah. He's a hardworking guy."
"What was his name?" Ikuto asked hoping to corner Amu.
"Dante Sparda. Is there something wrong?" Amu told truthfully, not sure where Ikuto was getting to.
"That's strange. A man named Neil Gavin came to us instead." Ikuto answered.
"What? That can't be true. I've been in contact with Dante and he said he's been working there as promised." Amu answered with a little bit of fright in her voice.
"Can you describe him to me?" Ikuto asked as he processed the new information.
"White hair, looks like an American and wears a red trenchcoat most of the times." Amu answered.
'So he gave away a false name. If Amu doesn't know that, he hasn't been completely honest with her.' thought Ikuto. "Who is this guy Amu? He's not telling me anything and I'm getting worried."
Amu didn't like that he was pressuring her. "Why should you? Because of Easter, my life is full of all sorts of surprises."
Ikuto answered, "Because I don't want to find out those surprises involve you getting hurt."
Amu was taken aback by Ikuto's sudden straightforwardness. She had never seen him with his heart on his sleeve. And seeing it for the first time, she realized it was warmer than she expected.
Amu replied, "So it seems. Alright I'll tell you. I met him on the way home from a trip to the city library. It was nighttime and the bus wouldn't arrive till morning. A group of delinquents came to the bus stop and were about to harass me until he arrived in his car and took care of them. He asked me if I needed a ride home. I didn't have a choice so I joined him and he took me to the nearest place I knew—Rima's house."
So far, Ikuto knew at the very least that Dante wasn't all that bad. But it felt like Amu wasn't giving the whole picture. But without evidence, he couldn't make concrete judgments based on a hunch. He needed something more.
Suddenly Amu's phone rang. She picked it up and noticed it was a text message.
2/20/20XX, 6:42 PM
Sender: Lady
Amu, I'm pretty busy in America and another job just came in. There's a group of demons who are planning to kidnap a group of upcoming artists and hypnotize them into working for them. They call themselves 'New Commandment' and are holed up in the Tsubaki Hotel building close to the area where Utau Hoshina is going to hold her concert. My source tells me that they're preparing to kidnap the star after her first breakthrough concert and have been seen prowling the concert area.
Eliminate them quietly. This is a high profile job so caution is a requirement. Leave no witnesses, or traces. Do it at night when they're asleep and use a suppressed weapon. You will get your usual rate for this mission should you choose to accept. Happy Hunting Amu.
-End of Message-
Amu closed her phone and tucked it in her pocket. "Ikuto, I appreciate your concern but I have to go. Please, take care of yourself for Utau's sake."
She turned and left, mixed feelings still in her heart.
She walked to the Seven Eleven by her house and started gathering the things she needed for the mission. Thanks to her training, she learned from Lowe and his crew how to stalk, and quietly kill a target. Only now, she will put it to the test.
She pulled out a plastic basket from the racks and walked around the store. She dumped in it some plastic injections, a bottle of bleach, two pairs of disposable gloves, a toy tennis racket, a toy radio, a black handkerchief, and a white one.
She placed it on the counter and the cashier noticed the things she was paying for. 'What is she going to do with those things?' He shook his head knowing there was nothing good afoot. 'Don't think about it. It's none of your business.'
The fat manager came out of the next room and noticed the same girl from last time. "Are you going out again?"
She briefly looked at him and gave him a yes.
The manager looked at the stuff in her cart and dreaded at what she was going to do with it. "I heard nothing, I saw nothing and if I was there, I was asleep."
"That's an excellent policy." Amu noted. "I should use that in the future."
"You're not Italian mob by any chance?" the manager asked hoping she wasn't.
"No. Just a hired gun." She replied as she placed the payment over the counter. The cashier placed the items in a paper bag and handed it to her. She walked out of the store with the bag and walked home.
Briefly greeting her parents and younger sister, she walked into her room and neatly spread the items on her desk. She sat down and pulled out a bottle of Sodium Pentothal that she received from Lowe and begun filling most of her injections with it.
"What's that Amu-chan?" Miki asked, as she and the other two shugo charas hovered over her desk.
"It's a chemical that puts people to sleep. I need to be ready in case bystanders unexpectedly show up." Amu explained as she carefully measured the amount she extracted per injection.
"It's almost as if you enjoy this Amu-chan." Su added.
After finishing every injection, she placed each inside a sling-type shoulder strap beside the gun holster, so she could pull it out from her jacket like a gun. Whatever injections she couldn't put in there, she left inside a small sling bag along with her gloves and handkerchiefs.
She then pulled out the toy tennis racket from the paper bag and pulled out a pair of wire cutters from her drawer, and started cutting it to release the fiber wire. After carefully blunting the ends of the cut wire on a piece of sandpaper, she coiled it and placed it in her bag along with the toy radio.
Looking at the clock, she noticed it was 7:15 PM. She had to finish this up quick.
She pulled out her Nagant Revolver, loaded it and screwed on the suppressor, then holstered it in the gun holster.
"Everyone, I need you to join me on this." Amu asked her shugo charas.
"We're with you all the way Amu-chan." Ran told her. Miki and Su simply nodded.
She stood up and slung her small sling bag over her shoulder, snuck out her window, ran to the bus stop and entered the bus to the Tsubaki Hotel.
Entering the building, she saw all sorts of people at the lobby. Most were foreigners but some were Japanese people who just came from overseas.
Amu looked around and managed to find a map of all four floors. She memorized the maps and walked to the nearby ladies room and shut herself inside a stall. No one else was in the comfort room so she chara changed into Amulet Maverick and texted Lady asking her what are the signs a person is part of the 'New Commandment'.
A few seconds later, Lady texted back… A sword over an open book tattoo on the right wrist.
A picture of the tattoo went along with it.
Amu pulled out filled syringe and a small radio with her left hand, and thought hard. It glowed blue for a second then turned into five, transparent mosquitos with mini antennas on their heads and measuring lines across their bodies.
"This is what we're looking for." Amu told the insects as she showed them the picture. "They're in the building. Find them, where they're staying and text the room number to my cellphone."
The insects flew off underneath the stall and comfort room door and began their search. Amu switched out of the chara change and back into her school uniform.
She walked out of the stall and out of the comfort room and decided to wait by the lobby. She sat down on the nearby couch, pretending to read a teen magazine. A few minutes later, a text arrived on her cellphone. She opened it and it read… 5 men, room 401.
Just as she was about to close it, another text appeared. It read… 4 men, room 402. One bug died getting this.
She continued reading the teen magazine for another few minutes then another text message came in. It read… I'm the only one left. Last 6 men, room 404. Returning to base.
The transparent mosquito returned to Amu and landed on her nose. She whispered to it, "Get in the bag."
The bug did as it was told and went inside the bag. Amu put the magazine down and noticed it was 8:00 PM.
'It's still early. I have to wait till 1:00 AM to make sure they're asleep. I'd better find the room keys while waiting.' She thought.
Su suddenly whispered in Amu's ears, "How about getting the keys to their rooms? It will make it easier."
Amu whispered back, "That's what I was thinking. But who has those keys aside from the ones renting the rooms?"
Amu then saw one of the hotel cleaners enter the lobby. Something began to click in her mind. 'When the janitors have to clean something on a room in a floor, they'll need a key that can open that room. If I can procure their master key, I can open the door to the rooms on the fourth floor.'
She paid attention to the cleaner from her seat and noticed that he was talking to the receptionist. When he walked away and to the elevator, Amu stood up and walked to chase after him.
She entered the elevator just in time and noticed that the 4th floor button was lighted up. The doors closed and the elevator rose to the fourth floor. The cleaner and Amu exited it and walked down the halls of the fourth floor. Amu pulled out her cellphone and put it by her ear, pretending to make a call as the cleaner stopped in front of room 403. He pulled out the master keycard placed it in the slot and waited for the little glass bulb above it to turn green.
Amu paid attention whilst keeping her cover. In three seconds the bulb turned green, and she shut her phone and tucked it in her pocket.
The cleaner pulled out the keycard, tucked it in his pocket and entered the room. He was about to close the door as he entered but Amu suddenly rushed into the room and jumped on his back, held her left hand over his mouth while stabbing a syringe on the man's jugular vein. She emptied the contents in his vein as he struggled to pull her away. He moved further forward into the room and threw her to the ground and yanked the needle out of his neck, "Whu da herru awerew u…" he slurred unable to say much as the anesthetic took effect.
Amu quickly got up as the man was about to run. She threw her bag at the back of his knee and he stumbled long enough for Amu to pull out her white handkerchief and run to him. She jumped on him and held the handkerchief over his mouth as he lay on the ground. He struggled a bit more but after several more seconds, he eventually lost strength and fell unconscious.
Amu's breath was heavy from the ordeal but she accomplished her goal. She went to the door held the handle with her white handkerchief and shut it and put the chain on it for double protection. She quickly went to the unconscious man and took his keycard and put it in her pocket along with the handkerchief. She went to her bag and pulled out her disposable gloves. Wearing it, she noticed the wall clock across her said that the time was 8:20 PM.
'Still early. I have more time than I expected. This can be useful.' She thought.
She then held the cleaner by the foot and dragged him to the bathroom. Ran, Miki and Su pushed down on the handle allowing the door to swing in. Amu dragged the cleaner further in before pulling out his belt and binding his legs together with it. She went back into the room and pulled out the pillow casing and went and used it to tie up the cleaners hands behind his back. She went back and pulled out two more pillow casings and tied them over the cleaner's eyes and mouth preventing him from screaming and seeing if ever he woke up.
She carried him over her shoulders and tossed him in the bath tub then exited the room and shut it for good. She sighed in relief that the deed was done. 'I need to find a more effective way to knock them out.'
"Amu-chan sure is having a hard time being a hitman." Ran commented.
"The TV shows make it so easy." Su added.
"The real thing will always be harder to deal with." Miki finalized.
Amu sat on the bed thinking about how she was going to deal with the actual targets. 'When the clock hits 1:00 AM, I'm going in and shooting them point blank. I'll have to avoid aiming at them where the bullet's loud sounds don't echo into the next room. After I take all of them down, I'll bleach the place as I backtrack just like Lowe taught me.'
"Now we just wait for 1:00 AM. We'll begin the next phase of the operation then." Amu told her Shugo Charas.
So they waited.
1:00 AM showed on the face of the clock and Amu stood up and pulled out the black handkerchief from her pocket. She pulled it over her face, covering it from the nose down.
She went over to her sling bag on the floor and slung it once more over her shoulder as she could hear the faint grunting noises the tied up cleaner was making. He'd woken up several hours ago but despite his best efforts, he couldn't break free.
Amu walked out the door and quickly went to room 404 to start.
She pulled out the keycard and placed it in the slot on the door. It lighted green and she soundlessly entered, pulling the suppressed revolver out of her school jacket and cocked back the hammer.
There were three Japanese looking men sleeping on the large bed while the other three slept on extra beds on the floor. Amu walked over and aimed her gun at the first one on the floor. She squeezed the trigger and a bullet soundlessly entered his brain. Black blood spread over his pillow, indicating that he was a demon. Amu aimed at the next one and put a bullet in his skull. She did the same to the next one before aiming at the three on the bed. In quick succession, she put bullets in their brains. She holstered her weapon before pulling out the bottle of bleach and spraying it over her footsteps as she backtracked all the way to room 403.
She closed the lid on the bottle, and proceeded into room 402. She used the keycard and entered seeing the four men on the large bed of the room. She pulled out her gun and emptied the shells into her bag and placed in new bullets before cocking the hammer back. She aimed at the nearest demon and put a bullet in his brain before successfully doing the same with his other sleeping companions. She routinely put the empty shells in her bag while pulling out four new ones to replace it before holstering the gun and bleaching the floor as she backtracked to room 403.
'The last one.' She thought as she walked to room 401. She used the keycard and entered the room to find two men on the bed. She aimed her gun and gave them a permanent rest. But something was odd about this room.
'There were five in this one. Where are the other three?' She thought.
She looked around and checked under the beds. No one there. Then she checked in the closet and low and behold, two men sat back to back asleep inside the large closet.
Amu went closer and aimed the gun over the crown of one man's head. She pulled the trigger then quickly did the same with the other one before he could wake up.
She deduced that the last one must be in the toilet. She waited by the door, sticking to the wall beside it. She heard the flushing sound coming from inside and took a deep breath as the door opened. She aimed her gun at where she estimated his head would be. And as soon as he came through, she pulled the trigger, sending a bullet through his brain. The last target fell that night.
She sighed in relief and holstered her gun as she monotonously bleached her footsteps, back tracking all the way into room 403. She continued all the way to the window and carefully opened it. With the bottle of bleach no more, she stowed the empty bottle in her bag and chara changed into Amulet Spirit. She flew out of the window all the way back to her house.
Amu returned to normal as she threw the disposable gloves, white handkerchief and empty bottle of bleach in the trash can outside of her house.
"This is incredibly tiring. The pressure of keeping stealthy is something I will never get used to." She commented after being able to breathe easily for the first time this day. 'I don't know how much more I can take. Evangeline's training can wait. I don't give a damn. I want to sleep my troubles away. Especially now that Ikuto is getting closer to the truth. I think I see why Lowe and the pilots drink so often. But I must hold on a little longer and I and the world will be free.'
She went around the back of her house and climbed up the drainage pipe and jumped onto the balcony of her room before walking past the sliding windows and into her bedroom. She quickly put on her pajamas and tossed her gunpowder smelling clothes out on the balcony before she tossed all her other equipment in her drawers, including her gun.
Dead tired, she quickly jumped into her bed and fell into a deep sleep. Yet as all this happened, Ikuto watched in horror from behind the closet door. he had seen the things Amu had tossed into the drawers including the gun.
"What the hell is going on?" Ikuto said in a hushed tone.
Well, there you have it folks.
Amatsu: I'm glad you finally finished it. Let's try to finish the next one on time.
Alright dear. I'll do that. Thank you everyone for reading this chapter. See you next time.