Chapter Text
The cargo van roared down the cracked asphalt, rattling over every bump. Inside, Dante lounged on the cold metal floor, hands shackled in front of him, legs crossed like he was waiting for a dinner party. Across from him sat Enzo, nervous and fidgety, his knee bouncing like a jackhammer.
“You know, Dante.” Enzo finally speaks. “You’re a lot calmer than I thought you’d be. Figured by now you’d be punching a hole in the wall or spitting out some cocky one-liner.”
Up front, Lady glanced back from the passenger seat, her icy glare cutting through the rearview mirror. She didn’t turn all the way around, just shifted slightly in her seat, enough for Dante to catch the steel in her voice. “If you think you can outsmart us, you're dead wrong.”
Dante leaned back with a sigh, resting his head against the wall as the van swerved slightly on the road. He gave a lazy shrug. “Relax, Lady. You caught me, chipped me, cuffed me... only an idiot tries to break out of a locked box in motion.” Lady scoffed, arms crossed. “Yeah, because you’re just a genius, right?”
“I’m many things.” Dante muttered with a smirk. “Modest just ain’t one of ‘em.” Silence fell again, heavy and tense, broken only by the hum of the tires and the occasional grunt from Enzo as the van hit another pothole. Then clang. Dante’s eyes opened.
The metallic clatter was faint, but unmistakable.
Anders stiffened. “Did... did anyone else see that?” He asked, hands tightening on the wheel. “See what?” Lady asked, reaching for her pistol, but it was already too late.
A blur of steel sliced through the air like a thunderbolt. In an instant, the entire van split cleanly in two with a deafening shraaang, the front ripped from the back like paper. A shockwave slammed through the road, followed by a fiery explosion that sent debris into the sky like fireworks.
Dante smiled, eyes gleaming. “There he is.” As the back half of the van spiraled, Dante flipped mid-air, his shackles already falling away like paper strips. He caught Enzo with one arm as they hit the ground in a slide. The dust cleared around them as the echo of the blast faded into the distance.
Enzo coughed violently, then looked down his shackles were gone too. “You boys are gonna be the death of me.” He muttered, hugging his knees, trying not to puke. Dante stood, brushing ash off his coat. “Love you too, Enzo.”
From the smoke emerged a tall figure, Yamato still humming with residual energy.
Vergil.
Dante turned and smirked. “Took you long enough. Thought you were gonna let your baby brother become government property.” Vergil scoffed. “If I wanted that, I’d have sold you myself.” Dante held up his hands. “Fair.”
Dante made a show of tapping his neck twice with his fingers. “You wanna get this damn chip off or what? I'm not exactly a fan of surveillance.” Vergil didn’t hesitate. A flick of Yamato and the chip clattered to the pavement, still sparking faintly. Dante winced. “Ow. You ever think of being gentle?”
“You asked me to cut it.”
“I asked for help, not decapitation!”
“You’re fine.” Vergil replied, already sheathing Yamato. Dante rubbed his neck, already healing. “Still rude.” Before he could say more, Vergil tossed him something. Dante caught it mid-air. A familiar red amulet, gleaming under the smoky light.
“I still can’t believe those idiots bought the fake.” Dante said, sliding his amulet around his neck. “You should’ve seen the briefing. Government agents with their thumbs up their asses thinking they outsmarted me.”
He jerked his thumb behind him. Several cars were swerving wildly in the distance, trying to regain control after the explosion. Vergil didn’t look back. “They’ll be here in under a minute.” Enzo groaned. “Then maybe we don’t stand around and gloat this time?”
“Just five more seconds.” Dante said, cracking his knuckles. “Let ‘em catch up a little.” Lady’s voice crackled through a fallen radio nearby. “You think you’ve won, half-breed? This isn’t over!”
Dante picked up the radio, pressed the button, and smiled. “Lady, sweetheart, it never even started.” He dropped the radio, turned to Vergil, and grinned. "By the way." He said, brushing ash off his shoulder, "While I was busy playing prisoner of the month... did you find anything on our white rabbit?"
Vergil gave a curt nod, his gaze still locked on the horizon. “Another one of Mundus toys.” He said, voice cold. “A human... or what’s left of him. Modified, brainwashed. Enhanced physically, but mentally? Hollowed out.” Dante let out a low whistle. “Yikes. What flavor of crazy are we talkin?”
Vergil’s jaw clenched. “Mundus filled his head with lies. Convinced him that demons are misunderstood, tragic souls. Poor little monsters with families. Just want to live in peace and harmony.” Dante blinked, then burst out laughing. “No way. He actually went full ‘Won’t someone think of the demon children?’ ”
“I’m not exaggerating.” Vergil muttered, almost in disbelief. “The rabbit believes he’s rescuing demons from us.”
“Wow.” Dante said, still grinning. “Mundus must really be getting desperate. That’s some next-level delusion.” As the rumble of armored tires grew louder behind them, Dante casually tilted his head toward the road. “Hey, Enzo! Buddy, might be a good time to-”
“He already ran.” Vergil cut in, glancing over his shoulder. Sure enough, Enzo was already a good fifty yards away, legs pumping like a cartoon character, coat flapping behind him as he dodged flaming debris.
Dante chuckled. “Yeah, that tracks. Say what you want, the man’s consistent.” Vergil frowned. “You do realize he sold us out for pocket change.”
Dante shrugged and bent to retrieve Rebellion from the dirt, slinging it across his back with a flourish. “Yeah, yeah. We knew that the day we met him. But hey, he always splits the profits after betraying us, so I call that character growth.”
Vergil didn’t laugh. He rarely did. Dante spun his blade lazily in one hand. “So. Do we wait here and give these 'demon hunters' another beatdown, or do we chase the rabbit down the hole?” Vergil turned slowly, eyes narrowing as he focused on something unseen in the distance. “The rabbit’s close. If we move now, we can intercept him before the clean-up squad complicates things.”
Dante nodded, the smirk fading from his face just a bit. “You think this is one of Mundus plan to get our attention?” Vergil opened Yamato with a sharp flick, the blade hissing softly as it slid free. “Mundus doesn't hand out upgrades for fun. If this rabbit’s still running, it’s because he’s meant to lead us somewhere.”
“Trap?” Dante asked, eyes gleaming. “Probably.” Dante cracked his knuckles. “Perfect.” Vergil sliced the air, and a shimmering rift began to form, swirling with blue energy. “Then let’s make this quick.”
Dante stared into it for a beat. “Still freaks me out when you do that.” Vergil glanced at him. “You get used to it.” Dante grinned and tapped his amulet for luck. “After you, White Rabbit hunter.” Vergil stepped into the portal without a word, Yamato still in hand.
Dante followed, twirling Rebellion once before disappearing into the light. Behind them, the sound of tires screeching to a halt filled the empty road, but there was no one left to find.