Games » Devil May Cry » DMC: HUNTRX and the
Author's Note:
This story has only two chapters, but it achieved considerable success (Favs: 85, Follows: 103), how this happened I don't know.
But I'm glad this story got an audience.
Paradoxically, I'm sad that other stories I've worked on get less recognition. Even though sometimes I end up getting the formula right.
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Story Arc: A New Demon Hunter in Town
Episode 1: Punk and Goth (III)
Chapter 3: Women's Gossip
Plot: Rumi, Mira, and Zoey have returned to their home and started talking about their day and their plans for tomorrow. But eventually, duty calls. The three demon hunters can't get a moment's rest.
XXX
POV Narrator
Mira, Rumi, and Zoey have just returned to their luxury penthouse. If they looked out the window, they'd see the sun starting to set.
"After such a beautiful day, lying on the couch is the cherry on top," Zoey said, making herself comfortable.
"I'm sorry, Zoey, but this time the couch doesn't appeal to me anymore, it's all yours." Mira said, sitting in an armchair, clutching some magazines she'd bought during her day.
The first magazine talks about motorcycles, the second shows women's motorcycle clothing and other leather clothing, and possible outfit combinations.
Clearly, the red-haired girl isn't known as the one who's always in fashion just for show.
"If you don't want the couch anymore, it means you've found something better. A certain Latina girl with glasses, perhaps?" Zoey asks with a mischievous smile, knowing full well the red-haired girl's tastes in men and women.
"Maybe yes, maybe no." Mira said, using her magazine to hide her face.
"Girls, let's not overdo it. We made some nice new friends today, and tomorrow afternoon we have to meet again, offer a city tour and lunch at a nice place," Rumi said, not wanting her two best (and only) friends to do anything out of line or weird.
"Have you by any chance already planned your wedding to Nero?" Zoey said, smiling like a cat who'd found a new toy.
"Nothing like that, I just want to get to know him better." Rumi replies, blushing slightly, having never thought about marriage or anything like that.
The purple-haired girl is a half-demon, an international idol and a demon hunter, who barely finds time to go out on the town with Zoey and Mira.
Thinking about having a serious relationship, getting married and starting a family are completely alien to Rumi.
Not only because of her busy lifestyle and responsibilities, but also because she's half-demon, making everything a thousand times more complicated.
"But it seems to me that you've already planned your first date, a city tour, a lunch, maybe you've planned a special desert?" Mira said, lowering the magazine, flashing a mischievous smile.
The red-haired girl also wants to have fun with Rumi, just like Zoey does.
"Desert? If Nero, V, and Nico want a piece of cake or a pastry, I'll have no problem offering it." Rumi replies, raising an eyebrow, completely unaware of the true meaning of Mira's words.
The amusement on Zoey's face quickly disappears.
"I forgot that you practically grew up in a country temple, with Celine as your mother and homeschooled," Zoey said, her voice devoid of happiness.
Always sorry for her purple-haired friend's unusual childhood.
"Our Rumi has grown a lot since we met her. But in some ways she's still a naive child," Mira said, running a hand through her hair, certain she'll have to ask some uncomfortable questions.
"I was never a naive child, I just lacked practical experience," Rumi said, trying to sound like an experienced and mature woman.
"If you don't understand my double entendres or insinuations, it speaks volumes about your lack of practical experience," Mira said, rising from her chair.
Zoey also stands up, not wanting to stand aside and let Mira deal with Rumi alone.
The two friends put their hands on Rumi's shoulders and force her to sit down, to have one of their serious discussions that don't involve their idol careers or their duty to cast out demons.
"First of all, just to be sure, do you like Nero?" Mira said, being direct with her questions.
The red-haired girl, for better or for worse, has always been someone who prefers to receive and give news straight to the face, without filters or unnecessary sweeteners.
"What do you mean I like Nero? That's a bit vague." Rumi said, slightly uncomfortable and unsure of how to respond.
"Do you find him as cute as a kitten on the internet or as attractive as those actors who don't wear shirts and give you bad ideas?" Zoey phrases her question in her own style, but provides two options: cute or attractive.
Rumi thinks back to his meeting with Nero, the young man with white hair; he only spoke to him for a short time, but he left a positive first impression.
The purple-haired girl can't explain it in words, but Nero had something that made him different from other men she had met in the past.
"It's embarrassing to admit, but Nero is a pleasure to look at," Rumi said, a slight blush on her cheeks, acting like a young girl dealing with her first crush.
Zoey can't help but smile for Rumi.
The maknae has known the purple-haired girl for several years, but has never seen her show interest in a man.
Well, at least not until Nero.
Zoey thought for a while that Rumi might be a lesbian, which caused some awkward moments.
For example, Zoey once arranged a surprise date for Rumi with a friend of hers from school...
It ended with Mira taking Rumi's place on the date with Zoey's old friend, who was a very cute girl and Mira's type.
Meanwhile, Rumi had a long argument with Zoey for overstepping her bounds.
At least, Zoey's past actions led to Mira coming out as bisexual.
"Zoey, do you like V?" Mira asks, turning her attention to the maknae, the youngest of the group.
Unlike Rumi, Zoey doesn't have to think about it much, knowing her tastes and feelings very well.
"V is a very handsome guy, a little mysterious, obviously cultured, and has great tattoos. If he were a vampire, I wouldn't mind being bitten," Zoey said, being quite open about her likes and dislikes.
Rumi blushes at Zoey's comment, while a frown appears on Mira's face.
"A simple yes would have worked, I don't want to hear some weird poem about ink hair and shadow-like tattoos," Mira comments, preferring not to hear all the details.
Rumi and Mira love Zoey, but she can become an endless chatterbox, especially when she's eaten too much sugar or is too excited.
'Maybe I could take the last few lines and make a song,' Zoey thinks, always keeping her mind open for new ideas.
"Good news, each of you likes a different guy, which means we won't have to go through something stupid like fighting over the same guy," Mira said, happy she didn't have to deal with such a problem; her life was already busy.
"I wouldn't do something like that. I care too much about you two and our friendship, I'd rather step aside than risk breaking what we have," Rumi admits, considering her bond with Mira and Zoey something invaluable and unique.
Mira had a hard time keeping a hard expression in the face of Rumi's confession.
"Rumi is too good a woman. If Nero does anything bad to her, I'll kill him." The red-haired girl thinks, more convinced than before to watch over Rumi during their appointment tomorrow afternoon.
"This is so beautiful and so sad at the same time," Zoey mutters, her eyes watering, her little heart feeling strong emotions.
"I love you too, Rumi." Zoey exclaims, hugging the purple-haired girl tightly.
"I care about you too, Zoey," Rumi said, hugging her back, appreciating the maknae's open and unconditional affection.
'Maybe I'm worrying too much,' Rumi thinks, feeling much better.
His thoughts about being half-demon sink into his mind, allowing brighter thoughts to emerge.
Mira, seeing this scene between Rumi and Zoey, can't help but feel a little jealous.
Mira, despite caring deeply for her two friends, is unable to be affectionate in a spontaneous or direct way.
Ironically, when it comes to violence, there is no problem in acting, but when it comes to love, there is a slight difficulty.
"Mira, don't just watch, come and join in the fun." Zoey said, moving her arm, making room for Mira.
"Girls, we have something important to discuss." The red-haired girl said, trying to keep a serious expression.
"Mira, don't be a Tsundere." Zoey said, teasing her overly serious friend.
"We're a team, for better or worse, you have to participate in the group hugs," Rumi said, wishing Mira would join.
"Just for a moment and we need to keep talking." Mira said, before joining Rumi and Zoey in the hug.
"Happy now, girls?" Mira asks, trying not to smile, but unfortunately failing.
"I'm so happy, we're on vacation, we had fun today, and each of us girls found a cute partner, and tomorrow we have a group date. If I can defeat the final boss of Grand Horizon 2 later, it'll be one of the best days of the year," Zoey said, full of positive energy.
"I think we've had a tender moment for far too long," Mira said, breaking the hug.
"Okay, someone wants some space." Zoey said, ending his hug.
'I love these moments.' Rumi thinks, caring deeply for Zoey and Mira, willing to do anything for them.
"Getting back to the discussion, Rumi, do you know where babies come from?" Mira asks with an awkward expression.
Unfortunately, the red-haired girl is forced to ask such a question, knowing that Rumi did not have a normal childhood and upbringing.
"Yes, I know, the stork brings babies to married couples who want children," Rumi recounts, as if it were one of the truths of the world.
Zoey and Mira, hearing these words, take on indescribable expressions.
"Mira, I'll leave it to you to explain to Rumi how things really work," Zoey said, feeling overwhelmed by the situation.
"I thought I'd have this discussion when I was older and with a child. Not with Rumi," Mira said, slapping her forehead.
If Celine were in this room right now, Mira would definitely give her a beating.
"Actually, I was joking. I got an A in anatomy, I know how reproduction works and everything." Rumi states, slightly embarrassed that her prank worked so well.
"Thank you for the little mercies." Mira exclaims, her voice filled with relief.
"I admit, we were completely fooled." Zoey said, giving a little applause for Rumi's prank.
"Honestly, I didn't think it would work. Do you really think I'm that ignorant about certain things?" Rumi asks, crossing her arms.
"I'll answer your question with a question: Have you ever been on a date alone with a guy?" Mira said, turning the metaphorical conversation table on its head.
"No." Rumi replies, knowing she can't lie to her female friends about this fact.
"Have you ever kissed a boy?" Mira asks, as if to emphasize how she's never been deceived before.
"No." Rumi admits, lowering her head slightly, clearly embarrassed.
"Rumi, if you had a pet and Celine was more strict, I'd say you'd be a modern-day Rapunzel," Zoey comments, trying to lighten the mood.
"A group outing is definitely the best option for Rumi," Mira said, showing her protective side.
"I agree, triple the fun and friends nearby for emergencies," Zoey said, trying to look on the bright side of a group date.
"Emergencies? You're not talking about demons, right?" Rumi asks, raising an eyebrow, sure her two friends are worried about something she doesn't know.
"Are you kidding again?" Zoey asks, her voice uncertain.
Mira instead sighs, while pinching her nose.
"If you feel uncomfortable during tomorrow's outing, just tell me and I'll fix it with a couple of punches," Mira said, always willing to help her friends by hook or by crook.
"Maybe we're being too overprotective? Rumi may be inexperienced, but she's not stupid. And Nero seems like a good guy to me," Zoey said, believing Mira was overdoing it with her pessimism.
"He dresses like a real punk," Mira comments, suspicious of Nero for a reason she can't explain.
"You can't judge a book by its cover or a person by how they like to dress," Zoey said, trying to explain her point.
"Since when did you get so mature?" Mira asks, not used to seeing Zoey acting like a serious woman outside of work.
"A lot of my favorite cartoons have episodes that teach you a life lesson," Zoey explains, taking inspiration from classics like Ben 10 (The Original Series) and the superheroes of DC and Marvel.
"I take it all back, Zoey will be Zoey." Mira said, her voice calm.
"What does this mean?" Zoey asks, pouting, which makes her look kind of cute.
"It means we love you and we don't want you to change," Rumi said, saving Mira from a little spat with Zoey.
The purple-haired girl's words were enough to make Zoey smile.
"If our group date works out tomorrow, could we do it again? Would a bike ride be too far-fetched for a second date?" Zoey asks, having plenty of ideas on how to make a date memorable.
"I don't know how to ride a bike," the purple-haired girl confesses, having never touched a bicycle in her life, because it wasn't considered a necessary or useful skill, according to Celine.
"Besides fighting demons, singing, dancing, what else did Celine teach you?" Mira asks, her voice rising slightly.
Rumi is silent for a few seconds, reflecting on everything her adoptive mother has taught her.
Of course, Rumi can't add lying and keeping secrets from her best friends/teammates/battle sisters to the list.
"Celine taught me how to braid my hair and take care of my appearance," Rumi replies, bringing up one of her adoptive mother's most helpful and innocent teachings.
"It falls into the category of teachings to become an idol." Mira said, her voice stern.
Clearly, Mira is less than happy that the purple-haired girl had a childhood deprived of many pleasures.
"I'm putting riding my bike with Rumi on the to-do list, I'm putting that at the top of the list," Zoey said, taking out her smartphone and starting to write something down.
"Is there a list?" asks Rumi, not knowing about such a thing.
"It exists now," Zoey declares, having started writing down a list of fun activities for the three of them.
Before Rumi could respond, his body stiffens, and beneath his clothes, his tattoos give her a sense of danger.
A few seconds later, Zoey and Mira also became more tense, receiving some sort of alarm from Honmoon.
"Girls, we have work to do." Rumi said, with a serious expression, putting everything aside to do the task she had been trained for since childhood.
"Why does the Bat-Signal have to go off at the worst possible times? We were talking about something extremely important." Zoey comments, getting up from the couch with feigned effort.
"Bat-Signal, seriously?" Mira asks, not too impressed by Zoey's words.
"The Honmoon in its mystical ways warns us and tells us where to go. It's basically our own personal radar/signal." Zoey explains why she thinks of the Honmoon as something akin to a Bat-Signal.
"Girls, the fun's over, we have demons to slay." Rumi said, summoning his magical weapon in his hands to emphasize his seriousness.
"Actually, Rumi is our living radar, she's the one most sensitive to Honmoon and the presence of demons," Zoey said, complimenting her purple-haired friend on her useful skills.
XXX
At the same time, in an abandoned area of the subway, a fight is taking place between a white-haired swordsman, a black-haired summoner, and a horde of demons.
Continues ...