//------------------------------// // Rebuilding // Story: Dante's Little Apple Surprise // by Tatsurou //------------------------------// As Dante and Applejack reached the HQ to meet back up with the others, they were startled to be greeted by thunderous applause. All the members of the Order were giving them a standing ovation. Despite being confused, Dante happily lapped up the adulation, bowing gracefully. "Thank you, thank you," he told them all. "I'm not sure what you're applauding for, but-" "Encore, Applejack, encore!" someone shouted out. Dante blinked. "Wait...they aren't clapping for me?" Looking up, Applejack saw that her speech in the old opera house to Agnus before dividing him against himself was being played on a large screen on repeat. Letting out a sound akin to a frightened goat, she dove under Dante's coat, climbing up him to hide clinging to his back. "Bit camera shy?" Dante joked, walking through the applauding crowd. "I didn't know there were so many watching!" she whimpered in response. Reaching the front of the room, he nodded to Kyrie, Credo, and Trish. "Are Nero and Virgil back?" he asked. At that moment, there was a flash from the other screen. Nero and Virgil stood on either side of Sanctus, their swords drawn. Sanctus' demonic form dissolved off of him, revealing his human body. As both Dark Knights sheathed their swords, Sanctus' body split into four parts, perfectly quartered as each piece dissolved into light. As the congregation gasped in shock and began to mutter angrily, Kyrie stepped up. "The Children of Sparda have spoken in the name of the Dark Knights!" she proclaimed, bringing silence. "The one who was Legend, his message has been warped by those who have claimed to speak for him! But His children bring us a new Revelation! Sanctus was warped in his quest to become more like Sparda, and his heart was lost, warping his mind and his goals! A new prophet comes! A new savior for us, to guide us on the right path! He who returned from beyond death itself for his son! Father and Son in the name of Sparda have cleansed the warp from our faith, and lead us in the new path!" As the congregation began cheering, Trish leaned towards Credo. "...what just happened?" she asked in a whisper. "To prevent the entire congregation from descending into madness and mob rule, Kyrie made Virgil into our new leader," Credo replied. Dante did his best not to burst into laughter. Applejack kidney punching him helped. "...well, Virgil had been talking about settling down to teach Nero what it really meant to be of the blood of Sparda once we'd reunited," Trish admitted. "Here's as good as any place." "...I can't wait to see Virgil's face when that gets dropped on him," Dante gasped out through suppressed chuckles. After a bit, Applejack popped her head out of Dante's collar. "...I kinda wanna see that, too," she added eagerly. Not long after, the doors swung open, and Virgil and Nero stepped in. The congregation swarmed towards Virgil. "Your Holiness!" they cried out eagerly, bowing to him, practically genuflecting in some cases. Virgil twitched. "Dante, did you have something to do with this?" he demanded angrily. Dante pointed to Kyrie. "She did it!" Applejack nodded confirmation. "Your Holiness, is something wrong?" one of the congregants asked. Virgil's eyes narrowed. "Don't call me that," he growled. "Then...how should we address you?" "Try Virgil," he spat. "It is my name, after all." "Our new leader preaches a message of equality!" another member shouted. "That we should call him by name as though he were no more than any one of us...what a glorious message!" Virgil groaned, burying his face in his hand. Nero did his best not to burst into laughter. He made his way up to Kyrie's side. "Nicely done," he complimented her. She smiled back happily. "I do what I can," she murmured modestly. "Sweet Kyrie," Agni suddenly sang out. "Sweet Kyrie," Rudra, Alastor, and Nevan echoed. "My Kyrie," Agni continued. Nero groaned, burying his face in his hands as the Devil Arms continued their barber shop quartet serenade. Kyrie blushed brightly. Dante, Applejack, and Trish failed to contain their laughter. Virgil facepalmed. "Is this...normal?" Credo asked. "Yes," Beowulf replied. "I'm glad I'll be staying here with Virgil, then," Ifrit commented dryly. "I'm not a very good singer," Berial pointed out. "Then you can do sound effects with me when it's acapella!" Cerberus said happily. As Dante stopped laughing, his eyes widened. A large portion of the congregation had pulled out various instruments, and others were obviously preparing to sing. "We're out of here," he said quickly, hopping onto Griffon's back. "Let's fly!" As the music began to play for serenades, Griffon quickly leapt into the air towards the sky. "We'll swing by next year for a family reunion!" Applejack called out as they headed for home. As Griffon slowly flew to home, Applejack leaned up against Dante, laying her head in his lap as she prepared to sleep for a while. "So...we found Nero," she pointed out. "Yup," Dante agreed. "That's pretty much been our big goal since Uncle Virgil showed up, right?" "Yup." Applejack scratched her head. "So...what are we gonna do with all our free time now?" "Same thing we always do," Dante replied. "Hunt demons, have home cooked family meals, let the Devil Arms practice their singing, and find a new school to send you to." "More school?" Applejack whined. "Ah thought it was just Uncle Virgil who kept pushing that..." "I saw his point," Dante replied. "Not only are you a more effective demon hunter for your education...you seem happier when you're able to be somewhat normal. So I've picked out a good school to send you to." "Oh?" Applejack asked with a raised eyebrow. "Yup. I've even made arrangements to enroll you mid-semester," Dante replied. "It's another school in Japan...but given your problems at Youkai, I decided to pick an all girl's school this time. I mean, you aren't looking for romance anyway, right?" "Eeyup," Applejack agreed. "So what's the school called?" "Kuou Academy," Dante replied. "The information I was able to get on it is a bit old...but the Headmaster was happy to enroll you. All the paperwork's cleared through. You start next month." Applejack smiled. "At least I got a month to rest and brush up on my Japanese," she mumbled, pulling her hat down. "But I'm taking my Devil Arms." "Just keep them out of sight, okay?" Dante chided, shifting his jacket to tuck her in for the trip home.