AN: I had to repost this after I had to add more stuff. Didn't seem right when the chapter was too short. Reading the first chapter of "In Reverence of Life" helps the context of the story, but not completely necessary.
A Liger's Mask
For Nero, it all started one early morning when a very notable man passed by his shared home with Kyrie and Nico.
The man in question didn't bother to cover himself with the white hoods traditionally worn by the denizens of Fortuna. By all accounts, he practically tried to stand out, yet somehow stayed elusive.
He had black shoulder length hair, wore dark navy Japanese styled clothing, a long odachi blade strapped to his back, bandages wrapped around his hands and neck, and a white fox mask that hid his face.
Nero first thought he was some odd sightseer since the incident with the Savior almost seven years ago, but for four days straight, the mysterious man passed by his home on the morning on the exact minute and hour.
'Was he new to the island?' Nero often wondered when the man passed by. Nero even asked around the shops and the inn if the man by his description lived in Fortuna. But they claimed that the man he described never visited them once or know where he lived.
By then, the mystery man occupied Nero's thoughts too often to be healthy, with Nico teasing him about some schoolboy crush he developed for the guy, and just pushing him to ask if the man was available.
Who knows really, but by the fifth morning, Nero wanted to get this mystery over and done with. He woke earlier and decided to meet up with this man by walking in the direction he always passes from.
Nero checked his watch to see that it was two minutes to the hour he would see this man, and looked onto the surroundings of the street.
The streets were still dark and cool, with no one walking it's cobble stoned ways.
But soon enough, the fox masked man came to view, but in turn, some Scarecrows appeared on site stalking him.
Nero's breath hitched and pupils contracted in panic. "Hey, watch out!" he called and ran to the man, his internal devil about to trigger before the man becomes a bloody corpse.
The scene felt as if time slowed around Nero when the dark robed man casually shrugged off his odachi and offhandedly plunged the sword, scabbard and all, through a Scarecrow's chest. He drew the sword from it's protective cover while said cover flew through the demon's chest cavity. In a blink of an eye, the swordsman rushed through and decapitated many in his line of sight, and at the last moment, he caught his scabbard after it planted through another unfortunate victim and became an ashen body.
Nero triggered state ceased to manifest and he stopped in his tracks. He looked on with both shock and even awe that the man managed to do such a feat.
The man carried the scabbard back and turned to more Scarecrows trying to swarm him. He began sweeping his blade in winding slashes and stepped through as if he was dancing to a rhythm of a theatrical play. He being a gleaming whirlwind and the blood of the demons spilling about like scattering flower petals.
When the masked man paused and flicked the blood off his blade, all the Scarecrows seemed to have collapsed to it's signal and into dust. He wiped the blade with procured cloth within his sleeve; but in instead of simply sheathing it, he push his theatrics further by tossing the precariously long blade in the air where it spun before it landed on point in it's scabbard without incident. He slowly turned his line of sight toward Nero. He made a quick sweeping look over at Nero as if to assess him.
"I thank you for your warning sir, but I have a long history of slaying demons." The man finally spoke. His voice had an attractive timber to it, but Nero caught an otherworldly echo in his voice, demonic perhaps? "I apologize, but I need to go."
The man nodded to acknowledge his leave and tried to walk past Nero, but stopped when Nero stepped and reached out to hold his shoulder.
"I..." Nero paused and tried to think of how to proceed, "I wanted to ask your name?" He really had to kick himself for sounding so unsure.
A beat of silence passed before the man chuckled, "Is that so? It is not my true name, but you may call me Liger."
"Liger..." Nero tried the name out before trailing off. There was an another beat before Nero consciously removed his hand from the man. "Oh, I'm Nero by the way."
Liger turned to Nero, and levelled his mask's face to as if they met eye to eye, "Well Nero, we may meet another time, as I make my rounds strictly to a schedule."
"Right I'll...actually walk with you a bit, I was heading your direction when those Scarecrows ambushed you." Nero somewhat excused.
Liger tilted his head a tad as if he was skeptical, but didn't press, "Suit yourself." Liger proceeded to walk on with Nero beside him. It would appear to be a quiet walk on the outside, but internally for Liger was another matter.
'You know he would find out about you sooner or later, "Liger".' A voice dripped exasperation for the man's account. 'Again, I'll have to point out that you're being unnecessarily cryptic to Nero here.'
'He will find out, but not now.' Liger argued internally to his partner.
Nero slowed down before a building with Liger stopping with him. "Well this is my home and all so...I'll catch you around."
Liger smiled behind his mask. "Perhaps, I will see you, Nero." He greeted and walked on to his usual route.
Nero watched him leave again until he was out of sight. It was odd but he was getting a familiar feeling from the man in a way he felt around V months ago.
'Just why is this coming all of a sudden?' He wondered, only to dismiss the idea and walked back inside the house.
Unbeknownst Nero, Liger had a longing in his chest that still hasn't disappeared since he first saw Nero days ago, and probably won't fade for the foreseeable future.
"For now, I just need to guard him in the shadows, and await his father's return from hell." Liger told himself.
oOoOo
Nico's disappointed look said it all. "Really Nero? Is the guy really that intimidating?" Nico complained, her arms crossed and leaning against the couch armrest.
Nero rolled his eyes while he leaning into said couch, arms casually crossed as well. "Wouldn't it be a weird time to go up to a guy, right after he wiped out a bunch of Scarecrows just to get to know him?"
Nico scoffed to it, "Ya kiddin'? With our profession, that would be an ice breaker for a fun time to come. He's some kick ass demon slayer, you're...you, seems like a riot."
Really Nico doesn't make it the least bit easy for him does she? "Well I know he goes by the name "Liger". He's possibly demonic from the echo in his voice, but he hadn't done anything that would warrant an interrogation. So I'll leave him alone." Nero dismissed to some finality.
"But..." Nico dragging back the issue, "it sounds like you're still trying to solve the mystery of that foxy samurai looking guy of yours," Before Nero tried to deny it, Nico raised a hand to let herself finish. "and I personally think it's a healthy way to move on from what you could've had with V."
Nico wasn't blind to how either man seem to have this undeniable bond with each other that eventful day; chemistry was another word that defines it, but considering the truth of who V was based from and how he had to come back to himself...well it was heartbreaking in many ways.
"I..." Nero couldn't speak his mind this morning. On top of remembering V and the unknown status of his blood family still in hell somewhere, too many emotions were coming back to surface.
Having nothing to hear back with, Nico decided to excuse herself. "Well if you're not into this Liger guy in any way whatsoever, he would be a great client for my wares. Just pass that on to him." She stood and made her way to her workshop.
Nero lingered in his seat for some stretch of time before he decided to go back to his room. He sat on his bed and looked onto old photos from his childhood, ones as a knight for the Order, and a more recent photo from Nico during the Qliphoth incident.
It was a candid photo of him and V sitting together in the van, he was lounging back while watching V smile as he pet a content Shadow. Nero didn't expect to feel such a strong attachment to the man, a sense of camaraderie yes, but a crush? He can't even refute it with Nico.
His vision came into view of V's, or rather his father's book on his nightstand. He reached out and grabbed it, holding it out to examine it's aged but well maintained condition before he flipped to the opening page.
His father's name in beautiful inked cursive to carry the fact that V never meant to exist.
"You didn't mean to exist, and yet you helped him embrace his humanity." Nero mused sadly. "If we somehow meet again, I want you to know you have a home with me, V." He closed the book and set it aside.
He then thought back to Liger. 'And if Liger is some divine sign that I need to move on, then it won't hurt to get to know the guy.'
Nero flopped back on his bed, chuckling. "Nico won't ever let this go would she?"