Devil May Cry © Capcom
The Other Doubt
Jason M. Lee
It wasn't quite to birds chirping or the morning klaxon of the barracks that woke him. Rather, it was that sense of his devil shifting mentally that woke him up. Blearily, Nero glanced over at the new digital clock sitting next to his bedside and sleepily blinked at the early hour that glared back at him brightly in the dimness. (The closest to anything digital in the Eleison household had been the television that sat in the living room. At least one of their neighbors had been more than happy to take it in, as their old one had recently broke.) A glance over to his window showed that the sun wasn't fully up yet, what bit of sky he could see being still a dark blue. He wanted to roll over and bury his head under the covers again, but his devil insisted on getting a move on, wanting to explore more of their elder bloodkin's territory and to get a better sense of their surroundings.
As if the world was conspiring against him, his bedroom door slowly opened, showing fluffy white hair peeking in above bright cyan eyes. "Are you up, Nero? Sorry for waking you."
Letting out a resigned sigh, Nero put on a smile for his cousin after covering a large yawn. There was no denying that both of them were related - looking at his cousin was almost like looking at his younger self in the mirror. "You're fine. Need something, Cato?"
"Dad's making breakfast and he said he wanted to show you around the neighborhood." A cheeky grin from the younger part-devil. "He won't admit it, but he makes the best omelettes in this side of the city and that's only if Mom kicks him out of the bed because he's such a 'lazy bones.'"
"I heard that, kiddo! If you don't move your butt down here, you're not gonna get any bacon in yours!" Dante's voice drifted up.
Cyan eyes widened and the boy bolted down the hall with a slight yelp of protest.
Shaking his head in mild amusement, Nero went through his new morning routine. Catching sight of his right arm in the bathroom's mirror after splashing water on his face, he paused, and then let out another sigh. It might had been over a year since awakening his demonic heritage, but what with burying feelings under work for the Order on attempting to stay away from most of the other Fortunans, then Credo's funeral, and now this move to a new country... He had to remind himself to be careful on not cracking the sink as he tightened his grip, breathing harshly through his nose to reign in his anger on remembering the more condescending islanders. Instead, Nero focused on how the dark blue scutes seemed to had lessened its appearance near his shoulder, which meant another note for his journal. It was Credo who suggested that he keep track of any differences regarding his right arm, and that reminder brought another pang of grief as well a mournful whine from his devil. Hearing both of his new relatives call for him was a blessing that dragged him out of any further dark thoughts.
Quietly, Nero peeked into Kyrie's room and let a small smile on to his face at her sleeping peacefully before continuing downstairs and then immediately stopping at the threshold to the kitchen.
Dante glanced over his shoulder with a wide grin, expertly flipping another batch of scrambled eggs into a roll before flicking the frying pan to send it over his head and landing neatly on an empty plate. "Hey, you're finally up. Ready to check out my hood after chow?"
A clawed fingertip pointed at him. "What the hell?"
"What the what?"
Even Cato looked up from his glass of orange juice.
"You- Why the hell do you have a tail?!" He barely remembered to keep his voice down so as to not wake the other occupants in the shop.
A gray eyebrow rose as said scaly appendage, shifting from underneath the back of his shirt, hooked an empty mug from the counter and sent it tumbling down its length to land gently on the table next to the plate. "You have your right arm, Nero."
"At least I can excuse it as being part of a costume here or as a glove, even back on Fortuna! A tail like yours?! Not so much!" Through his shock, Nero sat down across Cato, still staring. "How-"
"Practice." Dante set down a pot of coffee and jug of orange juice before joining the younger part-devils, his fifth appendage waving almost cheekily over his shoulder before disappearing into red sparks. "A lot of practice. You're not the only one who's still constantly learning what it means to be born with the ability to have sharp and pointy bits that's not metal-based occasionally showing up."
Nero was reminded that he wasn't the only one when his cousin grinned widely, showing off what almost looked like sharper than normal canines if one peered closely enough. Part of his uncle's comment had him furrowing his eyebrows, reaching for the coffee to see how different it was. "There are other part-devils out there? Like your doctor friend Sláine?"
A wan smile from the half-devil as he sipped from his mug. "I don't really know how many hybrids like us are out there - getting looked down on and all that - but yeah, Sláine's not the only halfie like me. There's an island off of France with a demon hunting clan that's composed of both humans and mix-bloods, and they've been around for a couple centuries. Me and Lady should take you three kids to meet them one of these days."
"Huh."
It was strange to think of his family - 'Family! I have actual family!' - not being the only mix-bloods as he took in the different bitterness of the coffee. For all the preaching and praising of Sparda done by the priests of the Order, Nero had always questioned on a lot of the propaganda espoused. (All but one of his prayers had ever been answered, and even then, that particular one was because of sheer chance and he was not going to take the results for granted.) He remembered one time when a tourist who claimed to had been on a research trip asking pointed questions, some in particular on the possibility - 'Or was it plausibility?' - of humans and demons co-existing peacefully, probably referring to the clan Dante had just mentioned. The poor guy had been verbally flayed by some of the Order's scholars when Nero had been passing by the public library that day while on patrol, and even some of the senior citizens gotten in on the jeering. He had taken pity on the tourist and at least made sure the foreigner got back safely to the hotel at the Harbor District.
"Do you think..." Nero studied the red scutes and blue glow on his right arm, clawed fingers absently twirling a fork. "Do you think you can teach me on this?"
Dante raised an eyebrow, wiping away a bit of ketchup that had gotten on Cato's cheek, his son squirming slightly under the attention. "Gotta be a bit more specific than 'this', Nero."
"If you can teach me on how to hide this, or show me how to make my arm go back to normal. I mean, if you can bring out your tail at will, I should also be able to do something similar." Stormy blue eyes met icy blue eyes straight on, not wavering. "As well so that I can summon out Yamato when I need to. Credo-" He plowed through the slight hitch in his breath. "-always said to grasp as many fundamentals of anything as possible and then expand from there."
"'Knowledge is power,' Dante. That's why I read so much. You should go through Father's library a little more often, not just Mother's or focus on swordplay most of the time."
Dante steadfastly peered at his nephew over the rim of his mug, his own devil pleased when Nero held his gaze without faltering one bit, steely resolution also coming off of the younger devil. It was going to be still some years until he could start teaching Cato properly, awakened demon blood or not (Lady was already handling the firearms lessons), so having some idea on doing so with Nero wasn't that bad of a concept. Granted, the cousins' personalities were also different, Cato not having as large of a chip on his shoulder and being far more socialized versus Nero's slightly more abrasive and lone-wolf attitude, but there was also several other things to factor in. While Fortuna was by no means completely isolated, what with most of the cars being classics before his generation and the presence of electricity, it reminded the hunter of some of the much older towns in parts of Europe, like living museums or living time capsules. The other factor was cultural differences - if both Fortunans' reactions to some of the more "risque" outfits that was normal to him and Lady before their flight over, such as jeans and shorts and short sleeves, was of any indicator, he couldn't even imagine with the younger couple's reaction once out in the city. (He could almost imagine their reactions if Trish ever swung by from her latest jaunt.)
Chuckling softly, Dante smiled, reaching out to ruffle his nephew's hair and enjoying the warmth in his chest when Nero unconsciously leaned into the gesture with a purr. It reminded him of how he and Vergil used to lean into their parents' touches for comfort when they were much younger. "I'll try slotting that in to the tour."
-3-1-2-4-5-
Kyrie groggily blinked at the steaming mug of coffee and plate of omelette placed in front of her, despite the cold water on her face minutes earlier. She was used to waking up early, but this sluggishness was something new and she wasn't quite liking it.
"It's jet lag."
Amber eyes looked up to meet amused bi-colored eyes. "Uhm... 'jet lag'?"
A grin as Lady took a pull of her coffee. "That's what you're experiencing - your mind understands that it's morning, but your body is insisting that it's much later. It's basically a conflict on one's sense in regards to the time of day, and it's common when people travel long distances from one side of the globe to the other when it comes to flying. Don't worry, you'll adjust in a couple days."
"Oh." Yet again, something new. None of the teachers ever mentioned such a thing, although then again, there hadn't been any real need to. Traveling had always been thought of using cars, horses, and boats within several hours' time, if not a day or two. Flying across oceans in less than a day's time sounded something straight out of childhood fairy tales, as if the towering structures of steel and glass wasn't daunting enough. Yet here she was, an ocean separating her and Nero from their old home and sitting in an unfamiliar kitchen.
'So many things to learn, and I feel like I'm drowning underneath despite wearing a life jacket.' Kyrie tightened her hands on her lap, disliking the sensation of like a leaf caught in a river's current.
As if reading her mind, Lady gently took one of her hands, softly smiling at the almost startled look. "Don't worry about it, Kyrie. One day at a time, step by step. There's no point in rushing to learn every new thing, because if you do that, you sometimes miss out on the little things."
Blinking back slightly wet eyes, Kyrie nodded silently, words caught in her throat.
"Hey." Calloused fingers brushed copper-colored hair, much like how she'd do on comforting Cato. Lady recognized that pained look, having seen it in herself and her partner many times before. "I know how it feels to lose someone you love, and so does Dante. If you or Nero ever need to talk to either of us about it, our doors are always open."
The former singer swallowed thickly before quickly wiping at her face. It had been a few years and she missed this type of reassurance. "...thank you, Lady."
Beaming, Lady sat back and clapped her hands. "Right, Cato's at school, both of our knuckleheads-"
Kyrie almost choked on the mouthful of toast that she had just bitten into.
"-are probably going to cause some additional property destruction alongside whatever part of the city Dante's going to show Nero," Lady continued without missing a beat, although she did grin at the reaction, "which leaves us girls to our devices. Feeling up for a personal tour of the city as well?"
Quickly downing a glass of juice, the younger woman nodded. "Yes, please. I'd rather avoid getting lost and I'm not entirely sure about, uhm, the surrounding neighborhood."
"Nah, don't worry. We're fairly safe here - demon attacks has the tendency of lowering the property value and the ones that do pop up are easily taken care of because they're rather weak. Not to mention, Dante already scared off a majority of the worst of the riffraff from here during that short turf war years ago."
"That's... reassuring?" It wasn't common knowledge, but Kyrie knew that in the more seedier parts of Fortuna there was the occasional territory clash between the more rowdy gangs. She remembered how Nero had been called in to help out the police knights several times before.
Lady smirked. "The ones that do pass by this area know better than to bother us. They also know that we'll kick their butts if Cato gets hurt in any way by them. In fact, some of the leaders come to us occasionally for mediation if things get too hot between them, or consultation."
Kyrie tilted her head to the side, a little surprised at that. "You two don't just perform demon extermination?"
"Despite of our title and occupation of 'demon hunters,' Dante and I also do consultation on the side, with several miscellaneous gigs like the occasional bodyguard duty or 'extra security' for those fancy functions." Skimming through the morning newspaper, Lady muttered something to herself, occasionally circling here and there. "Mediation between gang and mafia leaders is mostly because neither of us give a darn about turf politics, other than a basic 'you don't bother us and anyone in our territory, we don't bother you and yours' understanding. (Apparently that makes us non-biased third-parties, even though both of us really wish they'd pick other folks more often instead.) Interactions between any members is allowed within reason such as exchanging information about something that could affect everyone, like passing word of an idiot possibly summoning a horde of demonic rats that could infest the entire city because they wanted to get back at the cat lady who lives above their apartment."
A thoughtful hum as she slowly ate her breakfast, Kyrie also glancing over the front pages to learn a bit more of the local events. It was also to help practice reading the new language - she was grateful that Credo had insisted both she and Nero learn English other than their mother tongue.
"Speaking of gangs, that reminds me that we'll have to take Nero down to the station and the courthouse for his permits soon. Us hunters are mostly self-regulated, but some of the government likes to poke in and prefer that we give them a heads-up," Lady added the last part at Kyrie's questioning look. "Not that I can blame them - saves us some headaches when the big lawsuits start flying. Now then, ready to go?"
In all honesty, Kyrie didn't feel ready, her breakfast sitting like a heavy weight alongside the storm of nervous butterflies. Despite her own reservations, she took in several calming breaths and nodded firmly. "Before I second-guess myself, Lady."
"Good. Time for me to introduce you to the wonders of motorcycles."
Kyrie smiled shakily. 'Well, I did say before I second-guess myself...'
-3-1-2-4-5-
Stormy blue eyes stared up at the blue sky, wondering if the fluffy clouds looked as sweet as the sugar cloud the Eleisons had once bought for him and Kyrie during one Festival of the Blade years ago. His devil poked at the memory, curious if the sugar cloud appeared as tasty as he remembered, prompting a slight smile. He had seen the sugar cloud sold at some of the stalls, always wanting one but never daring to say it out loud, given most of the islanders' negative attitude towards him. When Kyrie's mother had given him one with a gentle smile, he had been so awestruck that he barely remembered saying his thanks. The sweetness had been flavored with the island's own special blood oranges that gave it an additional tang, and to many parents' chagrin extra laundry because of turning the children's clothes a bright red-orange.
'Wonder if I could get some of the seeds to plant here...'
"Don't tell me that you went up and died on me there, kid. Lady'd have my ass if I dragged your keister back home like this."
Nero sighed, brought out of his reminiscing as upside down icy blue eyes peered down at him. Well, upside down from his perspective as Dante was standing above his head. Which brought up the fading aches and bruises of having been thrown out through a warehouse wall. At least that part of the wall had deteriorated enough.
"I'm not dead yet, Dante." A grunt as he sat up, shaking off whatever debris that littered his hair and shoulders. "Can't have Lady wasting her ammo now, can we? I wouldn't mind her using Blue Rose on you if she had to, if she can handle the kickback."
Dante let out a mock pained gasp, placing a hand on his chest as if struck. "My own nephew, siding against me! Oh, what have I done against the powers that be to have warranted such punishment?"
Nero snorted in amusement, accepting the offered hand to pull himself up while trying not to break out a goofy smile upon hearing "my own nephew" from the older part-devil. "Yeah, yeah, laugh it up, old man. Let's get back to cleaning up the trash."
As both of them dove back into the fray of demons that had decided to make a nest of the abandoned warehouse, Nero couldn't shake off the feeling of being evaluated by Dante. The demolition and extermination job had been unexpected, one of the contracted construction workers having recognized the older hunter when Dante took Nero to the harbor district. As the building had been red-tagged from an earlier incident before the infestation, nobody was too put out by it being demolished - the company saved extra fuel for their heavy equipment, Dante got extra pay and some fun, and Nero learned a bit more of his new home.
Being close to lunchtime had Dante introducing Nero to a food truck that was in the area, a concept the younger man easily equated to the food carts he sometimes bought from while out on patrol. What surprised him was learning the menu's offering being from another part of the country, the dockworkers and Dante eagerly describing how there were other food trucks with dishes from other parts of the world.
"Is it always like this?" Nero asked, stirring his cup of chili and watching the cheese slowly melt as he sat on the trunk of the convertible. "You and Lady going on these kinds of jobs, be it from calls or out on the field?"
"Not all the time." Dante swallowed his third brisket sandwich, licking some sauce off of his fingers. "The password's mostly to make sure the calls are legit and not some dumbass prankster, which you wouldn't believe how frequent they happen. Morrison sometimes brings us other gigs, which is kinda preferable because he can weed out the shitty jobs or help deal with clients who think they're super entitled. We do occasionally have clientele coming in themselves, but it's always a roll of the dice if they're legit, half-legit, or idiots who thinks it's funny until someone loses a limb or two. Heck, me and Lady have had to do some detective work a few times."
Nero raised an eyebrow as he took a cautious spoonful of his chili, having smelt the spices. Both he and his devil agreed that while they liked the flavor so far, the proverbial heat was going to take some getting used. "You, detectives? What, someone died and the police couldn't figure out who the culprit was so they had to call in you two?"
Nero didn't expect the heavy silence to suddenly weigh over them as Dante quietly finished off his last sandwich.
"Shit." He swallowed thickly in spite of the chili's literal heat, his devil also mentally wincing and bracing. "I mean, I thou-"
"It happens," Dante interrupted softly, slowly wiping his fingers with a napkin but not throwing it away, studying it instead. While the stains were dark brown, he could almost see it being replaced with bright red. "There's been a few situations where the news would be reporting missing and/or dead folks, something you'd think the cops could tackle on their own. Sometimes, it's occasionally a straightforward demon-related case. But that's not always the situation."
Another spoonful was shoved into his mouth so as to prevent himself from asking, not caring about the scalding of his tongue, and not daring to push because this was still so new. (He did had to remind himself to be careful on not biting into the utensil.)
Sipping from his bottle, Dante let out a sad laugh. "Most recent example, it was a series of deaths. No one could figure out the motive on who killed them for a while, other than the only connection was that they had graduated the same year from the same middle and high schools. Coroner reported that they died from major blood loss and choking, but what wasn't reported to the public was that the bodies were drained using some sort of suction system because there was no way for a body to be that empty of blood by just slicing open an artery, and they all had a whole raw egg shoved down their throats. We got asked to look over the case files because, I'll admit, a lot of us thought it was some crazy ritual that we hadn't heard of. Didn't help that some of the blood was also used to draw a mishmash of occult symbols around the crime scenes."
Overhead, seagulls cried out to each other, while in the distance foghorns sounded off as the enormous transport ships brought in their cargo to be offloaded by the cranes. The rumblings of cranes mixed with the warning whistles of the freight trains as longshoremen exchanged calls with the dockworkers. Further away, several sirens made the emergency vehicles known, their piercing wailing growing sharper briefly before fading away.
"Turns out..." A sigh, looking up into the blue sky with clouds passing by. Dante could almost remember the dawning horror among those in the police station's briefing room when the last of the evidence connected the final dots. "It was a woman who had been bullied and harassed by those she killed when they were all in middle and high school - she graduated the same year as they did. A woman who had pretty much snapped and wanted her bullies to effectively 'suck it,' hence the eggs and their blood being literally vacuumed out. Nothing demonic related, no possession, no power temptation, no attendance of any cults or groups of any kind. Just... a normal human who 'couldn't take it anymore' and felt that the deceased 'deserved it for all the pain' she's suffered over the years. Humans can be just as monstrous as demons in their own way, if not more so."
Nero didn't think it was possible to feel such a chill down his spine on a warm day, sensing that the last sentence hinted at something far heavier yet still recognizing his own experience. He might not ever know the full details of what led the Order down its path to their Ascension Ceremony and the Savior Project (and he never wanted to know), only that he knew every human had the capacity to get tempted for power. While primary school had taught how light and darkness had been more or less split into the Human World and the Demon World respectively millennia ago, he had always remained skeptical on how "light" most of the priests preached that the Human World was. Not to mention how their island was "a bastion against the ugly darkness" of the "blasphemous outside world".
Because that brought up questions about Sparda, who fought on the side of humanity even though he was a devil - shades of gray. Nero could still remember how those he had questioned about the many hypocrisies would uncomfortably start deflecting or dancing around the topic before making some ridiculous excuse, much to his annoyance.
"Then, have either of you... spared any devils that you got called out to 'take care of' before?" Knowing of his own demonic heritage was one thing, fully acknowledging and getting comfortable with it was another.
A more lighthearted chuckle as Dante affectionately ruffled Nero's hair, grateful for the slight change in topic. "You'd be surprised. Lady used to be rather hard-line about it before I had even opened the shop, but she came around rather quickly. There's more than a couple devils that we've left alone because they weren't really bothering anybody, other than accidentally scaring people."
"So what'd you tell the clients? Doubt you two gave a straight answer."
Dante grinned, picking up his bottle again. "Stories for another day. C'mon, we're burning daylight, and I still got a few more places to show you."
Nero nodded eagerly, quickly downing the rest of his cup.
-3-1-2-4-5-
"I wasn't going too fast throughout all of this, was I?"
Kyrie had to smile at the concern in Lady's voice as they left the bookstore, a large order on a variety of subjects to be shipped to the shop. While her mind still felt like it was tossed about by one of the waterspouts that'd occasionally appear off the coast of Fortuna, she was glad to have the huntress as her guide. They had also taken a breather by having lunch at Dante's favorite restaurant, Cindy happily putting their meals on the house despite much protesting from Kyrie.
"No, it's just... I'm still trying to get used to things here. But as you said, one day at a time."
Lady grinned, handing over one of the helmets. "Like getting used to going at speeds faster than a car goes?"
The younger woman blushed, strapping on the protective headgear and very glad that Lady had convinced her to wear trousers instead of the sundress she had originally planned on. She made herself think that riding a motorcycle was similar to the occasional horse rides that her father and Credo used to take her and Nero on, except she was told to sit sideways...
Unconsciously, Kyrie tightened her hold around Lady's middle, trying not to bite her lip as the older woman took a turn into a large thoroughfare, swallowing the lump in her throat. As if sensing her unhappy thoughts, Lady gently squeezed the clasped hands briefly, trying to send her own reassurances.
'It'll be okay.'
Kyrie simply nodded against Lady's back, and then focused back to studying her surroundings. Lady would often slow down when they came close to notable landmarks, such as the city hall, police station, and post office, or the large space with a central fountain that reminded her of Piazza Ghiberti with the various vendors. Every once awhile the huntress would pull over and make note on some of the places, like the rider and horse statute that was located at the main park, the public library that was still within walking distance of the shop, as well the school Cato attended.
"If you and Dante are out on a job, who watches over Cato?" Kyrie asked as they stopped at the parking lot overlooking a pier that appeared more like an amusement park. This particular one was far larger than the piers she's seen the Fortunan fishermen used, be it those that went out on their boats or those that used their own poles. And yet, she could still make out people at the end of the pier with their fishing poles and ice chests.
"Sláine usually since he doesn't really travel around like Morrison does, even though he does house calls. There's one other person as well, except she's out of the country at the moment. Cato knows to go to Sláine's clinic just in case. We do have help within the shop if no one else is available." Lady sipped her drink, foot lightly tapping to some of the music playing around them.
Kyrie furrowed her eyebrows at that cryptic statement as she worked on her mango crepe. From the few days of living at the shop, other than herself, she's only seen both older hunters, Cato, and Nero. While she wasn't as sensitive as Nero was, she was still able to feel that tiny tingle of what had to be wards surrounding the shop. (For whatever reason, there was also that strange sense from the enormous single-edge sword resembling the Order's crest that hung behind Dante's desk, but it felt a bit... comforting.) Except there was always that nagging feeling of being watched and laughed at - while Nero hadn't said anything, the few times they were alone in the shop had his hand hovering over Blue Rose, eyes warily glancing about. Thinking over the paraphernalia scattered throughout the place, most were set aside because of either passing familiarity or unfamiliarity.
Although...
Amber eyes blinked and turned to Lady. "Wait, that purple guitar... Its design looks far different even when compared to the ones in the magazines Dante had shown Nero. Is that a...?"
Lady grinned around her can. "Full points. Nevan's an electric-element Devil Arm who can also transform into a scythe. Dante won her over before I met him, and she helps keep an eye on Cato and the shop when no one else is available because she has a human form."
"But... a Devil Arm..." Her knowledge on Devil Arms was sorely lacking, other than seeing the term referenced several times in some of the books she's read. All she knew from the term alone was basically that they were weapons based on powerful devils.
"Some devils can come to love humans over time." A small smile at a fond memory, alongside an eyebrow raised teasingly.
Kyrie blushed, feeling a bit foolish on forgetting the one specific legend she had grown up listening to and who her significant other is. "My apologies."
An affectionate pat on the younger woman's head, Lady then leaned over, voice low with a conspiratorial smirk. "Don't tell Nevan this when we introduce her to you two, because she will deny it, but she absolutely adores Cato and dotes on him like one of those aunts with tons of stories."
Despite herself, Kyrie couldn't help but giggle. "Does Dante have any other Devil Arms that Nero and I should be aware of?"
"We have an armory at the shop, but it's up to Dante on when or if he wants you two to meet the rest of them, since he's their master. Although it would be a good idea in case of emergencies if either of us aren't present." Finishing off her drink, Lady casually tossed it behind her without looking back. Following the can's arc, Kyrie watched how it bounced off the rim on one of the bins once before falling neatly into the dedicated slot for recycling. "Come on, one more stop for the day."
Thus, Kyrie found her lap full of a very fluffy white calico Maine coon named Morgana purring away like a small idling engine, eyes closed as she stroke the fur while looking about the living room. The faint smell of incense lingered in the air, its origin coming from a small pot in front of a soft feminine figurine in robes between two partially melted red candles. Soft tinkling from a wind chime would occasionally sound off as the breeze drifted in through a partially opened window. Even with the occasional city noise drifting in, there was a sense of calm sereneness and peace that she hadn't felt in several months since the funeral.
The quiet clinking of fired clay caught her attention as Sláine silently set down a tray, moving teapot, cups, and an electric kettle on to the coffee table. Without a word, he methodically went about pouring freshly boiled water into the teapot and rinsing the cups. The used water was then dumped into an empty bowl that had been set aside before each cup was placed in front of them. He gently swirled the teapot once, and poured out a measured amount, his own cup last. That done, a small jar of honey was placed next to the pot alongside a small tray of what looked like colored sweets on paper squares.
"These are..." Kyrie was reminded of the petits fours her father had once brought home. How she and even Nero had been so enthralled by the prettiness of the sweets, and disappointed once they had been consumed.
A gentle smile as Lady picked up one of the pink rhombuses, her other hand scratching underneath Morgana's chin. "Sticky sweet rice, and they can certainly stick to your teeth."
Sipping some of the green tea demonstrated its mild bitterness and why the sweets were also served, which Kyrie bobbed her head in appreciation. Glancing over to a shelf, she spotted a photo that had a much younger Sláine smiling shyly, a cheerfully grinning girl next to him, and two smiling adults who had to be his parents behind them. What caught her attention was the woman, which had her wondering because she knew for a fact that humans weren't naturally born with bright pink hair - the man had Asian features with plain black hair.
"My father's human, if that's what you're wondering," Sláine answered the unspoken question, smiling fondly. He tilted his head, and Kyrie could just barely make out what looked like a dark blue shine in his hair. "I'm one of the extremely rare male offspring from a succubus-human relationship. That's my older fraternal twin sister."
"A succu-" Kyrie quickly took her tea in an attempt to hide her blush, ignoring the bitterness and heat that slapped her tongue.
Sláine chuckled softly, shifting his body to let his cat lounge across his shoulders. "No intended offense taken. They actually attended the same high school and as my parents tells it, she was chasing after a demon during an unexpected attack when he almost killed her by accident because he was also pursuing the same demon at the same time - Father was training in one of his home country's style of magic, Mother had been curious about the Human World."
"Then... why medicine? If I'm not intruding too much."
"I'm what most consider a martial pacifist and a bit more on the defensive side if I have to fight, in spite of my mother's origins." A wry smile as Morgana dropped down to his lap and butted her head against his chin, prompting scratching behind her ears. "I've had the ability to heal since childhood, and I've always admired my father on his desire to foster more peaceful co-existences between humans and devils. (Sparda may or may not had been an inspiration.) What better way to go about both."
"Sláine also helps out in the mediation that I had mentioned earlier," Lady added, jerking her head at a rectangle piece of white paper with what looked like black squiggles that was plastered next to a window. "Wards, both defensive and to keep the peace. If anything, this place is far more neutral ground than the shop."
'Which makes sense,' Kyrie mused, lifting her arms up a bit to allow Morgana back onto her lap. 'A doctor is sworn to heal all injuries to the best of their ability, regardless of who the patient is.'
She and Nero had recently watched a police chase occur where the suspect had been injured after crashing her car into lamp post just down the street, and the paramedics had treated her before one of the officers had also gotten into the ambulance. Back on Fortuna, if an alleged perpetrator was injured in the process, they were lucky to even receive onsite treatment.
As the rest of the afternoon continued on, Kyrie listened with rapt attention to various anecdotes from Lady and Sláine, Morgana a comfortable weight on her lap.
-3-1-2-4-5-
"Hey, Cato! Heard from my big brother that you got new folks at your place!" Luis pounced on the white-haired boy once the school bell rang, signaling the end of classes.
"And what did you hear from your big brother?" He wiggled out of his classmate's hold to continue putting his books into his bag. Cato wasn't ignorant of his other classmates that were trying to listen in without being too obvious.
"He was behind you guys in the customs line at the airport and saw two more people with you, the new guy with hair like you and your dad, and a really pretty girl. AND that new guy was in the convertible when your dad dropped you off this morning. C'mon, spill! Is he a relative of yours?" Dark brown eyebrows waggled. "Is she his gi~irlfriend?"
Cato simply shook his head with a smile at the self-proclaimed "network agent," who was really more of the school's gossip. And his parents teased him being as curious as some of the stray cats that hung around the shop. "He's my cousin on Dad's side, and I'm gonna let him do his own introductions if he ever visits."
A pout echoed some of the surrounding disappointed groans before Luis gave a cheery smile. "Eh, no biggie. Some of the others will share something. Catch you next week!"
Given how uncommon white hair was, Cato couldn't blame his schoolmates' curiosity about Nero, having been pestered about it since recess and lunch as some of their parents knew his dad through work. Then again, his parents had always put on an air of secrecy around them whenever they were out in the public that made other people all the more curious. Remembering some of the secrets he had been shared with, Cato wondered if Nero would even be able to visit the school, given his right arm.
While he had his own friends to talk with and the Devil Arms were pretty great caretakers most of the time (well, more so Nevan because at least she knew how to human - the others, not so much), Cato had always wanted someone closer to his age when it came to being part-human and part-devil. His dad and Sláine, while both half-human and half-devil, were still adults. Despite Nero being older than him by a couple years, it was something that Cato could take as half-glass full - Nero was also learning what it meant to be part-devil, a lot like him.
Squinting upon entering the burning sunshine, Cato brightened when he saw the red convertible parked at the curb, Nero also sitting in the front seat with his right sleeve rolled down. "Dad, Nero! Done with the tour today?"
An equally wide grin as Dante ruffled his son's hair after the boy clambered over the side into the backseat. "For now. Didn't want to throw Nero into the full pit just yet."
Nero snorted, but not without a smirk. "Puh-lease, I can take whatever you got lined up, old man."
Dante's grin turned a bit sharper. "Get ready to eat your words again the next time we do another sparring session, kid."
"Can I watch from the side, Dad?" Cato had joined his parents in some of the easier jobs as additional "cover," yet he understood why they weren't keen on him tagging along. Hell, he himself felt that he wasn't quite ready yet at times, even with Cerberus watching his back. "Promise I won't jump in."
Another hair ruffling, Dante's smile softening. "In due time, Cato. Need to find a place safe for you and far enough so we won't get yelled at by the locals again."
Nero threw a suspicious look at his uncle upon hearing the last part. "Wait, 'again'? What the hell did you and Lady do?"
Father and son shared grins before Dante simply laughed and drove off, ignoring the demanding questions from his nephew. Soon he was enjoying the chatter between the two younger part-devils, Cato describing his day of school and being asked by curious classmates, Nero sharing what he thought of the city so far.
Dinner was as loud and noisy as ever, more so when Nero became fascinated with some of the Chinese dishes that Lady and Kyrie had picked up from the restaurant several blocks from the shop. Dante and Cato absolutely loved the pork barbecue the fusion-style restaurant made, something Nero immediately picked up on, which resulted in all three part-devils battling over the last piece of sweet and savory meat, much to Lady's cackling amusement and Kyrie's mixed horror and giggling. Cato "won" in the end, happily gobbling down the piece as his father and cousin dramatically acted as if they were stabbed, prompting more laughter as they worked through the small pints of artisanal ice cream Dante and Nero had also picked up.
After his nighttime bathroom routine was done, Cato was on his way to his bedroom when he heard soft music from Kyrie's room, and he peeked in a bit out of curiosity. It was more of her humming as she brushed her hair and to him, it sounded soothing. "What kind of song is that?"
Kyrie almost dropped her brush in surprise, but even though she smiled at him, he could sense a tinge of sadness. "It's a... hymn that I had practiced for the... Order before I met your father."
"What was it about?" Both Dante and Nevan had been teaching him how to play some music, and he rather enjoyed working out the beats when tested with the jukebox.
"It was praising how the Sav- how your grandfather sided with the Human World." Another sad smile. "One of the hymn writers had convinced me to sing it for the Festival of the Blade as part of the celebrations, because she believed that I had the right voice. When I read the lyrics the first time, I was quite scared that I would mess it up because of how important the song was."
"Oh." Cato cocked his head to the side, not liking the feeling of unhappiness coming off of her. Even though she wasn't a fighter like his mom, Aunt Trish, or Aunt Beryl, he liked Kyrie because of her calming contrast to them, and like Morrison she didn't care as much about his, his dad, and Nero's more demonic quirks. "Could... could you sing it? I'd... I'd like to listen to it. I don't get to hear a lot of good things about Grandpa often." He blushed at that last sentence, despite it being the truth - half of the praises he'd read tended to be ridiculous and super fake.
Surprise, and then a slightly happier smile. "I'd love to, Cato."
Settling underneath his blankets, Cato waited eagerly as Kyrie sat herself on his bed, taking in several deep breaths before breaking the silence.
"Listen to my voice calling you,
Calling you out of darkness.
Hear the devil's cry of sin,
Always turn your back on him~"
Cyan eyes slowly closed as the words gently took him to slumber, liking the song and how it sort of reminded him of the one his dad would sing to him, something from his grandma. He wondered if Kyrie would write the lyrics down for his scrapbook...
A/N: Post "De Monarchia."
Title's partially from Canto 4 of Paradiso in the Divine Comedy, the full line being:
"The other doubt which doth disquiet thee
"Less venom has, for its malevolence
Could never lead thee otherwhere from me."
Chinese pork barbecue that most Westerners would be familiar with is char siu of Cantonese cuisine, and common in parts of Southeast Asia, while Japan has their own variant.
The pier that Kyrie and Lady visits here is based off of Pier 39 up in San Francisco, and the Santa Monica Pier in Santa Monica, California.