"Kat was useful."

Was useful. Useful. Was Useful.Useful. Useful. Useful.

Kat had lost track of just how many times that line he had uttered had looped in her head before it had started to seem like it was an endless loop. Now she knew no other word that seemed more cruel, more harsh… she was no longer of any use to one of the few men she dared let close to her. Vergil had cast her aside like a child would a broken toy. One of the few men she had ever truly loved… abandoned her like all the rest.

After he betrayed herself and his brother… Dante… he tried to stay, he tried to help her. But he reminded her far too much of him due to them being identical twins, and her rapid downward spiral from what he had said and done made Dante grow frustrated with her and leave her… with a warning of a promise. She had two weeks to get herself together before he came back. If Kat hadn't gotten herself back up by then, he would check her into a rehab center to ensure she didn't do anything stupid.

She could remember his anger that day…

"Kat… for fucks sake, you can't keep living like this. You need to look after yourself." The bottle was taken away from her, as well as the paperwork fanned out on the table in front of her. Food, if you were willing to call near endless amounts of pizza that, was laid out in front of her instead.

"Why, Dante? Why am I not allowed to grieve in my own way?" She spoke softly while nudging the offered 'meal' away. While Kat found it sweet that he was trying to feed her she didn't eat meat and didn't particularly want to pick off the pepperoni bits. Kat would eat… just not at the present moment. She wanted to work. She wanted to distract herself until she was too tired to remember. Then, when she couldn't drum up the strength to think about him would she eat, clean herself up, and go to bed. More often than not that time would bleed into another day, in the early dawn hours she would look after herself then crash only to rise to do it all again in a few hours.

"Because you're destroying yourself in the process. Kat… please… I let him go for you, will you not hold on for me?" Now that was a dirty card for him to pull. Kat shot him a look, pursing her lips seeing the hurt puppy-dog like look he was giving her.

"I can't promise you that Dante. You know my past… you know why what he did wounded me as it did. Please, just let me go." Perhaps that was the wrong thing for her to have said. Perhaps. His reaction told her so half a heartbeat red Nephilim, the older son of Sparda slammed his fist into the drywall beside her, startling her and made her flinch, then scowl at him. Until she saw the livid expression on his face, saw how angered he was. His eyes were discolored by maroon, warning her that he was on the brink of a devil trigger. The witch had to mind herself… unless she wanted to piss him off any further.

"You don't fucking get it do you? I care about you Kat. I might even love you….but you won't look after yourself… you won't let me look after you either. You can't keep drinking yourself to sleep after running yourself ragged day after motherfucking day. You're human. You're not Nephilim like me,while I can do that you fucking can't… not without killing yourself…"

He stood over her, eyes narrowed and face serious as he snarled at her rather than speak. He would have looked like him if he had exercised the level of self control his twin did even when infuriated. But his anger, so close to her, the slamming of his fist to the wall which left no doubt in her mind that there would be damage to the wall when he pulled away left her in a terrified state. Why? Simple. A man larger than her, stronger than her, was angry with her, and being loud and vocal about it whilst having her cornered. It was taking every fragment of will and confidence that she had left not to tremble, not to hide, not to curl up in a ball, not to beg that he not hurt her.

"I am aware that I am human, Dante. I am all too aware that being human is something that most look down upon now thanks to… thanks to him. What I am doing is helping me continue on. Please, respect that… I care about you Dante… but I need time to recover, alright?" Her voice wavered, hinting at her distress so she tried to slip away to allow herself to shed the tears that threatened to fall out of his sight leading her to hide her face by hanging her head, letting her hair veil the tears that had fallen despite her best efforts to avoid shedding them in his presence.

Kat had managed to move half a foot away before he grabbed her arm, the one that had a bullet tear through it what seemed like an eternity ago. He jerked on her arm, making her hiss in surprise rather than in pain like she had expected. The jerk spun her around to face him, forcing her to look up into his troubled, angry, stormy blue eyes. They stood silent for a moment, the harshness of his face faded back to the puppy-dog look, his hand moved from holding her arm in an iron grip to brush away the crystalline tear that had fallen.

"You healed from all wounds weeks ago, Kat. You're slowly poisoning yourself. You're going to fucking die, do you not give a damn about that?" His thumb traced her cheek along the trail the tears had left on the left side, moving from the blue dot beneath her right eye then down to the corner of her lips. His touch was light, and somehow soft despite the rough surface of his skin, no doubt from all his years fighting demons. It was gentle, it was what she had thought she might need, except it felt wrong. This wasn't the man she wanted standing before her, this wasn't the man she found herself wanting touching her face, trying to convince her to hold on-even for a little longer.

Fresh tears brimmed in her eyes as she looked down, raising a tattooed hand to brush his hand off of her before she backed away again with a slight shake of her head. Dante wasn't the one she needed right now. The man she needed was nothing but a lie. So Kat wanted nothing more than to be alone currently to mourn what he had taken from her. Even if it had only been an ideal, a mask. She still missed it. She still missed the man he had once been to her.

"Dante, I do—"

"No you don't," he interrupted her. "Else you wouldn't do this. You have two weeks. If you're not back in shape some way by two weeks from today, I'm hauling your ass to a rehab clinic to save you."

Dante stalked out after snarling his threat, slamming the door behind him hard enough to make the windows rattle. Kat, left alone in the dark with a bottle of liquor not far from her, began to cry from that which she had already lost; the only companion, the only friend she had left that still lived. Everyone else… everyone human… had died in the raid on the Order headquarters. Only the sons of Sparda and Eva… and her, had survived.

She was alone. Alone again. Maybe… maybe she was meant to always be alone.

It had been three days since then already. She had eleven left now. Little had changed, save for Kat's appearance. The last of the light had left her once bright green eyes, dark circles that weren't kohl liner lined her eyes, her skin had grown fragile and pallid, bones felt to the witch as if they might snap with the slightest pressure due to her refusal to eat most of the time. Kat had gotten worse, and she lacked the will and strength to save herself. Perhaps she was waiting out the time for Dante to haul her to that clinic or just die off. Who needed another frail, weak human like her? Especially one that was no longer useful.

Hot tears slipped down her cheeks, a single hand shook as she rose to brush it away. Nerves pinched and muscles burned from the simple movement that only a month ago wouldn't have hurt her in the least to brush away the fallen sorrow. This was the worst she had ever been. Worse than how she had been enduring the rape and torture of Mundus and his men, worse than the nightmares of her foster father… worse than her initial reaction to his desire to rule over her kind.

Kat was lost, completely and utterly the broken flower that Lilith had once referred to her as to Dante. As far as the witch was concerned, she was too broken to be fixed by anyone. There was nothing left for her, for what she thought and believed. In her mind, she wasn't supposed to have lived through that raid on the Order Headquarters… she should have died amongst the other humans that had served under him to try to bring about a better world… and failed.

Yes. Humans had their freedom, as did demons. More of her kind died every day. If there were any other surviving witches… they would be long gone now. She herself had ceased leaving her shitty hole-in-the-wall apartment to avoid the demons. Due to Mundus's mistress Lilith and their spawn being traded for her life, most demons thought she was worth something and often attacked or captured her, some succeeded where others did not, much to her luck which ebbed and flowed much like the tides.

She found herself rising, gathering her keys and walking out the door, not bothering to lock it behind her. No one visited her, no human dared stray near. They feared her, the Order Witch. But she knew not why. Her hood was drawn up, to guard her eyes from the light, and out of old habit. Outside was pure and total chaos, demons ran amuck, fires were burning aplenty, the scent of human and demon blood alike was heavy in the air.

Kat stood frozen still, watching one of the catlike Rage demons cut down a woman carrying something in her arms. She heard her shrill scream, igniting her impulse to finally act. The static sensation and noise alerted any nearby of the calling of the arcane arts moments before Kat murmured the enchantment and released the morbidly dark magic to kill the beast, standing protectively over the woman.

She watched the Rage demon burn, screaming and shrieking as it faded away into nothingness with the same blank, hurt look she'd sported for weeks. Only when she was certain it was dead did she turn and drop down to her knees to check on the woman. Kat winced seeing the horror the Rage had inflicted with its claw as the woman's throat had been completely torn apart, leaving her choking on her own blood as she slowly died. The bundle in her arms made her wince and want to flee, but she held her ground.

"Take him somewhere safe please." The fallen woman choked out before laying still, the tightly wrapped bundle pressed into Kat's startled grasp before the woman's shaking hands fell. She looked at the bundle, the babe's face, then wiped it's mother's blood off its face gently with her sleeve. Guilt overwhelmed her for not coming to the woman's aid sooner, and for knowing she couldn't help the little boy in her arms when she herself was lost.

The child's only hope was to be placed in the care of the hospital or the orphanage. It was there Kat would take him, then retreat to try again in the street. Stand still long enough amongst the ruckus until a demon decided to kill her.

As she walked slowly, already tired from her highly diminished strength and the magic she had spent, Kat watched the streets, observing and noticing much she hadn't before. Some demons ran rampant yes, but only the lower classed ones, very few of higher strength like the Rage she had killed wandered killing any they saw.

They moved in an almost orderly fashion… like they had under the rule of Mundus. But Mundus was gone, slain by his nephews. If someone ruled the demons now… who had taken up the Dark Emperor's throne? Whom ruled the infernal?

Perhaps its him part of her whispered softly as the hospital entered her line of sight after multiple stops to rest and breathe, just taking a moment to try to regain everything she had lost. She fiercely rejected the thought that he might still be a major game player near her. If… If Vergil… if he had come back… she would have noticed already. Wouldn't she?

Kat hadn't noticed she'd stopped until someone brushed past her. She blinked out of her trance, watching the man limp past her then down at the babe. It had been so quiet, hadn't made a sound when it's mother had been attacked nor slain, nor had it protested to being in the arms of a stranger. Concern bloomed as maternal instinct, long buried, rose up. Tattooed fingers brushed the folds of the threadbare blanket aside, studying the face of the infant. The serene look made her worried, so her fingers travelled to gently press against the babe's little neck, only relaxing when she felt a pulse.

She started to draw her hand away, only to have her first finger grabbed, and curious blue eyes look up at her. The child was awake, how it had slept throughout the screaming was beyond her. Perhaps it had been born into the chaos that the world had grown into and was used to it. She had no way of knowing the truth with the mother dead, but it wasn't her business nor place to ask such things.

"Hello little one… your mother asked me to look after you... but I am not of mind and body to do so. Forgive me little one, but I have to take you to the hospital. They'll find someone to look after you there. I'll visit when I can as penance for giving you to them, I promise." Kat tugged her finger free from the child's grasp then continued walking after she'd tucked the blanket around him more tightly to shield him from the smoke of a fire she passed by.

What passed for a hospital was more of a run down building, one of the few not completely destroyed buildings that wasn't on fire that had become a makeshift hospital due to rising supply and demand from the fall of Mundus and rise of the demon horde attacks.

She could smell the antiseptic when she drew closer to it and hear the moans of pain from the no doubt endless patients from demon attacks. A girl not much older than her ran out, directing the line of others standing outside clutching and putting pressure on their assorted grievances.

Despite the long lines they were moving quickly, others were directed to other buildings, sent inside or away. She waited, shifting her weight to and fro anxiously. The baby which slept in her hold once more was growing too heavy for her to hold for much longer. Kat was starting to regret not looking after herself as she leaned against the wall briefly, more like slumping. Her breath grew unsteady from the effort, eyes unfocusing before she forced herself up as the line progressed once more.

The girl she had spotted earlier hurried over to her, clutching a makeshift clipboard with a pen tucked behind her ear, red hair in total disarray. "Sorry miss! There're a lot of demands for treatment as of late. What do you need?" Kat wasn't lost to the glance at her charge, making her purse her lips before she answered.

"Blood Rage demon killed the baby's mother. I cannot look after him. Please find someone that can." Kat answered before passing the baby, glad to relieve her muscles of the burning they'd endured. She ran a hand weakly over her upper arms with a soft sigh, then noticed the girl sputtering at her in surprise. "Miss! You can't! There's-"

"I know there is an orphanage near here. Demons now attack humans more than ever. A witch will be slaughtered sooner than any. Particularly one of my infamy. I will come to visit the child, help pay for what he needs."

Kat almost immediately regretted what she said when the girl stared at her forehead, no doubt staring at the star tattoo and remembering the demon Bob Barbas's report on the Order, and her being part of the 'terrorist organization'. Fantastic. Either her request would be granted or spat upon. She watched with tired eyes as she waited, observing the girl's adam's apple bob and a glance be cast down at the babe. For a moment she thought the child would be thrust back in her arms, only for the girl to nod and cradle the infant then continue away with a promise to find the child a place.

Kat felt the ghost of a smile on her lips, starting away with a tug on her hood to pull it down lower on her. Her stomach rumbled and rang with pang of emptiness. She glanced down, frowning slightly before her hand strayed to her pocket, touching the bill there before she decided she would eat. For once.

She cast a glance backward at the hospital, knowing she could help. She could be… useful again. She could help them, help her fellow humans. Help get them back on their feet. Maybe… she could find a reason to live again. Maybe. But first, she would have to regain her strength, before she even thought about trying to help another she would have to help herself.

"He gave me two weeks. I have two weeks to try to get back together. If I had two months, this would be easier. But he's… not the patient brother." Kat sighed to herself as she let herself make her way to the nearest restaurant, planning to get something small to eat then head home as quickly as she could before it grew any darker out than it already was.

More demons came out to play the later the day grew. She wasn't willing to risk staying out for long when the larger, more powerful hordes came out. That would be like serving herself up on a platter. Kat didn't desire to put herself safety in danger like that just yet.

Kat focused on putting one foot in front of the other, keeping her head down, ignoring the growls, screams, and sound of fires burning throughout Limbo City. She pushed the door of the pub open, enjoying the gust of warmth that greeted her, then scurried out of the way of a few other patrons trying to leave. She looked around before she found herself at a table, glad to rest and wait for one of the servers to come and take her order. For now, she focused on flipping through the menu, humming to herself, feeling slightly happier than she had in while.

Happiness had grown to be a foreign feeling to her, but she was glad to have it, even a fragment of it once more. It made living easier for her. Kat just needed to hold on until all the fragments were hers and living wasn't a war she endlessly waged with herself. Living wasn't the war she fought against herself now, but how she was going to get her strength back as soon as possible.

She wanted to help those at the hospital. Even if it was just a day, even if it was only one day, Kat wanted to be useful to someone once more.

Uploading this quickly before I head off for work. I do not own the characters of DmC, they belong only to capcom and ninja theory. Update frequency will depend on m work schedule and on collaborating with my lovely beta reader. Hope you enjoyed, please review and no flames on the reboot por favor.