Devil May Cry 4 © Capcom

Countenance

Jason M. Lee

It was still some time before dawn and things were calming down when Kyrie went off to find Nero after making sure most of the civilians were taken care of. It wasn't that hard to locate him - all she had to do was follow the rather steady bloody trail of body parts and damaged streets illuminated by the few lights that were lucky to stay intact. Having grown up around demon hunters, as well seeing her male family members come home covered by the occasional gore, she was used to the disconcerting sights and smells. However, her breath was taken away upon finally seeing him surrounded by a large number of dead devils (large ones, especially).

Instead of his usual long coat and jeans, black and dark blue scales covered him. A barely audible sigh sent partially unfolded wings twitching, letting her catch a glimpse of swirling yellow on the underside before they tucked up against his body. Talon-like feet replaced his boots, and asymmetrical fin-like protrusions extended out from his shoulders like graceful sails seen on some of the fishing boats. While his Devil Bringer had more sharp ridges and glowed brighter, it still had that sense of elegance that made it unique.

She had barely taken one quiet step forward, but he immediately whipped around, right hand prepared to draw Yamato from what looked like a sheath growing on his left forearm, three fingers - instead of five - on his left hand grasping Red Queen tightly. Dark red scales covered his front, as if following the pattern of his favorite red vest, and there was a pair of white horns that curved over what could be amounted to be a red hood on his head. As fast as fangs were shown threateningly, he immediately recoiled in shock... and with a touch of fear. Almost reflexively, Nero glanced away, hand scratching his nose before dropping to his side and tucking Red Queen behind him.

Kyrie couldn't help but give a small wistful smile at his sudden shyness, which was such a stark contrast to his currently fierce appearance. She knew he was still wary of displaying his Devil Bringer in public, never showing more than his forearm during combat. They both had pride in his right arm but it unsettled the rest of the townspeople, and unsettled people made mistakes out of fear that nobody needed. Being seen in such a form that was far from human - sharp lines to softer curves, scutes and claws to skin and nails - she understood that Nero was all the more cautious. Perhaps a bit self-conscious as well, especially since it was her seeing him like this, given the way how he was shuffling his feet and scratching shallow gouges into the street without realizing it.

Slowly, Kyrie walked until she was right in front of him, ignoring the nervousness that seemed to emanate from both of them and the sudden tensing in his shoulders. Where the top of her head would normally grace the bottom of his chin, she barely reached the middle of his chest at the moment, forcing her to tiptoe when she reached up to cup his face with both hands, gazing at him with solemn trust. His right eye - shining yellow and the left one hidden under his hood - widened but eventually became half-lidded as the realization that she wasn't running away dawned on him. Unbidden, Nero leaned forward into the gesture and covered her left hand with his right, relieved - if not a bit mystified - that she was accepting his new form so willingly.

For several minutes, they basked in each others' presence as sunrise gradually crept in, his Devil Bringer brightening to a matching gold.

A/N: Nero's Devil Trigger is different from Dante's in-game, the blue demon shadow behind Nero being identified as a projection/manifestation of his soul in DMC4's two-volume novelization Deadly Fortune (Japanese only). His DT described here is from his concept DT form found in the art books "Devil's Material Collection" and "Saber of Savior", where the sheath-on-left-arm harkens to Vergil's DT in DMC3. Being one-quarter demon (if one follows the novelization written by the game scenario writer), it's less likely that Nero would be able to have an actual Devil Trigger form like Dante and Vergil, so this is just a bit of a "what if".