~Inner Demons~

By: Aerys Krystie.

The train had been delayed for an indefinite amount of time and Dante sighed. No-one knew what had stopped the locomotive and Dante had a suspicion he knew what it was. Krad had told him he was right and the blond went to get them all something to drink while they waited. Dante was getting more impatient and went looking for the Nephilim before Phim or Azalea could. He told them to stay where they were and found the blond talking to one of the guards.

Dante frowned slightly as he stared at Krad's eyes. They were almost hypnotizing and the half-demon smirked. Getting drinks, huh? Without looking at him, Krad raised his hands, showing him the drinks he held and Dante groaned. He really should've known that Krad would always get the best of him when it came to being good. Krad nodded at the guard and stepped around the man, joining Dante who smirked down at him. Krad blushed and looked away and went to move past the hell spawn but was caught by his arm.

"I need to talk to you," Dante said and let go of the blond's arm, who nodded and hurried to drop off the drinks, making up some excuse to the two they were travelling with. He joined Dante again and looked up at him with questioning eyes. "Phim, had you met him before today or was I right at the office assuming you had never seen him before?"

"You were right at the office. I don't remember seeing him around the town before I left and that was only two days ago. It also turns out that the train we're waiting for was the only train to be attacked. We could get on another train heading in that direction and wait for the train to take us to the town. Dante?" Krad frowned and stepped back from the half-demon's hand that was teasing his throat.

"You just look cute when you're thinking," Dante answered with a shrug and crossed his arms over his chest, looking at the two that were accompanying them. They could do what Krad said but without a doubt, there were demons that were stopping them from going to that town for a reason. It wouldn't matter if they went to a different town and then got on a train from there, simply because it was a puzzle for them to figure out. "No, we'll wait for the train here."

Krad nodded and handed Dante a bottle of soda. "The demons will probably be expecting us to do the opposite and go to another town." Krad looked in the other direction. "Did you feel that?"

"Yeah. How like a demon to attack while there are so many innocents around." Dante sighed at the disgrace of them and wondered why more demons couldn't be like his father. "Krad?" Dante watched as the blond walked towards the demon, discreetly pulling out his blades.

Dante went back to Azalea and Phim, who were staring at Krad's retreating figure. They asked what Krad was doing and Dante shrugged. Phim asked why Krad had his blades out and again, Dante shrugged. It wasn't up to him to tell them anything. They should be damn grateful they had a Nephilim that looked out for them as it was. But as humans always did, they questioned that protection. Dante was sure humans often confused their curiosity with their stupidity.

Dante's eyes widened as time stopped. He looked around and saw that he, Krad and the demon were the only ones moving at the normal speed. That was an awesome skill to have, in Dante's eyes. The blond easily removed the demon from their world and looked over his shoulder at the half-demon, flicking the blood off his blades and putting them away. The body of the demon turned to dust and time went back to normal. Azalea and Phim blinked as Krad was suddenly in front of them. They grinned and asked if everything was okay. Krad smiled and nodded.

Dante sat down next to Azalea and closed his eyes. If only they knew. The last thing either half-breed needed were the two humans freaking out because there were demons hunting them. Dante wrapped his arms around Krad's waist as the blond sat on him. There were only seats of three and that was a little stupid, according to Dante. Didn't the idiots that designed that station realize there would be more than three people that would want to sit as they waited for their train? Even if the transport was going to be delayed. It had been two and a half hours since they found out it had been stopped.

Dante's eyes widened and it struck Krad's leg before either of them could move. There was a feathered dart in the white jeans that hid the blond's legs. Dante pulled it out and looked at it, then surveyed the direction it came from. There was nothing out of the ordinary and none of the other waiting people stood out. Whoever shot it at the blond obviously wasn't aware of the fact that nothing could kill him except another angel. Unless that wasn't its intention.

Krad bit his lower lip. There was a dark fire burning in his abdomen and he shifted in Dante's lap. Dante. That name made the fire burn stronger and Krad glared over his shoulder as part of the roof caved in, scaring people. As the humans scuttled to safety Krad stood calmly and withdrew his blades, narrowing his eyes the half-demon. Dante just raised an eyebrow as he watched Krad's actions. So that was their intent? Get the Nephilim to kill him? Were they too cowardly to do it themselves? It was quick with entering the bloodstream, whatever it was.

Dante dropped the dart and told Azalea and Phim to get to safety. They would collect them once they had taken care of whatever had caused the roof to fall apart. They nodded and ran with the crowd, for once not asking any stupid questions. Dante stepped closer to Krad, who didn't flinch. He held his arms up, leaving himself open for an attack from the blond. He knew Krad wouldn't attack him. It didn't matter what was running through the blond's bloo…

"That fucking hurt!" Dante looked at the twin slashes on his chest and glared at the blond. What else could possibly go wrong?

Dante knew that wasn't the most intelligent question to ask but at that moment, he didn't care what else went wrong. He was pissed off at Krad for attacking him. He was pissed off at whoever had shot that dart into the blond's leg. And he was pissed off that he hadn't gotten laid last night. Dante called Rebellion to his hand and blocked Krad's attacks. As he did so, Dante took the opportunity to admire the way Krad fought with his blades. It certainly was beautiful, almost like a dance.

Dante looked at Krad's eyes and smirked. He would win that round. Whoever sent that dart to the Nephilim didn't stop to think that blind rage was usually a bad thing when fighting. Krad's moves were calculated but that was probably the centuries of training he had put himself through and it was just instinct to fight that way. But the half-angel's false anger was getting in his way of landing another cut and for that, Dante was thankful. He didn't want to beat the living tar out of Krad for something that wasn't the blond's fault.

Dante put Rebellion on his back and tripped Krad, pinning the blond to floor and holding his wrists. Krad struggled against him and something happened that Dante wasn't expecting – Krad didn't overpower him. The Nephilim's struggling was as useful as a human struggling against the son of Sparda and Dante didn't understand it. Did the dart make Krad human for the duration that the poison was in him? Dante wondered if he could find the person that had created it and get he or she to make one that involved Krad getting in touch with his pent up sexual tension and releasing it on the half-demon.

Dante studied Krad's eyes. They were still glowing, so it was obvious the blond still had his angel genes in him. Did the poison just lock them away and unleash Krad's anger? What was the point of that? Unless whoever had shot Krad was hoping that Dante would kill the blond while he was more human. The struggling ceased as Krad realized he wasn't going to get anywhere and Dante smirked, licking his cheek. The blond groaned and turned his head away. Dante could very used to a human-ish Krad. All he had to do was wait until the anger in the blond had burned through the poison. He wasn't going to bind and gag Krad for the duration of the trip. That would be difficult to explain to Azalea and Phim.

Holding Krad's wrists with one hand, Dante pulled out Ivory and shot the demon that was running towards them. He didn't have time to deal with that shit. Dante felt a small spike of jealousy as he thought about why only Krad was shot with a dart. Dante might not be a Nephilim but he was just as powerful as Krad was when it came to taking out demons. Of course, Dante wasn't related to three archangels, either, that would come if he called for them. And frankly, there wasn't really anyone that would come if he called. Well, no-one worth mentioning like Michael, Gabriel or Raphael.

Half an hour later the anger in Krad's eyes died off and were replaced with confusion. Dante didn't release the blond, though. He wanted to keep his life and it could be a trick, too. When Krad threw Dante off of him, the half-demon was convinced that Krad was back to being a Nephilim. The blond got to his feet and looked around. He remembered getting shot with the dart and then wanting to kill Dante for something. He could remember fighting the half-demon but that was all. To say Krad wasn't impressed to come to senses and find himself pinned beneath the half-demon was an understatement.

Krad scratched his outer right thigh where the dart had pierced his skin. It was itching like hell and he just hoped that he wouldn't go into a rage like he had done. That had frightened him. Krad hated not being in control of a situation and to lose himself like that was something he had never done. Hell, he didn't even remember what Dante had done that made him so angry at the half-demon, who was watching him with concern.

Krad checked Dante over to make sure he hadn't done any damage. There were two thin cuts in Dante's shirt but the skin was flawless. Krad shifted uncomfortably. "I'm sorry," he mumbled, hating to say those words. Not being able to control himself made him look weak and he didn't want any of the angels in heaven to come down and kill him because they felt he was a menace to the earth.

"As long as you're you again, I don't give a shit." Dante walked up to the blond and tilted his head up. Krad blushed and stepped away, asking where Azalea and Phim were. Dante shrugged. "No idea. I told them to run for safety before they could see their savior get his ass kicked. So, tell me. What was it like?"

"Krad? Oh, thank goodness you're both fine!" Azalea said as she and Phim appeared, almost out of nowhere. They had hidden in the female bathroom. She had peeked out when the sound of their blades clashing had stopped and saw Dante pinning down the angelic boy. She didn't want to interrupt and there was the demon, too. She didn't want to put herself in danger. She might be good with the blades she carried but she wasn't an expert. She was going to ask what happened when their train arrived.

The passengers that were still alive on it, ran out of the open doors, ignoring the law enforcement officers when they were told to exit calmly. The four of them stepped on and Phim asked officers what had happened. They said it was train robbers but the half-breeds knew differently. Azalea said she hoped it wouldn't happen while they were on it and Dante rolled his eyes, throwing himself onto one of the seats and closing his eyes. He blocked out the voices of the people who were talking and thought about the dart. It couldn't have come from nowhere.

A human Krad was both scary and exciting to Dante. Scary because it wasn't what he was used to and exciting because it meant he could get away with anything he wanted. Krad was powerless to stop him and that scared the half-demon. If Krad was powerless, Dante knew he might not be able to control himself as well as he could when Krad was a Nephilim. Dante cracked an eye open when Azalea called out to Krad a few times. The blond groaned and turned his back to the woman. She kept trying and Dante waited for Krad's reaction.

"What the fuck do you people have against me getting some damn sleep?" Krad exploded, glaring at the woman as he sat up. "What is it? What is so god damn important that you need to disturb me?"

The other few passengers in the cart turned to gawk, wondering what was going on. Azalea flinched at the glare and Krad's words. She hadn't meant to upset the blond by rousing him and found that what she was going to ask him had left her. Phim stood beside her. "Krad, there was no need for that. She just wanted to know if you were thirsty after the fight between you and Dante."

"I wouldn't go there," Dante said flatly.

Phim glared at Dante. "Just because he's a hunter doesn't mean he gets to yell at a woman that was only concerned about him."

Dante raised an eyebrow and shrugged. "You're on your own, now."

Krad knew he had never been good at keeping his temper under control. "Look," he hissed, trying to sound calm and failing. "If I was thirsty, I would've gotten myself a drink. I'm just tired and I want some damn sleep. Do not…" Krad trailed off as he felt like he was going to be sick but the feeling died away. There was a sharp pain in his gut but he tried to ignore it. "Do not…"

Dante sat up as Krad began dry reaching, clutching his abdomen. He moved Azalea out of the way and the girl called out if there was a doctor around. One of the passengers stood and walked over to them. Her eyes looked sad, as if she had witnessed a lot of traumatic happenings in her life. She knelt in front of Krad and gasped as blood began trickling from his mouth. Dante got to his feet and said he would take Krad to the bathroom and see if some water would help. Without waiting to hear anything from the doctor, Dante grabbed Krad's wrist and dragged the blond into the small cubicle.

Once inside, Dante locked the door and turned Krad to face him. Grabbing some toilet paper, Dante cleaned up the corners of Krad's mouth, not wanting the blood to stain the white shirt the blond was wearing. "What's wrong?"

"I don't know," Krad whispered, falling against Dante's chest, his fingers feebly gripping the red leather. "But it doesn't hurt when you touch me."

"Well, where did it hurt?"

"Tummy." Krad didn't care how childish that sounded. It had felt like there were razorblades in his stomach that were churning and stirring everything up.

Dante pulled one of his gloves off and held it to Krad's forehead. The blond's body was normally really cool but it was heating up, quickly. The last thing any of them needed was Krad to come down with a fever before he was due to battle the demons that were attacking the town. There was a knock at the door and Azalea called through to see if things had gotten any better. Dante couldn't keep him and Krad locked up in there forever and decided to leave the toilet, just in case someone else did want to use it. He quickly told Azalea that Krad might be coming down with a fever and carried the blond back into the cart, sitting down.

Azalea followed and chewed her lip, a habit she had picked up from seeing Krad do it so often. They might have to get off at the town before theirs so Krad could rest. She wasn't going to force the blond to fight with a fever and maybe she or Phim could stay with him while Dante went to the town to try and calm it down before Krad arrived. She didn't know what to do and Phim asked what was happening. She told him what Dante had told her and he shifted. She shared her ideas with the man and he nodded, thinking they were good. But they had to get Dante to agree with them and with the way the hunter was holding the blond, it might not be that easy.

Phim inched closer to the silver haired man and sat down across from him. "So, Lea and I were talking and if Krad has got a fever, it would be best if he rests in a bed. We were thinking that maybe Lea or I should get off at the town before ours and take Krad to a hotel, while you continue on and get the situation under control."

Dante stared at Phim blankly. Was he being serious? Apparently so. It would've been a good idea, had Dante actually trusted either of the two humans but he didn't and that meant he was going to be the one that stayed with Krad. He shook his head and Phim sighed, nodding, saying that he expected that to be his answer. Dante explained that when he and Krad went to save a town, they went together or not at all. It was just a quirk of theirs. And I wouldn't trust you to look after goldfish, Dante added in his mind as the man stood and informed Azalea of what he had said.

Dante shrugged his coat off and placed it over Krad. He closed his eyes and decided to have a little nap before they were bound to be attacked by a demon. Dante wasn't looking at the glass half empty, it was just a fact he had gotten used to. Azalea and Phim sat in the seat opposite of Dante and spoke quietly to each other. Dante ignored them. He could care less if they were plotting to kill him and force Krad to fight the demons in his condition. They would have a hell of a time trying to pry the blond from his dead fingers, though.

A few hours later, Krad jerked awake and stretched. He felt much better and wondered why the hell people didn't just let him rest when he was tired. Of course he was going to be grouchy. He was a lot like a child in that sense and hell, so was Dante. He looked outside the window and saw that night had settled in. The arms around him tightened and Krad looked up into the silvery-blue eyes of Dante. He smiled at the half-demon and turned around to straddle his lap, hugging him tightly. He felt like a new Nephilim.

"How're you feeling?"

"Awesome! Hungry, though."

Dante watched as Krad stood and stretched again. He also got to his feet and put his coat back on. He informed the blond that Azalea and the other guy had already gone to eat. Krad nodded and started towards the dining cart. Dante glanced over his shoulder, looking outside the window. He shrugged and followed Krad, who was running. Dante was worried. Krad was acting childish. More childish than normal. Krad suddenly stopped and turned to Dante.

Dante raised an eyebrow and the weird look on Krad's face. "What's wrong?"

Krad shifted. He had no idea what was wrong but something didn't feel right. Dante was on his mind, a lot. Normally Krad was plotting out the best course of action for when they got to the town but all he could think about was the son of Sparda. How good he smelt. How nice it was to have his arm around his body. Krad lowered his head as he blushed and shrugged. Why was he thinking so much about the demon hunter? Krad looked up at Dante and his eyes widened.

"Dante…Something is wrong. Very wrong."

Dante tilted his head. Krad had only just noticed that something was wrong? Had the blond finally picked up on his childish antics about getting food? Dante doubt it but the fear in the blond's eyes was enough for Dante to be on guard. He hoped it wasn't something that was really bad. "What is it? Can you sense something?"

Krad shook his head. "No. I can't read your mind, either. Dante…I think I'm human."

End Chapter II.