Disclaimer: I don't own Capcom or Devil May Cry.
Stained. Dust specks tainted the navy trench coat fluttering in the wind.
Nero stopped by at a petrol diner for a quick breakfast. The boiling sun snapped the clouds apart and blazed its majestic heat all around. Perspiration trickled down from the forehead of the ex-Order member as he made some adjustments to his recent repair. With a piece of sandwich clasped in between his mouth, he removed his coat and placed it on his bike seat whilst refueling his vehicle.
He managed to pass through two states and was halfway through his journey to Fortuna. He had been travelling overnight without any unnecessary breaks. Along the mileage, he had plenty of time to think, especially the reason to find Dante. There was too much to ask, especially about that night.
As he was about to finish refueling his machine, the loud collision of guns and carnage sounded across the empty highway. Other than the fuel points he had passed by previously, he hadn't seen anyone along this steep road while whisking through it. Taking bigger bites from his meal, he quickly downed the cold sandwich and rode towards the direction of the liveliness.
The young punk sped downhill intensely through the narrow single lane before entering into a vast area of forestry. Through the structures of growing wood, he noticed an all-too-familiar group of scarecrows circulating round a specific spot, launching their attacks. Adrenaline pumping and brilliance basking from his lips, Nero was dying to get into some action since his limbs were all numb from the overnight riding. What better chances than this?
Pulling his lady from his back holster, he charged straight towards the host. However when he was approaching closer to the parade, the puppeted demons were, unexpectedly, blown afar by an explosion erupting from its epicenter. From the distance left in between, he noticed a woman holding a green piece of armory shooting the creatures around. She displayed professionalism in handling these cakes. Swift movements, quick steps, and a veteran level of shot accuracy—she was almost as good as he was—almost.
Standing in face of this elite, there were a few which attempted to retreat and headed in Nero's direction. In anticipation to that, the woman swung her heavy weapon, which was apparently a hefty piece of rocket launcher, over her shoulders and shot towards the escaping lot. What she left out was, deliberate or not, Nero was in her scope of affected carnage as well.
The shell shed and dripped in exploding intensity with onslaught. Nero skid his bike downwards across the ground to avoid the incoming discharge but didn't so successfully halt his bike just in time. In order to pull himself away from being inflicted by the massive damage, he abandoned his bike and kicked his body away from the seat, allowing the inertia to thrust him backwards whilst the bike collided full force into one of the aging trees. The ex-Order member picked himself up, grumpy and evidently pissed, waved Blue Rose in all directions firing at the remaining standing demons as they crumble and fall, dissipating into dirt and dust leaving no remains.
"This is just great." Nero walked to what-seemingly-looks-like the remains of his bike, which was nothing more than a piece of burnt charred now. The damage his automobile took was beyond repair and anyone smart enough would have just used the cash for a new one. Unfortunately for the half demon, cash flow was being a menstruating bitch at the moment. Before he could even think about getting the person responsible to pay for his vehicle, a set of barrels were placed against the back of his head and honestly, he didn't like the feeling of it.
"Demon, ready to meet your maker?" The heterochromic female dispensed not an ounce of mercy in her words. She plunged the tip of her heavy weapon against the ground, her arm holding it in position as she pointed her pistol at the young demon with the other. She wasn't too sure about this one, but she rather take no chances.
"Do you usually talk before you kill?" Nero taunted.
"What?"
"Because if it is, you're making a big mis—" and the agile demon slayer back-kicked her launcher off the ground as the female slipped slightly off balance. Nero immediately picked up speed and kneed the higher end of the weapon into her face as she screamed agitatedly from the impact. The young lad leaped into the air and reached for the active launcher that was spinning all round with the tip of a blade. In one swift, he grabbed the monster and dropped back onto the ground, arms stretched to the bottom of it pointing the bayonet at the face-bleeding woman. "—take."
She quirked an eyebrow after getting a clean look at the demon finally. He looked barely twenty and alarmingly resembled someone too much.
"You… I haven't seen moves like that in a while." She wiped the excess blood from her face, bruised and slightly swollen around her cheeks. As she flicked the remains of her blood on the ground, her free hand silently slipping to the back, pulling a tiny revolver from its holder strapped to the back of her neat white striped hot pants.
"I won't do that if I were you." He slightly lowered the weapon, well aware of her intentions.
She sighed and bent her arms outwards, a gentle sign of consented defeat.
"Okay, you got me there. It's been a while since I've been hit, moreover being kneed in the face by my own Kalina Ann."
"Don't sweat it, you'll be getting more soon." Apparently his choice of words was directly channeled by the anger beneath.
"Watch it. Getting hit once doesn't mean anything. And also, I'm trying to strike a friendly conversation here in case you haven't noticed. But if you wanna have a go again, you ain't gonna get this lucky a second time."
Her eyebrows sunk into her facial expression because this kid was marching into no-bounds territory. Then flashback flashed across her mind, kinda like déjà vu—she had bumped into someone like that; a little unsure, a little angry, a little boastful, and a little impulsive too. Well in any case, she was ready for a rematch if the kid wanted to have some manners taught. She pulled two revolvers out from her back and pointed them straight ahead.
However, the punk just threw her trusty companion back at her and walked towards his bike. The drop in his attitude took her slightly aback as she watched him walking to his vehicle, kicking the new member of the junkyard. It didn't take her long to realize what the kid was so angry about.
"Oh… Sorry 'bout that." She sounded almost remorseful.
"… Now I probably have to triple my journey time." Nero exasperated.
"Where are you heading for?"
"Fortuna."
She walked over to the young lad and patted on his shoulder very earnestly. The half demon turned and was surprised to receive a genuine smile from his adversary.
"I'm heading there too. I'll give you a lift. It's my bad after all to being with."
The young lad's face remained unchanged, but his irked aura was gradually losing its form. She took the hint and signaled the boy to follow her trail. She parked her ride not fifty feet away from their fighting coliseum—a shiny black sport-touring bike perfect for distance riding. She set her Kalina Ann along the side of her bike since she was going to a passenger for the first—make that second time in history.
"Nice."
She glanced at the boy admiring her ride. It was comforting to know someone who appreciated the beauty of her baby—it seriously has been a while since she ever spent time talking to anyone properly besides slaying demons.
"Thanks hun." She smiled, gesturing for the boy to come over.
He slipped sideways onto the comfortable seat (well, in comparison to his own vehicle) and adjusted his sword slightly to avoid accidentally cutting anything in any case. She saw the kid maneuvering the handle of something behind his back and was once again having goosebumps crawling all over her skin from the resemblance.
"Say, you resemble someone all too familiarly in the back of my memory." She commented aloud as she started the engine. The vehicle hollered in the silence before it purred into a coaxing tempo, ready to light the way.
Nero laughed audibly in the noise, wondering if the comment was genuine or likely a ridicule. "Really? I certainly hope his name doesn't begin with a D and ends with an E."
Then immediately, she turned and stared blatantly at him in shock. "How the hell—"
Now Nero was gaping back at her in plain stupefaction.
"YOU KNOW DANTE?" the both of them yelled at each other contemporaneously. Then they synchronically stopped and paused for a moment, before starting to laugh at each other with an acquaintance mustered by this legendary… asshole.
"Oh my god no wonder my skin's been shedding goosebumps everywhere since I saw that face of yours! I could have suspected a thing or two with the hair, built, skills, and weapons you possess but I didn't wanna take my chances unless I'm one-hundred-percent sure. Tell me, you're not his long lost son or something, are you?"
"If I were his son, I'd rather hang myself."
The female exploded in hysterical laughter, beginning to like this boy by the minute with his complete honesty. "I hardly can imagine him being a father. The poor kid's probably gonna have to eat pizza till he's elementary."
Nero chuckled a little—looks like the devil hunter is all too famous for the things he's done.
"Sorry for the late introduction, I'm Mary. But you can just call me Lady like the others do." She held her hand out, genuine and calm.
"Nero." He approached shaking her hand firmly with his human arm. That was only then Lady noticed the devil arm that Nero had on his right arm.
"Nice arm, I hope it's natural."
"What do you mean?" Looking bewildered at her comment.
"Well… I've seen humans trying to master demon powers and you know, injected themselves with some of it and then it turns really ugly." Her sentence trailed softly at the end as memories of her father cruised through her mind temporarily. Nero took hint in the sudden change of her expression, pretty sure that it must have been a personal experience she was speaking of.
"Nah, I was born with it. Half demon they say, not half human. I used to question why was I born different, but now I'm glad I am." Despite not being one who often share his part of the story, he hoped it would help sooth her little bit.
Lady looked at the young boy in her back seat, some part in her heart thankful that he was way different from Dante. He had little words, little intentions and perhaps little tact, but he was honest and she liked him that way. She rolled her bike back slightly, releasing the security clutch and stabilized the vehicle with her feet. The ex-Order member adjusted his back and sat cozily in his position, glimpsing around the hazy environment.
"It's a little early to be getting so misty, isn't it?"
"It has been like this for a while. Lots of wind, dirt and dust scattering the area. Might be some new demons—which is why I am heading to Fortuna to meet up with an old acquaintance of mine."
"Dante?" Nero asked as he recalled the earlier episode with the bluish vixen he had never dealt with before. Her capability to harness wind placed her in the rank charts amongst the Blitz creatures. He remembered the rampage and destruction all over the train, as well as the danger the elder hunter plunged into. It required more than the usual case of shooting them dead, a bit of tact would suffice a safer plan round this new nemesis.
"Not exactly… but she works with Dante."
"She?" Alarming, Nero thought to himself; amazed by the fact that the demon hunter actually worked with someone. Or rather, someone was able to put up with his nonsense.
"Yeah, without her around, you probably can't get that lazy ass to do anything. And I still need him to pay me back every single penny he had ever owed me. She's the only reason why I haven't shot Dante in the face."
"So I guess she's someone important to Dante huh?"
"Vice versa I'd say. They can't do without each other somehow."
Nero paused for a moment, oblivious to the change in his own expression. Perhaps he almost lost a foothold of himself—was it shock, or disappointment—and so he quickly retreated in silent muse.
Important? Can't do without? Is she fucking kidding me? If that asshole already has someone he can't do without, why the hell did he even do that? If he is fucking screwing around with me, I'll show him who he's screwing with.
"Something wrong, Nero?"
Shaken abruptly in his thoughts, he recovered his nonchalance and looked at Lady. He didn't want anyone to know about the fiasco that night; he wanted to keep it unknown until he had settled scores with a particular asshole. "Nothing much. Say, about what you said, I think I might have a couple of information for you. I've stumbled into some unfamiliar demon along my journey here. Looks kinda like a vixen; long claws, serpent eyes, blue skin and it controls wind. Any idea? Any piece of information would be useful now so it was better to share any intel for viable ones in return.
"I think I have some information about your little encounter too…"
Lady pushed her bike forward and sped downhill as they began exchanging information with each other along the journey.
It's good to have acquaintance along the way, isn't it?