A little late, but here's an update! Next chapter might be a bit late too, I'm at a convention for four days and may not have much time to write!
Kendecia: Thanks for reviewing, and now you have your wish with more!
SirenaLoreley: Thanks for the review! Yup, you certainly guessed right with the Shadow Stalker, but I wasn't going to let on! :P – glad you like the long chapters too!
TheRealAkuRoku: Thanks for reviewing, glad you like it and hopefully you'll have internet soon!
VioletIsInPain: Thank you for the review; yeah that is the right expression! And Nero is useless at filling in blanks, he'd be bad at crosswords! XD – and yes, there will be smexy soon, promise!
BattleGoddess126: Thank you for reviewing! Dante should have tickled Nero at the end of the game XD – I usually write pretty past if I have a plan and when I'm not busy (or gaming)!
Honeyberries: Thanks for the review, you'll see the action soon! (starting now in fact!)
KawaiiYue: Thanks for reviewing, glad you're enjoying it so far! It's good that the suspense is working too! Those are the reasons why Dante and Nero are so perfect for each other!
Bitbyboth: Thank you for reviewing! I do love having Nero as a clueless uke sometimes, brings out his cute side! XD – and Dante definitely has a cute side! :3
Kruspe12: Thanks for the review! I think Nero would probably be kissed by Dante and still manage to talk himself out of the obvious! XD – smexy scene(s) on the way shortly, oh certainly yes! :3
Some more action here... do I smell a smexy scene in the future? I think so... but it might be a wait with my next update! XD
Chapter 10 – A Cold Night
Nero felt somewhat annoyed that Dante had interrupted the discussion with Trish just to get his stupid car back. It could have been worse; Trish might not have known what it was that was following him, but she hadn't finished explaining the situation. He knew what it wanted with him, but he still didn't know why the elder hunter reacted the way he did. He narrowed his eyes as he stared at the back of his head, trying to work out what he had meant to say as he recalled it. So, my devil side knows this demon wants to mate with Nero and it sees it as... what? Sees it as what, exactly? Did it mean that Dante wanted to protect him from it in case it became aggressive? Or did he secretly find it entertaining and interrupted to the conversation to deliberate avoid mention in it? Or maybe Dante's jealous, his devil side purred. Nero blushed at that remark. He had purposely kept away that train of thought in order to elude any possibility of false hope.
He sighed deeply, hating how the older man made him think so much. In a way, he had almost hoped that Trish had said Dante was touchy feely with everyone, but knowing it was only him made him feel... special. Naturally, he was probably just being teased for being young and inexperienced, but he still couldn't help but wish it could be more. Nero sighed again, continuing to walk silently behind the elder half devil and watching the thick grey clouds move in overhead. It was probably going to rain again, something which was sure to help his mood. There were times that he hated being so god damn emotional, but he remembered all too well how often he relied on it. Whilst suffering the worst in Fortuna, he needed something to remind himself he actually possessed a human side and emotions were the best reminder. It was the only way to look on the bright side when he'd cried himself to sleep at night. Better not tell Dante that one...
"Oh at last!" Dante proclaimed, rubbing his hands together with delight as they neared the garage. "You seriously have no idea how much I've wanted my car back, kid!"
"Yeah, badly enough to interrupt an important conversation," Nero grumbled.
"Hey, don't sweat it, I have a plan like I said."
"Oh sure, I know what the word 'plan' means when it comes from you. Run in guns blazing, sword swinging and hack away at it until it bleeds. I'm sure that will go down very well seeing as this demon's a damn shadow!"
Dante chuckled. "Isn't that what you do?"
"Err..." Nero blushed, remembering how he first fought Dante in the Opera House.
"Exactly. Anyway, what I have for this particular problem isn't a gun or a sword."
"Oh?" the teen raised a silvery eyebrow. "Then what?"
"Ah!" the elder tapped the side of his nose. "You'll see, kid. I'm not revealing my secrets."
"I remember you saying you don't like using it."
"I don't, but it's perfect for a situation like this."
"May I ask why you don't like it?"
Dante grumbled. "Because it's annoying, which is why I haven't used it in ten years!"
The two devil hunters entered the garage just as an icy blast of wind blew in their direction, sending shivers right through Nero. He liked the cold, but he was still used to the warmer climate back at Fortuna. He looked around the place, his eyes scanning over the vehicles in an attempt to guess which belonged to Dante. His eyes eventually fell on a red convertible that looked as though it had been recently repainted. That had to be his car; the pair of banged up old Fords didn't fit with his image, though Nero could almost picture Dante riding around in the fluorescent pink jeep. His eyes then instantly locked onto a man, who presumably worked here, as he walked over to the red clad demon hunter. The sleeveless denim jacket he wore left nothing to the imagination and Nero got the distinct impression the guy was trying to flirt with Dante. He felt his possessive side boiling up again, his devil side growling in the back of his mind.
"Ah Dante," the head mechanic welcomed the older man in. "Right on time."
"Naturally," Dante replied. "You fixed it alright I take it?"
"Yeah, but be careful in the future, I don't know how much more it can take..." the mechanic trailed off as his dark eyes instantly found Nero. "Oh, this guy with you?"
"Yeah he is."
A smirk curled to the young man's lips. "Is he your current b..."
"He's my current employee, yes," Dante interrupted, casting a meaningful look at the guy.
"Okay, I believe ya!"
Nero raised an eyebrow at that, not failing to notice the slight blush that crept to the elder's cheeks. He watched as the mechanic started explaining some information to Dante, but he didn't really pay any attention to what they were saying. He leaned back again the wall by the door, feeling the draft tingling against the blue claws of his demonic arm. In all the time he'd known the guy, not once had he seen him blush; it just wasn't something he'd thought Dante was capable of. Does that mean he likes me?
"Come on kid!" Dante called. "Let's get going."
The teen shook his head, noticing that while he'd been lost in thought, the other hunter was already sitting behind the wheel of his red sports car. I seriously need to stop spacing out like that, especially with some random demon wanting to claim my ass. Nero approached the convertible and slipped into the passenger seat, the leather of the black seats squeaking under his jeans. The instant the mechanic flicked the switch by the main entrance, the large metal door to the garage began rolling up and let in a freezing gust of wind. Nero shivered again, half wishing Dante would put the roof up, but he seemed too absorbed in the refreshing feel of the cold air.
"If you bang it up again," the young guy explained. "Don't forget to drop by."
"Sure thing," Dante replied. "I'll try and be more careful with it next time."
"That'll be a first."
"Shut up."
The mechanic smirked. "Take care... both of you."
On that note, Dante drove out of the garage and back onto the main street of the city, the breeze blowing their hair. Nero glanced over at the older man, blushing slightly when he observed how cool he looked with one arm resting on the driver's door and his other hand loosely gripping the steering wheel. His devil side purred again, feeling somewhat content sitting in the passenger seat beside such a fine figure of a man.
"So," Nero said, trying to distract himself. "I bet this cut a lot of your earnings."
Dante smirked. "Not at all. That guy will fix me up for free."
"How the hell did you manage that?"
"I saved him from demons once, so he promised to fix any of my vehicles for free if I ever needed it. It's a great deal too, because he's good at it," his smirk widened; he was good in bed too.
"I bet you'd rather save the owner of a pizzeria."
"Hell yeah! Free pizza for a lifetime... sadly that opportunity hasn't come by of yet."
"I bet if it does you'll jump at the..."
But Nero trailed off as he saw something small and white land on the tip of his nose. Blinking in his confusion, he glanced upwards and saw to his amazement that instead of bringing rain, the heavy cloud cover had brought snow. He grinned broadly, sticking out his tongue to taste one of the icy flakes.
"Don't freeze your tongue off kid," Dante told him, shifting in his seat slightly as he felt his leather trousers become a little tighter.
"I haven't seen snow before," Nero replied, still grinning like a small child.
"What about Fortuna Castle? Plenty of snow and ice there."
"That was because of the demons, Dante. I mean proper snow; Fortuna was too warm for this kind of weather."
"I guess you like it, huh?"
Nero half giggled as a snowflake landed on his eyelashes, a crimson tinge appearing to his cheeks at the thought of making such an embarrassing sound. "It's pretty."
Dante had to laugh. "I never expected you to call something pretty!"
The kid glared at him. "You mean you don't like snow?"
"Sure I do; lots of demons come out to play in the snow!"
"Then let's go and find some!" Nero suggested, a sly smirk on his face as he turned to look at the elder. "I still haven't had a proper chance to show you that I can beat you. I think now's the perfect time."
Dante licked his lips; you are such a little fireball! "Alright, you're on."
After returning to Devil May Cry to fetch their usual weaponry, they sped off immediately, both devil hunters enjoying the sensation of the snow against their faces. Nero had to grin again, resting his Devil Bringer on the passenger door and leaning back in the leather seat. It felt exceptionally invigorating and it certainly beat riding bitch on Dante's motorbike. So long as the snow didn't turn to rain, it would be a pleasant ride.
"I take it you prefer travelling like this?" the elder asked, breaking the silence.
"What do you think, old man," Nero replied with a roll of his eyes.
"Can you drive, kid?"
The younger shrugged. "No problem."
"Then when I take the bike on solo missions, you're welcome to take the car."
"Oh and what if you take the car?"
Dante smirked. "Guess you're walking."
"If I catch you taking the car on purpose, I swear I'll kick your ass."
"If you live up to those punk ass little remarks of yours, I'll be impressed."
"Shut up; you'll be sorry when I really do kick your ass."
"Not in a millions years, kid."
Nero grumbled, knowing that he didn't have a chance in hell of winning an argument with Dante. He just seemed to know every comeback possible for any situation. Hopefully he'd finally get to show the sick pervert up when they came across some demons. As soon as they left the city behind, the teen glanced down at his right arm as it lit up a brilliant azure, warning him that demons were nearby. He grinned, flexing his glowing talons in anticipation.
"Looks like Frosts," Dante noted as he sensed a certain bitterness in the air.
"Fantastic!" Nero exclaimed. "Because I have something better that you don't."
"Yeah, yeah, so you have your little glow stick. Big deal, you're still not as good as me."
"I'll show you a thing or two, asshole."
"Better keep up then, punk bitch."
The elder stuck his tongue out at the younger playfully and released the accelerator pedal on his car, gripped the metal door as it skidded to halt along the ice and narrowly missed clipping a wooden fence. Nero growled as he reached behind him to grab the hilt of Red Queen, jumping out of the car and getting a head start. Dante chuckled at the competitive streak showing in his little spitfire, ignoring the stirring between his legs as he glanced at the kid's ass when his denim coat blew out of the way. Grasping Rebellion from behind his seat, he took off after Nero, not wanting to miss out on all the action like the previous day.
Nero sprinted up the grassy embankment, having to fight the sudden burst of playfulness he felt at the sight of real snow. Grinning broadly, he worked on translating that feeling into the adrenalin rush he needed to bring down those Frosts before Dante. He saw four of them up ahead and his grin widened, his legs automatically forcing him to move faster so he could beat the elder hunter to the prize. He wanted to show him a thing or two.
"Don't get to cocky kid!" he heard Dante yell behind him.
"Whatever old man," Nero shouted back. "I'll cream these guys!"
He'd battled Frosts loads of times at the castle in Fortuna; just because he hadn't seen them for two months didn't mean he'd forgotten how to handle them. One of the demons ahead of him turned its head to stare at him, its tail flicking as it eyed up potential prey. Nero smirked as he saw its icy armour envelope its body, ignoring it in favour of the one sneaking up on his right. Idiot should know better than to attack from that side, the teen thought. He instantly raised his Devil Bringer, the ghostly form shooting out and grabbing the Frost by the head. Ice shattered as he slammed it hard into the ground before grabbing its tail, swinging it around his head a few times and hurling it towards its still encased partner.
However, before Nero could enjoy his little moment of victory, he heard the sound of rapid gunfire and a barrage of bullets sliced into the airborne devil. It screeched wildly as the bullets shattered the ice on its body, killing it quickly as it slammed into the icy shield of the second devil. The kid glared as he watched Dante leap onto the battlefield, his guns aimed at the target he had previously claimed as his own.
"Too slow kid," Dante taunted with a wink. "Better luck next time!"
"Do you ever play fair?" the ex-Order member exclaimed, pouting a little.
"Aw, I'm disappointed. I hoped you would know me well enough by now that you wouldn't need to ask such a question."
"Oh what a surprise!"
"But do you know what's best about my tactics?"
Nero went to reply, but a Frost shot in front of him, aiming to try and slice his head off with its icy tail. Out of the corner of his eye, he caught Dante attempting to take it down, but he smirked. He revved the handle of Red Queen, the blade instantly lighting up with burning flames as it sliced into the devil's side. It fell to the ground as Nero shoved it away with his sword, the heated blade doing enough damage to keep it from countering. He spun round so his back was facing the elder hunter, blocking his field of view so he couldn't steal his kill. With his Devil Bringer, the kid gripped its tail and hurled it at a nearby tree, its body shattering as it slammed into the trunk.
"In answer to your question," Nero spoke again, his facial expression a little smug. "No, I don't know what's best about your tactics."
Dante laughed as he pinned another Frost down with Rebellion. "I guess you wouldn't appreciate the trick, you're nowhere near experienced enough. So take a little time to learn from me on this outing. The trick is..."
The elder pulled the blade out of the ice demon's neck before quickly settling it on his back and drawing his guns. He leapt into the air and flipped over so he could look back down at the Frost, aiming Ebony and Ivory downwards. He spun round quickly in the air whilst firing a barrage of bullets into the defeated demon, Nero rolling his eyes at the display. Dante landed feet first on top of the Frost as its body slowly disintegrated into the frozen ground.
"The trick is," he repeated, a superior smirk gracing his handsome features. "Pulling off killer moves and looking stunningly sexy at the same time."
Nero sighed at the older man, shaking his head as the man ran his gloved fingers through his silvery mane. Why had he not expected him to say something like that? Both devil hunters looked towards the single tree on top of the hill, their similar blue eyes locking on to the last Frost. It spread its arms out either side of it, icicles forming around its sharp claws. It fired them all at Dante, much to Nero's delight as it gave him room to attack first. While the elder hunter was busy slicing down the projectiles, the younger sprinted forwards to attack the Frost from the side. Now was his chance to shine and show his moves.
The Frost stared him down, swinging out its tail but only to have it sliced off by Red Queen. Grinning broadly, Nero swung out his signature blade and caught it across the chest, hot flames coating its metal surface once again as he activated the Exceed System. He practically sliced the shocked devil in half before reaching up and grabbing its face with his Devil Bringer and hurling it down the slope. The Frost's broken body hit the ground and rolled down the embankment, large chunks of ice shattering on each impact. Dante side stepped the ball of ice, watching as it continued to roll until it exploded into several tiny shards. He chuckled and looked back at the young punk, who looked as though he'd just opened the best Christmas present ever.
"Not bad there kid," he told him. Pretty damn sexy too...
"I think I can say I won," Nero replied, grinning broadly.
"Only because I let ya."
"You have to ruin the moment, don't you?"
Dante spread his arms out, dramatically. "Of course!"
"You really suck, you know that?"
"Do I now?" the elder chuckled. "How would you know that?"
Nero blushed a deep crimson. "Pervert."
"Wanna find out how good I am at it?"
"Wanna find out how good my aim is?"
Dante winced slightly as he watched Nero's human hand reach for the handle of Blue Rose, dangerously. The kid however, merely chuckled at the expression on the elder's face before walking over to him and standing on the edge of the grassy bank. They could see the city from here; the sky was still dark with the thick grey cloud, but the snowfall wasn't getting any heavier. Nero smiled at the shadowy tower blocks of the concrete jungle; it was certainly his home now, no matter how much of a dump it was.
"Nice view," he said, contentedly. "We should drive out here more often."
"It looks even better at sunset," Dante replied.
"Maybe... but I've had enough of sunsets. They were all overrated at Fortuna."
The red clad hunter frowned at the saddened tone in the younger's voice. "Then I guess that's something I should correct."
When Nero turned his head took look at him, Dante couldn't help but raise a hand and lightly brush his cheek with it. His eyes stared deeply into the dark azure of the younger male's, watching the slight tint of loneliness wash away into something entirely different as he gazed back. The older man's gaze dropped until it settled on the teen's beautiful lips, a sudden want to kiss him surfacing to the front of his mind. In fact, he hadn't realised that his lips were almost touching those of the younger until he felt the kid shiver.
He pulled back immediately. "What is it Nero?" he asked.
"It seems a lot darker all of a sudden," Nero murmured.
Dante looked around, almost glad for the distraction in case he had actually ended up kissing the punk. Though he was right, it certainly was a lot darker, but it wasn't simply because the hours of daylight were less during the winter. He felt his devil side stir at the advancing darkness, his hand reaching for Rebellion on his back as his eyes fell on the tree at the top of the hill. It cast a long shadow out in front of it, but Dante was more concerned with the shadows inching their way down the slope from the top. It looked as though it was pitch black over the other side of the hill, something that was certainly not consistent even with such a heavy cover of low cloud. But the elder hunter didn't care to walk over to the tree and check, mostly in fear of him losing control of his devil side that was threatening to Trigger again.
"You said you had a plan Dante," Nero broke the silence, his voice a little shaky with fear. "I think now's the time to use it!"
"I'd stay back a bit, seeing as it's after you," Dante replied with a darker edge to his tone. "Don't do anything stupid."
"Listen, maybe I just have to convince it that I'm not a good mate, you know. I mean, Trish said Shadow Stalker's are benign, right? So, we don't want to kill it..."
"It's my job to kill it, Nero. You should let me take care of it."
The kid blinked, staring at the elder hunter nervously as he watched the copper ring around his pupil spread to his ice blue iris.
"Just don't Trigger on me, okay," Nero told him softly, hating having to back down from a fight. "Maybe with you around it might lose interest."
A smirk curled at the edges of Dante's lips, revealing sharp fangs. "That's the idea."
Nero glanced around, noticing that the shadow had crept around them as though to make sure they couldn't escape. Why the hell am I so fucking interesting to some random demon, anyway? Both he and his devil side were more afraid of the Shadow Stalker, so why didn't it just take the hint and find someone else to play with? But he was torn from his thoughts again as he heard an inhuman growl next to him. The teen peered over his shoulder, beginning to feel nervous again when he realised the sound had originated from Dante. His eyes were completely red again and the hand gripping the hilt of Rebellion was partly Triggered already.
"I see you," Dante growled with a smirk, his eyes never leaving a spot behind the tree.
Nero flinched slightly, almost expecting the elder to leap towards the tree after the approaching shadow, but he still remained standing. Instead, a portal opened in the man's own shadow which made the kid move away from him quickly. The shadowy portal next to Dante soon formed into a man that looked exactly like him in every way, except for the black hair, darker skin and black clothes. His eyes were also the same blood red and he gripped a perfect copy of Rebellion in his hand.
"Long time no see," the double remarked. "You must be in trouble, hmm?"
"I didn't invite you out for a chat," Dante growled. "I need... you're just useful right now."
The doppelganger's smirk was akin to Dante's. "Sure you do..." he trailed off and cast a glance at Nero, licking his lips. "Care to introduce us?"
The elder glared at him. "You know what I need you for."
"Sure I do," he glanced into the shadows. "Shadow versus shadow, huh?"
"Then don't mess around; I need to know how to kill this thing."
Nero watched as Dante and his double both slowly approached the tree from both sides, their movements mirroring the other. He felt a little nervous now the protective warmth of the elder was gone, but he still felt safe. Strangely, his eyes didn't seem to be drawn into the shadows like they had been during his previous encounters with the stalker. He swallowed apprehensively, not knowing where to look as the shadows crept in closer on all sides. He assumed that whatever effects the demon had upon him disappeared whenever Dante reacted to it. If he could see what was going on, he would have used the chance to attack himself, but it was far too dark.
The teen glanced up at the sky, just about making out the patches of cloud in the darkness. Night was beginning to draw in and everything seemed so much colder than it was before, making Nero shiver. It was only then that he realised he was so enveloped in the shadows that he could no longer see Dante and his doppelganger. He shook his head, trying to ignore the feelings of wanting to Trigger so he could run away, preferably into Dante's strong, protective arms... damn it Nero, now isn't the time to be thinking of that!
"Watch out kid!"
Nero spun round on his heel, trying to figure out where the elder's voice had come from. His eyes settled on a dark patch ahead of him and he felt something heading his way. He immediately dived to the ground to protect himself, feeling something cold brush past his arms that encircled his head. He didn't dare look up as he heard a high pitched shriek and the feel of something slimy splatter onto the bare flesh of his human arm.
"Shit," he heard Dante growl. "It got away."
Shaking a little, partly from the shock of not knowing what was going on, Nero slowly sat up and looked around. As quickly as the darkness had arrived, it had vanished and the scenery of the grassy fields outside the city returned to him. He hazarded a glance at his left arm, wrinkling his nose at the black ooze dripping down to his fingers.
"What the heck is this?" he asked, trying to wipe it off on his jeans.
"That Shadow Stalker can take physical form when it needs to," Dante explained. "I managed to entice it out of the shadows, but it's fucking quick. I didn't get to see it much, but I landed a blow with Doppelganger before it took off."
"Yeah, it nearly took me with it!"
"You'd better get him home," Dante's double noted. "That thing will be able to scent the kid out now its blood's all over him. Just be careful, you're dangerously close."
Nero blinked, wondering what the doppelganger meant but he didn't have any time to ask before he disappeared into Dante's shadow. The elder part devil grasped him by both arms and yanked him to his feet, growling under his breath as he glared at the black stain left on the younger man's arm. He reached out to touch it, feeling the urge to tear the skin off and remove the mark the Shadow Stalker had placed on Nero. His Nero... his mate.
"Damn it Dante," Nero pulled his arm away. "You're acting weird."
"Am I?" the elder replied.
Nero felt his breath hitch as the fingers on Dante's other hand caressed the red hide of his Devil Bringer. He noticed the red tint still in his eyes and he felt something was wrong... but his devil side certainly didn't see it that way. The teen mentally shook his head, ignoring the purring of his demon half in favour for snatching his bringer away from Dante's enticing fingers.
"Let's go back to the office," Nero told him. "I can clean up then."
Dante blinked, feeling the haze in his head begin to clear. "Sure kid, good plan."
He walked by Nero, heading down the grassy verge to where his car was still parked. The younger hunter sighed, glancing down at his demonic arm as he felt it tingling from the elder's gentle touch. Dante was hiding something from him, there was no doubt about that and it was related to his need to Trigger around the shadow demon. He narrowed his eyes and headed off after him; he had no choice but to confront him about it when they got back to the office, even though he had the impression Dante would start acting strange again.
I hope the bit with the use of Doppelgänger was okay... naughty Dante! XP - stay tuned and I'll try to write as quickly as I can!