"So who are you again?" Dante asked the man, who was the only one standing, everyone else was either sitting down or leaning against something.
"I told you before; my name is Nero."
"And you helped us out…why?" He continued, obviously not believing the man was on their side.
Saya wasn't sure what she believed. But if he was the enemy there wouldn't have been any point in killing one of his own men. At least not when he was in a position to kill them.
"Those weapons that you manifested are called "Reiketas". Or at the very least, that's the most modern translation. In Japanese of course." He responded, not regarding Dante's question.
"How come it's in Japanese?" Lady asked before Dante could say what he thought, tired of never being involved in any conversations.
"I'm not sure." He said while taking a few steps in a random direction.
"Ritorno is the only one who knows all of the history of the reiketas and why it is that they are needed."
"Ritorno?" Saya asked as Diva came back into the room, wearing a new dress and still holding her sword.
"Ritorno Gikaika. Or, originally…" He continued as Diva walked over to where Saya was.
"Ritorno Jigoku."
She stopped in her tracks before turning towards him.
"Jigoku?" She asked, still showing signs of being surprised.
"What is it Diva? You know someone by that tag or something?" Dante asked from atop his desk.
She nodded.
"You must also know then, that is was Vergil who killed him." Nero stated, looking exclusively at her now.
"Yes." She said, sitting down on the couch with Saya and Haji.
Nero stood there a few moments, not speaking.
Then, when he did, it was blunt.
"Ritorno is the man who killed Vergil."
Diva's gaze snapped up to Nero. As did Dante's.
"You're sure about that?" He asked the bandaged man.
Nero nodded.
"So…" Diva said to herself while twisting the sword, which had its tip down in the floor now.
"Ritorno."
Saya put a hand on one of Diva's but she didn't seem to notice.
"Most likely, it was out of a sort of sibling revenge." Nero went on while walking over to the entrance to the shop, making sure no one was coming.
"And now you two wish to kill Ritorno for killing Vergil." He said to himself before turning back towards them, his eyes not reflecting a single prevalent emotion.
"In any case, Ritorno will surely know what happened here. To an extent anyway. He will at the very least know that the two he sent here are dead. Whether this means his next attack on you will be stronger, swifter, or changed at all is something I am unsure of."
Dante leaned forward.
"How do you know all this stuff?" He questioned the man that he evidently still didn't trust.
Nero didn't show any signs of agitation as he answered.
"I can't tell you that now."
"Why?"
"Because people may be watching that could jeopardize this whole situation."
"And what situation would that be?" Dante asked him while sliding himself off the desk.
Nero gazed at him for a few moments before walking over to the couch Diva and Saya sat upon and kneeling in front of it.
"I am here to serve you." He said while looking into Saya's now wide eyes.
"W- what?" She stumbled out, confused at what was going on.
"A very long time ago, when you were nearing your thirty-year sleep, several humans attempted to attack you. I happened to be passing by and, taking you as simply a young girl in distress, rescued you."
She blinked in confusion, still not sure what he was talking about.
"However, I was very badly wounded during the battle and I was bleeding to death. So, before you went to sleep, you gave me some of your blood. After I died, I was reborn, as your Chevalier."
"I do not recall such a thing." Haji spoke, noticeably upset, despite his monotone expression.
"It was one of the rare times when you were not by her side. In any case, I at first wandered away, unsure of what had happened to me. At first I waited. After all, while I did not know what had happened I thought that you would surely wake up soon. When you did not, I wandered around, finding out what had happened to me, discovering what I had become, and the history of chiropterans. After I'd heard that you woke up, I sought you out. But every time I tried to find you I was one step behind. Until we met in the metropolitan opera house, in New York."
Saya shook her head, looking down at the ground, not noticing that Diva was all-but curled up.
"I'm not surprised you don't remember. I was pushed out of the theater by everyone else as your battle began. And when I wanted to go back in, I realized that the fight was between you two alone. It was not my place to interfere."
A few more seconds passed before he stood up again.
"I realized that at the very center of my soul the way that I felt was lonely."
Everyone looked at him with a deeper expression, except for Diva.
"It was then that this weapon appeared in my hand." He said, holding up the sword in its sheath.
"This has been the closest thingI've hadto a friend since I was a human being."
After another second he lowered the weapon again and looked at the two queens.
"When you discover what it is that you truly exist for at the moment, that is when you can discover your Reiketa, your soul sword."
Saya looked at the red rose in her pocket.
"When you were able to discover that weapon, you realized that what you wanted at that moment was an unyielding and unbending desire to protect your sister."
Now Diva looked up at him as well, not showing any surprise but obviously not having been expecting such a statement.
"While you…" He said while looking into her eyes.
"When you manifested that sword it was because of your sadness. The emotion that lied beneath all the laughter and blood-drinking."
Diva felt the looks at her and tried to pretend no one was there, embarrassed for some reason.
"But it seems that you aren't willing to accept that yet, which is why you can't call upon the true powers of your weapon." He said while taking steps away from everyone.
"How about me?" Dante asked, feeling left out.
Nero glanced back him, not giving the man much regard.
"I'm not sure what it is that you feel." He said before turning back towards Diva.
"However, if you are doing this out of revenge for the man that you care about." Nero began, looking at the now-smooth sides of her hair and the way that it looked combed back more, despite it was more or less the same style.
His eyes gazed at her and Saya began to wonder what he was really thinking.
"I believe he would find it insulting that you would change like this."
Diva's eyes flared and she tried to jump off the couch, only held back by Saya.
"What makes you think you know who Vergil was?!" She yelled at him, one of the few moments where she was actually in a full-blown rage as opposed to just a tantrum.
He still showed no signs of irritation and just stared at her.
"Only what I heard. But from what I know, he was a man who disliked compromise. And… that he was very stubborn as well."
Diva had stopped trying to get to him, though she was still noticeably irritated.
"I do not think he would have liked for the person he cared the most about to change the way she was over his death. I think he would have liked for you to stay the same."
Her expression became hollow and she let herself fall back onto the couch with Saya.
Nero turned away, towards the entrance.
"My apologies. I didn't mean to intrude on your personal affairs. But what you feel and what you think…have a direct effect on the strength of your weapons."
He turned his head, looking at Saya.
"The location that you discovered was the correct one. Everyone is there. Only those with soul swords should come. It is too dangerous for anyone else. Whether they be human or otherwise."
Saya stared at him, wondering if he was who he said he was, or if this was all an elaborate trap.
"Still, he knows about chiropterans, and about our past. To an extent." She thought to herself while trying to make Diva feel better.
"I will be there when you arrive. We can discuss this in greater detail then."
She blinked, and he was gone.
Not so much as a shoeprint or a smell was left behind. It was as if he were a ghost.
"Maybe he is. Who knows." Saya thought to herself, wondering if Nero was their ally, or just a very well-disguised enemy.