Nero rose to consciousness gradually, a diver surfacing from deep water. Muddled light and sound resolved into coherent sensations, though both were soon eclipsed by the scream of pain across his chest. He tried to draw a breath to ask where he was and what had happened, but the movement set off a new band of fireworks across his sternum, and the air escaped him as a groan.

"About time you woke up," Nico's terse drawl greeted him. "Thought I was gonna have to give Kyrie bad news."

Nero cracked an eye and took in the neon twilight of Dante's shop. Last he remembered, it had been midmorning. Had he been unconscious for so long? "What time is it?" he rasped. His throat felt like he'd swallowed a scouring pad.

"Just after six." Nico let her chair, which had been rocked back on its hind legs, drop to all fours. The sound stabbed through Nero's skull. "You got hit pretty good back there. Or pretty bad, I guess. A bunch o' broken ribs and a big ol' knock on the head. You seem to be healin' up okay now, but you've been switched out like a light the last couple o' days. I guess it took a while for your devil power thingy to fix your noggin."

"Days?" he echoed, eyes flashing wide when the words finally sank in. "Is Kyrie—"

"It's fine," Nico assured him. "I called her right away, an' twice a day since, to update her. She knows exactly where an' how you are. I would'a taken you straight back to Fortuna so she could take care o' you herself, only I didn't think you should travel in your condition. Figured I'd let you heal up some first."

Nero ran an exploratory hand over his chest. The pain was intense, but his ribs felt more bruised than broken. His head was another matter; in addition to the acute pain of injury, he was suffering from something uncomfortably like a hangover. He could guess at the cause of that, at least. "Water?" he asked.

Nico grunted, but stood and moved to the kitchenette. "Only because I feel sorry for your beat-up ass," she muttered when she returned holding a glass of water. "You gonna tell me what happened in there? What hit you?"

Nero struggled upright and drained the glass before answering. "Vergil," he said, handing the cup back to her.

Nico's eyes went wide. "Your daddy beat you up again?"

"He has never—" The outrage was draining, and Nero slumped back against the cracked leather of the sofa. "I think he… pushed me out of the way. When that thing attacked. It happened fast."

"What thing?" Nico frowned. "We didn't find nothin' in there with you."

"I don't know what it was." Nero closed his eyes and tried to remember, but all he could picture in his mind's eye was a shadowy hulk and a violet ball of energy. "Big and ugly. Ask Dante or Vergil; they know more about what kinds of demons are what."

Nico remained silent. That was suspicious in its own right, and doubly so when there was something she wanted to know. Nero opened one eye and pinned her with its gaze. "Where are Dante and Vergil?"

Nico shifted in her seat. "I was kinda hopin' you could tell me."

Nero bolted upright, ignoring the fresh pain that lanced across his chest. "What the hell is that supposed to mean?"

"You're the only one we found." Nico's fingers twisted in her lap; she seemed legitimately distressed. "I mean, we found a few more kids when we searched the building—all unconscious, like the ones you saw—but there was no sign o' Dante or Vergil anywhere. Or any big demon thing, neither. Trish an' Lady cleaned out all the little critters in the back room, but there was nothin' big enough to give Dante any trouble."

"They probably went after the demon. Chased it outside."

"I'd think so too, except…" Nico turned to point at the coat rack. On it hung two long coats, one red and one deep blue. "Found their togs a couple aisles over from where we found you."

Nero stared at the coats, trying to absorb this new information. "They wouldn't have left those behind."

Nico nodded. "Which means they must'a been vaporized, or somethin.'"

"That's crazy."

"You got a better explanation?"

He didn't. Nero slumped back against the sofa and tried to remember what had happened. "We were all together," he murmured. "Then this big purple demon showed up, and that's when Vergil knocked me out of the way." He frowned as a detail rose to the surface. "He was scared, I think."

Nico blinked. "Who was scared? You mean Vergil?"

"Yeah. Seemed like it."

"Boy, that knock on the head must'a addled your brains. Vergil don't get scared." Despite her protests, Nico looked alarmed. Nero know she regarded his father with a mixture of awe, fascination and dislike, but she respected Vergil's hunting prowess as much as Dante's. Anything that could frighten Vergil had to be formidable indeed. The thought of an enemy like that on the loose was unnerving.

"Where are Trish and Lady?" Nero asked suddenly.

"Out hunting. They said the job's not done 'til they find whatever that thing was an' kill it. They're lookin' for any sign o' Dante or Vergil, too."

Nero tried to rise. "I should help—"

"You should not," Nico snapped, pushing him back down. "I promised Kyrie I'd keep you from doin' anything stupid. Well, more stupid than usual," she added with a fierce grin. "You're on bed rest until further notice."

Nero wanted to challenge her, but it was taking all his self-control not to grimace with each breath. In his condition, he was more of a liability than anything. Dead weight, he thought bitterly.

Nico reached across to Dante's desk and retrieved a mostly-empty pizza box. "Here," she said, shoving a cold slice toward him. "Eat up. You need to replenish your energy."

Nero stared at the unappetizing triangle, dotted with congealed grease, and felt his stomach lurch. He recalled Vergil's revelation about the meat factory and wondered where the local pizzeria sourced its pepperoni. "You know, I'm really feeling more of a salad vibe right now…"

When Nero opened his eyes the next morning, it was to see Trish and Lady looming over him. He jerked fully awake and scrabbled upright on the sofa. "What?"

"See?" Trish shrugged and moved to park herself on Dante's desk. "I told you he'd wake up on his own."

Lady sighed. "Sorry. I didn't want to disturb you, but…"

"I'm awake now." Nero scrubbed his hands over his face. Grit and stubble abraded his palms, and he tried not to notice the sour taste in his mouth. He never had cleaned up after that reeking factory, and he felt completely disgusting. "You find anything?"

Lady shook her head. "No trace, except…" She glanced at Trish, who drew a pair of pistols from somewhere behind her back and held them up for him to see.

Nero blinked at this display. He'd seen Trish wield Luce and Ombra countless times; what was so important about…

Oh.

Not Luce and Ombra.

"Dante would never leave Ebony and Ivory behind," he said slowly. "Which means…"

"He didn't leave that factory willingly. If at all." Lady stared off toward the jukebox, the planes of her face tight with anxiety. "There's no sign of a fight, either. It's as though they just vanished, leaving everything they were carrying behind."

"But not everything," Nero cut in. "You didn't find Yamato or Dante—the sword, I mean?"

Trish shook her head. "But those are Devil Arms. I suppose if there were something capable of completely eliminating devils as powerful as Dante or Vergil, it could have destroyed the souls in their weapons, as well."

Nero tipped his head to rest on the back of the sofa. "So what do we do now?"

"I don't know." Lady paced aimlessly across the office. "I'm not sure there's anything we can do, except carry on."

"So it's just business as usual? Dante and Vergil vanish into thin air, and you just give up on them?" Nero's temper flared, fueled by pain and anxiety. "Like hell I'm going to just move on with my life and pretend everything's fine!"

"That's not what I mean, and you know it," Lady snapped. "Whatever attacked them is probably still out there, and even if it's not, there are dozens of other sites with demons popping up all over this continent. Someone has to keep protecting this world. I can't take a hiatus from being a devil hunter just because my best friend goes missing!" The outburst seemed to drain Lady's remaining energy. She sighed and rubbed her eyes. "I'll keep looking," she promised, more quietly. "I've already asked Morrison to put out feelers. If there's any news of them, even a rumor, we'll know."

Nero's gaze burned into the floor. He shouldn't take his frustrations out on Lady, of all people. She'd known Dante and Vergil longer than any of them, and while they occasionally found themselves at odds, he knew the motley crew of hunters was the closest thing she had to a family. "Thanks," he mumbled.

"In the mean time, you should prioritize getting back in fighting condition," Trish said. "If and when we find that creature that attacked them, we may need your help to take it down."

"Oh, I definitely want in on the kill," Nero growled. The sound was echoed a second later by his gut, and he rubbed his stomach thoughtfully. "I haven't had a proper meal in days. Where's Nico?"

"She left the moment we got back. Said she had something to take care of." Lady began piling her considerable arsenal of weapons onto Dante's desk. "I'll run out and get us all something to eat. Any requests?"

"Something vaguely healthy would be great." Nero stretched, and the stench clinging to his clothes made him grimace. "I'm gonna go clean up a bit first."

After indulging in a lukewarm shower—apparently Dante's water heater was on the fritz again—Nero seated himself at Dante's desk and dialed long distance. He'd have to chip in something for this month's phone bill, he supposed; he knew Dante couldn't afford so many calls to Fortuna…

The sudden realization that Dante might never pay another phone bill blindsided him so thoroughly that he didn't respond when Kyrie first picked up. "Nico?" he heard her repeating. "Is that you?" He heard a clicking sound, as though she were wiggling the wire. "I think the connection might be bad…"

"It's me," he blurted when his brain caught up. "Hey."

"Nero!" Kyrie's sweet voice quavered in relief, and Nero's heart flopped into a synchronous rhythm. "I was so worried!"

"I know. I wanted to let you know I'm okay."

"Are you, really? I told Nico to take you to a doctor if you need one. We'll find a way to pay for it…"

"No, there's no need for that. I'm fine. Back on my feet now, and everything."

There was silence on the line for a moment. "Is there any news about your father or uncle?" Kyrie sounded almost apologetic, as though speaking the question aloud might invoke bad news. "Nico told me they were missing."

"Nothing so far." Nero swallowed against the tightness in his throat. "But they'll turn up sooner or later. I mean, they survived jumping into the underworld, right? And if you believe Nico's crazy stories, Vergil's already died and come back two or three times." He tried to infuse a smile into his voice to reassure her, but he could tell from her sigh that it wasn't working.

"It's okay to be worried about them, Nero," she chided gently. "You don't have to pretend for my sake."

He slumped against the receiver, wishing she weren't hundreds of miles away so he could lean into her embrace directly. "I know. I just… I feel so useless. I didn't do anything to protect them, and now I don't know if I can do anything to help find them."

"You just focus on recovering, for now. I know you're probably tired of hearing that, but the best way to help them is to take care of yourself so you can do something when the opportunity comes." She hesitated before asking, "Are you coming home soon?"

"I don't know yet. I guess it'll depend on whether we can find any trace of whatever… took them." He had to believe that Dante and Vergil had just been taken away, for now. The alternative was unthinkable. "I'll let you know."

"All right." He could tell she was disappointed, but was trying to keep the brightness in her voice. "The kids have been asking about you."

"Tell them all hello for me. I'll be home as soon as I can."

"I will." She sighed. "I should probably let you go before this call gets any more expensive. But thank you for calling, Nero. And please… be careful."

"Hey, you know me." Nero toyed with the phone cord and debated a more affectionate farewell, but Trish was lurking near the jukebox, shamelessly eavesdropping. "I'll talk to you soon, okay? Call you first thing tomorrow."

"All right. I love you."

"You, too." He saw Trish smirk and tried to suppress the warmth that crept up his neck. "Bye."

As he placed the receiver back in the cradle, Trish shot him a smug look and selected a song to play. Nero rolled his eyes as the strains of some maudlin pop ballad filled the office, a singer crooning about missing the one he loved. "Thought you could use a little mood music," Trish said as she picked up a magazine and stretched her long legs out on the sofa.

Nero was saved from further mockery by the return of Lady, her arms laden with carrier bags. "Sorry it took so long. Lunch rush." She deposited the bags on Dante's desk and unloaded several cardboard boxes bearing the logo of the Chinese restaurant a few blocks away. "Chicken and broccoli, pot stickers, and sweet and sour pork. Not exactly health food, but my options were limited."

Trish frowned. "No pizza?"

Lady sighed. "There are only two restaurants within a ten-block radius of this building, Trish. I chose the one that didn't have a line out the door."

"It's fine," Nero said quickly, reaching for the container of chicken and broccoli. "This smells great. Thanks."

Lady opened a container of rice and scooped a pile onto one of the paper plates she'd brought with the food. "I guess your being hungry is a good sign. Whenever I have a concussion, I don't feel up to eating until I'm pretty far on the mend."

"How many concussions have you had?" Nero asked around a potsticker.

Lady laughed wryly. "I've lost count. That's probably a sign of some kind of permanent brain damage, but in this line of work?" She shrugged. "I guess it could be a lot worse. I should just be glad I'm still around, right? Not all of us have a supernatural healing ability."

Nero performed a quick headcount. "Huh. Now that I think about it, I guess you're the only one who doesn't."

"Well, what I lack in innate devil powers, I make up for in attitude." She flashed a smile and reached for the container of pork. "Trish, if you want any food, better call it now."

"I'll order a pizza later." Trish returned her attention to the magazine, an issue Nero was sure he'd seen lying around the office for at least his last three visits. Maybe Dante and Trish just couldn't remember which ones they'd already read. Maybe it was a sign they all had brain damage. He rubbed his bruised forehead and wondered how long it would be before he'd be reading the same thing over and over without realizing it.

Conversation paused as they chewed, and after a minute Lady looked over at the jukebox, her nose crinkled. "What the…? Where the hell is that awful music coming from?"

Trish raised the magazine, but it didn't entirely conceal her feline grin.