Sister Benedicta stared at them across the desk, her eyes wider than Nero had ever seen them. "You want to teach the sisters what?"

Nero had known when they left the house this morning that their errand at the orphanage was a doomed one. While Sister Benedicta bore a certain respect for swords because of their association with Sparda and the Order, she had never made any secret of her distaste for firearms. It had taken years for her to stop tutting at Nero whenever she saw him with Blue Rose, even when he'd been a member of the Knights. Now he found himself taking the brunt of her incensed glare, as though she suspected he was behind this nefarious plan to put pistols in the hands of her gentle childcare workers.

Nero deferred to Kyrie with his eyes. This whole thing had been her idea, after all; let her sell the headmistress on it.

"Only for self-defense," Kyrie said hastily. "There have been several attacks on the orphanage recently, and since Nero is going to be busy hunting down a very dangerous demon for the foreseeable future, I think it's best if we have our own line of defense. If Nero is away from the city when the next attack comes, we'll need some way to protect the children. We can't just shelter here indefinitely, and if the demons spread out into the surrounding neighborhood, even more lives will be at risk."

The headmistress nodded. "That has been weighing on my mind, as well. But first, what about this dangerous demon?" She turned to Nero. "Are we in danger here? Should we take precautions against it?"

Nero shook his head. "It was last sighted out near the old mines, so I don't think there's an immediate risk. But we know it's come into the city at least twice, so don't leave the gates standing open."

"I never do, these days." Sister Benedicta sighed, and Nero could see from the deep furrows between her brows that she was at least considering Kyrie's proposal—which, frankly, was more than he'd expected. "I don't like the idea of having armaments on the orphanage grounds, and I certainly don't want them where the children can see them. They are a dangerous temptation for those inclined to mischief, and their very presence could be frightening for some of the children. But without the Holy Knights to protect us these past few years…" She fell silent for a moment, then raised her eyes to Nero again. "You are all that has stood between us and disaster more times than I can count. Perhaps it is time we took some action to fill that gap ourselves." She stood. "I know some of the sisters would be very uncomfortable in the presence of weapons—as I myself would be—so I won't ask anyone to participate in your firearms training. But if there is any personal interest among the staff, I will… permit them to attend."

"Thank you, sister." Kyrie followed the headmistress toward the staff room, and Nero trailed after them. It surprised him that she hadn't vetoed the suggestion outright, but he was pleased to see Sister Benedicta taking a more realistic view of protecting the children in her charge.

Once the staff had been summoned to the room, Sister Benedicta allowed Kyrie to make her pitch. Ultimately, only two of the orphanage staff volunteered for the firearms training: Sister Veritas, a strong-minded woman around Lady's age, and Sister Dominica, the most senior member of the staff, who was mostly deaf and couldn't have been a day under eighty. Given the age spread, and his own memories of being disciplined by both women, Nero was suddenly very glad that he'd volunteered to stay home with the kids.

"May the Savior guide," Sister Benedicta intoned quietly when the staff had been dismissed. Most of them filed out of the room to other duties, though Sister Gratia hung back, waiting to speak with the headmistress. "And may He protect us in your absence. You'll keep them all safe, I trust." She was looking at Nero.

"Uh, I'm not involved, actually," Nero said. "Lady's the one who'll be doing the teaching. But she knows her stuff. She's been doing this longer than I've been alive, so they'll be in good hands."

"Lady." The headmistress's lips compressed. "The one who was here before?"

Nero knew she was thinking of Lady's revealing wardrobe, and was glad that she had never caught sight of Trish. Sister Benedicta had been one of the most vocal critics of Gloria's involvement in the Order. "Yeah. She's a better instructor than I am. Civilian background, you know." He tried to think of something that would convince her. "The Knights kinda had only one way of teaching things, and I'm pretty sure nobody wants me running them through practice drills all day."

The headmistress didn't look reassured. "Given the recent attacks, I'm more concerned about demons finding them, if you're not with them. Where will this training take place?"

"Lady's scoped out a good place near the mining camp. She's out there right now, checking the area, in fact."

"Near the mines." Sister Benedicta frowned. "Isn't that where you said that dangerous demon had been sighted?"

"That was a week ago," he said quickly. "There's no evidence it's still there. Besides, my partner, Nico, will be there too, along with another hunter we know. Plenty of experts to handle anything that shows up. And if there's any trouble at all, everyone can just hop in the van and leave. You know I wouldn't be sending Kyrie anywhere I thought was really dangerous."

The headmistress still looked doubtful, but Kyrie came to Nero's rescue. "I'm sure we will be fine. We're taking precautions, and I trust Lady and Trish to look after our safety. But will you be all right here, with two staff members gone for a day? I'm sure Nero could stop by for a while if you find yourself short-handed."

"No, we'll manage all right. I can have that girl Gianna help monitor the after-school activities if necessary."

"Hey, that's right." Nero seized the opportunity to divert the conversation further. "How's she doing? We've had so much going on I forgot to ask."

Sister Benedicta's expression grew marginally less grave. "The doctor looked at her hands on Friday, and his prognosis was favorable. And she's beginning to adjust to being here. She didn't want to come out of her room at all at first, but she seems more willing to help now that she knows her brother and sister aren't in the building. I think she was worried they would see her and be upset."

"But Scipio and Flavia come to the after-school activities, too," Kyrie pointed out. "If Gianna is helping tomorrow, they'll see her."

"Oh, that's true." The headmistress frowned. "I'll speak with her this afternoon and ask if she's ready to meet them."

Kyrie shook her head. "I'm not sure they're ready to meet her. I think Flavia misses her, but Scipio still harbors a lot of anger toward her for leaving them here."

Sister Benedicta nodded. "I believe she feels rather guilty about the whole situation. I do hope they'll all come to understand one another, in time. But all things considered, Gianna is doing as well as can be expected. I think she's benefiting from having some structure in her life." She clasped her hands and sighed. "She seems to be a good girl at heart, though sadly misguided. It's unfortunate when vulnerable children fall under bad influences."

"Yeah, well, her 'influence' seems like a real piece of work," Nero muttered. "We're still trying to track him down. He's got a lot to answer for."

"If possible, I'd like to keep Gianna out of it," Sister Benedicta said firmly. "The less contact she has with her old life, the better. Although, on that subject, she has expressed a great deal of concern about finding her motor scooter… Do you know anything about that?"

Nero scratched his head. "I know where we left it a few weeks ago. No idea if it's still there."

"Well, if you have opportunity to look, I think she'd appreciate knowing it's safe. I have the impression that it's the only property she owns, and she's quite worried about losing it."

"I'll try to run over tonight and check. If it hasn't been stripped for parts, I can probably drop it off this evening."

"Here?" Sister Benedicta's eyebrows arched. "What are we to do with it?"

Nero shrugged. "Store it until you figure out where Gigi's going, I guess. I've got the van and Lady's motorcycle in my garage, so there really isn't room for it at my place."

"There's the tool shed," Sister Gratia interjected. Nero turned; he'd forgotten she was still in the room. "The only things we store there are the garden supplies. With a little rearranging, I'm sure we could fit something small like a scooter. And the shed locks, so it wouldn't be stolen."

"That's an excellent suggestion, Sister Gratia." Sister Benedicta's eyes fell on the packet in Sister Gratia's hand and widened. "Oh! Is that…?"

Sister Gratia beamed and stepped closer. "He made another donation," she stage-whispered. "He stopped by while I was sweeping the pavement in front of the gate." She handed over the envelope, looking immensely pleased with herself.

"Praise the Savior," the headmistress breathed, tucking the packet away into her robes. "We truly need this."

Kyrie glanced between the two women. "What's this?"

"It seems our mysterious benefactor continues to provide," Sister Benedicta explained. "I mentioned it to Nero the last time he was here. For the past few weeks, a gentleman has been bringing Sister Gratia cash donations for the orphanage. A modest amount, but sorely needed. Apparently he learned we were struggling without the Order's financial support, and felt inspired to aid the children."

"Oh, thank goodness," Kyrie sighed. "Ever since I balanced the books I've been worried about our funding, too. Who is he?"

"No one seems to know." Sister Benedicta's eyes shifted to Sister Gratia. "Or if they do, they aren't telling."

"He hasn't told me his name. And he was very clear that he wished to remain an anonymous donor." Sister Gratia spread her hands. "I couldn't risk upsetting him by insisting he identify himself, not with real money on the line. When was the last time someone gave us cash, and not just their cast-off goods?"

"That's quite enough," Sister Benedicta chided. "Let us simply be grateful that someone has been moved to charity, and that we are provided for in our hour of need. Now, Sister Gratia, I believe you have other duties to attend to."

Sister Gratia nodded and excused herself, and Kyrie turned to Nero. "We should probably get home, too. I didn't mind letting Tony sleep through breakfast since he had so much rest to catch up on, but we really ought to make sure he's up in time for lunch."

Sister Benedicta looked puzzled. "Who is Tony?"

"Oh—one of the twins," Kyrie explained. "Rosso decided a few weeks ago that he wanted to be called Tony, so we went along with it."

"Decided?" The headmistress blinked. "I thought Rosso and Zaffiro were just infants. I remember you borrowing diapers for them."

Kyrie glanced at Nero, and there was a flash of panic in her eyes. "Uh… turns out they're… a little older than we thought," Nero temporized. "You wouldn't believe how big they've gotten."

"Even so, a child usually doesn't go from wearing diapers to choosing a new name for himself in just a few weeks." Her sharp eyes bored into Nero, and for an instant he flashed all the way back to his own childhood. "Unless there's something you haven't told me?" Her gaze shifted to Kyrie, whom Nero knew was fundamentally incapable of telling a lie, and he realized it was a matter of seconds before the entire complicated story unspooled.

"A lot of things, actually," he cut in. "We've had a crazy amount of stuff happen the last couple months. People staying at the house, the school board checking up on us after that fight, our van got stolen, the whole thing with Gigi, I was working a second job for a while, we found out somebody broke into our garage and messed with our phone, this demon showing up, my friend from school getting killed, these random summonings… It's been nonstop. I can't even keep track of who we've told what any more."

Sister Benedicta assumed a look of sympathy, though she remained firm. "I do understand. But with as many children as you have in that house—and many of them our responsibility—you know I need to be kept informed of anything that might affect their wellbeing." She frowned. "Wait. You said your friend Lady was out at the mines, didn't you? You haven't left the twins home alone?"

"No, of course not," Kyrie assured her. "We have a… house guest."

"Another one?" Sister Benedicta's lips thinned, and her eyes flicked to Nero. "Another of your heavily-armed devil hunting associates, I suppose."

"Well…" Kyrie hesitated.

"It's my father," Nero said suddenly. Kyrie shot him a startled look, and he realized he'd never relayed to her that he'd told the headmistress about finding his family. But Nero's long-lost father coming to visit was one house guest Sister Benedicta couldn't possibly condemn, as pleased as she'd been to hear that Nero had found his family. "He's staying with us right now."

Sister Benedicta's surprise was short-lived. "I thought you said your father had been in an accident?"

"Yeah, he was. And now he's recuperating. But he, uh, wanted to be closer to the twins. So." Nero shrugged. "He's sleeping on our couch."

"I see," Sister Benedicta said, though she looked far from convinced. "I should very much like to meet your father, Nero. Since he's come all this way to visit you, perhaps you might bring him by and show him where you grew up."

"Sure, I'll extend the invite." Nero mentally crossed his fingers behind his back. "Just as soon as he's feeling better. Wouldn't want him to overdo it and have a relapse, you know."

"Of course," the headmistress agreed. "Please convey to him my wishes for a swift recovery."

"That," Kyrie sighed as they strolled back toward their house, "was a disaster. I'm so sorry; I never should have mentioned Tony. I don't know what we're going to tell her about the twins. You know she'll want to see them sooner or later. And if she asks the other children about them…"

"We'll deal with it if it happens." Nero caught her hand and squeezed it. "And it wasn't your fault. With everything that's happened, we were never gonna be able to keep our story straight. But if everything goes according to plan, in a couple more weeks Dante and Vergil will be back to normal and off home again, and we can just tell Sister Benedicta that the twins went back to their own family." He gave a snort of laughter. "Hell, maybe I'll actually take Vergil to meet her, and she'll be so put off by him that she'll just stop asking anything about my relatives."

"He does take some adjusting to." Kyrie sighed. "You know, even with you telling me what to expect, I really kept thinking he'd be more like an older version of Zaffiro—just a bit more reserved, perhaps. But he really is quite…" She bit her lip. "I'm not sure of the right word."

"The right word begins with A and rhymes with 'bass pole.' You may have heard me use it to describe him once or twice."

She narrowed her eyes at him, but for once didn't reprimand his crude language. "He is certainly more reticent than I'd expected. I've only spoken to Dante a few times, but I don't remember him being anything like that. Of course Rosso and Zaffiro had their individual personalities, but it's hard to imagine identical twins becoming so unlike one another. Are they really so different as adults?"

"Yeah, like opposite poles of a magnet. Dante's pretty laid-back, and even when he's dead serious about something, he pretends like he isn't. Then there's Vergil, who's got a stick crammed so far up his—"

This time she did object to his choice of words. "Nero."

"He doesn't know the meaning of 'chill,' is all I'm saying." They had reached their house, and Nero paused with his hand on the front door knob. "Ready to see just how bad a babysitter he is? I predict we'll find Tony pinned to the wall with a sharp object. If Vergil was feeling generous, it will only be through his shirt."

Kyrie rolled her eyes. "I can't imagine he'd do anything to harm his own brother."

Nero laughed. "You hang on to that beautiful dream as long as you can, sweetheart."

When they entered the house, Rosso—free, as far as Nero could tell, of puncture wounds—jumped up from the sofa to greet them. Judging by his enthusiasm, he seemed to have recovered nicely from the days without sleep. "You're back!" he said brightly. "Can we go to the park or somewhere?"

"Hello to you, too," Nero replied. "I don't know about the park; we've got some other stuff to do this afternoon. Maybe after the other kids get back from school, you can go with Julio."

Rosso sank back onto the couch, clearly disappointed. "Okay."

From the kitchen, they heard the telephone ring, and Kyrie hurried to answer it. Nero paused to hang their jackets in the front closet and cast a sidelong glance at Vergil, who was reading in the armchair as usual. He hadn't spoken since their return. "So what did you two get up to while we were gone?"

"Nothing," Rosso sulked, shooting a glare at Vergil. "My brother got boring when he got old."

Nero prepared himself for Vergil's reaction, but the only response was a slow and very deliberate page-turn. Nero turned back to Rosso. "I don't see much difference. I seem to remember him mostly reading and ignoring you even when you were the same age."

Rosso picked at the seam of a couch cushion. "Yeah, but then I could get him to pay attention to me sometimes. Now he just keeps reading no matter what I do."

Nero chuckled. Apparently Vergil's rigid discipline had trumped Rosso's obnoxious antics, at least for one morning. "Well, maybe you should stop harassing him and go wash up for lunch, huh? We're gonna eat soon."

Rosso hopped down from the couch and nearly collided with Kyrie, who had appeared in the doorway. As the boy dodged around her, Nero shot out an arm and collared him. "Hey. You forget something?"

Rosso squirmed against Nero's spectral grip for a second before capitulating. "Excuse me," he told Kyrie.

"That's better." Nero released him and watched him pelt down the hall. "For the record, once he's an adult again, I take no responsibility for his manners."

"That shows intelligence on your part," Vergil said.

"He speaks!" Nero hitched a hip onto the back of the couch. "I was starting to think I was gonna have to get a crowbar to pry you out of that book."

One of Vergil's eyebrows twitched, but Kyrie redirected the conversation before he could answer. "Nero, that call was from Sister Benedicta. She spoke with Gianna after we left, and it sounds like she's ready to meet with Scipio and Flavia. But we agreed that it would be best to do it in private, before all the children come tomorrow. She'd like one of us to explain things to them and, if they're willing, bring them over this afternoon."

"That should probably be you. You're way better at getting everyone to play nice together, and Scipio's gonna take a lot of convincing. I'll watch the rest of the kids while you're gone."

Kyrie nodded. "I think you're right. If I prepare everything before I leave, can you put dinner in the oven while I'm gone? I don't want to rush their reunion."

"Sure. Or I can just cook tonight, if you want."

"No, there's a recipe I've been wanting to try. I'll get it ready after lunch. But remember, you're on kitchen duty all day tomorrow, while we're at our training session."

"Already planning the menu."

"Sandwiches and pasta?" Kyrie's eyes twinkled.

"Aw, you peeked." Nero twisted to glance at the clock. "Hey, I just realized—if I'm going to look for Gigi's Vespa tonight, that means I need to go right after lunch, so I can be back by the time the kids get home."

"Go where?" Rosso, shirt cuffs slightly damp, reappeared and squeezed past Kyrie again with a muttered 'scuse me. He didn't wait for an answer before adding, "Can I come with you?"

"It's nothing exciting. Just a…" Nero stopped and nearly laughed. Actually, a big, empty, semi-collapsed warehouse sounded exactly like the sort of place Rosso could safely burn off some of the energy he'd been stockpiling all morning. "I'm gonna go look for a friend's scooter. It's a really long walk. I'm not sure you're up for it."

"I'm up for it!" Rosso's voice nearly squeaked in his eagerness. "I never get tired of walking!"

"Well…" Nero drew the word out. "If you're sure you won't be bored…"

"I won't!" The boy was nearly bouncing in place.

"All right, if you promise to behave, you can come."

Rosso gave a cheer and a double arm-pump—where had he picked that up?—but Kyrie's brow furrowed. "Are you sure it's safe?"

Nero shrugged. "We'll be on main streets most of the way there. Plenty of sidewalks. There's not much traffic this time of day, anyway."

"No, I mean…" She gave an expressive chin-nudge. "That area. Isn't that where Tonio…?"

Oh, it was just the usual kind of danger she was worried about. "No sightings lately, but I can take my gear if it would make you feel better."

Kyrie hesitated, her eyes swinging to Rosso. Nero knew she preferred that he keep his weapons well away from the children, but Rosso was a special case: Dante, like Vergil, would have received his first sword when he was no more than eight years old, and he looked at least eleven now. "I suppose you had better," she said at last. "You'll be safer with Red Queen watching over you."

Rosso twisted to look up at Nero. "Who's Red Queen?"

"My pride and joy." Nero grinned. "I'll introduce you right after lunch, and then we'll go Vespa hunting."

By some miracle—and contrary to every trend across the increasingly-desperate city—Gianna's scooter was still parked right where she had left it. Nero circled the vehicle, looking for signs of tampering, but finally decided that it had been left alone precisely because no thieves had wanted to bother with a dirty, decades-old Vespa that already had several dents, a cracked headlight and a leaking front tire.

Nero crouched and prodded the rubber. The tire was flat enough that it gave beneath his finger. "Well, one thing's for sure, we're not riding this thing back. I hope you're up for another long walk."

"Yeah, I am." Rosso stared at the filthy streets and alleys around them. Despite his assurances, he'd quickly grown bored with their walk, though at least he wasn't complaining about it. Perhaps even a mundane sidewalk was an improvement over being stuck in the house with a brother who gave him the silent treatment. "Why are all those buildings falling down?"

"They're empty warehouses. Nobody's used them in a long time, and when nobody does maintenance, eventually stuff breaks."

"Can I go look inside?"

"We can go, if you help me move this. Grab the handlebar on that side." Nero didn't need help rolling the scooter, but he didn't want Rosso crossing the street on his own, and he doubted the boy would be keen to hold his hand at this age. "Okay, on my signal, push."

They steered the scooter across the empty street and into the gaping entrance of the warehouse where Nero and Lady had lain in wait for Gianna just a few weeks before. The rubble was unchanged, though Nero found himself scanning the dust for circular cane-marks. Apart from the odd worker's boot print along the shortcut Tasso had shown him, it appeared no one had been in this building since their last visit.

"Wow, it's huge!" Rosso jogged forward a few steps and spun in a circle, taking in the vast empty space. "I've never seen a building this big! You could play football inside it!"

Nero chuckled at his enthusiasm. He'd wanted to burn off some of the kid's energy, hadn't he? "Hey, you think you could run a whole lap around this place without stopping to rest?"

The boy's eyes lit with challenge, and he took off so fast that Nero didn't even have a chance to warn him to be careful of the debris and broken glass littering the floor. He dashed around the inside perimeter, hurdling chunks of concrete or garbage where they lay in his path. He was fast—not as fleet as Nero himself, and certainly not as fast as Dante had been as an adult, but there was no doubt he was already coming into his superhuman physical abilities. Not surprising, really, considering how strong the twins had been from the beginning.

Rosso finished his lap and jogged to a halt before Nero, only slightly winded. "How was that?"

"Not bad," Nero affirmed. "With some training, I think you could even go out for track and field. You ready to…" He trailed off as he saw Rosso's shoulders tense, and the boy spun to stare at an open loading dock at the far side of the warehouse. "What's wrong?"

"There's something over there." Rosso rubbed at the back of his neck, as though trying to brush away gooseflesh. "Something bad."

Instantly, Nero was on alert, though he still couldn't sense anything. "I'll check it out. You stay right here, by the scooter. If anything comes after you, you run like hell, okay? Don't wait for me, just go." He crept toward the loading door, one hand hovering near Red Queen's grip.

He'd covered about two-thirds of the distance when he heard the tell-tale chittering, and a lone Scarecrow hobbled into view. It rocked in place on its bladed legs for a few seconds before teetering in Nero's direction. Nero lunged forward, streaking across the remaining space, and swept the Scarecrow into the air with one powerful swing from Red Queen. Three more slashes cut the burlap body to rags, and the demon burst into ash and dust before it ever touched the ground.

Nero listened, sword at the ready, but he heard nothing else. He crept through the loading bay door and looked around the dock area. When he returned to the warehouse, he found Rosso balanced on the Vespa's seat, poking curiously at the controls. "Hey! I thought you were going to be ready to run?"

The boy shrugged, apparently unperturbed by the fight he'd witnessed. "That was the only one." He hopped down off the scooter. "Your sword looks really cool. Can I try it?"

Nero planted Red Queen tip-first into the floor. The blade stood a little taller than the boy ogling it. "I think it's a little too big for you."

Rosso frowned. "It's not that big. I bet I could swing it."

Nero tried to picture the sword Dante had wielded when he'd first met him. Dante had usually worn it across his back, just as Nero did, and he thought the weapon's blade had been a bit longer than Red Queen's. He'd heard it had been broken in the fight with Urizen, but up to that point, Nero had never seen Dante without it. "All right, I'll let you try. But first, you tell me about your sword."

Rosso's eyes snapped to Nero's, and his expression turned wary. "I don't have a sword."

"Not here. In the other place. Your father gave you one, didn't he?"

The boy's enthusiasm dimmed, but he nodded.

"Was it a great big one with a skull on it?"

Rosso's eyes widened. "You know about the Rebellion?"

"I keep telling you, I knew you two before you got your memories wiped. You had a bunch of swords, but that one was always your favorite."

"It's important." Rosso scuffed the toe of his shoe in the dust. "Father told me it can awaken a deep nature."

Nero blinked. "What does that mean?"

"I don't know." His toe rooted further into the dirt. "I've thought about it a lot, but the only things in nature I can think of that are deep are the ocean, or space, and neither one of them sleeps, so how can they wake up?"

Nero resisted the urge to chuckle at his straightforward logic. "Well, you're pretty good at solving puzzles. I bet you'll figure it out someday."

"Father said I'd understand when it was time." Rosso squinted. "Can time be deep?"

Nero decided the conversation was in danger of veering too philosophical. "So, you wanna try this baby out?"

Instantly, the boy's excitement returned. "Yeah!"

"All right. But you gotta be real careful, okay? As important as the Rebellion is to you, that's how Red Queen is to me, understand? So just swing her gently. And don't hit anything."

Rosso nodded and carefully closed his hands on the grip when Nero offered him the hilt. The blade sank briefly toward the floor when Nero let go, but its movement soon stabilized. It was impressive that the boy could even heft the weapon—many of Nero's fellow Holy Knights had struggled with the weight of their swords, and those hadn't even been modified like Red Queen.

The blade bobbed and dipped as Rosso tested its center of gravity and inched his hands higher on the grip to compensate. Finally, angling the edge away from Nero, he took a swing. The momentum overbalanced him, and he had to take a quick step to stay upright, but he quickly corrected his position, twisted the sword mid-air, and lunged forward. Then, drawing his leading foot back, he tipped the blade again and executed what would, in more experienced hands, have been a deadly lateral cut.

"Not bad at all." Nero held out his hand and let Rosso put the sword back into it. He swung Red Queen back into her harness across his shoulders. "When your arms get a little longer, I think you're gonna do amazing things with the Rebellion. Seriously."

Rosso beamed at his praise. "I wish I had it here, so you could teach me some cool moves. I like that thing you did earlier, swinging the monster up in the air like that." He brightened suddenly. "Hey, you said you knew us, right? Does that mean you know where the Rebellion is? Could you get it for me?"

"It's… a long way away. In another city." Probably in pieces, he added silently, though he didn't actually know what had happened to the sword's remains. He hadn't seen them enshrined in Dante's shop anywhere, but that didn't mean he hadn't collected them. If the sword had come from Sparda, it likely had some special properties, just as the Yamato did, and Nero had seen that sword broken and made whole again. "But don't worry—pretty soon you're gonna get your memories back just like your brother, and then you'll know where all your swords are. You've got some pretty awesome ones that you don't even know about yet." He turned back to the Vespa. "Now, we've gotta get this scooter all the way back to the house. You're not too tired from all that sword practice to help me push, are you?"

Kyrie joined them in the garage as they parked the Vespa in the space previously occupied by Lady's motorcycle. "Oh, dear. That is in bad shape, isn't it?"

"She wasn't exactly putting money into repairs." Nero pulled his air compressor off a shelf. "I couldn't find a puncture, so I think the tire just has a slow leak. Probably a busted valve or something. And the engine was burning oil like crazy the one time I saw it running. Nothing I can't fix, though."

Kyrie stared at him. "You're going to tune up her engine, too?"

Nero crouched to attach the air hose to the tire valve. "It's not a big deal. Besides, I kinda feel like I ought to do something for her, after my ammunition almost blew her hands off."

"I think it's a big deal." Kyrie bent to kiss his cheek. "I think it's wonderful of you. After what she did to the van, I was afraid you wouldn't want to help her at all."

Nero ducked to hide the flush in his cheeks. "Don't remind me, or I might change my mind."

"All right, we'll stop distracting you. Tony, you're covered in dust! Why don't you come in and wash up?"

The boy hesitated. "Can I stay out here and watch Nero fix the engine?"

Kyrie deferred to Nero, who shrugged. "As long as you don't touch anything while I'm working, I don't mind. Though depending on what I find when I check the engine, I may need to run to Nico's to pick up some parts."

"I'll come with you!" Rosso said eagerly. "I can help carry things."

Nero chuckled. "You really must have been bored this morning. Okay, sure. I can put you to work."

Apart from the short break he took to put dinner in the oven per Kyrie's instructions, Nero worked on the scooter all afternoon. He was just wiping the grease off his hands when Lady and Trish roared up on Lady's motorcycle.

Lady stopped her bike just outside the garage and cut the engine. "Is there room for me to park inside, or should I find a place out here?"

"There will be once I move this out." Nero tossed the rag into the toolbox. "Hey, Tony, wanna give me a hand?"

Rosso hopped up from his seat on the van's running board. He'd stayed with Nero the whole day, watching him work, asking questions, and occasionally making himself useful by fetching tools. He'd shown a remarkable amount of focus, considering how quickly he often became bored with things. "Can I ride it out?"

"Sure—when you have a license," Nero countered. "Push it over there, in front of the van."

When Lady had parked her motorcycle in its usual spot, she and Trish dismounted. "We're all set for tomorrow," Trish said. "We could use a few more targets, though."

Nero glanced around his garage, well-stocked with assorted bits of junk. "I've probably got something in here you can use. What did you have in mind?"

"I was thinking… cardboard. Maybe something square. About so big." She held her hands a short distance apart.

Lady rolled her eyes. "Gee, Trish, what you're describing sounds exactly like a pizza box."

"What a marvelous idea!" Trish said with poorly-simulated surprise. "I'll go see if I can acquire some."

Lady watched her saunter out and down the street. "I wonder if she thinks she's fooling anyone."

"Probably not, but she seems to enjoy pretending. Are things really all good out there?"

Lady nodded. "We've got a bench, we've got targets—no matter what Trish says, there are plenty—and we've got a good backstop. I'll put all the supplies in the van later tonight and lock it."

"You're not taking your bike?"

"No reason to. We're all going to the same place." Her eyes moved to the scooter. "Speaking of vehicles, is that Gigi's?"

"Yeah, apparently she was worried about it." Nero hefted his tool box back onto a shelf. "Sister Benedicta asked me to pick it up for her."

Lady tossed him a knowing smirk. "Softie."

"What was I supposed to do, tell her no? The woman practically raised me."

"Uh-huh." Lady's eyes flicked over the tools and oil pan. "Did the good sister also stipulate an engine overhaul?"

Nero scowled. "Anyway, I gotta go drop this at the orphanage. The kids are all inside, and dinner's in the oven. Vergil's probably ignoring them, so make sure nobody burns the house down while I'm gone. I'll be back in twenty minutes."

"Can I come with you?" Rosso piped up.

"I'm just going to drop the Vespa and come back," Nero said. "Nothing exciting."

"But I've never been to the orphanage." Rosso frowned. "All the other kids get to go. Can't I just see it?"

Nero normally wouldn't have considered taking him, but the boy had been surprisingly well-behaved today… "All right, but we're not staying. Just there and back."

Rosso nodded. "Can we ride the Vespa there?"

Nero arched an eyebrow. "Don't tell me you're too tired to walk."

"Of course not!" Rosso protested. "I told you, I don't get tired walking."

"Good. Then we'll walk."

Rosso immediately realized his mistake. "But riding would be way more cool."

"The rule is, you have to have a helmet to ride. Do you have a helmet?"

"No." Rosso pointed at Lady. "But she doesn't have a helmet, either."

Lady, who had been watching the debate with amusement, raised her hands. "Don't drag me into this."

"Lady is an adult, and is fully responsible for her own safety," Nero said. "When you're as old as she is, you can ride without a helmet. Until then, you walk."

Rosso squinted at Lady. "How old are you, anyway?"

"And that's our cue to scram." Nero hustled Rosso toward the Vespa. He glanced back at Lady and, in a stage whisper, told Rosso, "Better hurry out of range! I'll explain on the way."

Lady showed her teeth as they rolled the scooter toward the street. "Oh, don't rush on my account. I'll still be here when you get back."

They were just approaching the orphanage when they encountered Kyrie, Scipio and Flavia exiting the gates. "Hey! I wondered if you'd be done by now." Nero glanced at the children and took in their serious expressions. "How'd it go?"

"Small steps," Kyrie said with a trace of a sigh. Her eyes fell on Scipio. "We had a bit of a rocky start, but it could have been worse. I can tell you more about it later."

"Sure. Hey, if you can hang out for a second, I'll drop this off and walk home with you." Nero saw Rosso inching toward the gate. "Tony, why don't you wait out here with them?"

Rosso pouted. "Can't I come in with you?"

Kyrie looked up in alarm. "No!" Everyone spun to stare at her, and she clasped her hands. "That is… they're… getting ready for supper, so they're very busy. We shouldn't bother them."

"Right." Nero wondered at her reaction, but at least it had stopped Rosso from insisting. "Uh… I'll just put this in the shed out back, then."

"We'll be waiting," Kyrie replied brightly. "All of us. Right here." She put a hand on Rosso's shoulder.

Nero hurried into the yard and pushed the scooter into the garden shed, then ducked in through a back door to leave a message with one of the sisters that it had been delivered. When he returned to the front gate, not three minutes after he'd left, Rosso was already kicking at pebbles with a sulky frown.

"Oh, that was quick! Good!" Kyrie shooed the children before her. "Let's hurry home so we can have dinner, all right?"

Nero waited until they were halfway back to the house before tugging her back a few steps. "What was all that about?"

She sighed. "Flavia wanted to tell Gianna about some of the things that had happened since she'd seen her. Which was fine, until she got to the fight in the park. She told her that Zaffiro and Rosso were the ones who stopped the boy who was picking on her."

"…And? What's the problem? As far as I know, Gianna doesn't even know they exist."

"No, but Sister Benedicta was there. And after my slip this morning, she was very curious to know how two purported infants were able to take down an eight-year-old boy."

"Ah. So that's why you didn't want to risk anybody seeing Tony."

"Exactly. I managed to stall her by saying I didn't want to discuss it in front of Scipio and Flavia, but we're going to have to come up with something to tell her very soon."

"Right." Nero sighed. "Well, I'll try to come up with something. At least we have a couple of days before we have to face the music."

"I'm not sure a couple of days is enough." Kyrie's eyes fell on Rosso's back. "I suppose there are worse fates than being caught in a lie."

Nero gave a humorless chuckle. "You only say that because you've never had to face Sister Benedicta after you were caught."

"You're not making me feel better about this. I would hate for her to think she can't trust me."

"You'll be fine," Nero assured her. "I'll throw myself under the bus if necessary."

"Nothing doing." She took his hand. "We face everything together, remember? Good or bad. We promised."

"I remember." He squeezed her fingers. "Worst case scenario, I just tell her the truth. About everything."

Kyrie eyed him. "Are you comfortable with her knowing who you really are?"

"Not really, but…" He sighed. "Of all the Order's die-hard followers, she's probably the one I trust the most. I mean, it's not like she's got some crazy world-domination scheme up her sleeve like Agnus or Sanctus. She just wants to help kids."

Kyrie leaned against Nero's shoulder and gazed at the three children walking before them. "Don't we all."