The doors to Devil May Cry slammed open, and Lady stepped inside. They closed with a gentle thud behind her, echoing softly through the large foyer. Her eyes took a moment to adjust to the usual gloom before widening slightly. Something was different. She turned to look behind her as she realised that the usually darkened windows appeared to have been fully cleaned, their curtains wide open. Golden sunlight streamed through the clear glass, and she watched, momentarily mesmerized as small bits dust floated softly across the beams of light - likely stirred by her sudden room was silent, other than the sounds of distant traffic and a quiet ticking, which she assumed was coming from one of many old (and broken) watches and clocks stuffed into various drawers and bookshelves around the place. She turned to face the room again and realised that Dante was currently slumped over his desk, fast asleep - as usual. How anyone could nap in such a position was beyond her. As she started to make her way towards him, she noticed a strange smell in the air. Bleach? No… acetone? Something strong. Its bitter tang made her eyes water slightly as she approached the desk.

After a moment, she poked Dante's cheek, causing his head to loll to the side. She let out a small gasp as she noticed what appeared to be blood at the corner of his mouth. On closer inspection however, she soon realised that it was not blood, but in fact wine - his whole mouth was stained a deep crimson. She glanced down and saw a pile of empty green glass bottles lying next to his chair. Lady sighed quietly and turned away. There would be no point in trying to have a sensible conversation with him now. Just as she was about to leave however, she heard the telltale sound of creaking leather, followed by a muffled grunt and a few cracks as Dante stretched.

"Lady?" Dante yawned before coughing slightly. "Ugh, water…" he mumbled, trying to get to his feet.

"Just stay where you are," Lady huffed, walking over to the small kitchen. She returned a short while later with a fresh glass of water, which Dante quickly downed.

"Ah, nothing quite like that first drink when you wake up," Dante grinned as he slammed the glass back down on the table.

"I think you've had quite enough to drink," Lady chastised him, nodding towards the bottles at his feet. "Also, you smell awful."

"Morning breath," Dante shrugged, trying to ignore the stale taste of his tongue.

"You do realise that we're almost into the evening?" Lady pointed out. "Just how long have you been unconscious?"

"Beats me," Dante said, briefly running a hand through his hair. Now that he was upright, Lady noticed that he had what appeared to be a black eye. Although it was already healing, its stark violet colour stood out against his pale skin, and she couldn't help but feel concerned.

"What happened here?" she asked, pointing at his left eye. Dante reached up to touch the area and hissed in pain at the tender ache that radiated through his cheek as a result. Now that her nose had gotten used to the smell of cleaning fluids, she also realised that there was a faint aroma of dried blood radiating from him.

"I don't-" Dante suddenly sat bolt-upright. "Where's Vergil?" he asked, his voice wavering slightly.

"Huh? I haven't seen him," Lady said, glancing around the empty room.

"Damn it," Dante muttered, yanking one of his desk drawers open. When he apparently couldn't find what he was looking for, he let out an annoyed growl and slammed it shut again. "That bastard."

"What are you talking about?" Lady asked, placing her hands on her hips. "Did something happen between you two again?"

"Maybe."

"Maybe?"

"I'm going for a shower," Dante said quickly. "That should help me remember."

"Right… Well I'm not just going to hang around while you-"

"I won't take long," Dante said bluntly, pushing past her. "I need to get him back and it'll be much easier if I have help."

Lady let out a resigned sigh and sat on the edge of Dante's desk while he headed towards the bathroom. She watched as the sky outside began to turn orange as the sun started to set, and tried to stifle her laughter at Dante's incredibly loud - and terrible - singing while he showered. Somewhat irritatingly, the song he was belting out was a favourite of hers, but after hearing it sung so badly on repeat hundreds of times, she was starting to change her mind. Finally, after what felt like an eternity, Dante emerged. He was desperately trying to pull a t-shirt over his damp skin and had somehow managed to get himself stuck in the process. His socks appeared to have been pulled on in an equally haphazard manner. Finally, his head found its way through the opening and he flashed Lady a shaky looking grin.

"Ready?" Lady asked, raising an eyebrow.

"As I'll ever be," Dante nodded, pulling on a pair of boots and throwing on his jacket. "I think I know where he might be."

"You wanna maybe tell me what actually happened?" Lady queried, following him to the front doors.

"I think I hit a sore spot is all," Dante said noncommittally. As they stepped outside, there was a strange smell in the air. It smelt sweet and fresh, and Lady soon recognised it as she noticed the thin clouds forming above them. There was a storm approaching.

"Why exactly do you need my help with this?" Lady asked as she mounted her motorbike. She had only turned up to ask Dante for a loan, she hadn't expected to be going Vergil-hunting this evening - again.

"Because if I go alone I might get a matching pair," Dante said, pointing at his eye. "Besides, he tends to listen to you."

"Say what now?" Lady asked, her hands pausing mid-air as she raised her cycle helmet. She'd spoken to Vergil maybe twice since he'd come back as far as she could recall, and while it had always been cordial, both times had been exceptionally brief.

"...Never mind," Dante mumbled, seemingly realising he'd said something he shouldn't have. "Forget it, let's go."

A short journey later, the pair stood in front of a thick forest. The rust-red dirt at their feet was moist, and felt unpleasantly squishy underfoot. Lady was glad for the pair of boots she was wearing as she parked up her bike. The stockings and garter belt she was wearing under her skirt she was less grateful for however; she had been planning to go on a night out with Trish later that evening and was on her way to her friend's house when she'd been dragged into… whatever this was. As usual, Dante had either not noticed or didn't care, as he had said nothing about it (much to her relief, she had to admit).

"Alright, come on," Dante said, starting to walk into the woods.

"Wait, what?" Lady asked, running after him. "This place is huge! Are you really expecting to just-"

"Trust me," Dante said, taking a sharp left turn. Despite the impending rain, the setting sun still illuminated the sky, casting everything in a warm ochre glow. Lady could feel a cloying sweetness in her nostrils and on the back of her tongue as they passed through bunches of hyacinths and bluebells. Although it was still early spring, it was warm, and she found herself enjoying the unusual walk. As they progressed further in, the smell of burning wood filled the air, adding to the already comforting and nostalgic feeling that was starting to encompass them both. All it needed now was the smell of freshly baked bread and Lady would feel like she had gone back in time to her childhood. "Brings back memories, huh?" Dante asked, almost as if he had read her mind.

"I had a forest like this near my home," Lady sighed, a long forgotten memory coming to the surface. "My mother and I would often go for long walks during sunset-"

"This is my home," Dante stated, as they suddenly emerged from the trees. "Or at least, it was."

Lady let out a small gasp as she realised where they were. She had seen this place before, in old photographs that Dante had shown her. At the end of a long, overgrown garden, she could just about make out the silhouette of a house - no, a mansion. Even from here, she could see how dilapidated it looked. Its shadow was uneven, with one side appearing as nothing but a jagged pile of splinters reaching up towards the darkening sky. As they walked towards it in silence, she noticed that there was thick smoke coming from one of the chimneys. Everything was starting to make a bit more sense now.

Dante had briefly explained the events leading up to his black eye on the way over. On a whim, Vergil had decided to forcibly deep clean the office the day before. While tidying a bookshelf, he had found some old photographs that Dante had forgotten about, wedged in between the pages of some dusty tome he had been flicking through. As he continued to search, he found more and more, culminating in the brothers fighting as old memories resurfaced, and Vergil accusing Dante of hiding things from him. Dante didn't recall much else after that as he suspected he had been knocked out at some point, but he did remember waking up in the early hours of the morning, cleaning up all the blood in the office, then despairingly drinking himself into a stupor. It wasn't much until later, after Lady had arrived, that he'd realised a key was missing from his desk. He hadn't yet told Lady what the key was for.

"Just as I thought…" Dante sighed, looking up at the peeling wood of what had once been an archway over the front door. Even without entering, the musty smell of the long abandoned home permeated their nostrils. Lady could feel tears pricking at the corner of her eyes. She hadn't been prepared for this.

"Maybe we should just give him some space," she suggested uneasily, glancing over at Dante. The younger twin's jaw was tight, and his fists were clenched so hard she feared he might draw blood.

"I can't let him do this alone," Dante stated, shaking slightly. "That's if he hasn't already…" He took a deep breath and stepped into the desingrating foyer. Lady followed hesitantly behind him, wondering once again why she had been dragged along on this excursion. As they approached an old sitting room, they finally caught sight of him. He was sitting on a broken chair, and they could just about make out his expression, illuminated by the burning embers of a dying fire. He spoke without turning to face them.

"I told you not to come."

"I told you not to leave," Dante retorted. "Especially after stealing my stuff."

"That key," Vergil angrily began, getting to his feet and reaching for the Yamato. "Belongs to-" he paused as he suddenly caught sight of Lady hiding in the shadows behind his brother. He lowered his weapon and straightened up. Now that he was facing them, Lady noticed that his eyes looked somewhat puffy and red. It was unclear if this was due to staring into the fire for too long, or for other, far more unlikely (for him, at least) reasons. He noticed her staring and quickly wiped the grittiness away before glaring at the unwelcome visitors again. "What is she doing here?"

"Take a guess," Dante said, pointing towards his left eye.

"Do not think for a moment that I will refrain from wounding you just because you brought someone else along," Vergil stated, his hand hovering over his sword again. The sky outside had darkened almost completely now, and the first drops of rain were starting to fall. The air was filled with a low hiss as the drizzle began to land on the fire.

"Cut the crap Vergil," Dante growled, stepping towards his twin. He quickly looked around what was left of the room. "Where is it?"

"I don't know what you're talking about," Vergil replied, squaring up to him. Lady stepped back slightly, unsure what to do. This was clearly a personal matter between the pair, and she feared that anything she did would only make things worse. Her test tightened as she saw Dante reach for his own weapon.

"Don't lie to me," Dante hissed, quickly grabbing his brother's wrist and holding it in the air between them. "I can be dumb sometimes, but I'm not an idiot."

"Unhand me! " Vergil yelled, yanking himself free. There was a loud metallic clang followed by a bright flash as two swords suddenly came together, each one only barely missing the neck of its rival's wielder

Lady watched on in horror as their fight continued. She felt her legs start to shake slightly, and she suppressed a slight feeling of nausea rising in her throat. Why was this affecting her so much? She'd seen them fight plenty of times before, right? But not… She gulped. Not here. Not in their childhood home, the place where their happiest memories had been formed. She winced as a loud clang filled the room once again. She couldn't let this continue. Not like this.

"Just tell me the truth!" Dante shouted.

"S-Stop!" Lady cried, running in between them as they raised their swords to strike again. She squeezed her eyes shut and held her breath, fully prepared to be sliced in into thirds. When the inevitable pain didn't come, she slowly cracked her eyes open and breathed out a large sigh of relief. She looked to her right and left, first to Dante and then to Vergil. Each of them had an expression of pure shock, and she realised only then that the slick metal of each weapon was only mere millimeters from her flesh.

"Imbecile!" Vergil yelled first, tossing the Yamato aside and grabbing her arm. Both Lady and Dante stared on in dumb silence as he started to quickly check her over. Behind her, Lady heard Dante let out a gasp before dropping his own sword and taking a few steps back. It seemed the gravity of what had happened had only just hit him. Lady let herself be turned around by Vergil as he continued to look for any signs of injury. As he did so, she realised that there was fresh dirt under his fingernails, and it was clear that he had been digging recently. "Why did you do that?" he growled angrily, spinning her around to face him.

He has raindrops on his eyelashes, she thought pathetically as he launched into a tirade of abuse against Dante. Despite the volume, she couldn't hear what they were saying to each other. She watched as his face contorted between rage, shock and sadness, still illuminated by the few remaining embers. She stood in place as he shook her briefly before shoving her towards Dante and storming out of the room. He should really wipe those away… she thought absently before closing her eyes.

"Oi Lady, come on already…" Dante's concerned voice came to her in the darkness, rousing her from… What was this? She didn't remember falling asleep. Had the whole thing been a dream? Of course, it must have been! There was no way she would have done something so reckless otherwise. But then, why was she crying? She opened her eyes to see Dante kneeling above her, relief washing over his features as she started to move again.

"Dante, what-" She spotted a shadow darting towards her in the corner of her eye and turned to find Vergil standing next to her with a face like thunder. She blinked the tears away from her eyes and looked around the room a bit more. They appeared to have moved to what looked like an old dining room. Tattered satin sheets lay draped across rotting tables, illuminated only slightly by a few stray candles placed on the floor.

"You fainted," Dante explained briefly. "That was a really stupid thing to do, you know that right?"

"Where are we?" Lady asked, groaning slightly as she started to sit up. She looked down and was surprised to find that Dante and Vergil had used their coats to form a makeshift pillow and blanket for her.

"The only dry room left," Vergil said dismissively as Dante helped Lady to her feet. As soon as she was steady, Vergil quickly retrieved his coat and shrugged it back on. He appeared to be taking care to look away until she had finished straightening her skirt.

"Wait, we're still here?!" Lady asked, suddenly feeling self-conscious. She caught sight of her reflection in a window opposite and recoiled slightly. She looked like she had been crying for hours. This wasn't like her at all. She also hated how small she appeared while standing between the two brothers. Vergil's mirror image caught her eye and then glanced away again. "R-Right," she said, attempting to sound confident. "We're leaving. Whatever is going on between you two, you can sort it out yourselves, but not here." She took a shaky step forward, looking for the exit. She felt exhausted and numb, and wanted more than anything to just get out of there. She really shouldn't even have been there to begin with.

"You should go with her Dante," Vergil said coldly, stepping aside.

"I can't," Dante replied. "Not until we find it."

"I told you, it's gone."

"Then why are you staying?" Dante asked, anger rising in his voice.

Lady let out an annoyed tut and turned to face the pair, placing her hands on her hips. "Alright, spit it out. What's going on?"

Dante and Vergil looked at Lady, and then between themselves. Just when it seemed like no one was going to answer, Vergil cleared his throat and stepped forward. "There is - was - something important to us buried here," he explained.

"It still is ," Dante huffed. "This dumbass just can't find it."

"That day is etched perfectly into my memory," Vergil hissed angrily. "I recall exactly where we left it, and I'm telling you it's not there."

"Enough with the pronoun game," Lady sighed."What's this all about?"

"...A box," Vergil stated. "We were children-"

"Great, now you've set him off," Dante groaned, rolling his eyes. Vergil shot his brother a dirty look and then continued, leaning against one of the flaking walls.

"I remember it was a late autumn morning. You could smell the first frost approaching in the air - cold, sharp, but refreshing after an exceptionally hot summer. Our mother had taken us for our usual morning walk in the woods, not realising that the deeper parts had iced up overnight. She had a large bag with her, and I recall the look of disappointment on her face when she realised the ground was too hard to dig through." Vergil closed his eyes, his breathing slowing slightly. "Dante was messing around as usual, oblivious to our mother's concerns."

"I wasn't messing around, I was trying to teach myself to ice-skate," Dante huffed. "...In case it came in useful," he added when Lady raised an eyebrow.

"Trying - and failing - to walk across an icy puddle is not 'ice-skating'," Vergil pointed out, without even bothering to look at Dante this time. "He of course fell over and hurt himself, so our mother went to help him and inevitably did the same, only worse. She sprained her ankle during the fall and soon realised she couldn't walk on it."

"Huh, I'd completely forgotten about that…" Dante said quietly.

"She asked me to run back to the house and get our father, and I of course took off immediately, leaving Dante behind to watch over her. I slipped and injured myself a few times in the process, but ignored it." Vergil smiled a little. "I can still remember my father's concerned voice when I burst into his study, covered in sweat, mud, and blood, panting too hard to explain what was going on. It was unusual for him to be so worried about my physical well being, but given what I know now and how close it was to…" He trailed off then cleared his throat. "He pulled me into his arms and held me close, trying to calm me enough to get some sense out of me. I can still remember how warm he was, and the smell of his cologne radiating from his skin - it's strange the things you can recall. But thinking back, it was probably because I couldn't think of a time he had ever held me so close. It smelt fresh and minty; a stark contrast to our mother's usual floral scent…" Vergil opened his eyes and started to pace up and down. "Anyway, I digress… Once he realised what was happening, he ushered me into the bathroom and told me to clean myself up while he went to 'rescue' the others. Although he must only have been gone for a little while, I remember it feeling like an eternity to me while I waited. I sat in the sitting room, desperately staring out of the window towards the woods. The glass kept fogging up, and I was continually wiping it away, despite mother frequently telling me not to do so as it would cause smudge marks. The condensation was cold and damp, but... I found its near-constant regeneration strangely comforting while I waited." By this point, Vergil had made his way over to one of the windows - the same one Lady had seen herself reflected in earlier - and was staring out of it, into the darkness. Outside, a storm was blowing at full force, causing the entire structure to creak and sway. Lady looked behind her as a piece of masonry fell to the ground, smashing into a million tiny white pieces. She unconsciously stepped closer to Dante, who looked equally concerned.

"Why don't I remember this?" Dante asked. "All I remember is the woods being too icy, so we ended up burying it in the garden."

Vergil sighed and turned to face them again. "I wouldn't expect the rest of that day to stand out to you particularly. You were always messing around and hurting yourself, so the events weren't anything unusual to you."

"Hey, I didn't say I forgot everything that happened that day," Dante pouted. "I remember dad meeting us in the woods, I just forgot why is all… I do know mum was blowing raspberries on my stomach to try and cheer me up while we waited, though …" He smiled fondly. "You always hated it when she did it to you - you'd end up crying because it tickled too much."

"I have no recollection of such things," Vergil said dismissively.

"D'you remember what we did right before we buried the box?" Dante asked. "I bet I can remember that better than you do."

Vergil's brow furrowed as he tried to recall what his brother was talking about. "...I remember sitting around while father checked over your injuries," he muttered at last. "Then all of us went out to the great oak tree at the bottom of the garden…"

"As I thought," Dante said, grinning triumphantly. "Typical Vergil, only remembering the negatives. Now that you've mentioned it, I do remember coming home that morning and feeling extra cold and shivery. Dad made us all tea with almond cookies. After being outside for so long, I remember it seemed like the most perfect cup of tea I'd ever had - and I didn't even like tea! I can even remember-"

"The salty-sweet tang of the biscuits," Vergil finished, smiling a little. "A favourite of ours back then, usually reserved only for special occasions. Of course your memories would relate to the food we had that afternoon, of all things."

"Hey, it was good food!" Dante protested. Lady had been watching the interaction unfold with a growing feeling of warmth forming in her chest. There was something satisfying about seeing the twins reminisce about their childhood in a positive manner for once. Perhaps coming here hadn't been such a bad idea after all.

"I suppose one can't blame you for recalling such things," Vergil said. "Some of my fondest memories involve reading with mother while we shared a pot of herbal tea between us."

"And some of mine involve wrestling with dad," Dante smiled. "Of course he always won. I know exactly which smell you're referring to - I can't stand mint now because of it!" The brothers exchanged a brief chuckle between them before Vergil straightened up and walked over to Dante.

"It's gone, Dante," he said, serious again. "No matter how much of this garden we dig up, we're not going to find it."

Dante's grin slowly melted into a frown. "And you're sure you checked the right place?"

"There is only one oak tree at the bottom of the garden that matches the one we buried it under," Vergil insisted. "I know time can change things, but it looks exactly the same now as it did almost four decades ago, and I'm telling you it isn't there."

"I still can't believe you were planning to open it without me," Dante said sadly. "And with my key no less! So many times I was tempted to come and retrieve it, but I always promised myself that I would wait until we were together again, so that we could open it as they intended."

"It wouldn't open with just one key anyway," Vergil sighed. "I realise now that I was a fool for even coming here."

"Wait… one key?" Dante asked. "You mean you don't even have your key with you?"

"I'm amazed you've managed to keep ownership of yours for so long," Vergil stated, reaching into an inner pocket. He retrieved a rusty metal key and tossed it towards Dante, who caught it mid-air. "I thought perhaps if I could open half of it, I might be able to force the rest but…" Vergil sighed. "But you're right, it is not what mother and father would have wanted."

"Wait a second, you still haven't explained what was in the box!" Lady pointed out.

"Oh right," Dante nodded. "Well the truth is…" He glanced at Vergil.

"We have no idea," Vergil stated.

"You… what? " Lady asked in disbelief.

"Mum gave us two keys," Dante said, holding his one out towards Lady. "She thought it was sad that we were always fighting, and asked that when we were older we come back here together to open the box - either when our parents were gone, or when we had children of our own. She hoped that doing so would reconcile us if we had drifted apart, or encourage us to remain close throughout our lives."

"The box can only be opened with two keys," Vergil explained. "I think she hoped that looking after them would always remind us that there is another half of us out there, or at the very least make us think of each other whenever we saw it."

"That's… actually really sweet," Lady said, taking the key and turning it over in her hands. Her fingers had brushed against Dante's slightly as she took it, and she noticed how both his skin and the key felt somewhat clammy. Despite his usual confident smile, he was clearly nervous. She glared at Vergil suddenly. "And here you were about to ruin it," she said angrily. "How could you do such a thing?"

"Lady…" Dante sighed, placing a hand on her shoulder. "It's alright, just forget about it." Lady shrugged herself free and marched over to Vergil.

"What do you have to say for yourself?" she demanded, jabbing him in the chest.

"Remind me again why this woman is here?" Vergil asked, looking over her head at Dante.

"Because if she wasn't, we wouldn't be," Dante said gravely, glancing at the Yamato. Vergil's eyes widened ever so slightly and he stepped away from Lady, who was trying to look as intimidating as possible, and failing.

"...I apologise, Dante," Vergil said at last. "It was wrong of me to take it."

"And?" Lady piped up. The two brothers looked at her in confusion. She let out an exasperated sigh and pointed at Dante's fading black eye.

"...I'm sorry we fought," Dante and Vergil said simultaneously, taking them all by surprise.

"There's something oddly nostalgic about this," Vergil smirked, looking around the remnants of their childhood home. Outside the wind was beginning to settle down, and streaks of indigo were starting to show through the now wispy clouds. Morning was coming.

"What say we get out of here?" Dante suggested, slinging an arm over Vergil and Lady's shoulders. "Box or not, we're together again somehow and that's good enough for me."

"Please," Lady groaned. "I can't wait to lie in my own bed again." She still felt stiff after her makeshift floor-bed, and her mattress was calling out to her.

Vergil went to pull away and then thought better of it, before allowing himself to be dragged outside. The rain had all but stopped now, and there was a fresh coolness in the air. It reminded Vergil of that morning when they had walked through the woods, and many others like it. Coming to the house had brought back long forgotten memories, both bitter and sweet, and he was relishing both. "Hey Vergil, remember that time I hid behind the greenhouse then jumped out at you and threw a bunch of snow at you?" Dante chuckled and they passed a vaguely structure-shaped pile of broken glass. "You looked like a little pissed off snowman!"

"I seem to recall tackling you to the ground and stuffing your parka full of snow shortly afterwards," Vergil retorted, shivering at the memory. Their mother had been none too happy when they'd returned to the house, leaving a small river in the hallway behind them.

"Oh and how about that time when you got into dad's study and poured his ink all over yourself, so he made you write an apology letter using your fingers?" Dante chuckled as they passed a charred pile of wood. "You were blue for days!"

"Almost like the time you got into the medicine box and ended up covered in multilcoured patches for a while, no?" Vergil asked, ducking out from underneath Dante's arm at last and jogging towards the large oak tree for one last search around its base. Dante released Lady and followed close behind his brother.

"Or when we both raided the drinks cabinet because we thought it was fruit juice…" Dante trailed off, looking into the deep trenches that Vergil had dug the previous day.

"There's a reason I refuse to drink bottled water," Vergil stated, crouching down and brushing some dirt away again. The unexpected taste of vodka at the back of his throat when he had been expecting water had not left him, even after all these years.

"...Come to think of it, we were pretty bratty kids, huh?" Dante said solemnly.

"And yet our parents loved us all the same," Vergil sighed. "At least, I hope they did."

Lady glanced up as something flashed briefly across the sky. A moment passed before she saw another one, followed by a further two. Listening to the pair, she found herself wishing she'd had the chance to meet these wonderful parents of theirs. She sighed and looked down at the small piece of metal she was holding. Perhaps their parents' plan had worked after all.

"I know they did," she said, walking over and handing Dante's key back to him.

~ Epilogue ~

"What's wrong Nero?" Kyrie asked sleepily, as Nero tossed and turned beside her. He had been shifting about all night.

"It's nothing, don't worry about it," he mumbled, turning away from her. Kyrie hesitated for a moment, then reached across the small space between them, gently tracing her fingers over his bare shoulder blade and then down his arm, before entwining their fingers.

"Come on, talk to me," she whispered, moving closer and placing a gentle kiss on his neck. Nero shivered involuntarily as her lips tickled his ear. He could feel her gentle weight on top of him, always so careful not to crush him or make him feel trapped, despite the fact he could easily lift three of her with just one arm. He turned to face her and pulled her towards him.

"I just have this… uneasy feeling," Nero mumbled into the crook of her shoulder.

"Go on," Kyrie replied, stroking his hair. The pair lay in silence for a moment, listening to the raging storm outside.

"Can I show you something?" Nero asked, pulling away suddenly.

"Of course," Kyrie nodded, sitting up as Nero reached over to turn on his bedside lamp.

"I need you to come down to the garage, I hope you don't mind…" Nero said, rubbing his eyes.

"If that's what you want," Kyrie said, closing her eyes as they adjusted to the new light source. Nero got to his feet and quickly pulled on a t-shirt before starting to head downstairs. Kyrie followed slowly behind in a dressing gown, still trying to blink the sleep away. "What time is it?" she asked as they stepped into the garage.

"Not sure, sorry," Nero replied. He paused as he realised that the van's lights were all illuminated on full blast, casting an almost ethereal blue and yellow neon glow over the otherwise dark room. "Nico?" he called out, fumbling for the overhead lightswitch.

"Don't touch that," a drawling voice responded from somewhere amongst the shadows. "Bulb just blew an' I'm tryna find a new one for it."

"Ever heard of a torch?" Nero asked, shielding his eyes against the far too bright lights of the vehicle as he made his way around it.

"Ever heard of sleepin' at night?" Nico retorted. "What're you doin' here at this hour?"

"What hour is it?" Kyrie asked again, stifling a yawn.

"I have something I need to show Kyrie," Nero stated, finally locating Nico, who was rummaging around inside a box in a corner. "Could you give us a minute?"

"Ain't that sort of thing the reason y'all have a bedroom?" Nico grinned, dodging a light swat on the arm from Nero. "Okay, okay… But don't take too long, y'hear? I wanna get this light fixed 'fore the van runs outta power too." She pushed past Nero and gave Kyrie a wink and a thumbs up on the way out, much to the latter's confusion.

Once they finally had the garage to themselves, Nero sighed and grabbed a torch from one of the many shelves scattered about the place. He beckoned Kyrie over and led her to a small safe at the back of the garage. A tense moment passed while Nero tried to remember the lock combination in his half-asleep state, then he leaned into it before standing up with a medium sized metal box in his hands. It was clearly quite old, and was covered in rust and layers of moss. There were what looked like two keyholes on the front.

"What's that?" Kyrie asked, accepting it and giving it a light shake when Nero offered it to her. It was fairly hefty, and from the sounds of it contained a few items inside.

"No idea," Nero said, scratching the back of his head. "V gave it to me before he… Well, y'know. He said he was giving it to me for protection because he was worried it could be lost with everything that was going on, and that he'd send me a letter when everything was 'resolved'. When I get this letter, I'm supposed to take it to Dante's office for some reason. He was adamant that I wasn't to hand this thing over to anyone until I heard from him. Only thing is…" Nero took the box back and looked at it uneasily. "The letter still hasn't come, and I'm starting to worry that he forgot he gave it to me in the first place."

~ END ~

A/N - I wrote this on a whim based on the idea of trying to fit all of these sensory prompts into one story, and I think I just about managed it!

FF won't let me include a link to the prompt, so uh, try this and remove brackets / tidy it I guess - (https)(:)(/)(/)(tinyurl) (dot com) (/) 22saua8m

I'm not very happy with the title, but I always stuggle coming up with them haha...
Anyway yeah, this happened because I had writer's block and thought "Why use one prompt when I can include ALL OF THEM."
(I also wrote this in two afternoons)
Sorry if it seems a bit weird a result XD