Author's Note: I own nothing from Bayonetta. Only the OC

Chapter 4: City of Water

Bayonetta arched an eyebrow at the boy in front of her. He was wearing a yellow, sleeveless hoodie, orange baggy pants and green skate shoes. The hood was up, obscuring his eyes and forehead from her. A pair of googles hung around his neck, and a necklace holding a golden pyramid finished the look.

"So, love." His mouth bent into a small grin, bringing her attention back to him. "You are going to tell me who the fuck you are and why you can see me?"

His attitude raised her second eyebrow. "You were putting on quite the show there, little magician."

"Oh, you liked that?" The boy crossed his arms and turned around, smirking slightly. "Just wait til you see the climax!"

"Oh really?" She smirked. "You'll have to do more than that to earn a tip from me, little one."

"Little one?!" He turned around in indignation. "I'll let you know that I am not a 'little one'! I do have a name!"

"You'll earn your name when you become a man." She smirked. "For starters, little one, never call me that again. Two, I guess I'm just a poor innocent girl, lost in this wonderland with no guide out."

"Great answers…" He shook his head, then turned to her. "Enough riddles. You still didn't answer my last question, ma'am."

Her eyes widened, and her mouth opened in shock. "Do I look like a 'ma'am' to you?!"

"Then what shall I call you, love?" He smirked. "Because my mum always told me to treat women with respect, and you haven't quite earned it yet."

"Bayonetta or Cereza." She tilted her head at him. "Take your pick."

"Cereza?" The boy broke into a burst of laughter. "The Spanish word for cherry? That's an apt name if I've ever heard one."

His laughter deepened as Bayonetta blushed slightly. "Oh… my… Someone's already made that joke, cherry bomb?"

A small movement behind him caught her attention. Pulling out a gun, she pointed it at the boy.

He instantly sobered up. "I-uh-uh, uh, swear! I didn't mean anything by that, love! I s-s-swear!"

Pulling the trigger, she watched in satisfaction as the bullet sailed past the boy's head and into a lone angel who had snuck up behind them. Lowering the gun as the boy turned to see the angel collapse, she began to walk towards him.

"Now, now. Where are your parents, little one? You are in Purgatorio, the realm between, and this is not the place for little boys just like you."

"Pur… Purgatorio?" The boy grasped his head in pain. She frowned at the action, but did not raise any attention to it.

"Where me and my family conduct our business with angels." She continued to explain. "Why they would be chasing after you, I would have no idea. Perhaps you could tell me."

She leaned down as she finished so he looked up directly into her face as the small pain passed. Startling him, he jumped backwards from her, summoning cards and waving them at her threateningly.

"Look love, I don't know why the fuck these Acceptance and Allegiance would want me." He sounded desperate. "I don't know anything! Leave me alone!"

"Now, calm down little one." She was forcefully biting down a smirk at his 'threatening' appearance. "I do not want to hurt you."

"Stay away from me!" He ran, meeting her expectation. Pushing aside the door to the church, she heard it slam seconds later.

"Some kid." She said to herself, then made to follow after him. A blinding light appeared in front of her, halting her for the time being, and out stepped a familiar angel.

"Umbra Witch. The jailer of Jubileus." The face on its sword spoke with undisguised hatred. "You are required at Fimbulventr."

She frowned at the giant angel's declaration. On one hand, it was suspicious that they already knew of her plan, but then again, what else would intrigue an Umbra visiting this place? However, something also told her that going to Fimbulventr via giant angry angel would not get her in the same place as her goal.

"I'm sorry, what?" She feigned ignorance and began to circle the humanoid angel. "I'm required for a tea party?"

"I sense the power of remembrance of time." It glanced around, searching. "Where did the boy flee?"

"If you are looking for the kid, he went that a way." She pointed in a random direction. "Why the interest in little boys? I thought your kind had outgrown chasing children."

"You, your Eye and that boy is required for the Prophetic One's plans." It began to follow her lead as it turned back to her, circling in the opposite direction with its sword held up in a two-handed grip. "A lowly Valiance such as myself will be the one to deliver his prize, and not one other being will be!"

"I am not a prize to be won, dear Valiance." Her mind was whirling at its proclamation. She really wanted to talk to that boy again. "How about you try to earn me?"

It swung its sword in a low sweep, obviously ready to engage her. Jumping over it, she poked its headless torso with a salvo of bullets. They ricochet off, and she rolled her eyes.

"Is anything truly ever easy?" She rhetorically asked herself, kicking off of its arm and landing in a crouch, studying the Valiance. Preparing several wicked weaves, she waiting for it to swing again.

It went low for a second time, and Bayonetta launched a wicked stomp onto its torso, following it up with two punches and an uppercut, throwing the body back and the sword up into the air. Seizing the opportunity, she spun around as she felt the familiar energies of Inferno build up inside of her.

"PDEE BARMA!" She felt her hair fly into a portal behind her, and a giant Madama Butterfly caught both the angel and its weapon. Tossing the Valiance into the air, the infernal tested the weight of the weapon, and then watch with amusement as the angel bounced off the ground. Reversing her grip, she slammed the sword point first into the angel's torso, repeatedly stabbing it. Before it could split in two, she scooped it up with the sword inside still, then tossed it into the air behind her. The Valiabce flew off the sword and crashed into the church, falling in.

"I suppose you meant to do that?" Bayonetta turned, unconcerned about her lack of dress or the fact she was technically starting to destroy yet another city again. Butterfly gave her a wink, then melted away back into her hair, and her hair reformed her clothing. Once all was silent, she heard the light cursing of a young man on the air.

"Oh!" She finally realised what had transpired, and her eyes glinted with amusement. "Why thank you!"

Pushing open the doors, she saw the boy trapped underneath the twitching corpse of the Valiance. Suppressing a smirk, she walked towards the boy, then stood at his head.

"Hey! Love! Help m- oh fuck, its you!" The boy's eyes widened at the view. "You did this!"

"Technically, you are wrong." She folded her arms. "I had nothing to do with this, unless you count me being the catalyst for it to occur. They are after you too?"

"Grrr… Just get me out of here!" The boy continued to struggle. "I have to get to the mountain!"

"Fimbulventr?" She tilted her head and regarded him with curiosity. "You are going there? Have you been keeping secrets from mommy?"

"Y- No!" He lamely denied. "I'm not going to Fimbulventr!"

"Suit yourself." Bayonetta turned and began to walk off. She heard more cursing, then a long sigh from behind her.

"Look, love. Let me make a deal. You save me, and I'll take you to the mountain." He gave her a wry grin. "Then there will be two of us, and it will take two of us to traverse it."

"You seem to have skipped school the day they taught basic negotiation skills." She unfolded her arms and put her hands on her hips. "You are supposed to negotiate from a position of strength, little one."

The boy went silent as his expression fell.

"To be honest, I do not have the time nor patience to give a shit about who you are or why you are going to the mountain." She began to pace around in front of the trapped boy, regarding him with a look of irritation. "But I need a guide. Take me there and make it quick."

The boy looked up in surprise, his eyes full of hope. "You mea-"

Bayonetta pulled out her guns and fired them rapidly into the corpse of the Valiance, lifting it off of him and throwing it into the wall. The boy stood up, eyes wide and shaking slightly.

"For the love of Christ, stop that!" He waved at her guns frantically. "I don't like it when people try to attack me, love, and then trick me into thinking I'm going to die!"

"Well, little one, frankly I feel the same." She turned and gestured to the doors behind them. "But you are here to guide me, yes?"

"Loki!" He sighed. "My name is Loki, and you should darn well use it!"

"As I said before, you'll earn your name when you become a man." She began to walk, her long strides causing Loki to half-sprint half-jog in order to just keep pace with her. "And it seems you won't be doing that for quite some time."

…

Damien stared at Madama Khepri as Hope finished explaining the situation and what was now required of him. He was wary of the demon's rage, but he knew that it was subsided.

For now.

"To be honest, I don't see much of an issue with it." She shrugged after a minute of silence. "It would be nice to have a second voice in there to talk to."

"Hold up." Damien finally raised a hand. "Isn't anyone going to ask me on my opinion on all of this?"

Hope turned to him, surprise etched on her features. "We never thought we had to."

"Yes! Yes, you do have to!" He burst out, startling the two angels and demon. "If you didn't quite remember, I hate this… thing!" He gestured to Temperentia, who stiffened in response. "And I don't know whether I want to like it! Ever!"

'Valid…" Khepri muttered, turning away. "Very valid…"

"We were hoping that you would aid us." Hope answered, looking at him in sorrow. "We need all the help we can get."

"I never said I wouldn't aid you." He replied, looking at her solemnly. "I just don't think I would ever ally myself permanently with you!"

The Laguna shifted around uncomfortably.

"Look, Sephiroth." Temperentia's use of his alternative name caused him to snap up in attention. "We do not have a plan if you never helped us."

"You were expecting me to?!" He frowned, perplexed. "What are you? Stupid?"

"Naïve." It boomed. Damien fell silent at the proclamation. "I am merely twelve months into my tenure as the Cardinal Virtue of Temperance, far too young for the role for the responsibility laid on me. We need something to look to, to believe in, in these dark times. Our forces are gone. Our hope is all but a sliver of what it could be. We need someone!"

"I am not that one!" He shook his head. "I am not the saviour, the messiah that you think I am! I am just-"

"You are our overseer. Or you should be."

Khepri turned around, surprise on her features. "Say what now?"

Temperentia glanced at the Infernal. "With the false one's death, the Right Eye has been lost, and the Overseer of light is gone. We need someone to fulfil his role, and become his replacement."

"The Right Eye is gone!" Damien looked at Khepri, who nodded in confirmation. "How can something become its bearer without it?"

"The Eye is an object of great power. It will not stay 'gone' for long." Hope answered, stepping forward. "And the Eye is not required to become an Overseer. All you need is the power to do it."

Damien finally saw what the angel was getting at, and his face scrunched into confusion. "You want me to become a Lumen Sage?"

"Indeed."

"But how? Am I not an Umbra Witch?" He turned again to Khepri, who hesitated instead.

"In theory, you are." She answered. "However, unlike Bayonetta and Jeanne, you never swore yourself to the dark arts; you merely use them. That alone does discount you from becoming a Sage, however, but the ability to use Lumen powers should be well within your grasp, as you have already shown."

He was obviously torn. "I-"

"What troubles you?" The Joy stepped beside him, her mouth creased with worry.

"It's Jeanne." He answered, and the two celestials and infernal glanced at each other.

"What happened with Jeanne, if it is that you are worried about, was a freak accident bought on by the perfect storm." The Auditio smiled reassuringly at him. "It's as much as your fault as it is hers."

"I'm the one who never tells her anything." He said softly, and Hope shook her head.

"You think that she has been just as truthful as she presents herself?"

…

"So, love, what brings you to Fimbulventr?" Loki asked as they walked, turning his head slightly to the witch. "The challenge? A love of rock climbing?"

"I'm here to collect a friend. They missed their curfew by a whole day." She answered, lying slightly. She knew better than to trust strange boys with her problems. "And if they are late anymore, I have no idea what I would do."

"Oh." The boy answered sullenly. "You are here to investigate the mountain?"

"To a lesser extent." Bayonetta glanced at the buildings beside them. "I need to find my friend first, then we can both figure out what is going on with the mountain."

"Sounds like a decent deal, love." Loki brightened up. "Maybe I can help you after I figure out why I need to go to the mountain."

"Hold on." Bayonetta stopped and fixed a look of suspicion at the boy. "You are going to the mountain, and you don't know why?"

"Look, love. I don't know why I need to go to the mountain!" The boy yelled at her, defensive. "All I know is that I have to go there, and I don't know shit about whether its because I've been kidnapping these people in my sleep or I have a weird fetish for naturally forming giant rocks!"

She raised an eyebrow at him. "What is making you go to the mountain?"

"Shut up!" He turned away angrily. "The sooner you get to Fimbulventr, the sooner you leave!"

Bayonetta watched as he stormed away with confused eyes. Letting the power of the Left Eye fill her, she glanced mentally at him, as Damien had taught her long ago.

She found nothing but emptiness.

"Interesting…" She whispered to herself. Letting the power fade, she began to walk behind the muttering boy, becoming suspicious with the lack of angelic activity.

The ground then proceeded to explode as the serpent angel from before appeared in a storm of shrapnel and dust, the impact sending Loki flying towards her. Catching the boy, she felt him transform into a squirrel and crawl onto her shoulder.

"Come on, little one. Even you know that's not the safest place for little boys like you." She rolled her eyes and grabbed him by the scruff of his neck, then let the hair around her chest loosen up. Loki began to struggle, but then accepted his fate as he was placed into her bosom. Tightening it back up, she stared up at the Lagunan serpent circling above them.

"Umbra witch…" It hissed, the sound reverberating through the street. "Where is the Sovereign One?"

"He is in a place far more heavenly than Paradiso, that's for certain." She smirked slightly, staring coolly back at the angel. "My, could you daresay more about why you want some boy who can transform into a squirrel?"

"He is required, as are you." The angel continued to circle above them, looking very much like a vulture. "Come, get to the mountain with haste!"

"I would love the offer, but I do think the part of the mountain you want to go to is not exactly where I want to go. Stop moving in there!" She slapped her chest, and a frightened squeak answered her.

"Remove the Sovereign One from your bosom, witch." The angel glanced at her, the face on it's underbelly glaring at her with hate. "That is not the place befitting of his sovereigness."

"Why don't you come and get him? He is not done guiding me yet." Love is Blue fell into her hands, and she took her stance. "And besides, I think he likes it where he is."

"Hmph. We will meet again, witch, and I will not be as lenient." The angel slithered off, causing Bayonetta to stare at it in utter confusion.

"What the fu- Hey! Come back here!" She fired a shot at its retreating tail, and it answered by roaring in Enochian. "I'm not finished with you, feather-face!"

The ground beneath her split apart, and she was thrown into the air.

…

Luka stepped onto the rooftop, signalling for the helicopter to leave. Letting the fresh scent of the ocean air fill his nostrils, he smiled briefly.

"Ah, Noatun. A lovely place, by the scent of it." He glanced around, looking for a sign of his elusive witch. "Sometimes the weirdest of things wash up here, other times the most beautiful of things do."

The sound of the ground splitting near him drew his attention away from that. A hole opened up to the right of him, and debris flew in all directions. Throwing himself down to the ground and placing on his glasses, he glanced up after the dust had settled to see a gigantic serpent angel talking to…

Bayonetta!

He smiled in victory. At least he knew where she was, and that she was in fact here. Now he could take tabs on her and continue his research on the damn mountain. Everything he had found had proved to be a bust, or simply false information.

His attention snapped back as the angel flew away, never engaging Bayonetta. That caused him to frown. Not attacking the famed witch who imprisoned their God? That was very much unangel-like behaviour. Looking closer, he saw her shoot its tail, and it responded by roaring, sending another shockwave through the ground, this time rupturing it where she was. He watched in stunned terror as his girlfriend was launched into the air, and then time began to seemingly slow down.

He took three steps forward, and fired his grappling hook into the side of a building. Taking another step, he threw himself off the building, letting himself fall towards the flailing witch. Reaching out, he smiled slightly. Now this would definitely earn him some brownie points for the future.

Three metres to go.

Her eyes snapped to his, and relief, happiness and confusion flooded them. He smiled at

Two metres until he could finally be called a hero by her.

Her eyes seemed to be asking a question, but Luka wasn't paying attention. This would be a first; the lowly mortal rescuing the damsel in distress witch.

One metre.

He finally looked up into her eyes. They were asking one thing. What the hell are you doing?

He prepared to grab her. Half a metre to go.

Her eyes widened. His eyes softened.

He passed right through her.

Looking back at her in shock, he suddenly felt the stupidity of his actions. Of course he couldn't touch her. She was in Purgatorio for God's sake! He glanced ahead, and paled.

"OHHHHHHHHHH SHIIII-" He was cut off as he slammed into the wall, his new hat flying off. Peeling off of it, he plummeted to the ground.

He didn't hit the ground, but rather fell into two arms.

"Cheshire?" Bayonetta's voice was not the distorted version that grated his ears when she spoke to him from Purgatorio, rather it was soft and real.

"Hey…" He opened his eyes and stared at hers. "Looks like I fucked up again."

"You mean that you forgot… yet again." She rolled her eyes. "You do know I'm not going to be here to catch you all the time?"

"Oh, I know." He grinned. "But one day I'll catch you. It's fated."

She snorted and dropped him. Landing on his backside with a grunt, he quickly scrambled to his feet as she grabbed his hat and tested it out, admiring it in a nearby window.

"Nice costume." She commented as she tossed the hat back to him.

"Why thank you." He caught it and replaced it onto his head, pulling his cable to release the grappling hook. "Thought I might dress the part."

Bayonetta smirked at him, the insult dancing at her lips. He smirked in reply, then grew serious.

"It's a good thing I ran into you." He began as he walked alongside her. "Finding any information on this mountain, or why it is so significant is proving to be a lot harder than it looks."

"Are you sure it wasn't a man look?" She lightly teased. He sent back a look of annoyance.

"I'm sure. It's not that I can't find it; it's more that it simply doesn't exist." He continued. "Everything that you think would have information on Fimbulventr? Doesn't."

"You think someone removed that information, don't you?" She shook her head slightly. "While I do agree that it might be the case, I don't think that it might be the truth."

"I agree, but I'm not ruling it out." He stopped and turned to her. "However, I do know who used to live there."

"Live there?" She stared at him, waiting for him to continue.

"Lord Aesir, the God of Chaos, the creator, the overseer, liege of the mortal realm." He listed off.

"The God of Chaos?" She folded her arms and looked down, thinking. Luka took this opportunity to continue.

"That's generally why this place has gateways to each realm of the trinities; including the Gates of Hell."

She nodded. "Old info is old info, Cheshire. Although the context is nice, I guess."

"I'm sorry I couldn't do more." He replied, his expression falling. She reached out and pulled him into a hug, the two letting each other's presence and warmth fill them.

"You are doing more than most people… hell, some people, would ever try." She whispered. "And that's more than good enough for me."

He broke the embrace and stepped back. "Now, I best be off. I do think I need to find out more about this Aesir; my investigative gut is pulling at that."

She nodded. "Good searching, Luka."

"Have fun, Cere- what the?!" Luka jumped back as a squirrel leaped from Bayonetta's bosom, only to be thwarted by her deft fingers grabbing him.

Luka straightened up and examined it. "Some squirrels get all the nuts… You're a luck little fella, huh?"

"What can I say? I took a liking to one of the locals." She placed the squirrel into her hand and began to pet it.

"So, he is your little tour guide? Stranger things have happened." He winked at her, then flicked his wrist as his grappling hook fired into a wall.

"Take care." She blushed slightly and smiled as he left, then laughed as his hook fell, and he plummeted down to the ground in a crash.