Stray Souls

by JesterFromHell

An innocent act of compassion throws the business of Dante, Vergil and Nero into disarray. Really? Nobody is surprised anymore, at least until old friends show up. From there all it takes is a single step to plunge everything into chaos. In the midst of it stands Nero, fighting for who he wants to be. (AU, doesn't follow timeline either, Darksiders/DMC lore mixed together, Nero/OC)

16. Call to Hearts

Call to Hearts

---

"The window is still broken." Devon remarked with a loopsided grin over her mug at Dante, who had taken a seat opposite her with a fresh coffee himself and the newspaper, he had retrieved for Vergil, who yet hadn't come down from upstairs. Maybe he was enjoying his alone time, since the riders had went with Danzig.

"Believe me, I noticed."

"Aren't you gonna fix it? It's gonna be pretty chill inside. In fact, it already is." And to prove her point, Devon shivered and rubbed her arms.

"That door had been broken one time too many, I'm kind of tired of fixing it. It's actually like a bad luck charm, we rather should get rid of it and get a new one."

His comment stood in the room like a wall of riddles and he noticed his error at the proverbial question marks floating around Devon's head. "That so?"

"Nah, I'm just joking. I like that door. But it's true. We break a lot of doors." Dante was amused by it, though he could do without the occasional demon busting in.

"Shops, actually." He shrugged and Devon went slack jawed. "You're kidding."

"I wish I was. But this," he gestured around the kitchen, with his eyes following the movement of his hand, "..is actually the third shop."

"What the hell happened? It can't be all bad luck?"

"It comes with the job description." The voice didn't belong to Dante, though he looked like he agreed with it. Devon's head whipped around to the see the other twin stand in the door, a smirk on his lips and a nod towards his brother, before he walked in. Devon once more noted the bare feet. So, it was habitual.

Vergil opened the fridge, diving into the huge construction and after a few clings and clanks, he found, what he was looking for.

Devon felt like in a deja vu, but quickly remembered the scene indeed had occurred one time already, when she peeked at Vergil and his bowl of fruit salad, Nero must have prepared beforehand for him. She marked it down as normal occurrence, too.

"That doesn't sound remotely unsettling," she remarked sarcastically with observing Vergil, who was to busy to answer.

Dante took over. "Don't worry, as long as any of us is here, nothing's gonna happen, except for the occasional broken door."

"I see. Then I'll take the broken doors over anything, every time. Now, I get it. Broken doors are good, because nothing bad happened, instead of that." Devon beamed at them, satisfied with her own explanation.

Vergil chuckled with his mouth full, chewed and swallowed, aware of how Devon watched him, but letting in slide and instead went with the humor his brother had set up. "They are still inconvenient, though."

"Don't you have anything to fix it? Like a piece of wood or something? At least temporarily?" Dante cocked his head, eyes turned towards the ceiling, indicating he was trying to come up with a solution to not have the only human around to freeze to death.

"We do have a lot of pizza boxes." Vergil commented, while he sneered at Dante, who mocked back by mimicking is brother in a more sardonic version.

Devon slapped her forehead at Vergil's surprising suggestion. Surprising for Dante at least, who now eyed his brother mildly concerned. Vergil responded with forking more fruit chunks into his mouth, looking like asking him 'Am I not allowed to talk or why are you gawking?'

Dante refrained from the jab he had in mind and leaned back, crossing his arms behind his head, while Vergil leaned casually against the counter, like he usually did, because he probably had been sitting the entire time, brooding over his manuscripts and whatnot and wanted to stretch a bit and eat something fresh to get that smell of molded paper and dust out of his system.

It all went completely over Devon's head. Dante wondering what was wrong with his brother and Vergil wondering, why Dante acted like he did something out of the ordinary.

Devon twiddled her fingers and watched them circle around each other before looking back up."Could work. Tape?"

Vergil yet again staggered Dante with his nonchalant friendliness, as he opened a drawer next to his left, grabbing the industrial tape blindly and tossing it at her. Too late, he figured his faux pas. She couldn't be that good already and catch it with missing her in depth sight.

Dante threw him a warning look, catching it right before it could smash into her forehead. Devon's reaction was so poor, she didn't even flinch, even more evidence for her lacking sight. "Alright. Rule number one, no throwing stuff at Dev."

Vergil coughed and cleared his throat. "Duly noted." Barely audible, with all the strawberries, pineapples and what not in his mouth.

"I would have caught it."

"If you really wanna try that, you might try it with something, that wouldn't crack your forehead." Dante twirled the heavy roll of tape around his index finger like a hula hoop, realizing Devon wasn't that uncomfortable with her state any longer, though she still fixed her hair in a fashion, which allowed it to hide the damaged side.

Devon straightened her hand over said part of hair, because Dante had his gaze solely fixed on what felt like that exact spot of her empty socket. Devon then cleared her throat before holding her hand out, so he could give the tape to her.

Vergil perked up at their exchange, interested in her next course of action, when Dante taunted her with twirling the tape relentlessly out of reach instead of simply passing it over, while grinning.

"Focus. He wants you to take it from him." Pesh was wide awake inside her head, his own gaze fixed on it. "Maybe I can help you."

Devon barely nodded, reading Dante's expression to come and get it with mild amusement, not minding to clarify her nod as a response to Pesh. She didn't even know, if he could see or feel it. But both twins actually caught on. The presence inside was stronger than ever, it was as if they could feel him, like a mostly inaudible whisper, a wisp of golden smoke, highlighted from behind. It shone through the fabric of her body and hit their inner eye like a disoriented and weak beam, but it was there, nonetheless.

"No changing." Dante warned with a chuckle, letting Devon know, he was aware of their inner exchange to some extent. "That would be cheating."

Inside her head, Devon heard Pesh scoff mildly. "As if."

Devon didn't know, what to do or what not. She relied solely on Pesh to tell her. And he only advised her to think of it, of how she'd grab the tape from his finger, and to focus on it with her gaze. Devon did, with Vergil and Dante intently watching her muscles tense, her face blank, and how her fists clenched on the table.

Pesh focused too, trying to see through her eye, without that infuriating haze between them. And then he moved, trying to make her arm move without actually overtaking and showing up.

Devon's hand shot forward, but it went into empty space with Dante quickly responding by pulling away and holding his arm over his head. She didn't even graze it. But the aim, he noticed astounded, had been spot on.

"Again." He said, with both assuming their initial position, fixing each other with narrowed eyes. Devon gritted her teeth. She heard Pesh chuckle, he was enjoying this little game.

Devon's eyes widened, as soon as her fingers grazed Dante's hand on the second attempt, and the hunter smirked. That had been very fast. Inhumanly fast. He looked for any sign of the angel, but all he could see was her, no glow, nothing. Pesh purely reacted from the inside, pulling invisible strings, like a marionette player.

Vergil observed with growing interest, seeing too, how she had surpassed human speed. That must have actually hurt. But other than her squaring her jaw and shaking and stretching her arms briefly, he did not see any discomfort.

Devon, ignoring both twins eyes, in favor of still trying to focus on Pesh and the tape alone, rolled her shoulders and stretched her neck a few times. Reacting with Pesh's power felt like one day old muscle ache.

"One more." Pesh said and Devon repeated the words to Dante in the same demanding fashion, egged on and fired up, that it looked like they could actually make it work and succeed, though Devon knew, it was something her body wouldn't be able to hold out long. It was tiring. But maybe, they could indeed work on that.

Dante held the item in his firm grip, the twirling and taunting had stopped, his face was as concentrated as her own. He was now all business, showing his own inhuman strength and speed with determination. They all had witnessed Pesh before and his speed, which seemed to be his biggest and most distinctive trait. Dante was up to the challenge.

With Dante and his ability on full display and focused, it became slightly harder, but Pesh, too, welcomed the challenge, the curious hybrid presented to him.

Pesh trained his eyes on the blue glowing orbs outside, feeling the sting and burn and it provided him with a good portion of determination. He took a few seconds longer, letting Devon rest and the slight sting wear off, because his next move would be more powerful. He told her to let loose, not tense her muscles or the harder it would become, if she tried to act with him and the timing was off. He would do this with her body and she had to clear her head out.

At first it seemed counterproductive, when Pesh told her to think of something entirely else, but she could feel his warmth spread through her veins and it latched onto every fiber. She knew, he was close to transform, and tried to keep it steady, swirling under her skin, like warm water melting the thin ice, but not breaking it, hollowing it out hair by hair until he had filled her up with his power. Devon didn't know, why, but it seemed like a crucial thing to all of them, that he'd remain inside, but also could control her.

Pesh now viewed Dante through the scarred black hole, he could almost see the angel eye, peeking through the dark and the strand of hair at him and he swore for a mere second he saw a flash of yellow, too.

Dante reacted on pure instinct now, letting his demon blood guide his actions, as he once more pulled away in a flash of red in front Devon's own widened eye.

Pesh had focused only on one movement, that of her hand. And when Dante wiggled his fingers, he knew his hand was empty. The roll of tape bounced off the table, for Pesh had managed to hook one of her fingers through it, but his control was still far from perfect.

"Huh." Dante watched Vergil pick up the tape from the floor, where it had rolled along to fall over at his naked feet.

"Very good." He commented at a smug grinning Devon, who took it with a shaky hand. Her muscles were sore now, but it wasn't that bad actually.

Pesh cheered inside her head: "We did it." To which Devon could only think, it was him, who did it. Pesh chuckled. "Not at all. If you wouldn't have trusted me and let go, I wouldn't have been able to. I'm sorry. I guess, it hurt."

Devon shook her head, speaking aloud and startling both twins. "It's fine. Stings a little." But Pesh wouldn't have that, and in a whiff, the pain was gone. "There. All better."

The twins could actually see the perks of it, if they manged to work in sync like that. He wouldn't get hurt, and if she would, he could heal her. Though, Devon worried, that if she would get sore and tired this easily and feel it, how bad a pain it must be, if he was supposed to fight with her body. Healing or not, the wounds would still be painful. And that thought was scaring her, hoping it would never have come to this.

"You okay?" Dante reached over the table to grasp her shaky hands and put the roll of plastic aside for now. Her skin was burning, from what he assumed was the angel's power. It felt like the first time, when Vergil had brought her back after the very first incident, when they thought she had caught a feverish sickness, and then learned the angel had revived and healed her.

"Yeah. I guess, I am." Though she didn't let go at first, enjoying the gentle hands kneading life into hers. And Pesh inside her hummed at the contact. Dante exuded a strange sense of safety, both had quite missed.

Dante felt the skin cool under his touch, which was indicating the angel's spell radiating through her, wore off and he had retreated once more, as Devon reluctantly pulled out of his grasp to gather her hands in her lap, but still viewing Dante with a shy smile and heated cheeks. It was difficult to get used to his touchy-feel character and it made her blush, which felt so wrong on all accounts, even more when she heard Pesh chuckle inside her fuzzy head. "First Nero and now you're getting flustered by him. You humans are cute, and easily aggravated."

Devon could only agree, accepting defeat. But on the other hand, who could blame her? Dante was the first to ever take notice, who offered her shelter and acted so nice, it was embarrassing. Also, he was gorgeous. Which she told Pesh all with her thoughts, running at light speed and hard for him to understand. But Nero was another level still. And they both were aware of it. And her heart started pounding at that thought, she hadn't allowed herself to think deliberate about it, until now. Yet, who was she fooling? She was falling for that one. Not for the twins, who seemed out of everyone's league and surreal at times, Vergil over the more than Dante, who had this more earthy and human feeling. No, she was falling for Nero, head over heels, with no chance of stopping it. And she couldn't help it, that he was also out of her league either, yet her heart had decided to still peer down that road. Damn her traitorous heart.

She was grateful, when Vergil interrupted the bonding over the table and the thoughts in her head with his gruff voice. "I advise you to work on that." He motioned at her overall form, meaning the link with Pesh no doubt.

Devon scratched her nose in a nervous fashion, something very familiar to both of the twins, a habit Nero constantly flashed when being embarrassed. Did she pick it up from him?

"Easier said, than done."

Vergil assessed her with a hint of a smile. "Isn't it always?"

To that, no one had a comment and he just nodded at her, before he put his empty bowl into the sink, ready to leave. Before he reached the door, he turned to Dante. And if Dante wouldn't have known Vergil, the fact he could smell something close to agitation coming off him, he wouldn't have believed it. "We need to talk, as soon as Danzig is back."

Dante opened his mouth, in order to ask, what this was about all of a sudden, but Vergil didn't give him the opportunity. Infuriating as it was, he just could watch him disappear in a flash, meaning he would only talk on his terms when he saw fit and with Danzig there. Dante pulled an unnerved face.

"He tends to do this a lot, doesn't he?" Devon commented on Vergil's composed exit and Dante's willingness to simply tolerate it.

"I got used to it." Dante fixed his face to not look as annoyed as he felt.

Devon stretched and yawned, before they both heard her back and neck crack. Devon laughed at this, the evidence, her and Pesh had a long road ahead of them. How long it may be.

"Go, get a shower, before Nero wakes. With the house this empty and silent, it's an opportunity, you'll not get anytime soon."

Devon nodded. Best idea ever after their short, but exhausting exercise.

---

Nero awoke slowly after his nap. He stretched and regarded the light seeping through his closed curtains, while his fuzzy head realized, his sour mood had worn off or retreated to places far away enough to not feel it as prominent as he had this morning. He actually felt refreshed after his power nap of some sorts. His bringer hummed content at his side, too, which meant, everything was fine and in order, with the twins both calm and at ease no less.

He rose and cracked his shoulders, while arching his back, letting a long yawn out, followed by a content sigh. He hadn't bother to undress and had simply thrown himself onto the duvet out of frustration over everything and nothing all at once.

He recalled the morning and considered, he might talk to Devon, for he had the feeling of being harsh, but his other half told him, there was actually no need. There hadn't been a real argument and certainly Devon hadn't acted like she had been mad. And there was nothing bout it with him and her speaking their minds. He waited for his gut to answer him and there was no knot this time. Surprising, but certainly well welcomed.

He heard a few doors shut and open, a bit of far away clattering and footsteps, normal noises along the walls and floor. He pinpointed noises to the living space, kitchen and bathroom just across the hallway outside his quarter. He smelled soap from steamy air from under the crack of his door.

Nero curiously walked outside, and in that moment, there was more clatter, yet he knew both twins weren't in there, so he deducted it to be Devon. Her muffled voice, yelling 'shit' confirmed it and he smiled stupidly at her exclaim, before he went over and knocked.

"You okay in there?"

"Yes, yes. I'm fine." Devon replied, convincingly so, but bit her lip and pulled a mortified expression as she regarded the mess she made. Even though, Pesh had attempted to return her body into it's tip top condition, something still was off. And her hands couldn't grab the one item she wanted, but toppled it over and everything from the shelf followed, while she stared in horror at the falling domino of tins and cans. "Dammit.." She whispered at her self, making Pesh inside worry, to which she said: "Calm down."

"I am calm." Nero responded through the door, refraining from 'for a change', because it wouldn't have been funny, at least not to her or so he guessed. Instead he leaned against the door, slightly confused.

"I wasn't talking to you. Sorry."

"Oh. Uh, need some help?"

She was making a habit of answering Pesh like a telephone call, which was confusing at best. Nero would never get used to that, or so he thought. But, he knew exactly, how it was to have someone inside your head, who didn't belong there.

Inside the bathroom, Devon threw the door a mortified look. "You can't just ask a woman in the bathroom, through the door, if she needs some help!"

Nero hopped back from the door, as if he had been burned. In his mind, it had been a perfectly fine question, and not at all creepy. His face flushed three shades of crimson. He harshly slapped his forehead in addition to remind himself of how awkwardly idiotic he was sometimes. "Ouch." And it hurt too much to not wince and groan. "I mean, you're right. Sorry."

Devon rapidly gathered all spilled items to assemble them to their allotted spots, trying to piece together the sounds outside. This was getting weird and her hands were shaking more in response, but for a different reason. She would have laughed, if it hadn't been Nero to discover her involuntary clumsiness.

He stood there, too dumbfounded to move yet, and another awkward minute later, Devon opened the door, and leaned against it, as soon as she pulled it close. Nero scratched his nose, catching himself at the last moment to not ask what the hell she had been doing in there, though he noticed her hair was in slight disarray.

They silently looked at each other, and Devon cleared her throat, lowered her gaze and fiddled with her hands behind her back, hair completely obscuring her face now. How to get out of this situation? And why did he even think it a good idea to wait and ask stupid questions? Goddammit.

Devon sighed, her heart beating irritatingly fast. "I just toppled some stuff over." And spilled some things and made a generic mess. But that she kept to herself.

Nero's own head snapped up, for he too had been staring rather at her feet, than into her face. "Oh, okay, I guess. I just heard noises, when I woke. Sorry. It's just.." With all the things that happened lately, he had been worried, but his voice wouldn't say that out loud, instead he trailed off letting it hang in the air between them.

"You heard that? From in there?" Devon pointed past him, to his room and the spare door, he had hung in, so he could sleep without much disturbance.

Nero let out a nervous laugh, looking anywhere but her, as he tensed at the inquiry, which was only natural for someone, who didn't know or simply forgot, he wasn't nearly as human as them. Nero rubbed his earlobe, a sheepish grin forming on his lips. "Can't help it."

And then they both giggled. "Geez, don't be mad, but I forgot about it - you're like the twins."

It was, as if someone just had told Nero, he was the most normal person ever, the ordinary guy, with nothing strange to notice about and his eyes went wide, before he held up his devil bringer, literally bringing up the obvious. How could she forget about that?

And with him pointing it out in that fashion, they both giggled uncontrollably. "Duh." Devon motioned at his demonic arm, feeling utterly stupid. She couldn't figure out the way he looked at her. Was it disbelief? Or amusement? His expression showed various statements of it, or so it would seem.

Nero lightly shook his head and the annoying one strand out of his eyes, going so far as to blow air up, making him look adorable to Devon, and growing warmer the more the thought sunk in. Nero could be adorable.

"You going downstairs?" He asked, oblivious to her flushed face and nervous state, which Devon was glad over.

"Yep." And with her answer, they both made their way for the stairs side by side, before Nero let her descent and went after her. His stomach growled without warning and Devon turned, when he arrived yet again at her side.

"This sounds bad." She commented the obscene loud noise, as he flinched at the low grumble, that followed the first one, yet even louder.

"Tell me about it. I am starving as we speak." He rubbed his belly in a circular motion.

Well, breakfast had been four hours ago. Albeit she didn't have that trained stomach of his, or like any of them, she could eat. Devon already had a gotten a taste of their appetite, when she went out shopping with Nero and he told her befuddled face, that they wouldn't last a week with that. And she remembered it only had been a week from there to here, which was definitely weird. She could have sworn, it were already so much longer. In her heart, it stung, to know it was a reminder, that time here didn't feel neither stretched nor thinned. It just felt right and she hadn't thought about that until now.

It felt like, being home, where you didn't count the days anymore, but just were there.

"I hope the other two didn't eat all of the remaining food." As ominous as sounded, it was not far off, for Dante had been eating almost the entire time, with small pauses to let it settle. Vergil had finished his huge bowl and had sauntered off as nonchalant as he had come after that, without any indication, if he liked what he had witnessed in there or not, to which Pesh had ensured her, he was fine. And there was no bad blood or any hostility coming from him, when they had been out together. On the contrary, Vergil had been the epitome of neither caring nor bothering about Pesh's appearance in the slightest. He even had referred to him as colleague, to which Devon had enlightened him, that it meant something like partners, just not that close. Pesh had regarded that thought from every angle, and it did made sense in a way, before he stored it away, with attaching a great sympathy for Vergil to it.

When Devon made the comment, which Nero thought not unlikely to be true actually, Dante peeked out from the kitchen, greeting Nero with a dubious smile. "Why are you up? You still have a few hours."

"I was hungry."

"Figures." Dante waved them in. And Nero prayed, he didn't invite them, so they could fall prey to one of his cooking incidents. He looked too smug to not act on it. Nero sniffed the air, not bothering to hide his concerned face. "What did you do?"

"Whatever gives you the impression I did something? And judging by your tone, you also assume, it is something bad?" And he scoffed, like he knew exactly what Nero was referring to.

As soon as Nero had walked into the kitchen, with a curious Devon in tow, he felt bad. And also felt that gut wrenching feeling of fuzziness, he didn't like, because he craved for it so much sometimes.

Dante had prepared dinner for them, which was totally not expected by Nero. It wasn't anything fancy or special at all. But, Dante almost never cooked, leaving that expertise to Nero, who had much more reliant skills on being self sufficient for most of his life, on that part, than any other of them. Yet, to Nero it looked like picture perfect family dinner, stunning him into uncomfortable silence.

"I thought you might be hungry. And Devon took forever in the shower, so I was bored." Dante shrugged at them, while explaining with a way too indifferent voice, making it seem like he did nothing out of his usual way. But Nero knew better, yet disregarded it, in favor of Dante, who played it down so he wouldn't even start to make a fuzz.

Nonetheless, even Devon noticed, how a solemn sadness furrowed Nero's brows briefly, as he regarded the older man with what could only be described as gratefulness.

Devon blinked and the moment nearly passed, but still, as invisible as it was, she, or rather Pesh inside, could feel it echo throughout their souls. Love. Not the romantic or fierce kind, but a quiet, understanding, gentle burning love. It was warming her up, like sitting on a comfortable, yet old rug, in front of a small fireplace, made of cedar wood on an, other than that, excessively dark night. To Devon, this was exactly, what Dante felt like, even in all his glory and difference from the rest of all the people, he could call fourth this kind of safety and trust with so much ease. It was a gift, Pesh spelled it out inside her head. It was almost frightening.

Nero chewed on his lower lip, not entirely sure, what to say, but this was the Dante he had been drawn to since they first met. And he didn't even try hard. Or he did, and Nero never noticed or had been to busy to see through it. But here he was, reminded of why exactly he had followed the red coat. The enigma, that was a dork, a warrior and, the most unexpected thing, a friend, he could trust with his life.

"You didn't have to."

"What? I figured you'd be starving. And Devon needs to eat, too. So, sit your asses down, and eat. Before it gets cold." Dante sure as hell didn't stand in the kitchen for an hour to let it go to waste, because they were staring at him like he sprouted a second head. But of course, he would be damned, before he told them exactly that.

Devon and Nero exchanged an amused look, before doing as they were told, with Dante joining them a few moments later, ready to devour another meal.

After they settled and helped themselves to full plates of meatloaf, peas and mashed potatoes, Nero faced Dante with a veiled look of concern and something else. "Did Vergil find his salad?"

"He did. Ate it all. And left." Dante informed him between his first bites.

"Of course." Nero grunted. Vergil would never be the person to actively join them. Not that it was a surprise, but still Nero hoped, he'd someday find it in him to do so. The distance between the brothers varied each day, as it would seem, but Nero was no fool, and though he was preoccupied with his own things to mull over, he always noticed and it added to his worries. And with threats crashing in from every side, he did over the more.

And then he noticed Devon and her own way of dealing with it. And if he really gave it a second look, Pesh didn't seem so annoying, like he had told himself before. There were things, he wished for not being part of him, but in the end, they were working on the same goal and he had to go with it. And Danzig had them all in a vice like grip, he had noticed. He was behind the steering wheel, which Pesh did acknowledge, no less. Dante trusted Danzig without question. And strangely, Vergil seemed to do that, too. He wouldn't spill anything, yet was always on Danzig heel, whenever he was around, probably confiding more in the old man, than he did with any of them. Though Nero had the chance, to take a good gander inside Vergil and what he had seen, was a darkness, he'd never fully understood. Yet, he wasn't afraid of it. No darkness was endless. His heart lived, survived barely, after Fortuna, yet his inner devil wouldn't let him die, no matter how much he told himself he couldn't go on. He lived through it. And his heart did beat with steady rhythms. Like it did to the girl next to him at this moment, as he regarded her with a veiled look of concern. No one was at fault for the things that happened. Certainly Pesh wasn't and Devon's unwillingness to object to his need of freedom, threw it right back into his face. He wasn't the one to decide for anything and more importantly, Pesh did prove himself more than he had been asked to do. The only thing Nero did know, they just had to be the ones to be left standing, with whatever may come.

As Devon sat in the kitchen with Dante and Nero, Danzig's call had traveled far already and did reach the hearts of those, who were bound to follow.

---

Temen-ni-gru stood silent and sad as dusk eventually settled over the city of Capulet. A lone figure walked in the shadow of the huge contraption to reach it's stone footing. No one was in sight, as he sat on a pile of rubble, hands on his knees and head hanging low. He hated waiting.

From the west under the last dim light of this forlorn day, a tall figure approached, throwing a thin and long shadow ahead to announce his arrival. From every direction they slowly walked to the center of the city, meeting from where the echo of a loud heartbeat and the voice of their leader had summoned them.

Every one of the four man immediately had been on his way, traveling a long distance, sometimes faster than a human eye could see. Three days had passed since they heard it. The city lay in deep shadows between tiny, glum artificial lights, that would scare no one away in this wretched place. Not even the darkness itself.

Night had engulfed them all and the tower threw an even darker shadow below, where the four figures met at last, cloaked and hooded as tiny blacker spots in the dark. The first one was still sitting cross legged on his huge chunk of ancient stone, tapping his fingers under the heavy fabric of his tattered clothes. "Finally." His tapping stopped.

"It has been too long", the deep and pleasantly resonating voice of the tallest and hunkiest man of the four proclaimed.

Knowing there was no beast, man or creature in the close vicinity, they all shook back their hoods, revealing their brilliant faces and wild, windswept hair of long traveling, staring each other equally in the eye, with equal glowing irises.

"Too true." The smallest one remarked, before his eyes wandered around and up the skeleton tower, that was as foreign to them as a lie.

"Well, it's been long and correct me, if I'm wrong, but I don't remember this being here." The one who sat raised his voice, while pointing up at the tower.

"That's because, it wasn't here, the last time we visited, Gene." The last newcomer answered, amused about his brother, who needlessly had stated the obvious.

Gene shook his shoulder long ashen blonde hair out of his eyes and looked up. "Hey, Ash, what do you think? Is this why he called us?"

The biggest one, who looked almost like a lion with his unruly dark blonde locks that reached his waist, craned his neck as he glumly regarded the ruined structure of the tower once more. "I don't think so. Look, it's nearly dead."

"Why is it here? And what is it?" Gene couldn't believe something so huge and malicious had befallen the city.

"I can still feel it pulsing. Though, it's rather faint." Their only dark haired brother had gone to look at the thick walls, grazing his fingers and instantly pulled back, as if he had burned his hand. "Ouch." He lifted it to inspect his skin, it was intact, though it stung. He blew some air on it, before shaking it.

"Dan, please. No touching." His second brother, with the short strubbly white blonde hair looked mildly disgusted, and a little concerned, for the reaction had startled him.

"Yeah, yeah, Red. Too late for that." Dan sucked on his index finger, the next second though and without warning, he spat onto the ground, surprised by the coppery and sulfuric taste. "Bah. This tastes awful."

"You are an idiot." Red nonchalantly complimented his older brother with a sigh.

Dan grinned, while furiously rubbing his hand on his coat, wanting to get rid of whatever had apparently stained it. "Takes one to know one, idiot."

"Are you two finished?" Ash had the growl of a lion too, which was truly fitting, if he'd already decided to look like one. And it was his indicator of slowly loosing his temper. Or patience. But the three of his siblings with him there, already had agreed, it was almost nonexistent anyway.

Both referred to brothers saluted. "Yessir." Like out of one mouth. And somehow Ash couldn't shake the feeling they were mocking him. He quirked his brow at them. And trained the stare on them, that would glue every human to their very spot.

Gene sighed and finally stood up form his seated position. "One minute, and you're already on his bad side. Well done, gents." As if everyone just became aware of it, they all looked at him and his curious manner of speech, which sounded well pronounced and a bit snooty, or maybe it was because of that smug face, Gene decided to pull in addition while talking.

Dan pouted at him, before he decided to dish out a jab, everyone already knew would come from him. "What's with that fake accent?"

"It's oxford. Very sophisticated." Gene crossed his legs and leaned against his chunk of stone. Yes, he had called shotgun, because he had been here first and naturally this was his chunk all right. He was protective of it now.

"It's nonsense." Ash growled, eyeing him sharply, and Gene knew very well it meant, he should stop it at once. And never do it again. He'd see about that.

"Yes, mam." Gene tipped his head, as if he wore a cowboy hat and had now changed to a nasal, southern twang.

Ash twirled around on his heels, infuriated hair wip and all, boring his keen, glowing eyes straight into Gene's insides like a fiery lance. Gene wasn't prepared and choked on his own spit. This lion had some mighty claws too and he had ridiculous big hands. He could punch your sorry soul right out of your body, if he felt like it.

Dan sauntered over to Gene, at first rather gently patting his back to help him get his saliva out of the wrong pipe. Maybe he hit a bit too hard further on (on purpose), because Gene had gone off to have the coughing fit of his life. He wheezed and tried to swat Dan's hand away, which still patted (hit) his back hard enough, Gene thought he heard his spine crack several times.

"Ssto—hoph sto-..." He coughed and wretched. "Sto-hoph it!" He finally snatched the wrist of that offending appendage, which seemed determined to make him cough his poor lungs out.

Dan gave him his most innocent and cute face. "Not helping?" Gene cleared his burning throat. "Not one bit." He wheezed again.

Dan looked excessively please and grinned at Red, who giggled secretly into his hand, pretending to rub his chin.

Ash pointed and accounted the three, for how they behaved in his opinion, and he was not tolerating it. "Idiot. Idiot. Moron."

Gene's face fell, looking genuinely heartbroken and clueless over the insult of their older sibling. "And why am I being the moron?"

"Because you get on my nerves." Ash responded to him while eyeing the other two with a defeated look.

The two 'idiots' high fived each other proudly, proclaiming their status to each other. "Idiot. Nice to meet you. I'm also an idiot."

"Well, I love you, too." Gene retorted to Ash with a wide grin, while rubbing his inflamed chest, as he went and ignored his younger siblings altogether.

It suddenly changed the whole mood and they all went solemn and silent. "It's true." Red and Dan had stopped and turned towards them, all the grins where wiped off their faces and they viewed each other with longing gazes.

Dan nodded. "It's really good to see you, boys."

Gene straightened up, briefly checking if his spine was indeed intact and came over, standing next to Ash, who had lowered his head. "I've missed you. It's truly good to be back together again." And then Ash gave them all one of his rare fully fledged smiles. The one that would have made a human cry and fall to their knees in shame, if they ever saw it in all it's beauty and grace.

Gene knocked against Ash's immense chest, as he looked up at his brother, standing one feet above him. "It is. But, there's not much time to be sentimental for long." He waved over at the Temen-ni-gru. "If this isn't the source of all troubles, then call me a horse. It's foul smell is all over the city. Even though, it might be a desecrated ruin, it stands atop of our place. And I say, that is offending enough. Let's find Danzig, and see what is going on."

"Hear, hear." Dan said, nodding. "Agreed."

They all stared around, a bit clueless at last, before eyeing Ash, their leader in question, when no older sibling, namely Danzig or Al, sibling was around.

"So, where to start?"

---

Dante watched Nero and Devon giggling together like children from the designated spot at his desk, trying to get a hold of all people he knew, that hadn't been warned yet to look out for the hostile angles and to find himself a new car, after these pigeons, like Nero had called them so aptly, had thrashed his beautiful gem of a classic beauty.

They had moved to the couch after dinner and, which came totally out of nowhere, Nero had gotten up and pulled some DVD's from the old trunk next to the bar, where Dante kept most of his records for the jukebox.

Devon had followed his every move and it certainly didn't go unnoticed by the keen devil hunter at the desk, who had smiled to himself at the growing affection, displayed fully on the woman's face. Nero was oblivious to it, and not just because he had his back to her. In Dante's books, Nero was still just a, admittedly very curious, but innocent boy. And he didn't need any confirmation, though Nero showed it to him as he finally turned around with cheeks of rosy pink, because Dante also kept part of his adult film section in there, too.

Nero had brushed along the DVD's in order to find his favorite movies and involuntarily discovered Dante's questionable treasures. He huffed at the hunter with the knowing smile. "Not that I recommend it for a lazy afternoon, but you sure should watch some of those." Dante mumbled, eyes now back at scanning the newspaper.

Nero's eyes widened in horror at the overly suggestive tone, snapping the trunk shut, when Devon tried to peek, though they all were well aware, she wouldn't be able to make anything out from that distance. Still, Nero wasn't going to take even the slightest chances. He knew how it would backfire, to try and not think of watching any of these with a woman, but naturally, it made him think about it of-fucking-course.

Nero brushed Dante off with a glare, that matched Vergil's at his best, or worst, times. "I'll never." Though he felt like simply walking over without any indication, and smack the hunter into next Tuesday, hr didn't and his voice actually sounded only a little bit spiteful.

Yet, Dante heard the rapid heartbeat of Nero and saw the reddened face; he was mighty pleased about his success on getting Nero flustered and take his mind and readjust it to something entirely different. He enjoyed being the instigator far too much for his own good sometimes. "Just keep it down. I'm trying to make some calls here."

It would have made perfect sense, but the way he wiggled his eyebrows let Nero groan, begging him to shut up just with just his eyes, not wanting to alert Devon to anything close as to what he had just seen on the covers of Dante's collection, leaving nothing to the imagination. And his mind not only continued to sprint into that direction, but trample like a stampede to mow down any coherent thought, like Dante had wanted it to.

However, Nero was insufferably adamant and kept his face straight, as much as possible, stalking over to the TV and inserting a disc into the player next to it. He hadn't forgotten about his promise to show Devon some movies, it just had been shoved away so far into the back of his head, because his excruciating guilt never left him a second to breathe. Only to find out eventually, he had a breather after the nap and dinner, that he actually wouldn't mind, after Dante had suggested they take it easy for today and do something for fun. Just for as long as Vergil and Nero were up to take the watch and relieve the others in the evening.

Oh, the look Dante had received from Devon at that advice, was worth it all. At first she looked mortified, but when Nero actually didn't object, she gave him a secret, very appreciative, smile. And he knew, his gut had been right, mentally patting himself on the back. And here Dante was, trying to further investigate into his feelings and why exactly Nero had been so edgy lately.

So, when the giggling started, Dante indeed was pleased to watch, how they both actually gave each other some leverage and a chance to have some time together, without anything that threatened them. Sometimes, the best way to deal with heavy stuff, is to not deal with it at all. It gave one a chance to take a step back and change the perspective and perception of it, with not focusing so hard one thing and completely disregarding the other. It worked for Dante, because he taught himself a long time ago to not brood about things too much. At first a mere reflex of self preservation, but later a solid method to not drown in the dark waters, his mind could be made of. Something Nero had to figure out for himself, though he had a habit of turning it into blind anger, when it didn't work.

And in comes Devon, with her broad smile and a soul, which had been steeled and worn out all the same on the streets of Capulet City for many a year, with a strength to accept things and deal with them in a way, that sobered even Dante. Though he heard the cracks, when he first found her in the rain and the breaking of it sounded through his entire soul, only to find out, that with finding someone to trust into, she actually shed the outer shell and could cry over it, only to go on, after the first storm had passed, for now. He couldn't begin to think, how hard it still was, but the bond she had with Pesh, was becoming stronger, which he had witnessed today. Pesh had incited both hope and fear. A mix, Devon was fueled by instead of holding her back. What it meant for Pesh though, not even Danzig could say, still trying to find a way to break them apart, without doing damage to either of them.

Strange times and stranger things were to happen and he could sniff it off the skin of hers, that had healed under the angel's power, just like he could smell it within this very house, whenever the riders and Danzig had been around.

Yet, most importantly, Nero, with slowly accepting the hands reaching out to him, could walk on to. And he did so, even without realizing it. He fought like he did in Fortuna. He had displayed absolute control over his bringer and Dante could have jumped and hugged him right then and there. Nero's own fear had gagged his reflexes, but Dante knew, with faith presented to him, he was on a good path, he should have just seen it sooner. And he was also absolutely sure, that Nero's own trigger could be called forth at some point, he just didn't know how. Only, that it was different for Nero, than for Vergil and himself.

He had a hunch, though, which he wouldn't talk about. Not yet. Nero had to want it. Truly want it.

Dante thought about a lot things, while he made his calls and the last one, his last attempt on getting a ride worth replacing the destroyed one, miraculously succeeded, giving him a name and an address to collect it from. Throwing his fist into the air, as he was told to meet right now, he threw the receiver back onto he phone and opened the first drawer of his desk, where he located a small wooden box with his own last savings, that yet hadn't found their way into Lady's vast pockets. But only thanks to Nero and Vergil's nagging to get more jobs, than he and Trish would have managed on their own. Vergil, even in his aloof state and distant behavior, had proved himself to be the topmost hunter all in all, and also dragging Nero along with him, whenever he saw fit. And Nero had soaked Vergil's knowledge up like a dried up sponge.

Even if Vergil acted like he had no gratitude for being saved, which they had discussed thoroughly, he still contributed relentlessly and seemingly against his nowadays nature, making Dante obsessed and confused about his motivations in the first place. He knew Vergil. He knew what Vergil had been like. But this Vergil was a concoction without recipe and with a highly unhealthy side effect. He still was on to figuring it out and up until now, whenever he seemed like he just went with it, he played along for the sake of getting down to the bottom of the murky waters of the person Vergil had become. And Dante couldn't shake the feeling of dread, embroiled into his very heart whenever he looked his brother in the eyes, that he still hadn't seen nearly the end of it all.

Nero and Devon sat comfortably on the couch, next to each other, with Nero actually having a leg propped up and Devon casually leaning agaisnt it with her side. It was closer, than any of them would have anticipated.

Devon allowed herself to test the waters, telling herself to not be disappointed though in the process. And Pesh told her, not to be discouraged either, which was a heavy switch for him. And when asked, he simply coiled back, saying it wouldn't matter to him one way or the other. There had been quite the change in their dynamic and how they viewed each other apparently, which Devon didn't have come to notice. They had discovered, how they actually weren't that far apart with their goals. And Nero had thanked him, in quite a Nero-fashion, but it still counted and was valid.

Also, Pesh had seen, what was happening with Devon. The heart wanted, what the heart wanted. There was no easy way out and certainly not one way to stop it altogether. Pesh could only hope. But his hope was meant for something. When Pesh had hope, it was something you better listened to. If someone saw, who was damaged beyond repair, it was him. So, his hope was somehow Devon's hope. And when she relaxed back and against Nero's leg, and he didn't budge, nor complain or remotely moved away, it flared up. And Devon's quickened heartbeat registered by Pesh, flared it up even more. And he couldn't help but smile. Nothing was lost on Nero, on contrary as Pesh had first had believed, when witnessing him giving up so easily. Even, if he had seen things, under which weight most people would break. Though, it wasn't initially Nero or Devon, who got him thinking further in advance, but staring at Vergil, who carried a burden as heavy as the world, loaded onto him by himself and enhanced by his years away from the human realm, that Pesh had realized, Nero wasn't entirely broken either. Looking closely at Vergil at the siren's place convinced him even more, more than his first glimpse at the blue devil through Devon's dead eyes, that Nero was indeed pretty similar. And Pesh did, what he did best, listening to his guts rather than anything else.

Yes, Pesh had hope. He held hope for every single one of them and the state of them, him included. It was the only he thing he had and for now, it was enough.

Devon knew, Pesh was closing himself off, not talking or listening, just keeping to himself, after he had estimated, where they stood. She couldn't deny her attraction, nor was she willing to, as foolish as it may be, judging by how little she knew about Nero. But that wasn't even bothering her. All she saw, was how he laughed with her and tried to explain different things throughout the movie, whenever she was confused, because she missed context. Her mind had a hard time, looking at him and keeping up with the flick on screen, not that she tried hard enough. It made him talk and it was all she was asking for. A conversation. To hear his mellow voice, that was deep at times, betraying his youthful looks. And she reveled in the contact he allowed them to have, even going so far as to nudge her arm, when something important came up. "Watch closely." Or he just wanted her to see one of his favorite scene. Halfway into the second movie, Dante had gotten up, informing them, he would have to leave, but he'd be back soon, within an hour or so.

"You need me to come with you?" Nero asked halfheartedly, more out of reflex and not because he actually meant it. He was enjoying himself fairly good so far. No, it was a lie, it was a blast. Devon showed much devotion to the movies, and he liked the fact, he finally found someone to live through them with him and his enthusiasm. And his lighthearted chatter, about the actual scenes he liked best. If she was being polite or genuine, he couldn't say. But it sure as hell, felt genuine and he'd just take it, for what is was worth.

Dante waved him off, holstering his guns, stuffing cash into the insides of his coat, and attaching Rebellion to his back. "That's alright. I can manage. I'm just gonna fetch something quickly."

"Get Vergil, then." Nero actually didn't want to see Dante go alone, but the hunter scrunched his nose up, leaning back, playing the offended. "He'd just ruin my good mood. I'll be fine. And I'd rather have him here, you know, when Danzig returns, and you both will still go out together."

"Yeah, right." Nero got it, and his initial thought was, he was again being patronized, but on the other hand, he knew Dante was right. He could look after himself, and Nero felt, having Vergil here just in case, wasn't so bad either. Funny, how easy it was to comply after some things shifted into place and made a lot more sense. Like the way Devon leaned against his leg and he sure as hell didn't mind one bit. Yep, actually far to comfortable for once than to be anywhere else. He would have almost laughed out loud, but opted for a soft chuckle on all accounts, the one in sight and inside. "Dante? You be good."

"You too, kid." Dante replied, already on his way out in his usual, confident swagger, which alone was able to tell people to bugger off, not to mention the guns and the huge sword.

After Dante had wandered off, Devon turned to Nero, elbow now resting on his knee for support. "Aren't you curious, where he is off to?"

Nero's eyes briefly flickered down at the forward contact, and back up. He grinned. "The only one curious is you."

Devon gave him her best blank look, which she found actually hard, for his smile was to die for and her mouth twitched traitorously. "Not at all."

Whoever she tried to kid, Nero wasn't buying it in the least, so his grin even widened. If she had paid attention, she would have known. Though, he had to consider, she had been very much occupied with the comedy flick. Which again, had been a good sign. They had giggled throughout the whole movie and with every lighthearted giggle, Nero had felt the tension crumble from his form until he had fully relaxed.

"He is just getting a new car," he finally said, nudging her a little more, as to playfully tell her, it was alright. His broad grin hit Devon in all the right spots and she acknowledged it fully this time, draping her arm over his knee even more, which he surprisingly let her do.

"So, nothing to worry about?"

Nero nodded, changing position ever so slightly, so Devon could get visibly comfortable. Awkward silence ensued, with Nero trying to calm his heartbeat, for the closeness made him nervous still. He inwardly gave himself a pep talk, about how this was okay. About how physical contact was normal between people and he was acting more suspicious, if he flinched away everytime it was initiated. This was perfectly normal and nothing out of the ordinary.

And it worked. Magically so, as they continued to silently watch the next movie. Nero had to get up to change disks and he came back, as Devon actually waited for him in a posture, that told him, he'd fit right into. And he did, as he sat down, one leg stretched, so his foot was on the table and the other bent again, for her to rest her arm on and prop her head up on.

Halfway through, so Nero guessed, or even before, he realized, her head nodding forward and her arms slipping. Devon apologized, drowsy and halfheartedly, to which he looked down at her with the most gentle expression she had ever seen from him. "It's okay. If you're tired, just close your eyes."

It only slowly registered in Devon's already far too hazy mind, but her arm slipped, which it totally didn't. Devon took the opportunity and her head rested on his thigh, as he straightened both his legs so she could lay there not as awkwardly bent as before. When she finally had assumed her position, he puffed his cheeks out and exhaled a breath, he didn't know he was holding.

Devon's cheek felt the rough material of his jeans, felt the muscle tense underneath and then relax. And so did she, arms tugged beneath her and head still moving until she had the most comfortable position, that no bed in the world could ever give her. And the safety of his presence.

Nero fought the stiffening muscles, biting his lip, for it had been so long, that he allowed anyone to be this close. He tried to focus on the TV and not the warm breath seeping through the fabric on his thigh. Her even breath, under which her body rose and fell in a rhythm, which became steady with every passing minute, he was telling his heart to endure until it was as even and calm as her body.

Nero yet roughly breathed through his flaring nostrils, peeking down incrediously, but not without satisfaction at last. Devon laid in his lap. The words sprang at him, as he screamed them in his mind. She was. In. His. Lap. And, he didn't mind. At all. All those little things came back to him. How they went to the super market. How she had touched his bringer outside on the steps. How she had smashed him into the wall on that fateful night and how he had been able to get her out of the wrath, after she had died and been brought back. How he had been angry and sad. And how it wasn't her fault. And how it wasn't his fault either.

His bringer moved on it's own accord. The one, she forgot about this very noon, after she had made a mess in the bathroom. And he rested it on her shoulder to which she let out a soft, small moan through her closed mouth. And it vibrated through his leg. Or rather shot through it like a streak of lightning.

And then he grinned. Grinned from ear to ear with flaring cheeks, he was glad no one could see. Damn.

The movie flickered before his eyes, but inside his head it didn't even reach, as he sunk deeper into the couch and cushions. He wouldn't call it happy right away, but he was at ease with the weight on his leg. At ease with her presence, even with the one inside. He knew, he felt it stir from time to time, though it wasn't agitating. No, it felt like the soothing warmth, he already knew from the night, where had rested next to her on his chair, as she had basically slept her injuries off.

Nero felt tiredness wash over him and succumbed without warning or a second thought, closing his eyes willingly. For once, sleeping on the couch didn't seem such a bad idea. And he couldn't hear the presence coming inside, completely unnoticed by anyone. Not even Pesh, who also reveled in the strange sensation a peacefully sleeping Devon exuded. It drowned out any other thing, he might have felt, with the presence silently closing the door and masking his power altogether, like the good cunning creature he was.

The man, invading the house so shamelessly, looked around with much interest. So this was the devil hunter's home now. Messy. A bit of dust collected here and there, compared to the other shop, he had long ago set foot in. Many scents hung heavy in the air and some he didn't even know, and quite a few he definitely knew, but didn't know where to put, for he had thought, it had been wiped off the face off the earth forever. Intriguing.

The two sleeping forms on the big sofa, he didn't know either. Yet, didn't they look like quite the lovebirds? The white hair of the boy was a dead giveaway of affiliation, though. But in what way? He was very much inclined to shake the boy awake and ask where Dante was, for he instantly knew, he wasn't here. On the other hand, they looked rather cute, so he let them have a bit more time to snuggle each other. The girl was human, or so he believed, or scents were misleading him, which was highly unlikely but not unheard of, for there was a much sweeter one, which couldn't be from her alone.

Lucifer let the riddle be riddle for now and he didn't have the notion to wreck the house just yet. With Vergil, he'd rather deal later and in Dante's presence, so the man opted for simply making himself at home and wait for whoever would come across him first. He refrained from chuckling out loud, but the wry smile did show, as he wandered over to the nice looking chair at he huge mahagoni desk.

He sat down, legs stretched out to plant his feet on the wooden surface, much like a distorted version of Dante, and silently scuffled through leaves of notes and a few magazines, he found entertaining enough to stick his nose in, until he would give them the scare of their lives and himself quite the good laugh.

---

Dante was gone longer, than any of them expected. And Nero was the first to move, after a rather short but yet another satisfying nap. He peeked through one eye at the screen which showed the endless loop of the movie title menu. His eyes flickered at the digital clock of the player, wondering why Vergil hadn't woken him up. Then he became aware of the weight on him, Devon had even snuggled closer and his arm was draped protectively over her sleeping form.

Some noise must have woken him or so he thought, as he rubbed his eyes and pinched the bridge of his scrunched up nose. Nero cleared his dry throat, which felt like parchment and dust, as he looked at his bringer, yet it was dim as he carefully took it off Devon's side. Nothing seemed off. Good.

His ears picked up a curious noise from behind, which sounded almost like an echo of his own movements, but wasn't. The moment he turned his head, he half expected Dante to occupy his usual spot, but it wasn't Dante.

On turn, he didn't catch the familiar flash of white, but a deep shade of foreign lush brown with a reddish tint enhanced by the dim lights. Dark eyes stared back at him, full of unknown intent from a man, he had never seen before. Nero had heard his name before, but naturally couldn't bring the name and the man at Dante's desk together. No one had ever told him, how he looked. Yet, he heard the name twice.

So, when Lucifer looked at him with unveiled anticipating, blood red tongue wiggling behind teeth visible through a half open mouth, yet body completely still, Nero shot up from his place. Devon's head fell without a warning down and bounced off the couch to shake her awake in an instant to look around terrified.

She stared up at Nero, who grunted at something or someone she couldn't see from her declined position. Devon scrambled to her knees, gripping the backrest fiercely and laying eyes on the same man, Nero was now openly snarling at.

"Who the hell are you?" Nero didn't waste any time to go from sleepy to wide awake and hostile to such unlikely intrusion.

Lucifer held his head high, eyes narrowed and grin as malicious, as they come. He stood up and the next thing Nero knew, he was staring into a black scalera and a fiery iris around an even darker pupil, that could have been a black hole, for all he knew.

Nero staggered back, fully taken by surprise. There was no flash of anything, that had indicated, the man had moved. One blink he was there, next he stood so close, their noses almost touched.

Devon scrambled up from her spot, ready to do whatever. Something stupid, no less. But one look from those deviant eyes, and she had to stop dead in her tracks by force. Inside her head, Pesh was yelling to not get closer, not to move and not to say anything, his voice making it impossible to focus on anything else. Her first instinct had been to run to Nero, Pesh's first had been to change, but with this heavy feeling of dreadful intent, he was rendered immobile too.

Lucifer grabbed Nero's devil bringer, fascinated by it. "I've never seen a hybrid to have something like this. How'd you get that," he asked in a tone, that could have been asking for a weather forecast, instead of declaring interest about a significant showing of demonic limb.

"Don't you dare touch me." Nero's lips curled against his bared teeth in a low snarl. But he and Lucifer knew it was the snarl of a wounded fox trapped in a bind. Lucifer was beyond strong, not measurable by Nero's standards at all.

Nero pulled back, or thought he did, but no muscle moved. Yet, his bringer flared, lighting the face of the red haired man and his eyes became fiery pits of hell.

"Now, now. I just want a closer look, if you don't mind." Lucifer said in a more soothing voice, smooth and raspy in all the right places, that made him sound like Nero almost could believe him. Almost.

"Fuck off!" Nero started to rampage inside out, trying to retrieve his arm by pulling wildly, but it didn't seem to heed him one bit.

Lucifer's hold was crushing, Nero felt the bony, scaled skin around his wrist scrape and scrunch with a sickening sound, like brittle twigs and dry leaves under heavy stomps. And then the pain came.

Nero roared under the touch of brutal fingers, which he knew by now, weren't normal fingers. No human strength could hold that much force. Lucifer bent his wrist further, to an unnatural angle, so he could look closer, all while being exceptionally calm and seemingly unaffected by Nero's harsh cry, who simply went down on his one knee, now breathing heavily through his gaping mouth. It hurt so much and fear set in, for the man had absolutely no trouble in keeping him confined with nothing but a mere touch.

This was, when Devon found her own voice, yelling at Lucifer, to let Nero go, going so far as to grab his arm and the hand, that held Nero in such a dreadful, vice like grip.

And Devon knew, she made a mistake, when the deep scraping of rocks hit hear ear canals, as loud as if she stood in a collapsing building. It was grinding stone and glass, deafening each and every one. But it was enough for Nero to at least have time to shove back.

Shove Lucifer away and Devon back, bringing his body between them, though he almost went half blind from that burst of involuntary rage, Lucifer was more astounded by, than anyone.

The touch had triggered something carnal, and his keen eyes tried to look over Nero's shoulder to see the female cower in fear of him. He shook his head at her. "Humans."

"I'll rip your throat out, if you touch her." Nero warned him through clenched teeth, voice becoming exceptionally low itself.

Devon stared at Nero's broad back, when he spat those words at Lucifer, trying to focus again after his inhuman growl, while Pesh inside her went almost haywire. "Don't touch him! Don't threaten him! Don't even LOOK!"

And when Pesh displayed such a ferocious mix of anger and disgust, she listened. He was able to help her clear her mind off the malice and have her shaking knees not tremble as much any more to make her cower.

"Nero." Devon whispered behind him urgently, wrapping her hand around his upper arm, like a warning, that he shouldn't have said it. "Please, don't."

But Nero was fueled and ready to attack, shielding her as much he could and even having a mind to shove the woman further away once more and taking another step forward. "Come on, asshole."

Lucifer chuckled darkly, craning and cracking his neck. He'd surely have fun teaching this one a lesson. "Mind who you're talking to, boy," Lucifer stated, calmly at first, but his voice turned into a double layered echo, like a hiss and Nero watched with wide eyes, as he blew a cloud of curling smoke out of his mouth, that hit his face and lungs, smelling and tasting like fire and brimstone. It made Nero's eyes water.

Lucifer grinned at him through the vapor. "You are more human, than devil. Do you really think that's a smart move?" He deducted the fact easily from the bodily reaction, the poor boy had. He had no control over it, evident on how rapidly Nero was trying to blink the annoying sting and tears away. Nero let out an annoyed. "You talk too much."

All the while, Pesh was begging Devon to be let out. Begging and yelling, his voice getting hoarse with the urgency, knowing that Lucifer was indeed ready to give them a good beating. He could feel it, taste it, smell the smoke and see the red cloud around them, that was Lucifer's bitter aura.

Nero held his bringer up as a means to defend them, at least for a small while, but he wasn't sure, he'd even have anything to match up. Behind him, he heard Devon's ragged breath and could hear her heart drumming, loud and fast, and just when he prepared himself for the first hit, Devon was next to him and he refrained from yelling Vergil's name. But he didn't have to. Vergil's inward battle upstairs quickly came a solution, when he had heard Nero's yell of pain, mere seconds of emotional preparations now and a quick use of his link to Dante, to tell him trouble had come right into their home.

Golden light was shimmering, pulling Lucifer's full attention to it. He couldn't look away, when the form stepped in front of Nero, just like the boy had done before to shield the woman, she was now protecting him, or was she?

Yet, the woman was changing, her face altered in a blur of the immense brightness, then like stepping out of a cloud, the human became something else entirely. Misty swirls revealed the face crowned with messy blonde hair. Lucifer laughed without any humor left. The long lost brother of Danzig. Now that was a change.

Pesh regarded Lucifer with a stunning glare, so much alike Danzig that Lucifer forgot to breath for a moment. So worthy, the boy was, Lucifer couldn't tear his eyes off of him.

"I know you," he said, voice barely a gruff whisper.

"You should," Pesh retorted, voice commanding, louder and fuller to make Nero shake and Lucifer scoff. Yet, Pesh managed to hold that friendly tone, which Lucifer also knew from Danzig. That infuriating friendly, patronizing swing to it, he had come to hate so much sometimes.

However, he didn't have time to address Danzig's younger brother, for a flash of blue interrupted the eye contact without warning. Another surprise was forming on front of him, which he had sensed before, but to be honest, not expected to interfere like this.

Nero and Pesh flinched, when Vergil suddenly appeared in the room, drawn in by the strong presence, that was fluctuating messily, with Pesh's appearance.

Vergil did remember, what Danzig had said. And by no means, he wanted to explain to anyone, why Lucifer was attacking them, harming them in more ways than one - possibly. It wouldn't happen, not at least while he was here. Vergil's cold blue eyes narrowed at Lucifer, as he teleported directly between him and the other two. Vergil shoved the thought of being no match either aside, not in this state, but he didn't care at this moment.

Vergil eyes flickered over to Pesh. "You, get back inside." Then he regarded Nero with a warning glare, that held no intent of being disobeyed and Nero felt the urgency, ready to bolt, yet not ready to leave Vergil behind at all.

"Get out." Was all Vergil had to say to Nero. Lucifer's focus was now entirely on the blue devil and Vergil knew this, ready to take the heat and all the burning questions, Lucifer might have had for him. But not with them here in the same room. "Look for Danzig and bring him here, so he can put his friend on the leash, he is to be held on." For now the irony was lost on Lucifer.

They did no such thing, but stayed together, though Pesh indeed retreated to let Devon scuffle closer to Nero, both still shaken, too astonished to move, and too stubborn to leave Vergil, as he wordlessly challenged Lucifer. Nero would have refused noisily, if his voice would have allowed him, and Devon would have stayed with him regardless.

"What do we have here?" Lucifer was highly amused, politely disregarding the cute remarks, Vergil made about his preferred state of being. "I thought you were dead," Lucifer inquired further on, while cocking his head to on side.

"He was." A female voice interrupted them all. The stand off and stare off came to an abrupt halt, as they all finally realized there was another person in the vicinity. Lucifer glared over at her, she barely nodded. No one could fathom, what that was supposed to mean.

"I thought the same of him," she replied softly. Disbelief slowly creeping all over her face, as she regarded Vergil and his appearance.

"When did you sneak in," Lucifer asked, slightly disgruntled. She didn't answer, didn't even look at him. She had wanted to wait on the roof or something, Lucifer hadn't listened much to her quarrel with him wanting to pull his 'childish' prank on Dante or so her words might have been. She must have felt the presence of Vergil after all, to which she couldn't do anything but come and lay her eyes on the hybrid herself. Ah, yes, the heart was a fickle thing. Good thing, that he himself had none.

"Al?" Suspicion rose in Vergil's voice, soon to be sharp like the edges of Yamato. The woman raised her head and gray eyes regarded him stoically. She didn't say anything, but the subtle movement of her eyes told him, she was just as surprised as him.

"Why are you with him?" The hint of the familiarity between Lucifer and Al made it better to digest the initial shock, but also made it harder to understand. Vergil was brimming with energy, and Nero next to him felt it, soaking it all up and the violent tendency with it. Vergil was close to trigger, to snap like a rubber band, that was pulled too taut. Nero didn't know who she was, but Vergil apparently did. The moment she spoke, the blue devil grew so much more agitated, than the other one had been able to make him. Which was a miracle in itself. Vergil's control was faltering and Nero prayed, that Dante was near enough, so he could feel it. And make Vergil stop, before something awful would happen.

"We were traveling together." The woman with dark hair and gray eyes explained rigidly, hearing the reproach in his voice. And it seemed to highly bother her.

Her face was that of disgust. He had no right to question her. Her chest felt tight as she looked into the face, which hadn't changed much after all those years between them. Then and now. It felt like two different lives and the bitterness, she thought she had escaped from, came back with full force, knocking her heart out of it's steady tact.

"Do you belong to him now?" Vergil fought to keep his voice flat, and let Yamato only feel the wrath as his fist tightened around the hilt. The sword whispered in his mind to cut Lucifer up. And Vergil did feel like that would be a satisfying thing to do. To obliterate the root of all his sorrows would feel so rewarding. Yet, he simply couldn't. Even in full possession of his strength this would be a battle he'd likely were to loose.

Lucifer laughed at Vergil for his immature comment. "She belongs to no one." Stupid devil boy. He certainly had learned nothing. And while he spoke, to everyone's puzzlement, Lucifer once more made himself at home in Dante's beloved chair. Like nothing had happened and as if they hadn't been on the brim of tearing each other to pieces just a few seconds ago. Lucifer's ability to switch his presence on and off like a light, was nothing new to Vergil though. He stayed, glued to the spot, between Lucifer and Nero, with Devon hanging on to the younger man's hand without either of them realizing. Vergil felt sick suddenly, but he didn't care anymore, if they knew.

"She belonged to me once." It was a mere whisper in defeat and pain. Vergil's lips formed a straight line, the only expression that would give away the loss he had felt, as he had decided to seek his destiny at that time, accepting the consequences of his actions.

Nero could have fallen flat on his face, for how hard this peculiar information hit him. No, it slapped him straight across the face, actually. He just couldn't believe he heard that right. Actually heard, that Vergil had a woman. No one had ever mentioned, not even vaguely hinted, anything about a woman in Vergil's life at all. Nero stared at Vergil, mouth half open, like he just heard the most ridiculous story ever. Angels and devils, he could handle, but Vergil and this woman, who was so beautiful, Nero didn't have words for it either, went way over his imagination capacity. Not even, when Vergil had been trapped inside his head, he had known. Which meant and explained all the same, how deep a buried memory this must have been.

"I belong only to myself." Al's defiant voice told Vergil, proud and harsh, like her eyes. "You betrayed me, remember?" Al spat the words at him and Vergil flinched ever so slightly.

"I did what was necessary." He said it, like it was an actual excuse. Then he fixed his icy stare back on Lucifer. "Did you not tell her anything", he demanded from Lucifer. He couldn't believe, that the accursed devil never slipped a single word to her. She still believed him to be a traitor.

"You did, what you did. It was of your own volition." Lucifer had the audacity to shrug Vergil off with stating, what in a nutshell was indeed the truth. Additionally, those blatant words could mean anything to anyone. In fact, they were completely disregarding the crass impact of the harsh and mind numbing journey he had made, delivering him to his fate worse than death, much more gruesome, than in his own worst dreams.

Vergil trembled with seething rage, yet again close to a wrath fit for the one, that was the almighty Lucifer. He wanted to tear him apart and slice him to tiny chunks. He wanted to break and burst.

It came without warning for everyone else. "Everything I did!" Vergil roared at their astonished faces now, fury writhed in his vivid eyes and was evident in the tightening of his muscles, as he unsheathed Yamato and pointed the shiny, blood lusty tip at Lucifer, ready to lunge. Nero knew, he mas missing a huge chunk, for Vergil sounded so reproachful, for everything he did, seemed like a great deal that no one actually tried to clarify to him. Everything he did, had some purpose, yet Vergil didn't finish his outburst.

"Well, seems to me it did not fare well." Lucifer mocked him. "You underestimated Arkham. And you overestimated yourself."

Vergil breathed heavily, fighting a battle on the inside to calm himself. This blind rage wouldn't get the better of him. Not now. Not ever. If he'd ever allow anyone to get under his skin this much, that action was reserved for Dante and Dante alone, not some indecent corrupted being like Lucifer. "Complications arose." He felt his presence buckle under Lucifer's hard stare. He was looking right inside his head, or so Vergil felt.

"I can see that." Lucifer finally revealed, after inspecting Vergil's form on it's entirety thoroughly, jerking his head at him. "Who do you belong to?" He was painfully curious about the story behind Vergil and the sorry state of his existence.

"No one," Vergil snapped back.

"Who are you trying to fool, boy? I can see, what you are." Lucifer by now seemed clearly amused by this, more than he was angry actually, wearing a full sneer to underline his change of mood. "Geez, Verge, what happened?" As if they were good friends, having a chat after a long absence.

"Dante." Vergil relented, while he huffed, for it became painful to breath, when Lucifer's power was so raw on display, creeping into every single crevice of Vergil's fractured mind. Being a devil arm had it's advantages, but it clearly had some handicaps as well. Lucifer's power had much more impact on him in this overly unpleasant state than before.

"Well, I passionately am inclined to listen to that story," Lucifer remarked eagerly, leaning back in the chair in a fully relaxed state, as the front door burst open.

"Hey, you. Get your ass off my chair." And here he was, in all his red glory, bouncing through the front entrance like a scorching solar storm of giddy happiness.

Lucifer did not heed him, instead he twirled around 360 degrees to lay a glorious smile on the hunter, relishing in Dante's spite with a mischievous expression. "Dante. It is good to see you." He greeted the half-devil, smile widening until he looked freakishly wicked – distorted for a moment – but happy?

Dante certainly had aged over the years, but still all in his favor. Not to mention the youthful spunk hadn't left him, nor the smart mouth. That light scruff around the chin made him more handsome, than Lucifer could have ever imagined. With a dreamy smile, Lucifer's eyes wandered slowly up and down Dante's frame, trying to catch a hint of the bulky muscles through the many layers of fabric, he wore these days, which was a pity as to the more revealing outfits, he had worn, when he had been younger.

Lucifer sighed in content, nonetheless. "You certainly look good..." He refrained from adding 'boy'. Solely judged by the age gap between them, he still was, but by appearance, Dante was absolutely not a boy anymore. He had grown into a man worthy of any attention. Delicious.

Dante felt the gravitating allure from Lucifer and it made his mouth go dry. How could he have ever forgotten this kind of effect on him? He really couldn't do anything, but return the compliment. "Same for you." Lucifer hadn't changed in the slightest, which was all too pleasant and not appropriate, considering what strange situation Dante had just diffused, by pulling Lucifer's attention on himself with a mere swagger of hips, luckily. The devil sported a different, expensive suit, but that was anticipated. He looked as good as Dante could remember. Scruffy hair, scruffy beard and a glorious smile to boot, that could melt the steel of his sword and made you question your sexuality altogether, if Dante had anything left to question.

But Dante's eyes soon fell on the figure standing behind to Lucifer. "Al?"

By God, she hadn't changed as at all. She was a beauty still not matched by many. Her dark hair was longer and more curly. Her gray eyes still looked like the glum center of a rainstorm.

The tension between all those present was thick and heavy. Certainly Dante had come at the right time. Al sure as hell looked like she needed an explanation. And rather quick. And by someone, that wasn't Vergil, whom she regarded with a sour look, that spelled distrust on all accounts.

Without further ado, he addressed her directly, ignoring the poignant stare of Vergil and the smirk of Lucifer. "Vergil is with me. It's all good."

"He betrayed us!" She suddenly yelled and apparently her voice hadn't lost it's touch either, for his inner devil roared in his head to make her not use it again.

"He didn't." Dante replied in a calm fashion, that fooled every occupant of the room, except for his twin.

Lucifer clapped his hands. He solved the mystery. Vergil belonged to Dante. He knew it, when the red clad devil had entered the house. Whatever had happened to Vergil, it certainly did not turn out too well. As to why he was a Devil Arm, now that story would indeed be interesting. It certainly smelled like Danzig had his hands in there as well.

On the downside though, Lucifer knew, the twin hadn't succeeded in the task he had been given, which was truly a shame. Yet, he still had to ask.

"Who defeated Mundus?"

All eyes turned to Dante, which made Lucifer chuckle. This was another pleasant surprise indeed.

"It seems like 'Dante' is the answer to everything these days." He leaned forward, intrigued by all means, also still looking very amused. "And that's another story I want to hear. I've been disjointed for too long apparently."

"That can wait 'til later. All that matters is that Vergil's back with us. He never turned on us, technically. He's just a stubborn fool."

"Almost a shadow. Less than a man." Lucifer concluded in a dark taunting voice. He saw how Vergil had to shed his human side to become a fully fledged Devil Arm - a most powerful at that - but still, nothing but a tool, his existence bound to his brother.

However, even if Dante was holding the leash, to Lucifer it was evident that he could go and do as he pleased. Still, to him Vergil seemed reduced from his primal, savage and beautiful form, he had first met many years ago, to a tamed version of lesser value than his dear brother. Dante had grown exceptionally strong, though. Exuding intoxicating power, Lucifer had a hard time to not crave and wanting to sink his teeth into right there and then.

Vergil was still brimming with anger and it spiked with every time, Lucifer opened that goddamn mouth of his and Dante shot Lucifer a warning look. "Watch it, pal."

Vergil had endured yearlong torture and worse, so he wouldn't stand by and let him get insulted. Not by anyone. Certainly not the tainted angel, who had no right to judge anyone on their actions, and not only in Dante's opinion.

Unable to bear the stare of her eyes any longer, Vergil cast his gaze sideways and vanished, using his teleportation skill without another word to spare.

"Oh, he's gone off sulking." Lucifer clapped his hands madly in delight over Vergil's distress.

"And if so, it's your fault," Al snapped at Lucifer, before turning and marching for the front door. "Where do you think you're going?" Lucifer called after her, but Al didn't even skip a beat until she was out. She heaved a heavy sigh, not within her wildest imaginations could she have predicted this. She was furious. Sullen. Confused.

"Sorry, Pesh." She whispered, knowing he could hear her. "I can't deal right now."

"It's okay. I understand." His sister's pain was his pain in that very moment, the blue devil had captured her attention. It was breaking his own heart over the fact, she had a history with him. Vergil wasn't a bad guy, yet there were things, no one was apparently eager to address at the moment. A lot of issues cackled like dry wood in a fire, deep a dark and endless forest, smoldering in secret silence far from view and help. This wasn't how he had wanted them to meet again.

"Good. I'm gonna look for our brothers."

"Are they here?" Hope was swinging within his voice again. And happiness. He was going to have the reunion he longed for. He could already feel his fingertips grazing their reached out hands, as soon as she had said it.

"Yes, everyone heard his call. I'm gonna bring them in. And then I'm going to hug the shit out of you."

Pesh chuckled at that. "Right. I'll hold you to that." Al was happy to hear, for when Pesh was happy, she was, too. Despite all this, her younger brother mattered more than the scars and bruises Vergil had left behind. Or so she would tell herself in hope for it to be true.

"I love you." Al stared up the nightly sky, voice still barely whisper, but it helped to calm her frantic heart, as she told Pesh, what she hadn't been able to say to him for what felt like forever. And it did help to make her heart feel much lighter.

"I know. That's why I'm not mad with you for fleeing the scene. Be careful. Love you, too." The connection withered and broke off as soon as she shielded herself from sight and mind, disappearing into he night veering off towards that dreadful tower. She had a lot to think about. And putting Pesh off like this didn't feel good, but not looking at Vergil felt better. Selfish little Al.

---

Death and War tangled after Danzig as he lead them to a building far from the center of the city. It was nestled in between living quarters of the humans, completely off the radar. It had a few dusty windows and a door with withered red paint on it. But they didn't approach it, but one of the dirty windows instead. Danzig drew a sign on it, which flared up briefly only to vanish again.

"Everyone else uses their blood to enter. It works the same as the wards at the shop." Danzig revealed the information along with his actions to disrupt the seal long enough so they could enter. Both riders had to duck to squeeze through. The feeling felt familiar to both though.

"It's a portal?" Death interjected in mild surprise, as they had gone through to the other side, which reveled to be a maze of dark corridors, old and destroyed, with flailing curtains in an unnatural breeze on blind windows along chipped walls with moldy scraps of brocade wallpapers. The wooden floor was covered in thick layers of dust, like everything else.

The most intriguing thing though was, that no matter how disintegrated and forlorn the place looked, it smelled like nothing of that sort. It was an illusion to whoever managed to venture across the realm, finding themselves in an artificial maze straight out of Danzig's mind.

"Something like that," Danzig replied in a hushed voice as they followed his silhouette through the strange half dark, that didn't feel like the human world any longer. Their footsteps were muffled, swallowed by the magic they treaded on, following Danzig's swaying, black cape, who moved swiftly and not like the old man he looked like.

It was putting both riders off. And the secrecy was unnerving to both of them equally, though War did endure it stoically whereas Death would not. "How far?"

"Almost there." The way was turn and walk all directions possible, until Death was close to snap. Luckily, just in that moment, where War could see the disgruntled expression of his brother turning into outright distaste, Danzig knocked on a wooden door, that they would have disregarded, or not even had seen in the first place.

It creaked open and once more, they had to duck to be able to go inside. "My humble abode welcomes you. It's like a pocket between space and time, I molded and turned inside out. We are surrounded by the human world, but technically not in it any longer. It's like a bubble, separated but not fully detached."

War hummed in appreciation and Death sided him with a huff. Danzig's power was indeed greater than any angel they had met before, and now was actually the time to really realize it to it's full extent.

"It's just a small trick up my sleeve, but for what we are intending to do, we need more help." Danzig acknowledged the silent affirmation by the riders with a mere shrug, meaning it was actually his most precious achievement – to hide himself for ages and ages, dead the world and the heavens. This was his personal bubble of nothingness he could exist in undisturbed and unseen. "I know, you think I can move the vault, but it exceeds my abilities by far. Forming portals and corridors through time and space isn't easy business."

They needed someone who could conjure and form a path of connection between the worlds. Danzig crossed his cozy study slash lounge. "Vulgrim. We have visitors."

The sly cackle came first. War and Death were completely unprepared, not anticipating the demon merchant, but when his horns emerged out of thin air first, both took a step back. Compelled and disgusted just the same. They should have known the trader to suck off on someone's nutrient existence. But Danzig's?

"Preposterous," Death merely snarled.

War on the other hand understood the necessity, having to use Vulgrim's ability himself quite a lot on his journey through the kingdom of man. And he knew how handy it had become and how impressive it actually was. Though, nothing Vulgrim offered came without a price. And this one could turn too expensive for all of them combined.

"There is no need to worry." Vulgrim bowed slightly, as his hoarse voice told them this, which none of the riders believed in the slightest.

"How did you worm your way into his sympathy?"

Vulgrim feigned deep hurt, as he grabbed the designated spot on his cheat, where some might have had their heart, but that did not apply to the merchant. "I am shook by such distrust. It was I who helped both of you throughout your adventures. Without me, you would have never succeeded. War, " he turned to the red rider, his toothy mouth distorted into a gruesome grin, "I have opened up the realms for you."

War showed his own canines, which wasn't a smile in the least. "True."

"Death", he swiveled toward the other one, his extending form, where the legs normal should have been, a slow swirl of dust and fumes, that reeked like hell itself. A stench, he'd never be able to loose, no matter how much he thought he helped them. He looked like a black and blue jinn, ready to curse your body out of existence. "Don't tell me all those weapons I brought to you, under great endeavor I might add, weren't useful?"

Death gritted his teeth. The point wasn't arguable.

"As I thought." Vulgrim straightened his body and crossed his arms over his chest. "Payment upon delivery." It was his only condition whatsoever. "And not the damaged ones." And here came the hook, you had to expect from a shady creature the likes of him, mooching off the battlefields of apparently every realm there was.

War and Death watched with dread as Danzig sealed the deal with receiving the rune to his arm, that Vulgrim liked to mark his contractors with. He rubbed his long, bony hands together, which was fairly more disturbing.

"Souls?" War asked testily, clenching and unclenching his huge gauntlet hand, as if he imagined to have Vulgrim's thin neck already in his tight grasp, crushing it happily. Vulgrim noticed too, ducking his head to protect said neck in an involuntary move. He knew the big red one was slightly more impulsive, than his cold, snarky brother.

"Of course. The only currency of value these days." Vulgrim replied matter of factly, wiggling in delight and making all his jewelry, adorning his entire body from horns to midriff in glittering gold and silver rings and necklaces, jingle as a soundtrack to anticipated disaster – of which the riders were sure to come off this.

"No." Though Death said it in his usual voice, the edge to it was already there. He wanted to lash out so badly.

Vulgrim let his face fall, and the mask of his, purely on business, innocuous niceness, which should not ever be taken for granted - or even for real.

His hiss was that of a vicious snake, or more like that of a malicious lindworm ready to bite the head of it's prey clean off, as he turned to Death who had stretched his thin streak of patience beyond it's usual threshold by far. He'd show the rider just what he thought of him, bursting into blue flames and ashes with the true face of a furious demon, towering over them, filling the room with darkness and despair. His voice was grinding down on their hearing and Danzig had to cover his ears with both his hands to not go mad from the tongue of demon speech in all his ghastly rage, which was, thankfully, still controlled and orchestrated enough to solely hit the rider, with it's additional spit and smoke for good measure.

"YOU HAVE NO SAY IN THIS DEAL! I HAVE DEALT WITH YOU BEFORE AND IT TOOK ME A LOT, ONLY TOLERATING YOU AND YOUR INSOLENCE BECAUSE OF THE NATURE O YOUR TASK! DON'T INTERFERE WITH ME AND MY TARDE OR YOU WILL REGRET THIS AND EVERY FUTURE GENERATION OF THIS WRETCHED PLACE! WITH THE COUNCIL GONE, THE RULES HAVE SHIFTED, THE RULES APPLY WHEN I DEEM THEM FIT AND NOT TO BE DICTATED BY THAT SCUM OR ANY REMAINING USELESS LAPDOG. AND MY RULES ARE THESE-"

He reverted back, holding his hands to his chest, as he saw Death falter at his outburst. He was not to be taken lightly. And he had to show just how much of threat he could be to them. As he addressed Danzig, his voice was as soft as he could manage the throaty rasp to disappear. "Payment on delivery, or execution of aforementioned task. Payment only in form of souls. Angel. Demon. Human. Take your pick. Souls delivered must be intact. Do you agree?"

Danzig heaved a sigh, inwardly already knowing, this was the seal to his ultimate fate. But nonetheless, he had thought long and hard and every other solution would take up time, they did not have. It was the only way. He nodded and shook the blackened hand of the creature, the rune flared up, burning his skin and leaving an unnatural scar in it's wake. "Deal." His voice sounded firm, but defeat settled on his heart. Should something ever happen, he would not return to where he came from.

War looked at Danzig with great sympathy and a weight on his own heart. "How many?" He purposefully spoke to Danzig, as if Vulgrim wasn't there with his sickening smug expression.

The demon trader let it slide. He had what he came for, all else was a mere inconvenience, he was used to and not bothered by. Also, the shock on both riders face on his outburst was worth even a few hassles more. He was pleased with himself and the way they needed his assistance, practically cementing his involvement and the opportunity to sort out his existence with the favor of the new council, he sure as hell knew, Danzig would have a say in upon assembly. What were a few condemned souls to the high angel in any case? The fate of the world did outweigh them by far. And they all knew this.

"As much as possible." Many would die, loose their life, if Danzig would be right on all accounts. And those souls wouldn't set forth on their journey to the Well of Souls but be stowed away in Vulgrim's possession to nurture his strength and who knows what else. The twins, and Nero too, did it with the souls of the defeated demons. But those few wouldn't bring an imbalance to the overall count. But the ones, who were now promised to Vulgrim? Danzig couldn't say. But the sheer amount of overall souls was staggering and above accountability. The Crowfather alone, who by now watched the ever-flowing stream of souls between death and rebirth, had not voiced his objection, when they had met briefly before Danzig had went to see Draven. So, he told himself, it wouldn't matter. They still could try to minimize bloodshed. And the fine print? Danzig had discussed it prior to this meeting, which would ensure the riders and his dear fosterlings Dante, Vergil and Nero would be excluded, just like Pesh's host and his siblings. And no one could kill Lucifer anyway. Plus, his soul belonged to Danzig in any case, whether they were aware of it or not.

The riders and Danzig shared a long hard look, which renewed the long friendship they shared. It wasn't disturbed by his haggling with the soul trader, nor would it ever be diminished, even if they were going agaisnt all odds. It was a cost that they still had a hand in and could determine the outcome. Vulgrim wasn't stupid, yet his greed was more prominent. And Danzig used it against him, within the limited count of options they had, to their best advantage. They could now use the demon's ability to traverse the realms without exception. The price, as steep as it would seem, wasn't set in stone, luckily, but they had to deal with his presence from now on. And Death still hated it with every ounce of his being, yet they trusted Danzig without remorse. He had changed the fate of the world once and he'd do it again. They would do it once more together.

---

Vergil had left. Al had run as well and Lucifer found himself alone with the rest of eyes glued to him.

Nero still tried to wrap his head around what had just happened, trying to process the given information from a logic, detached point of view, and failed miserably. There were secrets everywhere.

Dante sauntered over to his desk, ready to shoo Lucifer off and take the spot for himself, but Lucifer complied wordlessly, dusting off the seat and with a bow, offered it to a smirking Dante who plonked down unceremoniously. "Car's in the alley." He tossed the keys to Nero, who caught them with the saddest expression he could muster, Lucifer forgotten for the time being.

He jingled the keys to feel there was still a connection to the world, while his mind and body took turns in feeling disjointed once again. The soft jingling noises where the only noise and then there was heavy silence. Dante knew, Nero had a lot of questions. A hell a lot of questions, clouding his mind and his judgmental ability.

Nero had tightened the grip on the car keys until the tip stung into his palm, for the nonchalance with which Dante disregarded his stare was off putting, to say the least. Nero tried to get a grip, that was for sure and the pain of stinging keys into his palm helped gradually, or so he thought it would. His bringer still had a tight grip onto something fleshy until he realized it was Devon's hand. And as he managed to look, he saw how disturbed she looked, not at him, but at the creature now leaning against the desk next to Dante.

No one spoke. The oppression was still evident though, for Lucifer didn't return the woman's stare but had his feverish eyes glued onto Dante, who dodged them altogether by viewing a magazine, that still laid open on the desk. Truth be told, Dante didn't know what to say to Nero. They never had spoken about Vergil's actions in depth. You didnt talk about Vergil, when Vergil didn't want you to. Especially when it came to Al and Temen-ni-gru.

Nero sighed in defeat, playing passive aggressive. "If that's how it is..." Dante still didn't react.

All Dante felt was shame on behalf of his brother, who indeed wasn't all too proud of his actions either and the incident of the demon tower. That much Dante knew, though what truly was going on inside Vergil's heart and head, even his brother couldn't entirely unfurl to make sense outside Vergil's head.

Nero let go of Devon's hand, who was still frightened to let go, but reluctantly let him pull away nonetheless. They parted like lover's lost, or so it was how Lucifer at least saw it. The connection severed upon loosing contact to one another. He could be fooled, but there was something going on and he would have known, even without having to witness that cuddling episode or the way this awesome triangle tried to protect each other mere moments before Vergil interrupted their happy bonding moment all over everyone.

Nero wanted to get out. Now. "Don't you trust me?" He turned one last time trying to stay, if he got an answer worthy of him, as he reached the door.

"It's not a question of trust, Nero. It has nothing to do with me. That's all Vergil. I am not at liberty-"

"Liberty my ass!" Nero scoffed, snapping like twig, he couldn't control that bubbling anger and was tired of trying. "Since when do you care about being decent?"

Lucifer looked back and forth like watching a tennis match, that just got interesting. "Ouch," he said, squinting his eyes at Nero's low blow. He crossed his arms over his chest with a smug look on his face as Dante heaved a sigh.

"Shut it," Dante snapped at him, before focusing back on Nero. "I do. I didn't tell Vergil about your condition. I never brought anything up, that would severely compromise the other. I know my share, that's right. I was there. I was with Vergil until he decided what was best all by himself. And I still give him much courtesy. And I give you as well, even if everything you both do is stupid. But, I can handle it by myself. Always have. Always will. I don't rely on either of you. So, stop relying on me. If you want answers, go talk to him. I'm through with it."

Lucifer's eyes went wide. Dante certainly HAD changed. Not only on the outside. Was he bitter? Who could have seen that coming? Though right now, Dante was not just bitter, but mad. He could feel the desk slightly shaking under the brimming ferocity underneath the devil hunter's hard skin.

And this Nero? He was as fiery as they come, as well, but inexperienced still. He was so heartwrenchingly clueless, Lucifer almost fell in love with him right there and then. So innocent, but a darkness inside, that was more than intoxicating, making this mix more bitter and sickly sweet than the perfectly balanced treat, that was Dante. Plus, Nero fought this lurking darkness with every fiber of his unnatural being. Lucifer didn't even realize his slight involuntary shift towards the younger version of the hybrids, when Dante grabbed the wrist, Lucifer was leaning on, after he had unfurled his crossed arms. "Touch him and I'll rip your throat out." It was delivered so calm, silent and deadly, Nero didn't even probably hear, and if he did, he didn't show.

On the contrary, he stomped out of the door in Al's wake. And unknowingly in Vergil's path too, who had left the building unbeknownst to them all as of now.

Dante huffed. Lucifer gave him a compassionate look and a sigh. "I may have come at the wrong time."

"I highly doubt, you ever come at the wrong time." Dante put emphasis on 'come' by adding quotation marks with his fingers, before turning his attention back to his magazine.

Lucifer put his hand between Dante and the page, wriggling his fingers obscenely. "Oh so true. May I interest you in a tiny demonstration?" His voice left no room for interpretation, smooth as honey and even sweeter than that. They both knew, what page he was on. "Don't bother. But Danzig is on his way back by now, I reckon. Try him."

Lucifer's shoulders slumped down in mock defeat. "That party pooper doesn't know or recognize a good demonstration, even if it slaps him across his wrinkly mug."

"I would reconsider that wrinkly mug. He is quite handsome underneath it all."

Lucifer shot up from his spot, hands flying to his mouth, his narrowing eyes telling Dante, he was grinning madly, even giggling. "You saw it?"

"Yup."

"Isn't he gorgeous?"

Dante only nodded in bewilderment. He knew, Lucifer was putting on yet another show, which was still hilarious, but also uncanny, for Dante wasn't sure anymore, if he merely acted or meant it - probably a mix of both. "Are you going all fangirl on me?" Dante was in absolute disbelief, as Lucifer had the audacity to nod. "I haven't seen that face, since I was kicked out." And here Lucifer turned completely serious again. His kaleidoscope of expressions coming to a full stop.

"So you knew all along?" Dante concluded, not bothering to feign surprise. Or hurt. Lucifer didn't owe him anything. Not even an answer. Fuck, when had Dante become so tired of everything? He didn't know and pushed the thought back at once.

"I did. He made me promise to not spill."

Dante waved him off. "No explanation needed."

"I still want to give it." Lucifer continued with that seriousness, Dante didn't take as fake, but wasn't also inclined to give him credit for.

"I figured the reason out, I guess."

"That he wanted to protect you?" It was rhetorical, for Danzig could be easily figured out by both of them, who knew him long enough. "Yes, that's the one."

Dante nodded to himself. He didn't feel bitter or deceived. It was something Danzig thought to be necessary. And it was fine. It didn't change anything. "You're here for him too, are you not?"

Lucifer gave yet another of those well practiced, handsome smile. There was no use in denying it either. And with Dante, he also knew, it wouldn't do harm to be honest. "Indeed."

"That's fine by me. Make yourself at home." Dante invited him with another shrug into his house. The more the merrier, right?

"How generous. Thanks."

"Yeah, that's how I am, though some take it for granted." Dante couldn't refrain from the sour look, that accompanied the statement.

"They'll come around, I'm sure." Lucifer felt the strange sensation to somehow, awkwardly, comfort the hunter and at the same time had the unpleasant urge to scrape his tongue off this ghastly taste of nice words, which clearly weren't needed at all, by dragging it along the pavement outside until it would taste solely of piss, gasoline and various shades of dirt.

"I know. Oh, and one more thing." Dante beckoned Lucifer over with his suddenly sultry voice, that caught Lucifer off guard, as much as the wiggled index finger. He came closer. Face to face they stared at one another. Dante still in his seated position, with Lucifer bent and hovering over him, both hands gripping the armrests either side of Dante, wearing his most charming smile.

If Lucifer would stick his tongue out, he'd be able to taste the lips of the handsome devil hunter. But he didn't. Instead he stared into those beautiful blue eyes for a little while longer, dragging the thrilling anticipation out for as long as Dante would allow it. He could feel his heart beating in his chest and it sent pleasant jolts through him. Dante's smile was gentle, sweet and very genuine.

He could practically hear the imaginary masses chant: Kiss. Kiss. Kiss.

Oh, Lucifer wanted to. And it took his all to not mount Dante and take what was rightfully his. A writhing perfect hybrid right between the legs of a true, fully fledged devil lord. Lucifer could almost feel his horns sprouting, much like other...things.

Their faces hovered in front of each other, breaths mingling like smoke and embers from a blackened chimney into a quiet, clear starry night. It was mesmerizing on both ends. Dante raked his fingers through his hair, pulling it back, so he could deliver the look of utter determination without having his bangs to interfere with it.

"If you ever pull a stunt like that again or try to pit two of my most favorite people in this world against me and each other, I'm gonna rip you apart bit by bit, even if we both die. Are we clear?"

Lucifer pulled back immediately, much like a bent spring bouncing back to default posture, standing straight and erect with curious attention. Not how he would have predicted this. Not that he didn't like this Dante either. So, commanding, for lack of a better word. " As clear as your skin." He grinned obnoxiously, still, but also meant it. He wouldn't like to die. And he would hate to drag Dante down with him.

"Good. And thanks. I know, I have great skin, but it's nice hearing it, once in a while." He ruffled his hair before letting it fall back down into it's designated place, like all over his eyes for instance. Channeling his inner Vergil was fun sometimes and certainly did the trick.

"You two are the strangest persons I have ever met." Devon piped up from her spot, where she still stood rooted, since Nero had left. She and Pesh had silently observed the exchange, getting more scarred for life by the second and finally coming around to know, that with all the menace, which was just a demon thing they wouldn't understand, where indeed also two big dorks. Though Dante's threatening comment had made her shiver in all the wrong places. Ice cold and deadly had he sounded. Not like him at all. The other one was like a too hot and too cold shower. No matter what, the stark contrast of temperature ( aka his demeanor) hurt either way.

"Oh, you're still there? Sorry, Dev. Really sorry."

Devon cocked her head and Lucifer kind of mimicked her, loopsided grin back in place and ready to charm her off her feet, despite the scene she just had to witness, while having been glued to the spot by such raw display of alpha demon power. Dante warned him yet again: "Off limits, too." Lucifer sighed, lowering his head. "Shame."

Devon had just been happy, she didn't throw up this time, but that had all been Pesh, who knew, they just having friendly banter more or less, despite Dante's flawlessly delivered warning, which Lucifer understood all too well. And Pesh knew, if he wanted to harm anyone, he would have done so. But, he wouldn't do that to Danzig. However Pesh kept silent about this, as obvious as it already was. Their bond was so much deeper, than they made it to be. Even if Lucifer admitted, he would aid Danzig, the reason was more than just going way back.

"It's fine. I'm fine."

"You're shaking." Dante laughed to diffuse the last bit of tension, as he stood up and walked towards her. Lucifer's presence had left some kind of impact. Or was it his own spikes of demonic power? He rubbed her shoulders and upper arms, hoping the shaking would subside. "Pesh? Okay, too?"

Devon nodded, eye flashing golden for a moment, before she attempted a weak smile, knowing Pesh was happy about being addressed individually. "He's just as fine."

"But he wants to look for Nero."

Pesh heavily objected. She wanted to look for him, using the angel as excuse, not wanting to outright admit it to Dante. Pesh would need to help, the moment she stepped outside. He hoped, Dante wouldn't let her.

Dante didn't even notice until now, but by marching into the kitchen with Devon in tow, he verified by looking outside the window, the car was very much not there, as in gone. Should have known.

"Do you know, where he is?" Dante still peeled the curtains back to take another gander, searching the alley, which had the same outcome. Nero and car: gone.

"He can feel it."

"Why do I feel like in a deja vu? Oh, please, not this car too."

"Everything is fine. He's just driving angry. Maybe even looking for Vergil."

It hit Dante like a brick to the back of his head. Dammit. "Gone too. Should have realized sooner. But, it's already a given. And to be honest, I'm not worried for Vergil. He can look out for himself. But Nero..."

"He is emotional." Devon concluded and didn't have to clarify further. He'd be more likely to listen to his anger than Vergil and act on impulse.

Dante clicked his tongue with furrowed brows. "Yeah..." He then went back into the living room with Devon still following him, until he went up and down, deciding on what to do. Devon waited for him, patiently, n the side line.

"What about Al?" He snapped his fingers at her. "Pesh says, she's going to find his other siblings. Highly likely, they also meet up with Danzig. They practically gravitate towards each other...because of the...call...?" Devon looked clueless and relayed the message from inside her head in a questioning voice, while trying to figure out what she just repeated from Pesh.

"Yeah, I get it. So, no worries there. They'll come here, right?"

Devon nodded with Pesh saying yes to Dante's question. "We are both worried about Nero, let me and Pesh look for him."

No, you're smitten, Pesh corrected and Devon would have gladly punched herself in the face, if she knew Pesh could feel it. But that was not the case. All she could do was hiss a "Shut up." at him in her own mind. But he wouldn't listen to that either.

"Also, it was his and Vergil's turn to scour the city and look out for any more angel hordes."

"I am more than capable of dealing with that." Dante and Devon both twirled around to regard Lucifer with questioning looks. His expression wasn't pleased with this level of astonishment. "Hey, I said, I'll help. So, I'll help. What do I look for?"

"Angels. And their way into this world. We don't know, how the manage it just yet." Dante informed him, giving in, but not without perplexed side glances over at Devon. Who would have thought this would happen?

"Would you please stop it with the conceived look? I helped you before, didn't I?"

Dante scratched his chin, pondering for a moment, while Lucifer waited, getting eagerly unnerved by the second. Dante regarded him with eyes, he couldn't quite figure out. Something between understanding and gratitude. "You did. Not without threatening to devour us-"

Lucifer groaned. "Details, Dante, details. The only important thing is, I didn't. And we won."

Dante pointed his thump over his shoulders at the door. "I'm not nitpicking. All right, go."

Lucifer bowed his head and when it came up again, his face contorted into a satisfied, wide mouth between grin and snarl. "They won't even know, what hit them."

Devon once again shivered at the sudden impact of sheer malice in those eyes of his and huffed slightly relieved as he teleported away. A feat, she only ever saw from Vergil before. "Don't tell me he is family as well."

"Why would y-" He was stumped by this until.. "Oh, the teleporting thing? No, no. Many can do this. It just takes a lot of effort to master, which I never felt investing."

"So who is he?"

Once more, Dante looked stunned. "Pesh didn't say?"

"He said it was complicated."

Dante just laughed at her. "Might be. But, to put it simple, he is what you call the devil. But it's actually just a term used for every sentient demon of higher class. Lucifer is actually THE devil. He ruled Hell. He is THE Lucifer. The fallen one. The first King of Hell."

Devon too laughed, because she believed him and it still sounded ridiculous. "Him?" She pointed at the door, Lucifer had exited a few minutes prior. Dante grinned back. "Yes."

Devon grinned wider than before. "This was THE devil? Devil of devils. Ruler of devils?"

The disturbing grin contest carried on until both believed their faces would break or at least cramp from that much grinning. Dante nodded fiercely, looking even dumber than he felt. "Yes. Horned Almighty. Lucifer. First Devil."

"You're serious." Devon massaged her cheeks, wiping that grin off her face.

Dante slapped his cheeks to get some feeling back into them and to get rid off the sensation of forcing a grin way over it expiration date. His face hurt. "Yes."

"Nooo..."

"It's fine. He's not that bad. But, still don't talk to him, when no one is around. Meaning me. Got it? He is true to his nature. A downright asshole. And he loves to mess with people."

Devon nodded. No way in hell (hahaha, funny) would she want to ever be alone with that one. "Got it."