In response to PheonixQueen15: Yeah. Your review impacted me a lot during my dark moment, and thanks again.
In response to tenimyuohtori: Yeah. I'm aiming for a family bonding story, and maybe a tiny bit of romance in the future. I'm glad you like my style, and thank you for sticking with me. I do plan on making things a bit more action oriented in the future, but we still have some familial things to work through first.
In response to Crimson's AXZ: That is what I was going for, yes. I'm not much for subtlety or beating around the bush. I agree on the topic of criticism, but during the dark moment I had I took criticism that was helpful and interpreted it as something different. Thanks for the luck.
In response to Kitesa: Maybe you're right, maybe not. We'll see. I don't plan on stopping either, my friend.
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Nero was bored.
He had woken up a few minutes after Dante and his father left, leaving him to find something to do.
He had already done some maintenance on the Red Queen, but even that bored him. He usually loved tending to his weapons, like petting a cat or dog that had yet to be paid any attention.
Nero sighed, adjusting his position around the pool table and thrusting the cue into the white ball. It hit the seven and three ball before bouncing off the side of the table and sinking the eight ball.
The young quarter devil lifted the pool cue and pumped his fist with an added whisper of 'yes!'.
Nero moved himself to a better position before taking aim once more.
Ever since the defeat of the Savior and the old coot named Sanctus, Nero had yet to meet a challenge great enough to catch his attention. Sure, he loved slaughtering demons but sometimes the lackeys weren't enough to keep his interest.
He shot at the ball again, managing to sink the four and six balls.
It was around eleven o' clock, judging from the position of the sun. There wasn't any kind of technology to tell the time, not even a wall clock or digital alarm in the bedrooms, forcing Nero to use his demon hunting training to figure out the time.
The young devil hunter continued to play pool alone, occasionally setting the balls back up to play again. The office was silent, save for the sounds of Nero's footsteps and the squeaking of the ceiling fan.
This continued for a hour, with Nero getting more and more daring with his attempts to stave off boredom.
Nero looked around at the Devil Arms displayed on the walls, eventually having the purple bladed guitar draw his attention.
He reached out with the Devil Bringer, gripping the guitar gently before pulling it from it's stand.
The young quarter devil felt a wave of electrical energy flow into his body, making his knees wobble for a second. His Devil Bringer responded the same way, sending a current of power through the guitar and making the Devil Arm shake slightly.
Nevan purred as the demonic energy filled it, allowing Nero to hold the guitar-weapon like a normal instrument.
He strummed the cords experimentally, producing a note that was definitely not that of a normal guitar. It was powerful and radiated skill and energy.
The quarter devil smiled before unleashing a set of notes that made most metal songs seem weak in comparison.
While he played, Nero moved about the office in a strange dance that sent his legs up and down and his body flying through the air.
Maintaining the music, Nero dashed towards the pool table and brought his foot upwards, slamming into the edge of the table and launching up and backwards.
Nero flipped through the air in every which way, producing electrical notes as he flew.
He landed hard on the wood floor, sliding a good four feet before stopping and delivering the last note with a flourish of the Devil Bringer.
He maintained the position as the cords hummed to a stop, bringing back the boring silence. Nevan purred again, giving Nero a provocative electrical current up his left arm.
Then, the sound of gentle clapping filled the room. The young devil hunter snapped his head towards the sound, finding a blonde woman dressed in revealing clothing standing by the door of the shop.
Nero felt a bit of red fill his cheeks as the woman clapped her hands. He hadn't even heard her enter, let alone notice her watching his show.
The woman walked forward, her applause fading out as she did so. She walked like a seductive dancer, her legs calculating each step before she took it.
"That was quite the show. Nero, right?"
Said devil hunter scratched his cheek, trying to avoid the woman's gaze. The woman smiled, her full red lips just as alluring as her movements.
"Uh, yeah. And you are?"
The woman came to a stop in front of the boy, bringing even more red into Nero cheeks thanks to the vicinity.
The woman extended her hand, which bore smooth skin and a beautiful coloration, along with expertly painted nails.
"Trish. A pleasure to meet you."
Nero switched his grip on Nevan to his right hand before reaching out and accepting Trish's gesture. Trish smiled as they shook each other's palms.
"That's quite the arm you have there. Demon blood?"
She inquired, tilting her head to get a better look at the younger devil's arm. Nero once again switched his hold on Nevan, awkwardly showcasing the arm.
Then his Devil Bringer glowed in reaction to Trish's presence, sending a painful frequency of vibration into Nero's shoulder.
He took a few hasty steps backward, holding Nevan defensively. Trish watched with amusement as Nero moved to a distance he was comfortable with.
"You're a demon."
Nero hissed, keeping his eyes on the blonde.
"Now dear, you have nothing to be afraid of. I used to be Dante's business partner. I assume that he mentioned me?"
Nero stood still. Now that he thought of it, Dante had mentioned that he had a partner after the defeat of the Savior.
He lowered Nevan ever so slightly, his Devil Bringer still glowing bright and the claws flexing. Trish simply smiled, her posture that of a lazy cat sitting in the sun.
Nero relaxed from his position, carefully bouncing Nevan in his grip. The Devil Arm gave another purr as it's wielder let down his defenses.
"Alright. What do you want?"
He asked, moving to put Nevan back on it's stand. He lowered the weapon onto the rack, with it giving an audible hiss when he finally let go of it.
"I came to offer Dante a job. Split pay up front."
Trish said, sitting down on the couch and crossing her legs elegantly. Her posture screamed seductress, making Nero blush once more.
The quarter devil rubbed his nose with his hand, leaning against Dante's desk. He didn't want to get too close to Trish, just in case she wasn't who she said she was.
"What is this job about?"
"You planning on helping?"
"Not like I have anything else to do. The old man ran off with his bro earlier today. Left a note saying they went out for paint."
Trish glanced to the wall, noticing the plaster placed over various damages that looked to be from sword strokes.
Then she caught something the missed.
"Wait, Vergil is back?"
"Uh, yeah. You heard of him?"
Nero asked. He hoped to find something about his father, if anything at all. Trish visibly became uncomfortable, switching her crossed legs and adjusting her position on the couch.
"Vaguely. By the time I knew him, he was just a husk of his former self."
Husk? That struck a cord with Nero. More than it should've.
"What happened?"
Trish glanced nervously at Nero, whose aura had gone from on edge to full on offensive. She could practically hear the devil in Nero snarl at her.
"Vergil... He was not exactly in the best shape after I was born. We both served Mundus, the Demon King. Vergil was a puppet to Mundus, and he tortured Vergil a lot. At the time, Vergil was known as Nelo Angelo."
Nelo Angelo? That sounded suspiciously close to Nero's name, plus the added 'Angleo'. He was growing more and more curious about his father by the second.
"Why are you so interested in Vergil?"
Trish's question popped Nero back to reality, and he attempted to ignore the question. He sat silent for a few seconds, trying to avoid Trish's gaze.
The pressure in the room began to thicken, clearly from Trish's growing annoyance. Eventually Nero sighed and gave in.
"Vergil... Is my father."