A/N: Alright, I'm listening to a compilation of the Dark Souls soundtrack, and I've forgotten how good it is :) Also I'm excited to sit down tonight and play more of Death Stranding, there's been so much exposition and I'm still soooo confused, it's great :)

Disclaimer: I don't own the beautiful bloody dance that either of these games are.

You're Not Entirely Human, Are You

Nero just raised a brow as the body of the person faded, tiny skeletal creatures grabbing at the cloth and pulling it into the liquid-like ground. It was the same way he'd found himself in this strange world. He should have tried to grab one of the creatures but he thought back to the… thing that he'd dreamt up in the in-between and paused. In that time the body and the tiny creatures faded, leaving no trace but the blood on the pavement. Nero shook his head, what was wrong with this city? He'd only been here for twenty minutes tops and he'd already fought a demon he'd never seen and killed a madman. He didn't like killing humans but this felt like a clear-cut case of self defence. The partial devil pulled out his phone in hopes of calling Nico or Dante or… well anyone at this point but the tiny blinking 'x' where his service should have been shut that idea down quickly.

"Shit…" he muttered, looking around, perhaps he'd get some service higher up but… he wasn't going to stake any money on it. With no better ideas to preoccupy him he started through the cramped streets.

The first thing he noticed was the extreme amount of death that just hung throughout the city. Corpses and caskets lined the streets and more than once the hunter had to duck into alleyways to avoid citizens who seemed to have adopted the "shoot first, ask questions never" policy. He couldn't necessarily blame them, the streets were also littered with strange, bestial demons that more resembles werewolves or trolls of fairy tales, rather than the demons and devils that Nero was accustomed to. No matter what they were though, they still died to fire and steel like he was used to, launching one into the air and slamming it back down with a triumphant

"And stay down!" as the body crunched upon impact. He landed lightly, flicking some of the blood from Red Queen before noticing the person coming in toward them silently.

"Shit!" the partial devil shouted, quickly sidestepping the attack before confusion overwhelmed him. It looked like the same person from before… but… he'd put a bullet in their heart… He did the best he could to fend off their attacks, hoping to wear them down and get them to talk… This was clearly a mistake, this person, if it was the same person, had clearly learned from the last time and got past his guard, the huge chunk of metal they were weilding slamming into the partial devil's side. He grunted, falling to his knees and the madman leveled a pistol at his head.

"Fuck this…" he mumbled, pulling on his demonic power and Triggered. Any thought of trying to wear them down flew from his head as he fought with this madman. Perhaps he'd put too much reliance on the sheer power that his demonic form would grant him when the other whirled and fired, pain lancing through the partial devil's head.

He woke not but moments later, hearing a low hiss from this other person. They were crouched down, facing away from the partial devil. He stood, and promptly tackled them, settling his weight across their hips and taking advantage of the claws on his wings to help hold them down.

"What the hell is going on here?!" he snapped, wanting some damn answers.

"Are you seeking the Paleblood as well?" they asked and Nero just blinked, utterly baffled by the response.

"Ahhh… paleblood…? What on earth are you talking about?" he asked, hoping for a more coherent answer but instead the person beneath them asked.

"Do you dream?" they sounded hopeful but Nero was just more confused.

"What?" he asked, he gripped the person's wrists tighter "You better start making some goddamn sense or I'm just going to kill you again and again until it sticks."

"No… I suppose you don't…" they muttered. Nero just sighed, they weren't struggling, which seemed like a good sign, he tried a simpler question.

"What's your name?" the partial devil wasn't sure if it was a good sign or a bad one that the body beneath him went completely slack.

"My… name…" they managed, it was barely audible to the devil hunter. Okay, so much for simple questions.

"Yeah, what do your friends call you?" he prompted.

"I don't have-"

"If you don't have friends, what can I call you?" Nero growled. There was a long pause and Nero was about to repeat his question when the person beneath him spoke softly.

"Katherine. That's what it was… I'd nearly forgotten…" they were still completely slack beneath the partial devil, who was wondering if he was making the best decision, befriending a madwoman like this. On one hand, she didn't seem all right in the head, but on the other she seemed to be a damn good fighter and these streets seemed far from safe.

"Okay, Katherine, if I let you up are you going to attack me again?" he asked

"You're not going to kill me, beast?" she returned. Nero raised a brow and laughed lightly.

"Why would I bother learning your name if that was the case?"

"No, I will not attack you, provided you don't turn on me, beast." she said. Nero stood, allowing her to stand. Now that she wasn't immediately trying to kill him he was able to get a good look at her and his eyes immediately snapped to her eyes that seemed to burn a dull red as she regarded him. He dismissed his wings with a thought and those red eyes narrowed.

"My name's Nero." He offered, holding a hand out. She ignored it, instead saying.

"You're not human, are you." it was a statement, not a question.

"Not entirely." Nero conceded. She nodded, as though that were a perfectly normal answer before she pulled out a small glass bottle, jabbed a syringe into it and drew the suspiciously thick, red fluid into it before stabbing it into her leg with a small sigh.

"Uh, is that blood?" the partial devil asked, questioning now more than ever the person he had decided to befriend.

"Oh, do you require a vial? I don't have much to spare but…" she held out the blood filled container.

"Ah, no thanks." he said, Savior above what had he gotten himself into…?

A/N: This is so much fun :)

Till next time,

-Winged Element