A/N: How's everyone doing? No one fallen into madness yet? I feel as though not much has changed for me, yay med device company, essential services and all that. But my weekends are a lot more free right now, which is lovely, it means I may finish Death Stranding and Dark Souls 3 yet!

Disclaimer: I do own the desk I've been working from home on? Don't think that counts for much though.

It Sings to Me

Katherine knew she was in over her head as soon as she saw Nero's face. There was nothing human there, despite the form that he currently held. He wanted to play with her, she understood the drive, but that didn't mean that she wanted to let him. Instead she tried to focus his attention on her, where she wanted it, not on her fingers that were digging desperately through her pockets, looking for… her fingers closed on it just in time for Nero to turn, trying to ascertain what it was that she'd been staring at. It was enough, she slammed the molotov directly behind herself, it wouldn't distract him for long but long enough that it gave her a head start. She vaulted up where she could hear the vague singing of some other enemy and dashed forward, hoping that the other enemy would distract Nero, even briefly. She just needed enough time to pull the Hunter's Marks from her pocket and concentrate on the impression… There was no time, there was a glow from the enemies that she was trying to dash past and suddenly her attention caught on them… on their… truth. She could feel her own blood trying to betray her, forming into a spear that pierced through her thigh. The cry escaped her throat before she could think to keep it closed; all the same she continued to limp forward, she just had to get a little further ahead… and then there was a hand around her ankle and a horrendous crack as something snapped. She screamed and tried to claw away, tried to do… anything… There was no escaping the pain, the torment…

-Devil's Hunt-

Katherine awoke near the lantern and knelt down next to it, leaning forward until her brow rested upon the cool metal of the lamp. She took a deep breath, and just waited, trying to relax back into her own skin. Sometimes coming back from death was easy, sometimes, she just needed to breathe. It had been easier, was still easier, when she fell back into the mindset that she'd found herself in when Nero had first come across her, starting to see the truths above humanity, to be able to see. However, she wasn't sure anymore if that was something that she wanted to find the rest of the truth. The realization that she'd forgotten her own name, something that she'd taken through the blood ministration when so little else had remained, had hit hard. Even after the Hunter had regained her breath and felt properly alive again, she remained at the lantern, giving Nero time. Sometimes one simply had to ride the waves out, to let all the pain and suffering out into the world… After some time, she finally stood, brushing some of the mud from her coat and walking into the hamlet.

It took some time to find Nero but no time to find his trail, the bodies were littered, torn and ravaged, throughout the hamlet, he'd seemed to have worked a bloody path through the whole place. There was little left to identify these people with. They weren't quite people anymore but all the same, the remains that the partial devil left behind were hard to recognize as humanoid at all. She found him eventually, it would've been hard not to, he stood, breathing heavily, blood dripping off of him, the strange machine that he'd replaced his right arm with sparking; Katherine was uncertain if this meant it was broken or if it was intended to do this. Nero shook his head like a dog, spatters flying off his pinkish, bloodstained hair. His shoulders were tense but when he spun to look at her, there was a spark of humanity in the blue eyes and the Hunter couldn't help the wave of relief that washed over her. She knew that she couldn't beat him in a one on one fight, not without resorting to dirty play, but she wasn't sure how many more times she could stand him killing her and keep her own mind about.

"It sings to me Katherine…" he whispered, glancing down at his hand, his right one didn't bend, clarifying to the Hunter that it was broken, not intentionally sparking. She raised a hand, sympathetically placing it on his shoulder and though the mask covered the lower part of her face, she hoped that he could tell that she was smiling at him.

"I know." she said "Come, there's still more fight ahead of us. We may as well return to the Dream, allow you to rest, recover, feel human again." he surprised her by shaking his head.

"No, let's see this through to the end, I'm… okay. For now." he said, pulling the mechanical arm from the stump, human fingers and flesh materializing where there had been nothing before. Katherine found it extremely strange and more than a little unsettling but said nothing.

"Are you… alright?" he asked her before she could begin to walk forward.

"I'll be okay." she said, she could tell that he caught the meaning of her words and stayed back a bit from her, instead watching their backs, not that there was much left living in the village, but he needed something to focus on, she understood that. They walked in silence for a time before he said.

"I was aware this time."

"I know." she said

"It… it felt good. Why does it have to feel good?" he asked, a small shake in his voice.

"I don't know."

A/N: A lot of internal monologue in this chapter, but that's what I was feelin, we'll be to a boss fight next chapter and then I may rapid fire through a few since Katherine's only just past Rom in the main game, but we'll see how I feel after the Orphan.

Till next time,

-Winged Element