A/N: Ugh, I need to start this, probably not going to actually happen until tomorrow. In other, actually happy news, my boyfriend proposed over the weekend! And I said yes! So that's super exciting! I'm going to get going now on the exciting, and probably last, chapter of this crossover.

Disclaimer: Even after all this time, I still don't own any of this.

Everything Has to be Complicated

Nero was still trying to wrap his head around the building being on fire and not on fire at the same time. He couldn't shake the sinking feeling in his gut that something horrible was about to happen. It had been hanging over him since they'd stepped through that archway, their presence welcomed by the harrowing cries of a newborn. He shivered despite feeling the waves of heat billowing off the building once he stepped outside. Katherine was nowhere to be seen but the Doll stood demurely where she always did. Nero approached her, asking where his compatriot had gotten to.

"She meets with Gehrman before the great tree. He offers her mercy, for the night is almost over and dawn shall soon be upon us." she said pleasantly. Nero raised a brow, unsure of what that meant but he knew the tree that she was talking about and started down the path in that direction. He could see Katherine and Gehrman speaking, but couldn't quite hear what they were saying yet. Katherine nodded and then knelt, her back to the old man who slowly rose from his chair. He was a lot taller than Nero thought he was when he rose to his full height, reaching behind himself and pulling out a large scythe with a heavy clank. The partial devil's eyes widened when he realized what he was seeing and he started forward, pulling Red Queen from his own back in one smooth motion. The two weapons sparked when they met in the air, too close to Katherine's neck for Nero's comfort.

"What the hell are you doing?!" Nero snapped, not sure if he was speaking to his partner or the old man.

"It's a mercy Nero, the night is closing, we would have awakened upon the dawn of a new day. Why does everything have to be so complicated with you?" Katherine said, standing to look at him with a puzzled expression. Gehrman pulled his weapon back, chuckling softly to himself and Nero was sure the old hunter had finally lost it.

"Dear, oh dear. What was it? The Hunt? The Blood? Or the horrible dream? Oh, it doesn't matter... It always comes down to the Hunter's helper to clean up after these sort of messes. Tonight, Gehrman joins the hunt..." He swung the scythe back and Nero prepared for the fight ahead. Beside him Katherine gave a world-weary sigh and pulled out her own blades, settling into a fighting stance.

Gehrman, despite appearing stiff as he'd risen from his chair, was swift, and his attacks even swifter. He did an excellent job keeping the pair of them from swarming him over by making clever use of the firearm that he pulled from his ratty clothes. The scythe slashed out is rapid, precise moves and Nero often found himself backing away to allow his own healing to kick in or going on the heavy offensive to keep the old man off of Katherine to allow her a moment to back away and heal herself. She'd probably used too much of the blood, if the wild slashes of her blades and the manic grin on her face were anything to go by. Not much could be done about that, Nero was impressed that a man who looked so past his prime was giving them such a hard time.

"Gehrman! Stop! We can work this out!" the partial devil tried as his blade clattered against the first hunter's. The devil hunter cursed loudly, taking a step back as his body started to heal sluggishly around the bullet embedded in his torso.

"I will grant you mercy beast, even if you do not want it." Gehrman growled out, slashing with the shortened form of his scythe at Nero before swirling it gracefully into its longer form to catch Katherine as she tried to come in from the side. Nero darted back into the fight despite the twinge still lingering from the gunshot. He got in a lucky swipe by using his Breaker to trip the old man up before slashing with Red Queen. Gehrman rolled and came up about to fire the firearm again, but Nero was ready for that this time, already dodging out of the way even as Katherine swooped in, taking several slashes with her blades before darting back out. Gehrman was breathing heavily as he tried to take to his feet once more.

"I will not subject you to… this fate." the first hunter grunted, swinging the scythe with more confidence as he gained his balance. He didn't get to take another step forward as a gunshot rang out in the Dream. Nero holstered Blue Rose, about to follow it up with Red Queen but Katherine was already ahead of him, her blades cutting symmetrical holes through the old man's torso and he fell back to the ground.

"There is your mercy." the Good Hunter said coldly.

"The night… and the dream were long…" Gehrman said, trailing off and his chest stilling even as a small smile graced his lips.

The devil hunter sighed and was about to turn to Katherine when suddenly the pounding of his own heart was too loud in his ears. He shivered, suddenly hyper aware of the blood leaking out of his own wounds and the sticky red spattered across his clothes. What was this…? Normally the bloodlust came with battle, with getting too into the fight, this… this was… he tried to breathe. In and out slowly. Instead there was just an alien pressure on his mind, forcing it back into bloodlust. He turned his attention to the side, to the other one, the potential prey -no. Katherine. She looked so tantalizing standing there covered with the blood of their prey and her eyes filled with starlight. That gave him pause.

Turning in the direction of her gaze, he saw something that he didn't think he'd ever see outside the space between spaces. Long and spindly and appearing somewhat mutilated she stepped gracefully from the redred moonlight. Tilting her head curiously at them before reaching gently toward the devil hunter.

Nero paused, the bloodlust was still raging in his veins but… there was no malice emanating from this creature. Instead it enfolded him in an embrace nuzzling against his torso in an almost loving fashion. At least until bright burning pain erupted at the point of contact. He let out a howl, twisting and writhing in the now too tight grip. There was a flash of whitish light that Nero could see even behind his eyelids and then suddenly he was dropped on the ground, pain still flaring in his midsection. He coughed, blood burbling up over his lips and onto the grass in front of him. There were the sounds of fighting above him and the devil within yearned to join in the fray but the pain wracking through him made even opening his eyes a struggle.

Something was moving next to him, was moving inside him. Nero's eyes flew open only to see one of the inky black tendrils wriggling into his flesh despite no longer being attached to its owner. The partial devil let out a strangled cry, arms scrambling to pull it out. Get this thing out of me! It resisted his efforts. Somewhere beyond his own personal struggle there was a shriek that wrenched worlds in half and the partial devil continued to scrabble at the thing despite the fact that he could no longer hear anything beyond the ringing in his head. He grasped at the thing with clawed fingers, he must've triggered at some point. The tendril tore, spattering blackish brackish blood over the already stained ground. He threw it away from him, only to reach back within his own body to pull the still twisting remains that were still infesting his insides. As soon as the wriggling pulsing thing was squashed between his fingers there was a sense of relief spreading through his limbs. The devil hunter lay on the ground, hearing slowly returning, vision slowly registering sights beyond the blades of grass…

Katherine took a step toward him, then another, the infinite cosmos still in her gaze. Nero tried to lift himself on arms that felt more akin to wooden logs, doing little more than flopping closer. The Hunter stumbled then, that pale moonlight that he'd seen behind closed eyes flaring again causing him to squint. There was a faint cry and the partial devil was unsure if it was himself or if it was the Hunter trying to make her way toward him. He was just… so tired… it would be okay if he closed his eyes for a moment… just to… dream… Something soft and gentle touched his forehead. He shouldn't have, but somehow… he knew, it was a gesture of sweet dreams…

"Good Hunter… are you cold?"

-Devil's Hunt-

Nero's eyes shot open and he sat up abruptly, hand shooting to his stomach where the horrible thing had been crawling into… nothing. There was nothing, just the dark blue scales laced with the lighter blue glow of his devil trigger. He breathed a sigh of relief, releasing the stranglehold that he'd been unconsciously maintaining on his demonic form and it faded away in a burst of bluish light leaving him in the garments that he'd picked out of the collection that Katherine had amassed in the workshop. The devil hunter frowned at the large hole that decorated the front of it, looks like he'd have to… He looked up, took in his surroundings for the first time since he'd opened his eyes. This… this was the warehouse… he shot to his feet, stumbled as the world spun and looked around. The lantern remained, broken and unlit, but otherwise it was the same warehouse…

"Nero? You okay? I heard ya shoutin'..." the southern drawl caused Nero to whirl around, only to see Nico coming in the door, sunlight streaming behind her. He took a step back in disbelief, this couldn't be real…

"What tha hell happened to yer clothes?" Nico asked, a singular eyebrow raised as she leaned on the doorframe.

"I… what happened…" he mumbled, putting a hand to his head.

"You headed out ta take a look into the buildin'. I was gonna let ya to it but then I heard ya shoutin', not in a fun kinda way. So I came lookin' for ya." Genuine concern crossed her face and she stepped forward, placing a gentle hand on his shoulder. "Nero are ya okay?" he put his hand over hers, feeling the warm flesh, the solidity of it.

"Y-yeah… how…" he paused, swallowed, tried again "How long was I gone?"

"I dunno, few minutes? Ten tops." Nico said, she was starting to look scared now.

"A few minutes…" that was impossible, even with the strange feel of time, there was no way that he'd only been gone for a few minutes… he and Katherine had spent days in the catacombs alone…

"Nero, what happened?" Nico asked, starting to pull him toward the door.

"I… the lantern-" he said, wondering if it had all been a bad dream.

"What lantern?" she asked, he spun out of her grip to look. It still sat, broken and cold, sticking out of the floor.

"That one." he pointed "It… there was another place, a city, infested with beasts, a Dream, a, a Nightmare. There were beings that transcended humanity…" he stopped at Nico's expression. "You don't believe me."

"I'm not sure what ta believe, but there's no lantern there." she pointed in the direction that he gestured. "C'mon, ya can tell me 'bout it in the van. I saw some demons down tha road, that'll help ya get yer head screwed on right even if this place is a bust." she waved for him to follow. He hesitated in the doorway, uncertain before exiting. There was a ripple of something almost like a large, grasping, spindly hand from the roof but when he blinked it was gone again. Perhaps… it had only been a bad dream…

The van ride was bumpy and threw Nero off balance, he felt out of practice staying in one place as Nico jostled them down the road. He remained quiet as she drove, hands shoved into his pockets where he noticed something. He pulled out the blood vial and quickly stuffed it back. Nico clearly noticed but didn't say anything, she seemed worried for him, screeching to a more controlled halt than normal near an alleyway.

"Are ya sure yer okay?" she asked. He paused, looking down the alleyway that she'd said had demons in it. Something shuffled in its dark corners, lifting a hairy, wolflike head, something dripping from its too-large teeth. Nero felt all of the blood drain from his face.

"It wasn't a dream…" he whispered. It was a waking nightmare…

A/N: I like leaving it on this open question. I hope the rest of you do too, it's been a fun ride and I hope to see you in the next adventure.

Till next time,

-Winged Element