AN: Hey guys. Sorry that this took a while. I was kind of struggling with the concepts I wanted to use for introducing Dawn and Oscar to the DMC5 cast, explain the characters' backstories quickly – because it is pretty damn dense, honestly – and the best way to word some things to hint at future events and reveals without strictly spoiling them. That's a bit harder in this story than in the first one, and especially more than in AoR. I hope I wasn't getting too ambitious!

Anyways, I hope that I do DMC5 at least some measure of justice. The characters are great with some pretty interesting backgrounds and personalities that are all pretty distinct. I feel like the series has this unfair reputation as being just an over the top anime fighting game. I know that's what I thought before I played and learned more.

Now, responses:

To Gamelover41592: Thanks! Dawn's abilities are going to be explained more. It's all part of the core plot, so I don't want to say too much.

To Chretner: Things are going well for me, thanks! Devil May Cry is really cool, and I only got into it recently. I hope I do it justice. I do recommend playing t if you ever get a chance. It's got a surprisingly good story, and crazy fun combat that I am terrible at. The opening to the world last chapter is actually the opening to the game itself. Really sets the game's tone!

Well, I hope you guys enjoy the chapter!

Chapter 7: Frustration is Getting Bigger

Oscar didn't like the newest world they had arrived on, dragged there when Dawn insisted she would simply trust in the Keyblade to choose their next destination. The city they had arrived in was ancient, and felt like a lot of places back home. Like so many people had died there once upon a time that the Heart of the city was echoing with heartbreak. He shivered and rubbed his arms, once again wishing his Semblance didn't tune him into the emotions of the Hearts around him. Amplified by the Keyblade's ability to do the same for its wielder, and it was almost unbearable. At least it had saved them a few times already by letting him sense Heartless and Grimm before they appeared, and it almost seemed like it was pointing them towards something they needed to do on each world.

Oscar frowned. Now that he'd thought about it, every world they'd visited so far felt almost wrong. He didn't have much to compare it to, but Remnant as a whole at least felt Light. Everywhere they had been so far had this same kind of heartbreak in it. Like there were Hearts that couldn't escape some kind of prison. In Fuyuki or Amestris, it wasn't clear what was responsible for creating that Dark feeling that permeated the air. But at least here it was obvious what the problem was: in the center of the city was a massive, sharp edged tree that grew above the clouds. Oscar looked around and saw what had to be its leaves or needles poking down from the clouds radially from the trunk. It felt like a Heart, twisted to be worse than even the Heartless or Grimm could be.

Dawn, of course, was completely oblivious to it. "Wow, this place has awesome style!" she exclaimed, running up to a destroyed storefront and picking at the outfits within. "Oh! Oscar, come on, try on this long green coat! Or a cane!"

"Wha – I don't need a cane!" he replied, incredulous she'd be wasting time on this of all things. "I can walk fine!"

"Ozpin used one! And besides, it's about the aesthetic, Oscar," she explained emphatically, turning around with a gray metal cane in one hand. "Oooh! And with this fedora -"

"Stopping you right there," Oscar interjected, throwing one hand up at her. "There's no way wearing that would make it any easier to talk to Dove."

"Yeah, you're more of a top hat guy any way. This one would make you look like quite the handsome gentleman," Dawn agreed in a mock 'posh' voice as she reached down to pick one up. He glared over at her until she chuckled nervously and tossed the hat over her shoulder. "Okay, fine, I'll drop it for now. But I will get you in a top hat one day."

Oscar, suddenly very much wanting to make sure she would use her familial trait of focusing on 'now' instead of the future – this time, the future being him in a top hat for some reason – decided to change the subject as quickly as he could. He turned his attention to the world again and focused instead on a burning, bright Light at the edge of his awareness. "Dawn, there's something out there that feels, I don't know, familiar."

"Good familiar or Heartless and Grimm familiar?" she wondered, jumping to the current topic.

Oscar raised a finger. "Good. Definitely good. Unless there are Light equivalents of Heartless ready to kill us over there."

"Great, you had to put that in my mind," Dawn muttered jokingly with an exaggerated shiver. She chuckled and hit his shoulder. "Lead the way, Oscar."

He nodded and turned down the street. "I – I think there are Heartless chasing that thing down now, but... I'm not sure." He swallowed a knot of fear in his throat. "W-we should hurry."

He flinched as at a hand touching his shoulder and turned to see Dawn looking seriously into his eyes. "I won't let anything else hurt you."

He smiled at her declaration and tinged red. "R-right." He turned and summoned Chronal. "L-let's go!"

Dawn looked down the hill then grinned wide. "Ooh! Ice slide! Ice slide!"

Oscar blinked in surprise, then grinned back. He brought a glow of magic around his Keyblade before slamming it into the ground. There was a bright flash of Light, and ice began to streak down the hill in an even sheet. Dawn's eyes widened and she pumped her fists. "Aw, yeah!" She threw her hand to the side, summoning her own Keyblade and gestured with it down the hill. "Last one down is a rotten egg!" Then she jumped on and laughed excitedly as she slid down on her feet.

Oscar watched her go and sighed. "But you don't know where we're going," he pointed out. Finally, he jumped on after her and immediately fell down. Oscar scrabbled desperately, but only began to spin faster and more uncontrollably down the hill. "W-wait! Dawn, how are you doing this so easy!?"

Dawn just laughed for a while, whooping and cheering as she easily slid around on her feet like she was snowboarding. She crouched and angled towards a ramp of ice that had covered a broken down car. She leaped at the apex of the ramp and soared into the air, flipping and letting out a massive laugh before landing nimbly on her feet.

Oscar watched her soar, having just regained enough control to slide down on his back feet first, and smiled. She laughed brightly and leaned forward, hooking her Keyblade around a lamp post and swinging all around it so she could slingshot up and beside him before taking off beside him. "You're having fun," he remarked.

"Why not?" she asked. She moved her legs and began to pretend she was ice skating. "We're on a big adventure, Oscar! That's fun!"

"We're fighting for our lives almost every day!"

She laughed as if he were agreeing with her. "Right? Just you and me against the World, just like when we were kids!"

"And your parents, uncles, aunts, and cousin," he pointed out. "And back then the biggest threat was Counselor Winchester's idiot kids!"

Dawn glanced over at him then pouted and glared down their path. "I – you know what I mean!"

He shook his head. "Y-yeah. I guess so," he agreed. He glanced up. "Dawn, head to the right. There's a cloud of monsters attacking someone!"

"What about you?"

"I'll catch up!"

Dawn shrugged, but leaned down and skated away while Oscar continued straight down the hill. Dawn turned and angled between cars and down an alley, leaping off another icy ramp on debris and soaring above a small hoard of Heartless and Grimm attacking two people outside of a van. She landed on top of a large Ursa and buried the Keyblade in its shoulder. "I've always wanted to try this" she shouted before yanking back and steering the Grimm away from the stunned pair and into the other monsters.

"Who the hell is this girl?" one of the guys asked the other.

The other man hummed quietly. "'Truth can never be told so as to be understood and not be believed,'" he recited cryptically. He chuckled quietly. "I believe, Nero, she is our... Ha ha... Our January."

"V... what the hell does that even mean?" the first guy asked.

Dawn ignored them and laughed, yanking on the Keyblade and forcing the Ursa to charge in and assault the Heartless and Grimm around them. Its claws swept through some small Soldiers, sending crystalline Hearts soaring upward. The Grimm snarled in rage as she yanked back and it raised its arms, only for her to push down on the weapon so its claws slammed on top of incoming Beowolves. "This is awesome!" Dawn exclaimed, yanking the Keyblade back and forth to kill more of the enemy coming at her. "Oscar, look! I look like Aunt Nora!"

Oscar panted as he ran up and saw what his best friend was doing. "Wha – Dawn, that's dangerous!" he exclaimed, throwing his hands up in the air.

She pumped both her fists. "Dangerous awesome, right!? I – oop!" she glanced down at the Keyblade she had just released before she was summarily tossed from the dying Ursa's back, soaring over the crowd of monsters.

Oscar sighed and shook his head. She'd get out of that okay; he had monsters to worry about. He threw Chronal's tip forward and launched a condensed Blizzaga spell that shattered upon colliding with one of the many monsters charging him. The spell's energy exploded outward in tiny, razor sharp shards of ice that skewered the Heartless and Grimm. The weaker ones died immediately while the stronger ones roared in pain and faltered. Some hit the ground and skidded past him, others stopped and staggered where they were. The two men Dawn had been helping charged forward upon seeing this, one swinging a large, flaming sword in his left hand and the other sending a panther and vulture out from his shadow.

The flaming sword cleaved Grimm in two as its wielder charged ahead, moving fast and powerful as he demolished anything in his way. He leaped over one Grimm and threw his right hand out. A prosthetic, Oscar noted, that conjured a burst of blue lightning that killed the rest of the monsters he was attacking.

Meanwhile, the other man advanced on the monsters with the vulture peppering the Grimm and Heartless with energy blasts from beside him. The panther creature spun, turning into a buzzsaw and cut a small Beringel in two, then landed in cat form again. It leaped and pinned a Beowolf to the ground, at which point its owner walked up and simply speared the Grimm through the head. "Well, well. Keyblade Wielders."

"What wielders?" the other guy asked. He brought his sword over his shoulder and came over after running his hand through his hair to get rid of sweat.

The man with the panther and bird turned towards Dawn, who was giggling as she staggered out of rubble. "We should gather so we can converse all at once, Nero. Get Nico and we can proceed with our dialogue." The man then pursed his lips and turned back to Oscar. "So, little Scorpion, what are you two doing here?"

χ χ χ

Oscar wasn't sure what to think about these guys they had met, but he was sure about two things. One: the cursing, smoking girl they were traveling with that was driving their van was the source of the intense Light he'd been sensing with his Semblance. Two: this V guy with the panther and bird was a source of powerful Darkness that felt almost exactly like the Darkness that permeated this world's air. It was so heavy that it made Oscar nervous, to the point he felt scared to talk at all. Right up until Dawn grabbed his hand and shot a bright grin at him. "W-who are all o-of you?" he finally asked, taking Dawn's courage in for himself.

The younger looking man with short white hair and a robotic arm scoffed and aimed his finger at them. "I feel like that's supposed to be our question, right?" He dusted off the long blue overcoat he was wearing. "But, you did help out, so why not? Name's Nero, Devil Hunter. The quiet weird one with the cane is V. And the loudmouth in the van is Nico."

"Aw, shut up, Nero. I'm in here givin' you a hand!" she exclaimed. There was a moment of quiet, then she burst out laughing at him. "Nero – hey, Nero!" She shoved the door to the van and jumped out, brushing grease off on the leather halter top she was wearing. Dawn briefly wondered if that actually did anything when she was working on hot metal, then decided better than asking. Her dark skin and huge, bushy hair were covered in soot and grease – more than the apron-shirtlet. She held up another prosthetic. "I'm givin' you a fuckin' hand!"

"See what I have to deal with all the time?" he growled at V.

V's cold, examining eyes never left the Keyblade Wielders in front of him. Eventually he brushed off his long, sleeveless leather jacket and pulled a book with a large 'V' on the cover out of a pocket within. His dark hair hid his face as he examined it in one tattooed hand before placing it back with gentle reverence. "Keyblade Wielders are very rare, Nero. With weapons that predate even the birth of demons in our world, they are a sign of either salvation." He frowned and fixed his gaze on them again. "Or calamity."

"I don' know how much more calamity we could get by this point," Nico drawled out as she lit a cigarette. She took a drag and sighed. "Between this Urizen takin' out Dante and the big, blood eatin' tree we've had our fill of the shit!"

"When it rains it pours," Nero wearily sighed with a shrug. He turned back to Oscar and Dawn. "So, who are you two?"

"I'm Dawn and this is my best friend, Oscar," Dawn explained. She laced her hands behind her head and chuckled. "And believe me, he isn't going to be causing any calamities. Unless you're a bad guy, he's basically harmless."

"S-so I don't think you g-guys should worry," Oscar supplied with an anxious smile.

"Seems like a generalization and we know what Blake said about that," V remarked with a frown.

"... Huh?" Everyone around him cocked their heads to the side and grunted in confusion.

V sighed and shook his head. "To be surrounded by ones so unread is a pain I know all too well."

"Eh, at least I got what you were sayin' V!" The bird flew out of his shadow and landed on his shoulder. He cocked his head at Oscar. "Name's Griffon, how ya doin'?" Then his face turned to Dawn. "Wait a sec, V -"

V grabbed Griffon's beak and held it shut. "Apologies, he likes to run his mouth. I thought I'd stop him from saying anything... vulgar."

Griffon bristled at that and began to squawk angrily through his shut beak, shaking his wings around and probably saying things Dawn's dad would not like her to hear. Eventually, he grumbled and quieted down, at which point V finally let him go. "Now, what are you two doing here? It isn't safe for children to be alone in such a place, Keyblades or no."

"W-we're looking for D-Dawn's mom," Oscar supplied with a glance at his best friend, who was still staring at the talking bird.

Dawn looked away from the bird, and frowned. "She was taken years ago," Dawn supplied, quiet anger running through her voice as she fought to keep it from cracking.

V's gaze softened. Nero sighed. "Losing parent's isn't easy. But if she's here, I'd bet she'd be in there," Nero supplied. He gestured behind him with his robotic hand's thumb at the massive tree behind them. "And kid's would be dead weight in there."

Dawn gasped, then leaned forward with her fists on her hips. "Who you calling 'dead weight,' you Sephiroth wannabe?" she retorted. She shoved him back. "Guess who has two hands and is awesome? This girl! Guess who doesn't even have two hands?"

Nico burst out laughing, hand over her gut and grabbing hold of Nero's shoulder to steady herself. "Oh, damn, I like you, Dawn. Fiery," she remarked after a while. She took another drag of her cigarette, then glanced over at Nero glaring wearily at her. "Oh, come on and let the kids come along, Nero. I know I'd feel better if y'all had backup when y'all split up and make me drive after ya. We may even find Dante 'fore tomorrow!"

"You're looking for someone, too?" Dawn asked. She glanced around. "Does this guy have anything to do with what's going on around here?"

"Dante," V interjected evenly. "He disappeared after a fight with Urizen, the demon that is responsible for all of this."

Nero added, "Dante often does know more than he lets on."

V sighed. "Not difficult when he only acts..."

"Like an idiot?" Griffon finished for his ally.

"... carefree," V finished, not entirely sure he agreed with his own word over Griffon's.

"Well, we'd be glad to help you guys out for a little while!" Dawn exclaimed, throwing her hands up and volunteering Oscar too. "Ooh! Ooh! V, I wanna go with V and find out more about his magic shadow animals! Can you show me how to do magic like Oscar can, maybe? I mean you look like an edgy wizard with that getup –"

"No," V cut off, raising a hand. He turned his gaze over to Oscar. "When you fought, you kept your distance, but you seem trained. You lack courage to fight up close. While you... Dawn, your request implies you have little experience with magic at all. You will go with Nero and attempt to back him up. I will have Oscar accompany me and act as the frontline."

Nero raised his eyebrow and turned to Dawn. "Er... You sure about this, V? Why don't you just take her and -"

"'Great things are done when men and mountains meet,'" he explained. He glanced down the street. "I will head this way. Oscar, catch up with me once you have a conversation with Nico. I believe she may be able to supply the both of you with something to aid you." With that, V turned away and began to walk down one of the roads, cane tapping lightly on the ground rhythmically.

Dawn watched him leave, brow furrowed. "Well, you two hurry up. I'm not interested in waiting around forever," Nero explained. He nodded at the others. "Do what you need to do, then hurry. People are dying."

Oscar watched him leave and placed his hand on his chin. What was his problem? He shook his head and turned towards Nico and Dawn. Nico was grinning as she sized the duo up. "Hm... Y'all might enjoy a shit ton of fun with the babies that've got waitin' for somebody to take care of 'em. In fact, they might've even been made for y'all." She held her hand up. "Don't move!" She held up one finger and rushed towards the van, slamming the door shut behind her. Suddenly, loud bangs and metal screeching began to echo from within, accompanied by loud cursing as something fell on her foot.

Dawn and Oscar stared in worry and confusion at the van for a while, then shook their heads and turned to one another. "So, I guess we're splitting up for a minute," Dawn said. She crossed her arms and shook her head. "Don't embarrass me in front of the weird warlock guy, okay? Nut up."

"As long as you use your brain to cast a halfway decent spell," he retorted, shoving her shoulder. He smiled at her, then placed his hands on his hips. "Look, I know you don't have a lot of experience with magic. So, you just need... something. Focus on one emotion and that same place the Keyblade hides out in your Heart. There's like this... ocean. Do that together, and even an idiot could cast a spell."

"You comparin' me to Winchester?" Dawn accused before bursting out into laughter. "Thanks for the help, Oscar. It means a lot. I just wish I could give you pointers. Dad and Qrow actually taught you how to fight, even if you're kind of a scaredy cat about getting up close and personal."

"It's called being safe!"

"Sounds boring."

"Now you sound like your dad."

"Yeah? 'Being safe?' You sound like my dad, now."

Oscar chuckled. "Okay, fair..."

"Hey – I'll be safe. You too?" Dawn finally said, reaching out and grabbing his wrist. "I don't like the idea of not being around to keep you safe."

Oscar stared into her silver eyes that shined with the request. "H-hey, you've b-been keeping me safe since the s-second we met. I think I can manage f-for a d-day..."

"Yeah..." she said quietly, though she smiled softly. It turned into a brash grin. "You better, or I'm kicking your butt, got it?"

Oscar laughed. "Yeah. I know."

"Finally!" Nico exclaimed, bursting out of the van. She grinned and pulled a pair of welding goggles from her eyes, replacing them with her glasses. "Now, howbout these?" She raised a pair of small sigils dangling from chains. "Look like the things danglin' from your weird weapons. Don' know how I made 'em, but I did." Oscar stared at the Keyblade Keychains in disbelief. Made them? He turned his gaze up to Nico and focused on his Semblance to get a clear read on her Heart. Something had to be special about her to be able to do that.

It was like staring into the sun. The same kind of Brightness he remembered from a long time ago. But... when? his eyes widened and he slammed his Semblance shut. "You're a Princess! Like Dawn's mom!"

Nico looked taken aback for a moment, then grinned and winked at Oscar. "You're a little young for my tastes, Hun. And it's a cheesy pickup line. Try somethin' a little better next time, and maybe I'll think 'bout it in a few years."

"Th-th-that's not – ! I – You – N-Never mind," he grumbled, reaching out and taking the gray Keychain shaped like a skull with horns coming out of the eye sockets. "I-it's kind of freaky looking..."

Dawn grabbed the blue Keychain shaped like an outline of a Heart made of a single, uninterrupted line. "Neat! You really think she's another Princess of Heart, Oscar? What are the odds we'd just run into one at random!?"

"We're Keyblade Wielders, so pretty good, Dawn," he pointed out. He gestured at her. "I-I mean, your dad met all seven of the old ones when he was a kid!"

"Oh... Right!" Dawn realized, flashing a sheepish grin at her best friend. She turned back to Nico, who was looking more confused than ever. "Thanks, we'll make great use of them, promise."

"Y'all better," Nico finally managed. She shook her head. "And maybe one day explain whatever the hell this Heart Princess thing is."

χ χ χ

Oscar and V had been traveling in silence for a while, the only thing breaking the silence the occasional shriek of monsters somewhere within the city. Oscar flinched at one echoing roar, then turned over to V, who walked ahead with Griffon flying overhead. Oscar coughed and rushed to catch up, then fell in step with him. "S-so, er, what h-happened here?" he wondered. V turned his gaze to Oscar. "I-I mean, this can't be what's it's, um, usually like here, right?"

Griffon chuckled and swooped in low, flapping between the two humans. "You might be surprised. Humans here can't go five minutes without some kind of demonic threat blowing up the city. Honestly, it seems like they're insane to live here anymore!" he explained with a shake of his head. "Usually Dante handles them, but for once it turns out he was the weaker one."

V sighed and shook his head. "Urizen did all this. He waited, hiding, and then planted the Tree so he might devour the Hearts of the people here for power. Evidently it was enough this time," he explained. He twirled his cane for a moment. "The enemies that hide until the right moment are the most dangerous, aren't they, Oscar?"

Oscar glanced down and frowned. "Yeah. That's how Dawn's mom got kidnapped. This person we all thought was dead... they just reappeared one night and took her."

"Perhaps she did not just reappear that night. Could she have never left?" V posited after a moment of silence.

Oscar looked over. "Never left..?"

V nodded. "Perhaps she had been around for years. Watching from close by."

"B-but who – N-No. No way."

V shook his head. "You hear but don't listen. You think but don't consider. I wash my hands of this," he supplied with a sigh.

Oscar glowered over. "Ah, forget it, Kid," Griffon said. He swooped down and landed on Oscar's shoulder. The sudden proximity of a being of pure Darkness caused Oscar to spasm involuntarily. "Whoa, you okay, kid?"

"Er, yes. Just – I can feel you," Oscar tried to explain. He frowned and turned to V, narrowing his eyes to study V closer before extending his Semblance's awareness again. "Actually, are you two... the same person?"

"It's not quite as simple as that," V explained quietly. He turned to a broken building and walked over to the rubble, a large part of one floor that had been shattered into smaller pieces. "Griffon, Shadow, and I are like this. We are of the same building, but shattered into different rubble. Incongruent pieces of a larger puzzle."

Oscar stared at V, then slowly opened his senses again to feel the beat of V's Heart. "You're broken," Oscar noted with a gasp. How could anyone survive that? The story Master Sora had told about Ventus and Vanitas was bad enough, but to be shattered this small? "But you don't add up to a whole. Not really. Are – are you okay?"

"What is the true nature of your power, Oscar?" V wondered instead of responding.

"Well, er... I can, um, kind of, bring back who someone's Heart used to belong to. But I... I don't like to do it."

V placed his hand on the rubble and stared hollowly for a while. Finally, he turned to respond, but was cut off by Dark portals appearing all around them. Grimm and Heartless streamed out, snarling and swirling around them. So V simply sighed and threw his hand up. "What an eyesore. Slice 'em!" The panther, Shadow, exploded from the ground in the form of a buzzsaw and flew towards the monsters. Griffon flapped away from Oscar's shoulder to back V up, casting bolts of purple lightning towards the monsters. Oscar summoned his Keyblade to fight, but was cut off when V's hand appeared on his shoulder. V looked over at him and shook his head. "'He who desires but acts not, breeds pestilence.' Fight."

Oscar froze and clenched his weapon tightly in both hands. He was supposed to fight in close quarters right now. He swallowed a pit of fear. He could do it. He could. He looked up, confident, and readied himself to move.

But the claws of the Heartless and the gnashing teeth of the Grimm stalled him. He stopped before he could even begin. Memories of his aunt torn apart by monsters, the screams of the other villagers... He – he had to back away. Gain space or – or it would happen to him! He was floundering. Right up until a large, fat Heartless with a small metal hat – a Large Body, Oscar recalled blankly – slammed into him gut first. Oscar was sent flying over V, who sighed up at the Heartless now looming over him. The creature's fist came down, but V threw his cane forward. There was a flash of purple energy, and he reappeared behind the Heartless in a flash. "Fall to Hell," he told the Heartless, then snapped his fingers.

V's hair turned snow white and the layers of tattoos all over his body vanished; a flash of Darkness traveled all around him. The world shivered for a moment, then a chunk of Darkness fell from the sky like an asteroid, plunging into the mass of Heartless and sending out a shockwave that turned many of them into smoke. "Nightmare... Erase them all!"

The asteroid stretched out, large tree trunk like arms slamming into the ground and pushing a huge, golem like creature onto tree trunk legs. A single, glowing, purple eye ignited at the center of a mask like face and a pulse of Darkness burned through the air. Oscar struggled backwards as he felt it. Another echo of V's Heart. Who would break their Heart apart like this, and why? He turned to V, who threw his hand up and sent all of his familiars flying towards the Heartless. Shadow and Griffin swirled around their core 'fragment,' defending V from Grimm and Heartless that tried to advance. Griffon's lightning storms stunned the creatures that began to swarm, and Shadow's blade like limbs carved through them before they could escape. The Large Body turned on Nightmare and charged it, but the tree trunk fist slammed into its face. The Heartless flipped over, landing on its back and floundering uselessly. Nightmare's eye glowed bright for a moment, then a purple beam blazed through the Heartless, tracking through the rest of the crowd and causing explosions to erupt that vaporized those that remained.

Oscar stared with wide eyes at the destruction in front of him. If they were capable of things like this, why had they even tagged along with these guys? Oscar felt like dead weight around V.

V himself turned to Oscar as the tattoos reappeared and his hair settled back into its original pitch black. Shadow slunk back into the ground while Nightmare seemed to melt into a puddle of Darkness that slowly flowed away like a stream. Griffon and V turned towards Oscar, the man holding his cane out to Oscar to help him up. "I mark in every face I meet marks of weakness, marks of woe."

Oscar glared, angered by the poem, but sighed as he had to admit that V was right. He was weak. Oscar clenched his fist at his side before accepting V's help to his feet. He knew how to fight, how to act, but why couldn't he? But then, like a memory from a long time ago, Oscar heard someone's words deep in his Heart: "Knowledge can only take you so far. It is up to you to take the first step."

Oscar stared down at his hands for a moment. "Just the first step..?"

χ χ χ

It hadn't taken long for Nero's attitude about helping out Dawn to flip completely. Instead of feeling annoyed by babysitting, there was almost an excited exuberance as the two walked through the city and chattered. Dawn was happy about that; he'd seemed like a grumpy jerk there for a while. But once Dawn had asked him about the robot arm and explained she was only asking because she wanted to compare it to her dad's and aunt's, he'd opened up fast. "So your sword has, like, an engine in it?" Dawn asked, leaning back to look at Red Queen hanging from Nero's back. "And that lets you quick cast fire magic?"

"Yeah! I'm getting better at naturally pulling the flames out on my own now, but without my hand it's a bit of a problem. I'm almost back to full strength, though, and then Urizen's going down." He frowned and let his face harden. "I won't be dead weight ever again."

"I get that feeling," Dawn muttered. She rubbed her arms through her cloak and shrugged. "I've lost every fight I've been in, if I'm being honest. I feel like it's zero to a thousand."

"Hey, can't be that bad," Nero pointed out. He shoved her shoulder lightly. "You saved us when we were surrounded by those monsters, after all."

"Not alone. Every fight I've tried to have by myself, I've lost. I get captured or beaten. I lose a lot," she explained sadly.

"Well... I always lose until it matters, too, you know? Lost my arm, lost Dante. Before that I lost to Dante and Kyrie got kidnapped. But I saved her. And I'm back on my feet now, you know? Way I see it, maybe you're the same."

"Maybe you're right," Dawn supplied. She chuckled sadly. "But I still feel like a tagalong. I kind of..."

"What?" Nero wondered.

She sighed and grinned sheepishly. "Kidnapped Oscar. This was supposed to be his last big test with my cousin, but I dragged him out here. I – I wanted to spend more time with him, before it was too late."

"Hm... You like him, huh?"

"Only one who doesn't know is him," Dawn supplied dryly. "Boys are idiots. Er, no offense."

Nero let out a loud, caustic laugh. "I'm not offended. Never let Nico know I said this, but you're not totally wrong. It can take me forever to see things right in front of me, too," he remarked. He shot Dawn a sad look. "And, I also get feeling like an extra. Dante told me I was just... Dead weight. My own dad left before I was even born. I – I'm not dead weight."

Dawn smiled up at him. "Yeah! Neither of us are!" she exclaimed with a wide grin. She threw one fist up into the air. "Let's do whatever we need to and we'll be dragging their dead weight, am I right?"

Nero chuckled. "Damn right!" he exclaimed. He held his fist out and she rapped her knuckles against his. "Not bad, kid." He paused and held his hand up, then grabbed his sword and readied it as Grimm and Heartless began to claw their way out of the ground. "Looks like we've got a chance now. You got an idea of how to use magic, yet?"

Dawn summoned her Keyblade and held it at the ready. "No idea."

Nero chuckled and revved the engine on his sword, causing the blade to erupt into flames. "Well, figure it out and I'll keep them off 'ya." He nodded at Dawn, then charged the monsters, flaming weapon carving through the monsters. He slashed up, leaping into the air and slashing one of them a half dozen times before turning and yanking another into the air with his robotic arm. He grabbed it by the throat and threw it into a mass of others, then shot down towards the Grimm and began carving away.

Dawn grinned and held the Keyblade up. "Okay, one emotion..." She shut her silver eyes and reached for the place the Keyblade slept, reaching for the place the Keyblade slept. It was easy to find, and she understood immediately why Oscar called it an 'Ocean.' It was a massive, swirling sea of energy that thrummed with the same power her eyes and Keyblade held. But... what did she feel? What emotion would she use to channel the magic? Joy or anger? Fear or hope? Her Heart cast about for an emotion, but all she could end up with... was nothing. Oh, she knew she could cast a spell. Between Oscar's advice and sneaking out to listen to Neptunia teaching magic to new students when she was younger, she understood the how. But her emotions, her Heart... She narrowed her eyes. She couldn't let anything else distract her. She'd reach for a spell, she'd made her decisions and she'd follow through on them.

The determination seemed to freeze over the ocean, and the energy spiked outward. Her silver eyes shot open, the glow intensifying as she charged ahead. A small Blizzard spell left a trail of ice and cast a dim glow along the edge of her Keyblade. She rushed ahead and slashed upward with her weapon at a Beowolf raising its claws above Nero's back. The spell made the Grimm's flesh brittle and cold, slowing it just enough for Nero to turn and grab its throat with his robotic hand, lifting the Grimm then slamming it down hard into the ground so it shattered. Dawn grinned wide. "I did it!"

"Nice job," Nero returned. He glanced over at the rest of the Heartless. "Now... can you do it a few more times?"

Dawn grinned wider. "Of course!" she shouted, readying herself for more.

χ χ χ

Most Grimm were small. Ruby had once told Dawn that the most ancient Grimm were smart. Attacking humans brings problems, problems bring stronger humans, and stronger humans bring death. Or something like that. But they were very strong. Thankfully, there were very few of them. Even Grimm monstrosities like the one Dawn, Oscar, and their new friends had just run into weren't at that level, just yet. On the other hand, the massive knight monster sitting atop a flaming undead horse and wielding a massive spear charged with electricity was still really dangerous. The bony armor of the creature looked like plated armor, and the knight body seemed to grow out of or melt into the shadowy Darkness of the horse's body. Glowing, yellow eyes shot out from the Knight's skull, glowing the same Grimm color as a cloak of burning Darkness flowing from its back. Reins of yellow flames came from the horned horse's Grimm-mask jaws. An Arma Geryon. And it was attacking Nico when they arrived, thrashing about and sending bolts of Lightning or streams of flame down at the van. Nico was narrowly avoiding each attack, but it was only a matter of time before she got unlucky.

Dawn rushed ahead, sliding to a stop beside Oscar while V and Nero charged ahead. "How's it going, Oscaroni?"

"D-Dawn, we aren't doing that," he returned.

She grinned sheepishly. "I thought the same thing as soon as I said it. Since someone else is in danger, how about you stick with the magicy magic and I do the stabby stab?"

"You're as e-eloquent as Master Sora," he remarked before turning and channeling a swirling Aeroga in front of him.

She nodded at the spell. "You read my mind, Oscar," she remarked before leaping into the spell and letting it send her flying high into the air. She spun around in the air, grinning wide as the air rushed past her face. After a moment, she reached into her pocket and and angled her head towards the Grimm. Her upward momentum stalled and she began to fall, slowly at first then plummeting downward. She pulled out a pellet of red Dust and channeled her Aura through it, becoming a flaming comet that trailed flaming petals as she approached the monster from above, then jammed her Keyblades into its shoulder blades, yanking around to throw it off balance like she had with the Ursa earlier that day. "Man, Aunt Nora'll be so jealous!"

Oscar was in the middle of summoning up a powerful spell when the force of Dawn's transformation hit him. He stumbled back and fell to one knee, clutching at his chest for a moment in an effort to steady himself. "D-Darkn-ness?" he wondered when his breath returned and he could speak again. Dawn was using Darkness stronger than almost anything he'd ever felt before to activate her Semblance and draw out that second Keyblade in her right hand. When she used her Semblance, she wasn't channeling the fun of the fight, or the desire to protect in order to power the ability rooted to the very core of her being. Oh, she felt those, he could tell. She was Dawn, after all.

But the strongest emotion was hatred for the monster below. Hatred for the creatures and forces that had stolen her mother from her and left her father too afraid to let her leave their fortress of a home. Oscar swallowed a pit of worry in his throat and readied his Keyblade. Whatever was going on, he might have to worry about that later. He raised his weapon and began to create a more powerful spell. While he may not have the Dual nature of Master Arc's Heart, he could cast a spell with the best of them.

"Yee-haw!" Dawn screamed from the Knight's back. She held on for dear life as the monster began to buck and shriek beneath the group's assault. She laughed again and caught sight of an impressed Nero and intrigued V running in as well. Lightning began to crackle from Griffon, and Nero was trailing flames, so she decided it was time to get the heck out of dodge. She planted her feet on the Grimm's back and leaped off, summoning the Keyblades back to her hands before she reached the apex of her flight. She flipped midair and watched Nero slash up at the monster's incoming weapon, deflecting it perfectly and sending it off balance. Griffon's Lightning blast hit it head on, leaving a large scorch mark on its chest.

The Arma Geryon shrieked in rage and a pulse of energy flew from its body. Black tar erupted into the air, and Oscar watched as a swirling vortex of Time magic appeared, slowing down Nero and V for a moment. The creature slammed its flaming hoof into Nero's chest, and its electrical spear into Griffon and V. And then its flaming gaze focused on the densest point of magical energy, and Oscar was suddenly frozen like a deer in headlights. The spell he'd been forming began to shatter with his concentration, and he was sure this was the end. He was doomed. But he couldn't even shut his eyes as the spear shot down at him.

"Wake up, Oscar! I've got your back!" And with those seven words, he was revitalized. A blur of maroon appeared in front of him, energy crackling off her as she brought her second Keyblade up to meet the attack. And then the Keyblade, shaped oh so much like a swordbreaker dagger, let out a loud, echoing peal. Darkness reflected from the point of contact, creating a web of cracks along the spear until it exploded and the Grimm's arm was destroyed. Both of them stared up at the damaged Grimm, eyes wide.

Then V shouted, "Act, you fools!"

Oscar snapped back to reality. "Dawn, dodge!" he snapped, giving her a half beat to bolt out of the way before releasing the magic he'd been building up. A swirling circle appeared below the Arma Geryon, glyphs and etching painted in deep purple Light. "Graviza!"

The effect was instantaneous. One moment, the massive Grimm was there. The next it was undergoing spaghettification at relative speeds, a torment in a magical singularity that would last an eternity. It stretched and shrieked as the magic pulled at it, crushing and stretching it out into a spiral that itself was eventually devoured by the glowing pit.

"... And I thought my Blizzard Edge made me cool," Dawn muttered after an impressed whistle.

He turned to her and glanced down at the weapon in her right hand. Bladebleed, she'd called it. "Shattering a weapon like that's pretty cool too," he said, deciding now wasn't the time to confront her. She beamed at the praise and flourished the weapon. He blushed at the smile and quickly glanced over at the van. "M-more importantly, we just s-saved a Pri-Princess of H-Heart."

"We're definitely heroes, now!"

"Definitely not Dead Weight," Nero said. He got close and punched them both in the shoulders. "Not bad, guys. You gotta show me how to make a Black Hole, though. What the hell was that?"

Nico howled excitedly and careened down the road to slide the entire van right next to them. Oscar and Dawn yelped and cringed as it slid up, stopping barely an inch away from their faces and almost tipping over right on op of them.

Oscar and Dawn shivered in terror for a moment, then sighed in relief. "Damn that was a fun looking fight. But why ain't you two usin' my gifts?"

Dawn and Oscar glanced at each other, then sighed in relief and tumbled onto their backs in exhaustion. "Oh, God..." Oscar grumbled. "A-are you guys trying to kill us?"

"Yes," V stated simply.

Everyone turned to stare at him with wide eyes. "He's kidding. I, uh, think," Nero supplied, scratching his head in slight confusion.

V just continued to glare for a while, then turned down the road. "We're almost there."

"You are joking, right?" Dawn wondered.

"Hurry up."

Oscar looked over at his grumbling friend and frowned. Her Semblance was still crackling for now, and the Darkness was still sparking off of her. Maybe... maybe it wasn't a problem. He trusted his best friend, and unless something went really wrong... well, he'd let her know when they left this world and trust whatever decision she made. She was headstrong, but she usually made good choices. Even when those choices were accidentally kidnapping her best friend and running away from home.

Actually, maybe he should give this some more thought?

χ χ χ

"'O my children! do they cry. Do they hear their father sigh. Now they look abroad to see, now return and weep for me,'" V said hollowly, reading from his book adorned with a 'V' as their group arrived in front of a massive, crumbling building. A mansion built into a cliff face, broken and burned out. Old children's toys, tricycles, and swing sets creaked, rusty in the wind and rain. The facade of the huge building crumbled even as they watched, vines creeping up and between stone. His fingers traced the pages for a moment before he slammed it shut. "Children always return home when they need to heal."

Nero's eyes widened. "Wait, this is where Dante grew up? It's... Wow..."

"And his brother," Griffon squawked when V just continued to quietly stare up at the building. "Before the demons burned it down to kill them and their mom to get back at Ol' Sparda." He glanced at Oscar and Dawn. "Their dad, the Legendary Demon Swordsman."

"Jeez," Dawn whispered. Plenty of people had tried to do that to her family over the years to get back at her dad, but the idea of anyone succeeding. She glanced up. "Wait, a Demon?"

"The nature of a being does not determine its virtue. And these creatures are not... Demons, in the way you think of them. Creatures of Darkness with Hearts, not beings who existed before time to rebel against God," V explained, finally finding his voice again. He chuckled. "Though, many of them would enjoy being mistaken for such beings. It might be considered flattery."

"I-I guess if p-people can fall to Darkness and Evil, any creature of D-Darkness with a real Heart c-could do the opposite..." Oscar muttered. He rubbed his chin. "I m-mean, Emerald and Mercury r-redeemed themselves, even if they w-were human."

Dawn frowned. "I guess... Still, no one who's destroyed a family like that can be forgiven," Dawn said resolutely. She clenched her fists at her sides for a moment, then let them dangle loose, shoulders sagging. "Nobody."

Oscar slowly reached out and grabbed her hand. "We'll find your mom," he told her, and he jumped away from her, startled by how confident he sounded.

Dawn laughed at his surprise. "You sounded like you know for sure," she remarked. She sighed and brushed her hands against her legs just to have something to do with them.

Nero nodded and readied his weapon. "Let's go for a walk, guys. I'm itching to save Dante so I can show that son of a bitch who's Dead Weight." He rushed ahead.

"Son of a bitch? That was uncalled for," V growled. He took a step, but faltered for a moment and began to cough violently for a moment. He noticed he was getting worried looks and shook them off. "Dust in the air." He shook his head and summoned Shadow beneath his feet, rushing after Nero.

Dawn grinned. "Last one in is a rotten egg!" She exclaimed, charging ahead again. Right in time to watch Nero get punted right over her head, his robotic arm shattered into a thousand pieces that scattered in his wake. Dawn swallowed in fear and turned to whatever had done that. She summoned the Kingdom Key D to do something about it, but was stopped by a cane swinging up in her path.

"Careful..." V warned under his breath, eyes locked warily on the figure before them.

There was a tall man, slightly hunched over and standing at the center of a crater with a huge hole in the roof and many floors above him. There was a large, organic style sword buried tip first into the ground beside him. His shaggy, white hair draped over his features and popped against the backdrop of his long, blood red leather jacket. His fist was held straight out, smoking slightly from where it had just impacted with Nero's chest and sent him soaring away. Oscar and Dawn felt their breath hitch when he moved; the power he was giving off was insane compared to their own. The ground cracked beneath his feet and the air vibrated around him. Oscar realized with a start that it reminded him of looking at Berserker again. Something so far beyond what he could handle that it would be a smart move to bolt right now.

"Dante..." V growled. He threw his other hand out, summoning Shadow and sending Griffon to fly up and ready an attack on him. "It seems he is not in control of himself. Between his defeat and the Darkness this place holds for him, it appears it has overwhelmed him completely."

"Which means..." Nero grumbled, walking up behind the others, rubbing his neck and groaning in pain. "We're screwed. Big time."

There was a bright flash, and Dante was gone, replaced with a human sized, insect like monster with thick, plated armor covering its entire body. Demonic wings extended from the monster's back, easily lifting it from the air. Huge claws extended from its hands and talons from its feet, all of them looking strong enough to crush metal or cleave through boulders. The sword beside him melted as he grabbed it, reforming from a single, curving blade and into a huge, tooth like claymore. "But that's fine," Nero growled. He slammed his arm down on a replacement hand, stretching his new fingers to get used to it. "We're just going to have to show Dante our power."

Dante looked up, revealing a toothy, horrifying monster's face with large, arching horns that matched its dark red skin. Steam escaped from its jaw for a moment before it let out a huge, echoing roar and launched at them, blade swinging at them. "Crap!" Oscar shouted. This was going to hurt.