Mission 12 – Meeting his father

Nero couldn't believe he fell asleep in some dirty alley, but he did, there was no denying it. It was uncomfortable as hell and he was hurting all over now, especially his back.

But wait… wasn't there a big pile of snow, that looked so soft? I could swear that…

The half devil looked around. There was no snow at all. How could it all melt during only one night? And there wasn't any water too… Was it even the same place?

"What do you mean, you can't come…? It's starting to get annoying…" he suddenly heard a woman speak. She was walking in his direction and she wasn't alone. Nero didn't really want to look like a homeless (even though he actually was at the moment), so he quickly found a trash can and hid. Behind it of course.

"I told you already. I really have issues that must be dealt with, I cannot just skip them, or you will be in danger. And not only you." Nero peeped out a little bit and noticed a young woman with long, blond hair. Quite beautiful, he had to admit. And next to her was standing a middle aged man, though his white hair and a monocle didn't make him look any younger.

I think I've seen this woman somewhere…

"I thought you knew that I can handle myself. The fact that you're a demon, doesn't make me helpless."

… a demon? Oh right, the picture on Dante's desk…

"Wait, Eva, be silent. Something…"

Oh no, please no, don't tell me he noticed…

"Get out from there, scum."

… I'm screwed.

Nero got out from his, oh so great, hiding place only to see a sword he knew quite well pointed at him. The blond girl was holding tight the hand that her partner wasn't using and with the other hand she was reaching for something behind her back.

Wait, where on earth is my sword…? And why am I even considering fighting him?! But he is in his human form, he cannot be THAT strong…

"You're not human… But you're not a demon either. Who are you and what do you want?" Sparda asked quite calmly.

Ok, let's just stick with the no-fighting version. "Umm… well… It's a little hard to explain. I don't know very well myself…" the moment he muttered those words, he noticed some strange figures behind the pair. And he also felt the presence behind himself. So called Eva, was already holding a gun in her hand. "It seems we have a problem, sir…"

Suddenly the hell hounds jumped to attack. In the same moment, Sparda swung his sword around slashing the beast and Nero grabbed the one behind him with his Devil Bringer. They fought off all the dogs and then again they were facing themselves.

"I'm not here to fight you, Dark Knight Sparda. I know you would beat the crap out of me. I just have a quick matter and you won't see me again, I promise."

"… what keeps me from just ending you here and now?"

"Sense of reason maybe? I'm not your enemy."

"He helped us, maybe you should at least listen to him?" the girl next to him, suddenly spoke, hiding the gun without even using it.

The Dark Knight lowered his sword, but he was still on guard. "Eva, you should go home. I'll see you tomorrow. Probably."

"You always say that. Why is it that I can't stay here now anyway? That boy doesn't seem to want any harm. And even if he did, I could just kick his ass." She smiled looking at 'the boy'.

I never would have thought that she speaks like that… The half-devil thought.

Sparda sighed and put his arm around his girlfriend, still not moving his eyes from the enemy.

"You know I can't concentrate with you here. And it seems like it will be something more tiring than just 'kicking ass'."

Eva chuckled. "Alright, alright. Just don't be too harsh on him." The girl kissed her boyfriend on the cheek and started to head out of the valley.

"You're still too naïve, Eva…." He muttered to himself, but Nero heard him. The Dark Knight's gaze was piercing him all the time, so he tried not to change his expression, but it was quite hard, seeing the legendary Sparda in a situation like this.

"I can't let you walk away, now that you've seen her." He spoke, when the girl was gone.

Nero waited a bit until realizing that this is a situation, where silence isn't really the best choice. "Oh, don't worry. I couldn't possibly harm her. She is Dante's mo..." the half demon stopped in mid-sentence. Hell, that was close.

"She's…?"

"It was nothing, really." Curse my big mouth! "I just…"

"I sense something strange in you. Tell me who you are."

Nero could already see that this conversation was going nowhere. "I can't… But I guess I have to say something."

"Oh yes you do." The Dark Knight's patience seemed to run out.

"Well, I… don't really know who I am either. I am a human, but… there is a part of a demon in me, also."

"Tell me something that's not obvious"

I think I'm running out of ideas… Nero remained silent.

"How do you know about Eva? What do you want from us?"

"Not from both of you… I mean… It doesn't have anything to do with… Eva…" Why am I such a bad talker, damn it?! And I don't even know what I actually CAN tell him! I need to ask him about the crystal, but is it possible without revealing that I'm from the future? Or maybe he should know? I can't bargain with him otherwise…

"Then what do you want from me?"

"Rea Yuki. And Yuu. You know them don't you?" He finally spit it out from himself.

Sparda was silent for a moment and then he finally lowered his sword. "You're from the future, right? That's why you can't tell me who you are."

"Yes… So you do know them."

The demon suddenly smiled "They're one little troublemakers."

"Tell me about it."

But that smile didn't last long "Still, that doesn't mean I trust you. If one of them sent you, then it doesn't mean anything good."

"It doesn't really concern you… I just have to find the crystal…"

"Yuki's…?"

"…yes."

"You want to kill her then."

"…yes."

"Why?"

"It's a long story, but… She may destroy the time space if she's alive." Damn, it sounds stupid.

"Yuu told you to do it, didn't she?"

Nero gritted his teeth, remembering how the witch said that Sparda wouldn't listen to her. What difference will it make if he's the one talking to him, if the Dark Knight knows who sent him? I should have thought this through first…

"I never wanted this crystal." Sparda suddenly spoke. "And I didn't receive it."

… what? Does this mean we are back to the starting point? The boy's frustration was beginning to rise.

"I didn't want to have anything to do with their fight while I had my own." The demon continued. "I still have. And I still do not want to have anything to do with it." He looked at the boy and noticed him cursing silently. "But… I may have an idea where it may be."

Nero sighed in relief, but then remembered, that the demon hunter may still not want to help him. "And are you willing to share this idea?"

"I don't see a point."

"And is there a way for me to convince you?"

Sparda seemed to think about something for a while, until he realized something. "Wait… what you said earlier, was it…" and then a grin suddenly covered his face, which was quite surprising, considering how serious he was up 'till now.

I know this grin from somewhere… It's so familiar that it's making me uncomfortable…

"I don't really have any special task for you, boy, but I guess we could share some common interest." The demon finally spoke.

"And what could that be?"

"We were just talking about something with Eva, and I think I just realized who you really might be."

"What does that have to do with…?"

Sparda stopped him mid-sentence "What's your name, boy?"

"Nero."

"Well then, Nero, me and Eva are betrothed. And from the point of our engagement, she had this obsession, you know talking about family, home and stuff like that."

"What's the point in telling me this…?"

"And then we started talking about the 'Divine Comedy' again, which led her to the statement that one of our kids must be named Dante… So, do you think it's possible that 'she is Dante's mo…'"

Nero hid his face in his palms and cursed himself.

"Well damn it all, you know I can't say anything."

Sparda then laughed and the tense atmosphere disappeared, like it was never there. "Don't worry, I won't ask anything further from you. I do not wish to know the future. But I want you to confirm to me, that you really know what you're doing. I couldn't get myself to trust any of these girls, but somehow I know I can trust you."

The half-devil smiled gently. He really couldn't believe that he somehow managed to get Dante's father to actually trust him, though. "I know what I'm doing. I don't really trust them either, but I feel that Yuu has a point in some matters. And… she's the only one who can bring me back where I belong."

"Don't get stuck with things you don't understand. That's what I keep telling myself. You should probably think about that too." The Dark Knight sighed and leaned against the nearest building. "The crystal is probably in Yuki's old home, in the basement. That place is so obvious that Yuu would never search there."

"You're joking, right?"

"No, I'm serious. I've heard that Yuu also had a time when she was living there, but there is one place she never dared to look into. I don't know what this place is though. Oh, and actually, there is one more thing you could do for me."

"What is it?"

"You've seen the hell hounds. They come from one, small gate that is impossible to destroy from the outside. Yuu can enter and leave the hell without any gate anyway, so you'll be fine."

Nero sighed, but noticing Sparda's serious look he decided that he can't really refuse. "Oh well, I owe you anyway." He answered.

"And keep those troublemakers away from me please."

Nero chuckled. "I can try."

Destroying the gate and all the demons near it was a piece of cake, even without Red Queen, but Nero had no idea what part of hell was he in. The place was dark and long and though it may have looked like a corridor, there was no walls, only darkness surrounded the half-demon. The only part of the scenery that he could see was the road ahead of him, which seemed to be covered in blood. It was kind of similar to one of the places he had already been in, Dante called it the room of the fallen ones, but it was somehow different, more limited. Well, it was quite some time already since he had last been here, and it was a really confusing place, so it wasn't really shocking, but after some time of waiting he began to worry. He was tired of sitting in one place, so he told himself that if the witch wanted to, she would find him anyway and decided to walk around. But he couldn't find the exit. The previous time he was in the demon realm, he could enter a gateway and he was in a different place, but that room had no end. The boy kept walking, and walking and nothing changed. So when he saw a scarecrow he happily brought out his Blue Rose and intended to have a little fun, but then he suddenly felt a blade in his gut, so he turned around, ignoring the pain, and started shooting the enemy behind him instead. It was also a scarecrow. When he was finished with this one he wanted to take care of the other, but it was gone. The silence was so overwhelming that the frustrated demon hunter gave out a really loud, short shout. But nothing answered.

"What the hell?!" he really lost his patience "What is this place?! And where did that demon go?!"

"I'm here."

Nero turned in the direction of the voice and noticed a demon in front of him trying to change shape. It was a girl. And with this sew-like look, she really reminded him of the one from the crypt…

"You're not human. But you destroyed the gate, so you're not on Mundus's side either." The demon's speech sounded more like she was hissing, and Nero was surprised that he could understand her.

"How can such a low demon like scarecrow talk, or transform like that?" he asked, still pointing a gun at her.

"I'm not a scarecrow." She frowned. "And that demon behind you isn't dead yet."

He felt something moving behind him, so he turned 180 degrees, still looking at the suspicious demon, and ripped the resurrected devil in half with his Devil Bringer. But as soon as the both parts of it touched the floor, they merged back together and the demon had a beautiful seam through its whole body. And then, it attacked once again. Nero grabbed it again and ripped it to little shreds until it finally gave up on regenerating.

"Annoying jackass… What on earth was it…?"

The devil hunter turned back to the female demon and realized that she was now fully transformed. Though still naked, she lacked the parts that would actually make this embarrassing. She looked like a doll.

"Is it possible for you," her voice seemed nice and clear now "to get me with you to the human world? I'm really fed up with this place…"

But Nero didn't even get the chance to answer, because a witch appeared next to the demon. Though it was not the one who was supposed to pick him up, unfortunately.

"Nero~, I need to talk to you." She suddenly sled towards the boy as he moved back from her.

"Leave me alone….!" He knew he didn't stand a chance against her, while she still had her powers, so he just wanted to leave as soon as possible, but it was not.

Just my luck to run into her now…!

Yuki smirked at him "No. I want to know what my dear sister is planning. And I won't leave until you tell me."

"Don't you have any better methods to check this?!"

The smirk suddenly disappeared from the girl's face and she turned deadly serious. "No. Actually I don't." she said "I'm not that good at operating time-space as she is, you know? And every time I'm meeting you, you're exactly the same, which means, she's using you, am I not right?"

Damn you witch, where are you when I need you?! Nero kept silent. And just when Rea was walking closer to him, the familiar darkness surrounded him and he blacked out.