Blessed And Cursed

Disclaimer: Devil May Cry and its characters = © Capcom. I don't make any profit from this story.

A/N: I had a little trouble writing this chapter and kept on editing and editing it and I'm still not really satisfied with how it came out... Somehow, writing from Dante's POV is much harder than I had expected o.O

Replies

SirenaLoreley – Yeah, Nero has the habit of drawing danger to him xD But Dante will come to the rescue!
Thanks for the compliment and the review :D

bitbyboth – I guess Nero really drank too much if he doesn't even know how or why he started the fight at the bar xD And I am also really glad I'm done with school – the last two months were some of the most horrible of my life x_x
Thanks for reviewing :D

Cielshadow17 – But cliffhangers make the story more exiting, don't they? XD Thanks for reviewing ^.^

Not-Completely-Insane – Waaah, the song fits so perfectly *-* I'm glad you liked the chapter. And no, you don't overuse exclamation points – you use just the right amount ;)
Thanks for the review :D

PureVampirePriestess – Oh yeah, poor Nero is all confused. Well, he's been through a lot after all. But Dante won't let him get away like that xD
Thanks for reviewing ^.^

inuyashaawesome4 – Hehe, thank you :D

HubrisP – Thanks for the compliment and the review ^.^

WingsOfVanity – Oh my god, that's a huge compliment, thanks so much *-* Also, thanks for reviewing :D

Chapter 7 – The Disappointment, pt. 2 (Dante's POV)

I'm so fucking stupid.

I smacked my forehead. Great, now I scared him off. But I couldn't help myself. When Nero fell down, I nearly had a heart attack. With strength I didn't even know I possessed, I had punched into the beast's body, straight through the steel armor, and ripped its heart out. My knuckles had hurt like hell, I probably broke them but it didn't matter. Nero had been right about the poison, it stung like a bitch and burned me the instant it touched my skin but I ignored it. After killing the demon, I triggered and flew down to catch Nero before his neck was snapped because of the rope that was wound around it. I had caught him just in time, cut the rope with the claws of my trigger, and held him close to me, feeling relief wash through me when he took a deep breath, his eyes opening and staring into mine groggily before they closed again.

The rope had dug in deeply into his skin, his neck had been smeared with blood but other than that he seemed pretty uninjured.

And now... Now I ruined everything, making him run off. I am so stupid – what was I thinking?

I wasn't used to things being complicated. I avoided complexity, didn't waste my time with it. But after the savior incident, I found myself in a complicated situation. It came crawling, one by one and suddenly – suddenly, everything was a mess.

After the savior incident, I just couldn't stop to think about Nero. I found him interesting. Finally, after all this time, I had found someone who challenged me. I found him fascinating. I didn't know how the punk did it but somehow I was captivated by him. And in the beginning, it pissed me off to no end.

I wasn't able to identify my own emotions. I didn't know why I found him so interesting and why I kept on thinking about him. I'm not much of a thinker... or a talker. I'm not used to being confused! Usually, I am very self-confident about everything I do. I don't question anything – happenings, feelings, nothing. Things happened the way they happened and that's it. There's no reason to scrutinize anything, to analyze anything.

For a while, I was able to keep my usual routine: missions every now and then, going out in the evening and waking up with a stranger in my bed the next day.

I don't know what exactly made me break my routine but I have a feeling that it's connected to my devil side. I kept on thinking about Nero and suddenly, I found myself brooding 24/7 and searched for things to occupy my mind. But it didn't work! It started with taking jobs. Usually, I was lazy and only took jobs when I needed the money – means, when I couldn't afford pizza or the rent. But suddenly, I took every job I got, hoping that all the slaying would take my mind off of Nero. Didn't work.

I went out every single night in the month once, hoping that I could pick up someone different each night. Didn't work. I just lost interest in flirting or taking anyone home, the only one I could think of was that cocky brat from Fortuna.

Even the girls noticed the change in my behavior, asking what was wrong. I waved them off, saying it was nothing. But still, I was restless – so I tried to subtly talk with Trish about my problem. She was no help at all.

"If you miss Nero, go and tell him", was her blunt suggestion.

"I didn't say that I miss him!", I yelled angrily, immediately giving myself away. So much about trying to be subtle. Seriously, what the fuck was wrong with me? "Besides, he has a girlfriend", I added with a scowl, barely remembering what she looked like.

"Maybe they broke up", Trish said, making me almost say 'don't raise my hopes' but I stopped myself just in time. What was going on in my head?

I remembered how Nero had asked me whether we would meet again and what did I do? I gave him a salute. Great, Dante, great.

I found myself talking about Nero a little too much and it irritated me. I was a grown man, dammit, why did I act like this? And why the hell did I give him Vergil's sword? The words "Keep it" had left my mouth before I could even properly think about it. Maybe I thought this would connect us, that he would magically come to me and – heh, wait.

I thought we had a connection because we looked so alike. It was unusual for someone to have white hair like me. I noticed his devil arm – I think he calls it "devil bringer"? Cute. – a little later: he punched me with it and yes, it hurt. Maybe I had been captivated because of his fighting style or because he'd been able to surprise me by kicking me into the face. I was curious, I admitted so much back then. But the more time passed, the more I realized there was more to it.

Lady was a little more helpful than Trish, even when she wasn't aware of it. She had given me the job in Fortuna during the savior incident and she also gave me the second job there.

"Get up, jackass", she had yelled – Lady always has the most charming nicknames for me – "You're going on a mission."

She had looked genuinely surprised when I actually got up and grabbed my weapons.

"What's wrong with you?", she asked, lifted her sunglasses and stared at me.

"Huh?"

"You didn't protest. You're not reading a porn magazine. You didn't make a perverted comment about my boobs. You aren't your usual lazy self", she explained, still eyeing me suspiciously, "What's going on?"

"Nothing", I said, turning my back to her and choosing a devil arm for the mission. A shot rang, hitting the weapon wall where my hand had been just a second before.

"Goddammit, Lady!", I yelled furiously, "For what reason are you shooting me now?"

"Tell me what's going on in your head, moron!", she screamed back, twirling her gun around her finger. We both stared at each other, huffing angrily.

"We've known each other for ten years now", Lady said then, suddenly much calmer, "And in all those years I have never seen you like this. What is it, Dante?"

"You wouldn't understand", I mumbled, putting Ebony and Ivory into their holsters.

"I think I do", she said, "You miss him, don't you?"

Women and their fucking intuition. Why did the girls sense things like these? It crept me out. Also, Lady must have talked to Trish – otherwise she wouldn't know about Nero, she didn't come with us to Fortuna one year ago, after all.

I grunted in response, shouldering Rebellion and turned to leave. "Where's the mission?"

"Fortuna."

My head snapped back to her and she smirked widely, giving me the note with the address.

"The client said there was a huge demon – looks like a puddle of goo with some tentacles and kills everything in its path", she explained, the grin never leaving her face.

I was still staring at her and took the note. "Thanks", I mumbled, feeling paralyzed.

She was still smiling, though it wasn't her usual evil smirk when she was about to shoot me. It was an honest smile, accompanied by a look that she rarely gave me: encouragement. I was amazed. But after some seconds, she returned to her bitchy self: "Now get your ass out of here, you idiot."

I did as I was told and arrived in Fortuna some hours later. I had no trouble tracking the demon down, the smell instantly giving it away. The only thing I had trouble with was actually focusing on my enemy – Nero was still on my mind. And of course, the thing used my distraction to its advantage – it swallowed me. I have been swallowed by several demons before but this one was taking the cake. It was disgusting and dark and I had trouble fighting my way out of it, its huge teeth were in the way. Only now I realized how lucky I was that that demon wasn't poisonous as its brothers and sisters that had attacked Nero and me later.

And after hacking my way out of the thing, I couldn't believe my luck when I ran into Nero. But something was wrong with him. There were bags under his eyes and his right arm was covered in a sling. Why would he hide his devil arm? There was no need to do that after he had saved the whole town. Something was definitively wrong... My heart sank when I noticed that I had crashed a wedding. So he still was with that girl... Kyrie, was it? Wait, why did Nero look so sad then? When he said it wasn't his wedding, I felt strangely relieved. I had a chance. It was slim but better than nothing.

Nero seemed to be falling apart and I offered him to talk with him, asking myself why I even did that. But I was ready to listen to him and it surprised me that I had the patience for that.

And once again, the words had left my mouth before I could wrap my head around it: "Move in with me." I wanted to be close to Nero. I didn't know why, but I just wanted to. I couldn't explain it. I didn't know why I had this strange feeling in my stomach whenever I looked at him. My body and mind were reacting on their own and I had a hard time regaining control over myself.

Nero seemed to have a distorted picture of himself – he wasn't weak. He was a part-devil with a demonic arm – and had been raised in a religious city, of all places. I don't know the struggle he went – or maybe is still going through because of this appendage, but still, I am able to imagine it. He didn't want to accept his demon side and this was where his problems were rooted. I knew that he got used to his bringer even when he wished "the damn thing" wouldn't exist. For some reason, I couldn't imagine Nero without it – to me, it seemed normal. The support he received from me and the girls seemed to have build up his confidence.

Still, he had yelled at me when I told him what happened after he passed out. It seemed as if he still thought that I thought he was weak. That's not true. He had impaled me with my own sword onto a statue the first time we met, so how can I think he was weak? Yes, I had seen his breakdowns but that was no sign of weakness to me. We were both half-demon and half-human after all, so it was okay to show emotions. All that I thought was that he was a little emotionally unstable – something that was absolutely understandable! The town he grew up in turned against him after he saved them all. The girl he used to love betrayed him and married someone else. To forget the pain, he started to drink on a regular basis. He had developed an addiction to self-destruction and even tried to commit suicide. I remembered everything of the evening before he moved in with me, the evening we had spent at the bar on the outskirts of Fortuna – even when he didn't remember it himself. After everything Nero has been through, it was no surprise that he was depressed.

"I used to take every opportunity I got to numb my feelings", he had confessed to me back then, staring into space. "Sedatives, painkillers, alcohol. Anything. It felt good to feel nothing." He had sobbed dryly. "Even though the pain returned ten times stronger when the effects of the drugs wore off..."

He had been a mess, his eyes red, bloodshot and puffy, his bottom lip trembling. "I didn't know what caused me to throw most of the pills out. Somehow, I was fed up with feeling nothing. But now, I don't know what to feel. Maybe I hoped that all the drugs would kill me, I don't even know anymore."

I was shocked to find him in that state – where was the cocky bastard that had tried to kill me? And it had shocked me even more when he confessed to me that he was raped and tried to kill himself afterwards.

Nero had also told me about the things he did during the last year, trying to hide his face all the while, embarrassed about what he did. I asked him if he was sad because he wasn't the one who married Kyrie and was surprised by his reply: "I find women repulsive."

"Repulsive?", I had echoed, "Why?"

He shrugged in response. "I guess I always imagined that Kyrie would be by my side – she was the only one who always accepted me. We spent so much time together and then... out of nowhere, she was gone. We had a complicated relationship, though not really a romantic one. She was important to me... See, I just thought she would always be there because I was ready to do the same." He had gulped down his beer then, demanding another one. "It had been... pure. It had felt so right. We were together and supported each other. I never really thought about her in a sexual way, I just admired her, wanted to protect her. I thought I was important to her too but apparently I was wrong..." He trailed off and stared into space again, concentrating hard.

"When I started going out after she left, women came to flirt with me at the clubs but for some reason, I thought they were annoying as hell", he had continued and glared at me when I chuckled in amusement.

"I mean, women are pretty and so on – but they never shut up. They tried to cheer me up but refused to be the rebound girl – and that was what I wanted. I don't know what triggered it but suddenly I was tired of that purity-shit. She left me because of my demon side, because I'm tainted. So I corrupted myself some more..."

I didn't know what to say. Nero had tried to destroy himself on purpose, in every aspect possible – both physically and mentally.

"Men were hitting on me too... and I don't know, I guess it was easier with men – no need for introductions, the intentions of both sides were clear. It was easier so I just stuck to that."

"You just said you find women repulsive", I had reminded him, still trying to figure out his sexuality. The kid was completely confused about everything.

"Maybe that was a little too harsh", he had replied, shrugging again, "Still, I'm not really attracted to them. Thanks to Kyrie, I see women as something I have to treasure, not to corrupt or use to my advantage. And, well... I don't know, Dante. I don't know much about love other than that it sucks."

His beer had arrived by then and he continued to drown himself in booze – I'm pretty sure he doesn't remember much of that conversation.

But the more time Nero spent with me in Capulet, the more his smile returned and I heard him joke and laugh more and more – the fire he possessed was back.

I didn't really understand my own feelings towards Nero. At first, I thought everything about us would work out on a friendly basis – but no. I wanted more and it was becoming harder and harder to stop myself from wanting him. I knew I had to be careful with him too. The kid was fragile and very vulnerable. But what did I do? I lost control. First, at the club on his very first day in Capulet – I couldn't stop myself when I saw him dance. Nero knows how to move his body in an absolutely alluring way, who could resist that? I thought that he had enjoyed the attention back then, but I had to remind myself that after all he's been through the last year, it was his natural instinct to flirt. I didn't want to be one of his flings. I didn't want him to see me that way so I tried to hold back – and failed terribly at that.

I just couldn't stop myself from touching him at every opportunity I got – I always ruffled his hair, hugged him whenever I could and it had been very hard not to kiss him yesterday when he cuddled closer to me.

I knew that demons were usually bisexual – and so were half-demons, apparently. Of course, there were exceptions to that – Vergil, for example had always identified himself as asexual. Still, gender wasn't the crucial factor for choosing a mate.

I had no problem with being bisexual. I liked men and women, flirted with both of them, had slept with both and also enjoyed both. Both men and women had their own charm – women were soft, curvy and gentle while men were the complete opposite – hard, muscular and rough. People are people, so does the gender really matter? I don't think so. Still, I never had a serious relationship with anyone because I simply didn't think beyond physical satisfaction. As soon as things got serious or complicated, I took off and never looked back.

My father had told both Vergil and me about demonic mating – he told us that every demon had a longing for completeness. It sounded more like a soulmate to me, someone who accepted you in every aspect, loved you with all your flaws, someone who fitted perfectly to you. Mates complemented one another – like two pieces of a puzzle. Demons mated for life...

I actually believed in that – when I was a kid. But the older I became, the more I thought this was bullshit. Of course, my parents were the counterexample – they showed me that true love did exist but being half-demon, things weren't that easy. Nobody could explain the strange relationship my mother and father had shared. They didn't even know how it worked themselves.

I felt incomplete and no matter who I slept with or how amazing the sex was – it didn't change a thing. Sure, the demonic voice I heard in the back of my head would shut up after it got its fix but it wasn't enough.

And then Nero came along, kicked me in the face and turned my way of thinking around.

I had no preferences when it came to lovers. I just like whatever I like, was contended when someone was a good lay and I had something to please my eyes. Well, I confess that I can be quite shallow at times but it is something different with Nero, something much deeper. Still, I found him very attractive – his slim body, the muscles he developed from all the demon slaying, the delicious, creamy pale skin. Everything on his body was a sight for sore eyes, especially his boyish and beautifully chiseled facial features: the well-defined jawline, those striking deep blue eyes, framed by long black lashes, the straight nose and those full pink petal lips... Gingerly, I touched my own lips with my fingertips, remembering the feeling of his against my own. His lips were surprisingly soft, softer than my own but nonetheless they had felt demanding against mine – he had put up a fight for dominance. And he has this unique taste – spicy yet sweet. It fitted perfectly to his scent which was a mix of the woody odor of seaweed, the fruity smell of black currant, combined with faint undertones of vanilla – truly exotic. Nero had his tongue pierced and I had my fun playing around with the piercing. It actually surprised me that he has so many body modifications... I remembered how he flashed the piercing to me during the ride from Fortuna to Capulet – he had stuck his tongue out like a kid. I had a little trouble to focus on the road after that. And later, he had subconsciously tortured me: he came down the stairs of the office and was shirtless – he had showered some minutes before –, his hair had been still damp and my eyes had almost popped out of my head. I had stared at his tattoo and my mind instantly started to wander. I thought about where that tattoo led to, imagined how he would look like completely naked... I had caught a glimpse of his backside then and swallowed hard, staring at the curve of his back, at the muscles that twitched with every movement he made. My gaze slid down to his lower back and the small indentations on either side of his spine. Dear god. And as if to mock me, Nero had licked his lips, showing off the piercing again and I thought I was going crazy when he started to suck the sauce and grease of the pizza we had been eating off his fingers. I couldn't help but imagine those lips wrapped around something else... And before I even knew it, I had one of the most erotic daydreams of my life that included me bending Nero over my desk. I pictured him under me, panting breathlessly, throwing his head back in pleasure, moaning out my name as I slammed into him again and again and again... I would grab his hips and bury my thumbs into his back dimples, would kiss and bite his milky skin. We'd reach our climax together and I would press him close to me in the aftermath, kiss his blushing cheeks, his bruised lips, would revel in the mess I had made out of him... No one had ever managed to make me feel that hot with such simple actions. But after he had told me he had been raped I felt guilty for imagining things like these. One of the worst things that could happen to a person has happened to him and what was I thinking about? A way to get into his pants...

My devil side constantly reminded me how sexy the kid was, mentally screaming at me to do something. Nero's nipples are pierced too if I remember it correctly. I wonder what it would be like to – WHY THE FUCK DID I HAVE TO KISS HIM JUST LIKE THAT? What the hell was I thinking? And what should I do now? Where did he run to? Why did he run away? And why was I asking myself so many questions?

I had fallen for the kid, hadn't I? I don't know myself. I have never been in love, after all. I loved my parents, loved my brother but I had never been romantically involved with anyone. It's ridiculous, really – I am 29 years old and never had a serious relationship in my life! To me, the rapid beating of my heart and sweaty palms were something new and strange. I didn't get my own body's reactions and it made me just as much uneasy as happy. What had the kid done to me?

The girls wouldn't stop nagging me about my strange behavior around Nero, especially Veronica. One night, when Nero and I were at the "Phoenix" again, she kept on pestering me about the kid. I was sitting at the bar and she just wouldn't shut up.

"Come on, Dante – dance with him! You both looked so hot together the last time!"

"No", I grunted bluntly and took a sip of my drink, giving her a glare that meant 'leave me alone'.

"Why not?", she continued her query instead.

"I'm not sure...", I replied slowly, turning my gaze to the dance floor where Nero was dancing. Damn... the kid was hot as hell and didn't even seem to be aware of it. He wore tight black leather pants that showed off his long legs and a white, slightly transparent tank top. I briefly wondered if he was baiting me purposefully... If he did, it was working. Oh, I remembered the way he had wrapped those legs around my hips when we first met, back then in Fortuna. It's quite ironic in fact – when we met, we wanted to kill each other and now we were friends... Friends, huh.

Loud giggling had snapped me out of my thoughts – I hadn't been the only one watching him, some girls that were seated in a booth close to the dance floor had been ogling him shamelessly, practically drooling. My devil side growled at that, demanding that I ripped them to shreds. Think rationally. Nero doesn't even like girls – they're no competition. I turned back to Veronica, grinding my teeth. Calm the fuck down.

"A double whisky."

She produced a glass from beneath the bar, setting it in front of me and filling it with liquor. I snatched the glass away and gulped the contents down in one go.

"Whoa, Dante – what gives?", she asked, raising a brow.

I just shrugged. I didn't want her to ask more questions, it was annoying.

"I've never seen you acting like that...", she said with a grin, "Just watching him dance makes you so... discomposed."

I growled lowly in my throat and she replied with a hiss, showing her fangs, eyes gleaming in a bright yellow. I backed away a little. Creepy.

"Tell him you like him", she demanded, fangs growing back slowly, "I'm sure he likes you too."

"Things are not that easy... unfortunately."

"Who are you and what did you do to Dante Sparda?", she asked, eyeing me suspiciously. "Since when are you thinking? Just go for it."

"No."

Living and working with Nero felt a little too good to be true and I didn't want to ruin that. It was nice to have him at the office, it was nice to talk to him, to fight together with him. What if he just saw me as a friend – or even worse: what if he just wanted sex without any commitment? I didn't like to think of Nero like that but it could be true after all. I wanted a relationship with him, not a fuck buddy. And at the moment, we had a friendship and we got along well. Why should I risk that?

And recently, Lady and Trish started to annoy me as well.

"You two need to get your shit together", Lady had huffed yesterday after Nero went to sleep.

"What?"

The girls exchanged a look and I growled.

"Really, Dante – are you blind?", Trish asked, angering me further.

"Listen, if you have anything to say just fucking say it", I grumbled. I hadn't been in the mood for playing games. It was ridiculous, really.

Both of them had shrugged. "It surprises me how both of you act", Lady said then, "Almost timid. You're demon hunters, for fuck's sake – act like it."

I didn't get what they wanted from me.

Trish sighed and again, the girls had exchanged a look. "What are you so afraid of, Dante?", Trish asked, "That Nero will reject you?"

How. The. Fuck. Did. They. Know.

I shrugged, searching for a way to escape this conversation. Men don't talk about feelings. Just even considering to talk about Nero with the girls made me feel as if I softened over the years – a feeling I didn't like at all. But they reacted quicker than I anticipated, hovering over me, drawing their guns. Getting shot was really unpleasant – I may heal quickly but getting filled with bullets still hurts. So I stayed still, glaring at them.

"You are afraid of being rejected", Lady diagnosed, her unequal eyes widening in shock. That look she was giving me was one of the reasons I didn't want to talk about it.

"I'm not", I retorted, "Go away."

"Really? Why don't you make the first step then?"

"Go away", I repeated again. I didn't like to be cornered and I knew that at least Trish was able to hear my inner demon growl out a warning. Any closer and I would snap.

They holstered their weapons again, staring at me.

"Dante", Trish started gently and I was reminded yet again that she was a copy of my mother. "It's obvious that Nero likes you. He told us some of the things he did during the last year... Don't you understand? He's even more afraid to be rejected than you. The one he loved the most walked out of his life. He doesn't want to risk that again."

She was right – but still, I didn't know how to approach Nero, how to make things work out between us.

"And don't you dare scaring him away, Dante", Lady had added with a scowl. "I like Nero. He's such a sweet kid – nice and polite, not a lazy ass like you. And for some reason, he's able to motivate you. Have you noticed that you almost paid off your debt because of all the missions you went on together?"

I raised my brows at that. "I... we... What?"

Once again, they looked at each other, both rolling their eyes. "Just think about it, Dante", Trish had said and both of them left, leaving me brooding.

I recalled the night when Nero went to a concert together – he had been staring at the tour posters that were hung up all over Capulet and I figured he wanted to go. He had looked at the tickets in awe and gave me a heart-warming smile. It was good to see him smile like that, to know that I could make him happy with simple things like these. He admitted that it was the first real concert he ever went to – the artists he listened to didn't tour through Fortuna and he was excited to finally see one of his favorite bands live.

I was surprised that we actually found a bad we both liked equally. It was something both of us usually didn't listen to – very atmospheric and melodious blues-like rock and both of us couldn't explain why exactly we liked the band.

I was still wondering how a kid like Nero, who had been raised in a religious city, could have such a twisted taste of music – usually, he loved raw and edgy music like hardcore, punk or metal: music that mainly consisted of shrill guitar riffs, bullet drums, thumping bass sequences and high-pitched, piercing vocals – everything was so fast-paced and rapid that it left no time to actually enjoy it in my opinion.

I asked him why he liked that music during the ride from Fortuna to Capulet. I remember that Nero had pushed the CD into the music player despite all my protests – and I had received a punch in the shoulder for my question.

"The music is honest, old man. The artists show their emotions through their instruments and the singing – this rawness isn't fake, the emotions they're trying to reflect are real."

"It's unmelodious", I had retorted and his brows furrowed.

"No, it's not", he had said stubbornly, "You have to listen more closely, old man. The music is layered. Beneath those 'horrible screams', as you call them, there is a flowing melody. There are background vocals that contrast to the heavy instrumentation."

We were silent for a minute and I had tried to discern the things he had mentioned, briefly wondering how he knew stuff like this.

"I didn't know you analyze music like this", I said then.

"I don't." He had smiled lightly. "I just listen to it, Dante. Where's the sense in analyzing music? Things are the way they are."

I wished that Nero had the same view on life as he had on music. It would make many things easier for him – accepting his devil side, for example.

We had a little trouble when we entered the venue. The bouncer asked for Nero's ID and marked his human hand with a bold "X". Nero was fuming when we went inside, pissed that he couldn't buy or drink alcohol now.

"How did you even get a hold of alcohol during the last year when you're still underage?", I had asked him with raised brows.

"Nobody asked for my ID there, old man", he had mumbled, crossing his arms over his chest, pouting adorably. I asked myself how he actually managed that – looking cute and sexy at the same time. He had bitten his lower lip slightly and I looked away – hell, even a small gesture like that could get me aroused in no time. A little later though, he confessed that he got alcohol in exchange for... well, "serving" the bartenders in "special ways" – means booze for blow jobs. I felt sorry for him but I knew he didn't want to be pitied. I just pulled him close in a loose hug, saying "These times are over now" and he nodded in agreement, rubbing his nose.

The first band started to play but neither of us paid that much attention to them – we were there for the headliner anyway. Nero tapped his foot to the rhythm of the drums. It was one of his habits – one part of his body would always move when there was music and he had a good sense for rhythm. I had noticed this during our jam sessions and it was inspiring to watch him drumming. He told me he never had any drum lessons and that he simply copied the techniques of his favorite drummers and that he did what felt right to him. "Watching and learning, old man", he had explained, "It takes some time but well... practice makes perfect." Then, he had twirled the drum sticks around his fingers and began to play again. It was the same with learning new combat techniques. Usually, I just showed him the basics of how to wield a certain devil arm and then, he would just try and work it out on his own, creating his own moves and technique. Nero possessed a patience that I could only dream of.

The first band said their goodbyes and left the stage, the headliners following instantly, changing the equipment and checking the sound.

I felt a tug on my arm and realized that Nero was pulling me towards the stage. "Dante, come on."

His eyes were sparkling and he was lightly bouncing, apparently very excited.

I let myself be tagged along and after some minutes, the lights dimmed again, the singer entering the stage. The band wasted no time and started immediately.

The intro resounded through the room and then, slowly, the music started to build up – faint chords of an acoustic guitar, followed by the bass and finally, the singer started singing. His voice was a low, melodic tenor, fitting perfectly to the slow, blues-like song. The keyboard joined soon, the atmosphere becoming cloudy. Background vocals resounded in the chorus, making the overall sound fuller. Another verse was sung and then, the song faded out, blending into the next one. The acoustic guitar started again, the drums joining as well as the keyboards. The singer's voice sounded stronger in this song, the melody faster. The concert continued for a while and at one point, the singer asked the audience to sing with them. Many people also raised their lighters or cellphones, swinging to the beat, singing the chorus while the keyboardist played a solo. I realized that Nero next to me was singing as well. He was smiling widely, seeming to be completely relaxed and happy. That was the first time I had seen him smile like that, but the more time passed, the more he showed me this wonderful smile. Every time he looked like that, my stomach churned – it wasn't an unpleasant feeling at all, it was bubbly and nice and I have never felt something like that before. Seeing other people's happiness or sadness usually didn't affect me at all but with Nero, everything was so different...

Nero was special in many ways – for example, I never imagined I'd actually want a serious relationship. Usually, I get along with people for only a limited period of time. I am too impatient to deal with people or their feelings and demands. That doesn't mean that I don't notice things – I am pretty observant, I usually just can't bring myself to care. And although Nero and I did fight every now and then, it was about nothing serious and we both were able to forgive and forget, to find compromises. Either that, or we would spar with each other. Our battles were always quite interesting and it felt good to finally have someone who was able to keep up with me, someone who dared to challenge and taunt me – and that's what Nero did.

Also, we could just sit there in silence and still understand each other. Hell, I have never experienced something like that. I never knew I could be patient enough for any of that. I didn't know bonds like that could even exist between two people!

When Nero had the breakdown after the wedding, all I could think of were ways to comfort him. I wanted to hug him and wipe his tears away, wanted to tell him everything would be alright. I didn't know where the urge came from. It was there, simple as that. All I knew was that I could sympathize with Nero, I made similar mistakes in my life after all, and I thought he had suffered enough for his entire life. Life had been harder on him than me. He had grown up in an environment where only a small number of people had accepted him – his foster family. And the person he least expected to turn on him had exactly done that. Of course he had the feeling that something was missing in his life. I was lucky that I had never spiraled down to rock bottom – though I had been quite close to it, especially after the incident with Vergil at Temen-ni-gru. I didn't know myself what kept me from that. Maybe because my mother had sacrificed herself for me, because she wanted me to live? I followed her wish and lived, even though I felt something was missing. Or maybe it had been Lady who had shot me in the head back then and demanded that I pulled myself together. It didn't matter anyway – nobody can change the past.

Maybe Nero was that missing piece in my life...? Nero deserved to be loved properly, to be kissed and touched and taken care of... Could I do that? I had no experience when it came to relationships... But I was willing to try.

I remembered the night when we went back from that Halloween party... I had to drag Nero out of the bar. I didn't know why he was that angry and couldn't really make out what he was saying. He calmed down after a while... Well, not only did he calm down but his mood changed drastically from angry to happy. I had dragged him upstairs into his room where he slumped down onto the bed. He had been shivering in his clothes that had been wet because we walked home in the rain, and even though I knew he couldn't catch a cold, being part-demon like me, I couldn't leave him like that. I only noticed that he didn't fall asleep as I thought before when he stared at me wide-eyed, apparently not liking to have his privacy invaded like that.

"You're drunk", I had said to remind myself that I shouldn't take advantage of him, even though I just wanted to rip off all of his clothes and devour him. Why did he look so sad then? When I asked him what was wrong, he just gave me this breathtaking smile again – it took all of my self-control not to pounce onto him just then and there. But apparently, he loved testing my limits and reached out for me with his demonic hand. The light blue skin had a very fascinating texture – lightly ribbed but still quite soft, pulsing with power. He caught me off-guard when he whispered "You're beautiful". Nobody had ever called me that. Usually, sexual partners called me hot or handsome or sexy – shallow words to describe appearances. Beautiful... an unusual compliment for a man, isn't it? Still, it had a deep meaning.

He wanted me to stay and so I did. It was another test to my self-control. Nero cuddled closer to me as soon as I slipped into the bed with him, still feeling cold. He had drifted off to sleep quickly and I just watched him. He looked peaceful and innocent when he was asleep, a soft smile adorning his lips. I knew that Nero was still mourning about the loss of his innocence. Even though I knew he was no virgin anymore, and had explored his sexuality quite avidly during the last year, he still seemed so innocent and pure to me. Nero was a boy of many contradictions – it was a part of his character and made him so interesting and captivating. During our fights and missions, I saw his wild demonic side – the side that craved for blood and violence. Both of us couldn't deny that part of our nature. Demons needed to kill, simple as that. Living with Nero showed me other sides of his multi-faceted character – and I liked every side he showed me. His sarcastic and joking side, the cocky attitude he had already sported back then in Fortuna, his calm nature whenever he tried to adapt in new situations before he burst out into life – he had this special way of thinking and thinking just to throw out his plans in the last minute –, hell, I even liked his sad and depressed side. The latter because by now I knew how to cheer him up, to make him smile again. … Maybe I really was getting soft. Damn.

I had regarded his sleeping face again. "You're beautiful", he had said, a compliment that I could only return. Under the silvery moonlight that had shone through the window, he looked almost angelic. I could get used to that – sleeping with him, holding him close to me... And that was unusual as well. I had a very high sex drive because of my devil side and when I had held Nero close to me that night – well, my inner demon had been silent, contended. Usually, I am not satisfied with simply sleeping next to someone – I needed sex, it was a primal instinct. Still, whenever I looked at anyone after the savior incident, saw anyone in a sexual manner, my devil side mentally kicked me, demanding that I courted Nero. I didn't even know what it meant by courting and kept ignoring it – in the end, it screamed even louder. It wanted to settle down with a made, was tired of me sleeping around. At the same time, I asked myself whether this really was the same voice that screamed in delight during battles, the same voice that demanded blood and violence whenever I went on a mission. And as soon as I realized what my devil side wanted I felt as if I had been hit by a truck. It made me feel sick, the feeling of needing something constant in my life, it made me feel old.

After the things that happened on Mallet Island, I had been resigned for some time. Seeing Vergil again after all those years, turned into an emotionless puppet, had triggered a feeling of helplessness, made me vulnerable – things I didn't want to feel. For some reason, I had assured myself that I was invincible, that I was able to defeat everyone – I was an arrogant idiot, maybe I still am – but after killing Vergil everything came crashing down. I realized that I wasn't a teenager anymore, that the world around me was changing. Capulet changed, Love Planet and the Bull's Eye bar closed down and I asked myself where the hell my old self went. This phase was quite short though because I simply decided that I didn't want to deal with my resignation. I pushed my thoughts aside, made sure to keep the usual routine: eat, sleep, kill... well, and sex. I refused to deal with my thoughts, ignored the fact that I was getting older. I clung to my youth – so desperately it was almost pathetic.

Of course I knew that I was going to live a long time because I was half-demon but still, the mere thought of ageing, decay or death made me feel uncomfortable. It reminded me of things I didn't want to think about.

After my parents died, I had been on my own. Vergil hadn't been there to support me like he had done all the time before. He was gone, all of them were gone. I had been forced to grow up but refused to do that, tried to act as if it was nothing. But deep down I knew I was deceiving myself. Still, I hadn't been sad or depressed. I was lost.

Lying to myself worked quite well for a while – until I went on that mission in Fortuna. After that, those thoughts returned, combined with thoughts about Nero...

Nero had imagined his life to be different, free from any supernatural things. He thought that he was tainted because of his demonic nature which I couldn't understand. Then again, Nero had grown up listening to how his demonic descent was wrong and something to be ashamed of...

When I was sure Nero was sleeping, I had left his bedroom. I needed time to think.

I didn't know what to make out of that situation, about my situation with Nero in general. It was easy to pick up someone for a one night stand – there were no responsibilities there. One night – and that's it. Relationships, feelings – now, that shit was way more complicated. I didn't know how to deal with it and it made me insecure – and I hate to admit that. Me – insecure? I didn't like to feel like that.

I had also noticed that I seemed to be allowed to touch Nero's devil bringer without him jerking away or getting violent. Trish told me once that Nero had smashed her into a wall after a mission because she accidentally brushed it. She wasn't mad at him (if I had done something like that, on the other hand, she would have castrated me in the blink of an eye – how does the kid get away just like that?), she was more interested in the power he possessed.

"You should have seen it", she said, "Just a flick of his wrist and boom – suddenly everything hurt."

"Sounds painful", I commented, "But you look perfectly fine. So, can you cut to the chase?"

"You have to pay for my manicure", she said, "One nail broke off." She raised her middle finger and grinned evilly – of course that nail broke... And even when I handed her the wad of cash reluctantly, I wasn't mad at Nero. Something like that had also never happened.

And of course, the kid was special because I had told him about my family on my own. Not only did I think that it was only fair because he had told me some of his secrets but also because I wanted him to know, I wanted to tell him. That had never happened to me as well. Sure, Lady and Trish had asked me about my parents but I waved them off rather harshly. I didn't like talking about my family, didn't like to remind myself of all the tragic things that happened and how I lost everyone. But talking to Nero about it, just telling him that story, had made those memories easier to cope with.

My demon half agreed with me – and craved him as mate. It was hard to shut up the constant purring in the back of my head – it constantly bitched that I should just take what I liked, that Nero proved to be a strong and worthy mate and that it wanted to claim him.

Claiming a mate... I didn't know much about that. My father had said when demons mated, they would claim each other so other demons could see they were "taken" but when Vergil and I had asked for details, he had cleared his throat awkwardly, saying that we would find out ourselves when we found a mate, that everything would come to us by instinct.

I had to go after Nero. Not that I expected him to do something stupid, he could take care of himself, but after what happened yesterday I was a little worried. I was surprised of my own behavior, in fact – I have never really taken care of anybody but when I saw Nero almost fainting yesterday, all I thought about was how I could make him feel better. And suddenly, it was there again – this patience I didn't know I possessed. Of course, I had been shocked of the carnage we've seen there, maybe even a little scared. Nothing could have prepared Nero for what he had seen there, not even the things that happened during the savior incident, so his breakdown was understandable and nothing to be ashamed of. Whoever was responsible for this bloodbath was out of their mind. Killing a whole village, killing their own minions. It wasn't normal. Bonfires were a bad sign, something that appeared only seldom – it was a display of power and violence, a memento, meant to intimidate. And the warning... I didn't like it and it made me uncomfortable.

I picked up both mine and Nero's swords and followed the trace of his footsteps in the snow.

Also, Nero and I had to talk about … the kiss.

Damn, what was I supposed to say anyway? Sorry for kissing you just like that, kid but I couldn't resist. Wanna continue where we stopped? What the hell? No, I can't say things like these! My devil side tried to convince me otherwise and I tried to shut it up. What was going on in my head?

A little later, the trace stopped at a glade. Confused, I looked around. He had to be here. Or did something happen? I sniffed the air. This demonic stench again. Something had happened to Nero. Shit.

"Master won't be happy...", a high and squeaky voice resounded from farther away, "I told them they had the wrong guy but no one listens to me anyway..."

What? I inched closer to the voice, listening intently as the creature continued to talk to itself.

"'Capture the son of Sparda and bring him to me' he said", the voice rambled on, "That task can't be too hard but of course they capture the wrong one. 'He's the right one, Cerog' they said, 'Shut up, Cerog, we know what we're doing', they said. Master's going to kill all of us now..."

And the voice started sobbing and crying – like a little child, shrill and ear-piercing.

I inched closer, finding a little demon that looked a lot like those tentacle things. It was as small as a little puppy though and seemed to be strangely deformed. It had nine tentacles instead of eight and its main two eyes were huge –they had the size of tennis balls. Its jaw wasn't as wide and it had less teeth than the other demons of his class and its gills didn't seem to emit poison. Also, it didn't smell as bad as the other demons.

Quickly, I grabbed it by the back of its neck, lifting it. It stopped its sobbing to yell at me.

"Let me go, you little –"

Even I was impressed by the insults it threw my way, though in a negative way.

"You belong to the one that tries to ruin the world, don't you?", I asked and observed the thing.

"So what if I do? Let me go!", it yelled and twisted in my grip.

"Not gonna happen", I growled, "Tell me where they're taking the guy they've kidnapped."

"No, let me go!", it squeaked and tried to escape again.

I tightened my grip around it. "Either you cooperate immediately or we'll have to do this the hard way." I smirked cruelly. "And trust me, you don't want to know what the hard way looks like."

It seemed to ponder this for a while. For more effect, I tightened my grip again. "I'm getting impatient."

"Fine, fine", it wheezed, "They're taking him to Master Verroth's castle."

"See?", I said, "That wasn't even that hard. Now, give me directions."

Much to my delight, the demon did as it was told and we started heading to its master's hideout.

I couldn't stop blaming myself for Nero's kidnapping – after all, the monsters had searched for me. I had a sinking feeling in my stomach, remembering the bloodbath. Hopefully, Nero wouldn't be in such a bad condition when I found him. If I found him... No, I will find him! Of course I will. I walked in the direction the small demon had pointed me, still clutching it in my hand.

"You are the son of Sparda, aren't you?", the demon that I still gripped tightly around its throat asked.

"Name's Dante", I grunted, a little irritated. This thing just wouldn't shut up and hell knows when we finally arrived at its master's place.

"Why did your master want to capture me?", I asked it and it lifted two of its tentacles, shrugging apparently.

"I don't know", it replied, "Master Verroth isn't really a kind master. He created me and my brothers but said we'd be destroyed soon because we didn't turn out perfect."

"What?", I asked, thinking I misheard. "Not perfect?"

"Yes, he only lets those live who turned out perfect", it said, "Me and my brothers are misshaped, thus not perfect so we're going to be destroyed to make way for others. He said he'll give us one last chance: if we capture the son of Sparda and bring him to him, he'd let us live." It started sobbing again. "But my brothers captured the wrong one and now he'll kill us all."

"Doesn't seem like a nice master", I commented dryly.

"He gave me life", the demon retorted.

"He wants to kill you", I reminded it, "You're just an experiment."

It sobbed even louder. Great, Dante – now you made it cry.

"Listen – Cerog, was it? – I'm not your enemy", I said, "What about the others he intends to kill? Do you all just watch him do it? You just sit there and let others be murdered?"

"Oh, he doesn't murder his creations himself", Cerog answered, "He doesn't bother with that. There is a strict hierarchy, too. The ones who turned out to his liking – those who are flawless – are on the highest rank, below that are demons that turned out okay, the ones he can still improve. The lowest are the ones that didn't turn out well but are still useful for research."

He seemed to think hard for some moments. "Maybe being kept for research is worse than death. Master uses parts of them to create new demons, injects poison into them to see how they react to it, things like these."

Sick, truly sick.

"And the last rank are me and my brothers – he calls us a disgrace, failures, 'miscreations'. The highest ranked do the dirty work. They even kill for fun."

So these were the dead demons at the bonfire – miscreations.

I wrinkled my nose in disgust. "That's horrible", I said, "But why don't you fight against the ones who suppress you?"

"We're weak", Cerog said, "And much smaller than his newest creatures."

"Those big creatures don't seem very smart though", I pointed out, "All of you weaker demons should close ranks and attack them. Together, you could take them down. Why are you even staying there? You don't seem happy."

"Where are we supposed to go?", he asked, sounding miserable again. For some reason he reminded me of a certain half-devil with a demonic arm... But just a little.

"Also, there's no way to escape", he continued, "The castle's sealed. You need his permission to get out or need to be sent outside."

"You can still go into the demon world", I suggested, "Better than waiting for death."

He flapped his tentacles again. "I don't know, son of Sparda."

"Dante", I corrected automatically.

He was finally silent for a minute and I realized that guilt continued to consume me. As unnerving as Cerog was, he kept me from thinking.

"Tell me more", I demanded and tried to ignore the feeling in my stomach. I will find Nero. He will be alright, he can defend himself.

"Oh well... ", the small demon said, "I guess we're smart because of our size."

"Huh?"

"The others are too big – the size of their brains doesn't accommodate the size of their bodies", he explained and I laughed.

"Intelligence is our main feat", Cerog continued, apparently referring to the lowest rank, "We are very smart in fact, but our unshaped bodies are not made for combat. I don't think we're supposed to look like a crossbreed between squids and sharks."

"So what do you think you're supposed to look like?"

"I don't know for sure", he mused, "But I'm convinced that I should have less legs."

I chuckled quietly. "Well, me and my partner noticed that the newer creations are incredibly strong but very stupid...", I trailed off, lost in thoughts for a minute. "Can you tell me a little more about that master and his creations?"

"At first, all of his creations were unstable", Cerog said right away. I think I made a new ally. "Whenever a wound was inflicted, they would start to dissolve." Yeah, I remember that. "He could fix that. They were able to heal then. That didn't change the fact that usually, creations would just collapse into a pile of goo after a period of time, another indicator that we're supposed to look different... The creations were still unstable. So after some time, master decided to armor them with steel and make them half-mechanic."

"How did he create you in the first place?", I asked, "And why?"

"I don't know why", Cerog answered, "But I know that his sister was the one to create the basic spell for our summoning. She weaved the flesh and gave us the basic shape but disappeared. Master Verroth continued to form us."

"So he's a wizard?", I asked.

"More like an alchemist", Cerog corrected, "Nobody knows much about his past or origin or about his sister but she was an expert on these kinds of experiments. Master just tries this or that – I don't think that he knows what he's doing."

"Means she is a witch", I said.

"Not really", Cerog replied, "Master doesn't talk about her usually. But once, I heard him ramble about her, calling her a 'damn flesh weaver'."

An alchemist that created half-mechanic demons and a flesh weaver, huh? Wait... That was the smell that neither me nor Nero could place – fuel and mercury. Something so simple, yet it was strange that a demon smelled like that. Also, it would explain the destructive degree of the venom those demons emitted. Demon venom combined with two of the most dangerous acids of the human world – a hazardous combination. It seemed plausible that this guy didn't know what he was doing. The only thing that I didn't understand was why he was doing it. Maybe he was just greedy for power. Or maybe he was just another maniac. I run across those much too often for my liking...

"What about his sister?", I asked, "What happened to her?"

"She disappeared years ago", Cerog replied, "Maybe even centuries ago. Long before we were created. No one of us ever saw her. Master said she passed away... but I don't think he's sure of that. She was a powerful demon – a very powerful one, so why would she pass away just like that? It doesn't make sense."

"Maybe she has been killed?"

He shrugged in response. "I don't know, son of Sparda."

"Dante", I corrected again with a little huff.

"Dante", he repeated. "Look, legend says both of them were created for a purpose."

"Which purpose?" I didn't even know which legend he was talking about.

"Now that I don't know", he replied. "We have some talented spies who found out everything I just told you. The only thing I heard myself was master calling his late sister a flesh weaver."

"But what exactly is that?", I asked. I wasn't familiar with the term.

"Flesh weaving is a form of necromancy", the little demon explained, "You have to be gifted to be able to do this, not every necromancer can do it. Of course, there is more to that but I'm not sure myself..."

"She's not important anyway", I said, "This is about the guy who tries to end the world. Do you know what exactly he plans to do?"

"I think the others have some theories", he said.

"The others?"

"My brothers and sisters."

"Oh, right..."

We were quiet for a while and I released him. Cerog slid through the snow next to me, flapping his tentacles. Only now I noticed how dark it had become. The sky that had been a velvety blue had turned into black. Heavy clouds hung in the sky.

"We're almost there", Cerog said suddenly, pointing towards a castle in the distance. "Usually, he's somewhere in the dungeons, experimenting."

"Great", I said with a grin, "Time to pay him a visit."