Disclaimer: Sadly, I do not own any of the devil may cry characters in this fiction, if I did, Kyrie would have died in the first ten minutes of the game and Dante and Nero would be together...and Vergil would be shirtless in the third game...and Arkham would wear a frilly princess dress for my entertainment.
Rated Mature for Violence, Blood and Gore, Possible Incest, Language, Angst, Hot Man Sex in Later Chapters, and other things that I am still thinking up. Enjoy~!
Decided that it was about time I went through and attempted to finish this story. I revised this chapter and plan on writing the next soon. Sorry for the few weeks of absence everyone! I was dealing with a few bad health issues and working on a large animation project that is very important that I spend a long time on. Hopefully, I will be back to updating on a regular bases again soon. Until then, enjoy this new chapter~!
Chapter Seven: Smoke and Mirrors
Dante walked down the narrow cave, his thoughts still on where Nero was or if the younger hunter was even alright. There was no doubt that Nero would be under the control of one of the small tan parasites that had been swarming outside the labyrinth if he was alive. The older man could only hope that was the worst that happened, honestly willing to deal with a possessed Nero rather than finding that something other than the parasites had got to the other slayer.
The devil hunter walked through the thick darkness before him, the visibility in front of him only a few feet even with his demonic senses. A large cavern slowly opened up from the small tunnel, its high ceiling towering over him that reminded him of the one he had forced Nero to fall from when he was infected by one of the parasites. Dante snapped out of his thoughts when he saw a familiar glow ahead of him, the fiery orange color lighting up the cavern more and more as he neared it. He raised a silver eyebrow at the black slate of stone, heavy with the demonic markings carved on its surface in mystifying patterns.
Dante walked towards the Hell Gate cautiously, observing it and its luminous and now nearly blinding glow. The experienced slayer groaned under his breath as he remembered the small portals to the demon world, glancing around the lit area of the large cavern but not catching even the slightest hint of the demon the Hell Gate belonged to. He sighed heavily as he realized the could be easy mission was starting to get more complicated than he originally thought it would be, not even certain why a Hell Gate would be out in the middle of the woods several hundreds of miles away from Fortuna in the first place.
"Great...Now, I have to close a gateway to the demon world, kick a demon's ass, kill about a million parasites, and find that kid's ass before anything manages to find it first. Why do all my jobs end up this way?" Dante muttered to himself bitterly, placing his hands on his hips with a huff. Suddenly, the thought of Nero kissing him invaded his mind yet again, washing away the spark of irritated frustration and replacing it with an entirely new form of frustration he had never held towards the younger man. He shook his head roughly, trying not to get distracted by the ex-order member's cute ass again and clear his head of the sudden suggestive images that entered his mind without his consent.
Now I'm thinking of his ass...The kid better be alright. Dante sighed and rubbed the back of his head, wondering what the hell he was going to do with his perverted self, if he could ever clear his mind enough of the lewd thoughts involving Nero writhing under him. Okay, okay. First thing's first. I have to find the kid. I bet if I find him, I'll find the ugly thing that came out of the gate. Kill it, kill its buddies, close the gate, take the kid home, fuck him until he can't walk for kissing me like that then nearly killing himself, and then order pizza. He ran the same thoughts through his mind again before smirking to himself in the orange lit darkness. Sounds like a good plan to me!
Nero swung his sword hysterically, unable to plan his attacks while fending off the thousands of parasites lunging themselves at him alone. He knew that he could not last long but he was not going to just lie down and let the demons take over his body without taking a few hundred with him. He panted heavily, out of breath from the overexertion of slashing at the miniature demons with Red Queen and tearing ones that came a little too close for comfort to sinking their drilling mouths into his skin with his devil bringer.
The ground shook more as something large made its way towards the young hunter and the hordes of parasites, the air growing thicker as it neared. Nero still could not see it, mainly because of the small demons surrounding him and trying desperately to bite a chunk out of his flesh then bury themselves inside the bleeding wounds. He ignored the increasing volume of the earthquake underfoot and kept slicing through the onslaught of parasites, knowing that one slip of his footing or misplaced swing would mean the end for him. It was only when he felt something wrap around his ankle and tug him under the herd of demons that he noticed that the demons had other intentions for him rather than using his skull for a new comfortable home.
The parasites still threw themselves at him but they did not seem to want to bite and possess him now, each only shrieking and hissing at him threateningly. The hell...? Nero thought, clawing at the ground and drawing his revolver, firing a few rounds into the tan demons after him as he was dragged roughly against the rocky ground. Hope this thing ate before it came here. The young man swallowed roughly as he realized the feeling of something cold soaking through the leg of his pants, not sure if it was his blood or if the demon's own appendage was covered in a strange liquid.
Nero smacked off another parasite attempting to claw at his face with his devil bringer, cursing himself as Blue Rose was knocked out of his hand by one of the demons lunging itself at him. The Red Queen was out of reach unless he wanted to risk breaking his arm to grab its handle or cutting himself while being dragged on his back to an unknown destination. The young hunter gasped as he was yanked into the air sharply, wincing slightly as all his weight was put on his ankle and a rather sickly pop came from the joint above him. His sword slipped off his back, clattering to the still slightly muddy ground and crushing a few of the parasites herding around the source of the long appendage holding the young hunter. Nero glared at the demon, not appreciating the fact that he was upside down now and all the blood was rushing to his already aching head.
The demon was all black, seeming to be dressed in a tattered long cape that hid both its face and body. Black limbs that appeared to be made of smoke swirled under its form in a mess of black, one of the many hands holding Nero up so its hidden face was mere inches away from the ex-order member's face. Nero glanced up at his ankle while the demon paused to stare at him with its eyeless face, swallowing thickly as he noticed the human-like hand holding him was curling itself around his ankle until it was phasing through his jeans and boots. The young man bared his teeth at the demon as he looked into its hooded face, the cloaked figure cocking its head to the right as if questioning the reason for the glare sent its way.
"What the hell are you staring at?" Nero asked, not liking how it was looking at him even if he could not see the eyes baring into his skull. The being stared at him for a long moment, occasionally spinning him around but not without loud protests and cursing escaping Nero's lips. The hunter wished he had not dropped his weapons so he could shoot this demon for hanging him upside down for so long, making the headache pounding inside his head even worse. "Put me-!"
Nero could not finish his sentence as the demon threw him onto the ground hard enough that he could have sworn he made a crater under him. The air was knocked out of his lungs from the heavy impact and he heard something snap behind him, knowing that he had probably crushed a few vertebrae in his spine. He was really starting to get tired of falling onto solid ground. Nero grunted as he tried to pull the back of his head out of the still muddy ground, his chest and back aching terribly from the abuse.
Sparda...
Nero lifted his head from the ground at the sound of the raspy voice, smearing the mud on his face as he tried to wipe it off blindly. The cloaked demon floated menacingly above him in silence, not hinting that it was the source of the cacophony of sound echoing off the cliff side. The young hunter panted lightly, the pain in his chest clouding his thoughts until his mind connected the name to its owner.
Sparda? The hell...? Nero swore under his breath as he attempted to climb to his feet, a sharp spike of pain from his back forcing him to give up on the movement and drop back to the muddy ground. Why does that name keep coming up every time we-? His thoughts were cut off sharply as the demon hovering above him dove down sharply, plummeting down straight towards the young man until Nero felt the demon crash into him. The young devil hunter cried out, the cloaked figure passing through him like it was nothing but a ghost before he suddenly felt a searing cold engulf him like ice was suddenly running through his veins. His arms felt like they were pinned to his sides, frozen like the blood in his veins as he panted heavily, glaring angrily up at the clouds above with his fading vision as the parasites surrounding him crawled away quickly.
Dante wandered down a second tunnel he found inside the chamber with the Hell Gate, using the small source of demonic orange light he had to search the area for a way out and back to the younger devil slayer. He made sure to remember which direction he was going so he could come back, knowing that he could not leave the gateway to the demon world open even if he managed to find the other man. If Nero was injured, he knew he would have to get the ex-order member out of the labyrinth as soon as possible. Leaving the gate open was not an option though, no matter how hurt the other hunter was, Dante had to make sure the demons were all dead and the Hell Gate was sealed or else risk letting an even more powerful demon slip into the human world. At the moment, all Dante could think about was getting Nero back and making the demons pay but he could not afford to get distracted especially since he could not see very well out of the twenty feet of light the demonic gate gave him.
The sharp scent of blood hit his senses, making the hair on the back of his neck stand on end as a low growl slipped through his lips. It smelt like Nero's.
If those demons killed him, I'm going to slaughter them then kill every demon I can find in the demon world. I don't care if Mundus himself rears his ugly head, I'm ripping him to shreds. He thought darkly as a suffocating presence suddenly loomed at the end of the tunnel he was walking down. Dante hummed a silent question, taking a few steps back until he was closer to the light of the Hell Gate and reaching back to place a hand on Rebellion's handle in case it was the demon that had come through the gate. His breath caught in his throat as he saw the shape of a human walking through the darkness, the faint glow of azure catching his eye instantly as he felt relief wash over him like a cold shower.
"Kid!" Dante called as he let go of his sword and took a few steps closer to the younger man, the relief at how Nero seemed to be perfectly fine clouding his judgment until he felt a bullet graze his cheek roughly. The elder hunter flinched and reached up to touch the fresh blood pouring down the side of his face, not expecting the shot that rang harshly against the tunnel walls. He looked away from the crimson smeared on his gloved fingers, meeting the grinning face of the younger slayer and the ugly glowing orange color that had masked the brilliant azure of Nero's eyes. Dante took a few more steps back, the possessed younger man following him with the blue rose encrusted revolver aiming between the older hunter's eyes.
"Nero-" He moved more into the light, wishing he had not as he got a better look at the other. Bloodied scratches and bite marks from the many parasites they had attempted to fend off littered the younger man's skin, so many that Dante knew he was going to have a hard time finding the area the parasites had managed to bury themselves into his partner. If it was even one of the lesser parasite, which, by the thickness of the air near the ex-order member, he could tell it was not. The way Nero walked showed a faint trace of pain in his torso, a slight limp in his step not hidden either as the demon inside the young man only kept grinning as it neared the older slayer as if knowing Dante would not fight back. The elder hunter swallowed thickly, his chest clenching tightly at the thought of fighting the younger man when the demon inside his partner had no intentions in keeping Nero alive. He reached back for Rebellion again, ignoring the growing sadistic grin on the possessed hunter's face as he drew the blade.
A parasite would not leave its host unless it was taken out of them or its host was dying. It did not seem like the former was a choice at the moment as much as Dante hated to admit it.
"-I'm sorry."