The sky was clear overhead as Lady and Vergil walked hand in hand along the nearby river. Although there was silence between them, it was comfortable, and for the first time in a while, Vergil felt at ease. In the near distance, the sounds of the fair still rang through the air – Lady hadn't wanted to stray too far from the festivities in case they missed the fireworks – but even that had faded into mere background noise as they strolled along, fingers entwined.

Lady's features were still flushed as she turned to glance at Vergil, then quickly looked away before he could return the gesture. Even in the near darkness, Vergil could tell that she looked considerably more relaxed than he had ever seen her before. That combined with the gentle light from the water reflecting on her face almost made her look as young as the day they had first met, and Vergil wanted more than ever to just pull her into his arms and apologise for the difficult path his actions had set her down all those years ago.

Instead, he just quietly sighed and stared ahead, desperately trying to ignore the feeling of being followed that he hadn't been able to shake since earlier that evening. His grip tightened on the Yamato, which he held at his side, away from Lady. There was still some innate feeling screaming at him that he was not to use it at any cost, but if push came to shove, then what else could he do? He still wasn't sure if he trusted himself enough to activate his Devil Trigger in his current state, even though he was confident that most of his strength had returned by now. How long had it been since he'd transformed anyway? He wondered if he was perhaps he was overdue a test run of it at a time when Lady wasn't around.

Lady came to a halt suddenly, almost causing Vergil to stumble. She looked over her shoulder, her brow furrowed, then shrugged. She turned towards the water and sighed, staring out across its still surface. By sheer luck, Vergil had managed to win a pair of slip-on sandals for her as a prize at one of the stalls as they had made their way out of the main field. They were quite possibly the cheapest things she'd ever worn, and she was sure she'd probably have one, if not a few, blisters when she woke up in the morning, but she'd never been more grateful than when she'd slipped her muddied feet into the almost cardboard feeling footwear. Standing on the slightly sandy, slightly rocky edge of the riverbank, they felt like the best gift she'd ever received. As she gazed out at the water, Lady's mind drifted over the events of the past few days. It had been a whirlwind of emotions, but now, as she stood here with Vergil, watching the gentle flow of the river and feeling the warmth of his hand in hers, everything else seemed to fade away. For once, she felt truly at peace. It was a rare and precious feeling, and although she knew it was one that wouldn't be able to last, she intended to treasure the moment while she had it.

"What's the matter?" Vergil asked quietly, surprised at how loud his voice sounded after not speaking for a while.

"Nothing," Lady responded with a small smile. She rested her head on his shoulder and looked up at him. "For once in my life, nothing is actually wrong."

Everything was wrong. The situation was wrong. The timing was wrong. They were wrong. Was he wrong for following them? Maybe. But was it really so wrong if it was for the sake of a mission? Nero darted behind a tree as the couple in front of him slowed down a little. He wasn't the stealthiest at the best of times, so trying to keep tabs on them without being noticed was torture. Scratch that, this whole thing was torture. Nero shoved his hands into his pockets to stop them from shaking. Why was he doing this to himself? He knew where they were now, and he could guess where they'd be. Fireworks. He shook his head. How cliché. Nero bit into his lip to stop himself from screaming. It hurt, but not as much as his brain did. Not as much as the pain in his chest that seemed to be getting worse every second. They'd lied to him. They all had. Had Dante known? Had Trish? Kyrie? Suddenly Nico's comments back at the restaurant made a whole lot more sense. Nero swallowed a thick lump in his throat. Was this why they'd send him on this mission? Had they wanted him to discover this unspoken secret because they were too cowardly to tell him? Maybe they really had wanted him out of the way of the real mission, to distract him with… Whatever this was. Yeah he could be hot-headed and reckless, he knew that. But was that really enough for them to want him gone this badly?

He thumped his head against the back of the tree. Okay, that's enough, he chastised himself. You're overthinking his way too much. Probably. Let's not forget we have a very serious threat on our hands here! Now is not the time for… He peeked around the trunk and saw that Vergil and Lady had come to a complete stop a short distance away. He quickly yanked his head back before he accidentally saw them kissing again, or worse. He kicked at the ground in frustration. He had to go. He'd contact the others as arranged and see how things played out from there. He felt his pulse quicken as he remembered that the current plan was to meet wherever he was. He didn't know if he could handle being around those two for much longer. If everyone insisted on meeting here, then he wasn't sure he'd be able to stop himself rushing forward and ripping Vergil a new one, putting the whole plan into jeopardy. He shuddered. He'd have to change things up slightly. Besides, it didn't seem like Vergil had any intentions of using the Yamato any time soon, which was their main concern. Everyone crowding around them would likely only draw more attention towards the location of the sword anyway. Let them have their stupid date, Nero fumed to himself as he pushed off from the tree. He'd deal with this whole can of worms later. He let out an exasperated groan, then quickly clamped his hand over his mouth. He'd work something out.

"As contradictory as it may sound, this actually works out perfectly," Dante said seriously, although there was a slightly playful glimmer in his eyes.

"I'm glad the deaths of dozens – maybe hundreds – of people may prove of use to you," Trish said sarcastically. She and Dante were sitting in the small staff room that Alisa had been guarding. They each had a mug of coffee balanced on their knee, and despite her best efforts, Trish's was shaking ever so slightly. It seemed the adrenaline was finally starting to wear off. She took a moment to steady her hand. Showing such weakness was unusual for her, and she hoped Dante hadn't noticed.

"You know I didn't mean it like that," Dante sighed, downing the rest of his drink and placing the cup on a table next to him. "Think about it. You've got a big hole to fill, and I've got a big bunch of crystals to dispose of. It's a no brainer really."

"Other than the fact that they're on completely opposite sides of the city?" Trish reminded him. "Or did you forget that you are no longer in possession of the Yamato?"

Dante waved his hand dismissively. "I've already got it covered," he grinned. "In fact, if this all goes to plan we won't even need to use that dumb sword at all!"

"And if things don't go to plan?" Trish asked, still none the wiser to what Dante actually intended to do. He had been more focussed on asking about what she'd come across at the golf course than explaining his situation, so all she knew was that there was some sort of room full of crystals in the back of a police station, and something about an unhelpful receptionist.

"Then we'll cross that bridge when and if we come to it," Dante grinned.

"I'm glad to see your time away has done little to change your laissez-faire methods of dealing with things," Trish said with a wry smile.

Dante chuckled. "Hey, if it ain't broke, don't fix it," he said with a shrug. "But in all seriousness, Trish, I know this is risky. I really think we might be able to make this work, though." He looked her up and down quickly, his eyes lingering on her coffee mug just a fraction longer than she would have liked. "I'll understand if you don't want to be a part of this after all. It's dangerous, and I don't want to drag you into something you're not comfortable with."

Trish stiffened, surprised at the unexpected show of compassion. "No, I'm in," she said firmly. "I may not entirely understand what you're up to, but things tend to have a way of working out whenever you're involved for some reason. And besides," she added with a small smile, "I wouldn't want you to have all the fun without me."

Dante nodded in approval. "That's the spirit!" He gave her one last slightly concerned look, then glanced towards the door. "I just hope we hear from Nero soon," he said. "We have to act on this fast, and I need him around for the next step." He tapped his fingers on the armrest, fidgeting impatiently. His gaze flickered towards the phone on the nearby table. "If he doesn't get back to us soon, I might just have to go hunting for him myself. I don't like waiting around."

"You know… Even with Nero, this isn't going to be easy," Trish said, hating herself for where she was about to go with this.

"I know that," Dante agreed. "But with such short notice there's not a lot else we can do. This can't wait."

Trish hesitated for a moment then let out a resigned sigh. "Alright look… Are you sure you don't want to get Vergil in on this?" she asked. "Even if he's not at full strength–"

Dante shook his head firmly. "I'm not letting the Yamato anywhere near that place," he said. "The whole point is that we're trying to prevent those things from getting it, remember?"

"Yes, but even without it, Vergil could still prove useful," Trish said. She couldn't believe she was saying this after she'd worked so hard to preserve the couple's evening together, but hell, it was probably about to be ruined anyway, if it hadn't been already. Might as well ruin it for a good reason. Her attempts to convince herself that this was a good idea did little to assuage her guilt, however. "...Lady too, if we can find her," she said reluctantly.

"Trish, you saw the injuries those things gave me," Dante said, holding up his previously injured arm. "And that's with the extra energy me and Nero are still trying to burn off. If we factor in that those damned crystals are going to be present, Vergil wouldn't stand a chance." He shivered. "And I don't even want to think about what they might do to a human like Lady…"

"But–"

"This isn't up for discussion any more," Dante said firmly. "The last thing I need is two more liabilities to worry about in the middle of all this." He sighed and closed his eyes, sitting back against the sofa. "Look, I agree. Under normal circumstances I might be willing to change my mind on this, but the way I felt when I looked into that room in the police station, I…" He sighed and looked over at Trish. "I just can't have a repeat of what happened last time, okay? I can't put everyone through that again."

"I get it," Trish said quietly. The last year had been rough, and although Dante had been away for a long time, the aftermath of the apartment incident still lingered. She couldn't blame him for being cautious. "I'm sorry for pushing the matter," she added, glancing down at her mug.

"There's nothing to apologise for," Dante replied. "This whole thing is probably my fault anyway," he added with a tight smile. "If I could just use the Yamato properly then–"

"Then we'd still have a bunch of crystals and no portal to throw them into," Trish pointed out. "Let's not assign arbitrary blame to what is most likely just a freak occurrence. We'll just find a way to deal, we always do."

Dante nodded and they sat in silence for a moment, both deep in thought. Trish finished her coffee and eyed Dante over her mug as he chewed his lip and nervously bounced his leg up and down. It was clear he had more to say, but wasn't sure if he should. Eventually Dante perked up a little and cleared his throat. "Hey, more than likely those things at the golf course are gonna be guarding the portal, right?" he asked.

Trish raised an eyebrow. "I mean, they'd be foolish not to," she agreed. "Although based on what I've seen of these guys, there's more than enough of them to guard everywhere else, too."

"Right, but most of them should hopefully be centred around one area, right?" Dante said, rubbing his chin. "Yeah they're tough, but even they have their limits, especially once we hopefully manage to stop them from respawning…"

"What are you thinking?" Trish asked. She still didn't have even the faintest idea what he was actually planning to do.

"I might need to make a call," Dante said bluntly.

As he stood up, there was a knock at the door. Dante and Trish looked at each other, then back towards the door as a second knock rang out. Dante's hand instinctively moved towards his holster as he cleared his throat and called out: "Who is it?"

"It's me," Alisa's small voice called back. "I brought you more coffee."

Dante's shoulders slumped and he moved to open the door. Alisa stood in the small hallway holding a tray that was far too big for her. On top of it was a rattling pot of coffee and some fresh mugs.

"Uh, thanks," Dante said, taking it from her before she dropped it and spilled it everywhere. "Didn't we tell you to go and hang out with Nico?"

Alisa shrugged and looked down at her shoes. "She doesn't like me interrupting her while she's working," she mumbled. "I thought you guys would want some time to talk alone, which is why I didn't say anything."

"And yet here you are," Dante said, giving Alisa a cheeky grin when she looked up at him in dismay.

"I-I'm sorry! I thought I'd heard a break in the conversation, s-so…"

"It's fine," Dante said, reaching forward and giving Alisa a reassuring pat on the shoulder. "I need to make a call anyway." He put down the tray on the coffee table and picked up the phone receiver. "Can you actually go to Nico this time though, and let her know we're here?" Dante asked. When Alisa opened her mouth to say something further, he added: "And if she tries to tell you off, just tell her it's uncle Dante's fault." Alisa nodded quickly then turned and left the room, slamming the door behind her. Dante looked over at Trish, who was staring at him with a look of bewilderment. "I'll explain afterwards," he said, starting to punch some numbers into the phone.

"Wow, you really are good at this," Nico said with mild awe.

"You don't need to sound so surprised," Kyrie huffed, clipping some parts together. "I do have a life outside of the orphanage and Nero, you know."

"Yeah, but I mean…" Nico held up the almost completely finished Punch Line Devil Breaker and nodded in approval. "Hey listen, now that Nero's back, how would you feel about–" Her question was interrupted by the sound of the van's built-in phone ringing up front. She quickly scrambled off her stool and made her way over to it, stumbling slightly as she did so. She managed to grab the receiver just before the call timed out. "Alisa?"

"Not quite," Nero responded bluntly.

"Nero?" Nico asked in surprise, inspecting the devil breaker she was still holding. "Weren't you supposed to call the staff room phone at the orphanage?"

"It's engaged," Nero replied. "Guess it's lucky you're in the van, huh. I thought you'd be inside with the others, good thing I took the chance and called anyway."

"En– Now wait, that can't be right," Nico said, shooting Kyrie a worried look. Kyrie immediately got to her feet and started to head for the door of the van. Just as she went to open it however, it swung open, revealing a rather nervous looking Alisa. "Hold that thought," Nico said into the phone, much to Nero's protests. "Everythin' okay?" she called over her shoulder. After a brief explanation from Alisa, Nico returned to the call. "Good timin'," she said. "Looks like you ain't the only one that's just finished their assignment."

"Does that mean Dante and Trish are back with you?" Nero asked, suddenly sounding a lot more nervous.

"Well, not with me, but I hear they're around." Nico tossed the Devil Breaker to Alisa, who passed it to Kyrie. "So go on, where ya at? You did find 'em, right?"

"I…" Nero hesitated. He took a deep breath and continued. "I found them, yeah. But I don't think we'll need to worry about them for tonight," he said. "At least… not in relation to the Yamato," he added. "Tell the others to wait, I'm coming back to the orphanage."

Nico was silent for a moment, and then a wide grin spread across her face. "Well, well, seen somethin' you shouldn't have, Nero?" she said teasingly. "Tell me ya didn't sneak into their hotel room or somethin'."

"Hotel–?! Don't be weird Nico!" Nero spluttered down the phone. "I just– I think they're gonna be busy for a while, so–"

"Oh yeah, real busy I'll bet," Nico grinned.

"Damn it Nico, stop it already! They're just…" Nero sighed. "Well anyway, I know where they are, and I don't think they're planning on going anywhere for a while, so I'm coming back for now."

"Are you sure that's actually a good idea?" Nico asked, turning serious again for a moment. "Didn't Dante want you to keep tabs on him or somethin'? Just in case?"

"I've checked the surrounding area but I can't sense anything untoward," Nero said. "There might have been a vague sense of something here at first, but it suddenly disappeared a little while ago. I think we're good for now."

"Well, if you say so," Nico said doubtfully. "But I don't think Dante's gonna be too happy."

"I'll be back as soon as I can," Nero said firmly before the call cut out. Nico looked at the dead phone and sighed before turning back to Kyrie. "Nero's on his way back," she said. "We need to get a move on."

"You can't be serious!" John's irritated voice yelled down the phone, loud enough for Trish to hear from the sofa. "The whole damn building?!"

" Most of the building," Dante corrected him. "The reception can stay."

"But the contractors are already packing up," John groaned. "Do you have any idea how much effort it is to dig up an entire goddamn building?"

" Most of a building," Dante corrected him again. "Besides, it's better to be safe than sorry. Don't want any loose crystals going unnoticed and causing havoc, right?"

"I tell you what Dante, you're lucky you've made a name for yourself around these parts or I'd have you pinned as some sort of terrorist." John let out an exasperated sigh and appeared to shout something over his shoulder. "Good thing for you the explosives hadn't been detonated yet," he hissed angrily. "Honestly with what you're asking it probably would be easier to just take the whole building."

"Probably," Dante agreed. "Unfortunately I don't think we're going to be able to gather enough firepower for that in time. A few extra rooms should be manageable, but any more than that and we could be in trouble."

"Oh yeah, because that's the issue here…" John said sarcastically. He shouted something to someone in the background again before continuing. "I guess the station was due for a refurb after all these years…"

"That's the spirit," Dante said. "It's nice to hear some optimism for a change."

"Yeah, yeah… Be real with me here Dante, how many potential casualties are we looking at?" John asked. "Should we be arranging evacuations?"

"If things go as planned, most civilians shouldn't even notice anything has happened," Dante said calmly. He glanced over at Trish. "These things tend to have a way of working out."

"That might have been the case before the Qliphoth and the apartment incident, but shit just isn't that simple any more," John said sternly. "People notice things now, Dante. And when people notice things, they tend to investigate them. We can't afford any more civilian casualties."

"Evacuation will just cause further panic, so I'd like to avoid it if possible," Dante said. "Besides, having lots of people all in one place sounds even more dangerous if you ask me."

There was a brief moment of silence on the other end of the line before John spoke again. "Alright, fine. But I'll start arranging for some emergency services to be on standby just in case."

"Thanks John, I appreciate it," Dante said. "Really."

"Just doing my job," John replied exasperatedly. "Just leave it with me. I'll be in touch with any updates."

Trish raised an eyebrow at Dante as he replaced the receiver. "You didn't tell him about the people I saw at the golf course," she pointed out. "Was that wise?"

"He knows that's where we're headed, that's enough for now," Dante said gravely. "If I told him about the… Well, it would only complicate matters and possibly lead to more losses. Unfortunately it's too late for those people now anyway. We'll deal with the fallout once this is all over."

Trish hummed and refilled her coffee. "Care to finally enlighten me on what your plan is, then?" she asked.

Dante grinned at her, grateful for the change in topic and looking far too amused given the current situation."We're gonna plug the portal with the police station," he said proudly. "Well, most of the police station," he added.

"You're insane," Trish said bluntly, taking a sip from her mug.

"I prefer to use the term efficient," Dante replied. "Think about it – I'm willing to bet even those things won't be able to withstand the weight of an entire – sorry, almost entire – building on their head." He hesitated. "Or… Whatever their equivalent to a head is, I guess."

"You know those things are mostly gaseous, right?" Trish pointed out. "It's part of why they're so difficult to deal with."

" But , they make the common mistake of turning solid when they attack," Dante retorted. "Which is where I'll come in."

Trish let out a sigh. As always, there was no reasoning with Dante once he had set his mind on something, even if that something seemed completely impractical. "Alright fine, but how are we even going to move a police station?" she asked. "I thought you didn't want any humans anywhere near this mess?"

"Oh that's right, I should tell Nico to up the number of Devil Breakers she's making," Dante said suddenly, ignoring her question. Before he could pick up the phone however, it started ringing. "...Fortuna Orphanage?" he answered, struggling to recall the name of the place momentarily.

"It's me," Nico said quickly from the other end. Sounds of hammering and welding could be heard in the background. "Nice of ya to let us know you were back."

"Hey, don't blame me, we sent the kid over to you straight away, she just decided not to go," Dante protested.

"Whatever," Nico said, cursing as she appeared to drop something. "Nero called. He's on his way over."

"Wait, what? We were meant to meet up with him – Did he say where he was?"

"I did try to remind him of this fact," Nico said dryly. "But hey, plans change. He should be back soon."

Dante let out an annoyed tut. "Alright fine, but he'd better have a damned good excuse for not following Vergil. If he uses the Yamato, this whole plan could fail…"

Nico seemed to suppress a burst of laughter, then replied: "I don't think you'll need to worry about that tonight. Not unless he's into some weirder stuff than I thought."

"What do you…" Dante trailed off and shuddered, choosing to immediately change the topic. "How are things on your end?" he asked instead.

"We're workin' as hard as we can,'' Nico said, serious again. "It'll be tight, but I reckon we can be done in another hour or so if we keep our current pace."

"Yeah, about that…" Dante said, wincing. "I'm, uh… Gonna need at least half of what you're making again."

There was a brief silence before Nico exploded down the phone. "You're what?!"

"Hey, plans change," Dante retorted, hanging up before he could be chastised any further. Trish looked at him, shaking her head.

"Please tell me you're not going to do what I think you are."

"I'd like to see you come up with a better idea that doesn't use the Yamato," Dante said defensively.

"There's no way this is going to work," Trish said bluntly. "I mean, we're talking about an entire building here, this is…"

"Well, we won't know until we try, right?" Dante said. "Besides, it's only most of a building." He sat down heavily on the sofa. "Still, Nero losing track of the Yamato does complicate things a little… I was hoping if we knew where Vergil was at least, even if we don't involve him directly, that we'd have a back up plan. Still, if Nero isn't worried then maybe it'll be okay." His gaze drifted over to Trish again. He looked uncertain, and Trish rolled her eyes.

"...Just say it," Trish sighed, crossing her arms.

Dante jolted in surprise and got to his feet. "Say what?" he asked airily, starting to pace around the small room. "I guess we can just ask Nero for their last location when he gets here," he mumbled to himself, almost inaudibly.

"We don't have time for this Dante," Trish said. "If you're going to act immature about it then–"

"Alright fine," Dante huffed. He leant against the wall next to the phone and stared at Trish. "Vergil. Lady. What's up with that?"

A small smile crept onto Trish's face. Lady and Vergil had begged her not to tell anyone, especially Dante and Nero. But it didn't take a genius to connect the dots. Besides, they hadn't said anything about denying it if someone just so happened to figure it out for themselves. Technically that wouldn't be telling, right? "You tell me," Trish said teasingly.

"Hey!" Dante protested. "You can't just tell me off for wasting time and then refuse to answer me anyway!"

"I'm not refusing anything," Trish said with a sly, catlike grin. She was going to enjoy drawing this out for as long as she could. "I am merely curious to know your thoughts."

"My–" Dante let out a frustrated huff before pouring himself another cup of coffee. Although weak and lukewarm, it served its purpose. "If you're not willing to tell me," he said, gulping down the contents of his mug and pouring another one, " Then I'll just have to ask them myself. I don't have time to play mind games right now." He had more pressing matters to attend to, after all. Despite the nagging feeling at the back of his mind, he couldn't afford to be distracted tonight. In fact, he hadn't intended to bring it up at all until Trish had pushed him to do so.

"Suit yourself," Trish said, quickly getting to her feet. Crisis averted. For now at least, anyway. She was sure that Nero would have plenty to say on the matter when he got back. "I'll go check with Nico to see if she needs any help. There must be something I can do to assist her."

"Whatever," Dante said, waving his hand dismissively. "I'll wait here for Nero," he added, taking another sip from his mug. More than anything, he just hoped that Vergil and Lady were both safe.

The orphanage loomed in the near darkness as Nero approached. Most of its lights were out, save for a few dotted here and there, and it gave Nero a strange sense of foreboding. He didn't know why that should be the case – he'd worked here for years after all. But as he approached the front doors, he realised that this was the first time he'd been back since he and Dante's return. He paused for a moment and closed his eyes, wondering if he could pick up on any of the new wards that had been placed around the building. Other than an almost undetectable low hum that could easily have been a plane in the distance, he got nothing. He opened his eyes again and sighed. If only he'd never offered his father that damned job, none of this would be happening right now. He wouldn't have lost a year of his life, an entire town would still be standing, and… He kicked at a loose pebble. Well, maybe they would have still got together anyway, but at least it wouldn't feel like his fault. There was just something so icky about Lady, whom he'd almost viewed like a big sister this whole time, getting together with his father. It just seemed so wrong somehow. He wondered how Dante felt about all of this. If he even knew that was.

And now there was whatever the hell that was going on now. Nero's heart sank as he stared up at the night sky, clear now despite the thick cloud cover earlier that evening. The air was still, broken only by the sound of his own ragged breathing. How many families had been torn apart by his actions? How many loved ones still wept for those they had lost, while fresh corpses continued to pile up around them? Those things – things which wouldn't even be here if not for Dante and Nero – had snatched Nico away like it was nothing. How many others were out there that hadn't been lucky enough to get rescued in time? A pain shot through Nero's chest suddenly, and his heart began to race as the world around him blurred into nothingness. The sounds of his own panic-filled gasps filled his ears, drowning out everything else. He clutched at his chest, hoping that the pain would go away, but it only intensified. His knees buckled, and he fell to the ground, clutching at the grass beneath him. Visions of the underworld flashed through his mind. So much despair, so much death. And in the middle of it all, he and Dante stood – slicing through everything they could get their hands on, cackling away as their talons and scales were bathed in blood. Nero's left arm began to throb and he gripped it tightly against his chest, willing it not to transform, not to remind him as it had his entire life, that he was just as bad as the things he'd devoted himself to destroying.

He curled up on the ground, trying to force himself to focus on the here and now. He was so close to making it back to the others, to being able to distract himself from the dark thoughts that had been plaguing him whenever he allowed himself a moment alone. He took a series of deep breaths, using the stabbing pain that they caused as a reminder to himself that he was still human, that he was still alive. Finally he pushed himself to his feet with a gasp, using the walls of the building as support. What the hell was that just now?! his mind thought frantically. He tried to take a moment to steady himself, his breathing still laboured. Whatever it was, he couldn't afford to let it happen again, if something like that happened in the middle of battle then– He doubled over and threw up into one of the plants at the entrance. He wasn't sure if it made him feel better or worse. After catching his breath, he straightened again and considered walking around the building to where he knew Nico's van would be parked. He couldn't let Dante see him like this.

He didn't make it very far however, before his legs gave out again, leaving him sitting in a crumpled pile on the ground. He rubbed at his eyes, only now noticing the tears that had started rolling down his cheeks without him realising. " Pathetic," he growled, slapping himself hard across the cheek. "Get a damn grip, you weakling!" he yelled into the darkness.

"Not pathetic," a gentle voice said behind him. Nero turned quickly to see Kyrie standing in the pale glow of the building's outside light. Before Nero could respond, she rushed over and knelt beside him, wrapping her arms around him in a warm embrace. He buried his face in her shoulder as she pulled him towards her, gently stroking hair. "You're not pathetic at all," she continued as he started to sob into her jacket. "Only human."

A/N - Finally, a new chapter! Sorry for delays again with this one!
I've had the start written for a while and have just been trying to work on it on and off when I can. Adult life is hard, yo!

Thank you for your patience everyone and for sticking with it, it's really appreciated! Especially all the nice and supportive comments and reviews!

I hope you enjoy - I'm aiming for the next chapter to be a lot more action filled as they finally (hopefully) put their plan into place! Until next time!