Ok, so, not much happening here. Sooorrryyy! But this sets the scene for the next chapter, in which stuff will happen. So, it's kinda necessary.
Disclaimer: Still don't own DMC.
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A pearly moon shone in the velvety black midnight sky. It leeched the color out of everything below, transforming the countryside into a landscape of infinite gray shades. The air was warm, still to the point of stifling.
A dark place...
Aline shifted uneasily in her sleep.
Distorted...
Lies...
Her hands, slick with sweat, clenched slightly.
Red... blood...
Tired...
Dark...
Her mouth formed a small frown.
Can't breathe...
Can't move...
Help...
Falling...
Dark.
Suddenly, her eyes flew open. She rolled off the bed, dropping lightly onto the floor, crouched in a fighting stance. A brief moment passed, then she blinked. Somewhat sheepishly, she stood straight.
Well...
It had been quite some time since a nightmare had made her wake up in quite that way. With a quiet chuckle she sat on the bed and lay her head against the wall. Hunter's instinct had saved her life more than once... but it could be damn annoying, too. She knew she wouldn't be able to go back to sleep. Nightmares were just nightmares, but the adrenaline rush wasn't so easy to put down. Ah well. Noting how her mouth felt strangely dry, she rose to her feet and padded silently to the kitchen. She poured herself a glass of water, which she gulped down quickly. Another. Damn, the pitcher was empty. Where were those eight liter bottles of water when you needed 'em?
As quietly as she could, she walked out into the living room. Maybe in the closet... nope. She was about to go give up and go back to bed when she noticed a figure out on the balcony.
Huh?
She stepped out on to the balcony.
"Hey." she said quietly. Platinum hair shimmered in the moonlight as Nelo turned around. He nodded in acknowledgment, then went back to staring out to see.
"Nice view, huh?" she leaned on the rail beside him. A couple seconds passed then he nodded. He still seemed... afraid- for lack of a better word- to speak. She glanced sideways at him. He was still wearing nothing but the leather pants he had been wearing when they found him, and the moonlight shone off his bare back and well-muscled arms.
Aline suddenly felt very self-conscious in the lavender top and grey sweat pants that passed for her pajamas. She cleared her throat uncomfortably.
"So... do you remember how you got onto that island?" she inquired.
A shake of the head. "No. But..."
"But what?"
—
How could he explain? The subtle, yet certain, feeling that he had done something, something terrible. It haunted him, wouldn't let him sleep. But he didn't remember what it was that he had done. It was like a thin veil stood between him and those memories. He knew they were there, but he couldn't reach them. All he could remember was... them. Cruel, heartless, they had degraded him, called him worthless. Hurt him...
He looked at the slim, lithe figure beside him, so delicate by comparison. She... hadn't hurt him. But would that change if he told her he had done something terrible? He shook his head.
"Nothing... it's nothing."
She smiled, a peculiar smile somewhere between a grin and a smirk.
"All right, if you say so." ...she trusted him?
—
There was something he wasn't saying, that much was obvious. Oh well. When he wanted to spill the metaphorical beans, he would. But that didn't lessen her curiosity one iota.
The both turned at a sound from inside. She could practically feel Nelo tense beside her, like a cat ready to pounce.
"What, is it party night and nobody told me? Looks like no-one's asleep here." Sher's voice emerged from inside a moment before he did. Aline relaxed, though Nelo didn't.
"Apparently not." she answered.
"Hey, lovebirds." Sher grinned and leaned against the wall.
"Sher, say that again and I will reach down your throat and pull out your lungs." she warned ominously.
Sher snorted softly.
"Yeah, I'm sure." he drawled sarcastically. "Do you even know how?" Aline chose to ignore the comment, instead introducing them.
"Nelo, this is Sher. He's the only weapon's specialist I know that can take any gun apart and put it back together in less than a minute or two- so I have to keep him, annoying as he is."
"Hey!" He protested, still grinning.
"Anyway, why are you up?" Aline asked.
"I just got a call from the agency."
She groaned. The agency went by a lot of names in a multitude of different languages, including the joke name "CDC"- "Center for Demon Control". Their purpose- to warn of any demonic activity in any country so the government could send in Hunters before everything got out of control. Because everyone familiar with demons knew that they didn't respect borders. Demonic activity in any country was a problem for everyone.
Though it was originally a special unknown branch of the U.S. government with at least one agent in every embassy, the idea had caught on pretty damn quick. Now the Agency was a completely separate organization under the jurisdiction of no government.
"What did they want?"
Sher ran one hand through his shaggy brown hair.
"Apparently, a group of archaeologists went missing a couple days ago while studying some underwater ruin or other. Since we're the closest Hunters they could find, they want us to look into it."
"Well, that's great- except for the fact that I'm a demonologist, not a Hunter."
"Well ain't that a shame." Sher was clearly unsympathetic. Aline sighed.
"Whatever. Let's just go and get this over with." she started to turn, then stopped. She grinned.
"Hey, Nelo... wanna come with? We could use a little help."
Not waiting for an answer, she grabbed Nelo by the wrist and dragged him inside.