A/N: Hey guys, I'm back with the next chapter of Predator and Prey! I'm typing this at eight in the morning and have the blinds drawn in the room and I just switched off my desk light ;p can't have myself get too comfortable while I'm writing now can I? I've discovered it's easier to type creepily when the hairs on the back of my neck are standing on end XD I'm gonna keep looking over my shoulder as I'm walking to Japanese this morning but it'll be so worth it :p Speaking of Japanese, that class makes me feel so awesome, I was watching Hellsing Ultimate and picking up lines as they were speaking as well as when things get flashed on the screen, I can read them! I typically have no comprehension of what's being said but I can read the words, despite being a slow reader. It makes me feel like a little kid again, learning how to read all over, it's a pretty cool feeling :3 I just recently memorized how to write my name so I really feel like a little kindergartener, learning to write their own name XD Anywho, time for creepiness!

Disclaimer: Foolish disclaimer, I have no need of you!

Karl. A: I like the concept too :) I'm glad you like my writing, it makes me happy when people like it, I hope a week isn't too long of a wait for you :p Thanks for the review!

HELP ME!

"It watched her with no eyes?" Nero asked, still trying to forget the whistling and echoing voice that had run through his head. Stacey nodded and pointed to one of the drawings; this one had a man in it, a stick figure with no face. When he'd seen it for the first time, Nero had assumed that it was just a stick figure, most stick people didn't have faces after all, but now that she pointed it out, it was a little more than your average stick person, you could tell it was wearing a tie and at the bottom in frantic letters was the message: He watches me… He has no face… The teen shivered, feeling the hairs on the back of his neck stand up, this wasn't your average mission, he could tell already.

"I don't know what exactly took your daughter, but we'll get her back." Dante assured, though he had an uneasy feeling about this mission too, something about it struck him as incredibly wrong, this wasn't your run of the mill take over the world type of demon, it seemed to enjoy toying with its victims, it was the dangerous kind, the kind that had no goal but to receive sick enjoyment from the suffering of others. Cheri nodded and took a deep breath before asking.

"Do you two have anywhere to stay?" some of the tension lifted at the mundane question. The slayers shook their heads and Lady's aunt nodded to herself, muttering under her breath, so low that even the two partial devils in the room couldn't hear it.

"Well, I can set you up in the spare bedroom while you're here, you'll have to share the bed." She informed them, Nero groaned lightly and Dante snickered.

"What?" she asked, glancing between the two men.

"This asshole thinks it's funny to use me as a teddy bear." The teen growled, throwing his elbow in the direction of the elder slayer, who started wheezing as he tried to laugh despite having the end of the kid's Devil Bringer shoved into his ribs.

"Not my fault you're so cuddle-able!" he snickered, Nero threw him a death glare before standing.

"I'll go get the stuff out of the car."

"Hey! You're not touching my baby!" the half devil followed him. Stacey assumed that the man was talking about the car itself, as did her mother but was proved wrong when the two men walked back inside with a bag apiece and two massive swords. Nero had his slung over his shoulder and Dante had his stuck to his back as if by magic. The two women in the room stared before Cheri leapt up and led the two to the spare room, eyeing the swords the whole while, more concerned that one of them would knock it into the wall than anything but both slayers had been at this for a while, both knew how to manage their blades.

-Predator and Prey-

"So kid, what happened down there?" Dante asked when they were alone, unpacking their meager supplies. Nero instinctively shivered as he recalled the voice from the trees.

"It felt like the woods was calling to me…" he said softly, Dante's eyes snapped to him, watching him carefully.

"What?"

"It spoke to me…"

"Spoke? What'd it say?"

"It said that I was foolish and arrogant, that I had no idea what I was talking about."

"You think it was the demon?"

"I don't know what else it could be." Nero said, plopping down on the bed and settling Red Queen between his knees, about to clean her up and make sure that the Exceed System was all ready to go.

"Don't worry about it too much," Dante ruffled the younger's hair, earning an irritated glare before heading out the room, presumably to talk with Cheri some more. He hadn't been gone long before Nero felt eyes watching him, he looked up into the doorway to see Stacey standing there, watching him shyly.

"What're you doing?" she asked when he noticed her.

"Cleaning out the Queen's systems, making sure that when we head out tonight that she'll light up like I need her to."

"What? Queen?"

"That's my sword's name, Red Queen, it's not a demonic blade like Dante's Rebellion or Yamato but she's been my companion for a long time and she does her job well. She's got fuel that I can send down the blade and then ignite, a flaming blade is a hell of a lot more effective against more demons." He smiled as he cleaned out the delicate piping, the action always soothed his mind, it was second nature and felt productive while he was at it. There were several more moments of silence before Stacey said.

"You heard it?" Nero froze, turning to look at the girl beside him.

"Heard…what…?" he asked, just trying to confirm that Stacey was indeed talking about what he thought she was.

"The demon, I heard you talking to your partner, I hear it too sometimes, it whispers to me just before I fall asleep… it tells me to go into the woods… asks if I want to be reunited with my sister… says that we'll all play together… play together to the end of time… just one… big… game of… hide and seek…" the teen's voice grew flat and her eyes started to lose focus before she blinked and shook her head. She bit her lip and clenched her hands, looking down at her lap.

"Does this happen a lot?" Nero asked, leaning forward so he could meet her eyes, she was trying very hard not to cry and nodded.

"Is it happening more now?" he asked, she nodded again, tears beginning to leak from her eyes before she reached over and latched herself onto the partial devil. Nero turned to stone for a second before doing what he always did for Kyrie whenever she was upset, he stroked her hair lightly and told her that it would all be okay.

"I can feel it getting into my mind…" she whispered "I'm scared… I don't want to get lost like Natalie…"

"It'll be okay…" the demonic teen whispered "Dante and I are going to take care of things…"

-Predator and Prey-

It was several hours later and Nero had left Stacey asleep on the couch where her mother could watch her.

"Is she gonna be okay?" he asked Dante as they gathered up their weaponry.

"She'll be fine, the effects'll fade as soon as the demon's dead."

"Okay…"

"C'mon kid!" the half devil slapped him on the back and grinned. "We're going to do what we love, go out, save the ladies, and kill the little shits that show themselves in this realm." The pair stepped outside the back door and looked into the woods.

Yooooouuu wiiilllll nooooot essssscaaappee…. The trees whispered. This time Dante stiffened as well, hearing the voice that Nero had heard earlier.

Yooooouuuu aaaaarrrrrreeeee miiinnnne nooooowwww… the wind whistled, the words physically meeting their ears now in a cruel mockery of a voice. Nero growled fiercely and revved the sword on his back. Dante grinned, cruel and savage, ready for a fight.

"I don't think so you bastard, bring it on." He said as the two walked into the trees and were swallowed by the mist.

A/N: Still creepy? I think so :) Also tense, very much tense… Oh I can't wait to get into the next chapter cause then we're getting into the thick of things :) Oh! Oh! I have something I wanna tell you guys! I have a fourth floor admirer! My name is on a board on the fourth floor that asks who your perfect valentine date would be! And it was on WMU Crushes too (it's a twitter thing, my roommate found it on there) and it was signed "Your fourth floor admirer"! I wanna know who it is! But alas I won't even be in Kalamazoo on Valentine's Day so if they were planning to say something then… they are sadly out of luck. But anyway! Exciting mystery!

Till next time,

-Winged Element