Hullo! Nothing to really say right now but enjoy the chapter!

Disclaimer: I do not own the Devil May Cry characters.

Ch.5 Ghosts

"So you're his Devil Hunting partner. Sorry, this is just too much for me," Nero rubbed at his temples with his human middle and thumb fingers. Just looking at Trish, a woman who looked exactly like Dante's mother in the picture gave Nero an even stronger chill. While she took a seat on top of Dante's desk, Nero tried to relax on the couch with Agni and Ruda leaning against the each of the couch's armrests, for once being quiet. The blonde woman nodded in understanding.

"I bet it is er…"

"Nero."

"Right. Did Dante say where he was heading off to?"

The young silver haired man shook his head slowly. "When I woke up, he was gone. No note or anything."

"Well, would you want to take a wild guess where he would be off to?"

He shrugged. "I dunno…off to do a job? Or…stop his death?"

She gasped quietly and her eyes slightly went wide. "He…told you?"

"…yeah." Nero scratched the side of his nose and looked off to the door. "Yesterday, I think he lost control of himself."

The cool demeanor that Trish gave off the first moment Nero met her had instantly disappeared. "In…what way?" She formed the question slowly.

"He went into some demonic form but it was like he didn't understand me anymore while I was trying to talk to him. Something happened…I can't remember but I woke up the first time to find him normal again. Then when I awoke again, he left this place without a trace."

"Oh…oh good." She placed a hand tentatively over her chest to what looked like was her steadying her heart.

"What else is there to the story?"

She cautiously looked at him to meet his gaze and blue eyes and face read a profound sadness that made Nero's heart sink. It was a look that Kyrie gave him when she first saw his demonic arm. He hated that look. "..Death came to Dante to tell him that his human side was going to die. Her being in a form is what makes it true. The only time you can see Death is when you are going to face it. At least, that was what Dante had explained to me when he was unwell. Him actually getting up and running around keeps me from falling completely apart worrying about him. Hmph. That idiot…" A small smile appeared on her lips as she seemed to be recalling the times of when the Devil Hunter was acting 'normal.' "…he thinks that by closing himself off and always playing the lone wolf would keep others from becoming close to him. How silly, he is."

"Trish…did he say what Death looks like?"

She shook her head. "There is no exact form of Death. It apparently comes in a form that is 'most comforting' to the one dying. He saw a little girl."

"That woman on the rooftop…" Nero mumbled to himself.

"What was what?"

"I saw…" Nero bit his bottom lip before he began speaking again. "While Dante and I were fighting I…saw a woman. She told me, well…mouthed the words 'Live to learn…die to save another.' I don't know what that's suppose to mean though." But he did have a pretty good idea what it meant. If that was Death than that meant…

"We can find out," Trish cut in between himself and his thoughts. She stood up and looked down at him with a glistening determination. "You and Dante seem to be connected somehow."

"No kidding-AH!" Nero hissed through his teeth as he clutched his Devil Bringer in agony.

"What's wrong?!"

"…my..arm. Damn it!" He raised his sleeve up to his shoulder and saw the rough red skin pulse abnormally and blood leaked through the bandages. Carefully, Nero removed the dirty dressing and saw the skin moving up his arm.

"What….is.."

"Let's just find Dante. If we stick with him, we most likely will find solutions to these damn problems. That picture on the table…" He pointed a claw behind Trish. "We have to take it with us. It's a puzzle piece."

--

"The City of Dis. It's almost exactly like in that one book," Dante commented on the city with no lights. He stopped the motorcycle on a hill top and stared down at the circle containing his destination. The rain had finally stopped and left a dark shadow ironically over the city, making one believe that it was already night time but Dante checked the time and it was only the afternoon. The only light that was on was the circle that lead a 24/7 metro all around the city. A few radiuses away showed real signs of city life. Inside the ring of light was only darkness. There were people in there who feared the night for they had no idea what was in front of their own noses. Only the morning light brought salvation upon them but nothing more. It was a low life kind of place where the most twisted lived and the innocent that could not find a way out, using the city as their only home. Actual light could be in the circle. It wasn't a law or anything to have light but it would only attract dangerous attention. Dante even believed that the city folk are too afraid to use candles. His vision became sharper as he scanned around the dark abyss. As his vision got use to the dark, he saw right in the center of the city was a statue. The face of the statue was too far for him to see but it was all that he needed to find before he started up the engine and headed into the makeshift Hell.

From where Dante was at, now at the edge of the city, the whole area seemed to be of another dimension. It had its own night while everything around it was a complete other reality. The clouds looked like they were dropping lower to swallow the City of Dis up. He entered the city limits with no problem. The security guards that were located at the entrance only chuckled under their breaths at him and allowed him in. Dante overheard them calling him a "Dead Man." Oh how right they were but there was no way he was going to die by the hands of a minor pickpocket. That was just too sad of a death for a man of his level. When a scruffy looking man appeared in front of him with a wrench, ready to beat him down, he only accelerated around him in a blur and turned off his headlight. The man didn't come after him.

"A dead man." "A dead man."

"A dead man."

"Heheheh, a dead man they call him!"

"The traitor has come right into our hands!"

"Dead man, dead dead dead!"

"Die, son of Sparda!"

Dante pushed the motorcycle up on its back wheel and turned back on the headlight. He uncovered Rebellion and swung it in a circle at the demons that were floating around him, meant to take him down by surprise. They all gave high pitch cries in their childish voices when the sword sliced them each in two and they faded back into the darkness. He placed Rebellion back in its sheath and grabbed the handle bars before the motorcycle fell back on its front wheel.

"Lesson 34: Never give yourself away to your opponent."

"You understand, young Dante? So if I were walk around in the darkness and you were hiding, what would you do?"

"Obviously not make a sound and attack silently!" Dante answered confidently.

"Haha, nothing gets past you." Lanetto grinned in approval. He swung his sword over his shoulder and pushed his dark maroon hair away from his clear rimmed eyes. "Hold your sword in front of you."

Dante obediently did what he was told as his shoulders reflexively raised to protect the sides of his face. He kept his face hard, trying to make his expressions controlled and fearful to his opponent. Lanetto got into his fighting stance and hardened his face. A black circle surrounded his feet, transforming him into his true demon form. Dante's blue eyes widened slightly and he found himself kissing the ground with his sword knocked out of his hands.

"Lesson 35:" Lanetto growled in his demonic tone of voice. "Never…ever…show your enemies anything else but a battle mask."

Dante wiped away the blood that trickled down the corner of his mouth and knitted his eyebrows together. He got up, brushing himself off and grinned slyly. Lanetto would have raised a questioning brow if he had one in his demon form. His eyes flashed wide as he flew out of the way and saw Dante's sword return to his hand.

"That was just a teaser, Sir Lanetto!"

"Haha…when did you learn how to call your sword back like that?"

"I practiced, Sir! For three weeks straight! Until Mother gave me an earful, ehehe." He rubbed the back of his head and grinned boyishly.

"Today's lesson is over then!" The elder demon returned to the ground, going back to his human form and smiled. "We have a half hour before I take you home to Sir Sparda. What would you like to do before then?"

Dante's immediately answered, throwing his arms up in glee, "Eat a strawberry sundae!!"

"What an unhealthy appetite," a voice said from the shade. Lanetto narrowed his eyes and greeted stiffly, "Good afternoon, Sir Des'."

Des' only nodded once, curtly and glared down at the silver haired boy. "Allowing him so many rewards will make him a sloth…or worse."

Dante growled and was about to give Des' a piece of his mind until Lanetto held out a hand. "At least he shall be a sloth with excellent swordsmanship. He is in my care after all and do you dare speak against my teachings?"

The other demon warrior made a sour face and looked off to the side. "I did not mention your teachings, did I? Good day to you both." He turned into his demon form and gave the two a glare with his red eyes one last time before flying away.

"What I would give to kick his a-"

"Ah ah ah! Language!" Lanetto waved a warning finger.

"-butt." Dante gave his mentor a smug grin.

"Ho hum, if your Mother found you speaking like this…I would be the one getting an earful."

--

"Dante!"

"Eh?! Oof!" The moment Nero and Trish stepped out through the doors of Devil May Cry, the ex-Order found his midsection being squeezed and lots of soft blonde hair in his vision.

"Patty, dear, that is not Dante!" A man in his late forties called out, running over to get 'Patty' off Nero. She looked up in confusion and then blushed wildly, letting go as fast as she latched on. She stood in a prim position and bowed, hiding her face in embarrassment behind her long hair.

"I'm sorry! Please excuse me!"

"Um…hey, it's okay. Really, you're embarrassing me," Nero tried to reassure her with a small smile, reflexively scratching his nose. Thankfully he placed his Devil Bringer into a sling before leaving to cover it up. Patty looked up cautiously and saw that the man she mistaken for Dante was actually…cute. She gave him his best smile.

"Hello, er, I'm Patty! Is…um," she fumbled with her words as she looked away shyly.

"We were wondering if Dante was home," the man finished for her, sensing her uneasiness. "Nice to meet you, young man, I am Morrison. Ah, Trish, long time no see."

"Right back at ya." She winked in greeting. "This boy right here is named Nero."

"Er, yeah, look, hate to break it to you but Dante's not here right now."

"Is he on a job?" Patty asked curiously.

"Well…something like that, I suppose."

Patty suddenly changed in demeanor, placing her arms akimbo on her hips and leaned forward slightly. "You're hiding something! He's not on a job, is he?!" Nero wanted to kick himself for making it seem obvious. "Where is he?!"

"Mr. Morrison..Patty..we're sorry but we need to cut this little reunion short," Trish calmly interrupted the younger blonde. "Nero and I are just leaving right now to go find him."

"What?! Well, we're coming too!" Patty suddenly injected. Nero suddenly felt annoyed. The girl looked as though she was seventeen and instead was acting like her shoe size.

"It'll be too dangerous," he warned but she her expression was still as stern as ever.

"I don't care! I want to see Dante! See, Morrison?! Something has happened to Dante!"

"But Patty-"

"No!" The girl looked like she was on the verge of angry tears. "I want to go with them! I want to see that Dante is all right with my own eyes! It's why we're here, isn't it?! To prove my reoccurring dreams wrong?!"

"What dreams?" Trish asked.

"I…I've been having dreams, no…to be more specific, nightmares," Patty explained with a tremble as she placed her hands close to her chest. "I keep seeing that event where Dante was on that cross…there was so much blood and all the demons were shouting happily because he was the last of his family to die. Then…then I saw a man who looked just like him. But he was so cold hearted. I didn't even want to come near him. He was standing over a dead corpse and his power…he had so much power…" She began to shake as tears silently slip from her eyes. "So please! Please let us come with you!"

"If that girl is going then there's no way I'm going to be sitting around while Dante's out having all the fun." The four looked in the direction of the road, seeing Lady walking towards them with Kalin Ann slung on her back. She took off her sunglasses and smiled. "It's time we all get going. Patty and Morrison too. That fool may be a half demon but everyone needs back up sometime, right?" She winked, causing everyone to nod. Trish closed her eyes and smiled in agreement, shrugging her shoulder with her hands out. Nero sighed, wanting to just go back to sleep on the couch.

"Walk…backwards…back to…Heaven."

He turned around abruptly and found no one behind him. A voice had called out to him, one different from the one he usually heard. The words would have given little meaning to anyone else but he knew immediately where he was suppose to go this time.

"Is there something the matter?" Trish asked, snapping him back to their attention.

"…I need to go back to Fortuna City."

--

I really just wanted to add Patty as a mini side character extra but now I have some good ideas and I'm glad now for her role in the anime series.

Love it? Hate it? Please REVIEW.