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, very brutally and with lots of blood, 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 Blood, Language, Angst, Future Hot Man Sex, Hurting Nero, and My Nero Theory.
I did extensive research (Double checking that research was why this chapter is a little late) and this is what I have come up with for Nero. I tried to fill in as many plot holes as I could. Please Enjoy~!
Chapter Six: Truths and Devotion
Nero clenched his fists tightly, his heart racing as a intimidating growl was the only sound that answered the name. He took a few steps backward when the red demon leaped off the table and landed in front of him, making the tile chip under the sharp red talons of his feet as he watched Nero as if he were new prey to toy with. The younger man would have been offended at being viewed as small prey if not for the baleful look in the crimson colored eyes. The demon that had once been Dante snarled at him, exposing his sharp teeth before lunging at him with long claws ready to sink into his exposed flesh.
"What the hell happened to you, old man?" Nero yelled as he rolled out of the way quickly, glancing around for anything he could use to defend himself. His heart beat was pounding in his ears loud enough to cloud his thoughts as he realized that Dante could not hear him. The violet fire under them flickered before vanishing, cloaking the room in complete darkness.
Nero swore heavily under his breath, standing up from his crouched position on the floor only to feel something sharp sweep under his legs. He shut his eyes tightly in pain when the back of his head collided with the black tiled floor, the air being knocked out of his lungs as a thick liquid ran down the back of his shins. The young man staggered to his feet as fast as his bleeding legs would let him, desperately trying to adjust his eyes to the darkness so Dante would not have an advantage over him.
He triggered quickly, knowing that it would not last very long but at least he would be able to see in the pitch black darkness of the room for a short while. Deadly red eyes met his as he saw the crimson demon lunge at him from the side. Nero hastily sidestepped the razor sharp claws and grabbed the elder's bladed tail with his devil bringer as it swung at him, some of the red hide on his demonic hand cracking under the force. The young hunter ignored the stinging pain and yanked on the glowing tail with all the strength he could gather, managing to throw the taller demon into one of the rose covered tables nearby.
The young man took a step back and felt a dip in the tile as well as something cold hit the back of his heel, hearing a loud clink of metal on metal. He glanced over his shoulder to see Ebony and Ivory carelessly lying on the floor. The portraits of the Victorian women inlaid on the wooden grips and Ivory's trigger guard were broken, various splinters of the wood littering the floor with the chips of the tile. The wood of the table snapping and a deep growl echoed in front of him and around the walls of the cathedral as the red demon forced its way out of the broken wood, glaring heatedly at Nero.
The younger hunter dropped to the ground and grabbed Ebony and Ivory, hoping that the twin guns were still loaded. He stood up and spun on his heel, aiming at the snarling demon that had once been Dante. Nero placed his index fingers on the triggers but hesitated on pulling them, a small voice in the back of his head telling him not to. He watched as Dante stood and ran towards him, no longer just playing as the look in the burning red eyes showed an intent to kill. Nero swallowed, shutting his eyes tightly as his hands refused to pull the triggers.
A whip of the spiked tail slashed across his chest, hitting his left arm hard enough to break the bone in several places and knock Ebony from his grasp. The red demon grabbed him by the throat, the long talons piercing his skin easily and coming dangerously close to crushing his trachea as he was lifted off the ground by his neck. Nero cried out in pain, dropping Ivory and grabbing the red and black arm that held him in the air. He sunk the talons of his devil bringer into the scales in an attempt to free himself, vaguely aware of how his left arm was hanging limp at his side and refusing to move.
"D-Dan...te!" Nero started to taste copper in his mouth as he noticed a thick stream of blood dripping down his demonic arm, his devil trigger falling him as he detriggered. His eyes burned with tears of frustration and pain but he refused to let them fall as he glared at the red demon that was slowly sinking his talons farther into his throat. "Wake u-up, you...fucking bas-tard!" Nero shut his eyes and grunted when he felt the grip around his neck tighten, the red demon bringing him closer and licking the stream of blood that had dripped down his chin.
Suddenly, the demon pulled back, the talons slipping out of his throat slightly as Dante eyed the younger man's neck. The crimson eyes widened at the deep bite mark at the junction of Nero's neck, half of it covered by the pulsing demonic claws. The younger demon slayer grunted when the claws were hastily torn out of his throat, falling to the ground as his legs refused to catch him. He gasped for air, clutching at his throat in an attempt to slow the pour of blood from it. Nero opened one of his eyes when he felt scaly arms around him, pulling him close to the red demon as it kneeled in front of him. His laugh came out as a sickening sputtering noise as he wrapped his unbroken arm around the demon's neck, his vision waning as he could barely see the lava-like glow of the elder's wide wings.
"Next time...remember me soo-ner, jack...ass." Nero fell forward, leaning his weight onto the older man as he fell unconscious.
Dante sighed as he finally regained control from his devil side, detriggering as soon as he managed to grab onto reality again. Rebellion clattered to the floor after transforming back into its original form and removing itself from his spine. He panted heavily, burying his face into the junction of Nero's neck and cursing at himself for not being able to recognize the younger man. He had been too wrapped up in his anger at Rabi and blinded by the urge to rip hell apart looking for the very man who was now unconscious in his arms.
"Perhaps I should have killed him once you entered the demon world. It would have made it easier for you to take over the demon and human worlds, but I suppose your human side is weak and stubborn enough to cling to something as replaceable as a mate." Dante growled low in his throat as a single candle was lit in front of the two hunters. Rabi walked forward out of the darkness, still holding the same candle it had taken from the silk covered table and leaving behind a trail of cotton from its torn ear. The older devil hunter narrowed his eyes at the rabbit, picking Ivory up from the floor and aiming it at Rabi.
"Nero's not replaceable to me. If he goes, I go. I'm sick of everyone trying to take him away from me and I'll be dead before you even think about laying a finger on him again." Dante growled deeply, about to pull the trigger on the light colored gun when Rabi spoke again.
"I could fix him, you know." The rabbit twitched its torn ear as the devil slayer raised an eyebrow at it. "You never let me tell you who he really was. I wonder if your opinion of him would change if I did." Rabi paused in thought for a moment, waiting for a bullet to fire at it at any moment. When no gunshot rang through the cathedral, the rabbit twitched its ears in delight. "You're curious, aren't you?"
"So what if I am. I doubt I would get an ounce of truth from your mouth. All you care about is taking over the demon world without getting your own hands dirty." Dante glared at the rabbit harder, trying his best not to listen to what Rabi was saying.
"True, but one comes across many events of history when one tries to take over a world. I came across that boy's, or should I say man's? He's a lot younger than I would have guessed, but never mind, I should start from the beginning." Rabi walked over to the nearest table that was still standing, setting the candle on it and sitting on the small chair next to it. "It was about ten years ago when your brother came to the demon world, after he had the pure audacity to slice my first body into pieces. I never forgave him for that, but I digress."
"He had fought against Mundus and lost, of course. He did not look too well during the fight and I suppose that you would be the one responsible for that. Mundus took him in as a servant but the demon lord could not have a half demon under him, let alone a son of Sparda. That would have lead others to believe he was becoming a traitor." Rabi shrugged lightly as it folded its hands into its lap. "Personally, I thought it would be more like a trophy but Mundus thought otherwise. I watched him tear your brother in half with his power, using the demonic being as his servant. That thing you are holding in your arms, would be the human side that Mundus tossed carelessly into the human world before it was sealed completely. It's younger, possibly because Vergil was suppressing his human side but that is only my theory."
"Don't you dare call Nero 'it'." Dante snarled at the rabbit who only cocked its head at him and ignored the out burst.
"When you defeated Nelo Angelo, you could say Vergil was attempting to become himself again thanks to his memories being awakened again. Unfortunately for him, it appears that his human side had already made an identity for itself. He manifested as that boy's devil bringer instead, since he was not strong enough to merge with the will of his human half's conscious. It's funny how he does not know this already. The memories should have returned as well but I suppose he may be repressing the demonic side of himself more than I expected." Rabi fell silent for a moment, content with just staring at the two hunters kneeling on the floor. "I do not expect you to believe me but think over my offer. I could fix it so it is your brother once more. I watched Mundus do such things before and I can mimic it quite well now. My question is, who would you choose? Your mate or your brother?"
It was quiet for a moment before a gunshot echoed around the cathedral. Rabi's remaining ear fell from the top of his head, leaving nothing but a stub of cotton in its place. The rabbit demon hopelessly attempted to twitch the missing ear, its beady black eyes narrowing as it pushed up its round glasses.
"I choose shutting you up. The only person who is allowed to talk more than I do is Nero. And I swear if you call him an 'it' one more time, you won't be possessing another stuffed body again." Dante growled and bared his teeth at the rabbit, his grip on Nero tightening unconsciously. Rabi was quiet as it stood, leaning down to pick up its detached ear before straightening itself.
"I see. It appears that you are truly stubborn to the point of annoyance. But be warned, son of Sparda, I will break your human side one day and you will destroy the human world and claim your inheritance of the throne of the demon world. Go back to your shabby little office with your incomplete mate." Rabi's form quickly dissipated as the darkness started to consume the two demon slayers. Dante wrapped both of his arms around Nero as the air thickened in his lungs, not willing to let go of the younger man even when he felt the wooden floorboards of the Devil May Cry office under his bare feet.