Nero ☩ 004

[partlyblackened]

Who: partlyblackened and somarium
Where: Noctaerium
Style: Starts in third, but either works
Status: Open like my heart
Notes: Angst all over the place, Nero is dressed like this, Kyrie looks like this and if anyone tries to touch her, he might just flip.

Comments

[shootsatclowns]

Dante was definitely not enjoying the little shin-dig going in this place. While it had seemed like an interesting investigation at first, the moment things started screwing with his head, he didn't like it anymore. The Sparda family had enough issues, and he was not the biggest fan of facing them head on second after second.

As Dante shouldered open the nearest door to him, he found a rather familiar face in the room, looking completely devastated and cradling the body of an obviously dead girl. She was beautiful, even in death, but now really wasn't the time to be ogling the chick. Whoever she was, she must have been important to Nero, given the look he was sporting.

"Nero." If this was real, even he felt bad for the guy.

[shootsatclowns]

Dante opened his mouth to tell Nero to stop, but the doors opened again, revealing the woman on the floor directly in front of them. Blood pooled out on the ground, her pale skin and golden hair streaked with it. Dante made a sound as he gritted his teeth, looking away. He didn't want to see it, not again, please not again.

Wasn't it enough that he knew she was dead. Did her body have to be dangled in front of him like some twisted gift? 'Here kiddo, here's our slaughtered mommy, ya miss her?'

Dante growled, knowing that they'd have to go this way whether he liked it or not. He motioned for Nero to go through, rubbing his hands over his eyes as he did so.

[partlyblackened]

He placed a hand on Dante's shoulder, much like he had place it on his, and gave it a few pats before making his way through the door. Nero knew all too well the feeling, but what he couldn't understand was why someone Dante had clearly loved was lying here dead as well. It wasn't adding up, and he was starting to question this place even more.

"Don't look... I'll lead the way," he offered as he left the door open wide enough for Dante to enter with ease should he decide to keep his eyes closed. The woman was beautiful, pale features, long blonde locks of hair... but she looked far too old to be to Dante what Kyrie was to him. The idea only saddened him more, the way Dante was acting and the ages matched up with only one word.

Mother.He shook his head to rid himself of the thought as he continued to lead the way, nodding in respect as he walked fully passed the body. This place was fucking twisted, it disgusted him to the core. It was wrong, to pit people's worst fears and nightmares against them in such a way. He paused to look

[shootsatclowns]

Dante was grateful to be honest, and he gave Nero a small nod of thanks. He wanted to keep his eyes averted, he wanted to keep the memory of his mother alive and happy. Not blood soaked corpse on the ground. He started walking, keeping close to Nero as he did so he could keep the other in his peripheral vision. The sooner they were out of this room and out of this place the better.

"Dante~."

The woman's voice that whispered his name was soft, musical... loving. Dante froze in his tracks, unable to stop himself from looking over to the sound of Eva's voice. She was getting to her feet, blood still dripping from wounds in her torso and neck, but she was smiling, smoothing down the skirt of her dress like she had just woken up from a nap. She smiled, showing her white teeth as she began to shamble slowly towards him.

"Come here, honey... let me see you." She extended her hands, no much closer, and reached to place her fingers tips on his face. Dante's lips quivered, barely opening enough for him to choke out, "M-Mom...?"

[partlyblackened]

His eyes widened as the dead woman on the ground began to twitch and stand, like she had never been previously bleeding on the floor moments before. He backed a few steps away, shocked but nowhere near as close to the degree that Dante must've been currently feeling. If Kyrie had gotten up... he would've lost it right then and there.

"Dante she's..." dead. Yes, dead as can be... and yet walking around and addressing him like she wasn't? That wasn't possible, this couldn't be happening. "She's not human

[shootsatclowns]

"Nero, don't!" It came out instinctively, even though the rational side of him was screaming that this wasn't real. He couldn't watch her die, not again, not when he was hearing her voice again, when he was seeing her smile at him like she used to when he was a boy. It didn't matter that she was covered in blood... she was here. Nero wasn't pulling the trigger anyway, making Dante feel the smallest sense of relief.

It didn't last long, though. Eva's lips parted as she grinned, revealing sharp canines that were all but human. The fingers on his cheeks suddenly had claws that were pricking into his skin and drawing blood. She giggled... a sharp, inhuman sound that chilled Dante to the bone as she slid her hands down and wrapped her hands around his neck.

"My little boy..." she cooed in mock warmth, "It's time for you to join you mother in hell." Her hands began to squeeze, and even though Dante could normally break free from something like this without batting an eyelash, he stood stock still, his hand loosening his grip on his sword

[partlyblackened]

Nero could only watch in horror as his suspicions were confirmed. It wasn't human, and that was becoming more and more apparent as it took on a twisted smirk and developed clawed fingers. He could only stand there, finger still hesitantly hovering against Ebony's trigger. Dante clearly needed his help with this, since he seemed more than willing to have the life choked out of him. Nero, on the other hand, wasn't about to let that happen

[shootsatclowns]

Doing as he was told, Dante screwed his eyes shut, which hid the flinch he gave when the gun went off. He felt the hold on his neck disappear, his legs caving out from under him as he fell to the ground coughing. He sucked in a few long breaths, eyes still closed, not wanting to open them yet and see that once again his mother was gone. The black dust in front of him started to drift away.

No. That wasn't his mother. It was a twisted imitation, another bad dream this place was throwing their way in an attempt to fuck with their heads. Dante's hand curled into a fist as he punched the ground, "Fucking damnit!" A moment of weakness, one that could have cost him everything. Thankfully Nero had been there to save his ass... he'd remember that. For now though, he allowed himself a moment and exhaled, his eyes wet with tears.

"Thanks." It was barely a whisper, but he said it none the less.

[partlyblackened]

"Yeah, don't mention it..." he said in an equally soft voice as he shrunk to the floor as well, emotionally drained, his limits pushed and surpassed in the short time that he had been there. He simply watched as the black dust cleared and vanished, the only evidence of what had transpired being the large puddle of blood drying on the floor across from them

[shootsatclowns]

At him name, Dante only just glanced up when Nero took his wrist and placed Ebony in his palm. His hand instinctively curled around it, regardless of the outfit he was wearing, the metal familiar against his skin. Lifting his eyes fully, they met Nero's and the look was enough to show that this little gesture had helped. It was over now, the trigger pulled, the monster gone. Even with the shape it had taken, it didn't matter anymore.

Taking the offered hand with his free one, the blue clad devil hunter sighed and stood up. He looked to the ceiling, shut his eyes momentarily, and let tears fall for his mother. She was eleven years gone, but it didn't make the wound of her death any less painful. Damn, he hated this part... but Nero had wept in front of him, so his pride wasn't completely bruised.

Once the tears had hit the ground and dried, Dante shook his head and whirled Ebony around his index finger. A small, slow smile formed on his face as he nodded to Nero. "Yeah. Let's go."