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Mission 1: Who knew boredom could be so...Random.Nero growled as he sliced through yet another Frost, his total count lost from the increasing number. Dante had given him the mission of taking out an infestation of Frost demons on the outskirt of Fortuna, because he himself had been 'indisposed' at the time to make the trip. In other words the Hunter was too lazy to get off his ass and travel to Fortuna, so he dumped it on Nero, who was closer...So it was safe to say he was annoyed...He didn't even get the pay!With another growl Nero used his Devil Bringer to grab an oncoming Frost by it's neck, pivoting on his heel to throw the demon into one of it's kin as it tried to sneak up behind him. "I sweat to god I'm going to kick his ass when I'm done with this!" He shouted as he kicked another demon in the stomach, the force sending it flying into a nearby house. He pulled Blue Rose free from its holster and fired off round after round at the ever increasing number of reptilian ice demons, wasting foe after foe as he used Red Queen to slice through those who got too close or his Bringer to smash them mercilessly into the ground until their insides were their outsides. His temper was once again rising when behind the hordes of Frost's crouched a lone Blitz, it's form crackling with electricity as it simply stayed where it was, not even bothering to zip around to unsettle him. The sight was rather out of place, because Blitz demons were well known for their speed and inability to stay still long enough to actually target them, that and their complete blindness. The fact that a Blitz was just crouching there with nothing but laziness was truley annoying, because Nero didn't know if it was just going to sit there all day or zip towards him when he wasn't looking...He was far from amused.Even more so when another figure appeared beside the blind demon, moving to simply rest an arm on the creatures head like it wasn't a crazy blood thirsty speed demon. From the distance Nero couldn't make out any defining features of the new comer, but his scent was reminiscent of something akin to burning rubber and old oil...It was almost enough to make him loose his lunch, considering the stench was worse then Dante's socks! Which, was a feat in and of itself, because Dante's socks would have Mundus running for the hills with a firm hold on his nose and his eyes watering... they were bad...With a grimace Nero decided to breath through his mouth, figuring the smell wasn't worth loosing his lunch over. He cleaved his way through the never ending stream of Frost's, receiving a good portion of what he gave along the way. By now his hoody was torn in several places and coated red from both his own blood, and the blood of the demons he was currently massacring. Not so small cuts ran over his human arm while a rather nasty gash had decided to place itself across his abdomen. Aside from that, the only thing bothering him was a tiny little scratch on his cheek...the damn thing was right over the bone and it was stinging from the sweat that dripped into it, it was as annoying as fuck! "Get outta my way!" he snapped as he pulled off a shot at point bank range to a Frost's face, the ice shattering and flying through the air as Nero simply stepped over it's now dead form. His gaze searched over his surroundings, finally breathing a sigh of relief upon finding the large number of remaining Frost's had suddenly developed some sense and retreated. The creatures pulling their heads back into broken windows and allies as he passed. He couldn't really believe the creatures were afraid of him, because he had a naging feeling that the figure beside the still immobil Blitz was calling the shots.With a huff he made his way to stand at least twenty yards from the figure, now identified as some kind of demoness, if the obvious curves and bulging chest was anything to go by...oh and the freaky lizard tail and horns.The woman stood easily six feet, clad in nothing but her own sage green scales. Her hair fell over her back, stopping just below the knees as it's odd beige color glistened in the fading light of the sun, her fringe crowned by yellow horns that followed the curve of her skull and twisted around the back of her head, to end in an upwards flick. An axe tipped tail swaying lazily behind her form as she raised a dangerously clawed hand to rest against her collar bone almost coyly, an almost sweet smile playing across her lips as she locked her gaze with Nero's.If Nero was 100% human he would have fallen for the woman's 'innocents', but thankfully he wasn't all human, so he didn't miss the blood thirsty blaze in the demoness's eyes. He simply dropped Red Queen onto his shoulder and holstered his gun. Using his free hand, which happened to be his inhuman hand, to swipe under his nose as he looked up at the woman. " I 'spose your the one callin all the shots around here?" The demoness continued to smile as she raised a clawed finger to touch her bottom lip."Und jus' who are zyou? I vwas expecting ze son of Sparda?" Nero blinked at the odd accent the woman had, then realized what she said."Yeah well, the 'Son Of Sparda' is bein a lazy ass and called me to do all his work for him. I can go and get the jackass and drag him here if you want to hurt him." The demoness only shook her head and dropped her finger from her lip, instead settling it back on her collar bone."Awe, zats too bad, I vwas veally looking forward to ending hiz life. It zeemz I'm jus' going to have to kill zyou instead." Nero twitched, his top lip pulling up slightly in annoyance as he growled."Hey hold up lady, Dante's the guy you want, not me, I just get phone calls from him when he's feelin to lazy to get off his ass, and I ain't even gettin payed for this!" This seemed to amuse the reptilian woman because she suddenly giggled and held her cheek in her hand."Awe, zyou are zo cute vhen your angry, in fact zyou remind me of an angry kitten." That made Nero actually hiss like one too, then he pointed a demonic finger at her."I ain't a damn kitten you crazy lady! Now do yourself a favor and crawl back under the rock you came from before I kick your scaly ass!" The demoness giggled again, then swiped her hand like a cats paw, yowling and hissing as she giggled again. Nero was not amused, the woman was mocking him!"Indeed, zyou remind me of a kitten-" then she suddenly went wide eyed, her hands clapping together in delight. "Then I shall make zyou a kitten!" This had Nero blinking."Say what now? Make me a kitten?" he then saw the demoness's hand glowing as she mumbled something under breath, her eyes wide with amusement as she suddenly pointed a blazing hand in his direction, sending a jet of yellow flames at his form. The only thing he had time to do was curse Dante to hell."Ah fu-"Dante suddenly shivered under his magazine, causing it to slide off his face as he blinked at the ceiling. He frowned as a sudden chill ran up his spine, his fingers twitching for Ebony that sat in his lap. He leaned his head forward, looking to the doors of the Devil May Cry, seeing nothing, but feeling something Dante shifted his feet from the table and stood, his hand occupied by his black gun as he slowly made his way to the double doors. Without much of a hesitation he raised his leg and kicked the doors open –he figured fixing the doors to swing both ways was smart...since he liked kicking doors open so much- training Ebony on the first thing he saw. Fortunately he didn't pull the trigger, because the second his gaze landed on the unconscious form of Nero curled up at the bottom of the three steps his eyes narrowed.Instantly thinking the kid was hurt Dante jumped down the steps and rolled the motionless teen into his arms."Nero?"Upon receiving no response Dante lifting his form easily and stood to re-entered his shop. He kicked the doors closed as he made his way in and quickly moved to his red couch to set the younger hunter on it's surface, his now free hands moving to search for any blood other then demons. He frowned in worry as he stumbled upon a nasty gash on the teens abdomen, his hand quickly painted red as he shifted the fabric of the dark hoody the teen wore. "Where the hell was your head at kid?" muttered Dante as he moved from the couch, dashing up the stairs ad into the bathroom for Bandages. He returned to the Ex Order Members side carefully removed the fabric covering his chest. He eased the teen into his lap and began wrapping the bandage around his waist, leaning forward to pass the roll between his hands, his chin all but resting on the boys shoulder. His brow shot up when he noticed an odd mark etched into the skin on the front of his shoulder, the small thing wasn't any bigger then a fifty cent coin and was colored an odd mix of silver and red. He squinted as he tried to make out the odd shape of the mark, soon blinking in confusion at finding what looked like a...demonic feline of some kind curled in on itself."What in hells name is this?" he whispered as he reached a hand to brush his fingers over it, but yanked his hand back when the small mark suddenly moved. The feline had been curled in on itself, as if sleeping, then as his fingers neared it, the thing came to life and swiped a clawed paw in the direction of his finger. Dante was so surprised and intrigued by the moving 'tattoo' looking thing he didn't notice something fluffy and white had landed on his lap. When he figured he'd annoyed the little mark enough, -it had actually hissed at him!- he finished bandaging Nero's wound, deciding he'd ask the kid when he woke up. Maybe it was some kind of...new tattoo designed by crazy teenage demons wanting to look cool...Or maybe it was some kind of cursed mark...Dante jumped in surprise when he felt something tickle his bare stomach, as he only had his coat on and not an under shirt. He looked down to find the annoyance only to have his brows shoot into his hairline at what he found. Twitching lazily against his stomach, was a fluffy as hell white tail, which upon further investigation, was attached to the unconscious teen in his lap, and not attached as in taped or pinned...no...it was apart of the teen, it even moved when Nero twitched in his state of rest. Before Dante even knew what he was doing he had a firm grip on the fluffy appendage and had yanked it none to gently.The after effect was instantaneous...The second he moved his hand the unconscious Nero, wasn't so unconscious anymore, in fact the teen had jumped and span in his lap, swiping his human hand across poor Dante's face with a not-so-Nero-like hiss. The second that had been done the teen had leapt over the back of the couch and had skittled up the stairs, the shop echoing with a resounding bang as he slammed the door behind him...Meanwhile Dante sat as he had been, eyes wide and mouth open as he felt something moist and warm slide down his cheek. Shaking his head, but with still wide eyes Dante brushed his finger tips against his cheek, bringing them down to stare at the crimson blood that coated his fingers. Without much thought he stood from the couch and moved over to the bathroom right behind his desk. He stood before the mirror and turned his face side on, to find a set of perfectly straight lines cut into his flesh. If Dante hadn't seen the kid do it he'd think he'd stepped on the old lady next doors cat and had gotten mauled. Then everything else settled into his mind, Nero had hissed at him when he yanked his tail, and had skittered up the stairs like a frightened kitten! If Dante hadn't been so worried, he'd be caught between laughing his way to hell, and having a very kinky fantasy involving fluffy cat ears and a leash...With a shake of the head Dante left the bathroom and jogged up the stairs, going straight to Nero's room before banging on the door."Hey kid! You ok in there? What the hell was that all about?" He received nothing but silence. So he tried again. "Hello, I know your in there kid, now whats with the tail and angry cat sounds? If I didn't know any better I'd say you'd finally slid of the deep end!" That time he got a reply, but it sounded so faint even his demonic hearing had trouble."J-just go away...I'm f-fine." Dante blinked, the kid only stuttered if he was A: Lying, B: Embarrassed beyond belief or C: Very upset...He figured A, B and C."Open the door and tell me what's wrong? Did something happen on that mission you took?" Nero laughed dryly on the other side of the door."You could say that..." Dante heard him mutter and frowned. Was he ok? Had a demon said something to him? Done something? I could tell what ever it was was demon related, the kid stank of powerful demon magic- then it hit him..."Nero, open the door and let me see." There was that possibility again, that Nero had been cursed, the mark he'd seen, the mark that had tried to claw his finger tip apart had been his first clue, then the tail...which was both odd and unbelievably sexy, but he couldn't think of that right now, he had Nero's life to worry about, there were some pretty fucked up and dangerous curses out there... and Nero may just have one..."No, just go away!" Dante breathed through clenched teeth as he banged his fist against the door only once."Kid, this could be serious, open the door and show me, or I'll put my foot through this door and show myself!" He could hear Nero panicking on the other side of the door, which wasn't something the kid did, so now he knew for sure something was horribly wrong. "You have to the count of 5! 1-" he could heard Nero's heart beat from where he was, and it sounded like the kid was about to have a heart attack –high unlikely, in fact quite impossible- "2-""Damn it just stay away from me!""3-""You can't see me like this!""Ok fuck this 5!" with that he kicked the door open, sending it flying against the wall with a loud bang and entered to stand in the center of the room. The second the door hit the wall he heard a cat yowl and hiss randomly –maybe he'd scared the old ladies cat...again- He frowned as he looked over the room, blinking upon finding it empty. "Where in Berials name did he..." he trailed off when suddenly got the urge to look up, and when he did, he doubled over in a fit of laughter at what he found.Attached to the ceiling of the bed room, was a very red Nero, with his hands...no...claws dug into the roof like a frightened cat, but what made him laugh even more...where the big, fluffy white cat ears atop his head, both pressed flatly against his skull as the teen turned his head to hiss at him once, then again, then flick his white tail at him in annoyance.If Dante had any doubts that the kid had been cursed, they were gone...because it looked like the demon that had done this, had been very, very bored...

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Getting Nero off the ceiling had been an easier task then first thought, all Dante had needed to do was grab the twitching tail that dangled down and yank it again. The result being a surprised hiss and a thud, then a groan...soon followed by hysterical laughter from Dante, and a few choice curses from Nero, who sat rubbing his rear with ears flat against his head.Currently Dante sat at his desk with a thick leather bound book in his lap titled 'Demonic Curses'. He was flipping through the pages looking for anything remotely similar to Nero's case, but so far it was proving to be a lost cause, because the closest thing he found to it was the curse of the 'WereCat' but that wasn't it...because so far Nero hadn't turned into a freaky ass giant humanoid Cat and gone on a rampage for tuna...Somewhere along the way Dante had suddenly felt lightheaded and had almost fallen sideways out of his chair, but with a flare of his demonic energy it had subsided instantly, but for some reason he could still feel a throbbing migraine kicking in...While the teen in question, Nero, was sat on the couch with his face in his hands, one leg jumping lightly in impatience. His fluffy tail was wrapped around his waist –he had gotten sick of Dante pulling on it for a laugh- while his ears were twitching this way and that, never seeming to keep still. At first Dante had just sat an inch away from the teen and watched them go, Nero had found it annoying, but decided to humor the Hunter and let him sait his curiosity in return for helping him. That had lasted the whole of thirty seconds before Dante decided he was done 'looking' and moved onto the 'touching'. He had grabbed both furry ears in his fingers and rubbed them, commenting on how soft they were, he got about four strokes in before he was punched in the gut and sent flying out the window and into the street.So he had figured it better for his health to stay at his desk and look for a way to reverse the curse, or at least find out what it was for...Nero sighed and lifted his face from his hands, turning to glare at Dante. "Hey old man, you found it yet or has your Alzheimer made you forget what you were doing?" Dante ignored the comment in favor of throwing the book at Nero's head, the teen easily ducking under the projectile and folding his arms with a huff. "I was just asking, jeez. Maybe you need to be put in a home." Dante's boots thudded against the wooden floor as he dropped his feet from the table to stand and walk over to the bookshelf in the corner, fingers rubbing his chin as his eyes skimmed over the books."I'd try and be little nicer kid, I am trying to help you remember? Or would you rather be stuck like this for the rest of your life?" Nero just groaned and dropped back to lay down on the couch."Just find a way to reverse it!" Dante just snickered."As you wish...fluffy." The crimson clad hunter chuckled when an empty beer bottle sailed over his head and out the window he had been previously punched out of."Call me that again and I'll kick your ass old man!" Dante just shook his head with another chuckle, raising his hand to pull out a dark blue leather bound book with the title 'Anamagus Curses'."What ever you say kid, just try and keep it in the litter box, ok?" All he had time to do when Nero threw himself over the back of the couch was laugh."Ok, so we know what kind of curse it is now, so it'll be easier to find out how to reverse it." Said Dante as he snapped his nose back into place while he sat in his usual position at his desk. Nero, who was flexing his Devil Bringer and still glaring at the older hunter, his tail flicking in irritation while his ears were pointed outwards away from his head only twitched an ear."Ok, so what kind of curse is it then?" Dante rubbed his healing nose and sniffed."It's an Anamagus curse. A curse that gives the victim the traits and instincts of the casters desired animal. In your case a cat...Why the hell did that demon think of a cat, of all things?" Nero's cheeks tinted pin for a moment as he folded his arms and leaned back into the couch, his ears flicking forward as he did something dangerously close to pouting."Apparently I look like a grumpy kitten when I'm mad." He muttered as he dusted non-existent dirt off his Devil Bringer. Dante remained silent at Nero's explanation, mainly because he didn't want a permanently disfigured nose. But on the inside he was laughing so hard he had trouble reading the words in the book. Nero seemed to sense his inner hysterical laughter because he sank further into the couch and grumbled something about stupid lizards and retarded old men.Dante flicked through the pages again until something made him flick a few pages back. "Hello..." he whispered as a familiar mark was shown on the page. Only this one wouldn't try to tear his fingers apart if he touched it. The demonic feline was curled in on itself just like Nero's had been before he went and poked it. His brows knitted together lightly as he read over the contents of the page."The curse of the Neko-Youkai, or 'Cat demon'.""This curse can only be cast on a being with a fiercely active soul. It alters the victims physical characteristics to that of a feline, normally ranging from a tail, ears, sharpened teeth and claws. The effects of this curse are not just physical, the victim will develop a sense of playfulness, will become prone to revealing emotions normally suppressed and on rare occasions where the victim feels cornered or threatened will become unnaturally vicious. In this state it is in the best interest of those nearby to immediately vacate the area and leave them to calm down at their own pace.""The mark of the Demonic Feline is a representation of just that, a demonic feline. The mark will reflect the status of the victims state of being.Reflections:If the mark is curled in on itself and still, the victim is calm, content and/or unconscious, which would be obvious.If the mark is active and moves of its own accord the victim is unsettled, unsure, nervous and/or fearful.If the mark changes from its original color to that of black and grows in size the victim is in a state of vicious rage. (it is highly recommended to vacate the area if such occurs)If the mark's color fades to a dull gray and seems to struggle with itself the victim is either in immense pain or dying.And finally if the mark solidifies in color and bleeds momentarily, the curse is made permanent and not even the caster can remove it..."Characteristics: A warning to those seeking information on such a curse: Be aware of the victims claws, they contain a poison consistent to Basilisk venom and can cause lightheadedness and disorientation to demons, while a painful death for humans. Emotions may be intensified by the effects of the curse and can cause rapid mood changes and altered behavior, such as violent outbursts, lucidness, hyper activeness and/or arousal.""Warnings: This curse can be permanent unless removed willingly by the caster or the 'marked' dies. If the mark solidifies as described before, there is no way to remove it period.""There is no known counter curse/spell for this curse other then death..."Dante stared at the book, then rubbed his now healed cheek. "Well now, that explains me almost falling out of my chair..." With an inward sigh he raised his gaze to Nero, who had moved to curl up on the couch, his head resting on the flat surface of the couch instead of the arm rest like he normally did. His ears were still for a change and his tail was draped lazily over the front of the couch, his knees bent to keep his feet from sticking out over the other side and one arm hanging over the side like his tail and the other resting in front of his face.He was fast asleep...If Dante had been a woman he would have 'awed' and said 'he's so cute!'. But since he was a man he simply raised a brow and snickered at the very kitty looking Nero, even the position was cat like! Then Dante's thoughts took a new direction as he watched the teen sleep, his face relaxed and innocent as he breathed evenly, his left ear twitching at random intervals while the other was smushed between his head and the couch. To Dante the cat ears and tail were incredibly sexy, so sexy in fact he was tempted to leave him like that. The look suited Nero like his own damn skin! Then Dante faintly wondered if there was any fur on the teens body, the book had said he'd have feline characteristics...cats had fur didn't they?Damn, now he was tempted to check!With an exasperated sigh Dante closed the book and set it on the desk quietly as not to wake Nero, who had twitched in his sleep at his sigh. It would seem those ears of his were more sensitive then his normal ones...What would happen if he bit one?Dante shook his head and smacked himself lightly, he was supposed to be helping the kid not molesting him! Besides, Dante was like...32 while Nero had just turned 19, he'd been called a lot of things but he'd prefer not to be called a pedophile...Not only that but he'd get his face rearranged and wind up the angry kitties scratching post...He'd rather not get poisoned again thank you very much...enough of that stuff might actually prove fatal...With another sigh, this one quieter then the first, Dante stood and moved over to kneel beside the sleeping ex Order member, raising a hand to gently scratch behind his exposed ear. He was caught between smiling and laughing his ass of when the kid started vibrating with a deep purr, the sound louder then one would have thought as he continued the treatment. Then a thought occurred to him as he raised his other hand to slowly brush the teens shirt to the side slightly to reveal the demonic mark. Just as the book had said, it was curled in on itself as Nero slept, not even moving when he poked it a few times, but when Nero moved lightly in his sleep at the prodding, so did the mark. This made Dante raise a brow as he got an idea. He stopped scratching behind Nero's ear and instead moved to lightly brush over the tip, causing it to flick to the side, Dante snickered when the mark mirrored the motion, its ear flicking when Nero's did.Oh he was going to have so much fun with this...

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It has been three days since Nero was turned half Neko, and Dante had made the most of the time...Meaning he had many broken noses and windows...Nero didn't seem like waking up to warm fingers rubbing his ears, even thought Dante had insisted he hadn't seemed to mind while he was sleeping, which only resulted in more of a beating for being a perverted old man.Currently Nero at the top of the stairs while Dante spoke to Trish over the phone, his cheek held in his demonic hand while the other rested on a raised knee. His ears were facing outwards while he listened in on Dante's conversation with the blond woman, his tail flicking nonchalantly behind him."I've already found what it is Trish, it's the Curse of the Neko-Youkai...Yes he has a fluffy tail...yes he has ears to go with it...no you can't have him...no Lady can't have him...What! Hell no I haven't molested him! What do you take me for, a pedophile?...I knew you were going to say that...Just get your ass here and see if you can get rid of it." with that he hung up and Nero was left to twitch in silence.Why the hell would Dante molest him?Better yet why was he even thinking about it, it's not like the idea appealed to him, he'd kick the old mans ass and send him to a home bound and gagged with demon proof chains!Nero sighed as he dropped his Devil Bringer to his knee, his head instead leaning on the railing of the stair case. He wanted to do something, anything to keep his mind off of the present, away from his predicament and away from Dante, the man was confusing him to know end. Waking up to find the man gently scratching behind his ear had been a shock, even more of one when he started purring, then he realized what he was doing and yowled at the man, instantly sending him flying across the room via a foot to the chest...hard.All Dante had done was laugh, and call him a sour puss..."Why the hell did I have to say yes? If I had just stood my ground and told him to do it himself I wouldn't be stuck like this! It was bad enough my arm drew stares, now I look like some kind of cat freak...And from the sounds of it, I'm gonna be stuck like this for the rest of my damned life."Nero sighed when Dante smirked at him from the foot of the stairs, a smug look in his sky blue eyes as he folded his arms. "Trish is on her way to assess your situation, she might know something we don't." Nero just rolled his eyes and averted his gaze to his tail while it dangled over the stairs."Great, someone else to enjoy my misery."Dante noticed his distraction and raised a brow. "You ok kid?" Nero just nodded absently, which caused the crimson clad hunter to advance up the steps to stand before him. "You don't look it kid, what's bothering you?" Nero glanced at him for a moment, then shook his head."It's nothing, I'm just thinking." Dante snorted."Well your thinking too hard there kid, you look like you drank sour milk." To Dante's surprise he wasn't sent flying across the room, which he had prepared himself for, no instead Nero shook his head with a snort and stood, turning in the direction of his room, and slammed the door behind him with a muttered 'what ever'. Dante frowned at the closed door, his head turned to the side slightly as he folded his arms over his chest. "What's wrong with him? The kid sure isn't acting like himself...Maybe I should cut him some slack." With a sigh Dante unfolded his arms and descended back to his desk, where he took up his usual position and waited silently for Trish to arrive.Nero growled as he dropped himself onto the foot of his bed, his head in his hands as his tail flicked in anger behind him. "What the hell is his problem? Can't he see this whole thing is his fault? If he hadn't have been so lazy and done it himself that scaly bitch would be dead and I would be in Fortuna curse free! This is the last time I ever do that bastard any favors." With another growl Nero stood and started pacing in front of his bed, his ears flat against his head as he clenched and unclenched his clawed hands. "I have to find that demoness and make her remove this curse. I can't live like this for the rest of my life! What will everyone think if they see me like this? Lady will probably laugh herself to death, Trish'll want to keep me like some damn house cat and Kyrie...Feh, I don't even want to think of her seeing me like this..." Nero had been with Kyrie since the whole Savior thing, but for some reason he had just not felt right with her. He loved her, loved her to death...but it wasn't the kind of love he wanted it to be, he could never bring himself to actually love her. To him, Kyrie was like a sister...And he hated himself for it. Kyrie had finally seen that truth and had been hurt deeply, but she had accepted it...And kicked him out of the house...But Nero was fine with that, he had just stayed at a friends place for a while, he had thought about asking Dante if he could move ito the Devil May Cry, but now...he wasn't so sure. The man seemed to feed off of his misery! Here he was, even more of a freak, and Dante was finding it the funniest thing in the world. All Nero ever wanted was to be normal, but no, he had been cursed with the Devil Bringer and all his demonic heritage...and now this...He looked like some circus freak reject.Nero loathed life, all it had ever done was laugh in his face and leave him to the wolves...Now it had gone out of it's way to make him feel worse then he already did...Dante was starting to feel guilty, the kid wasn't coming down to chew him out like he normally would have. "Is this whole thing really effecting him that much? It's not that bad, right?" Dante ust sighed and rubbed his forehead with his head. "Maybe I am an ass hole." He'd done nothing but tease and harass Nero since he found him on his door step. He'd found what kind of curse Nero had and what it did, and even how to get rid of it, but he hadn't done a thing to help the kid. He could see it was upsetting him, he knew how sensitive Nero was when it came to being normal, when he just wasn't. The kid just couldn't accept the fact that he wasn't normal even if he acted like it. He had demonic blood, he couldn't change that, and for some reason he couldn't just accept it either.And here Dante was making the poor teen feel worse!Dante had thought that getting Nero angry at him would be enough to keep his mind off of the whole thing, but it would seem it was having the opposite effect and the younger hunter was starting to show it...Dante gripped a handful of his white hair, yanking it as he grit his teeth. "Damn it Dante you are a jackass!" he hissed to himself as he leaned forward in his chair to rest his elbows on his knees and his face in his hands. He rubbed his face in his hands a few times but snapped his head up when the door burst open. He sighed when Trish walked in, her gaze instantly running over the room in search of Nero."So, where's the kid?" she asked as she moved to stand in front of the Hunters desk, her hand on her hip as she eyed the man. Dante just sighed and leaned back in his chair."He's in his room. I think I might have over done it with the teasing." Trish just snorted."That kid really needs to lighten up, no wonder that girl left him." Dante sighed in annoyance at the woman's attitude."That's not really our business Trish, now can you help him or not?" Trish just shrugged."I wont know until I see the mark." With a nod Dante stood and moved to the stairs."That's if I can convince him to come out of his room."Nero jumped slightly when a bang on the door sounded, alerting him to Dante's presence. He growled low in his throat and turned to face the opposite wall on his bed. He wasn't in the mood for that bastards smart as comments, why the hell couldn't he just leave him be?"Oi kid, Trish is here, she needs to see that mark on your shoulder." Nero's eyes narrowed as he sat up in his bed and sighed. With a growl Nero swung his legs over the side of the bed and stood, walking around his bed to the door where he flicked the lock and yanked it open to reveal Dante and the said blond woman. The second Trish's eyes landed on the ears she clapped a hand over her mouth to stifle the laughter that threatened to erupt from her throat. Nero just sighed and folded his arms."Lets just get this over with." He muttered as he shifted his hoody to reveal his marked shoulder. Both Dante and Trish stared at the demonic tattoo as it flattened it's ears against its head and flicked it's tail in annoyance. Dante remembered the passage in the book and folded his arms."So, he's either nervous or unsettled, I doubt he's scared, so he must be nervous." Trish leaned in to take a closer look at the twitching feline, raising a hand to poke it, only to quickly withdraw it when it swiped a clawed paw at her finger."Whoa, I've never seen anything like it..." She muttered as she eyed it critically, it in turn eying her with annoyance, it's crimson eyes flashing as Nero growled."Just get rid of it will ya!" he snapped as he folded his arms, his Devil Bringer flaring as he glared at the two. Trish stood back and shook her head."Sorry hun, I'm afraid there's nothing I can do, this is a little out of my league. I've never seen a mark like that before, and I've seen a heap of Anamagous Curses, your just going to have to put up with it until the demon who put it there decides to remove it." This made Nero throw his arms in the air with a snort."Then I'm stuck like this forever! That bitch did this out of boredom! She's never going to remove it unless I make her!" Trish shrugged."As I said I'm sorry, but there's nothing I can do. Your just going to have to find the demon." Nero growled and glared at Dante."Then your coming with me, this is your fault anyway! If you'd have just gone and done the mission yourself none of this would have happened!" The accused hunter just sighed."Alright I'll go with you, but tell me something kid, do you know where she is?" Nero remained silent, this signaling the negative for Dante. "I figured as much. Now, just calm down and listen. Trish here will keep an ear out for anything remotely related to the demon who did this, and when she hears something she'll tell us and we'll go kick it's ass. Ok?" Nero just folded his arms."And if she doesn't hear anything and that demon gets away for good?" Dante just shrugged."The look suits you anyway." Nero's ears flattened and he growled."I am not staying like this forever Dante! How the hell would you like it if you were in my shoes!" This made Dante smirk and shrug again."I wouldn't be in your shoes...I take a 14 and you take a what...9?" Dante inwardly gulped at the glare Nero shot at him and unconsciously took a step back. "Ehehehe, if looks could kill...Vergil would be kicking my ass in hell right now." "Awe come on kid I was joking! Don't you know how to lighten up?" Nero just drew his Devil Bringer back and punched Dante in the face, sending him flying back down the corridor and through his own bed room door.Trish shook her head and turned to the fuming Nero. "Just ignore him hun, he may be an ass, but he does care about you you know." Nero just snorted."Well he's got a funny way of showing it, next time he says something, I'm poisoning him again." Trish just sighed and turned to descended the stairs."Just don't let it all get to you Nero, I'll keep an ear out for something to point you in the right direction ok?" with that she descended the steps and walked over to the double doors, before she exited she turned and winked at Nero. "And he's right, the look suits you kiddo, you could turn a straight guy gay!" with that she slammed the door closed behind her, not even stopping to see the reaction that got from Nero.Who meanwhile stood rooted to the spot with a blush that could put a school girl to shame and his ears pointing outwards. When Dante emerged from his room rubbing his head he took one look at Nero and smirked."What's the matter kid, cat got your tongue?"

----- CHAPTER BREAK -----

If there was one thing Nero reluctantly liked about his new characteristics, it was the heightened sense of hearing. Normally he could hear very well, but with ears that could shame a radar, damn, he could here the old lady next door playing Scrabble with her fellow old people! He amusedly imagined Dante playing Scrabble with a bunch of old people, somehow the picture didn't fit...but it did make him snicker in his position on the couch. He currently sat cross legged with Red Queen resting over his knees, a polish cloth held over it's silver surface as he continued to snicker at the oncoming mental images of Dante doing things old people do. He couldn't help but openly laugh when an image of Dante yelling at kids to get off his lawn popped into his head. Thankfully the older hunter was in the shower, but he had not a doubt in his mind that the man could hear his near hysterical laughter and was probably thinking 'wtf?' while he bathed.Nero whipped the tears of laughter from his eyes as his chuckling died down to small snickers. Damn, what the hell had come over him? One second he's relaxed and polishing his sword the next he was laughing like a lunatic!Oh well, the images were pretty funny so he had an excuse if Dante bothered to ask...With a final snicker Nero settled back into polishing Red Queen in silence, his ears perked forward in concentration as he focused on the task. He was only dimly aware of the water shutting off in the bathroom behind Dante's desk and the shuffling of a towel as the man dried himself off so he didn't even flinch when the white haired hunter kicked open the bathroom door wearing nothing but a pair of tight jeans as he worked a red towel through his hair.Dante, upon catching sight of Nero on the couch working on his weapon smiled lightly and shook his head. The way the teen was sitting with his ears perked forward and his tail wrapped around the hilt of the blade was utterly comical, even as he poked his tongue out to the side of his mouth as he tried to rub a stubborn smudge out of the metal. The half naked swordsman removed the now soaked towel from his damp hair and tossed it over his shoulder and back into the bathroom just as the door swung shut. He removed his gaze from the teen and dropped himself into his chair, instantly leaning back and kicking his feet onto the desk. Two days ago he had called Trish, and two days ago had Nero snapped at him. The teen had locked himself in his room for the remainder of that day and had only emerged later the next morning to get himself something to eat. It had taken all of Dante's self control not to 'comment' on the teens choice in breakfast...A Tuna sandwich...He'd had to literally bite his own hand to keep quiet as the ex order member climbed the stairs and returned to his room. The funny thing about that was, Nero hated any form of sea food whether it be tuna or something as simple as fish and chips...Yet he had made himself a tuna sandwich and actually finished it, willingly.It had taken another several hours for the younger hunter to come back down stairs, but when he finally did he'd been wearing nothing but his trousers. Dante had watched the teen move to the side of the room and drop to start his daily work out. Meaning push ups until he dropped onto his face, sit ups until he knocked himself out on the floor and then chin ups on the bar Dante had put in –for his own work outs- until he slipped and landed on his ass, then finally a long hot shower.Dante had long since lost interest in his dirty magazine and had focused his attention on something better...Meaning he watched every muscle in the teens back flex and strain as he plowed through a long stream of push ups. The older hunter had sat and enjoyed the show even as the teen finished his push ups and sit ups and had moved unto the chin ups...which coincidentally had his front facing Dante –the bar was aligned with the wall- so the white haired devil had taken great pleasure in staring at Nero's well toned abs as they flexed and strained, his flesh covered in a sheen of sweat as he pulled himself upwards continuously.Thankfully Nero hadn't seemed to notice he had an attentive audience since he had a tendency to keep his eyes closed while he performed this particular work out. Dante had taken advantage and had openly admired the body presented to him.Though eventually Dante had had to sneak into the bathroom for a well needed cold shower. Watching Nero's perfect body move like that had surprisingly aroused the older hunter...With a shake of his head Dante ran his hands through his hair, shaking droplets of water out of it as he glanced at Nero, who had finished with his sword and had leaned it against the side of the couch, his hands now occupied with his prized Blue Rose.Dante had to say, Nero was a very attractive young man, he had honestly wondered why that girl Kyrie had kicked him out of her house. Nero had said it was his own fault, but Dante figured the girl had gone soft in the head. He had heard all about Nero staying with a friend, the news had irritated the older slayer because he'd wondered why the teen hadn't asked to stay with him. He could have given the kid a job and payed him for it, along with a roof and bed. But no, the kid had chosen to stay with some random...Dante almost felt unloved!"What's up your ass old man?" Dante blinked out of his daze and turned to face Nero, who had finished with his gun and had placed on the coffee table in front of him. The teen was looking at him with a look of only slight annoyance, his ears pointed in his direction as he awaited a reply. Dante just shrugged."Nothing kid, I was just thinkin is all." Nero raised a slender brow, his tail twitching absently beside his leg."Oh really? Then why were you glaring at your desk? Did it steal your pizza?" Dante snorted and pointed a finger at Nero." No, you stole my Pizza, I was just thinking." Nero only smirked, his brow still raised as he folded his arms."Well your thinking too hard old man, you look like someone stole your denchers." This made Dante's eye twitch sightly as he gave the half smirking half grinning teen a flat look."One, I don't need denchers, I have all my teeth thank you. Two, do you want to know what I was thinking about? I was thinking about how to kick your skinny ass into next week!" With that Dante launched himself out of his chair and tackled a hissing Nero off of the couch, catching the teen in a head lock when they hit the ground. "Now I don't know how many times I have to tell you kid, I ain't old!" Nero just hissed and sunk his fangs into his bare arm, causing the man to wince and loosen his grip, only to regret it when Nero swopped their positions."And I don't know how many times I have to tell you, I ain't a kid!" Dante just chuckled and raised his hands to grip onto Nero's ears, pulling them down roughly, causing the teen to yowl and release his head to remove his hands from his ears. Dante used the opportunity to grab and toss Nero backwards on the floor, using his speed to grab both of the teens wrists and pin them above his head before he could fight back. He straddled the struggling Neko's waist and smirked above him."Now that I have the kitties attention –oof- Now that was just rude." Nero only growled and tried to buck him off, the attempt making the man laugh. "Now now, be a good little fur ball and answer me this, I suggest you choose your answer wisely or I might just dump a bucket of water over your fuzzy little head." Nero blinked incredulously at him, then resumed his struggling. Dante only smirked and tightened his grip. "Am I an old man?" Nero snorted and laughed."No Dante, your not an old man." Dante grinned. "Your an antique!" Dante blinked as Nero erupted into a fit of laughter, while he himself growled."Come on kid I ain't old!""And I ain't a kid!""You sure are acting like one!""Calm down old man I don't need you having a stroke.""Grr keep it up kitty cat, just keep it up!""And what are you going to do about it? Throw your denchers at me and call Senior Services!""Now you've gone and done it whiskers.""Hah! I don't have whiskers!" Dante growled and was about to kick Nero's ass but yelped when a knee collided with his crouch, causing him to roll off of the teen in a groaning heap. Nero seized the moment and jumped to his feet, instantly taking off up the stairs taking three at a time. In the short time it took him to reach the top Dante had jumped to his feet and zoomed in front of him, blocking his way to his room. With a startled hiss Nero skidded to a stop and turned on his heel to dash in the other direction, which just so happened to be Dante's room. He burst through the door and slammed it shut behind him, locking it and leaning on it for good measure as he took in deep breaths to calm his racing heart. His tail swayed nervously behind him as his ears lay semi flattened. His heart jumped into his throat when the door suddenly gave a powerful lurch and threatened to break. Following nothing but instinct Nero dashed away from the door and dove under the king sized bed against the wall, skittering to press himself into the corner, his eyes glued to the shuddering door as Dante rammed it from the other side.Dante grunted as he rammed his shoulder into his own bed room door, dimly cursing himself for fixing it with reinforced locks. With a final grunt he slammed his body into the wood, yelping when it gave way and he fell with it. Stumbling to his feet Dante scanned his room for Nero, walking over to his closet and opening it, finding nothing but his own clothing and a few choice toys he closed it again, turning to inspect the room with a hand on his hip. He scanned the room again, his gaze passing over the odd pile of dirty or clean clothing as he looked. His lips slipped into a smirk when he caught sight of a faint blue glow coming from under his bed and slowly walked over to stand in front of it. "Here kitty kitty kitty." He coed as he walked around to the foot of the bed, then slowly walked back. He eyed the glow with a smug smirk, then swiftly lifted the mattress and threw it across the room, instantly revealing a panicking neko under the bed frame. It just so happened Dante didn't expect the teen to scramble out from under the frame and between his legs, causing him to stagger sideways and fall over as the teen disappeared out the door cackling evilly."Too slow old man!" Dante growled."Not an old man!" He hollered as he climbed to his feet and took after the cackling teen.Nero jumped over the railing of the staircase and landed on all fours with ease, with only a seconds hesitation he jumped to two feet and bolted towards the double doors of the Devil May Cry, still cackling as his hands gripped the handles. Sadly he couldn't pull the doors open because a strong hand grabbed the back of his jeans and yanked him backwards, the force of the yank making him fall on his rear a few feet from the doors. He snickered and rolled backwards over himself as Dante tried to grab him, then sprung to his feet, instantly pouncing over the back of the couch as Dante again tried to grab him for a healthy dose of ass kicking.Meanwhile Dante was wondering what the hell was wrong with the kid, one second he's all broody/annoyed the next he's bouncing off the walls like a kitten on cat nip! Then it hit him. He had cat instincts in him now...Cats are playful.Nero was being playful, and Dante was playing along with him...At first it had been him trying to kick the kids ass for calling him old, then it turned into him chasing the hyper active half Neko/Devil around the joint. To think Nero hadn't realized what he was doing yet...it was just crazy!Dante laughed when Nero pounced over the couch like a cat and followed after him, only he 'leapt' not 'pounced', so he looked dignified when he did it. Nero obviously had been waiting for him because the second Dante flew over the couch Nero was there to intercept him, catching him in a headlock in mid air. Dante, finding the weak point in the hold easily found his way out of it and used his body mass to knock Nero over the side of the couch, only he wasn't expecting the kid to latch his claws into his jeans, therefore taking Dante with him onto the floor. Unfortunately for Dante the claws tore through the fabric and cut into the flesh of his hips when he landed on the floor...no, not floor... he had landed on Nero, who was now trying to wiggle out from under the older hunter but couldn't due to the fact the man was heavier then he was and his claws were stuck in the fabric of Dante's jeans, which seemed to be funny because Dante burst into laughter because it looked like Nero was trying to grope his ass, but he wasn't, his claws were just stuck and he was trying his damned hardest to get them out! If he tried any harder Dante had the faint suspicion he'd tear the ass of his jeans off..."Awe, wazza a matter? Kitty got his claws stuck?" Nero just hissed in his face and rolled them over, only to regret it because that resulted in his hands getting painfully stuck under Dante, who only laughed at his expense. "Your not making your life any easier kid, just give up and take it like a man." Nero only snorted."I don't give up old man, now get off my hands!" Dante just smirked, then rolled them over again, grabbing the teens hands and yanking them free from his jeans, only to pin them above his head instead."What now fur ball?" Nero just growled and tried to once again buck Dante off, but failed just as before, causing Dante to grin in smug satisfaction. "Your not going anywhere kiddo, I got you now." Nero only snorted."Your still an old man, now do your worst, 'cause I ain't taking it back!" Dante's smirk returned as he used his legs to lock Nero's against the floor, his grip tightening on the teens wrists as he lowered his head to grin eerily."You shouldn't have said that, Nero."

----- CHAPTER BREAK -----

If there was one thing Nero reluctantly liked about his new characteristics, it was the heightened sense of hearing. Normally he could hear very well, but with ears that could shame a radar, damn, he could here the old lady next door playing Scrabble with her fellow old people! He amusedly imagined Dante playing Scrabble with a bunch of old people, somehow the picture didn't fit...but it did make him snicker in his position on the couch. He currently sat cross legged with Red Queen resting over his knees, a polish cloth held over it's silver surface as he continued to snicker at the oncoming mental images of Dante doing things old people do. He couldn't help but openly laugh when an image of Dante yelling at kids to get off his lawn popped into his head. Thankfully the older hunter was in the shower, but he had not a doubt in his mind that the man could hear his near hysterical laughter and was probably thinking 'wtf?' while he bathed.Nero whipped the tears of laughter from his eyes as his chuckling died down to small snickers. Damn, what the hell had come over him? One second he's relaxed and polishing his sword the next he was laughing like a lunatic!Oh well, the images were pretty funny so he had an excuse if Dante bothered to ask...With a final snicker Nero settled back into polishing Red Queen in silence, his ears perked forward in concentration as he focused on the task. He was only dimly aware of the water shutting off in the bathroom behind Dante's desk and the shuffling of a towel as the man dried himself off so he didn't even flinch when the white haired hunter kicked open the bathroom door wearing nothing but a pair of tight jeans as he worked a red towel through his hair.Dante, upon catching sight of Nero on the couch working on his weapon smiled lightly and shook his head. The way the teen was sitting with his ears perked forward and his tail wrapped around the hilt of the blade was utterly comical, even as he poked his tongue out to the side of his mouth as he tried to rub a stubborn smudge out of the metal. The half naked swordsman removed the now soaked towel from his damp hair and tossed it over his shoulder and back into the bathroom just as the door swung shut. He removed his gaze from the teen and dropped himself into his chair, instantly leaning back and kicking his feet onto the desk. Two days ago he had called Trish, and two days ago had Nero snapped at him. The teen had locked himself in his room for the remainder of that day and had only emerged later the next morning to get himself something to eat. It had taken all of Dante's self control not to 'comment' on the teens choice in breakfast...A Tuna sandwich...He'd had to literally bite his own hand to keep quiet as the ex order member climbed the stairs and returned to his room. The funny thing about that was, Nero hated any form of sea food whether it be tuna or something as simple as fish and chips...Yet he had made himself a tuna sandwich and actually finished it, willingly.It had taken another several hours for the younger hunter to come back down stairs, but when he finally did he'd been wearing nothing but his trousers. Dante had watched the teen move to the side of the room and drop to start his daily work out. Meaning push ups until he dropped onto his face, sit ups until he knocked himself out on the floor and then chin ups on the bar Dante had put in –for his own work outs- until he slipped and landed on his ass, then finally a long hot shower.Dante had long since lost interest in his dirty magazine and had focused his attention on something better...Meaning he watched every muscle in the teens back flex and strain as he plowed through a long stream of push ups. The older hunter had sat and enjoyed the show even as the teen finished his push ups and sit ups and had moved unto the chin ups...which coincidentally had his front facing Dante –the bar was aligned with the wall- so the white haired devil had taken great pleasure in staring at Nero's well toned abs as they flexed and strained, his flesh covered in a sheen of sweat as he pulled himself upwards continuously.Thankfully Nero hadn't seemed to notice he had an attentive audience since he had a tendency to keep his eyes closed while he performed this particular work out. Dante had taken advantage and had openly admired the body presented to him.Though eventually Dante had had to sneak into the bathroom for a well needed cold shower. Watching Nero's perfect body move like that had surprisingly aroused the older hunter...With a shake of his head Dante ran his hands through his hair, shaking droplets of water out of it as he glanced at Nero, who had finished with his sword and had leaned it against the side of the couch, his hands now occupied with his prized Blue Rose.Dante had to say, Nero was a very attractive young man, he had honestly wondered why that girl Kyrie had kicked him out of her house. Nero had said it was his own fault, but Dante figured the girl had gone soft in the head. He had heard all about Nero staying with a friend, the news had irritated the older slayer because he'd wondered why the teen hadn't asked to stay with him. He could have given the kid a job and payed him for it, along with a roof and bed. But no, the kid had chosen to stay with some random...Dante almost felt unloved!"What's up your ass old man?" Dante blinked out of his daze and turned to face Nero, who had finished with his gun and had placed on the coffee table in front of him. The teen was looking at him with a look of only slight annoyance, his ears pointed in his direction as he awaited a reply. Dante just shrugged."Nothing kid, I was just thinkin is all." Nero raised a slender brow, his tail twitching absently beside his leg."Oh really? Then why were you glaring at your desk? Did it steal your pizza?" Dante snorted and pointed a finger at Nero." No, you stole my Pizza, I was just thinking." Nero only smirked, his brow still raised as he folded his arms."Well your thinking too hard old man, you look like someone stole your denchers." This made Dante's eye twitch sightly as he gave the half smirking half grinning teen a flat look."One, I don't need denchers, I have all my teeth thank you. Two, do you want to know what I was thinking about? I was thinking about how to kick your skinny ass into next week!" With that Dante launched himself out of his chair and tackled a hissing Nero off of the couch, catching the teen in a head lock when they hit the ground. "Now I don't know how many times I have to tell you kid, I ain't old!" Nero just hissed and sunk his fangs into his bare arm, causing the man to wince and loosen his grip, only to regret it when Nero swopped their positions."And I don't know how many times I have to tell you, I ain't a kid!" Dante just chuckled and raised his hands to grip onto Nero's ears, pulling them down roughly, causing the teen to yowl and release his head to remove his hands from his ears. Dante used the opportunity to grab and toss Nero backwards on the floor, using his speed to grab both of the teens wrists and pin them above his head before he could fight back. He straddled the struggling Neko's waist and smirked above him."Now that I have the kitties attention –oof- Now that was just rude." Nero only growled and tried to buck him off, the attempt making the man laugh. "Now now, be a good little fur ball and answer me this, I suggest you choose your answer wisely or I might just dump a bucket of water over your fuzzy little head." Nero blinked incredulously at him, then resumed his struggling. Dante only smirked and tightened his grip. "Am I an old man?" Nero snorted and laughed."No Dante, your not an old man." Dante grinned. "Your an antique!" Dante blinked as Nero erupted into a fit of laughter, while he himself growled."Come on kid I ain't old!""And I ain't a kid!""You sure are acting like one!""Calm down old man I don't need you having a stroke.""Grr keep it up kitty cat, just keep it up!""And what are you going to do about it? Throw your denchers at me and call Senior Services!""Now you've gone and done it whiskers.""Hah! I don't have whiskers!" Dante growled and was about to kick Nero's ass but yelped when a knee collided with his crouch, causing him to roll off of the teen in a groaning heap. Nero seized the moment and jumped to his feet, instantly taking off up the stairs taking three at a time. In the short time it took him to reach the top Dante had jumped to his feet and zoomed in front of him, blocking his way to his room. With a startled hiss Nero skidded to a stop and turned on his heel to dash in the other direction, which just so happened to be Dante's room. He burst through the door and slammed it shut behind him, locking it and leaning on it for good measure as he took in deep breaths to calm his racing heart. His tail swayed nervously behind him as his ears lay semi flattened. His heart jumped into his throat when the door suddenly gave a powerful lurch and threatened to break. Following nothing but instinct Nero dashed away from the door and dove under the king sized bed against the wall, skittering to press himself into the corner, his eyes glued to the shuddering door as Dante rammed it from the other side.Dante grunted as he rammed his shoulder into his own bed room door, dimly cursing himself for fixing it with reinforced locks. With a final grunt he slammed his body into the wood, yelping when it gave way and he fell with it. Stumbling to his feet Dante scanned his room for Nero, walking over to his closet and opening it, finding nothing but his own clothing and a few choice toys he closed it again, turning to inspect the room with a hand on his hip. He scanned the room again, his gaze passing over the odd pile of dirty or clean clothing as he looked. His lips slipped into a smirk when he caught sight of a faint blue glow coming from under his bed and slowly walked over to stand in front of it. "Here kitty kitty kitty." He coed as he walked around to the foot of the bed, then slowly walked back. He eyed the glow with a smug smirk, then swiftly lifted the mattress and threw it across the room, instantly revealing a panicking neko under the bed frame. It just so happened Dante didn't expect the teen to scramble out from under the frame and between his legs, causing him to stagger sideways and fall over as the teen disappeared out the door cackling evilly."Too slow old man!" Dante growled."Not an old man!" He hollered as he climbed to his feet and took after the cackling teen.Nero jumped over the railing of the staircase and landed on all fours with ease, with only a seconds hesitation he jumped to two feet and bolted towards the double doors of the Devil May Cry, still cackling as his hands gripped the handles. Sadly he couldn't pull the doors open because a strong hand grabbed the back of his jeans and yanked him backwards, the force of the yank making him fall on his rear a few feet from the doors. He snickered and rolled backwards over himself as Dante tried to grab him, then sprung to his feet, instantly pouncing over the back of the couch as Dante again tried to grab him for a healthy dose of ass kicking.Meanwhile Dante was wondering what the hell was wrong with the kid, one second he's all broody/annoyed the next he's bouncing off the walls like a kitten on cat nip! Then it hit him. He had cat instincts in him now...Cats are playful.Nero was being playful, and Dante was playing along with him...At first it had been him trying to kick the kids ass for calling him old, then it turned into him chasing the hyper active half Neko/Devil around the joint. To think Nero hadn't realized what he was doing yet...it was just crazy!Dante laughed when Nero pounced over the couch like a cat and followed after him, only he 'leapt' not 'pounced', so he looked dignified when he did it. Nero obviously had been waiting for him because the second Dante flew over the couch Nero was there to intercept him, catching him in a headlock in mid air. Dante, finding the weak point in the hold easily found his way out of it and used his body mass to knock Nero over the side of the couch, only he wasn't expecting the kid to latch his claws into his jeans, therefore taking Dante with him onto the floor. Unfortunately for Dante the claws tore through the fabric and cut into the flesh of his hips when he landed on the floor...no, not floor... he had landed on Nero, who was now trying to wiggle out from under the older hunter but couldn't due to the fact the man was heavier then he was and his claws were stuck in the fabric of Dante's jeans, which seemed to be funny because Dante burst into laughter because it looked like Nero was trying to grope his ass, but he wasn't, his claws were just stuck and he was trying his damned hardest to get them out! If he tried any harder Dante had the faint suspicion he'd tear the ass of his jeans off..."Awe, wazza a mutter? Kitty got his claws stuck?" Nero just hissed in his face and rolled them over, only to regret it because that resulted in his hands getting painfully stuck under Dante, who only laughed at his expense. "Your not making your life any easier kid, just give up and take it like a man." Nero only snorted."I don't give up old man, now get off my hands!" Dante just smirked, then rolled them over again, grabbing the teens hands and yanking them free from his jeans, only to pin them above his head instead."What now fur ball?" Nero just growled and tried to once again buck Dante off, but failed just as before, causing Dante to grin in smug satisfaction. "Your not going anywhere kiddo, I got you now." Nero only snorted."Your still an old man, now do your worst, 'cause I ain't taking it back!" Dante's smirk returned as he used his legs to lock Nero's against the floor, his grip tightening on the teens wrists as he lowered his head to grin eerily."You shouldn't have said that, Nero."

----- CHAPTER BREAK -----

Nero was confused. One second he was a whirl wind of energy, the next he's the picture of calm. Dante had him pinned under his own body and was threatening him with something supposedly unspeakable, he should be struggling, he should be biting, he should be shouting insults not blinking owlishly at the hunter above him! Even though he was confused, he could still feel an odd heat creeping into his cheeks, the way Dante had said his name had made something coil inside Nero's body, he felt tensed and ready to pounce, but then the body on top of his was preventing any kind of movement.All Nero could do was wonder what the hell was wrong with himself...Even more so when Dante lowered his face until they were nose to nose, the look in the elder hunters eyes worried Nero, and at the same time excited him."You've been a very naughty kitty Nero, I think it's about time you got your punishment." To Nero, the words were odd coming from Dante, and sounded oddly coy. To Dante, the words were ever slightly slurred, he had no idea why, but he felt drunk. His mind was slightly foggy and for some reason his head felt like a slab of jelly.Maybe it had something to do with the poison in Nero's claws?Nah, it had barely effected him before, so why would it effect him now? Maybe the fact the claws had been submerged in his flesh for well over 40 seconds had something to do with it.Great, he'd over dosed on Nero's poison...Nero was about to ask if Dante's 'arthritic' was slowing him down but was halted by a loud 'oof' when the man suddenly collapsed onto his chest, knocking the wind out of his lungs. He blinked when the grip on his wrists went slack and blinked again when the hunter didn't move. "Hey old man, you didn't fall asleep did you?" When he was met with silence he frowned and jolted his body slightly to get the half devils attention, it didn't work. With a huff of effort Nero rolled the motionless form of Dante off of himself and sat up. He turned and looked down at the hunters face.His eyes were closed and his face slack as if asleep...Nero raised a brow and poked his cheek with a glowing blue finger, blinking when the face didn't even twitch. "Hellooo, Earth to Dante, this is a wake up call!" Nero grabbed the mans shoulder and shook it roughly, watching in disbelief as the body just fell onto it's back. Now he was getting worried... he shifted to kneel beside Dante's form, his fingers gliding to press into his neck, fortunately he found a pulse, unfortunately Nero realized what had happened, and slapped his forehead. "Argh, wait a go Nero, you poisoned the one guy who could help get rid of this curse." With a sigh Nero stood, bending down to scoop the motionless hunter into his arms with only a little difficulty, he moved back over to the couch and deposited the not-so-light man onto it's surface, dropping down onto the hunters legs with an exasperated sigh. "Stupid old man must be a light weighter." He huffed as he examined his claws and grimaced at finding them slicked with the mans blood. He leaned over the side of the couch and grabbed the cloth he had used to polish his sword, quickly using it to whip the crimson liquid from his claws. "This day just can't get any worse."Creak, shudder, bang...Nero's eyes widened to diner plates when the door to the bathroom behind Dante's desk flew open, propelled off it's hinges by a jet of water. "What the hell!" yowled Nero as he jumped to his feet, only to hiss when water splashed against his bare feet. He jumped back onto the couch and watched wide eyed as the shop flooded with cold water, the bathroom splashing a never ending stream of water as it sowly drained from the front doors and down the steps into the street. Nero knew Dante was cheap, but seriously, when was the last time he checked the plumbing! With a growl Nero whirled to straddle Dante's hips and bent to slap the man across the face a few times. "Oi old man! Wake up!" nothing but silence. Nero growled again and leaned over the side to scoop water into his hands, then leaned back to drop it all over Dante's face, if only Nero had foreseen Dante bolting upright and knocking him backwards off the couch and into the cold water."What the hell was that for kid!" Nero, who was currently scrambling to get out of the ankle deep water only hissed and jumped back onto the couch, his claws unconsciously digging into the fabric to stay there."Your a cheap ass you know that! Your main water valve just exploded!" Dante blinked, then turned to the source of the water."Uh man! I had that checked six months ago! He said it was fine!" Nero only shivered once, then snorted."You well it ain't fine now! Fix it!" Dante blinked, then turned to give the soggy neko a flat look."Do I look like a plumber?" Nero only shuddered."Dude, have you seen your rear when you bend over?" Dante just spluttered, then jabbed a finger into Nero's nose."What the hell are ya doing looking at my ass!" Nero only snorted."It's kind of hard to miss when your showing it off to the world grandpa." Dante only shook his head and pushed himself into a standing position. He flicked his water covered feet at Nero, effectively splashing the Neko, who flattened his ears and growled. Dante chuckled and sloshed his way into the flooded bathroom. When he entered it he went straight under the sink in search of the secondary valve, with a triumphant grin Dante turned the panel and shut off the water. When he emerged from the bathroom he saw Nero on the back of the couch glaring at the water."What's wrong, is the kitty afraid of the water?" Nero only snorted and flicked his tail."I ain't scared of water, I just hate it!" Dante only shook his head."That's the curse talking kid, your always in the shower for well over two hours." Nero huffed."Am not." Dante snickered and sloshed his way over to Nero, who upon catching the look in his eyes hissed and skittered backwards to the end of the couch. "What ever your thinking, no! Don't do it!" Dante only grinned evilly and grabbed Nero by his Devil Bringer, effectively yanking him off of the couch, if only he'd been expecting the kid to latch onto him instead of just falling off. Dante burst into a fit of laughter as Nero clung to his form for dear life, his white tail wrapping tightly around Dante's leg while his arms were wrapped tightly around his neck and his legs around his waist."Come on kid I know I'm irresistible and all but I'm not into the clungy type." Nero growled while Dante just laughed, if the kid wasn't going to let go, he'd have to get wet himself. Without further ado Dante's arms wrapped firmly around Nero's body, holding him tighter against his form when the teen began to struggle and hiss at him. With a final snicker he simply let himself fall forward into the water, Nero hitting it first with a splash and yowl."Damn it old man that shits cold!" Nero shouted as he tried to get away from Dante, who cackled and shoved his front into the water, effectively getting him soaked to the bone."Well now we've gone from a pissy kitty to a soggy kitty! Tell me kid how does the water feel?" Nero growled and tried to buck the older man off when he straddled his back. "Whoa now easy there tiger!" laughed Dante as Nero yanked his Devil Bringer free and swung it back in an attempt to snag him in the jaw. Dante avoided the blow and grabbed the offending arm, pressing it back against the teens side. "You really don't like water do you?" Nero hissed and used his leg to kick Dante in the back, knocking the man forward and off of his body. With a triumphant chuckle Nero pounced onto the rising Hunter, promptly knocking him onto his back and straddled his hips in return, grabbing the mans hands and pinning them above his head."What goes around comes around you old geezer." Snickered Nero as he locked the mans body down with his own. "Your not going anywhere!" he cackled as he shook his head to get the water out of his ears, which were currently flicking wildy to dry themselves. Dante just snorted and tested the teens grip."keh, your a little cub trying to hold down a lion kid, you only get one warning." Nero snorted and smirked, his fangs glinting in the reflection of the water as he tightened his grip."And what are you going to do? Break a hip on me?" Dante snarled and snapped his hips upward, sending a yelping Nero sailing off of his form and back onto the flooded floor, the impact sending water splashing in every direction. With a chuckle Dante retook his position on Nero's body, this time straddling his hips with his knees to keep him in place."Your getting out of hand Nero, what am I going to do with you?" The teen in question just snickered and shrugged. His cat side had taken over yet again and he was eager for another round of tackle tag. Dante blinked at the response, his brow raising as he decided to take in the teens body. They were both still shirtless, as neither had bothered to dress themselves before all of this had started, so he could easily tell that the neko teen was tensed. He smirked as he admired the toned abdomen under his hips and the rising and falling chest before his face. He'd always found the teen attractive, but the feline tail and ears had only made him sexy, he'd had to keep himself away from the teen before...but now it just seemed like the kid was asking for it. oh well, the worst thing the kid could to was poison him again, right?"Come on old man you didn't fall alseep up there did you?" Dante smirked again and lowered his head to be eye to eye with Nero."Your really askin for it you know that kid?" Nero snorted."I guess your Alzheimer kicked in again because I'll have to repeat myself. Do your worst you old geezer!" Dante's lips twitched into a smirk once more."You asked for it." Before Nero had time to respond Dante's face descended to press his lips firmly against his, the grip on his wrists tightening slightly as he did. Nero's eyes could shame diner plates as a heavy blush spread across his cheeks and his ears flicked outwards and froze. The fact that Dante was kissing him wasn't what was shocking him, he'd always known the hunter was an old perv, no what was shocking him was that the old man hadn't been sent flying threw the roof yet. Nero was actually letting Dante kiss him...Nero suddenly wanted this curse gone now more so then ever, it was fucking around with his emotions...Dante was amazed he was still alive by this point, he'd expected claws to tear into his bare back and poison him to death or at least a kick to the nuts, but neither had happened and he was still breathing! Dante smirked inwardly as he massaged his lips against Nero's still ones, smiling mentally when he found them to be as soft as he's imagined them. Nero didn't have to respond, Dante was just glad he'd been allowed to get this far!If Nero was going to throttle Dante, why wasn't he? I'll tell you why, he was too busy trying to decide if this was real or a joke. If it was real then he didn't know what he wanted to do about it, if it was a joke...a play on his emotions, he'd kill Dante, no fun or play, he'd down right slaughter the older devil in cold blood.Nero's lack of any kind of response made Dante uneasy, was the kid just going to lay there and let him have his way or fight back? He knew it'd be a mistake, but he'd gone and done it anyway. If the kid didn't hate him for it he'd kill him for it later...With an inward sigh Dante withdrew himself from Nero and stood, leaving the teen blinking on the flooded floor. "Sorry 'bout that, you pushed a few buttons." With that he ran a hand through his hair and headed towards the stairs, he might as well leave the kid alone for a while after that little slip up...To Nero, that was a clear sign that Dante had not been fooling around, the look of regret and guilt on the mans face as he removed himself from Nero's body was enough to verify that...To Nero, it was a shock to his system as it finally fixed pieces of the puzzle in his head together. He had not missed the way Dante had watched him during his work outs, at first he passed it off as the man being observant, to see if there were any flaws in his routine, but now it made sense...To Nero, that kiss hadn't lasted long enough...With this in mind Nero sprung to his feet and dashed towards the stairs where Dante was half way up. He could see the hunter tense as his approach became clear and figured the man was expecting a beating of some kind. But instead of confirming that belief Nero grabbed Dante's shoulder and spun him around, using his demonic arm to slam the mans back into the wall. Without a seconds hesitation Nero grabbed Dante's hips and pinned them to the wall, using the mans surprise to his advantage he crashed his lips against Dante's, the force actually knocking the mans head into the wall lightly.Dante was frozen against the wall as Nero's lips caressed his own and his hands tightened on his hips. Well now, this was unexpected...Not being one to look a gift horse in the mouth Dante responded eagerly, massaging his lips against Nero's as his hands slipped around the teens waist, drawing him flush against his body. A moment later Dante pushed himself off of the wall and spun the teen to take his place, using the momentary surprise on Nero's part to slip his tongue past his lips to find it's counterpart. To Dante's delight Nero accepted the challenge eagerly and raised his arms to wrap around his neck, his demonic hand moving to tangle itself in Dante's surprisingly soft hair.Just then Nero's ear twitched, then flicked towards the door as an odd sound made its way to his sensitive ears. He frowned slightly when Dante didn't seem to notice it so with obvious reluctance pulled away from Dante's tantalizingly addictive lips and turned to the door just as a shadow passed by under it. Dante, either not knowing or not caring simply took the opportunity to attack Nero's neck with his lips and teeth, effectively drawing a soft moan from the teen as he passed over his pulse. Nero pushed Dante's chest lightly to get his message across that something was off and almost snickered at the disappointment on the elders face when he looked at him questioningly. Just as the man was about to voice his question the front doors exploded from their hinges and a yellow flash zoomed into the shop, bouncing off everything it came into contact with, breaking it in the process. A few seconds of zipping around later the yellow spark zoomed to a stop in the center of the room, it's body crackling with electricity as it turned it's head in their direction.Dante groaned at being so rudely interrupted with Nero and glared over his shoulder. The Blitz in the room only grunted as another figure entered the room, only moving at a normal pace. Nero, upon seeing the new comer hissed dangerously and flattened his ears against his head. Dante noticed his reaction and frowned as he removed himself from the teen and leaned over the railing."Sorry, we're closed, come back tomorrow." The new comer being a woman with flowing beige hair and green scales only giggled when Nero yowled at her."You again! Take this damn curse back now you crazy bitch!" Dante blinked at this and turned back to the demoness, who only tutted and waved a finger."Awe, und here I thought ze kitty vwould miss me." Nero only snorted and hissed."Damn it remove this stupid curse before I kick your ugly ass!" The demoness only frowned."Argh, zuch a vrude kitty, und I came all zis way to meet ze Son of Sparda!" Nero only flipped her off with his Devil Bringer."Rude? Drop dead you psychotic lizard!" This made Dante laugh."Awe come on Nero, the lady came all this way just to meet me! Show her some respect!" Nero blinked, then smirked as he cracked the knuckles of his demonic hand."Oh, I'll show her some respect!" The woman just laughed and waved him off."Zyou do not stund a chance kitty, for I am Ninso Lady of ze River." Nero only snorted as Dante folded his arms and grinned."Yeah well I'm Nero, the guy with the demonic arm that's gonna strangle your ugly ass!"

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Nero, being...well Nero jumped over the railing and charged towards the recently named 'Ninso', who currently stoop with her trade mark finger on her collar bone. Now Nero did not enjoy beating up women, but this was a very special case so he damned well wanted to enjoy it! Without much thought Nero drew back his Devil Bringer and trust it forward, unleashing a phantom claw to circle around the scaled woman's body, he lifted her giggling form off the ground with ease and slammed in back into it, then promptly pegged her out the door she had entered through. With a satisfied smirk Nero moved to the couch and grabbed Red Queen and Blue Rose, tucking the former into the back of his jeans as he followed after the reptilian woman, who was still giggling outside.He ignored Dante when he was told to wait and stood at the top of the steps, glaring daggers at the giggling lizard in the middle of the road. He ignored the screaming randoms and promptly charged with Red Queen drawn back ready to cleave the demoness in half. A mere second before the blade connected with the scaled flesh something appeared between them and took the blow. Nero screamed when a jolt of raw electricity followed up his blade and into his body, knocking him backwards and onto the sidewalk. He panted as he used his blade to balance himself onto his feet, looking up to glare at the Blitz that had protected it's mistress. The demon hissed and shrieked at him as Ninso smirked and delicately ran a hand over the blind demons neck."It iz vne of ze advantages of being a higher being my dear, a mere half breed zuch az youzelf could not hope to stund a chance againzt me." Nero grit his teeth and shook his head, clearing it from the fog the jolt had brought."Yeah what ever, I'm only gonna ask you once more, remove this curse or I'll be sending your scaly ass to hell." Ninso only tutted and shook her head, her tail swaying lazily behind her as she rested her clawed hands on her hips."Ze curze vwill ztay az it iz." Nero hissed then charged towards the Blitz, swinging Red Queen at it's neck only to gasp when yet another jolt of electricity followed up his blade on impact. He hadn't ever fought a Blitz before, so he didn't really know how to defeat one, Dante had said something about wearing out it's electric shield, but he had zoned out while he explained just how it was done. He swung at the growling beast again, missing when it zoomed to the side and swiped it's sharp talons at his waist, he danced out of the way and returned the favor with another blow of his own, but he staggered backwards as he was again assaulted with the electricity the Blitz shielded itself with. He growled when he realized he'd end up getting himself crispy fried if he kept such a useless approach up so retreated to the steps once again, his mind dimly wondering where Dante had gone to. He eyed the beast as it stalked back to it's lady's side, the demoness giggling and resting a hand on it's head."Zyou are alone child, zer iz no vne here to zave zyou from death. Zyou can only give up." Nero snorted and opted to draw Blue Rose."Sorry lady, but I don't give up, no matter what." With that he snapped his gun upwards and pulled the trigger, he grit his teeth again when the Blitz snapped itself in front of the lizard, taking yet another blow, but this time something caught Nero's eye as both bullets seemed to create an odd red spark in the creatures shield. Then it hit him, he had to wear the shield out with out directly touching it! With a renewed smirk Nero bolted to the side, firing round after round on the charging Blitz as it swiped and clawed at his agile form. He took note of the way the yellow of the electricity shimmered a few times before dulling to a deep red, then after a few more shots sizzled out completely. Nero figured it to be safe to attack and redrew his sword, instantly setting to work on hacking the crap out of the demon as it wailed and tried to defend itself with it's sharp claws. Unfortunately, for it, Nero drew his weapon back then thrust it upwards, cleaving a hole straight threw it's head.Nero grimaced as demon blood rained down onto his bare torso and trickled down his arm, trailing down his body to soak into his jeans. Then that thought occurred to him...Where the fuck was Dante?Oh wait..."God damn it Dante where the fuck did you piss off to this time!" he shouted as he retched his sword free from the demons head, stepping aside as it collapsed lifelessly to the ground, a pool of sickly red/brown liquid forming around it's corpse. Upon receiving no reply from the older hunter Nero growled, his ears still flat against his head as he wrapped his tail around his waist, though he regretted it a moment later when the blood running down his body soaked into the white fur, turning it a yucky dirty red. Wait, why did he care if his fur got dirty? It wasn't going to be there much longer anyway!He hoped...He growled again when Ninso sauntered her way to the stairs of the Devil May Cry, where water was still tricking down into the street, where a large clear puddle easily ankle deep had formed. The government was cheap, they didn't think storm drains would be needed...Nero watched as the demoness crouched to scoop water into her hand, she took one glance at Nero, then smirked, her sharp teeth jutting out from her lips as she let the water fall from her hands, only it didn't splash to the ground like the laws of gravity demanded, no, instead it fell to the woman's knees, then swirled in on itself, hovering back up to the scaled face of the demoness, whose smirk broadened."Water iz my element boy, zyour fate iz zealed." With that the once harmless water splattered into thin spikes and flew towards Nero, who barely managed to duck out of the way. He rolled to his feet and gaped."What the hell!" Ninso cackled and repeated the attack with several more, each one getting closer and closer to Nero's form as he tried again and again to avoid the sharp demonized water. He ducked, he rolled, he jumped and he used Red Queen, but his stamina was wearing down from all the movement, and something told him that this was Ninso's plan all along, because she started cackling like a mad woman."Awe, iz ze little kitty getting tired?" Nero dodged another attack and turned to swing his place at the woman only to be viciously thrown backwards by her thick tail. He gasped as his body skipped along the hard ground and dug his Devil Bringer into the cement, using the momentum to pull himself out of the skip and onto his feet, grunting at the effort Nero tore his demonic hand out if the ground, removing a large chunk of Earth as he did so, with a growl he span on his heel and launched it at the demoness, who only snorted and battered it aside with her powerful tail. "If zyour zo tired kitty, I zhould put zyou to rezt!" with that she kicked off of the ground and charged towards Nero, who saw the attack with widened eyes. He raised his sword in time to counter Ninso's deadly claws, but failed to see the axe tipped tail sailing towards his side.Nero gasped when he felt a white hot pain shoot through his hip as he was sent hurtling through the doorway of Dante's shop, crashing into the desk with a painful crack. Ninso smirked when Nero didn't move, clicking her tongue as she swayed her tail behind her, the bladed tip shimmering as crimson dripped from it's sharp edge. "I told zyou child, zyou did not stund a chance againzt- GAAH!" Ninso shrieked as something suddenly burst from her chest, black blood splattering outwards from the wound, covering the ground. She wailed and lashed behind her with her dangerous tail, missing her attacker by a long shot causing her to stagger sideways with an ancient looking Dagger lodged through her chest from behind, it's blade glinting crimson while the hilt shone a brilliant white. Ninso regained her footing and screamed, her hands instantly clawing at the blade in her back as Dante trudged up behind her, grabber her tail and yanking it backwards, causing the shrieking demoness to fall onto her back, pushing the blade deeper into her body, causing her to scream more. Dante stood above her form, his bare foot thudding against her stomach to keep her down while the other stood on her tail, keeping it from doing him any harm, the stare he was giving the elemental demoness was cold and filled with demonic rage, but his face showed nothing."You really shouldn't have touched the kid lady." Ninso only cackled, but quickly halted when she fell into a fit of bloody couching. Dante removed his foot and bent to pick the woman up by her neck. "Now remove that curse you put on Nero, now." Ninso only cackled again."I'm afraid I can't, ze boy iz dead." Dante's eyes narrowed as he tightened his grip on the demon."Where the hell is he?" he snapped as he shook the laughing demon roughly, causing her to cough."In ze after life." Dante snapped, before he even realized what he was doing he'd ripped the odd dagger from the demons back and had twisted it through her throat, relishing in the way her blood splattered and coated her form. With a final retch Dante removed the blade from the now dead demons neck and watched as he body hit the ground, only to disappear into white ashes. He sighed in relief and looked around the street, finding no sign of Nero. With a frown Dante turned to see the corpse of the Blitz, then the abandoned blade not five feet from it's head. He frowned as he also spotted Blue Rose near the curb."Nero!" he called as he looked around again, his heart beating faster in his panic. He turned on his heel and bolted inside of his now ruined shop, freezing when the sight of his demolished desk caught his eye, though it wasn't the desk itself that made him freeze.Lying face down on the remains of the desk was Nero, body still and stained crimson. He took a hesitant step forward, then all but lunged to the teens side. He dropped to knees beside the motionless figure and rolled him into his arms. His eyes unconsciously traveled to the curse mark on the teens shoulder and gasped. The once active feline was a withering gray and lay sprawled on the half devils flesh, it's limbs slumped in defeat. Nero's blood splattered ears were still against his head, his eyes closed...Dante shifted his to the source of the pooling blood, and he slumped onto the floor.His waist was a hand away from being cut in half......He wasn't moving..........Nero...wasn't breathing......

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"Damn it kid wake up! Don't you fucken die on me!" Shouted Dante as he all but broke the teens ribs, hey it'd been a long time since he last used CPR, so forgive him for being a little...desperate. He'd been at it for going on 5 minutes and Nero was still not responding, he had tried every healing method he knew, from Vital stars to Gold Orbs, nothing wanted to work. "Come on you stupid punk breath!" snapped the white haired hunter as he lowered his lips to Nero's, breathing air into his still lungs as he raised himself to compress his chest once again. He had examined the wound, which had stopped bleeding due to the fact...there was just nothing left to spill onto the floor. Dante's jeans were soaked through with the teens life blood which had turned a good portion of the flooded shop red, and Dante had the sneaking feeling that if he ever got through this, he'd have a fear of blood, which would not do him any good in his line of work. He pressed the teens chest again and continued to breathing air into his lungs, ignoring the fact that his eyes had began sting and his hands were trembling. He'd only just got Nero, he had no intention of loosing him!But nothing he did was working...Nero remained still...Dante's teeth clenched as he removed his hands from Nero's chest, instead moving them to wrap under the teens shoulders, lifting the motionless form into his lap as he cradled him against his chest. He shifted his head to burry itself in the crook of Nero's neck, inhaling deeply as a shuddering breath escaped his parted lips. Nero was dead...And it was all his fault...He shouldn't have let the kid go after the elemental alone, he should have gone with him! But even if he had they wouldn't have been able to kill her or even wound her. It took a very special kind of blade to kill an elemental demon, and he had happened to have one, though it was buried somewhere in his room, it had taken him to long to find it. Too long, because Nero had suffered for it.The dagger he had killed Ninso with was that special kind of blade, forged by demons but coated with the blood of an avatar, an elemental god.But damn, he should have been faster!"I'm so, so sorry Nero..." whispered Dante as he ran trembling fingers through soft white hair, gently brushing his thumb over a furry ear. Vergil had been right about one thing it seemed, Dante was weak... he cared too much about those around him and got too distracted. Nero had been one of the few people he actually cared dearly about, damn...he'd even dare to say he...loved him. But Nero was dead, so he'd never be able to tell him...Hell, he would give anything just to get socked in the face for saying it...Dante thought about calling Trish and Lady, but his mind instantly discarded the idea, it was bad enough he, the great Son of Sparda, was crying...he didn't need them adding to the flood in the room. Dante sniffed and withdrew himself from Nero's neck, trailing his gaze down Nero's body, taking in the random cuts and bruises that adorned his flesh. Nero's Devil Bringer was limp by his side, the faint glow that had always given away the teens position –when they decided to hide from each other to save their faces- was none existent. He brought his gaze back up but stopped to frown at the cursed mark on his shoulder, drawing his face closer for a moment in confusion. Hadn't the feline been gray and dead looking before? Dante shifted a hand out from under Nero's shoulders to brush over the mark, blinking when he had to withdraw his hand instantly. The once gray feline was now a blazing red and was scorching hot to the touch. "What the hell?" he muttered as he moved to touch it again, the second his finger touched the red mark Dante was blasted back into the wall as a blinding red light shot out and engulfed the room. He tried to jump to his feet to find out what it had been but groaned and fell onto his front, he was too weak to stand, something had drained his demonic energy to the point he was bordering on consciousness.He winced when an odd ringing started in his ears and his head started to throb, an obvious sign that his body was about to give up on him. He groaned again and tried to shift onto his arms, but failed miserably and collapsed again. His eyes were at half mast by the time movement caught his eye and he forced his head to the side to see where it was coming from. The second his eyes found the source the went as wide as diner plates. No, it was his imagination, his mind was playing tricks on him because of his sorry state of body and heart. Because there was no way in hell he'd seen a furry white ear twitch atop Nero's head. Uh-ah, he was loosing it in his grief...Then he heard a strangled gasp and watched in nothing but shock as Nero's chest gave a strong heave. He was only dimly away of the fact his own face was half submerged in the water on the floor, which was still, by the way ankle deep. Only for some weird ass reason it wasn't red anymore... it was clear, as if the blood had been sucked right back out of it. Then before he knew it his eyes had drifted to a close as his body shut itself down to recover, his mind barely registering something warm wrapping around him and pulling him close.He'd be a selfish crazy man and believe it was Nero who was holding him...

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If there was one thing Nero would never want to do again...it was die. He had felt every fiber of his being fade, he'd felt his heart stop, and he couldn't force it to keep going. He had felt invincible at times, but the second his heart stopped, he'd felt nothing. There was nothing he could have done to save himself, he hadn't even had the strength to call out to Dante, where ever the hell he had disappeared to.That had scared Nero, he had actually thought the man had left him to fight alone, he had felt abandoned...Alone, just as Ninso had said...But then out of no where he could breathe again, he had felt his heart actually kick itself back into life, even his Devil Bringer had pulsed with warmth. He had no idea what in hells name had brought him back, but what ever it was it had certainly been powerful, it hadn't come in a steady stream or small bursts, it had all just exploded into him at once, then it had been like flicking a light switch, he was suddenly there again.Then the memories of what had happened made themselves known once more and he was bolting upright, expecting Ninso to be laughing at him cruelly as she finished him off. But she hadn't been laughing at him, in fact Nero couldn't sense her even near him...she was gone. Then he remembered everything else and gasped, his hands instantly going to his waist. His brows furrowed at finding nothing but smooth flesh. He drew his gaze down and blinked in awe at finding nothing but a small splotch of blood where he had just about been severed in half, there wasn't even a damn scar to show it had been there! If it weren't for the blood Nero wouldn't have thought it happened and that it had all been one fucked up dream.He almost lodged his head in the ceiling when his sensitive ears echoed with the sound of a soft groan, the sound instantly drawing his gaze to find a lump with a mop of white hair on the floor. It took his slightly foggy mind a moment to comprehend what he was looking at, but when it clicked he was on his feet in an instant, almost falling on his face in his hurry to get to the downed devils side. When he dropped to his knees beside the elder he wasted no time in rolling him into his arms and checking his pulse. Of course it was there, but it was slow and weak with exhaustion, but he seemed to be ok, if a little pale...Without any real thought Nero lifted his human hand to run through the wet white locks of Dante's hair, brushing them away from his peaceful features as he shifted the weight in his arms to better rest against his chest. There was something odd about the hunters eyes, if he was normal he wouldn't have noticed it, but as it were he wasn't normal, in fact he was quite far from it, but either way he saw the slight discoloration around the edges of his eyes and found himself tilting his head slightly, one furry ear flicking as he drew closer to find any possible cause of the faint pink coloring, it almost looked like the hunter had been crying..."Crying? Nah, this is Dante we're talkin about, he never cries...why would he?" Nero shook his head and with a huffed curse lifted Dante bridal style, his head propped against his chest as he half slipped half stumbled towards the stairs, doing his best to keep from loosing his footing in the water. He reached the stairs and ascended to the top with his load. He made his way to Dante's room but paused in the door way with a brow raised. Ok maybe not Dante's room, because for one it looked like a hurricane had gone through and decided to do a U turn to go at it again. Not only that but the mattress was still half hanging off the cupboard from when Dante had chased him and found him. With a sigh he turned and trudged his way to his own door, using his foot to push it open all the way. He entered the confines of his room, easily stepping over the clothing on the floor –he had a floor drobe- and made his way to his double bed. He eased Dante's limp form onto the soft mattress and pulled back with a sigh of relief, despite his fit looks Dante was by no means less then heavy. "He should lay his fat ass off the pizza for a while and eat healthy food like a normal person." With an inward snicker and an outward sigh Nero dropped himself onto the foot of his be, careful not to disturb the unconscious man laid out in the center. He rested his elbows on his knees and dropped his face into his hands. "So what does this mean? Is Ninso dead? Did Dante kill her? Or did Ninso hurt Dante and run off? Argh, I need details ...hey wait a minute!" Nero raised his head and felt over it with a hand, almost growling at finding two stubs of twitching fur, he turned around and dropped his head at finding a flicking demon blood soaked tail. Oh yeah, thats right he was still covered it Blitz blood! "This day just- Crap, I am never saying that again! 'Cause it played out so well last time! And because of that 'last time' I might not even get to take a shower! Which also means hell when we get around to cleaning the lower floor. I guess it's safe to say we're up shit creek without a-"His thoughts were interrupted when he suddenly felt the bed dip behind him and turned to see if Dante had woken but squeaked in shock at coming nose to nose with said man and would have fallen sideways off the bed if strong arms hadn't wrapped firmly around his waist and pulled him into a tight embrace, emphasis on the 'tight' because he was having difficulties breathing. He was about to voice this but was cut off by warm lips catching his own in a drawn out kiss that said one thing.'If you do that to me again, I'll bring you back, and kill you for it.'When Dante finally pulled away Nero was again about to speak but was again interrupted, this time by another voice."I told you to wait for me you stupid punk." Nero's left eye twitched once, then twice, then his face went red and his ears flattened against his head."Wait for you? For how damn long! I was stuck fighting that scaly bitch and her pet by myself while you went and did god only knows what! Where the fuck were you anyway? Cause in case you didn't notice that bitch actually killed me!" Nero was actually shocked to see Dante's face drain of any emotion and just stare at him blankly. Then without warning he couldn't breathe again, strong arms were again around his waist, only this time a hand was in his hair and holding his head against a warm chest and a face was buried in his hair."Damn it kid, you have know idea just how much I care about you, do you?" Nero's eyes narrowed slightly, maybe it was true...Maybe Dante did feel the same as he did, maybe he didn't abandon him like so many others had. This needed to be sorted out, was he wanted or not? Was what Dante said true or was he just saying it to toy with him? Nero's Devil Bringer flared slightly with his decision."Then show me."XXX Warning, lemon time people, it's a long one XXXDante didn't even hesitate to pulled back from Nero and crash his lips against his again, and Nero didn't hesitate to respond. He massaged his lips against Dante's almost desperately, his Devil Bringer moving to tangle itself in the older hunters damp white hair, his human hand gripping the back of his neck like a vice as he shifted himself until he was straddling the elders lap. He suppressed a moan as Dante's hands traveled his body, his fingers ghosting over his flesh as he flicked his tongue against Nero's lips, pleading for entrance. Nero parted his lips and met Dante's tongue halfway, using his hair to pull him deeper into the kiss, if that was possible. Nero blushed slightly when he felt a growing bulge between his legs, and it wasn't his. He inwardly smirked as an idea came to mind. He always teased Dante, so why not do so in a situation like this? He continued to roll his tongue against Dante's, their lips moving together almost demandingly, only broken by a surprised gasp from the normally red clad hunter when Nero rocked his hips forward against his growing erection. He blinked in slight awe at hearing Nero snicker silently but that was quickly replaced by a smirk of his own when his eyes met Nero's, whose widened a fraction at seeing his smirk.Without warning he grabbed a firm hold of Nero's hips and rolled them over until he was on top and Nero was blushing under him. He took a moment to take in the outward turned ears and growing red tinge on the teens face before he dove back down to claim Nero's lips again, his tongue instantly pushing past his lips to enter his mouth, tasting every inch of the enticingly sweet cavern. He always did have a sweet tooth...Nero was surprised at the sudden change but welcomed it and parted his legs more to let Dante rest comfortably between them. He retangled his devil claws in Dante's hair and moved his free hand to rest behind his neck again, raising his knees slightly to hold the elder between his legs. He failed to suppress a moan when one of Dante's hands ran down his sensitive sides –the one that hadn't been sliced open- but was intrigued when it seemed to effect Dante. So when Dante passed over another sensitive spot he didn't try to stop the moan that rumbled in his throat, just to see how it'd effect the white haired man on top of him. Well it was obvious his moans effected Dante because the second the sound passed his lips the older male shuddered and gripped his hip firmly. Nero, deciding he wasn't going to be the only one doing all the vocal work ground his hips upward into Dante's and was smug when he was repaid with a groan from the other. He repeated the action, this time harder and accidentally moaned himself as his own erection rubbed against Dante's through the fabric, causing the lips against his own to vanish and attach themselves to his neck. He turned his head to the side slightly to give the hunter more access, closing his lust glazed eyes when sharp teeth nipped the sensitive flesh above his pulse. He was only vaguely aware of something vibrating in his throat, and it took a slow minute to figure out that he was purring...again. He would have ceased the odd sound but was momentarily distracted when Dante slid lower down to waist, leaving a wet trail of butterfly kisses and love bites as he descended to flick his tongue over his navel, causing his back to arch slightly off the bed as he moaned Dante's name, his glowing blue fingers still tangled in his hair.He felt Dante smirk against his skin and growled. "Stop being a fucken tease." He muttered as he lightly smacked the side of Dante's head. The older hunter chuckled deeply for a moment, then abruptly gripped the fabric of Nero's jeans, looking up to wiggle his white brows at the look Nero gave him."You wont be needing these." Without much else he simply yanked the article of clothing off of Nero pretty much the same way cartoon villians do with their disguises. Nero's face instantly lit up at being left in nothing but his navy blue boxers but was easily gratified when Dante slid back up his body and captured his lips in a chaste but wet kiss before he vanished down his body again, the action almost making Nero dizzy. So dizzy in fact, he nearly didn't notice that his boxers had sailed over the side of the bed...nearly, so his face went an even darker shade of red, almost matching Dante's leather coat when all Dante did was gaze over his now completely naked form with pure desire hazing his ocean blue eyes.Dante smirked down at his soon-to-be mate and trailed his lips back up his body until they located the junction between his neck and shoulder. He ran his tongue over the unmarked flesh and nipped at it once, causing the younger to shudder under him as he raised his lips to press against the teens, parting his lips with his as he slipped his tongue into his mouth. Familiarizing himself with the teens taste, which came oddly close to vanilla custard and fresh ginger.He had a new favorite flavor...And he wanted his dessert now...He groaned as his straining erection was ground with slim hips and came to the sudden realizing that...his pants were starting to annoy him. He was about to solve the problem but was surprised when Nero seemed to read his mind and rolled them over again so he was the one on top. Dante didn't fight against it and let Nero continue the four play, enjoying the not-so-gentle bites the teen was lavishing his neck with as he ran his hands down the teens sides, earning a shudder of pleasure before he gripped the younger slayers hips, pulling them down against his harder, causing them both to moan slightly. He felt Nero's demonic hand trail down his chest and over his abdomen, a sharp glowing claw leaving a thin red line in it's wake as it passed over his navel and stopped at the top of his jeans. He suddenly figured Nero wanted to return the favor of destroying a perfectly good pair of denim jeans, his thought proven correct when sharp claws sliced through the fabric with the ease of a red hot knife through butter, but he didn't stop there, no he shredded Dante's jeans and threw the pieces over his shoulder until he was left in his own black boxers, which had a thin slice dangerously close to his member, meaning one of Nero's claws had come painfully close to slicing that off too. The thought nearly made him shudder, but then something did make him shudder, quite violently too. He had felt his boxers being sliced off along with his pants but had not expected Nero to deep throat him without so much as a 'Guess what?'.Dante was impressed, the kid hadn't gagged or shown any sign of discomfort when he simply swollowed his pulsing erection, meaning either Nero had natural tallent in sex, or he'd done it before...He'd ask when they were done...He shuddered again when Nero ran his tongue along the underside of his shaft, skillfully flexing his throat muscles around his cock, earning a shuddering gasp from Dante as he tangled a hand in the teens hair. Yep, he'd definitely done this before...He groaned when Nero bobbed his head steadily, working his shaft effortlessly, dragging Dante closer to the edge as he rested his hands on either of the elders hips, preventing him from thrusting into his mouth. His muscles twitched and spasmed as he came closer to release, his hand tightening in the teens hair as his breathing turned into ragged gasps, his free hand clenching and unclenching by his side. His body tensed as his release approached, but then suddenly ceased when the wet heat around his shaft disappeared, causing him to groan in disappointment. He was only mildly annoyed that Nero had stopped and was currently working his way back up his body, but obviously all had been forgiven when he rolled them over once again, this time planning on staying on top. Nero's hands went straight back to their assigned places, one on his neck and the other in his hair as he crushed their lips together in a bruising kiss, his tongue finding Nero's instantly as he deepened the heated lip lock. When Dante's mind clicked and remembered that something was missing he pulled back and grinned crookedly. "Stay." With that he disappeared from atop Nero, who blinked in confusion. He reappeared in his previous position atop Nero with the same grin on his face, inwardly praising demon speed, even though he'd almost tripped and landed on his face four times.Nero was about to ask what Dante had vanished for but was silenced by Dante's lips on his own again. His twitching ears caught the sound of something popping, but payed it no heed as he focused on returning the hot kiss Dante was lavishing him with. He felt one of his thighs being lifted but again ignored it, only to jump when he felt something cold press against his entrance."Relax." Dante whispered in his ear, his hot breath causing the furry appendage to flick. Nero did as told and settled back down, now knowing what was coming he did his best to relax and stay that way. But when he felt something cold slip into him he winced and automatically tensed, which caused him to wince again. He relaxed slowly when he felt Dante kiss the furrow from his brows and shifted his human hand to grip the others shoulder. He forced his body to stay relaxed when he felt Dante withdraw his finger, but couldn't stop the pained gasp that escaped his lips when it returned with a second. He felt Dante nuzzle his cheek in a silent apology and again forced his body to relax, the thing is it was easier said then done. He tried to ignore the pain as Dante withdrew his fingers and slid them back in, preparing him for what was to come. Some moments later he found himself used to the feeling and actually felt something other then pain, surprising himself when he moaned softly. Dante took this as a sign to continue and removed his fingers again, only to reinsert them with a third. Nero had honestly expected it to hurt, but the pleasure that sky rocketed up his spine had him arching off the bed and moaning Dante's name once again.Dante, satisfied with the reaction withdrew his fingers and lowered his lips to capture Nero's with renewed heat, distracting the half devil while he braced an arm beside the teens shoulder while the other moved to lift a lean thigh against his hip as he positioned himself to press against Nero's entrance, then proceeded to slid himself to the hilt without pause.Nero's body tensed at the sudden intrusion and he gasped, his grip tightening on Dante's shoulder as he shuddered. Dante remained still to let the teen adjust while he lowered his head to nip at his pulse point again, the hand gripping his hip moving to run down a sensitive side. He felt Nero shudder under his touch and smirked while he kissed along his collar bone. When he felt Nero relax around him he eased out of him until only the tip of his shaft remained inside of his body, then buried himself fully once again, earning a ragged gasp from the teen as the grip on his shoulder increased, the strength of the grip actually surprising Dante. He removed himself again, sliding back in without a pause, reveling in the way Nero's form shuddered under him as he slowly rocked himself within the teens warm body, his thrusts remaining slow and measured.Nero eased his grip on Dante's shoulder after he'd noticed how hard he had held onto him and shifted his hand to the back of his neck, his fingers brushing white hair as he settled his grip. He felt as Dante slid himself in and out of his opening, the sensation only slightly uncomfortable. He had never gotten this far in any relationship he'd had in the past, so yes, call him a virgin he didn't care, he just wanted it to hurry up and make him see stars.Almost sensing the teens desire Dante strengthened his thrusts, sliding in deeper while he kept the pace the same. Though when he thrust in a second time with the added strength Nero's eyes widened and he gasped, arching gracefully from the mattress as he gripped the back of Dante's neck again. Dante smirked at discovering the teens sweet spot and shifted slightly to thrust in at just the right angle to hit it with every thrust.Nero released a breathy moan as pleasure exploded through his form, each burst increased tenfold with every firm thrust to that spot, which had him seeing those stars he wanted. He moaned deeply as he raised his legs to wrap around Dante's hips, pressing his own hips upwards to meet everyone of his thrusts, the action causing him to slide in deeper if possible, hitting his sweet spot dead on making him cry out in pleasure. He continued to meet Dante's thrusts, his breath coming out in pants as he dug his nails into Dante's neck, his demonic claws tightening in sweat soaked strands. The pleasure was incredibal, but it was starting to not be enough and Nero wanted all of Dante, he wasn't as fragile as the older seemed to think and he was more then willing to prove that. He tightened his legs around Dante's hips and released the elders hair, opting to run his sharp claws down the hunters back. "H-harder." He moaned as he dug his claws into the flesh of Dante's back, being sure to draw blood to show him exactly what he was willing to do.Dante smirked and leaned down to crush his lips against Nero's, granting the teens wish he increased the force of his thrusts, moaning when claws scraped along his back and increased his own pleasure. He picked up his pace, removing his hand from Nero's hip to brace himself better against the mattress, rocking against the other harder and faster as he fucked the teens body and his mouth, his tongue battling against Nero's in a hot fight for dominance. Naturally Dante won, his quickened pace not having anything to do with his victory, Nero was the one who gasped.Digging his claws back into Dante's flesh Nero separated his lips from Dante's to run them down his chin and to his throat, finding a place to bite. He closed his eyes and released a breathy moan as pressure and heat built in his lower abdomen, causing his body to tremble under Dante's as he continued to rock up against his stronger form. He didn't know how far aong Dante was, but Nero could feel his own release approaching surprisingly fast, each hard thrust Dante made pulling him that much closer to climax.Sensing this Dante snaked a hand between their heated bodies and grasped Nero's neglected shaft, firmly pumping it in time with his thrusts. He continued to pound into the teen as he listened to the nothing but sexy vocal pieces Nero unleashed as he came closer to his end. Each breathy moan and pleasured gasp pulling Dante closer to the edge as he fought against his Trigger. He lowered his head and nudged the teens face to the side, exposing soft pale flesh to his teeth as he resumed nipping at the tender flesh. He felt Nero tense under his body and knew the teen was also fending off his Trigger as they rocketed towards their release.Nero gasped and tensed, almost painful pleasure errupting through his frame, causing him to loose his grip on his demonic half, resulting in his Trigger and his release.Dante felt the heat around his shaft tighten almost painfully as Nero Triggered, the action setting off his own release as he too Triggered in a flash of crimson, growling as he snapped his head forward to sink his sharp teeth into Nero's neck, causing the younger to cry out in both pleasure and pain as they rode out their orgasms.A few moments later Nero released his Trigger, soon followed by Dante who collapsed onto his chest breathing hard. He shifted slightly when he felt Dante's essence inside himself and almost groaned in disappointment when the other pulled out of him and rolled onto his side, using one strong arm to pull him against his chest as he rested his head in his other hand, propping it up as he sighed in contentment. "Believe me now Nero?" Muttered Dante as he opened his blue eyes, fixing them on Nero's slightly flushed face as he continued to try and catch his breath. The younger shifted to wrap his human around around Dante's side, resting his forehead against his warm chest as he nodded, to tired to speak. Dante chuckled slightly and settled into the mattress, pulling the sheets up and over them, pulling Nero closer to his chest. Then a random thought occurred to him. "You know, with that Ninso chick dead, your gonna be stuck with that curse for the rest of your life." Nero smirked, cracking open a single eye as he firmly wrapped his fluffy tail around Dante's waist, causing the man to laugh."I'm sure I can live with it." he muttered as he flicked his ears. Dante only smiled and ran his fingers through the soft white strands of Nero's hair, his thumb stopping to rub affectionately behind one of his furry ears, which of course had Nero purring like the kitten he was."Your too sexy for your own good, you know that?" Nero chuckled and playfully nipped Dante's chest."Yes, I do know that. Your not too bad yourself." Dante shook his head with a laugh, then blinked as the mark on Nero's shoulder caught his eye. He frowned and dipped his head get a better look, causing Nero to blink and follow his gaze.The once twitchy red/silver feline was now a deep crimson and was curled around itself, not even flicking an ear when Nero did. "Whoa, looks like you are stuck with it..." Nero shrugged."If you don't like go cry me a river and drown in it." Dante barked a laugh and flicked Nero's nose, making him sneeze with his ears flicked back."One, it only makes you sexier, if that's possible, two...We already have a river down stairs." Nero blinked, then shook his head."And I ain't cleaning it up." Dante smirked."I'm sure Lady and Trish will see it in their hearts to help out." Nero snorted and nuzzled himself back into Dante's chest and sighed."Have fun convincing them, I've already died once, I ain't doing it again." This had Dante smirking."Awe, don't worry I've heard cats have nine lives." This actually made Nero start as he pulled back to stare at Dante, who blinked. "What?" Nero blinked again, then raised a brow."Speaking of lives, how the hell did I come back?" Dante blinked, then rubbed the back of his head with a sigh."When I touched you that mark sucked out my demonic energy and used it to heal your body. So I guess you only have eight lives left eh?" Nero glared, but sighed and let it drop."That explains your old ass snoozing in water." Dante spluttered."Christ, even after all this your still callin me old?" Nero smirked against his chest as he settled back down under the covers."Careful you old geezer, after such a task don't you think you should rest?" Dante's face dropped and he sighed, shaking his head and dropping it onto the pillow."Don't worry about me kid, after all I'm only a phedophile." Nero snickered into his chest, but soon quietened down to get some shut eye, but before he did he nuzled his forhead against Dante's chest."I love you." Dante smiled and pulled the teen closer to his form."I love you to, kid.""Ass hole.""You love it."~Fin~