Part 6

“Wow…” Speaking to myself in a busy street might seem a little weird, but I couldn’t stop myself as I looked around at my surroundings. It was as if nothing had happened at all. Every nook and cranny of the place was as how I remembered it; even the layout of the street.

“Hi miss, you look lost. Do you need any help?” A friendly soul stopped me, and I beamed at him. Everyone here was so friendly despite everything that they’d gone through. It was really a wonder to see how everyone has picked themselves up after the fiasco with Sanctus and the Order.

“Um, I’m looking for Nero. Do you know where he stays?” I asked politely, and the friendly soul breaks out into a bigger smile than before, as if extremely glad that I was looking for the main character of DMC4. Not that he would have known about it.

“You are a friend of Nero’s? Of course everyone knows where he stays! That nice boy has helped Fortuna so much that none of us know how to thank him enough!” He replied happily, beginning to lead the way –presumably to Nero’s place.

Exchanging friendly talk with the friendly citizen of Fortuna as we walked along, I found out that after the entire fiasco with the Savior, Nero had coordinated the recovery effort and worked tirelessly day and night to rid the city of demons. With Kyrie’s and the citizens’ help, they had eventually built their city back to what it once was. Nero remained as the city’s very own demon-hunter, earning a stable income from the demons who dared to entire Fortuna and challenge Nero’s authority.

Perhaps this was the reason why Trish didn’t want to escort me straight to Nero’s place. I guessed none of the demon-hunters wanted to see each other –in case they got into arguments of each other stealing the other’s job. From what I cajoled from my friendly guide, neither Dante nor Lady had been seen around here before, and definitely no one saw Vergil.

We reached an apartment building with a surprising amount of flowers at the lobby door. There were a few signs and boards hung over the bell of one of the numbers, and there was no asking who stayed in that particular apartment, because literally every board was professing love towards a certain Nero.

“I guess I don’t have to tell you which apartment.” The friendly man shrugged with a small smile at the bursting postbox of Nero’s apartment. “This is where I leave you. I trust you can go up by yourself?”

I nodded. “Thank you very much. I can make it up by myself.”

With that, the man walked away, and I approached the exploding postbox and the bell. Even though it might be more polite for me to ring the bell, I found that I couldn’t find any, for they were covered entirely by the boards. When I tried to push them away, I saw only a hole where the bell was supposed to be.

So I shrugged to myself and trudged up the stairs.

Frankly, I wasn’t sure why I was here exactly. But it went something along the lines of me trying to get a look and conversation with all the Devil May Cry characters that I was so crazy about. There was no way for me to go to Hell and talk to Sparda now, so I would have to deal with his sons… and Nero. Right now, I still am not 100% sure what Nero has to do with the entire Devil May Cry thing, but I guessed that was probably something I would have to ask Azazel the next time I saw that damned angel.

IF I saw that damned angel ever again. After that day that I walked out them arguing, I had not seen a single inkling of Azazel. I gather that the argument didn’t end well, because whenever Vergil saw me from then on, he gave me the glare and infected me with the ‘get-away-from-me’ aura. I figured it was better to give the volatile man a wide berth whenever I saw him –which was pretty often since I visited Devil May Cry every day to annoy the hell out of Dante just for the fun of it.

I found the door to Nero’s apartment pretty easily and knocked politely. The lag time between my knock and any form of reply dragged on, and I wondered if I’d caught him at an awkward timing. Perhaps he was out hunting demons?

The door opened at the last moment, and a girl of my age with sandy brown hair and wonderfully wide brown eyes came into view. She was a petite, gentle woman, and it was obvious in the way she wore her full-length dress that she was probably the gentlest of women you would ever see. Her skin was quite literally flawless, and her features were so soft that they fit right in in her ‘gentle’ aura. Her lips were thin but colored a perfect healthy pink.

“Hi, how may I help you?” She asked, her lyrical voice making sweet honey in my ears. It took me a long while to remember that her vocals were exactly the same vocals that sang the opening song of DMC4. Oh man, how I loved that song for its awesome shattering vocals, and the deep meaning behind those lyrics.

“I… uh…” I lost my mind for a short moment, but picked my thoughts back quickly. After going through the shocks with Vergil, Trish, Dante and Lady, I was starting to get better at composing myself in front of the Devil May Cry people.

“My name is Leah. I’m here to see Nero. Is he in?”

She smiled gently. Quite literally, everything about her was gentle.

“May I ask if you have business with him? He just came back from demon-hunting, you see, and needs a little rest before his next job.” She explained just as gently, and I congratulated Nero silently in my mind for having right mind and heart to fall so hopelessly in love with a woman so gentle and caring.

“Oh, I’m not here to ask him to hunt any demons. I just wanted to talk to him. I’m with Dante and his crew.” I replied quickly, and with the word ‘Dante’, Kyrie’s eyes lit up a little bit.

“Dante? We have not heard of him since he last left Fortuna! Is he doing well? I hear he is quite a demon hunter in Limbo City.”

I struggle to hide a grin at her question of Dante doing well. If there was something Dante was good at doing, then it was surviving by the most minimal of effort spend, most minimal care to his own welfare and diet.

“Let’s just say he’s surviving and keep it at that. Dante is good at surviving with a large debt over his head.” I hid my secret smile, but Kyrie gasped, a dainty hand placed over her soft lips with wide brown puppy eyes looking back.

“Dante is in debt? Does he need any financial help?” She asked, and I stifled my helpless laughter. Only Kyrie would want to help someone as hopeless as Dante.

“Oh, it’s quite alright.” I reassured, just in case she was about to fuss more about Dante. “We usually just leave Dante to his devices and use the debt as an excuse to get his lazy ass up and working.”

Kyrie looked a little uncomfortable at the way I appeared to be treating Dante, but she caught herself quickly as she opened the door a little wider. “Why don’t you come in? I’m sure Nero would welcome an acquaintance of Dante. I’ll set the kettle on the fire, and you can have your talk over some relaxing tea.”

“Don’t let me bother you.” I rushed to see, grateful of her invitation. “I don’t want to impose on you.”

“Nonsense.” She smiled, seemingly entirely forgetting about the Dante-in-debt thing. “Nero needs some tea to soothe his nerves too. He’s right down this corridor. He might be napping, so wake him up gently, won’t you?”

I smiled. Nero was in a waaaaaaay better place with Kyrie watching after him as compared to Dante. We could argue that the lazy man had Patty to clean up after him once a week, but she couldn’t compare to the level of care that Kyrie showered her man. It kind of made me jealous and motivated to do the same to my future boyfriend. I wanted to be the caring, supportive and understanding girlfriend too. Maybe less gentle than Kyrie, but with the same amount of love and care.

Kyrie turned into the kitchen from the main corridor, and I made it down alone, taking note of the pictures sitting in frames on drawers, hanging on walls. A flowery clock hung on the wall, and there was no sign at all that there was a demon hunter living within these four walls. I studied the pictures, and realized a few of them were of Kyrie, Nero and Credo when they were young. And boy, was Nero cuuuuuute. My heart panged a little when I focused on Credo, remembering how he died, but I guessed everyone had moved on.

And so should I, to not seem rude to such a kind and caring hostess. I quickly covered the distance to the room at the end of the corridor, and stepped in lightly. It was a small but comfy living area. There was a large armchair sitting by the corner next to a lamp –no doubt a quiet reading corner. There were a few more comfortable chairs scattered around, accompanied by well-placed tables, newspapers and books.

In the middle of the room was a three-seater couch, and since I saw no one sitting in any of the chairs in the room, I guessed Nero was sleeping on it. Sure enough, when I walked closer, I saw a pair of legs hanging from the arm of the couch.

He was every bit the same person that was described on Devil May Cry 4. Even though I’d come to accept the terms that everyone here was very real and alive, I couldn’t resist the urge to poke him lightly to make sure he was tangible and right in front of me. He had removed his red-lined blue overcoat, and inside was just a vest hugging close over a black shirt that kind of showed off his abs and arm muscles.

I tried not to go fan-girl mode, considering his girlfriend was in the house, and carefully walked to the front where I could see him clearly. I considered waking him up like how I woke up Dante every other day –by kicking him awake –but I guessed he wouldn’t appreciate it. I couldn’t exactly kiss him awake like Kyrie, so I figured poking him on his arm softly would have to do the work.

For a demon hunter, he was quite a heavy sleeper and took a series of increasingly impatient pokes to finally get him to stir. He tried to swat me away, but I lost my patience and just grabbed his hand to stop it from swatting me like a bug. In an instant, his eyes flashed open, and I only had a single short moment to see his perfect blue eyes before he jumped up to his feet.

On reflex, of course, I backtracked, and stupidly hit my leg against a corner of a low table nearby, tripping over it. The way I fell wasn’t very glamorous, and I let out a string of curses that could rival Dante’s dirty mouth.

“Who are you?” Nero demanded, eyes of hard blue staring down at me as he moved closer to keep me in his view –as if he didn’t trust me to stay sore over banging my leg.

“Honey! What are you doing, scaring that poor girl?” Kyrie came to my rescue as she ran into the room –presumably at the sound of the din I made after falling down.

“You know her, Kyrie?” Nero asked protectively, still keeping his eyes deathly on me.

“Um… yeah. We met at the door.” I replied for her, scowling up at him. It wasn’t the best of first impression to make and if I wasn’t already a fan, then I would be terribly insulted at his manners. Still, he was starting to give me doubts.

“I asked her, not you.” He emphasized, still staring hard at me. Was this really how he greets newcomers? From what I figured from the friendly citizen who brought me here, I had gotten the impression that Nero was still a nice friendly guy like his girlfriend. Apparently not.

“Nero, don’t be rude to our guest! I told Leah to wake you up if she found you asleep!” Kyrie was beginning to lose her temper at her boyfriend, and I guessed Nero was the only person she would ever lose her temper at –because the man himself, despite having a demonic arm and a devil trigger, and very possibly the blood of Sparda inside him, cowered in fear of Kyrie’s anger.

“I am so sorry for Nero’s behavior, Miss Leah. I hope truly hope you will forgive his manners. He is always suspicious, especially of anyone who comes in.” Kyrie tried to salvage the situation, and I wasn’t a prissy girl enough to keep harping on the matter.

“I get that. Vergil gets way worse than that when it comes to his room. I swear he almost cleaved me into two when I accidentally walked into his room looking for the washroom.” I explained, but it got more confusion from Nero as he lost his hostility quickly.

“Vergil? You know him?” His face was twice as confused as I was –and I had no idea why.

“Yeah, he’s Dante’s twin brother. Don’t you know?”

“Didn’t Dante say something about his brother being gone or something? He said Yamato was ‘originally his brother’s’. How can you know about Vergil and meet him when he is… you know…”

I frowned a little. Nero knew way less than I thought he would. But why would I care? I was talking to Nero, the very main character of Devil May Cry 4.

“I’m unclear on how he came back too, but Vergil’s a tight-lipped one. I think he has something going on against me, or maybe he just hates everyone that isn’t half-devil. I take it that neither Dante nor any of the girls came to visit you afterwards?”

Nero accepted the tea from Kyrie’s tray and offered me my cup to save his girlfriend from the extra effort, gesturing for me to sit down as if he hadn't tried to stare down at me before this. I, for one, just pretended along too.

“The blond lady called Trish sent me a letter a short while later asking for Yamato back. I sent it to her by mail, and that was the last contact I've had with any of them.”

Wow. Trish hadn't really been lying.

“Why would they stay away from Fortuna?”

“Maybe because I'm the only demon hunter anyone needs around here?” Nero puffed his chest out proudly, and I did my best not to scoff. Yes, Nero was a good one, but it was highlighted super-obviously that Dante was still the better one. Still, I wasn't going to start an argument for Dante’s sake on the topic.

“Anyway, Dante wrote a letter for you when he found that I was coming to Fortuna.” I continued, retrieving the piece of cardboard that I’d wrestled to fold carefully so that the remnants of pizza oil didn't dirty my clothes. Kyrie wrinkled her nose at Dante’s idea of 'paper', but Nero’s brow rose in amusement as he retrieved the little ‘letter’ from me.

“’Hey Kiddo’,” Nero read aloud, already wrinkling his nose in frustration at being called a kid. “’Still surviving in that run-down, half-assed place? Send me some money here. I need help with that bitch Lady and Trish. If you can, help me adopt Leah. She’s annoying the hell out of me. Dante.’”

It was my turn to wrinkle my nose as I leaned in to read Dante’s bad handwriting enough to make out the words ‘adopt Leah’ and ‘annoying’.

“I guess Dante isn't exactly greatly attached to you?” Nero chanced a guessed, but it wasn't even a million-dollar question.

“Apparently not. But he’ll have to deal. Besides, he’s used to having bossy women in his life. No harm adding one more into the mix.” I replied with a shrug, watching as Nero crumpled the dirty cardboard ‘letter’ with strange satisfaction. I swear, Dante needs to get some actual pen and paper somewhere in his hell hole of a shop. We had to literally borrow the pen from a passing citizen just for Dante to write his short ‘letter’.

At hearing that I was around to cause Dante hell in his life, Nero finally offered me a smile –a smile that was pretty much the most charming thing I've seen from him in real life. I struggled not to melt inside, fighting strongly against the fan-girl trying to burst forth.

“Anyone who makes Dante’s life hell is my friend. What do I owe the pleasure of you visiting, save delivering Dante’s half-assed letter?”

I wondered if I should just come clean and tell him that I belonged in another world. But I guessed it would only cause more problems, so I wisely decided on coming up with some lie.

“Oh, I heard about you in Limbo and Dante boasted that he was the one who helped you rise to fame. I guess I just wanted to see the ‘Great Nero’ up close and personal.” I shrugged again, taming down my fan-girl. There was really nothing much I could do with him, and frankly, I had a bigger crush on Dante than Nero. Let’s just say I was more infatuated with a more-skilled devil hunter.

“Well, quite obviously my reputation precedes me. I'm not the best, but I’m enough for Fortuna. Dante can piss himself over in Limbo. And for the records, he caused more destruction than anything. His baiting and fight with the Savior destroyed more than half the town.” Nero clarified, and I couldn't snort.

“Trust me, I know.” I muttered, but Nero caught it unfortunately.

“Excuse me? I wasn't aware that you were around.”

I bit my bottom lip. I probably shouldn't have said anything about that… but hey, no one can stop my thought from tumbling through my lips!

“Uh… Trish told me what happened. She helped to evacuate everyone.” I covered quickly, thankful of my quick wits. Though Nero still looked a little suspicious, I guess he was willing to let it go on the basis that I was chummy with Dante and Trish, and that they’d probably told me everything that happened to them and Nero in Fortuna.

Oh, if the man himself knew that I was the one controlling him in an alternate world, helping him save Fortuna.

“Do you have anything more for me? Not that I don’t welcome anyone that can cause Dante hell, but I really need a break before my next job.” Nero interrupted my silent thoughts, I jerked quickly back to reality. A pang struck through me, but I scolded the fan-girl inside of me. Fan-girl Leah just wanted to sit here and just stare at Nero, and make sure he was tangible and alive beside me.

But Practical Leah knew it was the stupid, dumb-ass thing to do, and it would make Nero suspicious. And if I wasn't careful, it would trigger an unhappy demon-hunter-with-the-blood-of-Sparda on me.

I decided it was a safer to listen to Practical Leah and finished my tea quickly, standing up from where I was seated.

“I'm sorry I've imposed on you. I’ll just take a walk around and visit places. Don’t mind me.” I apologized quickly, but Kyrie would have none of it.

“Oh, it’s quite alright, Miss. Leah! Don’t worry, you've only added more company for us. You’re welcome back any time!” Kyrie insisted, and while Nero bade his simple goodbye, Kyrie insisted that she send me off. I managed to shake her off at the door, insisting that I knew my way home back to Limbo, and she reluctantly closed the door behind her.

With a little disappointed sigh, I began to make for the stairwell. I wasn't sure what I’d expected to reap from this meeting with Nero, but I will admit that I expected more than this short talk. Still, there was really nothing more I could have done.

I was still busy trying to comfort myself, trying to tell myself that it was okay, that I could come back and visit Nero any time I felt like it, when he arrived again. I quite literally walked into him, for my mind and eyes weren't in the world that my physical body was in. The collision shocked me back to reality, but before I could register that I’d walked into anyone, I felt arms wrap around me.

And then the world went white.

_______________________________________________________________________________

“Leah, you need to wake up. There is no point in wasting more time than you have already done.” A familiar voice brought me back to white-filled reality, and for a long moment, I wondered if this entirely-white-coloured world was my reality at all.

“I transported your soul back here. We are in the heavens again.” Azazel replied my mental thought, and I was suddenly reminded by how he could hear my thoughts.

Stupid stupid angel. I focused quickly in my mind, but I guessed he understood what I was trying to do, and snorted softly.

“I will try not to read into your thoughts.” He announced, and I gave him a suspicious look. “Well, I cannot exactly turn my powers off, but I can attempt to ignore your thoughts.”

“I note the word ‘attempt’.” I pointed out, but he shrugged. Stupid stupid angel.

He cleared his throat, as if he was ready to make a great big announcement, and then looked down at me (thanks to my height deficiency) with a haughty, ‘I-am-better-than-you’ look. I guess only he could pull it off, considering he was an angel with god-knew-what-abilities.

“I have you here in the Heavenly Home of the Angels, Leah Katherine Cartlier, so that I can formally introduce you to your new Mission. I tried to do it when you awoke in Devil May Cry, but it seemed as if Vergil and I had our… differences.”

I snorted at the hesitation Azazel had before the word ‘differences’. “You mean your bitch fight with Vergil?”

An annoying look flashed once across his haughty face, but he maintained his arrogant posture.

“I mean our differences in views.” He corrected with more force, and I hid a grin knowing that I’d hit the right spot. There was no denying that Vergil and he had been close to a cat fight. I wasn't sure if that had actually happened or not, but I didn't want to know either. Either way, it had left Vergil glowering at me every time I appeared, so the end of their ‘differences in views’ must have not gone down as Vergil liked.

“Nevertheless,” Azazel resolved to announce again in his high-and-mighty voice, “You are here to receive your Mission.”

I resisted the urge to interrupt him and tell him that I have no choice anyway. But I stopped myself in time, and tried not to be too much a bitch for Azazel to handle. Besides, I wouldn't want to piss off the only angel I knew, right? Furthermore, he was the freaking angel of Death. What happens if he got really pissed off at me, and sent me straight to hell or something?

“Leah Katherine Cartlier, you shall receive your mission, by the Hand of one of the Holy Heavens, Missionary of He Who Knows All.” He announced, and he placed a palm on the top of my head. It should have freaked me out when a glow started brightly on the contact of his skin on mine, but I was more amazed and curious than fearful.

“This is your Mission: You must reach the son of Sparda. You must bring out the best of the son of Sparda, and you must reach him as he has never been reached before. You must touch where he has never been touched before. You must make him feel as he has never felt before. It is your job to make the son of Sparda whole and complete, and only with you will he bring the best potential of his lineage. With his best powers, you must enlist his aid, along with his brother’s, and rid Limbo off its demonic governance. Until such is done, Leah Katherine Cartlier, you shall stay in Limbo. You must do this within half of a revolution of the Nature around the Star, or you shall pay your price. Failure in this mission will lead to consequences.” Azazel pronounced, and with the last word, he removed his hand from my head, and the glow stopped.

He took a step back, and looked expectantly at me, as if waiting for me to say something or ask something about my new mission.

It took me probably five minutes to come up with my words, but I couldn't be sure considering the fact that I don’t know if time works if Heavens, but it sure felt like five minute. I looked up at Azazel, after a show of opening and closing my mouth like a stupid goldfish.

“I'm screwed, aren't I?”

Azazel looked deep in my eyes, to figure out if I was joking or not. He deemed me to be serious enough to warrant his comfort, because his expression softened quickly and for a moment that crazy bastard actually looked apologetic for pulling me into this mess.

“Take heart, Leah. You will have help. No Missionary will be left unaided.”

I really tried my best not to lose temper at him. I really tried. But how can you, when you find out that you have ‘half a revolution of the Nature around the Star’ to finish an impossible (least to say I have no idea what it’s about) job?

How does one carry out such crazy missions? I don’t remember signing myself up for this!

“I hate you. I HATE YOU!” I know it’s childish, but it was all I could come up at the moment as I launched into him, hammering his chest. That stupid angel didn't even stumble a step back when I collided into him, punching his hard abs until my knuckles hurt.

My tears of anger had already overflowed, and I kept my face looking down so he couldn't see my desperation. There was no point letting him see my weakness –though I was sure the stupid angel probably already knew what it was.

For one, Azazel was wise enough to keep quiet as I screamed profanities at him. Yes, I cursed him and his Lord. I cursed at everything, at everyone. But what could I say in my defence? I really couldn't help the overflowing anger, the indignant self-righteousness bubbling up to the surface. How can these beings, much less angels, bring men from their homes and bind them with such impossible tasks? Were these tests of faith? I don’t remembering hearing such stories in church.

I cried probably for fifteen minutes. But I have no watch, and heaven probably doesn't have time concept, because it felt longer than that. By the time I was done lashing my anger at a certain angel, I had lost all will to even stand. My legs crumbled beneath me, but Azazel gently wrapped his arms around me and held me up. The taps had lost their juices, and I was just dry-sobbing, mumbling madly.

I distantly remember myself being a madwoman for that long period in time. I distantly remember Azazel repeating to me with an apologetic expression that everything would work out fine, that no one has failed their missions before. I distantly remember him comforting me, telling me that he was as bound to this as I was.

I distantly remember myself refusing to listen too.

But shock and hysteria has a way of draining your energy. So in the end I was so tired that I couldn't even talk or cry. I just lay limp in Azazel’s strangely warm embrace, hearing his soft voice whispering to me that everything would be alright.

I closed my eyes, embracing the darkness of sleep.

I remember hoping that when I woke up again, I would be free.

I remember hoping that I would wake up home.

Because, for the first time, I don’t want to be in Limbo anymore.

For the first time, I don’t want to see any Devil May Cry characters anymore.

For the life of me, I don’t want to see Dante.

I just want to go home.