A/N: This fic is inspired by one of my new online buddies, bitbyboth. Her story "Tick Tock" was one of the first Dante x Nero fics I ever read! Kudos to you, buddy~! *throws confetti*

Nero patrolled the cold, empty streets of Fortuna. Ever since the Savior incident, a new government system (and curfew) was placed into effect. It supposedly would "help to ensure that further civilian lives would not be lost."

He could care less, though, since the townspeople had gone back to avoiding him. That just comes to show how some things never change.

As he realized this, it clicked in his brain why his relationship with Kyrie didn't work. It had gone from passionate to platonic and sibling-like. Brooding once more about Kyrie, a sudden whiff of demon stink snapped him out of his thoughts. Sprinting off, he started to track the scent. A few blocks away, there was a single stray Mephisto.

"Piece of cake~!" he sneered.

Whipping Blue Rose out of its holster, he began to shoot away at the black cloak on the demon. It fell to the ground, an ugly red bug-like demon. He holstered his gun, and pulled out his beloved sword, Red Queen.

Nero revved the motor until flames ran alongside the blade, and swung fatal slashes at the demon. It shrieked, and eventually fell onto the ground as charred demon remains. Instead of blood red orbs being left behind, a strange, glowing white orb appeared. He unwittingly reached out with his right demonic arm to absorb it into the Bringer.

As soon as the orb fused with his arm, he felt a sharp, tingling sensation travel from his arm to the rest of his body. The world around him looked like it was growing larger; but it was actually him shrinking.

"What the-meow~" he mewled. He looked down to the ground, and instead of human hands, he saw white kitten paws. He felt his new-found tail flicker to the side a bit.

Well fuck me! I'm a Goddamned kitten!

Lady wiped the sweat off her brow as the last scarecrow demon exploded, thanks to Katalina Anne, her bazooka. She walked up to the family that was offering the reward, and counted the money that the husband handed her.

"Fifty dollars for fifteen exterminated demons? That's not the price we agreed on," she huffed.

The man sighed, and pulled out one hundred dollars worth of twenty dollar bills. She smirked, thanked him, and hopped onto her motorcycle. She made sure to stop by Pizza One to pick up a pizza to use as a bargaining tool for Dante to get his own lazy ass up and do his own damn missions. As she walked up towards the door to the pizza parlor, a tiny mewl in the small alleyway next door caught her attention.

A tiny kitten softy wobbled out from the dark, showing its dirty white fur. It had enormous blue eyes, but the eyelids over them were drooping. She placed the pistol holstered around her waist onto the bike's holster. Kneeling down, she held out her hands, whispering gently.

"Come here, kitty."

The kitten cautiously walked over towards her outstretched hands, placing a tiny paw onto her palm. It then completely laid into her hands, curling up into a tiny ball of fur. Lady saw that instead of a collar, a red ribbon with a thin blue stripe was tied up in a bow. Totally forgetting about Dante's pizza, she placed the kitten inside the leather holster around her waist and snapped the buckle over the top of it. She then climbed onto her motorcycle once more, and sped off towards Devil May Cry.

Dante sat behind his desk, rereading the same Buxxom magazine for the sixth time in a row. Ever since he met that half-demon kid, Nero, from his mission to Fortuna, he hadn't really liked the ladies as much anymore. As his thoughts drifted back to Nero, a motorcycle engine cutting off outside warned him of the imminent danger heading his way. "Lady," he grumbled, putting away the dirty magazine.

Instead of kicking the door down like she normally would, she gently pushed the door open and stepped inside. She had something small and furry in her hands. He raised an eyebrow. What the hell was she holding?

"Lady, what is in your hands? Something else to torture me with?" he questioned, wary of her reply.

"Kind of," she giggled, smiling. Dante's eyes widened. Oh sh-

"Look what I found abandoned in an alleyway~" she grinned, standing in front of his desk and holding out her hands.

A dirty white kitten stuck its head out and yawned, showing off its tiny pink tongue. When it reopened its eyes, their startling blueness captivated him. They seemed so familiar, so human…

"Still thinking about Nero?" She asked sympathetically. Dante could've sworn that he saw the kitten's eyes widen.

"…Is it that obvious?"

Lady sighed. "Well duh! You sit behind your desk all damn day and brood." Dante began to protest, but Lady cut him off. "Maybe this will take your mind off things," and she handed him the kitten.

He looked at her, in a state of disbelief. He could barely take care of himself, let alone a kitten. "Lady, are you sure I'm the best candidate for caretaker?"

"…Just don't kill it," she smirked, walking out the doors and back to her motorcycle. Dante sighed as he heard the engine start, and gradually grow fainter as she drove away. He held the kitten in front of his face.

"Hmm… What can I name you? Pizza? …No… Milkshake? No… Strawberry? NO…" he thought aloud. Suddenly, the perfect name popped into his head.

"I'll name you Nero," he cooed.