A Devil's First Moonbow

Red Grave City – June 15th: 6:45 PM

Nero gave a yell, cutting through a stray Empusa with his Red Queen before he could hear a loud crashing sound. He looked up and saw the giant demonic tree, the Qliphoth, turn pale before crumbling in the distance.

"Guess that's the end, then," Nero remarked.

"No it ain't, you've still got work to do."

Nero gave a sigh, turning towards his partner who was currently in the driver's seat of his mobile headquarters. Nico gave a glance towards the side and pointed, the demon hunter could only turn and give a groan.

A few Empusas were crawling away, clearly trying to hightail it out of the city to make a nest of some kind now that their primary purpose was gone.

"Of course it isn't…" Nero sighed, ready to walk forward when something caught his eye. He quickly grabbed the incoming objects with his hands. In one hand was one of his handier prosthetic arms, Ragtime, while the other held another familiar but different one, it was Gerbera but done up in a sleek white paintjob with red accents. "What's this?"

"Figured you'd want Ragtime so I cooked up another prototype while you were bashing demon's brains in," Nico remarked, "And I modified a pet project of mine to give you another hand, meet the Gerbera GP01."

"What's so special about this one?" Nero asked as he began to holster them, "Dig the paint job though."

"This one can get you to the ground faster while you're in the air," Nico mentioned, "That way you won't get sliced up mid-air by bouncing all around."

"Not bad," Nero admitted as he flexed his current prosthetic Overture, granted he didn't need any of these anymore, but the versatility was welcome, "I'll be back then… shouldn't take too long."

"It better not, remember you've got someone waiting," Nico called out.

"Right, right," Nero said before hurrying off in the direction of the Empusas.

The Empusas continued to scurry along the empty streets before one screeched out as a wire grabbed it before it was pulled backwards. A screech was soon heard before the two that were with the first one turned only to see Nero over the decaying corpse of their comrade.

"Hey there little buddies," Nero smiled, "I can't have you messing up these places and I'm going to be late for dinner."

The Empusas screeched out as they went to turn and scurry off at the sight of Nero, their self preservation instincts going into overdrive.

"That's not happening."

Nero quickly rushed forward, thrusting his left palm out and unleashing an electrical burst from his Overture Devil Breaker. The attack had managed to stun them causing Nero to grin, he drew Red Queen from his back and slammed it down into one, cutting through it with ease. He then dug the blade into the ground before drawing out his dual barreled pistol, Blue Rose. Demonic energy gathered before he unleashed a charged shot directly into the remaining Empusas skull, the two demons falling as their bodies began to dissolve.

"Okay… think I can…" Nero barely had time to react as he stepped backwards, wincing as a red blur tore through the Overture Devil Breaker. He quickly stepped to the side and drew Red Queen out of the ground, raising it and barely blocking against a second strike, skidding backwards. "What the…" He trailed as he loaded in Gerbera GP01 as his next armament.

Before him was a demon with blood red skin, it being a bipedal lizard of sorts with piercing green eyes. Blades protruded from its right arm as it hunched forward. This demon was going to be an issue, as it was one Nero hadn't faced personally during all of this. In a flash it disappeared before appearing right behind the demon hunter.

Nero stayed in one spot as he activated Gerbera just as it swung at him, the modified weapon creating a pulse that launched him up into the air and hit the Fury. He then quickly unleashed another burst in mid-air, the GP01's special feature kicking in as it launched him downwards.

The Fury had immediately disappeared after the first hit, appearing mid-air to strike at Nero only to miss as he had predicted its next move. It vanished mid-air however suddenly appearing in front of Nero and slashing, managing to catch the Demon Hunter off guard.

"Shit!" Nero hissed out as he was sent skidding backwards, jabbing Red Queen into the ground to keep slow him down. He was expecting a hit from behind not from the front, so he ended up being caught off guard in that regard.

"Raiga over here, he needs help!"

Both Nero and the Fury's attention were both caught as they turned, soon seeing a young woman with short black hair in a black dress, her right hand being covered by a black glove.

"A civilian…?" Nero asked, he was sure there shouldn't have been any survivors. But his questioning suddenly halted when he saw the Fury disappear in a red blur. "Crap, get away from here now!"

The woman didn't seem to be bothered by this assault as she simply closed her eyes and held up her left wrist which held a chain of flowers as a bracelet. As the Fury appeared behind her the flowers shined brightly as a strong gold glow surrounded her. As the Fury attempted to touch her it was suddenly blown backwards by an invisible force, it slamming into a nearby building as a result.

The Fury quickly retaliated, its skin burning as it disappeared in a red blur, reappearing in front of the woman and raising its blade. Right as it stepped forward a short sword reminiscent of a Chinese Jian passed the woman, striking the demon directly against its skull. The contact with the blade quickly caused it to jumped backwards and enter a guarded stance.

Joining the woman was a young man with black hair in a black leather outfit that was covered by a long intricate white coat that held a checkered interior. He was the owner of the sword that had struck against the Fury, and he gave a firm towards the demon.

"Zaruba…" He trailed before lifting his left hand up.

"That's not a Horror, Raiga," A voice with a metallic edge called, it coming from the skull-like ring on his finger, "But it definitely can be hurt by your weapon."

"Got it," Raiga gave a nod before looking towards the woman, "Mayuri, stand back, we'll handle it from here."

"Right," Mayuri gave a nod before hurrying off to watch the fight from a distance.

"So what can you tell me about that guy?" Raiga asked before looking at his ringed partner, "He has a strange presence."

"Not sure, he's human… but not," Zaruba admitted, "He gives off the same energy as big red and ugly."

"Odd," Raiga admitted before readying himself, "Regardless I think he could use our help."

"Whatever you say partner," Zaruba replied. "Despite the presence I can feel no malice from him."

The Fury seemed to use this chance, becoming a blur and leaping into the air to try and strike at Raiga while he was distracted. However it glanced towards the side, disappearing in a blur as a giant beam of energy engulfed where it once was.

Raiga blinked a few times, "Whoa…"

"Just what kind of power is that?" Zaruba questioned.

"Hey there," Nero called out as he hurried over, "Didn't think I'd see another Demon Hunter, sorry to say but the parties over."

"That may be but there still seems to be one issue left," Raiga mentioned as he glanced at the Fury which was now backed away and eyeing the two. He gave a smile, "How about we work together to beat this thing?"

"Sounds fine by me," Nero admitted as he equipped Ragtime. "You seem to know your stuff but I can't promise I won't get in your way."

"The same can be said for me," Raiga gave a nod.

The two rushed forward with the Fury rushing towards them as well. Despite their unified front, the two were ill suited for trying to catch and hold the Fury still. One would block and the other would slash, only for the Fury to warp away. And anytime Nero attempted to use Ragtime's Slowdown Bubbles, they were unable to properly catch the Fury. At most it would catch its leg but the demon would slip out and easily dash away.

"Is there any way to use that ability in a wider range?" Raiga asked, noticing that it was slowing the Fury down but not enough.

"It'll bust it completely but I can manage," Nero replied before giving a yell, charging up Ragtime as the Fury got close before unleashing its fully power. The Devil Breaker shattered as a large slowdown dome covered the area. The Fury could only hiss out as it was slowed to a near crawl by the dome being formed around them.

Nero meanwhile gave a grunt, as his right arm shined a bright blue, a fully human arm forming in place of where the prosthetic was.

Raiga could only stare a bit in surprise, "What are you?"

"Just a demon hunter," Nero shrugged as he shook his normal arm, "Let's not keep this guy waiting though."

The Fury could only stare as it was quickly stabbed through, but by the time it was struck the slowdown dome had started to fade. Not willing to die just yet it used its speed to dash backwards, taking a few steps stumbling back before it crouched forward.

"Let's finish this, you got any fancy tricks?" Nero asked.

"I didn't want to pull it out, but this creature is definitely going to force me to," Raiga admitted.

"Then let's go all out," Nero called out as a blue flash appeared around him, soon transforming him into his fully formed Devil Triggered state.

Raiga stared in slight surprise before giving a small smirk, raising his sword above his head and drawing a circle in the air. The circle filled in as a golden flash covered his body in gold intricate wolf themed armor, two blue eyes shining through the helmet. His sword had transformed as well, taking the appearance of a western styled longsword akin to a knight's.

Nero gave a whistle, "Fancy, my Devil Trigger's got nothing on that."

"So that's what you call that form," Raiga remarked before stepping forward calmly, "Well etch the name of this armor into your memory, Garo."

"Garo…" Nero trailed before giving a chuckle, "Let's see what you've got."

The Fury gave a hiss as it sped forward, slashing and trying to slash against Garo only for its blades to clang against the armor itself. It stared in surprise before it reeled back, being punched in the face. It went to hiss at Garo only to get sliced into by the golden warrior.

"Go high!" Nero called out to his partner as he rushed forward, glowing arm-like wings forming a cape on his back, unfolding and forming over his arms as enhancements.

Garo gave a nod as he leapt onto a nearby rooftop, "Alright!"

Nero quickly used his spectral arms to reel the Fury in, forcing it to take a few steps forward before the two began dodging and slashing at each other. Instead of moving away however they simply danced around each other before finally clashing blades. However Nero performed an uppercut, "We don't have all day!"

The Fury hissed out as it was thrown upwards into the air in a stunned state, not expecting the sucker punch to the bottom of its jaw.

Garo saw this and quickly leapt forward, scraping his sword across the back of his armored hand, kicking up sparks that soon turned into green flames. With a growl of a wolf the golden warrior slashed through the Fury, the green fire spreading and consuming the demon before it exploded.

Nero stood up straight as he watched Garo leap past from his slash, the golden warrior landing behind him. With the Fury finished, the two dismissed their respective transformations before turning towards each other. Nero went to holster Red Queen on his back while Raiga sheathed his sword before letting it hang at his waist.

"I have to say, you were pretty good," Nero admitted before rubbing the back of his neck a bit, "And uh… thanks for not freaking out too much."

Raiga could only give a smile, "Well you don't seem like that bad of a guy. Not to mention you clearly weren't with whatever that was."

"Demon," Nero replied, "You sure you're a demon hunter?"

"I'm not actually," Raiga gave a chuckle and shook his head, "I suppose you could call me one but my enemies are quite different."

"And way more dangerous than what you face," Zaruba remarked.

"Rings got sass huh," Nero shot back.

"Are you two alright?" Mayuri asked as she walked over.

"Yeah, thanks to him," Raiga said as he gestured towards Nero, "He was pretty strong, so it was no match for the two of us."

"Pretty strong huh…" Nero muttered before giving a light laugh, "Guess I am. You're no slouch yourself either though."

"I'd hope I'm up to par," Raiga admitted with a chuckle, "Otherwise I don't think I'd be here right now."

"Speaking of here," Nero added, "I've got a ride out of this city if you want to travel for a bit. I doubt there's much to do here now."

"Its fine," Raiga shook his head, "We have our own way to travel."

"We should probably get going too," Mayuri agreed.

"Well you guys take care," Nero said before he began to head off.

Raiga turned to head off before looking at his partner, "Ready?"

"Yeah," Mayuri gave a smile before taking his hand, the two walking off.

Nero though was admittedly still curious and wondered if he could get some contact information, "Hey…" He turned and blinked a bit as his question trailed off.

Both Raiga and Mayuri were gone, neither leaving a trace as if they had simply vanished after he turned. Nero was ready to call out when he suddenly saw something odd in the distance.

In the distance despite it not having rained at all in the past few hours, there was a rainbow that was as clear as day, its colors shining bright against the sunset.

"…A rainbow?"

Author's Note: I always felt as though Garo and Devil May Cry could complement each other, but really I didn't have much in the way of ideas other than Nero meets Garo. I had once thought of maybe a post DMC5 story that was more involved than this, but figured this would be fine enough.

I decided to place it just immediately after the end of Nero's side in DMC5, just a fun little detour before he heads home. Meanwhile grabbing Raiga was specifically something that I had to capitalize on given the source material. This takes place after Moonbow Traveler, and well, the ending honestly gives a perfect chance for crossovers to occur so I capitalized on it.