Kerte

Kerte is the poly ship between Dante, Kat and Vergil from the Devil May Cry fandom.

Canon
Dante and Vergil are Nephilim twin brothers who were separated at the age of seven following their mother’s death and their father’s capture at the hands of Mundus, the Demon King. Before his capture, their father was able to erase both of their memories in order to keep them safe from the demons as well as hide them amongst the humans.

When Dante and Vergil are in their early to mid-20s, Vergil meets Kat in Limbo, a dimension that exists parallel to the human world, where he saves her and gives her a new purpose in life. Together they become a team, forming strong romantic feelings for each other along the way and even sharing a kiss in Vergil’s search for his long-lost brother. Because of Vergil’s ever-growing feelings for Kat, he perceives this as a weakness. He makes the decision to erase both of their memories of the past few days, forgetting their feelings for each other, though remaining a team.

DmC Devil May Cry
An undisclosed amount of time later, Vergil and Kat finally locate Dante. Vergil sends Kat to Dante’s home, under the pretense that Kat’s “boss wants to meet him”. Dante and Kat arrive to The Order’s base of operations, where Kat leads Dante to Vergil. The brothers meet for the first time in years, with Dante not knowing who Vergil is. The two converse back and forth, ending with Vergil asking Dante if he can at least “give him a chance to show him”. Dante agrees and all three head for Dante and Vergil’s old childhood home.

Arriving to the home, Vergil asks Kat to open a portal – a rift – from the real-world to Limbo. Through the portal, Dante will learn who and what he is, as well as who Vergil is. Dante steps on Kat’s created rift and is transported into Limbo. Once Dante is gone, Kat questions Vergil if “this is really going to work”. In return, Vergil replies that Dante is “raw”, just like how Kat was when he first found her.

Dante arrives back into the real-world where Vergil and Kat are waiting. As Dante takes in his surroundings, Vergil watches him closely, waiting for Dante to speak. When Dante does, the first thing he says is, “You’re my brother.” Vergil clarifies that he’s Dante’s twin brother to be exact. With the knowledge that Dante now knows who he is, he now wants to know where they come from, what happened to them and above all else, wants to know who is responsible for all this. As Dante turns to leave the home, Vergil turns back to smile at Kat that they finally have Dante after looking for so long. In return, Kat smiles and nods back at him.

A short time later, Vergil takes Dante to an old park that their mother used to take them too. While there, he explains how their parents met and how they, as demon-angel hybrids, are the only beings capable of killing a Demon King. While they talk, Vergil also makes it known that the demons are unaware that there are two of them, the demons believing Dante is the only remaining Nephilim. As they’re walking, a demon spotter sees them, forcing Vergil to kill it. Though it’s too late, Dante is already being pulled into Limbo. As Vergil runs, he tells Dante that he’ll find Kat – that she’s the one who can get him back out.

With Dante back in the real-world, Vergil explains how they are going to defeat Mundus – by making him leave the vicinity of the Hell Gate, the gate that gives him his power within the real-world. A plan is conceived that Dante is going to kill Mundus’ succubus, far down in the city’s Virility factory. Dante and Kat head for the factory with Vergil staying back as Mundus is unaware of his existence for the time being. Dante is however spotted by a demon surveillance camera, pulling him into Limbo. Kat knows she’s not safe if she stays, which she voices to Dante. In return, Dante tells her to go. Kat comes back with the locations of the other cameras given to her by Vergil, telling him to follow her.

With the Succubus defeated, Dante and Kat regroup and drive back for The Order’s base. While driving, Dante asks how Kat and Vergil met as they seem “tight”. Kat is reluctant to answer, though when Dante tells her he trusts her, she can trust him too, does Kat start to talk. She says how she was abused by her demon-foster father, and one night while wondering Limbo to escape, Vergil heard her cries for help. He helped her deal with the demons both “figuratively and literally”. Kat then asks Dante if he’s going to “stick with them until the end” with Dante responding, “Count on it.”

The following day is the next mission of killing Bob Barbas, Mundus’ media demon. As Kat prepares the rift Dante will be taking back into Limbo, Vergil informs him that he has to go alone, as Kat can’t follow where he’s headed. Dante is okay with this, telling him in a soft voice, ''“Alone is fine. She’s done enough.”'' Before Dante leaves, Kat warns him the demon he’ll be facing. He tells her he’s sure “it’ll be lovely” before winking at her as he goes through the rift. As Dante winks goodbye, Vergil silently watches their exchange.

During Dante’s fight with Bob, Bob uses his position as a TV news anchor to relay the news of The Order being under siege. The broadcast shows mugshots of Vergil and Kat; zooming in on Kat’s photo to show how concerned Dante is for her. Dante rushes to The Order seeing police and S.W.A.T, relived that they’re not inside yet. Using an alleyway, Dante finds his own way in. Once in and still in Limbo, Dante yells for them. Dante sees demons attempting to break in, though are unable to do so because of Kat’s wards of graffiti.

Dante finally locates Kat crouching behind a desk. When he gets her attention she runs up to him, panic-stricken. Knowing they have to find Vergil now, they work together again. Dante asks where Vergil could be, Kat answering he may be in the server room. Being in the real-world, Kat is still in immense danger, so she guides Dante through the building, allowing him to protect her.

They come to the server room where Vergil is, though trapped in Limbo. Once Dante kills the demon attacking Vergil, Vergil thanks him and is momentarily shocked to see Kat is still alive. Dante is adamant that the three of them get out immediately. Vergil refuses however, wanting to protect the highly sensitive data of The Order. Vergil tells Kat to arm the self-destruct system, which she does, shaking a bit. Fighting off a couple rounds of demons, Dante asks how they’re doing, Vergil responding he and Kat need “two minutes”. Dante begins to get frustrated, telling him, ''“Vergil, I can keep the demons off your back for as long as you need, but I can’t protect Kat from the feds! Step on it!” As more times goes over, Dante grows increasingly more frustrated with Vergil, telling him, “You’re putting her in danger!”'' Kat tries to reassure Dante by telling him what they’re doing is important.

Once the data is secure and self-destruct is imminent Vergil tells Dante it’s time to leave, leaving Kat behind. Dante fires at Vergil about Kat, with Kat explaining that there’s no way out in the real-word; Vergil agrees telling Dante they can’t help her. Dante yells, “We can’t just leave her!” Dante and Vergil go back and forth, with Dante refusing to give up on Kat. The S.W.A.T. team is now right outside the door and Dante instructs Kat to get on her knees, put her hands up and to not fight back. Kat voices her concern, telling him she’s scared. Dante tells her all she needs to do is hold out for as long as she can and that he will come back for her. Seconds later, S.W.A.T blows through the doors and immediately shoot Kat in the shoulder. Kat falls to the floor and Dante screams, “No!” Knowing there’s nothing Dante can do while he’s in Limbo; he’s forced to watch Kat get beaten. Dante makes a solemn attempt to hold her hand, only for his hand to phase through hers from being in different realms. Moments later, Kat is ripped from him and dragged away by her ankles. The self-destruct kicks in and Dante runs to Vergil, with the two of them making it out via a portal. As the building breaks, Dante watches on with a heartbroken expression before following Vergil.

At Vergil’s safe house, Dante and Vergil watch a video of Kat sent by Mundus. During her torture, Kat had revealed Vergil’s name; Mundus believing Vergil is merely collaborating with the Nephilim, not knowing he’s also Nephilim and Dante’s brother. Dante gets close to the screen, commenting on how she must have been strong to hold out. Vergil agrees, though is quick to tell him that they can’t save her. Dante is taken aback, asking what he means. Vergil lists his reasons: Dante being his brother and Dante also being the key to defeat Mundus. Dante argues back that they use Mundus’ mistress, Lilith, as a trade for Kat (as Lilith is pregnant with Mundus’ child, something Dante learned during his mission of Bob). Learning of Lilith, Vergil wants to use her to get Mundus away from his Hell Gate, whereas Dante wants the latter. The two go back a forth with Dante insisting they use Lilith in order to save Kat, continuing by saying how Kat put herself through hell to protect them. Vergil disagrees again, before Dante stares him down, calmly walking up to him and saying, “I am not abandoning her.” Realizing Dante is serious, Vergil gives in.

Vergil tracks down Lilith at her nightclub, which Dante infiltrates. Upon defeating Lilith and Mundus’ Spawn, Dante allows mother and son to live. With Mundus’ Spawn back in Lilith’s womb, Dante takes Lilith back to the safe house and records a video message for Mundus: “the life of the girl for the life of your child”.

A trade goes forth down by the docks. When Dante sees Kat, he shows Lilith. Dante instructs Lilith to move, leading to Kat walking for him and Vergil. As Kat and Lilith pass each other, Vergil is unable to allow Lilith a chance to get away — he shoots her in the abdomen, then in the head. Kat is frozen in shock as bullets fly by her on both sides. Dante stares at Vergil in disbelief, before he sprints to Kat, lifting her in his arms bridal-style and running her back to the car where Vergil is. Mundus, undoubtedly furious, breaks the city. Dante turns back and sees Mundus’ shock wave of power. He yells for Vergil to get Kat out of there, while he stays outside and protests them both from the crumbling city.

Once out of immediate danger, the three head for their safe house. Dante is upset with Vergil for “deciding the fates of so many,” as countless innocent lives were lost from Vergil’s action to Mundus’ extreme reaction. As the two lightly argue, Kat slowly comes to and tells Dante that she is able when she hears him tell Vergil, “Kat is in no state to do anything.” She explains that while she was being tortured, she left her physical body and explored Mundus’ tower, telling Dante and Vergil that while they need her to defeat Mundus, they need each other.

The three of them conceive a plan to overthrow Mundus. Kat kneels on the floor, drawing out the plan on a chalkboard. As Kat is still recovering from her torture, she does not accompany Dante and Vergil to Mundus’ tower. Instead she guides the brothers through their mission. Mundus is unaware that Vergil is Nephilim, and using that to their advantage, Vergil sneaks into Mundus’ tower while Dante acts as a distraction. At one point Vergil makes the comment that he and Dante “underestimated Kat” when Vergil realizes just how vital Kat is, Dante however doesn’t waver, and says with no hesitation that “he didn’t.”

Dante and Vergil successfully killed Mundus. The two go back for Kat, where they all overlook the destroyed city leftover from the battle. Dante helps Kat walk, where moments later Vergil reveals his plot all along was to rule over the humans with Dante, shocking both Dante and Kat. Vergil argues how humans are frail and how he and Dante had saved them. Dante turns to Vergil questioning how he and Vergil saved them. Vergil is puzzled by this, and in an answer, Dante makes a gesture to Kat — a human. Dante defends Kat even more by saying, ''“Kat saved my life! Kat held out under torture to keep your existence a secret! Kat lead us through the tower to Mundus’ lair! We would have failed twenty-times over if it weren’t for her!”'' Dante and Vergil argue more over this new revelation, eventually leading to Vergil telling Dante to “stand aside” if he doesn’t want the “responsibly” of protecting the humans, stating that he’ll “rule alone”. Kat inserts herself into the argument, to tell Vergil not to do this, only for Vergil to yell at her to “stay out of this.” As Kat quietly sinks into the background, Dante and Vergil are soon engaged in a fight to the death.

Dante gains the upper hand and activates his Devil’s Trigger, in which he stabs Vergil through the chest and plunges Rebellion, his sword, deeper into him, going straight through him. Moments away from killing his twin brother, Dante hears Kat plead for Vergil’s life. Her words reach him and he releases his sword from Vergil, sparing him. As Vergil lays on the ground, Dante reaches to help him stand, which Vergil uncertainly accepts. The two have a silent stand off for a few moments before Dante proclaims that the world is under his protection now. Vergil reminds Dante the he’s not human, and that he’ll never be. As Vergil limps off to open a portal out of there, Kat moves closer to Dante and Dante raises an arm to shield her — on the off chance that Vergil strikes again. Before leaving through his portal, Vergil tells Dante that he loved him. Dante is left feeling broken, questioning who he is, saying, “I don’t know who I am anymore.” Without hesitation, Kat caresses Dante’s cheek, reassuring him, responding, “I know exactly who you are— you are Dante, nothing more, and nothing less.” She places that same hand over his heart. As Dante and Kat walk away from the battleground, Dante slowly slides his hand down Kat’s back to her butt, showing Kat that he’s still himself. In response, Kat elbows him in the abdomen and the two walk off together, unsure of what lies ahead, but wanting to stay with each other

DmC Devil May Cry
"You guys do them really nice, but I’m more of a loner type: trust issues, work alone – that kind of thing."

- Dante to Vergil and Kat, not wanting to help them, DmC Devil May Cry.

Fanon
Due to Kat and Vergil’s semi-canon relationship and the classic Devil May Cry games pattern of introducing a love interest for Dante, though not definitively hooking them up, Kerte is shown as a potential love-triangle. Fans of both Kat ships often mention how they’re “in aw” of how Kat managed to make Nephilim twin brothers fall in love with her without even trying.

Fandom
FAN FICTION
 * Dante/Kat/Vergil tag on FanFiction.net
 * Dante/Kat/Vergil tag on FanFiction.net

Variations

 * Kante refers to the ship between Dante and Kat
 * Kergil refers to the ship between Vergil and Kat
 * Sons of Sparda refers to the ship between Dante and Vergil