It is a very rare occasion that I will write something with an OC. Most of the time I'm just too lazy to anyway, but Vergil, that magical half-demon, is certainly worth the effort. This story takes place after Devil May Cry one, after Dante defeats Nelo Angelo, but after that I've got my own take on it. I do hope you like it, though there is very little of my OC actually appearing in this first chapter. Anyway, read, enjoy, and I would really be grateful for reviews, they keep me motivated.

Disclaimer: Oh, the things I would do to own Vergil and Devil May Cry… Unfortunately, I have yet to take over the world and everything in it, so for now, all I really own is my plot and my own characters, mainly Malice.

Vergil's Adventures In Underland – A New Kind Of Hell

As Vergil fell he realised two things: he had been defeated by his little brother yet again, and, just like the last time, he was falling into hell. It was partially his own fault, he supposed. After all, letting Mundus invade his mind was hardly fit behaviour for the legendary Dark Slayer.

Finally, the half-demon hit the ground , the last of Nelo Angelo's armour haven broken away some time ago, shards of it surrounding him like slivers of stained glass. With an unceremonious groan, Vergil lifted himself from the demon-shaped crater, trying, in vain, to spike his hair back into its' old style.

"Well, this is new…"

The half-demon stood in the middle of a large field, a rarity for any circle of hell. As if that wasn't enough, flowers and trees of every colour swayed in the light, summery breeze, birds twittered in the distance and a nearby lake sparkled in the sunlight.

"This is the most ridiculous excuse for a hell I have ever seen," Vergil muttered, kicking a bit of armour off his shoe.

"Perhaps that's what makes it so dangerous."

Vergil would have jumped had he been anyone else. Instead, placing his hand where Yamato should been, he spun to face his adversary.

A cat.

"And I suppose you're a demon of this realm?" Vergil questioned, soon realising his magic daggers were nowhere to be found.

"Hmm, not quite. The demons here are much worse than me. I'm simply a cat you see… Or perhaps you don't." The cat slowly began to fade away, reappearing above Vergil's shoulder.

"Cats don't smile," Vergil argued. But smiling it most certainly was, smile full of shark-like teeth. The cat itself was a silvery colour, red and deep blue stripes decorating its' fur.

"We often don't have much to smile about, but smile we do. And more so than you I'd say, as do my friends. Oh, she'll be happy to see you." And with that final, cryptic message, the cat vanished altogether. Vergil smoothed his hair back yet again, a distinct force of habit at this stage, before setting off in the direction of the lake. He figured water would be the best way to start.


When Vergil finally reached the lake, it was nearly sundown, and already he was at his wits end. Reaching the lake had been difficult enough, Vergil being ensnared by trees and plants at every step with no real weapon to speak of. Fortunately, he was still rather adept at hand-to-hand combat, or, in this case, hand-to-branch combat, and escaped the carnivorous trees with few injuries. The flowers, on the other hand, just seemed terribly disappointed in the loss of their "pretty humanoid".

"Finally, some water." Vergil glanced about quickly, wary of any further plant attacks, before bending towards the glistening lake. The half-demon peered into its' depths, making sure there were no piranhas or tentacle monsters preparing to latch themselves onto him, before scooping the water into his hands and taking a long drink. Closing his eyes in a brief respite, Vergil used his wet hands to fix his hair (who says Dante was the vain twin?), considering his next move. Or, he would be, if it wasn't for the distinct throbbing in his chest.

"No! What was in that…" Vergil clutched at his chest, as if he could claw out the offending liquid. He fell to the ground, convulsing and heaving, forehead pressed to the damp grass. His very bones creaked and twisted, his blood felt like it was boiling, his muscles tearing, the very definition of hell.

Suddenly he was enveloped by a cooling sensation, as if somebody had poured cold water on him after day in the heat. Slowly, he lifted his head off the ground, groggily opening his eyes.

"Oh, now what…" Vergil groaned, taking in his surroundings. They were the same as before of course, only with a different perspective. Because Vergil, the Dark Slayer, Son of Sparda, was now roughly the size of a mouse.

"What the hell was in that?" he snapped at nothing in particular, glaring at the tall blades of grass as if they were to blame.

"Oh no, no, no, oh no, I'm so very late!" Vergil was knocked to the ground as the very earth began to shake, rolling out of the way just in time as a pair of furry white paws leapt past him. Jumping up quickly, he gave chase to the white rabbit, running as fast as his now tiny body could manage.

"What kind of ridiculous hell is this?" he thought, "Where rabbits wear waistcoats and have punctuality problems."

"Stop, now! Stop running, dammit!"

"No, no, can't stop now, I'm late, so late, need to run! Can't run if I lose my head," the rabbit called, speeding up and clutching at his ears in despair.

It seemed as though they were running forever, the rabbit letting out the occasional squeal and Vergil cursing himself for losing Yamato, for drinking the water, for getting stuck there in the first place.

Smack!

Vergil was knocked out of his thoughts, literally, as he bounced off the back of the rabbit.

"You infernal creature, what did you just stop for- oh…" Vergil's little outburst trailed off as he took in his surroundings. The rabbit frowned at him, before rushing towards the end of what appeared to be a courtyard. High walls surrounded red hedges, (roses, perhaps, though Vergil could swear he smelled blood), and fifty cards stood in formation, wielding axes and swords, their helmets blood spattered, their corners aged. Looking down on all of this from a raised platform stood their leader. A seemingly beautiful woman from a distance, with blood red hair and a peculiar black crown sneered down at the rabbit, tapping a skeletal heeled foot against the red marble pavement.

"You are late!" she screamed, and Vergil could see the layers of shark-like teeth as she spoke.

"I-I'm sorry, so sorry, Your Highness, ever so sorry," the rabbit stuttered.

"I don't do apologies, Mr. White," she smiled, her crimson eyes glowing. "Off with his-"

"No, wait, please! I brought you something!" The queen paused in her orders, waving him ahead. The rabbit gestured towards the half-demon nervously.

"An intruder, Your Majesty." Too late, Vergil realised the gravity of his situation, quickly being seized by the armed cards.

"Well he's certainly small," the queen complained as Vergil was thrown at her feet. "Fix him." Vergil kicked, punched, even tried to bite his way through the cards, but to no avail. Holding him down, the cards proceeded to force a strange cake into his mouth.

"Not too much, you fools, he'll be a giant!" Her words were lost on Vergil however, as he fell to the ground, screaming and wretching for the second time that day. After a blood curdling sensation that felt much longer than the first time, Vergil opened his eyes, thankful that, once again, he was back to his regular size.

"Well, now that he's a proper size, off with his head!" the queen ordered, and the half-demon was once again seized by the cards.

"On what grounds? What kind of ruler are you?" Vergil growled, ripping the arm off one of his captors in anger.

"On these grounds," the queen snapped, gesturing to the marble beneath her feet. "And you will not question me!" With a majestic wave of her skeletal hand, Vergil was hauled toward the centre of the courtyard and onto a high pedestal.

"My, my, what a predicament you're in. You aren't much better than she was." Vergil glared at the floating feline as his hands were chained behind his back.

"And I don't suppose you'd think to help me, instead of floating in and out of existence, you mangy thing," Vergil sneered.

"Oh, how you wound me so. Cats are very egotistical creatures, you know. Anyway, I'm afraid I can't help you. Have fun with the executioner." The cat disappeared yet again, leaving a poof of black smoke in its' wake. There was a pounding in Vergil's ears as the cards shoved his head down onto the pedestal.

"What a way to go," he thought, somewhat resigned for once. That had been happening a lot since Mundus had messed around in his head. "It isn't an entirely bad way to go, I suppose. It's quick by hell standards… What is… that… Oh no!" The pounding, it seemed, was not in fact only in Vergil's head. It came from the ten foot monstrosity bounding towards him. Thin and red, with six arms and three heads, its' yellow eyes seeming to grin at him.

"Off with your head!" it roared, raising its' giant black scythe in the air.

"Move!"

The scythe smashed down where Vergil's head had been only moments before. The half-demon himself was on the other side of the courtyard, a heavy weight on his chest. He opened his eyes to find said weight staring at him. A young girl with glowing silver eyes stared back at him, her long black hair hanging over her shoulders.

"You're new."

Crash!

The pair rolled just in time as the executioner brought his scythe down. Shoving Vergil out of the way, the girl rushed towards the monster, sliding underneath it and spinning to kick it from behind. Vergil used the distraction to attack a nearby guard, breaking the chains off its' sword and taking the weapon for himself.

Rushing back to the fight, he slashed at the monster with his newfound weapon, cutting at its' legs.

"What are you doing, idiot? Aim for the heads!" the girl yelled, and he watched as she pulled a katana from the sheath at her hip, the tip of the sword jagged and broken. She leapt at the executioner, but was quickly thrown off by the back of its' scythe. The girl landed next to Vergil, and he could see the blood trickling down over her right eye.

"My, my, Malice, don't you think it's a little late to play the hero?" the cat seemed to taunt, appearing on the girl's shoulder.

"I know that, but-"

"Leave, leave quickly. The queen has already fled, and you'll do no good here." The girl nodded. Quickly shoving the broken blade back in its' sheath, she flung one of the card guards at the monstrosity, grabbing Vergil by the sleeve.

"Come on," she shouted as she ran. Vergil certainly wasn't going to stop and argue.

To Be Continued…