Counting Days

: Dante x Vergil Fanfiction

rated : T

Summary : They were strangers at first, then they became friends after only a few hours. A day passed, he knew he's in love with his new friend. After a week, he wondered where his friend had gone off to.

First A/N : Short story with a few chapters.

Disclaimer + Warning (s) : I'm very aware that DmC is not mine, but changing their heights is very much all right here, yes? Making Vergil a bit shorter like... 0.9 cm than Dante? ;D You know why, perfect height to kiss someone if you're dominating where you don't have to stand on your toes... Though kiss-kiss couldn't be found anywhere in this story, since it's too awkward for me to write about it right now... O.o

Oh yeah, here - Both Dante and Vergil aren't brothers.

This is my first try with NJ's DmC! Be nice with me! T.T

Chapter One : Hours - Intro

Dante munched on his sandwich, eyes fixed to the preliminary soccer match below on the field. There weren't much audiences present, not that surprising during examination days. Sitting at a bench behind the thin metal gates, Dante wasn't that interested of watching the game.

He just needed something to ease up his headaches.

His Gray eyes faltered to the sandwich he had been munching on for quite awhile now, it was very much tasteless. Dante wondered why he bought it. The black-haired wrapped it up in its plastic cover, placed them on his side and leaned his back on the bench. He drank his canned soft-drink as he observed how energetic the soccer players were.

They looked so happy running around and passing the ball to their friends.

"What?"

"You have a donor, Dante. You have to be more careful of your health from now on," the doctor said, smiling as she flipped through the report. She looked satisfied and relieved.

Dante was speechless, should he be happy that he'll get a new life or feel guilty knowing that there's someone giving up his or her life for him? The doctor noticed the strangely quiet young man in front of her, and sighed.

"What's wrong?" she asked, resting the reports on her working desk.

"...I don't know what i should feel right now," his voice droning, lowering down his head.

"You should feel happy, Dante. It is normal to feel this way... And you want to know something?" she said, placing her hand on Dante's shoulder.

Lifting his head up as he raised an eyebrow, he waited for the answer.

"It was your name on top of the list at that time, you were lucky. He gave us an exception that you don't ask for his name..."

"Why?"

An eyebrow twitched.

"Mysterious donor for a piece of shit..." he mumbled, crumpling the emptied canned drink with his hand.

His other hand moved to his chest, feeling the slight pounding and the beating of his heart. It was dangerously slow or rather, it's abnormal.

Dante was born with a very weak heart. In his childhood days, the only place he was allowed to be in was his bedroom. Stuck with a support that smells awful, jealous of the cheery life outside his home and the frequent faint whenever he tried to at least run. The fragility of his heart was only known within his family of parents and his sister.

When he reached the age of eight, his doctor told him his sickness will escalate to its worse if he doesn't get any heart transplant. For years and now in his last year of high-school, he finally got a suitable transplant. It somehow amazes him on how long he lasts, even within the years he'd got into many countless fights.

Though as rebellious as he wanted to be, he's still sick.

"He is now living in a borrowed time from you. He'd asked only a week before giving up for you, Dante," she explained.

"Didn't know you doctors could do that, considering how painful waiting for years were... and the 'will-be-frequent' cut on the chest," he said, rolling his eyes.

"We needed willingness, Dante. And every data that we have of him are similar to you. This is your chance, you could live your life to the extent until you're old!"

"...So why didn't you said that to this donor of mine?"

The doctor was taken aback, she was stunned.

When Dante received no reply, he continued, "What about his family? Sure, they must've said something to him?"

Her lips pursed closed, the gentle stare that she had a few moments before suddenly changed.

"He doesn't have any... nor anyone that cared for him. That is why he's willing enough to at least save someone."

As he listened to the doctor's answer, he finally noticed how serious both his doctor and the donor were.

"Life isn't something you could play around with..." she stated, silencing the young black-haired.

Dante's gaze returned to the soccer match, and witnessed the first home goal. The winning players cheered, but he didn't smile. His mind was still reeling of his 'recovery' news, and that irritated him. Probably due to the donor's complete differences in his life than what Dante was having. What if his heart isn't suitable for him? Death is still coming and waiting for the mysterious donor and even him.

That is something he never wanted to happen.

"Damn...!" he shouted, throwing the crumpled drink to the side.

Earning a few confused glances from the audiences and the soccer players as he ignored. He scowled, recoiling back to lean on the bench and calmed himself. Sighing, closing his eyes and tried to get his mind away from the news.

With a few bounces after the empty can landed harshly on the ground, it finally rested, missing the trash. Only to be picked up by another while walking towards the annoyed black-haired.

"You know you should at least try to aim," the figure spoke.

Standing beside Dante with the can on his hand, Dante opened his eyes when the stranger shadowed the sun's shine. He knew this stranger, where everything about him coloured white. His hair, the fair skin and the light-coloured Gray. The unapproachable Vergil, they called him. They had many similarities, they knew which, but they've never really spoken to each other.

And today, marked the first they conversed.

"...Sure you're talking to me?" Dante spatted back, in an act of unconscious irritation.

Vergil took a seat on the bench, a bit far to respect the other's private-space.

He nodded his head, "Yeah, pretty sure."

It was strange for Vergil to approach him like this. He would often seen the white-haired around school in the library or with Dante's sister, Kat, they looked suitable to each other. Maybe they're together. But it surely is unusual to see him without a book. It's examination days, right? Shouldn't he be studying or something? Dante had given some thought that smart kids doesn't need to study was a myth, but this... the myth's true!

Dante sat up straight, using his thighs to support his arms as he leaned over. He glanced on his former empty can on Vergil's hand and sighed.

"So? What makes you come here?"

"Nothing. I'm just thinking that it might be great to spend my lunch with you today, if that's all right," Vergil said, placing the can near Dante's seat.

He looked, the white-haired didn't bring any of his lunch around with him. Then Dante grew suspicious.

"Sure... but why me?"

"I don't know, i somehow feel like it."

Instead he decided to ignore it and continued to watch the soccer game a bit more before leaving. A thought passed his mind, what will a bystander's perspective of life should be? He knew it might be awkward to ask this to the smartest guy in school, but he didn't care as much. After all, they are at the same age so it's all right.

"Hey, can i ask you something? Since you're my sister's friend and all, i wanna trust you," he said, turning to face the white-haired.

"What is it?"

"What do you think of life if... you're someone who's living in a borrowed time?" Dante asked.

Vergil looked away, eyes wandering on the game as he think of an answer.

"You don't have to answer if you don't want to," he said, turning his attention back to the soccer game.

"Nah, it's fine..." Vergil wandered before he continued, "Life can be reasoned with many answers. For me, i would make myself a few wishes before i go."

"Like what?"

"Spending most of my time with my family if they really love me. Life gave me a family to give me the chance to feel loved.."

'...Yeah, they love me... Both mom and dad, and Kat...' Dante thought as he listened to Vergil's opinion.

"...Do something that nobody dared to shout back at me, because life offered me to enjoy myself fully," Vergil said, chuckled at the end of his sentence.

'I've done many things already, but it doesn't seem to satisfy me... Maybe i should pick some fights later...'

"Say something to the person i like to avoid myself from regrets. Since i'm allowed to fall in love at least..."

'...Hmmm... I'm a notorious deviant, right?'

"Ooh," Dante cooed, smirking at Vergil's strange reason. But the white-haired smiled.

"And the acceptance to my reason of dying. Consenting the way of my life as it is."

"Consent?"

"Yeah, everybody will die sooner or later... For example, your tin can," Vergil said, pointing his finger to the empty can he placed nearby earlier.

Dante switched his view to the placed can beside him, as Vergil spoke, "Though it doesn't have any soul, it was created mechanically with a purpose like humans."

The white-haired grabbed the can and added, "A small containment of water, only to be crushed and getting thrown to the trash."

Vergil flung the empty can exactly into the trash, a sharp shot that even Dante is shocked.

"So... a human's life has a purpose to live before death and getting buried," Dante mumbled, looking at the proud white-haired.

"Yes. So what's your purpose?" Vergil asked, smiling as he returned to his usual position.

The black-haired chuckled, he could believe how deep Vergil was. He shook his head, and the irritating news of his recovering had dwindled. All thanks to this mysterious white-haired.

"I haven't had any true friend for a while..."

"Then?"

"Maybe i could spend my time with a new-found friend of mine," Dante smiled.

Vergil chuckled, shaking his head. But that smile he had on his face was priceless.

"Whatever you want," he replied.

After that, they chatted along through the lunch and the afternoon. Even after the game ends, their friendly conversation continued. Dante gets the chance to see the other side of Vergil that he'd rarely showed in public, that smile that is worth millions of lifetime to see. And once the tensed air was lifted, the black-haired feels strangely light. It's almost like all of his pains and burdens were lifted.

He appreciated this new founding.

He sat on his usual seat on the dining table, poking his healthy meal of chicken breasts on a soupy noodle dinner. Both of his parents are discussing about Dante's future after his transplant surgery like what they did almost every dinner, and Kat being quiet as she was, noticed the slight mix of 'disturb' and 'realization' on her brother's face.

"What're you thinking, Dante?"

"...Thinking what i'm going to say to a new friend."

"Oh, who is it?" Eva asked, smiling at her eldest son.

"Vergil...," he revealed, glancing at the shocking expressions of his parents.

"I thought you hated him," Sparda spoke.

Dante scratched the back of his head, "I didn't, i'm just... jealous, maybe... He has many things that i don't, that's why."

Eva lapped her gentle hand over Dante's as he raised his head to look at her.

"You don't have to worry about that again after you've passed this surgery," she said, curving a gentle, sweet smile.

Resuming their dinner quietly, but in a calming atmosphere... Dante wondered if his family knew about the whereabouts of his donor.

"...Hey, do you guys know where my donor lives? Don't i have the rights to know something about him?" he asked.

"The thing is... we don't. We never saw his face, just a few details of him being an orphan..." his father answered.

"...huh..."

Mysterious donor indeed, the donor must have paid a lot of money to keep the doctors quiet. Finally eating his dinner slowly despite the nearly 'clean' on his family's plates, he noticed the unusual quietness on his sister. Kat would usually talk to him about her problems in school and stuff, and he would take care of her matters every-time.

But now, she looked so distant.

"Kat? What's the matter?"

She looked away from her daze, thought stuttering a bit.

"Oh, nothing. I'm just happy for you," she mumbled, loud enough for Dante to work out what she said.

Ready, yawning, online!

So... yeah, NJ's DmC Dante and Vergil's fanfiction. No kiss-kiss, or lemony scenes... This is a short-story with a few chapters, i promised. I hope it suits!

I'm aware that there are many errors with the use of grammar, be patient with me. I am learning, you know? Once i get a Beta, i'll let him or her repair this for you guys! :D So, wait 'till the day comes!

Ready, working on the next chapter, offline!