Das Fallen
by Meirelle
Chapter One: "Conflict"
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DISCLAIMER: Whee! I am a poor college student! I dwell in filth, and I live off of pizza and beer. Suing me would profit no one. Trust me.
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Then on that last
day he breaks
And he stood tall
And he yelled... and he takes
his life
--The Used, "Poetic Tragedy"
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Dante was shivering. The water was cold, and it threatened to knock him off his feet. His brother knelt in the water before him, broken and defeated.
"What's the matter, Verge? Surprised?" He forced himself to smirk.
"Am I...am I being defeated?" Vergil asked, bemused. Dante's smirk grew even wider. Vergil's expression changed to one of cold determination. "I will not be defeated." He shakily rose to his feet, supporting himself momentarily on his sword before rushing towards his brother without warning.
Dante's smile faded a split second later when he realized Vergil was charging at him, both hands on the hilt of his sword. He ran towards his brother, Rebellion in hand. I don't wanna do this, but I have to.
He swung Rebellion in an uppercut slash a split second before Vergil had the chance to draw Yamato. Dante turned around to see his brother clutching his stomach. Dante was momentarily confused. I...I bested Vergil in swordplay?
Vergil let out a bitter laugh as he turned to face his brother. "You can't have it," he stated.
Dante blinked. "What?" He noticed Vergil clutching his amulet. Dante laughed bitterly. "I don't want yours; I have my own."
Vergil smirked; Dante doubted it was because of his joke. "The amulets are separated; the portal to the human world is closing."
"Yeah," Dante said, glancing at the swirling red sky--the way home. "Better leave. I wouldn't want to be stuck in this hell hole for eternity." Vergil was silent. Dante turned to look at his twin, who was slowly backing up towards the edge of the cliff.
"No," Vergil said, still smirking, "You wouldn't." He was now backed up as far as he could go without tumbling into the abyss below.
"What are you doing?" Dante asked, his humor forgotten.
"I'm staying here. This place was our father's home."
"You what?" Dante stared at his brother in confusion, not sure of what to make of his comment. Vergil tilted himself back, succumbing to the force of gravity. Realization hit Dante fast, and he scrambled towards the cliff.
"Vergil, no!"
Dante reached out towards his brother, trying to bring him back to solid ground. Vergil anticipated this, and slashed out at his brother's reaching arm.
For the second time that day, Vergil had lost. Dante grabbed Yamato's blade as it sliced through his palm. Vergil's eyes grew wide when he realized his descent was abruptly halted. He slammed into the cliff wall with force and grunted at the sudden jolt. Looking up, he saw that his brother was holding on to the sharp blade that was meant to drive him off. Blood trickled down Yamato and on to the hilt, staining Vergil's hand.
"I'm not gonna let you do this." Dante looked down at him; his face was grim, like his father's used to be when he did something wrong as a kid. Dante's hand was shaking from the pain, but it didn't show on his face.
Vergil scowled. He could just let go of Yamato and fall like he originally planned, but Yamato was one of the few things he wasn't willing to give up (at least not without a good fight). More of Dante's blood trickled down the hilt of the katana, and Vergil found his hand slipping. He smiled at the irony. Looks like I won't have much of a choice.
His hand slipped from Yamato, and he began his descent. At least, that's what he thought. Dante was quick, much quicker than Vergil ever expected him to be. Before he could even think about what was happening, Dante released Yamato and grabbed his brother's bloody forearm, swinging him over the ledge and back into the frigid water before gravity had its chance to take both of them down together.
Vergil's vision swam, and his head felt light. Bastard. I can't believe he got one in on me. He blinked, trying to clear his vision and keep from being swept away by the rapids. I must have lost a lot of blood; that has to be it. His wound was deep; the gash would take a little longer than expected to heal.
"What did I tell you?" Dante asked, enraged. "I said I wasn't gonna let you do this!"
Before he could react, Vergil felt himself slipping into unconsciousness from a nasty blow to the head by the blunt end of Rebellion.
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Dante stared at his brother's unconscious form for a second before picking him up and heading to the portal back to the human world. Shit. I'd better hurry up, or we're both gonna become permanent residents.
He started climbing the slimy rocks on the edge of the river. He almost lost his balance twice. In the end, he ended up diving through the portal head first, a maneuver made to prevent himself from falling twenty feet back into the raging water below.
He emerged from the portal several hundred feet above the top of Temen ni Gru and found himself in an uncontrollable freefall. Getting a hold of himself (and making sure he didn't lose his brother in the process), Dante dived head first towards the side of the dark tower. Above, the gate to the demon world started to violently flicker.
Dante, now in control of his descent, ran vertically down the side of the building, not bothering to slow down. He found it hard to focus his demonic powers for some reason, but he didn't dare slow down. With the demon gate suddenly collapsing, Temen ni Gru would come crashing down. He didn't plan on being buried in the ruins.
On his way down, Dante ran into some low-level demons stuck on the human side of the gate. Dante drew Rebellion from his back with his free hand and swiped at the annoying pests following him. Surprisingly, the beasts lost interest in him. The portal seemed to make them lose focus, like whatever was controlling them was losing control.
Dante was only about fifty feet from the base of the dark tower when the violent flickering gave out and the portal suddenly collapsed.
"Gyaaa!" Dante lost his footing on the side of the tower and tumbled head first towards the rapidly approaching ground. What the...? Temen ni Gru started to collapse around him as he desperately tried to regain control of his demonic powers, which up to this point, had nearly been instinctual.
This shouldn't be happening, he thought as he prepared to hit the ground hard. What the hell is going on? About ten feet from the pavement, he hit his head on the side of the tower and blacked out.
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Lady stared at the collapsing tower for minutes, or maybe hours--it was hard to tell. She thought she saw a flash of red, but it must have been a trick of the mind.
Sighing, she finally willed herself to turn her back on the ruins of Temen ni Gru and leave this part of her life behind forever.
What do you care anyhow? He's a demon. He's better off dead.
ch.1.end11/05
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Dear Reader,
This is the first fanfiction I've written in a long time. Moreover, this is the first multichapter fanfic I've written in several years. I'm trying to keep myself motivated. As of right now, I have chapter two done and part of chapter three. I find that if I don't post them right away, I can fix things and avoid writing myself into a hole. shrugs
Anyhow, I've wanted to write a fic like this for the longest time, and I'm surprised no one has done it before. The idea of the Sparda twins suddenly being knocked down to human status amuses me.
Please review, as I need praise. I am very self-conscious about my fiction. (I think this story is poorly written.) I'm a senior in college, and I'm studying creative writing. However, my concentration is in poetry, and my fiction suffers. A lot. Any constructive criticism I receive, I will gladly accept. Also, please tell me about any mistakes you find so I can fix them.
Thank You for Reading,
Meirelle