"While thy branches mix with mine, and our roots together join..."

Once reunited with Urizen, V had expected his withering body to be fully reconstituted, his enhanced demonic power to be restored and balanced by his human blood, the fear of his otherwise impending death to finally be alleviated. For what came after, with Vergil restored with the power he had always sought and the humility he had always needed, he would finally have the opportunity to make amends to his family.

It would likely be a bloody family reunion. Vergil may resort to his old ways. His past obsessions and nightmares may still linger and interfere. Dante's reaction would be predictable enough, as probably would be Vergil's reaction to Dante, but concerning Nero... If V had had more time, if his deterioration hadn't been so dire, if Arkham, Mundus, and the Qliphoth had not... If Vergil had not...

These thoughts, of all the paths and possibilities that could have been, had filled V's mind as he thrust his cane into Urizen. V remembered clearly the demonic power of his fallen counterpart, augmented with the fruit of the Qliphoth, overwhelmingly flow through him.

Then V found himself gone from the shattered reflection of his old childhood home. The surge of energy abruptly disappeared. V was no longer kneeling over the defeated form of his demonic half. Instead, V was lying back on some cold, concrete floor. He instinctively sucked in a breath and began gasping rapidly for more air.

He was reminded of his birth, when Vergil had discarded his human half in feeble human flesh, but this was different. While V still felt intense fear and apprehension, his body now did not feel at all broken or in languish. Weak, yes, and heavily disoriented, but neither was his skin peeling off in flakes nor did he feel that he was at death's door. With each breath he took, with each heart beat that pounded in his chest and echoed in his ears, V felt distinctively… alive.

Alive, yet...

Eventually, V's breathing relaxed somewhat. He blinked quickly to clear his blurry vision. He was staring up at a starry night sky. With some strain and difficulty, V pulled himself upward so that he would be sitting upright as best he could. He was in a narrow side street between wide, tall buildings. Distant street lamps and nearby overhanging lights illuminated some of V's surroundings. An urban area, but the look of the architecture didn't resemble Redgrave City. This was... Japan? Did the Qliphoth induce an illusion of Japan over them?

V tried raising himself fully to stand, but he immediately lost his balance and fell against a wall. His lower legs shook erratically, unable to support the rest of his body. It wasn't just V's legs that felt decrepit and exhausted, however. His arms were little more than numb cushions buried between himself and the wall. Of the distant sounds of traffic and a speeding train, V could only hear them through one ear. His other ear was filled with an incessant ringing, and if V hadn't made his way to a trash can to lean on and support his weight with, his wobbly knees would have finally given and let V drop and fall flat on his face.

Despite all these pains, V could not help but feel some elation at still being conscious and alive.

Yet V could hardly feel any hint of demonic energy within him.

He could no longer feel any connection to his familiars. He could not call on them or call on his other abilities: the brief bouts of agility, his rudimentary teleportation technique, or his Summoned Swords equivalent. While his body was no longer falling to pieces, V was still in a worryingly vulnerable state.

Dante, Nero, and Urizen were also nowhere to be seen.

V was alone.

Another ringing began to echo in V's other ear. Something was vibrating against him as well. V looked down. He was wearing a heavy coat and thick pants. Carefully, V reached into a pocket and pulled out a cell phone.

A "Kawasaki Saki" was calling.

The name was unrecognizable to V, but he felt a strange sense of déjà vu when reading it. Something about it was... familiar, even if V couldn't place it.

The cold air began to make V shiver. He sat down and pressed himself into the corner between the wall and the trash can. Flipping the collar of his coat up, V exhaled another breath and answered the phone.

"Taishi," a girl's voice said harshly before V had the chance to make a sound. "Where are you?"

The words, "nee-chan," danced on the tip of V's tongue, but he held back. Why was his first instinctive to refer to a complete stranger as such?

"You know what time it is. What are you doing out so late? Where are you?"

The more the girl spoke, the more V felt odd instincts spring up. Shame. Embarrassment. Defensiveness. A want to make excuses to not disappoint or unnecessarily worry the girl, coupled with the contradictory impulse to make excuses to assert his own independence.

"... had to ask Hikigaya to pick up Kei-chan since I had to stay after classes ended and you wouldn't answer your phone." The girl, who V continued to feel the obligation to refer to as "nee-chan," was still speaking. Her tone clearly indicated that she was not in a good mood. She sighed wearily. "Don't tell me you ran off to the arcade again with your friends. I know you've been nervous about your first day at Soubu tomorrow, but that's no reason for –"

Wait a moment. Nee-chan. That was supposed to be an affectionate term for... big sister, wasn't it?

V had no sister. And this girl, Kawasaki Saki, had called him "Taishi."

Ignoring the girl's further words, V looked to the wall beside him. There was a window. There was enough light to see the signs and a door from the opposite side of the side street reflected off the glass. Struggling to pull himself upward, V looked at his own reflection.

His eyes, his dark hair, his entire facial structure – None of it was the same. What stared back at V was the confused countenance of a teenage boy with turquoise eyes and short grey hair.

"Are you listening to me, Taishi?" the girl suddenly asked sharply, though concern could be discerned as she spoke.

V's throat was dry, and it strained to speak, but V did so nonetheless. "He who desires but acts not," V said into the phone, "breeds pestilence." The voice was not his own as well.

"... Taishi, tell me where you are. Right now. You sound –"

V discarded the phone, letting it slip away from his fingers. He stood as high as he could and, using the wall as a support, dragged himself down the street.

All of these compulsions that rattled in the back of V's mind and through his skin, these inclinations of a Kawasaki Taishi – they remined V far too much of Vergil's state when he was Nelo Angelo. The Black Angel followed Mundus' will with only faint traces to his original, true self. This entire scenario V was placed in may be another of Mundus' vestige machinations, like the lesser Angelos, the lizard-like Blades, or his defunct Dream Runners. When V had been sent to that separate dimension by Malphas with those devilish mirages, V's body and powers had been notably altered by his mere presence there. Perhaps something similar was happening to V now. Possibly a last-ditch effort by Urizen to assert his own power without having to resort to embracing his human half.

V need only to locate his familiars. This other dimension may resemble the human world more, and V had taken the form of some Japanese child instead of his own, but with the shadows of Vergil's nightmares by his side, overcoming this new threat will be simple enough.

Though, until then, this weak body was... quite bothersome to... traverse... with...

Stepping out of the side street and onto the sidewalk of a larger street, V's legs finally gave as he slid off the wall. Admittedly, V was acting a little more recklessly than usual. With no supports to latch onto, V raised his arms to keep his face from smacking against the ground.

However, before hitting the floor, V was caught in someone's arms. Still worn and infirm, V did not resist as the stranger helped steady him on his feet.

"The insect?" muttered the stranger, almost too quiet to hear. He sounded vaguely familiar... not to V, but similar to how V was compelled to call Kawasaki Saki "nee-chan", he was equally compelled to call this stranger "onii-san".

When V lifted his head, he saw the face of a young man with narrow, sour-looking eyes and messy hair topped with long strand... an ahoge, the term was. The young man looked down at V with a hint of revulsion that swiftly shifted to uncertainty.

"Taishi, what..." the stranger trailed off. So, this newcomer was familiar with V's new body. Onii-san was an affectionate term for "big brother", wasn't it?

Opening his mouth, V croaked out, "Hey, onii-san." He hadn't intended to say that, but his body was moving on its own. He patted the stranger's arm and added, "S-Sorry."

"Sorry about wha–" He cut himself off. V was slipping from the stranger's grip until he tightened his hold. V's eyelids were drooping, but he could see the stranger's widen in shock. The stranger let one arm carry most of V's weight. He raised his other hand. It was stained in red. Blood.

Now that it was brought to his attention, V let his own hand slip to his lower back. He could feel the blood for himself. Realization dawned on V, as did his senses. The cause for his current weakness and pains: a stab wound on his backside just barely missing his spine. How long has V been bleeding without realizing it? When had V – or Taishi, rather – received this injury? Who had inflicted it on him?

Then, darkness enveloped V.

Or, perhaps unconsciousness was the better term to use. One minute, V was doing his best to remain awake and aware in the blistering cold with his broken body. The next, he was lying in a warm bed, a blanket strewn over him with his head buried in a pillow.

Now, V was in a hospital room. He wore a gown appropriate for a patient. An IV was attached to his arm. A breathing mask covered his face. His fatigue persisted, but he was no longer bleeding or so crippled that he could barely move without pain striking with every motion.

Nee-chan was with him. She sat on a chair propped beside V's bed. Nee-chan was asleep, snoring, as alwa–

V shook those thoughts away. They were not his own. They were Kawasaki Taishi's. These echoes, these memories – just how ingrained were they? V had no siblings save for Dante, yet the urge to express affection for a young woman he knew nothing about would not waver. Why was V placed in Kawasaki Taishi's body to begin with?

When V tried moving out of his bed, he must've made enough noise to prompt nee-ch– to prompt Kawasaki's eyes to snap open. "Taishi!" she blurted out, standing up and leaning over V. A wide grin spread across her face. Happy to see her little brother awake, it seemed. She spread her arms as if to hug him but stopped herself as she thought better of it. When V attempted to move again, Kawasaki held up her palms to stop him. "Wait! I'll get the nurse. Just – Just don't strain yourself, Taishi." With that, the girl ran out of the room.

Perhaps V should play along for now. Play out this role of Kawasaki Taishi. He could hardly resist whil marred by his injuries and his exhaustion, so V should probably bide his time until he can move freely on his own. Then, he can find answers as to how... how...

The girl returned with a nurse, as she had promised, but they weren't alone. In casual clothes, there was a man, a woman, and three young children right behind them.

The Kawasaki family. Nee-chan. Kaa-san. Tou-san. And the little ones, headed by Kei-chan.

People that would protect and love Kawasaki Taishi, and people that he would do the same in turn for them.

These emotions that rattled V's very soul were not wholly his own, yet they were so... gratifying, fulfilling...

Kei-chan hopped onto the bed and tackled V with a hug. Nee-chan quickly pulled her off. V had the wind briefly knocked out of him, but it was still a kind gesture on Kei-chan's part. The love and care of a younger sibling, even if communicated awkwardly, were still things to be mindful of and to cherish.

V still had many, many questions, but...

Yes, perhaps V should play along for now.