When the caged bird sings,
It sings for me,
It sings to be set free.
When the caged bird sings,
It brings to me,
The sorrow which capture brings…

Crystal blue eyes stared out into the sunset, simply watching the orb of life drop below the horizon. Blonde hair spilled out over the pale face and she whispered very softly of what had come to her. The sound of a door opening made her jerk slightly, but she saw only the same face that came every day, every afternoon, every night, only once.

"Is the view nice?" a mocking voice asked. Pale lips frowned slightly, but said nothing. "You just can't wait to get out of here, isn't that right?"

Booted feet made clicking sounds as they crossed the tile floor to the girl. Piercing eyes glanced at the woman staring out, curled with her hands around her legs.

"You've been here for three years, and now you can finally wait for a few hours more, and you will be free…"

Blue eyes glared at the white haired man. His expression was uncaring towards the great annoyance that was thrown at him. Again the soft lips met in speech, but not a word came out.

The songs it sings,
Are about the spring,
With the beauty of a ring.
Its voice cries out,
A beautiful shout,
And here's what it sings about…

"Your little knight in shining armor will come soon…" a cruel smile twisted onto the man's lips. "My little brother."

"Son of Sparda," the pale lips moved. "Vergil, my sister wants to kill you."

"Ah, it's the same with all demons," he replied. "So that's nothing different."

The girl didn't move at all, but she stared forward out into the distance as though in a deep trance. Blue eyes shimmered and softened slightly in relief. "Poor fool."

"Don't push your luck," Vergil snapped before turning to start to leave. "It's not very safe to be near a Son of Sparda."

Blue eyes ignored him and stared forward. Suddenly, the sun finally slipped below the horizon, and the moon began its slow ascent. The girl's head drooped forward slightly.

The sun of summer,
The breeze of fall,
The chill of winter's morn.\
Though its wings be shorn,
Its spirit torn,
The bird will never slumber…

Hours later, the man pushed himself through the door again. The girl looked at him and he smiled and dragged her out.

"He's finally come," Vergil smiled.

Blue eyes stared at the space ahead as they had for many years. A key to open a door was all that she would be. Even as she stumbled after her captor, she could feel the pull of her cage's chains pulling her back towards the high room.

"Vergil!" an identical face made itself known. "How could you?"

"There is power beyond that door, Dante," Vergil claimed. "That is what I want…"

"Damn you!" Dante charged at his older brother, but stopped when he saw the young woman.

"You should be careful Dante," Vergil tossed the girl into the small space between. "You wouldn't want to hurt her, would you?"

"Vergil…bringing an innocent girl…"

"She isn't as innocent as she seems, brother," Vergil replied. "Her blood intermingles with our own…"

Dante ran at Vergil again, but was easily blocked. Faces like the sun and moon stared at each other in a hatred deeper than that of mere grudge. Blade met blade in a clash of steel that only a demon could keep up with.

When the caged bird sings,
It sings for me,
It sings to be set free,
But everyone knows
,
A chain left long,
Will change its song…

Dante raised his blade high into the air, and the girl felt her eyes widen. Vergil was left weaponless in front of his brother at the lock of the demon realm, blood flowing freely from both of them.

"Hah, just what we needed…" Vergil smirked. "Go ahead, if you can…"

"Vergil, this is against everything father worked for!" Dante shouted. His cries echoed through the empty room, rebounding off the walls and cutting through the heavy air. "You even brought a human into this!"

"Did father not marry a human woman?"

"Don't talk about mother that way!" Dante snapped angrily. Vergil frowned.

"Do you think that highly of these pathetic creatures?" he snarled. "More highly than even Sparda?"

"Vergil, stop it!" Dante pleaded his brother.

"Enough Dante, I've had enough of this," Vergil scowled while picking up his blade from far away. "Let me finish this…"

At that moment, he threw his blade at the girl he had kept prisoner for so long. The sharp blade cut through flesh and bone alike, through intestines and vital organs. It just stopped short of breaking through the skin on her back. The girl gasped in pain and felt tears begin to well up in her eyes.

"Vergil!" Dante ran to the girl, but the summoned blade was faster. It shattered upon contact, but it managed to push the blade completely through.

"Why do you care? She is just another sacrifice to be made," Vergil chuckled. "A caged bird is all she is…"

"Even a caged bird has the right to sing…" a weak voice called. The girl staggered to her feet despite the fact that she had been torn practically from the inside out.

When the caged bird sings,
It sings for me,
It sings to be set free.
When the caged bird sings,
It brings to me,
The sorrow which capture brings…

Bleeding and dying, the girl stumbled and fell slightly to one side. Blood painted her face a shade of red that couldn't be explained. Blue eyes began to fade as her life escaped her. The girl opened her mouth…

And when the caged bird sings…

"Finally, you will hear the voice of Kalevala," Vergil smirked. "The legendary singer…"

It will sing…

"Stop, you're dying!" Dante cried to the girl.

Its final words…

And she sang…

If only to relieve the sting…