Tears in the Rain
"It's raining again." The petite blond sighed, bowing her head to shield the dropplings of water. "It always rains."
Sheets of water came buckling down on the streets of Manhattan. Blankets of gray clouds hung in the sky, sending down assassins for the ants. The wind swirled the streaming water into her face. Her foot suddenly fell into a water-filled pothole. She stopped, high heel fully submerged. She took a deep breath, biting down. "It always rains."
"Need a hand there?" A voice hiding a chuckle came from behind her.
"I'm quite content here."
"Room for two?"
She laughed and looked up. Warm silver eyes stared back at her blue ones. Her smiled faded. "What are you doing here?"
He tried to keep his smile. "I came looking for you. I said I would. It took me six months but I found you."
"I told you not to." The stinging rain beat down harder. "I didn't want to see you again."
"Well you were always one to make me feel welcome."
"Sparda--"
"No, Eva, you can't just run away and forget about everything." The tall built man with platinum hair spoke with passion.
"I can try can't I?" She looked up to him, eyes brimming with tears.
"Jeezus Christ, Eva! You can't leave a whole life behind!"
"You did! Every night that you left to go fight some greater evil, you left me alone in that cold house to stay up till all hours wondering when or if you'd ever come back!" Eva yelled. "Seeing you walk through that front door bleeding to death every other night. You never once considered the hell you put me through. So don't you dare condemn me for leaving anything behind!"
Sparda lowered his head slightly. "You have every right to be upset with me. And I'm sorry for what I've put you through. But I'm here trying to salvage what we had. Doesn't that mean anything to you?"
Eva blinked back tears in the rain. "It's too late. I have a new life here."
"A new life?!" He yelled exasperated. "You can't stand there and tell me that you're happy here!"
"...Yes...I can." Her eyes wavered.
"I can give you so much more than this Eva! You deserve better."
"I know." She sniffed. "But you can't give me anything anymore."
"But I can." He stepped forward. "Don't do this Eva. I love you...I always have and I always will."
Eva shied away from the Dark Knight's touch. "Please...just leave." She said just above a whisper.
Sparda lowered his head and fought for control. "Six years, we've been together. Don't let it end like this." She could detect the twinge of anger in his voice.
"It ended the night that you left me alone to deliver my sons by myself in that godforsaken house!" She screamed, not so much in sound but in words.
"How was I supposed to know that you'd go into labor right after I left?!" He fired back.
"You walked out on me the time that I needed you most! And you knew something wasn't right with me. You knew I wanted you there. I begged you to stay with me that night. I guess I just didn't come first. You turned your back and walked out that damn door!" Eva broke down into tears that bled with the rain on her torn face.
"I am sorry that I put you through hell, and I'm sorry that you were alone and vulnerable that night. I never meant to hurt you Eva, you always came first. You must know that I love you." He closed the distance between them with a final step, and took her hands in his.
"Well I-Hate-You." The words froze in the distance between them. Her summer blue eyes turned to ice as they glared.
The words stabbed Sparda in the heart. "You don't mean that."
"Oh I don't? Well do I mean this?" She hurled back and punched him across the face, doing no damage to the outside, only the inside. "Or how about this?" She hit him in the chest as hard as she could. "What about this?!" She pummeled him with punches. Sparda stood there, tears threatening to spill at all the pain he's caused this fallen angel.
"I hate you!" She screamed, voice almost drowned by the rain and her own tears.
"I hate you!" Each punch started to slow down. "I--" Eva started to hyperventilate as she drew in sharp, quick breaths. She looked up into intense silver eyes. "--love--you." Tears wracked her body.
Sparda bit down and reached out to her. He slowly took her frail frame into his secure arms, and tried to soothe her shaking body.
"And I hate it." She said against his broad chest. "Why can't I just forget you?" the tears started to slow. "God knows I've tried. I tried to so hard." She squeezed her eyes tight. "But I can't let you go." She sniffed. "Not even miles away from you." She paused to take breath. "I just couldn't take it anymore." Sparda held her, silently listening to her confession. "I'm so sorry...and I took away your sons." She breathed, breaking into tears again.
"Shhh." Sparda eased.
They stood there for who knows how long, the rest of the world drowned away. The rain never stopped, though the tears did.
"I'll try harder."
"Me too." Eva wiped at her eyes.
"We can make this work." Sparda tried, rubbing her arms of the chill. Eva nodded her head as she sniffed. "Come back with me."
Eva looked up to his face, she'd almost forgotten it was raining until she saw the water dripping from his hair. She gazed into the comfort in his eyes. She knew not much would change. She knew what he was and what he had to do. She couldn't ever get in the way of that, no matter what he said. But he was willing to try to make this family work. And that was all she could ask for. She blinked away painful tears for the future, then leaned up on her tippy-toes and gave her soul-mate a slow kiss.
She smiled, blue eyes melting of the frost. "How are the boys?" Sparda asked, pulling Eva from the puddle.
"Dante and Vergil?" A laugh escaped her. "You know them. Always in trouble." She shook her head. "Just like their father." She gave him a peck on the cheek.
Sparda laughed as they walked down the rainy street, arms around each other. Tears faded in the cleansing rain.