"Lightening Crashes"

By Star Crossed Vigilante

"How would you two feel about going camping this weekend?"

I looked up from my book to find my mother was standing in the doorway of the media room, eyes bright and cheeks flushed with obvious pleasure. My younger brother, who was currently wrapped up in a video game, jammed the pause button on his controller before wheeling on her.

"But Devil May Cry 4 comes out this Saturday!" he whined. "We can't go camping when Devil May Cry 4 is coming out!"

Mother scowled at him. I picked up my book again. "Now, now, Nikky. Life does not revolve around that video game!"

"But I've had it reserved for months!" he protested.

"And I'm sure it will still be reserved when we get back," mother said, practical as always. "You can play it then."

"Yeah, and lose two whole days of play time!"

"Ooh, two whole days!" I mocked. Nikky stuck out his tongue. I continued: "The game can wait, kid. It's not like there's anything special about that series, anyway."

"You only say that because you can't beat it without help," he returned smugly.

"Watch it, brat."

"Make me, you old hag."

"Nikky!" mother said loudly, shocked. "Maxine!"

"She started it!" Nikky whined. He picked up the handset and restarted the game. On screen, a red-clad man resumed pummeling a large, hulking black specter with a broadsword. "I can't help it if she sucks at gaming!"

My eyes narrowed. "Says the boy who had to ask for help to beat the blue version of Pokemon."

"Whatever," he snapped. His fingers flew over the buttons, agitated by my rebuttal. Mother sighed loudly.

"Just be ready to leave by four o'clock on Friday," she said before exiting the room. I "mmm-ed" noncommittally. Nikky said: "'Kay."

After a few moments of silence punctuated by naught but page turns and blade clangs, Nikky shot me a sly glance. "Wanna play?" he said, offering me the controller.

I glanced at the TV. He had it on the Devil May Cry 3 Mission 18 loading screen.

"I'll pass," I said. He smirked.

"Why not, Max? It's only Mission 18."

I glared at him. "Shut up."

"Oh, that's right!" he said, looking at me in mock surprise.

"Shut up, Nikky."

"This is the level you can never beat, isn't it?"

I said nothing. He grinned. "Wanna watch me play it?"

I rose from my seat. "No."

"Aw, c'mon, sis. You might learn a thing or two."

Pivoting on my heel, I strode from the room. "It's a stupid game."

Little did I know that, in the not so distant future, I would need all the knowledge of that level I could get.

A/N: A little something for my sister, Vir M., when she gets through with her series of surgeries. Luckily, she can't use the computer until she recovers, so I will have plenty of chapters for her to read once her eyesight returns.

And yes, I am aware that this wasn't very good. I'm out of practice with fiction writing. It is also my first fan fic, and I do not have a beta.

Devil May Cry © Capcom