Life on the Outside

A cold dark night, accompanied by the tantrum of a thunderstorm brought Vergil to consciousness. He must have passed out after clearing the portal. Rain drenched his pants; it was the only clothing he wore at the moment too. So, after escaping Hell, Vergil gets a cold and dies from hypothermia… Not fucking likely…

A cry brought Vergil to acute awareness, but he relaxed his muscles when he watched Aella rush into the empty grass field. Her arms were straight out from her body and she was… laughing… The Fallen Angel was actually laughing! Not the fake snickers and dark chuckles that were expected of her, but an honest laughter that bubbled up from deep in her belly. "Rain!" She cried out to the black sky. Vergil heard her choke on the word. She was crying too.

When had been the last time she cried? There was no doubt that she never cried in that hellhole, it would have killed her. But here on Earth, under lightning and thunder, this woman could cry unabashed. Vergil took quick strides to her. He was joyously grateful to feel thick, cold drops of water fall from the sky as well. As he walked he gulped in fresh, untainted air for the first time in so very long.

Another strike of lightning streaked across the empty sky and Vergil suddenly did not want to be in such and open area. Could Angels get struck by lightning? Could Devils? They were on the run from Hell. Would heaven bring down its fury upon a traitor and a half-breed?

"We need to move." Vergil grabbed Aella's arm and hoisted her up. She somehow fell and was sitting in a puddle of mud and water. Was she going to be such a handful every time it rained?

"You don't need to worry about me any longer." She voice shuddered with excitement and her eyes shown with great joy. She was looking out to the dark emptiness that surrounded them. "You're free now, you can do whatever you like."

"Have you forgotten that they will not sit idly by while we tell of our escape from Hell?" Vergil snapped at her. "The Prince of Darkness is going to come for us. He'll send all at his disposal just to drag us back if only to prove he could." Vergil began to scan the open, empty clearing. They were so exposed here. Where was "here" anyway?

"Yes. Yes." Aella ripped her arm from his grip; he hadn't realized it became so tight. "I know very well who is going to come for us. But you are mortal. There is little he can do to 'drag you back'." She huffed then began to head towards the south. "It is me the Hellions will come for. You are safe, just as I promised." Her steps were brisk as she moved away from him.

But that would do Vergil no good. He didn't even know where he was. The smart thing to do was to stick together until he got his bearings. Once that was taken care of, he'd leave her just as she wanted. Vergil doubted that his mortal blood would keep his safe from a pissed off devil. Not to mention it was the Devil he was running from.

"It will not do to leave me in some foreign land where I have no means to protect myself. You seem to know where you're going though. You will lead me to familiar territory, then you are on your own. Do we have a deal?"

"Fine."

It was silent after her agreement, but for the rushing sound of rain and the clasps of thunder and lightning. Vergil could not see anything past a foot in front of him. Were they being watched? Was the Prince already on their trail? Nerves began to eat Vergil from the inside out. This was not good. Vergil did not even have his sword on him.

That would have to be his first stop then, Vergil decided. He would take what was his from that disgraceful… hunter. The tricky part would be to not be seen. Too many old scars torn open at the same time could kill even a devil. Planning ahead had been Vergil's forte, as he thought about where he would go once he knew where he was Vergil felt unbelievably soothed. He was still cold though. Wearing only jeans was not smart, there had been little time to prepare for his escape so little could be done about it. First, Yamato, then a change of clothing. Vergil needed to blend into society once more, and to do so he would need more than a ragged pair of jeans.

"We are in America." Aella offered after a long period of silence. She didn't say anything else and Vergil figured he was supposed to engage her.

"That's good. I know where America is." The answered eased some tension out of Aella's shoulders. Had she been worried about him? "What are you going to do, now that you're free?" Vergil continued.

"I am not free yet." He turned to look at her and saw an ugly, rusted, metal choker around the Fallen's neck. She wasn't touching it, but her fingers hovered over the binding.

"What is that?" Vergil reached out to inspect it but a blinding pain erupted from where his fingers barely brushed the metal.

"It is my collar. You didn't see it in Hell, because he didn't want you to." She didn't sound to worried about the effect it had on Vergil's touch. "It is proof of my Fall." There was nothing Vergil knew to say to that. What could he say to that?

"How do you get it off?"

"I need another Angel to unlock it, or…" She frowned

"Or what?"

"I don't remember. I'm sure it's another one of his tricks."

Then a horrifying revelation hit Vergil hard, "Can the prince track you with it?" Aella stopped moving. She didn't even look like she was breathing. "Hey! Can he?" Vergil was shouting at her to get through the veil of terrified shock that immobilized her.

"I – I don't remember…"

In that very second, an invisible force sent the two of them across miles of grass before they landed hard. Aella was up first and she hissed as she held her shoulder. It looked like it was bleeding. Vergil moved much slower. Gravity was different on Earth, or perhaps it was just him getting use to the burdens all mortals carry. When he got to his feet, Aella was screaming at him. Something was wrong. Very, very wrong. But he couldn't hear her exactly so he let her drag him across slippery grass and muddy hills. Something…was…chasing them.

"Shit!" Vergil cursed as his hearing came back and every noise ever made crashed into his brain. He stumbled and fell but Aella kept him steady and moving. There were several growls from behind them but Vergil couldn't look back, his center of balance was dependent on Aella for the moment. Unfortunately, the growling was growing closer and along with it was a hissing laughter. Vergil knew that laughter now. He hated it, but he knew it. And if he didn't do something about it, it would haunt his nightmares for nights! So he turned and shoved the Fallen behind him.

Takinsh, the demon that interrupted Vergil and Aella what felt like days ago, was standing behind a small pack of lessers. The lessers had six arms, all long and gangly and no distinct facial features. He could take them, all of them. Takinsh too. So what if his was missing Yamato! He didn't need it right now! The gray-skinned demon was small prey to what Vergil was accustomed to.

"A stupid thing to do, half-breed." Takinsh hissed at him, but Vergil barely recognize the taunt with the rain drowning out his words easily. So Vergil said nothing in return and simply punched the closest lesser as hard as he could in its vague face. And it exploded into dust. "Wh-What?!"

It felt good to kill something. Like a raging animal finally escaping its cage. It was as breath-taking as the rain had been as reviving as the fresh air. Freedom! Vergil took two steps to his right and let loose several furious blows to the next lesser. With a swift kick he knocked another off its human-ish feet. A shifting of his body brought him back to Aella. She wasn't standing there in shock now. The Fallen had her dagger out and Vergil noted that they were missing three more lessers than before.

They were back to back and Takinsh was screeching for their heads. Vergil preferred his hissing, less painful to his ears. Without a signal Aella was moving again, but Vergil didn't wait to watch her fight. She moved on her own, expecting Vergil to pull his weight with no aid from her. One lesser after another fell to Vergil's rapid strikes, and one by one they exploded into piles of dust that were washed away by the rain. He rarely ever teamed up in a fight. There had been a time, long ago when Vergil had trusted one individual to watch his back. But that was so long ago, he was no longer the same man as he had been at that time.

"You are going to die! The Master will hunt you down like dogs! There is no where for you to hide, Traitor of the Light!" Aella screamed at Takinsh's useless words as her dagger plunged into the demon's jugular, like it should have done when he first showed his face to Vergil. But the woman wasn't done. She couldn't stop the momentum of her first strike and she and the dead body fell to the wet ground. The dagger flashed like the lightning as Aella struck the demon repeatedly. At some point she stopped screaming, but she mutilated the corpse by then. There was nothing identifiable left of Takinsh by the time she stood.

Her backless gown was damp with purple demon blood; her long hair drowned in it. There was a violence about her that kept Vergil from going to her side. No more lessers stood to keep him occupied, but he couldn't make a move to her. Shakes in her shoulders told him she was crying, and still he made no budge. Curtains of rain impaired his vision, but her pale skin stood out in the darkness and Vergil felt a small twitch in his left hand. It would be unwise to approach her now, while she was bathed in blood and hostility. Was this what all Fallen radiated in battle? Aella was the only Fallen Vergil had known. Perhaps it would be smart if he kept it that way.

Lightning flashed and reminded Vergil they needed to start moving again. "Let's go." He commanded, though he did not grab her, nor leave her.

She flinched at the sound of his voice. "You go." Her dark voice was soft and held no spell on Vergil now like it did before. Was that because her power decreased in the mortal world?

"Come on. We made a deal, Aella."

"And I am now a danger to your freedom, Vergil."

"What do you mean?"

"Hell will not come for the mortal blood in you. Not for the reasons you think. I am a Traitor to the Light and the Darkness. There is no where for me to run to. And this…" She gestured to the collar, "This will bring them to me. If you are with me, they will not hesitate to kill you."

"We did fine just now."

"And you think he'll keep sending incompetent weaklings my way?" Anger flashed in her very green eyes as she turned them on him. "You must leave me behind."

The thought had occurred to him. It had been a tempting and pleasing thought, too. As Vergil stood before the Fallen he felt disgusted with himself for even considering it. She saved him from his fate. Could he not do the same for her?

"Let me see that collar." He demanded as he finally found it within himself to walk towards her enraged form. She stood rigid and obviously unhappy with him being so close. And only hours ago she had been pressed against him so forcefully too.

The collar looked just as frail as it had moments ago. Like any one gust of wind could blow the rusted thing away. But Vergil's fingers still tingled where he had touched the damned thing. Only one metal had the properties this collar did: Brimstone. Just great…"It'll take a few days, but I know who can get rid of that thing." He said when he was done inspecting it from a safe distance. "I'll take you to him once I figure out where we are. I'll help you this once, as payment for my freedom." He didn't wait for her response. With a quick jerk he marched back the way they had been heading.

There were several seconds where he thought she was going to leave him. He turned to look back at her and found her some feet away, keeping her distance from him. For unexplainable reasons, that irked him. She had been so haughty back in the hellhole. Where did the meek maiden act come from? Where was the seductress that lured him to her bed?

Whatever the heck happened to Aella, was it something that would effect him as well. Perhaps it was some sort of transition into Earth. After… Eons of living in Hell, it would be apparent that there would be some side affects. If Vergil ever turned into a weak mortal, he'd cut off his own head and be done with the illness.

At least she succumbed to his reason. Vergil did not want to knock her unconscious and try to figure out his surroundings on his own – there were no stars to guide him tonight. An itch at the back of his skull made him turn and wait for the Fallen. She stared at him when she caught up and for a while they just stood there like that. With rain and wind raging around them, Vergil glared at her; soon she began to straighten her spine. She pushed her shoulders back and in no time, she was appeared to be looking down at him. Which was physically impossible since he was taller, but the differences in her body language were exactly what he needed of her.

There was little a meek maiden could do in a fight; a trained, hardened warrior was another matter. "You know where we are." He thrust an arm in between their bodies, "By all means, lead the way." And she moved past him without batting an eye. It was like the weakness she showed before never existed. Sometimes women were like that. One second they were about to break apart completely, the next they were acting as if it never happened.

Her shoulder was no longer bleeding. That was a good thing. Vergil did not have anything to mend a serious wound. Depending on where they were, it could take them weeks to find the one who could remove the collar. Welcomed silence enveloped the two again. Without more than a pair of jeans, Vergil was beginning to feel the cold seep into his muscles. They would need shelter soon. It would do no one any good if he passed out from exhaustion and the cold, to die from hypothermia

"There is an abandoned cabin near by." Aella said calmly as she eyed the trees to her left. Why hadn't they walked through the trees? There would have been more protection from the rain and they would not be so exposed to possible attacks. She may have had reasons, they could've reached anywhere between the fact that it didn't matter how deep into the forest they were if the demons were tracking her by the collar, to the idea that she just wanted to feel the rain on her skin for a little longer. Vergil was too tired to care at the moment.

"How far?" He asked. His voiced sounded so raw. He was so thirsty.

"Not too much farther. You will need to sleep. I will take the first watch."

"No. You need as much rest as I do."

"You don't know that."

"Maybe I do. You will be useless to me tomorrow if you pass out on me." They were quiet as the impasse settled over them. Vergil would win this one. He doubted she could actually stay up all night anyway. It was when they reached the cabin she spoke again.

"If the both of us are asleep, who will watch for demons?"

"There will be no ambushes." He felt her eyes on him as he moved into the dark shelter. "The prince has all the time he wishes to come kill us. He doesn't know I can get that collar off you." He stretched out his tired and tense body. The pain was not the worse in his life. Now that he visited Real Pain, very little would feel like the worst in his life.

"And what if you are wrong?" She was on the other side of the cabin, still keeping her distance. Her cold, springtime eyes cut him down.

"Tell you what, if I am wrong and an ambush of demons drags us to Hell in our sleep, then I'll let you say 'I told you so,' ok?" She apparently did not find his humor contagious. When a vile shiver raided through his body, Vergil no longer wanted to talk to this Fallen.

Warm hands stopped him from hitting the dusty floor and a soft voice hushed him from half-felt protests. Aella was touching him for the first time since they arrived on Earth. The half-devil had been foolish to think the Fallen lost her ability to seduce him anymore. The pull was no less strong than back at the cave-like bedroom. It flooded his bloodstream with wants and needs his body was too weak to act upon. However, that did not prevent him from drawing her as close as he could.

Fire rushed over his skin where it touched hers. It was almost too much, but he had been so cold and it was utter bliss to feel something besides bitter pain invade him. Somewhere in his consciousness, Vergil was aware they were on the floor, her body stretched against the length of his. A sigh was ripped from his throat.

"Sleep Vergil." The Angel commanded gently. Her hand was in his hair and he realized he defiantly liked the feeling a great deal more than he should.

"You too." He muttered but his eyes were already closing and the vision of a drenched woman against him was his last for the night.

Aella stared at Vergil as he slept. His arms were wrapped so securely around her waist she doubted she could detach herself without a fight. Her body was a wreck. The little warmth Vergil's body could emit in his state was welcomed.

"I should not be enjoying this." She said out loud in the empty and dark expanse. There was only the one room in the cabin and they were settled against the wall farthest from the door. If any nightly creatures chose to use a door, she'd at least see them before they killed her.

She glanced at the man beside her again. Vergil's behavior was becoming a problem. He was either greatly annoyed by her presence all together, or he was urging to jump her bones. The later was only because she was touching him. Even in the human realm she would need to isolate herself. Fallen Angels were living, breathing temptation; there would little to save Vergil from her touch. At least he passed out before he forced himself on her.

"Who are you kidding?" She'd let him jump her, there wouldn't be any force necessary. Her attraction to the half-breed was growing to become a dilemma she couldn't afford. Too much time in the hole sucked most of her primitive desires out of her. The sensation of a man craving her was not new; it shouldn't affect her how Vergil touched her. But it did affect her. Right now it caused warmth to spread from her stomach through her bloodstream to fill every inch of her insides. Temptation could work both ways, and Vergil might become her undoing.

Back in the bed chamber too, the desire to take this half-breed to the farthest reaches of abysmal bliss had been great. She needed to focus, but all she wanted was him, in very possible way. If she had allowed her senseless desires to ruin her actions, she would still be stuck in the hole and Vergil would be dead.

Rain pelted the sagging rooftop. Sleep was so close she could feel her body growing slack. In Vergil's arms Aella felt the unreasonable sensations of being safe. How could he protect her from demons in the state he was in? How could she feel safe with him in this one moment?

He had been wrong about the Devil's involvement. He did not have all the time he wished. That stunt they pulled to get out of Hell would cost the Devil a hole in his pride. If just for the sake of proving he could, he would drag the two of them back to Hell as soon as possible. Vergil was no safer than she had thought he'd be. But he was putting himself at unnecessary risks by staying with her. Escaping Hell was his death warrant. No amount of precaution could protect him now.

The chances of his survival were larger if he left her though. Aella glared half-heartedly at the man beside her. He was a fool for not leaving her when he had the chance. Even if he didn't know where he was, she doubted that would stop this man from surviving. It was a pathetic excuse. Why did he lie to her?

With the offer to be rid of the collar so close she could taste her freedom, Aella would not allow Vergil to leave now. Not until she received her payment would she let him go. Possessiveness was a bad habit all Angel ailed from. Right now, Vergil was her property. Until the time she deemed acceptable, the man would not be gone from even her sight.

Sleep claimed the Fallen right after her resolved set in. She did not dream and her body settled closer to the body warmth and false protection the son of Sparda supplied.