Naturally, A/N: Oh my God, how shall I express my sheer delight at all those reviews…Here I present to you ladies and gents, chapter 4. There's some fighting and sweet loving –grins- not. Hope it is to your liking and if it's not, do let me know. –grins-

By the way, I like happy endings too, I just suck at writing them, but I'm not sure this fic's gonna have a sad ending, because after all the crap Vergil and Lady will have to go through, I think they'll deserve their happy ending. I don't promise anything though, just bear with me and see.

Vampy Sparda: Merci beaucoup! Your support means heaps to me. I think there's more to that electric attraction by the way…Please read on –grins broadly-

V. Gryffin I'm sorry I couldn't update earlier. I get home from work buggered as every night, except on my days off which I get to write freely and unleash that bottled up writing frenzy! Thank you so much for the review btw.

kiki0303: Dante will appear in later chapters for sure, but not just yet.

VergilSparda666: LMAO, yeah, so would I. I'm glad to be able to write Verge half as good as you do, man you're so good at it, hey guys you gotta check this brilliant woman's stories out, I'm telling you, you won't be disappointed!

Sam Valentine: Uh huh. Mary's uber special. She's my favourite DMC girl, a kickass character and on top of that she takes crap from no one. Hehe, or does she? Read and find out.

Goddess: I think I forgot to thank you personally in the previous chapter, but oh well, here goes my gratitude for your fabulous review. I think you will like this chapter, as it revolves around a battle that is rough as. –winces-

Skaye: -nods- I completely agree with you on the descriptions. Yeah, they can be confusing as hell sometimes but oh well, what's an author to do but keep trying?

Censes: Thanks I try! As for Dante, he's busy right now getting himself in trouble and kicking demon ass, but sure, he'll appear soon enough.

Travithian Axile: Hey, thanks so much. I love your story too. –grins-

Chaos Sparda: -chuckles- I wonder how much Verge would go for on e-bay. –checks imaginary price tag and sighs- Man, that's just terrible. –hugs- Thanks for the support, makes me feel all so warm and fuzzy inside hehe. To be honest, I don't have a special writing technique or anything like that, I just read as much as I write, and a quick glance to the thesaurus often helps me defeat the writers block, or a nice walk in the park to de-clutter my mind. I love Metallica, but I've stopped listening to them after the black album, they're just not the same ass kicking trash metal to me, but that's open to debate isn't it? Stephen King? Are you serious? Wow man, I'm flattered phew. Btw you should give it a go and post your story, I'm sure you'll do just fine.

Last, but not least …Cookies, muffins and thanks: bhr33, breezy1028, Raven, Jessica and anonymous people.

Enjoy!

I saw pale kings and princes too,
Pale warriors, death-pale were they all;
They cried -- "La Belle Dame sans Merci
Hath thee in thrall!"

-John Keats, "La Belle Dame Sans Merci"

Lady awoke to murky darkness, eyelids fluttering as blue-brown irises searched the gloomy cavern, but she couldn't see into the corners blanketed by shadows.

The last thing she remembered was that she had closed her tired eyes for five minutes…She had never meant to fall asleep.

God, it must have been hours…Lady couldn't actually tell as time had long ago lost its meaning since she found herself trapped in this dreadful, maze-like tower with Dante's dark twin brother.

Her limbs had gone numb from immobilization, and she winced slightly as she stretched her body and shook off the lethargy. Her eyes grew wide as her senses slowly adjusted to the dark that had claimed the dungeon-like cavern, scarcely lit by a thin, spectral ray of smoky greenish light that leaked through a small crack in the high rock ceiling, which only actually added to the eerie atmosphere.

There was no sign of the half-devil.

Lady's mind buzzed with all kinds of possibilities and she despised the fact that she felt overwhelmingly lonely, suddenly yearning for another human voice to reach out to her in the dark.

"Vergil?" She called quietly, instantly regretting the tiny tremor of despair that crept into her otherwise confident voice.

A shadow moved slightly in a corner somewhere, and to her relief, the familiar cold, controlled voice of the blue half-devil came from the shadow's direction.

"Yes?"

Just like that…No sarcastic remarks, no cocky derision, but just a plain acknowledgement… And it felt strangely comforting.

The dim, feeble light fell from behind, highlighting the sharp angles of his aristocratic face, his cheekbones becoming more prominent and his eyes appearing oddly lit from within with a blue fire.

As the half-devil turned to look at her, Lady's hand flew self-consciously to her unruly ravendark hair in an attempt to brush it out of her eyes with no success.

"What's going on?" She mumbled, getting goose bumps from the sound of her own voice echoing against the stone walls with a ghostly hollowness.

Vergil paused a moment or so. Lady now could hear the sound of rock crunching beneath his brown boots as he paced slowly around the cavern.

"I believe the generator's shut down." He said dismissively, offering no other explanation for the sudden blackout.

Bloody great…Lady thought. Power failure meant the tower wouldn't rotate any time soon, and if the tower didn't rotate, they'd be entombed here…for God knows how long.

"I'm positive this is a temporary situation. The power should be back soon." Vergil added dismissively. It's only a matter of when…What was his idiotic younger twin up to now? Vergil wondered gloomily. Then he heard her get up to her feet, outlined as a graceful, slender silhouette against the pale green light that trickled through the crevice.

"Not soon enough. We should get a move on and have a look around." She said, her iron will banishing the growing panic and she flexed her clenched muscles. At least the pain had subsided, though the slight dizziness was still there, no doubt from copious levels of blood loss.

"Unless you happen to have a spare neo-generator, I don't see how looking around will prove useful. I'm no more eager to sit and wait than you are, but right now it's best to exercise patience instead of wasting energy on a fruitless search."

Lady's sigh was silent. It was like the half-devil was made of marble or something; nothing shocked him. Not to mention the way he talked like an old-fashioned gentleman that belonged to the Victorian era…

"You have an opinion about everything, don't you?" She found herself grumbling.

"No, I simply know how this edifice works." He said as a matter of fact.

Lady shook her head lightly, wondering how on earth Dante and Vergil could be twins. They were definitely not two peas in a pod for sure. Far from it in fact; compared to sarcastic, silver-tongued Vergil, Dante was peaches and cream.

As Vergil approached, his face took on an eerie cast, lending him a celestial quality in a twisted way that came naturally to a devil knight.

It was either that, or the darkness was playing tricks on her already provoked imagination.

Lady jolted out of her reverie as a large mass of shadows detached itself from high above and swooped down from the roof, leathery wings flapping frantically overhead.

Lady's hand at once reached for her guns, heart pounding. Seeing the flock of bats disappear through the crack from where the green light emanated, Lady recomposed herself and slid the guns back in their holsters.

"You could have woken me up, you know." Lady leaned against a wall, glancing at Vergil. How long had he been watching her sleep? The thought unnerved, excited and annoyed her at the same time.

"I know." He said morosely, raking a hand through his silver hair.

"And why didn't you?" Lady asked with an ill-concealed curiosity, hoping to get some reaction out of the half-devil.

Because you were about to faint…Because you needed rest…You should be thankful I was the one standing watch. Ungrateful humans…

"Because, I desired some peace without you pestering me every two minutes. The silence was a true taste of heaven while it lasted."

Heaven? What do you know of heaven, you arrogant prick?

"How chivalrous of you." She commented dryly.

"If it's any consolation, I never claimed to be a gentleman."

"That goes without saying."

"You seem to be quite talented at mindless chatter as you are with those guns of yours." Vergil's gave a derisive snort.

Lady didn't know whether to be offended at this.

"Well, would you prefer a mindless chatter or the guns? Either suits me fine, but I prefer you choose the latter." She said in a voice like smooth silk. The half-devil's sarcasm must be rubbing off on her…

As soon as she finished her sentence however, Lady felt something creep down the wall behind her and crawl over her shoulder. Lady jerked back tensely, panic rising in her throat in the form of a sharp gasp of disgust as she flung off the creature she refused to look at.

Gross! Lady thought, nearly speaking aloud her disgust. She hated rats with a passion.

Vergil's head whipped to her direction, katana half-drawn. He saw a rat squeaking in fear and scurrying off into the shadows.

Lady snatched her gaze to the half-devil as something far more annoying than a rat stole her attention.

Vergil was laughing.

It was a low, deep vibrating chuckle; the oddest and the most uncharacteristic thing about the blue devil so far, seeing how she hadn't even seen him smile once, let alone chuckle. A suspicious frown marred her face.

Vergil's dark, quiet laughter ceased, though a flicker of a half-smile lingered on his lips. The woman who fearlessly rushed into battle with demons and monsters squeals like a girl at a small, practically harmless rodent. How charming.

"You looked quite worried there for a moment. Have no fear fair lady, as I am quite certain the threat has been eliminated successfully." He said with a cynical twist gracing his lips.

Oh yeah, bloody hilarious…Lady bristled, feeling grateful for the cover of semi-darkness that concealed her fierce blush.

"Not this threat, you hybrid bastard!" Her already volatile temper flared once again at his mocking tone, the desert eagle appearing in her hand in a flash, safety switched off with a deft flick of her finger and the gun pointed at Vergil's smooth pale forehead.

"In case you're wondering by the way, the chances of me catching a deadly disease from a rat are higher than getting killed in a fight with those ugly excuses for demons that had spawned you."

Vergil's face was blank as he waited –no, anticipated- her attack. He had had enough of her insults anyway.

"Do you actually intend to shoot me this time? Well, if you do, today would be nice."

Lady groaned inwardly, not even Dante ever managed to infuriate her so. This time, the dark half devil was indeed asking for it. He needed a lesson, and Lady was more than happy to educate him…

"Well, consider it your lucky day." Lady sneered.

As soon as she pulled the trigger, however, Vergil ducked his head; lightning fast devil reflexes were once again his saving grace. Yamato was drawn at once, with one perfect motion of his hand. The long, slightly curved razor sharp blade gleamed in the sickly green light.

"My patience has limits, girl. Unless you have the intention of going through with what you've started, I suggest you stop now, because I certainly will not."

"Don't hold your breath, jerk off!" Lady yelled angrily and continued to shoot, her teeth clenching in frustration as the bullets missed their target and zinged past him harmlessly.

Besides, eventually I'll have to kill him…She thought, appalled at her reluctance to do so. Once he's out of here, there will be no stopping him. Better to finish him off now before I get attached and make things even more complicated…

Attached! What the hell was she thinking! Lady reminded herself there could be no attachment between them except bitter hostility.

Without even bothering to dodge, his katana spinning with a blinding speed in front of him and deflecting the bullets, Vergil strode purposefully toward her.

It's time to put an end to this nonsense once and for all…

"You are only wasting ammunition that could be put to better use on those pesky monsters that seem to obstruct our path at every turn. Or even better, wait for my brother." Vergil derided.

Lady stepped back, shooting relentlessly all the while, eventually backing into the cold, dripping cavern wall. To make things worse, a hollow "click" resounded from the empty gun. Even then, Lady kept her finger firmly on the trigger, reaching into her belt for a fresh mag.

"You're despicable! Thanks for the offer but I'd rather kill you myself than wait for your brother to do the job. I'd rather stick with that honourable half-breed than a black hearted mongrel like you."

Vergil's shadow loomed closer still, his tall frame was swathed in darkness, like a black angel of doom.

"This may be a difficult concept for you to grasp, but there is a time even the fiercest warriors, -or most puerile humans in your case- have the sense and nobility to know when enough is enough." Vergil said darkly, wondering if he made it quite clear to her that he didn't appreciate her insults.

Lady was seething, but just when she thought she wanted to make him suffer right then and there, she felt a nagging, fluttery sensation in the hollow of her stomach. It was a sensation of imminent danger that crawled down her spine, and Lady was shaken when she realized the threat came from the absolute, sheer physical nearness of him as well as his sharp tongue and that deadly katana he swung with such expertise.

His hawk like, frosty lazuline blue eyes were drawing hers with bold challenge, his face reminded her of one of those statues of Roman gods she had once seen in a museum when she was little.

Roman Gods? What the hell?

"It will never be enough, until this world is purged of your filthy demon kind!" She shouted.

Seeing there was no time to reload the gun, her hand slipped into her brass knuckles she kept in her belt. She drew her knee up and kicked him brutally in the groin first, then slugged him in the face so hard with the brass knuckles the impact of the strike sent the half-breed tumbling backwards in a frenzy of pain, his head whipped to the side from the blow.

Vergil ground his teeth hard on a groan as excruciating pain throbbed in his groin. He tasted blood, feeling it trickle down the corner of his lips.

Despite his dark ruthless nature, Vergil resented the idea of having to resort to fists against a woman; even though she was a worthless human, he found the act as demeaning as the use of guns. But it was time to give her a taste of her own medicine.
A blue aura of devil aggression started to glow around Vergil, encompassing him in an icy chill of blue anger. Lady lifted her head, eyes widening…Testosterone definitely didn't mix well with demonic blood.

The impact sent Lady hurling backwards to the ground, her already pain-ridden, knotted muscles aching under the strain as she struggled to get back up.

Just when she recovered, she was met with the half-devil's scornful gaze, the blue eyes simmering with hostility. The cold, sharp steel tip of the katana was underneath her chin, pressed into the tender flesh of her throat. Lady's chest heaved with a deep breath, whishing she had her Kalina Ann with her…Then she'd teach him the true meaning of pain.

Lady refused to look at him. She couldn't bear to see the triumph she had been so sure was plastered across the devil's face. But she was compelled to.

To her complete surprise, there was not a trace of conceit or arrogant satisfaction like Dante might have possessed. Instead grim, sullen lines twisted the blank perfection of Vergil's face, and his voice was steely, razor sharp when he spoke.

"Don't ever, - and I repeat, ever- do that again. I've made the obvious mistake of tolerating your insolence so far, but you have crossed the line. If you have a death wish, I will be delighted to administer it. Now get up!"

Why am I even putting up with her still?

Lady gave him a defiant look, and stood up with a slow grace. Vergil's gaze flicked to her chest against his will. The top button of her white shirt had come undone during their physical conflict, revealing more of her soft skin.

He quickly averted his eyes from the marble-pale, enticing curve of her breasts faintly outlined, and focused back on her face.

His hand traveled to hers, and pulled the brass knuckles off her gloved fingers with a sharp, painful jerk. Lady grimaced, and her other hand flashed upwards.

Vergil felt the biting, sharp prick of a 12 inch hunting knife against his throat.

"Am I supposed to be afraid now or something?" Lady asked softly, mockingly. Now we're even, demon.

Vergil advanced closer despite the stinging blade, and he did not remove his katana from her neck either.

"It would be foolish if you weren't." He said slowly, darkly.

Neither of them knowing the full tension of the sensual awareness building up between one another, inched a little closer in defiance, sweat layered faces taut with anger and…certain another savage instinct that had nothing to do with animosity.

A slight shudder ran up Lady's spine as she held the dagger to his throat, now a little shakily. It was impossible to tear her eyes away from his, entrapping her in icy blue.

She opened her mouth to fire one last taunt, but couldn't find her voice. She couldn't concentrate on anything right now except the slow burning fire that suddenly leapt to full, consuming blaze, searing them both.

Talk about sending out mixed messages…

Vergil was equally fascinated by the self-doubt and utter perplexity in her brilliant blue brown eyes, wide and startled. Her cheeks were flushed to a rosy shade of pink, and her lips were trembling…

Without intending to, he lowered the Yamato, his fingers slowly sinking into the short, feathery black hair…It was as though the logical part of his mind had switched off, leaving him at the mercy of his passions…

Lady was paralyzed by his unexpected touch. And his face was tilted close to hers, so damned close…As his warm breath caressed her lips, her eyes slid- closed of their own volition, her entire body tingling with anticipation.

Anticipation of what? What the hell am I doing?

She could stop him right now if she wanted to, slit his throat and be done with him, even though it was not an easy task as she had originally thought.

Vergil wanted to brush his lips along hers, to torture her with excruciating slowness, explore and familiarize himself with their soft, naturally cherry-rose hued texture, the sensually formed contours…

Stop right now! Stop before things spiral out of control!

He was amazed at her shyness. She stood there stark still and silent, her dagger slipping from her sweaty hands. Her whole body was indeed shaking as though she had never been this close to a man before.

The rapidly growing tension was dispelled by the distant rumble of the tower as it swiveled and rotated, the lights blazing back to life with white intensity, causing them to pull away hurriedly.

Vergil removed his hand from her hair without a word, and glanced at her once, before hurrying towards the black opening of a tunnel. He was struggling to contain his rage and the violent attraction he had for the human girl. He had nearly lost sight of his primary goal and let himself go…This was a mistake he would remember never to repeat.

Lady was shaking still as she followed Vergil through the tunnel. She shook her head furiously, telling herself to get a grip. She reminded herself over and over Vergil was nothing but a demon…A callous, selfish and vicious demon…A man with dark aspirations who didn't care about anything or anyone but getting what he wanted.

Yet his warmth and closeness still lingered on her lips…

Lady now knew it was desire that made her fight even harder.

Because, she was sure his kiss would kill her sooner than his blade…

Aww, there goes Verge's crown jewels…-pets Verg- Still no green orb or vital star for Lady, things are heating up between the duo and just where does that tunnel lead? See you next chapter guys, take care and uh, do me a favour and review please? –grins-