Wow, this is the longest chapter of any story I've ever written! LMAO Partly due to the fact that I had 3 different versions of Chapter 6, and I couldn't figure out which I wanted to go with. So I combined my favorite ideas and it went a lot longer than originally planned. 17 pages LONG! I typically only do 8...

Sorry this took so long. I got knocked out by the flu, and am still suffering from the after math of it.

NOTE: This chapter not only has a scene from Bleed For Me (Chapter 14: Farewell), but is a prequel/sequel to it as well as a continuation of another memory (Chapter 9: Drowning) from there as well. So for my readers who previously know these scenes you should be fine. New readers may want to at least check out those scenes. I also recommend reading Bleed For Me to get a grasp of where this entire story began. How Amy knew Vergil previous, and how she came to know Dante etc... This is a sequel to Bleed For Me.

I mentioned this in my first chapter, but I get the feeling some of the readers of this fic don't know about Bleed For Me. Dunno, we'll see.

Excuse me if this chapter gets a bit fluffy, but I was seriously missing Vergil/Amy interaction.

As always R&R if possible. I'm going to try and work on my other 2 stories after this as well as... a continuation of Nothing But Trouble! I blame you guys for asking when the next update would be considering it says Complete...lmao The more you guys asked, the more I began to think of ideas. Dunno when it will be out but more angst, fluff, and drunk Vergil for all!

Bleed It Out

Chapter 6

He stayed close to his room, and she stayed as far from it as she could. It left Dante to consider whether or not this entire thing was a blow-up waiting to happen.

It might've been fine if he could've kept Amy distracted and away from the shop. Problem was that he originally planned months before her visit to make a list of things they could do aside from bars and pizza places. Well, with Vergil's arrival that had gone out the window, and so now all he could think of was those things. To Trish's chagrin he had sent Amy out to do odd errand jobs. She seemed almost relieved to have them, but Dante couldn't help but feel they were wasting her vacation time despite her quietness.

On the odd chance that the two were in the same room Dante could almost feel the tension between them. Vergil was still sore about what had occurred the first night she came, and openly glared at her whenever they were within sight of one another. Amy on the other hand was so expertly good at ignoring him it seemed as if he wasn't there at all in her mind. This was how she wanted it, and yet when Vergil, tired of glaring, got up to leave he swore he saw her eyes flicker in his direction. Which was then followed by her taking a walk that lasted a good hour.

Amy was meant to stay for two weeks with them. By the end of week one Dante was thinking she'd want to head home early. Despite these feelings the time spent with her, uninterrupted by Vergil was almost as he could remember it. She was laughing, quick to tease, and easy to talk to. The more time spent around Lady and Trish, the more open she became and it eased him a bit that her trip wasn't in vain.

"No!" Amy laughed as she pulled her cards to her chest before pushing Dante back as he tried to look at them. "God, you are such a cheater!"

"Please, I don't need to resort to cheating with this much skill."

Dante laid down his hand as a collective groan rung out.

"He HAS to be cheating," Lady moaned as she threw her hand down.

"Come now ladies, how could you think such harsh things," he grinned as he took the money on the table.

"He probably is." Trish added with a suspicious glance at him.

"Et tu Trish?"

"Well, I'm not stupid enough to put down any more money." Amy said as she leaned back in her chair to survey everyone.

"I'm out," said Lady.

"Oh come ON! Cowards!" Dante said incredulously. "You just know I'll win."

"Duh." Trish said as she flipped a poker chip between her fingers with a smirk. "And as Amy said, we're not stupid enough to continue."

"Dude, what the hell are we supposed to do then?"

"You're the party man, can't you think of something?" Lady asked as she sat back in her chair eyeing him comfortably.

"Maybe I could call Narc over for..."

"Not a chance!" Lady interrupted him.

"Ok, it's me against three girls, and I'm beginning to feel the estrogen. We need to even out the score or else I think I'll go insane." Dante said huffily as he crossed his arms over his chest.

"I'm rather liking the odds. You're just too use to this being an all male business." Trish purred at him with a smirk. He just glowered at her unimpressed.

"If you need manly companionship there is one up stairs you know." Lady deadpanned. Dante gave her a "shut up" look with a quick look towards Amy who only smirked at him and rolled her eyes.

"You don't have to be so careful. Everything is fine, really." Amy said getting up to stretch. "I'm going to go get something to drink, you guys want anything?"

"You think they're ever going to talk?" Lady asked curiously after Amy had left for the kitchen.

"Ha! If you call killing one another talking." Dante replied as he glanced up towards the loft above the main room. He had to do a double take because he swore he saw Vergil's door slightly ajar, but when he looked again he found it closed.

"She'll be here for another week. You can't say that they can keep this silent treatment up can you?" Trish asked. The three were huddled close to the middle of the table as to keep their conversation between themselves.

"I'm pretty sure they can. Their stubbornness has only ever been outmatched by the other."

"Stranger pairs have been made." Lady said pointedly as she eyed Dante's hand which had suddenly been covered by Trish's. Her gaze straightened to them both and Dante only grinned back at her. That much is true... He looked again over his shoulder, first to the loft and then to the kitchen door.

"If you ladies want to end the silence strike it'll take a bit of cunning... and some manipulation of situations. You two ready for that?" Dante asked leaning in with a hushed voice. Lady and Trish looked at one another smiling deviously.

"What exactly do you have in mind?"

Beer, wine, margarita mix, hard alcohol...

"For someone who doesn't want me to drink..." Amy began loud enough to be heard in the next room "...you have quite a selection of beverages."

She opted instead for bottled water before closing the door with her hip, three more bottles in her hands. She couldn't help but notice how quiet it had gotten since she left the room, and that never boded well. It wasn't until she was partway through the doorway though that she realized there was no sound what so ever coming from the room. In fact, it was empty as she came back through.

"What the?"

The card table was still up, no signs of clean up, and yet it was devoid of her poker buddies. She set the bottles on the table and it was then she noticed something that wasn't on the table before. A note.

Amy - got called out on a job, be back late don't wait up. - Dante

She rolled her eyes and sighed disappointedly before taking Dante's vacant seat with a bit of a pout. It wasn't that the jobs had been so many since her arrival, just that at least when one of them was out she had extra company in whoever stayed behind. This time though it appeared he'd taken Trish and Lady with him. She sunk low in the chair and leaned her head back. It was then she realized her thumb had been covering a scrawled message further down the note.

P.S. - Please give Vergil drink in fridge - top left hand side.

"Uhhh, what?" She asked the note as if it would respond. She was hoping it was a reminder Dante had jotted down for himself. She turned it over and her lip curled.

P.S.S. - No I mean you Amy.

"Son of a...," she silently cursed as she tossed the message away. Her eyes lingered on the table, but soon found their way to the second floor loft, and the closed door at the top. Her mind had wandered there more times then she would willingly admit, but even now the thought of her first night made her flinch.

The last time she'd seen him the need to heal and protect had been so overwhelmingly strong that she was ashamed at what had occurred when she found him sitting over her in the back room. Not guilty of the slap he rightfully deserved, but of her reaction to him being so near to her when she awoke later in the night. She had forgotten that the same rules did not apply, as Vergil was almost incapable right now of doing anyone physical harm.

What had bothered her was her own reaction to finding Vergil beside her. But the sting of his words was still ringing in her ears even as she slept, so finding him there in that position had made her angry. I am not a pawn, or his play thing. She knew she shouldn't feel guilty, but she had taken advantage of his lack of strength and only realized her error after the fact. Yes, she was mad at him, but all she could ever think about was the night on the roof. Those stupid memories were still too raw to think of without wishing for a reversal of time.

Her mind had been thinking, just today actually, that she was tired of avoiding him. Not only was it uncomfortable for her when Vergil eyed her pointedly, but how it must be affecting the others as well. Vergil always knew how to make a bad situation worse, and she herself wasn't helping it by ignoring him. She had thought long and hard about everything, and maybe had been looking for an opening to breach the subject.

I have to know what's going on.

It may help nothing, and he may shut her out, but at least she could leave knowing she'd at least tried. Dante said it himself. She had never been the type to give up so easily, especially when it came to Vergil.

She sighed and headed into the kitchen. She found the half full blender pitcher on the top shelf and eyed the white substance distastefully. According to Dante this stuff was supposed to help Vergil get his strength back. As she poured it into a cup though the thick consistency made her feel it might make him sick instead. She was almost tempted to taste it, but curiosity was quickly subdued when something plopped into the glass. Disgusting...

She hesitated at the bottom of the stairs, thinking of reasons why she shouldn't go up there. He's probably asleep... She knew though it was her mind talking, and not the rest of her. She would just have to deal with this, no matter how the outcome. Her feet started up and without hesitation until she got to the door itself.

When she knocked there was no answer, so she opened the door and poked her head in. Vergil was sitting, fully dressed, in a chair in the opposite corner of the room. He had a book in his hand but the second she saw him his eyes were narrowed and locked on her.

"I don't recall asking you to come in," he said calmly.

"Yeah, well you need this don't you?" She asked holding the glass out. He looked at it and then back at her over his nose as she entered to stand before him.

"Is it poisoned?" He asked testily.

"No," she replied. He took it slowly from her hand as he set the book in his lap. He stared, and then sniffed at it for show before taking a sip. Finding nothing wrong with it he began to gulp it down, all the while never looking from her. In return she did not falter from his gaze and simply waited for him to be done. Although she could've gagged at the odd thoughts of what exactly it was he was drinking.

He drained the cup, handed it back to her, and then went back to reading his book. Amy in turn set the cup down on his night stand and walked about the room. He said nothing, showing no indications that he really even saw her still there. She wasn't about to leave though, which she made apparent when she sat on his bed facing his chair.

"I need to talk to you," she finally said.

"You are, aren't you?" Vergil asked, never looking up from his book.

"About the other night..."

"I won't apologize," he said simply. There was a stifling silence between them as if he were leaving her an opening. She took it.

"I'm not asking you to... You hate me, I get it. Maybe in a lot of ways I hate you too. You're mean, loud, and have no real concept of how to be consistent at anything except... well, being consistently loud and mean."

Vergil looked like he might cut in, but she quickly regained her voice.

"The truth of our past is that we do not know each other at ALL. Hell, neither of us knew anything about the others parents until the last time we saw each other. The most we know is how to fight, and...," she stopped, the word kiss dying on her mouth as she somehow diverted going bright red. "...play piano. That doesn't make much for a foundation, and maybe I see that more now that I've been forced to live with you."

"Seems I'm the one who was forced into living with you," he said coldly as he crossed his arm.

"Only for one more week Vergil. I guess what I'm trying to say is I have always, I mean I do care...about you… your well being." Ahhh, why is this so hard. "I don't want to spend the next 5 days fighting, or being glared at if it can be helped."

At this Amy put her hand out and Vergil stared at it with a raised eyebrow.

"I'm calling a truce. I know you don't really like the idea, but maybe we can somehow learn to get along? Maybe even, a million years from now, you could consider me a friend..."

Amy tried hard to not let the shaking she was feeling show in her hand as it held open in mid air waiting for Vergil to make a move. He was only staring at her though with untrusting eyes.

"That's it then? What game is this?" Vergil asked as he sat up in his chair, eyes narrowing at her. She only stared at him, her eyes blinking rapidly while trying to grasp what it was he was asking.

"Well, not all. My arm is getting tired from waiting," she finally said as she looked hopefully at her hand again. Vergil stood slowly and Amy stood with him, watching as he crossed past her to sit on the bed she had vacated. He sat down with effort and almost glowered at her for staring at him. Perhaps her expression looked pained as she watched him, and he had caught sight of it.

"That would be it, yeah." Amy shrugged when he only continued to watch her. "What did you expect?" She asked in a light tone as she moved forward. She bent over to help lift his legs into the bed, but Vergil stopped her. "Did I hurt you?" She asked. Vergil felt a growl in his throat, but swallowed it. Had she meant physically, or emotionally? The question could've been taken either way, and somehow he knew she'd meant when she had tried to help him. It made his stomach jump though, convincing himself she had meant it the other way.

"No," he mumbled as he pushed her hands away. "I'm not a child, and I do not need your help. As for this truce of yours I don't care. As soon as I'm well again..."

"I know, fire and brimstone," she began.

"Don't mock me!" He growled at her.

"Shit," she sighed placing a hand over her eyes. She took an uninvited seat next to his hip on the bed and he sneered at her as he had to move so his hand did not get caught underneath her. He noticed with annoyance she was laughing. "Truce, and already we're fighting." She uncovered her face and smiled at him. "Old habits die hard I guess. We were always so good at fighting weren't we?"

"You were good at antagonizing me, and it appears you've improved those skills."

Vergil stared pointedly at her and it didn't take Amy long to get the hint. She stood up, un-wrinkling the area she had sat on and started for the door.

"Oh! I almost forgot."

Vergil heard her words, but it was her hovering presence he saw first. She leaned across him and for a moment he was taken completely aback from her closeness. He felt her hair as it fell across the skin peaking beneath the open part of his shirt. It was the first time he had felt something familiar with her, and he found himself watching her profile in the split second before he grabbed her wrist.

Amy turned to look at him, her arm outstretched to grab the empty cup she had placed there earlier. Her heart lurched to see him so focused on her, not in a glare, but in a stare. It was almost like a jolt of electricity had shot between them, causing each other not to move or blink. Then the world righted itself again as she spoke.

"Your glass."

Vergil immediately let go of her, and she thought better about leaning over him. She quietly walked around him to his nightstand, took up the glass, and walked to the door. She turned back to him once she was a safe distance.

"Truce Vergil?" She asked.

"Whatever," he replied not looking at her even as she silently closed the door behind her.

Lady came grumbling down the stairs at about two in the morning to find Dante half asleep on the couch, the TV in front of him glaring the darkness away from him. They had come home to find Amy in bed, and Vergil still hiding in his room.

"Hey, get up!" She growled as she slapped his face just enough to wake him from his doze.

"Whattizit?" He asked groggily as he swallowed and sat forward. "What time is it?"

"Don't think it worked Casanova," she said in turn, ignoring his question. She wedged herself next to him and glared at the guests of the Jerry Springer show as one girl tried to beat up a tranny that had snagged her boyfriend. She rolled her eyes in Dante's direction and he grinned.

"Jerry, Jerry, Jerry," he chanted quietly along with the TV.

"She is keeping me up Dante. Whatever plan you had is not working," she said blandly.

"What are you talking about?"

"She's up there making all these weird noises in her sleep, and none of it sounds very happy. If she calls Vergil a jerk one more time I'm going to muzzle her. I know she's your friend and all, but I WILL do it!"

Dante let out such a loud laugh he had to stop himself partway through when Lady elbowed him and put a finger to her lips. They had placed Amy in Lady's room to help prevent any more unnecessary encounters. Things seemed to be going all right, but apparently something HAD happened because Amy was not the only one whose sleep was being interrupted.

"I'm serious!" Lady hissed at him.

"Dude, you should check on Vergil then." Dante said before clearing his throat and deepening his voice. "Stupid girl," he said before snorting. "I checked on him after lights out. I think they're mutually dreaming about throttling one another. Think it's possible?"

"Anything is possible with you people. But this Lady needs to sleep, so move your ass. Say bye bye to Jerry!"

Lady grabbed the remote and turned the TV off.

"I will kick you off Dante," she warned as she tried lying on the couch. Her feet met his hip as she tried to stretch out and so she gave it a good shove for measure.

"Fine fine, I'll go sleep next to someone who loves and appreciates me," he crooned as he stood, dusting himself off smugly. She smirked at him as she pulled the blanket off the back of the couch.

"Nevan doesn't count Dante," she quipped yawning before a pillow miraculously found aim at her head.

"Goodnight evil witch from the 3rd dimension of hell sent to torment me for all eternity," he called back as he hoisted himself up the stairs. When he got there he poked his head into Vergil's room again and again heard Vergil mumbling in his sleep. He couldn't help but wonder what the two were dreaming about.

Amy was restless as she crept quietly into the kitchen, trying so hard not to wake Lady who lay dead to the world on the couch. Waking to find Lady gone had only made the feeling of loneliness worse, like the nights when she would wake from vivid dreams to find only her empty apartment.

She hated the quiet that came with night fall, even dreaded the cold silence that always managed to grip her when she couldn't sleep. It was worse now because there were four other souls in this house, none of which were awake to take comfort in their company. It was so much easier to deny everything when she had someone else around to make her forget.

The dreams are starting up again. Amy thought it as she busied herself with scowering the cupboards for something other than alcohol. As tempting as that sounded, she wasn't going to drink her sorrows away. She just needed something warm to take away the cold she felt all over. She was trying to bring the dream back to the surface. No, not a dream... a long forgotten memory.

Vergil was mean to her, even when it seemed he was attempting to be nice. She had grown to know him this way, and to disregard it as just the way he was. To truly embrace a person like Vergil you had to accept that he could not be the way you wanted him to be. His was the only authority he lived by, and if you were lucky enough to be near him it was only because he tolerated your presence.

For her part Amy had tried her very hardest to stay on his good side. The longer they spent together the easier it became. She had thought they had finally met common ground, that they were friends. Yet Vergil could never be anyone else but Vergil.

"Must you always follow so closely?" He snapped at her. She shrank back from him when he had rounded on her. She didn't understand why he was suddenly so angry. He had been teaching her to swim and before she knew it he was angry with her. It had come so suddenly that it surprised her. He had walked off without waiting for her, and so she half ran next to him to keep up with his stride.

Now though he was staring her down as if by doing so she would vanish.

"W-what's wrong?" She'd asked. He only continued to look at her with his crushing gaze. It had always amazed her just how much he could say with a glance. It wasn't only anger, but frustration. "What did I do?"

"It's not always about you you know," he growled as he pushed his wet hair back from his forehead. His face was screwed up in concentration, as if he were mulling something over that made no sense. Amy stood fidgeting with the shirt she'd thrown on in the rush to catch up. She wound a hand into the bottom of it not really knowing what else to do.

"I don't understand."

"No surprise there," he cut in with a sneer. "Can't swim, can't fight off bullies, you can't even really play piano come to think of it. Can you even breathe without help?" He turned back to look at her to find her staring at him in awed silence. Her eyes gave way to his harsh words. It had been so long since he had been this way with her, and worse yet she didn't know why it came out all of a sudden. He saw the look in her face and almost as quickly as his anger had flared the tension in him left. "Come on; let's just to back before it rains on us both."

Vergil reached a hand out to her and she stepped away from him deliberately.

"I don't want to go with you," she whispered as a tear fell quickly from one eye. She quickly pushed it away.

"Don't be stupid, where else would you go?" Vergil asked smugly.

"Away from you," she said stubbornly.

Amy turned and began to walk down another pathway. She could feel his eyes on her back, no doubt an angry sneer as he shouted.

"Fine! I hope you get lost! Maybe then you'll learn!"

Amy continued to walk as the words rung in her ears. The problem was that despite his cruelty towards her and their obvious lack of a healthy friendship... Vergil was all she had now. There was no one left for her to connect to. Who are we without those around us? She stopped after a while to look back and felt her heart sink as Vergil had gone. She shouldn't have been surprised, but a part of her hoped he would still be standing there.

It was lonely without him as she walked about the forest. He knew these trails better than she did, but in a lot of ways she didn't care. Hadn't he wanted her to get lost? Even when the rain he had predicted began to fall she pressed on in no direction in particular. She was numb as she walked, drenched from head to toe but never really feeling the cold of it. Eventually she stopped and sat down amongst some trees, pulling her legs up and lowering her head to her crossed arms.

She was never really sure how much time passed. Hours judging by the darkness that met her eyes when she finally lifted her head again. She had somehow managed to fall asleep despite the rain, which had now stopped. Even if she had wanted to go back she was pretty sure she'd never find her way in the dark. She cried, but it was not for being lost. It was for the fact Vergil was probably back at the orphanage thinking serves her right.

She could almost hear him too as she pulled her knees back to her chest and buried her face in her arms.

"Amy!"

Her head shot up. It was really him she was hearing. She stood, unsure really of what to do. He would probably be angry with her, because he was almost always angry with her. She felt like fleeing, finding someplace to hide until morning. She wasn't in the mood to deal with him yet after their fight, but as she took a few steps the twigs and leaves beneath her feet made noises that must've alerted him of her presence.

She could see him now, both of them dead stopped and looking at one another. He took a step and she turned to run for it. I hate him and I'm mad at him. She kept telling herself that, so when she felt him grab her arm she pushed him away.

"Let go!" She yelled at him, but his grip never loosened on her. He pulled her back and she closed her eyes waiting for the anger to come. "Vergil?" She whispered over his shoulder.

He had not yelled, but had pulled her into a one arm hug so strong she felt it hard to breathe. His other hand tight at her wrist.

"You stupid girl!" He growled into her shoulder. "I thought something had happened! If you weren't so damned stubborn all the time, but you just HAD to prove a point didn't you?" His other hand let go of her wrist and took its place around her.

She said nothing to this, too caught up in the situation to know what to say. He was every bit as soaked as she was, but she knew they couldn't be that far from the house. Had he even gone back to change? Or had he waited out of sight to save face?

"Let me go," she finally managed when the pressing of his chest against hers threatened to cut off her air supply. Almost reluctantly he did as she asked.

"I should slap you for doing that." he said as he pulled away. She half wondered if he would, but he only took her hand with an annoyed face. "Come on."

She didn't press him as to where they were going or even try to put up a fight. It seemed an odd situation, because she had never known Vergil to have emotions besides annoyance and anger. That hug though was neither despite his voice. It had warmed her by its protectiveness as well as its relief. He was glad to see she was alright...

Soon the lights from the house came into view and one of the adults stood on the porch ready to berate them both for being out so late. Amy barely heard her as she couldn't help but think strange thoughts. She chanced a look at Vergil, who stood determinedly staring at his lecturer as if his glare could make her disappear. His hand was still clasped tightly around Amy's and she suddenly felt very ill.

Once it was all over both were sent directly to their rooms. Amy somehow felt her chest tightening as she pulled off her wet clothes and put on some dry pajamas. She didn't know why the thought had suddenly hit her tonight, but she was thinking beyond now. To the idea of where would they go if adopted, or when they turned 18? The thought made her feel so utterly miserable that after she got in her bed she pulled the covers up so far to mask her face, even with the darkness of the room. She was there and still wide awake with worry when she heard familiar footsteps out in the hallway.

Almost like clockwork she reacted without hesitation to these sounds. They had been forbidden to go anywhere but their rooms, but this was their nightly ritual. One that no one could stop the flow of except themselves. Amy crossed the room quietly and opened the door.

Vergil was in the hallway waiting for her, his face stony as he saw her. His arms were crossed against his chest and he only turned when she closed the door to follow. When she had closed the music room door behind her she turned to see Vergil just standing there and looking back at her with a frown on his face. For a long time they stood only looking at one another. Mostly on her part because she didn't know what it was he wanted, but he was being so stubborn he wasn't saying a word. She couldn't take his stare any more.

"What have I done?" She finally asked him.

He continued to stare at her, almost as if trying to think of an adequate response to this. He didn't say anything though as he only looked away.

"I'm tired...," she whispered softly. She turned from him to go back to her room. If he was going to turn cold now then there was no point in even staying tonight. Her earlier thoughts gripped her chest. She half wondered what would happen to her if he remained angry with her. Who would be left for her then?

"Wait," Vergil finally said as she closed her hand on the door knob. "I...you can't go yet." His tone was unsure and it was this that made her turn around to look at him. He pulled from his pocket a few sheets of paper. "I need an audience."

Vergil turned from her to sit down at the piano, setting the paper upright within view. He began to play a slow and melancholic song she had never heard before. She walked slowly by him, peering over his shoulder to see the hand written sheet music.

"What's it called?" She asked absentmindedly.

"Dunno, haven't named it," he replied as he turned his head slightly to answer her.

Amy moved to sit on one of the chairs near the fireplace. She watched as the light from it lit shadows across his back, casting him in a spotlight she found too strange. It was almost as if someone was illuminating the subject of her exact thoughts.

In the darkness of the room a soft light suddenly bloomed into being. The bright fire in the grate played and danced along to the slow piano music. An electrical storm had begun, but Amy and Vergil had barely noticed it since coming into the room. After all, outside the room was reality, but in the confines of this room all time and reason seemed to cease existence.

"Stop humming." Vergil said as he played on the piano. Amy sat on one of the chairs by the fire, listening intently to him and humming along.

"I can't." She said simply, eyes closed, with her head leaning back into the chair. "I want to learn this song in my head so I can learn to play it on my own."

"You can't play it. It's my song." Vergil said, scowling at her.

"I know..." She said, looking up from her reverie to look at him. "That's why I want to learn it. For when... we have to go away from each other. To remember you by." Her words seemed to falter at this. Vergil stopped playing the piano with a miss-press of a key. He was half glaring, half wide eyed as he looked at her face. After a split second though, his face became normal and he began to play again.

"We'll be old enough to leave within a few years. Maybe you..." But he paused, unable to finish his thought. Amy stood from her chair and walked towards the window, gazing out onto the lawn as lightning crashed against the dark sky.

"What if we get separated?" She asked, putting a knee out to curl into the window sill as she often did. She tucked her nightdress around her, covering even her toes so she looked like a sack of white with a head poking out of it.

"That won't happen." He said in a low voice. Another loud crash and suddenly the sound of rain hit the windows.

"It's raining again." Amy said, her voice suddenly sounding gloomy as she bent her head to rest on her knees.

A long silence followed, except for the sound of the piano playing beneath Vergil's fingers. It was finally broken by Amy, humming along again. This time however, Vergil said nothing and only listened. Both seemed determined to not think of where they would be years from now, especially if it meant away from the familiarity of one another. They would leave that reality outside of the music room.

She was so very tired. Her head hurt her even with her eyes shut tightly to the room around her. She had been leaning on window sill for almost an hour now, but despite her want of sleep she just couldn't doze off. Her mind was still on Vergil, and the painful thought of their eventual abandonment of one another. It would happen eventually wouldn't it?

Somehow she had always thought that one day Vergil would somehow become different, and that they could be close always. The incident during the day though had begun to put doubts in her mind, and no matter how she tried she couldn't get rid of them. She couldn't spend the rest of her life walking on eggshells around him to keep his temper down, and if he chose to leave her behind out of anger she doubted there was anything she could do about it.

She had been listening to Vergil throughout the time leaning against the cool window. The song he was practicing put her at ease. It seemed to her that his song portrayed the way she wished he could be. Calm and gentle. It was comforting, like finding the phantom of your nightmares could love and see reason.

Somewhere in the midst of all her hectic thinking the music had stopped and she hadn't noticed at the time. She was too caught up in thinking what life would be like after she left this place. It was one of those moments where pure thought blocked out everything around you, and in her case she never heard the footsteps coming towards her.

She couldn't remember why, but when Vergil sat next to her on the padded sill she didn't react to him. A part of her was curious as to what he was doing. She was pretty sure he was going to shake her awake, and so she remained still with her eyes closed, waiting for it. She could hear the rustle of his clothing mixing with his breath. He took a deep sigh, moved slightly and she tried not to jump as she felt him take hold of the ends of her hair.

She was debating now on pretending to suddenly "awake" to this, but she stopped as he spoke.

"Stupid girl," he whispered softly. It was not harsh in any way, in fact it was almost endearing the way he said it. She could hear a faint smile in it and peeked through squinted eyes to see if he was actually smiling. Her eyesight was fuzzy, but her obstruction of view became apparent as Vergil's face was directly in front of hers. At the exact moment she noticed him she felt him kiss her.

It was soft enough that if she had really been asleep she would've never known he'd actually done it. Her mind went blank, all thoughts gone except the tingling he left behind on her lips when he pulled back. She managed to hold back a shiver as he touched her face with careful fingertips, but she could not stop the million questions his actions brought to the surface. She pretended to shift a bit to his touch because it was more purposeful than the kiss. His hand stopped and slowly fell away.

She chanced another look and saw him shaking his head with a hand over his face. He looked about as confused as she felt. For a long while he sat next to her so quietly that she was afraid he might be able to hear her heart thumping. She squeezed her eyes shut as he turned towards her again and took her hand.

He set to lifting her from the sill, pulling her up to lean her head against his shoulder. She faked a sigh and turned her face into his shirt so he hopefully couldn't see the red in her face. What she really wanted to do was clasp her arms about him in relief, but she thought better of it. No doubt Vergil would be angry that she had witnessed something so embarrassing.

He carried her out into the hall and up the stairs towards her room. There were so many things she wanted to tell him, and ask him. Yet she remained still in his arms, unsure whether or not he really cared to hear any of it.

That was always how it was with Vergil. Even now as she sat in the kitchen just under his bedroom she still had doubts about him. She could always find ways to explain his kind actions to fit into Vergil logic. He had probably carried her back so he wouldn't be caught when someone found her there the next morning. The kiss must've obviously been the product of the necklace, which she had come to find, could have this affect on him. It was a plot by a very old Devil using a lifetime of lies and broken people in an effort to kill Dante and Vergil.

Amy wrapped her arms about her self as a shiver went through her. It wasn't the cold, but the memory of the kiss they'd shared on the roof long after the necklace had been destroyed. That she could never account for. Sure, she had taken the chance, thinking she may never have it again, but he followed after her.

It was this single thread that had kept her sane in the years since. From the oddity of how her life fell back into normality without either brother around. How she felt when Dante had given her the news of Vergil's demise. Thinking of how she had lived every day since then in a dream like state where she wasn't a participant so much as a spectator.

Amy found some tea bags and decided it was better than nothing. Perhaps she could fall into the warm cup and somehow subdue her mind into going blank. It could've worked, if Vergil hadn't come into the kitchen.

When his eyes opened to pitch black Vergil silently cursed to the room. He was wide awake and it was glowing 4AM on the clock next to him. He groaned and turned over, but found all he could think of was the dryness in his mouth. That and the dream he had been having.

Amy never knew that he had stolen a kiss from her before the night in the clearing. It was the beginning of the end in his opinion, and eventually lead to their separation. Why he was suddenly remembering it NOW was completely beyond him. Perhaps their small discussion had triggered the memory, but it did nothing for his mood or his insomnia.

Unable to fall back asleep Vergil eased himself out of bed and headed downstairs. He would raid the fridge for something cool to drink and try sleep again once he had cleared his head. He noted with a frown that Lady was half falling off the couch snoring loudly as he passed. One leg slung over the back of it, while the other curled inward, her arm hanging over the side. He thought of how she had gotten Dante to take that picture of him and smiled wickedly at the possibilities for revenge her current position left open. He quickly pushed the thought away though as he saw the moonlight shimmer off of a gun she had partially concealed under her pillow.

Instead he opened the kitchen door, paused, and then quickly shut it. In the moment he had opened it he had seen Amy sitting at the table with a blank stare on her face. As soon as her face moved to look towards him though he had shut the door.

Can't I ever escape her?! He groaned as he swallowed to sooth his throat to no avail. He wasn't about to walk in there knowing it would lead to more interaction. She was dangerous when that mouth of hers opened. He had realized it today when she had come to his room, because despite his better judgment she had actually flustered him. She hadn't seen it of course, only what he hoped she perceived as the cold shoulder. When in fact he turned from her to hide the blush that burned in his face as he stared practically nose to nose with her. He hadn't been that close to her without the distraction of others for years. Not since he left her shivering on the roof of her building.

He pursed his lips as he took the steps two at a time, forgetting there was anything wrong with him. He entered the hallway bathroom and turned on the tap, splashing ice cold water over his face to stop the thoughts that her roof brought to his mind.

Don't pull away...

He squeezed his eyes shut to block the image out of his mind of her standing on her toes to press that heated kiss to his lips. God how he had almost lost it whenever she touched him, and how he had stupidly never been able to stop himself from WANTING to touch her. It was some psychological thing where he tormented himself by not touching what he knew he could not have. Could not, and should not have.

This time though the years of pent up repression had been so many more in comparison to when he last saw her. He almost felt like a child who had been denied something special, and had become less and less patient the longer he waited. Perhaps in his darkest of times he had imagined coming back to her. It was only to be a thought though, and he knew it. Well, at least his brain knew it.

He glowered at himself in the mirror.

"Be strong, don't be weak. You are a son of Sparda, a devil, and beholden to no one."

He pulled himself from the mirror after several long moments of repeating this in his head. He was the son of Sparda, and if anything she was the one who should be feeling angst about him. Not the other way around.

He decided to go back to his room. He had gulped down a few handfuls of water, and yet he wasn't satisfied. It would have to do though. As he walked towards his door however he noticed something was off.

The first thing that was off about his room when he entered was the door being slightly ajar. Second, his bedroom light was on. It wasn't until he entered the room and stood looking around that he noticed the third and most noticeable of changes. A mug of something steamy was sitting on his night stand.

Vergil looked around again, but no one was there. Then as he neared he smelled a familiar scent with a furrow of his brow. He looked down at the cup and almost felt himself give way to a chuckle. A word was flashing through his mind as he stared at the steaming cup.

Truce...

It was a peace offering, or at least Amy's version of one. Maybe she had brought it in hopes of a reason to see him, but had left it just the same when she found the room empty. He had to admit it was a step in the right direction, because it told him that she was willing to give him his space. He reached long fingers out to touch the cup but pulled them away with a frustrated groan.

Don't let her get to you.

Trouble was he was considering going back downstairs. The idea surprised him enough that he had to sit down a moment to mull it all over in his head. Under no circumstances should be go downstairs. This was all a ploy on her part to get him to do exactly this. He knew it and yet the compulsion was still there. He sighed again as he finally let his fingers close over the top of the mug which had cooled enough.

Now though for whatever reason he thought of the look on her face when he had entered the kitchen. The one she had before she realized he was there. Several times now over the years he had caught similar looks in her eyes, but this one had been slightly different. A very quiet thoughtfulness that was truly devoid of life. The quiet Amy that he had never really known.

He took a long drink and found, surprisingly enough, it quenched the thirst that had woken him. Evil girl... He bit his lip and squeezed the mug as the images of the dream flashed through his mind.

You'll regret this... He internally berated himself as he stood slowly with the mug now fully in his hand. It wasn't like going down would change anything, and if she annoyed him he had use of his legs enough to leave her sitting there.

Vergil could never explain his compulsions when it came to her and he was too tired to even try now as he went, yet again, back to the kitchen.

She was still there when he opened the door and for a brief moment he could see that same blank expression in her eyes as she stared at nothing at all, fingering her mug idly. As Amy looked up at him though it was almost as if she came to life. Her dull eyes opened, her back straightened and her shoulders squared.

He stepped into the kitchen but didn't know much else of why it was he had come down. The mug in his hand was still half full, so he couldn't pretend as if he wanted to put it away. She was staring at him now with questioning eyes, too wide for their own good.

"Want some more?" She finally asked. He considered it and nodded. "Sit down and I'll get it."

Clever girl.

"I'll stand," he replied. He wouldn't fall for that. If he sat down he would be trapped for sure.

"Suit yourself,"

He handed her the cup and watched as she walked over to the stove to add some more into it. She calmly walked back over and sat it on the table across from where she sat. He narrowed his eyes and picked the cup up, opting to walk over to lean against the wall. Distance was good.

"So, what brings you downstairs?" She asked as she sipped at her own cup, eyes peaking beneath lashes to examine him.

"I should ask you the same."

"Me? I uh, had a bad dream," she said as her eyes quickly looked away from him for a split second and then found him again. "Needed some air."

He sipped the cup to avoid having to reply, staring at his own reflection in the warm tea. He thought on his own dream and had an odd feeling of de ja vu. Hadn't this been how they originally had met? Both woken by dreams that drove them out of their beds and crash landing into one another.

"You feeling OK?" She suddenly asked. He turned his gaze on her.

"I'm fine."

"You sure you don't want to sit? Dante would bitch me out if he thought I was hindering your recovery."

"I sit practically all day long. I prefer to stand whenever I can manage it," he said bitterly. He had no issues with being locked away in the room, as he had always been an introverted person. But one thing he was not was lazy, or idle. He was normally active and rarely stayed put long enough to get "comfortable". He felt less like a warrior and more like a house pet who only slept and ate all day long.

She nodded, looking elsewhere. It was getting awkward just standing there waiting for someone to do something. He was still trying to figure out why he felt the need to come down in the first place.

"Can I ask you something?" Amy asked setting her cup aside. He gestured with his hand for her to go ahead as he took another scalding sip. Perhaps if he burned his mouth badly enough he wouldn't be able to talk anymore.

"Where have you been all this time?" She asked in a tone far too innocent to be genuine. He almost choked on the tea in his mouth and glared at her in return. The question had come a lot sooner than he expected considering how much everyone had been skirting asking him such questions. Not Amy though. She always asked him the obvious questions without much fear of his reaction. Even if he told her to let it alone, she'd just find another way of asking him something else he most likely did not want to answer.

He weighed his answer carefully. The first reply that came to mind was "None of your business", but somehow he knew that wasn't correct. It had been his fault for giving the girl hopes all those years ago, and then again hadn't he told her to forget him?

"Perhaps one day I'll tell you," he said instead suddenly pretending to be fascinated by a picture hanging on the wall of a bowl of fruit. "And you?"

"Me what?" She asked. Damnable small talk.

"Anything worth noting since I saw you last?"

She watched him closely as a sly smile crept slowly onto her face making her eyes sparkle playfully.

"Perhaps one day I'll tell you," she replied. He gave her a dull look with a lift of his eyebrow obviously walking right into that one but he would never admit it.

"Well then, it's obvious we have nothing to say to one another so..."

"Then why did you come back down?" Amy asked cutting in. He paused with his mouth partially opened. Why had he come down again?

"That is, I wanted to..."

"You're welcome," she said taking another sip from her mug.

"That is NOT why I came down here," he said setting his mug down hard on the table. She didn't even blink an eye at his sudden movements. "I told you I couldn't sleep. It's not my fault you've hogged the room I was heading for."

"Ok then, let's go," she said coolly as she stood from her seat.

"Go? What do you mean go?"

"You said you couldn't sleep, so I'll give you something to take your mind off it."

He took a step back as she crossed past him to the door and when he didn't follow she turned to look at him.

"You coming?" She asked.

"I'm not sure I want to," he replied through suspicious eyes.

"I'm not going to attack you," she laughed. "Would it interest you if I said following me now would piss Dante off?"

Vergil followed behind Amy with slight anticipation. If it would piss Dante off then he was game. Especially after all the failed attempts at training where Vergil ended up flat on his back and Dante grinned like he just won an award. Biggest asshole in the Universe award...

He half wondered what "it" was that Amy could get away with and still manage to tick his brother off. Vergil had to marvel though at the extra rooms on the second floor that had gone unexplored till now. All of them probably empty and filled with cobwebs, but useful for someone like Dante who on occasion would take in people connected with various jobs. Lady and Trish being proof you can never have too many rooms.

"Ok, I'm going to need your help here." Amy said as she stopped in the middle of the hallway up on the second floor. She pointed up towards the ceiling and Vergil just made out a small finger sized ring. "Dante knows I'm too short to reach it, but he's just the right height," she grinned up at Vergil. "Which means so are you."

He reached his hand up to pull on the ring and shortly after a ladder followed.

"I didn't know there was a third floor." Vergil said as he stared up into the square cut out above him. Amy had grabbed a flashlight from the utility closet and was already crawling her way up.

"Well, Dante doesn't want people to know there is. This is where he keeps his porn stash," she said with a laugh. "I'm only kidding," she added when Vergil stepped away from the ladder.

Eventually he made his way up to find the opposite of what he thought would be up there. It was a large attic devoid of dust, cobwebs, or even... stuff. Only a few boxes set in specific areas, old weaponry hanging from the walls, and a large something covered by a sheet.

"Wow, I can see why this is so entertaining," Vergil said sarcastically. Amy sighed and rolled her eyes at him before walking over and pulling the sheet off the "something". He shut up immediately.

"Couldn't believe my luck. I was passing through and caught a newspaper article about the house being foreclosed on and all the furniture was being auctioned. I took a gamble and got this." Amy said as she pressed a finger down onto the piano key of the same old piano they used as kids.

"Of course it was in poor condition, but I saved enough to at least get it working again. Although with the piano you left me I had no place to go with it, so I asked Dante to keep and eye on it for me. Perhaps I was hoping he'd pick it up like you did, but alas..."

Vergil closed him mouth, catching himself staring at the old piano as if he had seen a ghost. In a way though he had. Amy moved back and motioned for him to come over. He didn't budge though.

"Well, I figured that if you couldn't sleep that being as tall as you are you could come up here and vent with this. Keep Dante up all night long." Amy continued with a smirk. She looked uncomfortable by his silence, but he didn't really know what to say. It was no different then when he saw those visions of her just as he had remembered her that came to him even as he vowed to kill her.

After a long moment Amy moved to head back down.

"Wait." Vergil finally said finding his voice long enough to look away from the piano. She turned to look at him. "The house... what happened to it?"

"Originally the bank was going to sell the land and bulldoze the house, but some psychotic loon of a girl managed to round up enough support to get the old building considered a historical landmark. It lay empty for a while until it was purchased for restoration and is now used as a school. I hear it's doing very well." Amy replied with a mischievous smile on her face. She turned without another word, but again he stopped her. "Yes Vergil?"

"Goodnight," he finally said after a long pause.

"Goodnight Vergil." Amy replied before ducking down out of his line of sight. At the bottom she leaned against the ladder with a smile. He hadn't denied that it was him who had sent her that piano. Feeling somewhat content Amy walked back to her room, smiling when a small tinkle of piano keys could be heard from above.