Disclaimer: I don't own 'em. Only things I own in this story is Cassandra and Cassian everything else belongs to Capcom.
TheTyranHamster: Once again, thanks for the feedback. I'm glad that the idea of poisoning Dante was an effective one. Like you said its sooo hard to think of a credible way to weaken one of the brothers for more than a few hours. Thanks for the warning about Cassandra's powers. I want her to be quite powerful, but in different ways than Dante and Vergil. I want her to have her own strengths and weaknesses. I want her to be a tough cookie but not a match for Dante or Vergil in physical strength. I'm trying to make her skills make up for the difference in physical strength. As for destroying the blades . . . pure fury added to her strength just like when mothers can lift a car to rescue their children, if that makes any sense. But enough. Enjoy the next chapter and I can't wait for more feedback.
destructo888: Glad you enjoyed it. Dante's in for a rough time. Read to find out. Hehehe.
Lady caught up to Vergil just outside of Devil May Cry. "Vergil! Wait!" she called jogging to his side.
Vergil frowned, looking into Lady's mismatched eyes. "I told you to stay with Dante."
The petite brunette squelched the urge to smack the dark twin in the side of his head for his heavy handed tone. She forced herself to remember that Vergil was very concerned for Dante. "Cassandra is with him," Lady replied calmly, "There's nothing that I can do for him that she can't but I can help you."
Vergil scowled but realized that he wasn't going to change Lady's mind. He knew from their brief encounter in Temen ni gru how stubborn the woman could be. "Very well," Vergil relented curtly, "Keep up."
The two walked in silence for a while their senses attuned to their surroundings. "It seems quiet," Lady observed.
"No doubt Mundus and Cassian are spending the time gloating and plotting," Vergil remarked angrily. He bowed his head. "I should have been there."
Lady looked at Vergil sharply. "Vergil . . . you can't be with him every minute of the day."
Vergil turned away, examining studying a telephone pole intently. "I know that. It's just . . ."
"Just what?" Lady prodded, gently laying a hand on Vergil's arm.
"I've failed him so much. I should have protected him," Vergil's voice was soft and filled with self-loathing. He knew he should shake off her hand but part of him was too weary to make the effort.
Lady shook her head. "We all make mistakes. From what little I've gotten from Dante," Lady paused and lifted an eyebrow, "And trust me it's like pulling teeth to get any information about his family, you were both screwed up after your mother's death. You're one of the lucky ones, Vergil. My father and I will never have a chance to go back. He's dead and I pulled the trigger. I'll have to live with the knowledge, that if I had it to do all over again I'd do the same thing, for the rest of my life. You've got a chance to make things right. Feeling sorry for yourself isn't going to help Dante."
Vergil lifted his head and bestowed a tiny smile upon Lady. It was so rare that someone had the nerve to kick him in the ass and truth be told he needed it. "You're right." Their eyes locked and Vergil's smile widened.
"Well, everything looks fine," Lady said, looking away. Vergil was very handsome especially when he smiled. Lady found herself wishing he would smile more often. "We should get back to Dante."
Vergil nodded in wordless agreement and the two turned to head back for Devil May Cry. "You should head home and get some sleep," Vergil suggested.
Lady stopped and looked at him as if he'd grown another head and twelve eyes. "Um. No. I'm not going anywhere until Dante is well." Uncertainly, Lady reached out to take Vergil's hand. The older twin lifted a brow but allowed it. "Dante's my friend. And . . . you and Cassandra are becoming my friends too."
"I'm not worthy of such sentiments," Vergil told her, looking away. Gently, he pulled his hand away.
"I'll make up my own mind on that score, thank you," Lady retorted, letting him go. "Now, let's hurry back."
Vergil merely turned and followed her down the street. It appeared it was easy for others to forgive him. Now, if only he could forgive himself.
Cassandra glanced up at the clock on the wall. Vergil and Lady had been gone for nearly an hour. During that time, Dante's fever had risen. As he squirmed uncomfortably on the bed, the redhead bathed his face, neck, and chest with a damp washcloth. Dante's mouth was a thin line of pain.
She looked down at her arm and blinked realizing she hadn't even removed her coat and that her hands were still stained with Dante's blood. Cassandra shook her head. Once Vergil and Lady returned maybe she'd take a few moments and clean up a bit. It wasn't particularly important at the moment.
Suddenly, her head snapped up. Something wasn't right. Cassandra stood and grabbed Ebony and Ivory from where they rested on the table. Demons were near; Cassandra could near taste it. Red light filled the room and seven Marrionettes emerged from the portals. Even as Cassandra lifted the pistols with the intent of blasting the possessed puppets to splinters, the closet door burst open and the high pitch cackles of a sin scissor filled the room.
"Son of a bitch," Cassandra muttered pulling the triggers of the twin pistols with inhuman speed. Even as she fired, Cassandra moved to place herself between the closet door and Dante's prone body. Perhaps sensing the sudden influx of evil, Dante cried out, tossing restlessly on the bed. Cassandra ducked the scissors of the sin even as one of the marionettes tossed a knife in her direction. Dodging would open Dante up to attack and so Cassandra gritted her teeth and did the only thing she could; she allowed the blade to lodge deep in the bared skin of her stomach.
"Oh, fuck this," Cassandra growled pulling the blade from her stomach. Ignoring the blood, she gripped the knife by the blade and putting all her strength into the throw, tossed it directly at the sin's mask. Slowly, the mask fractured then burst into shards. Cassandra grinned and aiming Ivory pulled the trigger. The welcome sound of the creature's dying shriek slowly faded from the room. Dropping Ebony and Ivory to the floor Cassandra drew Vengeance and set to hacking the puppets to pieces. The task made more difficult than normal by the fact that Cassandra always had to take care to keep her body between the demons and the helpless hunter on the bed behind her.
Cassandra could have danced a jig when Vergil and Lady burst through the door, finally returned from the hunt.
"Couldn't even stay out of trouble for a mere hour?" Vergil asked, as he calmly drew Yamato.
Cassandra grinned. "You know me."
Vergil allowed himself a small smirk before flying across the room. "DIE!" Yamato's keen edge made short work of the lower level demons. Lady and Cassandra joined in though Cassandra was careful to stay between Dante and the demons. Vengeance danced in his mistress's hands and Lady's eyes reflected the fire of her guns. In a few short minutes, all that remained was kindling for a fire.
When at last the room was silent, Cassandra spun to make certain that Dante had received no further injures in the fray. Dante writhed in agitation on the bed and Cassandra placed one hand on his forehead the other snaking down to snare one of his hands. "Ssshh," she soothed, "It's safe now, Dante. Vergil is here and Lady, and I'm here. You're safe." She could hear the sounds of Lady sliding her guns back into their holsters behind her. Softly, Cassandra began to hum, using her gift to calm Dante as she had before and as she had often done for Vergil during his time in Mundus' dungeon.
Dante frowned in his unconsciousness but slowly his struggling eased under the constant caress of her voice and her hands.
Hearing the soft whisper of Cassandra's voice Vergil turned to find Cassandra leaning over the bed in attempt to calm Dante. Vergil strode over to the bed. "How is he?" Vergil watched as Dante stilled under her tender ministrations. Vergil knew all too well what a blessing Cassandra's voice could be. He suspected it was a rare demonic power more than a natural human ability. Cassandra could charm almost anyone into a daze with her voice.
Her humming ceased as Cassandra peeked under the bandages. "It doesn't seem like he injured himself any worse with all that thrashing. As out of it as he is; apparently he still sensed the demons."
"Has he awoken at all?" Vergil asked quietly, staring down at the reddened face of his little brother.
Cassandra glanced up at Lady and Vergil knowing they wouldn't like it that they had missed Dante while he was awake and coherent. "Briefly," she admitted softly, "He was in a lot of pain and didn't say much." Abruptly her gentle features set in a frown. "Doesn't he have any damned wards on this place?" she glanced down at the unconscious hunter. If he wasn't so hurt she'd probably have given into the urge to slap him silly for such foolishness.
"It appears not," Vergil affirmed glancing at Lady, "Dare I ask why?"
Lady sighed and began to gather up broken pieces of puppet. "Dante wanted the demons to come to him." The brunette tossed wooden limbs into a garbage can as she continued, "He didn't have them before Temen ni gru and he definitely didn't want them after." Lady paused in her work and turned to lock eyes with Vergil. "Dante already hated Mundus for murdering your mother but when he lost you . . . well, his new loathing of the servants of Mundus made his previous hatred seem like mere dislike."
Lady advanced slowly never taking her eyes from Vergil's. "You see, in Dante's mind, if your mother had never been murdered then you would never have chosen the path you did." Lady shrugged, "At any rate, Dante wanted the demons to come to him. But no matter how many he slaughtered it never eased his pain." Lady's eyes turned fierce. "He cried for you Vergil." She ignored the way that Vergil winced at her words. "I saw him do it. It's what made me believe in him. Dante cried for you, even though you had tried to kill him and refused his help; he cried for you."
Cassandra, left out of the conversation for the moment, looked back and forth between Vergil and Lady. There was no hatred in Lady's voice, just a simple statement of fact. Despite the lack of ill will or malicious intent to Lady's words, their affect on Vergil was profound. His eyes glittered with tears he was too proud to shed and his head bowed in self-loathing. Cassandra's heart ached for Vergil but she thought perhaps Vergil needed to hear this and maybe Lady was the best one to say the words. At any rate, there was one thing she could remedy and that was the lack of wards.
"Well, as far as the wards go," Cassandra interjected firmly, "That is something that is going to change starting right now. He's going to have them whether he wants them or not." Cassandra released Dante's hand and began to walk from the room.
Vergil's head came up as he spotted the blood covering Cassandra's stomach. "You're hurt," he said, pulling her to him so he could examine the wound.
"It's nothing, Vergil," Cassandra assured him, even as she allowed him to poke and prod, "It's just a knife wound and it's almost healed." If mothering over her dragged him from his pit of self-pity then she'd be more than happy to allow it.
Vergil ran a critical eye over Cassandra and noted that her hands were still stained with Dante's blood and she hadn't even bothered to remove her coat. Vergil gave her a fond smile. Stubborn, wonderful, caring woman. She ever put others before herself. It was very nearly to the degree of a fault. Vergil gave her an affectionate kiss on the cheek despite the ache in his heat that Lady's words had caused. "I agree completely with you about the wards and I'll leave that to your capable hands but first," he cocked an eyebrow, "Take a moment to clean yourself up and change into something more comfortable. Lady and I will watch over Dante."
Cassandra looked down at herself and snorted. "I do leave a lot to be desired, huh?"
"You are lovely as always," Vergil disagreed, "But a shower wouldn't be amiss."
"Okay," Cassandra relented, "I'll go clean up, and then I'll take care of the wards."
Vergil nodded. "There are some packages of mine downstairs. Inside one of the bags you'll find a tome that should prove helpful." Vergil shook his head, "I really need to pay the man who manages my affairs more money. It's amazing how much of my resources are left intact even after having disappeared for a year and a half." He gave Cassandra a little push. "Now scat."
"I won't be long," Cassandra replied. With a last glance at Dante, she left to the room.
After standing around and feeling useless for several minutes, Vergil took up the discarded cloth and continued the task of wiping down Dante's body in an effort to cool him. Vergil studied Dante's flushed face for a long moment. Hesitantly, Vergil removed the glove from his left hand and laid his now bare palm on his twin's forehead. "His fever has gone up," he muttered to himself.
"Vergil."
Vergil's eyes snapped down to study his brother's face. Dante stirred beneath his hand and slowly his eyes fluttered open. His baby brother looked up at him blearily. "Verge?" he whispered hoarsely.
"I'm right here, Dante," Vergil assured him, firmly.
"I'm too hot," Dante muttered, beginning to struggle to kick off the sheets.
Vergil grabbed Dante's arms to still him. "You're running a fever, brother. You must be still."
"Hot," Dante insisted, struggling weakly against the hands that held him. Dante frowned and swallowed. "Water."
"Here."
Vergil glanced over his shoulder to see Lady standing behind him with a freshly wetted cloth and a glass of water in her hands. So focused upon Dante had he been that he'd never heard her leave the room.
"Thank you," Vergil murmured, taking the glass. Gently, he placed his hand beneath his twin's head and lifted him enough that Dante could drink. "Slowly, brother," Vergil instructed.
Dante took several long sips before he fell back against the bed. Overly bright eyes glanced about the room. Finally, they settled on Lady. "Lady."
"Right here, devil boy," Lady assured him, reaching out to brush a strand of hair from his forehead, "Just rest," she said, handing the moist cloth to Vergil.
Vergil laid the cloth on Dante's forehead. "Better?"
"Yeah," Dante sighed. Several minutes later, his brows furrowed. He remembered hearing a voice through the pain and heat. "Where's Cassie?" he asked licking dry lips.
"She's just getting cleaned up a bit," Vergil said, "Cassandra won't be gone long." He saw no need to tell Dante about the demon attack or the wards that Cassandra was no doubt putting in place at this very moment.
Dante shifted on the bed, letting out an involuntary gasp when the movement aggravated his wound. Concerned, Vergil lifted the bandages and was alarmed to find that the wound was becoming increasingly inflamed. The skin around the wound had begun to turn a dark purple in color.
"Give me a green orb," Vergil ordered Lady, tersely.
Lady dug through the kit for the orb and gave it to Vergil. Vergil held the orb to his brother's chest and watched as its healing energies were quickly absorbed. Little effect was made other than Dante seemed to be able to rest a little easier.
With the slight easing of the pain, Dante's mind cleared a bit. "Am I gonna die, Verge?" he asked, frightened eyes seeking his twin's.
"No." Vergil refused even to consider the possibility, "You'll be fine. You hear me? I won't let you die, Dante," Vergil told his brother fiercely.
Dante nodded slightly and closed his eyes. He only wished he felt as optimistic as Vergil seemed to be.
Cassandra carefully studied the writing before her. It was an ancient text written in an equally ancient demonic script. This ward would make it nigh impossible for any unwanted demonic visitors to drop by. The redhead recited the written words and drawing Vengeance, cut a deep gash in her left hand. She painstakingly drew the required symbols on the door in her blood. At last, the symbols began to glow brightly before fading to nothing.
"That ought to hold the filthy little bastards," Cassandra muttered. Satisfied that Mundus would be unable to send more of his cronies into Devil May Cry, she closed the book setting it back in the bag where she had found it.
Cassandra made to run her hand through her hair only to be reminded that she had pulled the still damp locks into a braid. After showering, Cassandra had quickly pulled on a pair of jeans and a simple black baby doll tee. As soon as she was decent, she had hurried downstairs barefoot, to perform the ritual necessary to activate the wards.
Cassandra glanced towards the window and cursed softly, seeing that her eyes were still red and swollen from the tears she had been unable to stop the moment she had stepped naked into the shower. She had told Vergil that she didn't love Dante. Despite those words, the mere thought that Dante could die terrified her. Needing to see him, to assure herself that Dante still breathed, Cassandra turned and hastened up the stairs to the second floor.
The redhead was surprised to find Dante looking more comfortable and more alert. She glanced questioningly at Vergil who shook his head. "His fever was rising quickly. I gave him a green orb to slow it."
Cassandra approached the bed, sitting down on the edge. Dante turned his head and managed a small grin. She returned the smile. "Hey."
"Hey yourself." Dante ran bleary eyes over the redhead. He liked the way her hair looked pulled back as it was with just a few stubborn wispy strands escaping to frame her face.
Cassandra placed one of her hands against his cheek and smiled softly when he leaned into her touch. Her cool fingers were a pleasant feeling next to his overheated skin. His blue eyes shifted to Vergil. "It's going to get worse again, isn't it?"
Vergil hesitated but couldn't bring himself to lie. Dante needed to know the truth. "More than likely. I will give you green orbs as often as I can but our supply is limited and we shall have to be careful."
Dante nodded his understanding. "What is this stuff anyway?" he asked tiredly. Already he could feel the temporary renewal of his strength ebbing away. The half-breed knew he had to get whatever answers he wanted while he could.
Vergil sighed and ran a hand through his hair. "It's a very potent, very rare poison. Mundus only uses it on those he especially wants dead because it's very hard to come by."
"There's no cure." It wasn't a question. Dante knew that if an antidote existed Vergil would already have given it to him or would be off in search of it.
"No, brother."
"What are my chances?" Dante asked, staring hard into Vergil's eyes.
"You won't die," Vergil vowed, fiercely. "You're too stubborn to let something like this beat you."
Dante nodded, his eyes clouding as the affects of the orb wore off, and the pain and fever attacked his body with renewed vigor. "Mundus won't get rid . . . of me . . . that easy."
An hour later, it took both Cassandra and Vergil to hold an incoherent, screaming, Dante to the bed. Lacking the strength of her companions, Lady could only pray, hoping a God she had long given up on would hear her, and that if he did, he would help the half-demon prince before her.