You should know...
It was so terribly quiet in the palely moonlit night, it reminded Dante of the moments standing at his mother's grave each year as his older brother was about to light the lonely white candle sitting on the pitch black stone Dante had just swiped clean of snow. Vergil had worn the same frozen expression as he was now on his mud splattered face, that slight uncomfortable, nervous twitching was there, just as those intense blues piercing the darkness, holding that strange light behind, that sign saying that Vergil was either holding something back or was about to engage in an uncomfortable talk. And this would not be just any something or any awkward talk, it would be about what Vergil guarded the most, about his innermost demons and family affairs...
Vergil shifted ever so slightly to relieve his injured leg and took in the much fresher air, before his moonstone eyes swayed to Dante, the mysterious shimmer behind his narrow pupils erupting into a sharp flash as he spoke in a deadly serious, flat tone.
"How much do you know?" Vergil kept his eyes on Dante's, scrutinizing their reaction. Even in the dark, with his impaired devil senses, he could see the brightness behind Dante's pale blues and any slightest changes in dilation clearly.
Vergil noticed the brief yet very potent dip into a darker shade in Dante's eyes as the younger twin winced, seemingly not expecting Vergil to start with a question and hence being handed the unpleasant and unexpected responsibility of talking first. Vergil stayed still, secretly pleased as he knew his brother and his reactions too well, and practicing on him had reinforced his confidence that his observations and judgements remained unchallenged. Vergil was certain now that he was not far from the truth, that he was right about the girl's innocence...
"I was told...," Dante started with bile in his throat he had to swallow first as the horrible conversation with Memphis sliced painfully through his mind, "...that they stripped you of all that made you a devil...," he paused, noticing Vergil's hardening features, and in his mind saw Vergil squeeze out the hilt of Yamato...if he still had it. Oh, how Dante relished the moments of killing Mundus as they flashed through his mind, now so much more than ever before.
"And?" Vergil prompted, keeping a silent eye on the dead quiet surroundings.
"...and that for escaping hell they have been hunting you down ever since...," Dante continued, keeping the images of maimed Mundus close by for moral support, "...unsuccessfully...thanks to your secret admirer...," his lips curled up into a satisfies sneer with a hint of disapproval and jealousy, which Vergil batted back with a dismissing sneer of his own.
Dante's lips dipped down again as he moved on, "...only now there seem to be another player who is not being very patient and wants your death delivered on a silver platter, and rather pronto," he shifted and breathed out, placing his fists on his hips confidently, the scary part now being over. "So now we arrive at my original question, who wants to bite your nuts off?"
Remaining motionless for a short moment, Vergil gathered his thoughts while abstaining from rolling his eyes at Dante's inapt comment, judging how much he should let Dante know. Dante was far beyond needing protection, after all so far he had taken the news without bashing Vergil's head in or throwing a ranting tantrum filled to the brim with smart assed sarcasm as he used to do. Vergil brought his hand to his soiled face and wiped away the dirt, and as he stared at it, deciding the bullshit was to be left for his enemies, not for his family. The trust that had been given should be returned. Time to tell Dante the truth...
"The present ruler of hell," Vergil kept his voice low and composed as he deliberated his own words.
"What? No offence bro, but why would the 'new Mundus' want you dead and not me, the infamous and one and only ruler slayer? I mean what did you do, make out with his daughter behind his back and in front of his minions?"
Oh yes, that was the other thing they needed to have a chat about...Vergil thought distraughtly, and raised his eyebrow questioningly, Dante watching him mistook that look for an 'oh you idiot' gesture and instantly flew to much darker conclusions. "Oh fuck bro, I thought we have been over this, over beer or two, and that you happened to mention in passing, and intoxication doesn't count as an excuse by the way, that there would be no more trouble on your part, and that means no more attempts to reign in hell if you at all care to remember..."
"Dante!" Vergil scowled instantly, cutting Dante off before his blabbering could insult him any further and he was forced to remodel his brother's face into a much flatter and less flattering version. True indeed, haven't they been over this? "I swear on my mother's empty grave Dante, if you ever let that roll off your tongue again...I will permanently remove it and feed it to the fish in the lake," Vergil hissed sharply, his eyes narrowing dangerously, ready to devour. How could Dante still think Vergil would want to set even his little toe in that disgusting, despicable, desecrating realm that had stripped him down to bare bones, and then thrown them to him to crawl around in empty darkness as a mindless, begging guard dog?
"Then what is it?" Dante shrugged his shoulders in bewilderment, inwardly puffing out air in relief. After all with all that erratic behaviour of his brother recently, who knew what the hell occupied his mind? And not knowing it was exactly that, Dante would rather run around happy and tongue-less than chase Vergil away from the demon world with his mouth still intact and capable.
"Let's just say, I have become both the missing link and an evolutionary threat to the future of both the demon world and the human world," Vergil said pensively, folding his arms behind his back as he turned his stare into the black woods, surmising Vesta should have been coming back at any time now.
"Now I lost my link," Dante mumbled dully, letting his mouth fall and jump back again. "Would you care to find it for me?"
Vergil allowed his sight to set on Dante again, turning his back on the forest swallowed by darkness. "What I mean is that going to that mountain may inevitably alter or preserve both worlds. The one who has been secretly ensuring my survival for the past week or so seeks what belongs to me and plans to kill me once I have it in my hands, then use it for one purpose only..."
"By what belongs to you, you mean Yamato," it was more of a self-confirmation than a question as Dante began to rub his chin, deeply engrossed in the conversation. It felt really good to be fully involved for once and he wasn't going to screw this up by easy distractions.
"Yes, only Yamato's protection will guarantee my freedom from hell. Its power would create an unbreakable seal around my mind, rendering my conscience well beyond the corrupting reaches of the damned realm."
"Shit, bro. Now I know why you didn't want me to go there, tough luck man! And I seriously don't think I ever will. I mean, I wouldn't want any pervy sleazebags poking around my perfectly healthy, smartass mind, if you know what I mean," a wicked smile appeared on his face but it quickly disappeared as Vergil gave him the look and so Dante got back to business.
"But this admirer of yours, let me guess, she wants to use Yamato to open a portal right? What else?" Dante let out a sarcastic chuckle. No one, besides Vergil, knew how to actually use Yamato properly apart from opening frigging portals. That figured! Unless she, assuming it was a woman and Dante truly hoped so for Vergil's sake, wanted the katana to hang it up in a display cabinet, together with Vergil... His eyebrows knitted together as he then asked the dreaded question, "so what is the one purpose?"
"To return as the new ruler of darkness and use the fully restored power to destroy that which has been a banishment and prison in the light, the human world," Vergil announced in an even, composed tone, his eyes however hardened to resemble two solid pieces of pure ice.
"What else," Dante rolled his eyes. Yet another cliché and yet another nutter to eradicate. "But how can you be so sure? You know who she is? Must be a tough chick to stalk you around! Or really stupid..."
"Yes. I know who it is. Unfortunately," Vergil's tone dipped even lower, the look in his eyes could murder with a single glance as a dark shadow settled in their depths.
Sensing his brother's rapid descent into bad memories, Dante quickly digressed, guessing the present was a much healthier subject. "And our greenhorn devil girl? As much as I hate to say this, she has a role in this too, doesn't she?" Dante made a sour face and bit into his lower lip. He still couldn't help but like Vesta even if it would turn out that she was an enemy. He just really hoped that she wasn't.
"Yes, she has brought me the map that leads to the ancient ruins buried deep within the mountain where I can reacquire Yamato. Although...she does not see she has been used and manipulated to come to me, or even that she has been born a half demon just like..."
Vergil paused, feeling the quickened breath warming up the chilly night's air behind his back. Trepidation jumped into his gut as he slowly turned to meet with two brown eyes glowing eerily in the dark.
Silence drenched tension gripped the meter wide space between them as Vergil stared at Vesta who stood there, unmoving, apart from the shakes that resonated through her body in short waves as if rage was taking turns with misery. Slowly she extended her hand in a questioning gesture to Vergil.
"It was all you from the start? You set me up? And all this time you made me feel so low, made me believe that I was the bad one? Did you...," she exhaled, her small voice trembling deep inside despite her attempts to hide it, "...did you even plan as far as sleeping with me? Was all that a play?" she threw her hand to the side heatedly, nearly yelling at the stunned man in front of her who stood silent, covered in mud from head to toe.
A vivid flash broke the dark and a line of molten gold sliced the air, like a shooting star that came to rest graciously in her outstretched hand. Her rainy eyes slid down to the object she now held and she started to slowly back away, shaking her head.
"This..., this isn't funny anymore! So convenient...," her voice dropped down to a whisper and she let go of the dagger apace as if it was a plague, then brought her moist eyes back to Vergil, "...did you even, did you get that guy to try and carve that stupid map off my back too?" not waiting for an answer, she turned swiftly and ran off into the dark, her fast running steps echoing into the frost bitten night.
"Ouch! Verge...did you?"
Dante's loud voice cut down the mist that began to form in Vergil's mind and cloud his eyes. He still stared at the spot where the girl had disappeared, his brusque answer automatic and fractious, "Don't be an idiot! Of course I didn't! Do you honestly think it would have taken me this long?"
Clearing his throat, Vergil tore himself from the shadow of her that still remained imprinted on the widened black of his eyes, and rationally justified a behaviour he would never come to understand, mainly to himself. "She is still confused..."
"Didn't look confused to me, pissed off maybe, but not confused," Dante remained staring into the dark, his hands still on his hips as he shifted weight from one leg to the other. He sure knew when women were pissed off, in fact, in his opinion, one he knew did nothing else.
"You were confused, were you not? After your awakening?" Vergil took a few steps forward and bent down to pick up the shimmery blade. Slotting the knife absentmindedly behind his belt, he swivelled his eyes to Dante," what else would have possessed you to get yourself so recklessly consumed by the ancient leviathan halfway down the tower."
"That was called Dante-man springing into action to kick Vergil's itty-bitty ass back to the land of the mostly sane, nothing to do with confusion mate! One thing I must admit though, the Lady didn't appreciate my smell once I jumped out of that no-longer-flying whale's dead guts," Dante established thoughtfully, leaning forward to have a sniff of Vergil's less than fresh apparel.
"Hmpf," Vergil gave Dante a dubious look, then concluded, "women, if they are not confused, they are confusing. She will be fine. She just needs to burn off..."
The rest of his words never left his mouth as the burning of a bright yellow glow pricked the corner of his eye. Just as he twisted his whole body to see its source, the surge of a powerful demonic presence flooded his senses. His jaw falling open, Vergil took in the enormous ball of fire reeling through the now clearly illuminated night, closing fast on the very spot Vesta had been heading for. He so did not expect this...
That treacherous bastard...
"Dante...," Vergil's voice was dark and feral as he forced himself to concentrate his mind and ignore the mortifying dismay he would never admit feeling. But there was no room for pride this time. No matter how personal this had gotten, he had to shift some of the weight to his younger sibling, the one who would so eagerly do anything his older brother would ask, and do it so much better.
"Dante," Vergil's urgency had torn the younger twin's awe struck eyes from the blaze advancing through the silent forest. Dante had felt the overwhelming demonic essence too and it stirred the devil inside him with a ravenous hunger, a sensation he had not come across for a very long time.
"That's a one hell of a power-banger Verge! I'm impressed! It's almost as if I am feeling Mundus all over again, and they did this all just for you? Man, talk about jealousy," Dante nodded in admiring approval, fearlessly showing off his teeth as he looked back at Vergil who now broke into a heavy, hobbling sprint towards the burning trees.
Dante lingered his eyes on Vergil's silhouette growing smaller against the glowing yellow-orange palette in the distance, his twin's austere voice trailing behind, "the demon is not after me, brother, but after her, and I need you to...,"
"Oh, oh! This is your secret admirer, isn't it!" Dante caught up easily, his wide grin unfaltering despite his short speeding-bullet run. "And she is pissed that you have ignored her attentions and instead attended to the half-human girl," he announced happily, trotting next to Vergil, his shining eyes glued to his brother's stern profile.
"Believe me, he will get my undivided attention as soon as I hold Yamato again," Vergil gave off a growl, trying to use his rage to ward off the pain that consumed him with every step. He had to grit his teeth as it wasn't working. Soon he would have to stop or collapse, whichever would come first. The demonic gems didn't work as well on his blood as they should since the power to absorb its healing essence had been long lost to him.
"So it's a he? Bro, you should have told him you weren't swinging that way. Or are you?" Heaving with exhilaration, Dante didn't resist the tease, having Vergil so open and responsive. Even deep amidst the heat of a battle he relished those rare moments, when the conversation didn't quickly run dry or had not revolved around a gloomily low and boring subject. Still he would not endanger anyone's life for his own humour, and he kept his sixth sense on the auras around him, knowing that Vesta was still alive and well, for now.
"I hate swinging every way, it makes my head spin. Now is not the time Dante, I need you...," Vergil didn't finish, coming to a halt a few paces from a thick clutch of white pines, out of breath, propping his palm against a tree for support.
"You need me?" Dante skidded to a full stop, his eyebrows high on a face shining brighter than the intense glow rising from the close by woods.
Seeing the untamed excitement dancing in his younger twin's eyes, Vergil affirmed in his own mind that he had been wise to hold off, perhaps indefinitely, telling Dante about Vesta. And since he couldn't do it himself, letting Dante save her could only strengthen the seeming bond between them whilst loosening the possible resentment, should Dante find out about her origins.
Drawing in a deep breath, Vergil fixed his resigned eyes on Dante. "Yes, I need you..."
He never finished the in-his-eyes-humiliating admission as a deafening roar swept all sound away and an avalanche of burning trees crashed outwardly towards the ground, sweeping all that stood in its path. In the nick of time Dante grabbed Vergil and jumped above the flood of timber on fire, landing graciously, though a bit heavily on one fallen tree trunk that lay smouldering in the wake of the blaze.
"Seems that you do," Dante let go of his brother, steadying him on the slippery ash covered log by his shoulders while wearing a smug grin. "But it's only understandable. Sex and mud baths can be very draining," he made an attempt to wipe off some drying dirt from Vergil's unrecognisable coat while resisting the urge to snigger at his brother's deathly return glare.
"That is not what I meant," Vergil snapped, swatting off Dante's hand that the younger twin then started to wipe off unconcernedly on his pristine trousers. "I am perfectly capable of taking care of myself, more so in normal circumstances...," he admitted more to himself in a mumble, then continued in an emphatic voice, "...what I meant however was that she needs an assistance...," Vergil turned his head in a discrete concern to where the explosion would have originated.
The sound of an aggravated female voice led his eyes to a blackened crater not too far away in the middle of the obliterated woods, Dante's eyes following the same direction. There, amidst the creeping black smoke, Vesta was kneeling with her arms extended to a spot where a dark figure lay, thrashing to regain its bearings as if it was just recovering from a hard fall.
Visibly shaking on the outside yet keeping her tone hard and spiteful, Vesta was cursing at the man who started to pick himself up from the ground, "you spineless piece of shit, is attacking defenceless women and setting fire to everything that can't get away the only thing you can do? "
"Yep, seems you are right. She needs some assistance, her swearing really blows," whispering, Dante leaned in to the stony face of Vergil, his hand slipping to take a tentative hold of Ebony behind his flapping long red coat.
"Defenceless?" the man hissed as he swiped the back of his hand across his bleeding mouth. His face came to a full view as he removed his hand and slowly lifted his blonde head to look upon Vesta from under his long light golden lashes, snarling, "my dear, you should know...that you are anything but defenceless."
Sensing Vergil's hard inward wince though he hadn't moved an inch, Dante began to feel a mounting heap of familiar unease. All humour vanishing from his features and mind, he reached his free hand to take hold of the hilt of his second gun, the grip on both his weapons stiffening.
"Well, at least it will be more entertaining to take you down, after all I had an immense fun playing with you right under the cat's unsuspecting claws, using the very present from your beloved daddy!" the blonde rose up fully and took a few steps toward the kneeling girl, flipping the blood off his hand.
"What do you mean, present?" Vesta lowered her aching arms, remaining glued to the ground, petrified.
Encased in deep shadows, Vergil brought forth the knife from behind his waist, his pale moonstone eyes silently sliding over the delicate detail. How did he not see it. This was not a man's weapon, it belonged to a woman, and only she could use its power...
"Oh didn't you like the pretty little dagger? You thought it was mine?" the demon jeered in a silky smooth voice that had been like honey to her, now a vile poison. "You see, I left it there specially for you as a souvenir, and I know you found it, since it had awakened your devil. I should thank you, now all hell with learn of your demise, by my hands, and will be the more willing to accept my accession...," his voice trailed off into a sinister tone, out of nowhere came a slender long sword drenched in pure fire as he moved his hand from behind his back.
In a blink of an eye, he glided forward as if floating in the air, his diabolical weapon raised to slice her in half. Vesta gasped, her mouth falling ajar as her pupils reflected the white-hot inferno nearing her while her mind froze with the daunting horror of his words.
Just as the flaming blade descended in a sweeping arc to sever her head, a blood red charge whizzed through the air and knocked off the hot piece of steel from its deadly path, throwing its wielder off balance.
"Hey, jerkass! Didn't you see the fire hazard warnings? I think it's time for you to cool down, don't you?" eyes set in a death warrant glare above a wide toothy grin, Dante pointed both firearms, charged up to the fullest with his red-hot demonic power at the straightening demon who brought back his weapon into a strong vertical grip.
Two piercing, intensely blue eyes popped up from behind the white-yellow flames of the blade and strayed to the figure dressed in red, standing nearby in an arrogant stance on the charred, smoking ground.
"You! You should leave while you can for I have no quarrel with you. In fact, you should thank me for returning you the favour you have so kindly provided me," the man, dressed in a flowing dark trench that draped all the way down to his heels, said in a silky smooth, assured voice, "and please, kindly call me Aaron if you will."
Taken aback, Dante's steel hold on his weapons briefly faltered before he re-firmed his aim, fingers sliding tight behind the triggers. Licking his lips, cautiously he tested the waters, not letting his eagle eyes of the unperturbed demon. "A favour? I do no favours to anyone."
"Well of course," Aaron drawled darkly. The blonde man's hair seemed to flare like a naked fire as he started to play with his sword, sparks dancing off into the night from its sharp edge.
"Was it not you who had slain none other than the great and all mighty prince of darkness?" not waiting for an answer, the demon shrouded in black went on, his eyes set on the tip of his blade as he reached out with his finger and touched it, the finger catching fire. "By doing so you have granted me an immense favour...," his biting blues snapped up to meet Dante's narrowing eyes, "...which I intend to return by slaying none other than the mighty one's daughter..."
Dante froze solid, the heavy weight of a dread-filled anxiety staking him hard into the ground. As he stood there, poised to shoot yet unable to move, he felt pain in his fingers, unaware they were clenching so hard, the bones were beginning to crack.
Forcing himself to steady his nerves and relax his tense body, Dante finally made his lips move. "If you think you can convince me that easily, you are mistaken," he counteracted in his customarily cocky tone, yet deep inside his soul shuddered as he remembered the power he was sensing as they set to chase this mysterious demon that was bearing the same signature, the same dread inducing stench, an aura so resembling to that of Mundus.
His eyes spontaneously swivelled to the girl, was it her who bore these traits? They stood so close, he could not distinguish where it was all coming from! He had only felt it since she had awakened, a faint touch at first that didn't trigger any alarms, then a savage explosion just as the fire-demon appeared; maybe that was when she had used her own power for the first time, to deflect he demon's attack?
Confusion racing through his mind, he glanced back and forth between the desolate face of the girl and the stony, silently anticipatory yet subtle sneer of the demon in black, his fingers twitching on the power-charged triggers of his mighty guns.
But Vergil seemed to trust her, despite her obviously intentional actions that led his brother to a place where he was to supposingly reclaim his powers, or was this even true? Was Vergil unable to sense her true colours as he was so close to being human? Tongue swirling wildly inside his mouth, Dante began to grind his teeth hard. How could something so sweet and kind, so full of life, be in the least related to the vilest, most disgusting and cruellest creature that had ever crawled this universe?
His mind in disarray, Dante remained poised as slowly, steadily, he moved one outstretched arm to point a gun at Vesta while keeping the other firmly aimed at the demon.
The blonde man howled out self-satisfied laughter, and giving his sword a speedy twirl began to advance sinisterly towards the girl. Only a few paces away now, the fire started to burn viciously, causing Vesta to snap from her fear and frantically search around for something to attack with.
"I would not be too delusional to assume that you are no longer in a need of convincing?" sending a conceited glance at Dante the demon raised his weapon for the strike, a surge of molten sun's energy rushing from its hilt to swathe the blade in luminous gold.
"Keep assuming, but don't expect me to be delusional!" Dante hissed, his face drawing into a deep scowl as the time seemed to have slowed down and he swung his arm back at Aaron, pulling both triggers, again and again.
As the loud bangs echoed into the moonlit night, the demon changed his grip and twisted the hellish katana at the last moment, singeing the ends of Vesta's flying hair as she ducked down to the ground. An immense fireball slipped from the tip of the sword and hurled straight at Dante, ploughing through the shower of energy-swollen bullets as if they were nothing.
Dante let out a maddening roar as he kept firing when suddenly the time caught up again, and the sphere of pure gold shot forward like a raging inferno and knocked him far into the fallen trees. Dead silence gripped the place, soon disturbed by a priggish laughter.
"Ha! All I expect from you is to die...or get out of my way really, while I have my way with this little one," his honey voice dipped into venom as he snapped his eyes back to Vesta, the demonic sword in both of his hands, rapidly coating with the molten heat that burst into a new sea of flames.
Struggling to breathe as she took in the suffocating smoke, Vesta resumed her frantic search for something to use as a weapon. A stone, a stick, or anything, why was there only mud and useless smouldering ash on the ground! Her hands digging hopelessly into the dirt, the death row of the balefires of hell reflecting in her eyes again, it was so hot, so close, why wasn't he there anymore to fend off the heat? Oh yes, she had pushed him way, with her hot-headed conclusions that she had never really believed in the first place. It had been all so hazy...
A dull thud severed her muddled thoughts and her hands reached to where the sound had been, fingers gripping something solid and warm. Vesta looked down, and for the first time felt familiar warmth emanating from the knife that she so wanted to hate. Had she not tried to throw it away, had it been returning to her, again and again, or was it just a dream?
Does it matter? Now I can return this jerkass his stabbing favour!
The dagger in her hands, she brought it above her while still kneeling, the sharp tip pointing at the towering figure of Aaron standing in front of her. That same frosted, beastly laughter filled the air again.
"My dear, I could simply point out to you that I am immune to the dagger's power but please, humour me as to what you intend to do. Perhaps if you amuse me enough, I will make your death more pleasurable, and then tell your pathetic loverboy all about it...just before I feed his body parts back to hell!"
Thrusting her arms out faster than she could blink off the stinging tears that suddenly rushed out, Vesta rammed the knife up to its hilt into his balls. The gush of warm blood over her hands, the disgusting sloshing sound, the horrible guttural grunt, it felt so good yet her heart fluttered really low. Were they all going to die, then how could it get any worse when the last thing she said to Vergil was so hateful and accusing when he wasn't guilty and she didn't hate him at all?
Hissing angrily, he pulled out the dagger from his groin, crushing her hand. "Is this supposed to stop me?" Aaron snarled mockingly, kicking her in her face, not expecting his own face to be pushed in brutally from the other side. The demon felt his neck crack, his cheek bones smash into pieces and his nose break, a spray of blood flew alongside him to land with a sickly squelch on the muddy ground.
"No, this is!" a very deep, blood-chilling voice cracked across the dark like a whip.
Spitting blood, Aaron turned his pounding head as his bones snapped back to place, his deep, murderous blues setting on Vergil who had landed gracefully on his feet between him and Vesta. Deathly rage taking his guts by storm, the demon raised his hand to his face, fingertips feeling slowly over the deep pattern of Vergil's imprinted boots.
"You will regret this later," his voice was a sharp, hoarse whisper as he started to pick himself up and his fallen sword, watching Vergil back up to Vesta, Dante emerging behind the girl, from behind a small mound of soil and scattered trees.
"The regret will be all yours," Vergil corrected, his face set into a sheet of ice.
The demon brushed himself off, a derisive smirk flashing across his face as he started to back away, his sights set hard on both twins. "Don't think this is over, half-breeds!" turning, he took off into the night.
Ensuring the presence of hell had vacated the area, Vergil eased off his strained senses and approached Vesta, offering her his outstretched hand. "Next time, stay with me," he said reproachfully while standing still, trying to suppress the throbbing pain his leg was so persistently insisting on. He found it somewhat worked by focusing on her flawless, now fully healed face as she begun to slowly turn to him from the ground.
"Vergil, what I said...," her voice ebbed into a mere whisper as her eyes sought the ground to avoid his torturous glare.
"Do not think I would be influenced by such a foolish mistake," he said decisively, retracting his hand, then his lips pursed as he added in a softer voice, "you were confused."
"Yes, I seem to be, a lot lately," she gave him a faint smile, then bit into her lower lip. "He said...," Vesta paused, abashment pushing her eyes back to the ground before they climbed up and met with his once again, "...that he killed all those people, that he used them to lead me to you, to insult the memory of my father, and he would kill me so that he could then reign over the fear that would be bestowed upon the demon world because he would have slain its chosen ruler," Vesta blurted out all in one breath, swallowing hard to contain her anguish.
Her face shaking in sincere bewilderment, she sought answers in Vergil's unwavering eyes, "but why would he need to kill me? I have nothing to do with this, I hate demons, I hate all the monsters, and I have no intention or desire to rule over anything but my own life," breath heavy, she waited for someone to tell her it was all a mistake, nothing more. Ironic really, not knowing anything about her origins before she had known exactly who she was, but now for the first time, when she had been exposed to the hints of her family, she wasn't sure anymore...
Boring into her glossy eyes with his, Vergil gave her the only advice he could think of. "Sometimes you cannot choose your own fate, only learn to live with it until you can change it," he said softly, extending his hand to her once more and lifted her up once she took it. He then added cryptically, "tomorrow, we will both change ours..."
"Well, isn't that all nice and dandy, but I'm afraid you will have to do this one alone," Dante's scornful voice cut through the night like the blade of a sharp knife. "You still don't trust me do you? You knew all along, about her...," Dante threw his hand holding Ivory contemptibly at the girl, "...about everything! After all this, you still keep me in the dark, you still don't trust me? So that I can't really help...or is it not to stop you!" Dante's face drew into unnatural hardness, his loud voice dropping to an eerie low as he hit his forehead with the hilt of his gun as if a thought had just grabbed him, "did you even plan to cash in on all this socialising with our worst enemies and get a piece of the throne?" he asked disbelievingly.
Nailed to the ground by Dante's harsh tone, Vergil was unable to move, unable to breathe, only the warmth of her hand let him know it wasn't just a bad dream, that it was real. He should have told Dante, why did he have such a bad judgement when it came to his own brother? Or would this happen no matter what he would have done? Did he not predict Dante would react emotionally and irrationally?
Hearing no defence, Dante began to back away, his head nodding to confirm to himself that he had been right. He should have killed her when he had the chance, but he just couldn't. Despite all this blinding hate rushing through his head at that very moment, he knew that she wasn't the enemy, his memories were...but right now he couldn't deal with the hurt they kept bringing. He had to get away.
"Well, I hope you two will be very happy. And hey, send my regards to her dead father when you see him!" with that Dante turned, his blood-red coat flapping behind as he shot off into the night.
Oopsie, anyone enjoyed the dark drama?
Well, I was so sure you didn't need the 'review guide' anymore but have I been mistaken? Muhahaha! Come ooon dear readers, you can do so much better, bring me enjoyment for my twisted and mad writing or has it left you in a deep trance? Well then, to shake it up and stir you from it, I will have to put up a little challenge, a little drinking contest to deal with your shyness or other such illnesses. So I challenge you in 3 steps:
1) After reading this chapter, have a think and note down what you want to drink in the next 2 days!
2) Because whatever you drink within the next two days I will do the same but in double amounts! Yeah! Bring it on! Whatever it is (apart from anything toxic, poisonous, seriously unhealthy or overly nauseating!)
3) But here is the clincher. You have to tell me in a review, and let me know that you are reading and what you think of the story/this chapter! So get the taste buds going and the brain cells stirring, and get me drunk!
And believe me, I need it! So have fun and don't disappoint!
See ya,
Tora