Upstairs, Dante and Vergil had just swept up the last of the feathers.
"You are forbidden to make a mess for the rest of the week, Dante," Vergil said, dumping the last of the little white monstrosities into a garbage bag.
"Hey," Dante protested, "You helped make this mess too!"
"Any contribution that I might have made pales in comparison to the damage you'd already done, brother," Vergil smirked.
"Hey you asshole . . .!"
The twins started at the sound of breaking glass. With a thought, Rebellion and Yamato appeared in their masters' hands.
"Dante!" Cassandra's scream sent a chill through them.
Sharing a worried glance, the brothers dashed for the door and sprinted down the stairs.
They backed quickly up the stairs coughing as the pink substance choked them. Their eyes widened as they saw the women lying unconscious upon the wooden floor. One of the windows was shattered and there was a broken bottle lying on the floor.
"Come out, half-breeds," Cassian's voice gloated, "You can't remain in their long. We're waiting!"
The hair on their necks stood up as their demonic senses told them just how many waited for them to emerge.
"We've got to do something, Vergil," Dante said between coughs.
"It's some type of gas," Vergil growled, "If we go down there it'll only knock us out too!"
"Hold on a second," Dante yelled, sprinting back up the hall to Cassie's bedroom. He returned moments later with one of the battered pillow cases. He quickly ripped it in two. "Put that over your nose."
As soon as the cloth was in place to filter out the gas, Dante and Vergil leapt back down the steps. Quickly, Dante scooped Cassandra up while Vergil hoisted Lady into his arms.
Another bottle came through the window, shattering as it hit the floor and releasing more of the pink gas.
"You can't stay in there forever!" Cassian yelled, "Come out and face your fate."
"We've got to get out of here!" Dante yelled. We can't chance a fight while the girls are like this. I'll fucking get you for this, Cassian, you ugly fucking pest.
"Out the back," Vergil ordered, running towards the kitchen.
Busting through the back door the twins spilled into the yard. They paused, quickly checking the condition of the unconscious women.
"They're alive," Vergil said relieved, "Just unconscious." He checked Lady's pulse, some of the tension leaving him when he felt her heartbeat strong and steady.
"What is that stuff?" Dante demanded, brushing a strand of hair from Cassie's eyes.
"I don't know," Vergil admitted, "It's not something I've come across before."
"Gee," Dante said sarcastically, "That makes me feel so much better."
"We've got to get them somewhere safe before we can worry about it," Vergil retorted, "Follow me."
The elder twin approached the fence, leaping over it easily. Dante shifted Cassandra over his shoulder so that he had at least one arm free. Nimbly, he vaulted the fence landing beside his brother.
Several demons waited for them, claws extended, eager to tear their human flesh.
"Sorry, boys," Dante drawled, "We don't have time to play just now. You'll have to take a rain check."
Rebellion and Yamato flashed cutting through the thick hides of their attackers. As the defeated demons faded to dust, bright blue eyes scanned the darkness for further threats. They could feel the demons converging on their location.
"We have to move quickly," Vergil said, his body tense with the need to act.
"This would be easier if we could take one of the cars," Dante pointed out.
"Would you like to go around front and get one?" Vergil snapped, "Cassandra and Lady are defenseless. We can't chance a fight right now if it's avoidable."
"You're right," Dante sighed, "So where to?"
"This way."
It took much longer than Dante would have liked to reach their destination.
The demons pursued them through the city though no powerful demons appeared, it greatly slowed the twins down, their task made more difficult by the burdens they carefully balanced over broad shoulders.
"Don't these guys ever quit!" Dante complained, as the last group of demons crumbled to dust.
"Apparently not," Vergil sighed, "But one cannot help but notice that Cassian is not among them. He was always a coward."
"Right now," Dante pointed out, "I'm grateful for it. We can take care of that piece of shit once Lady and Cassandra are safe."
"We'd better move on then," Vergil said, once again merging with the shadows.
Soon, the demons ceased to pursue them (This sentence seemed awkward, especially with another paragraph starting with At last right after this.). The trip was a long one on foot, even with the use of demonic speed and only prolonged more by the fact that they needed to stay out of sight. Too many questions would be asked if they were spotted carrying two unconscious women.
At last they arrived at a small, battered building. Vergil walked up to the door and passed his hand over the lock. The door flashed yellow as the wards deactivated.
"You're the king of that shit, Verge," Dante smirked.
"It's more reliable than locks," the elder pointed out. Vergil opened the door and entered. Inside, the place was dusty but comfortably appointed. Covered furniture was sparsely scattered through the rooms. Dante even saw a small kitchen.
"Huh," Dante followed Vergil through the rooms, "I would have pictured this more as a warehouse than a house."
"Exactly," Vergil said, entering a room with a large bed, "I have such safe houses scattered throughout the world." His lips quirked, "Remind me to take you to my fortress in Romania sometime."
Vergil approached the bed and with one hand whipped off the white sheet covering the frame. He laid Lady on the bed and Dante carefully laid Cassie next to the brunette.
The younger ran a hand through his hair. "I don't know, Verge shouldn't they have woken up by now?"
"One would think that at least Cassandra would have," Vergil admitted, "I wish I knew what was in that gas." Hesitantly, Vergil ran his hand over Lady's hair as his thumb gingerly caressed her cheek. I despise this. I have no idea how to help them. I don't even know if or when they'll wake up. "I'll have to return to the shop," he decided abruptly.
"No way," Dante shook his head, "We can't leave Lady and Cassandra alone, and you're sure as fuck not going back there by yourself, Vergil! They want us out in the open!"
"I'll be fine," Vergil insisted, "And I'll be careful. We can't help them until we know more about the chemical in question."
"Verge . . ." Dante trailed off and growled, knowing Vergil was right but hating the situation.
"It'll be fine, Dante," Vergil tried to reassure him, "They no doubt know we're gone and it should be safe to return for a brief period of time."
"Cassandra would be devastated if anything happened to you," Dante said softly, I'd be devastated," he added mentally. And I'm starting to think Lady would be too.
Vergil's stern, chiseled features soften. "I know." He'd heard the unspoken words as well.
Their eyes locked and held and then with a nod, Vergil turned away. "I'll be quick."
"Vergil!" Dante called, "Wait."
The elder turned back, annoyance expressed by the slightly raised brow. The second brow quickly joined the first when Dante yanked his twin into a firm hug. "You better come back, Verge," Dante told him quietly.
"I will," Vergil promised, briefly returning the hug, "I promise." He stepped back. "I won't be long."
Dante watched helplessly as his twin went into danger without him. Once he heard the door shut, he turned to the unconscious women. "You two better be all right too," he murmured, "It'd break Vergil." Tenderly, he brushed a copper strand from Cassie's face. Then the whisper, "And me."
OOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO
Vergil was able to return to the shop much more quickly now that he was able to move openly in the streets. There were still too many humans out to risk flying or Vergil would have triggered and flown back to Devil May Cry.
The elder twin approached the shop carefully. He felt the presence of other demons around the shop but failed to find any sign of a powerful demon or Cassian himself. Gliding through the shadows, Vergil approached the front door. Deactivating the wards, Vergil quickly slipped inside, immediately reactivating the wards the second the door shut behind him.
Glancing about the room, Vergil spotted the broken bottles that were tossed through the windows. Cautiously, Vergil picked up one of the shards, his thumb stroking over the surface but no trace of the chemical remained. Dropping the glass fragment, Vergil stood, walking up the stairs.
I'll have to be quick. They know I'm here. He could sense the number of demons around the shop increasing at an alarming rate. "Dante may have been right for once," Vergil said, "This was quite possibly a bad idea. Time to get what I came for and get out." Quickly, he retrieved Vengeance and Kalinna Ann from the women's rooms knowing that when they awoke they would want their weapons.
He entered Dante's room long enough to grab a book bag from Dante's closet. "Ugh, what a mess," he grumbled tugging the bag free of his twin's pile of crap.
Shifting Lady's rocket launcher on his shoulder he stood and then strode quickly down the hall to his own room. Vergil picked efficiently through his books, choosing the ones that were most likely to contain something about the chemical in question. He shoved them into the backpack before moving slowly to the window.
Glacial eyes quickly picked up the dozens of forms lurking in the shadows between the buildings surrounding the shop. Even as he watched, more demons materialized. "Damn it. I can't afford a battle right now. Fine."
Leaving his room, Vergil entered Cassandra's shoving her window open. Looking down, Vergil spotted several Lusts waiting just below the window. The hunter crouched easily in the frame, clutching the book bag with one hand and drawing Yamato with the other. Cassandra would be so proud, he thought with a smirk.
Vergil leapt from the building, Yamato dancing through their unsuspecting bodies. It was over in seconds. Smirking again in satisfaction, he slipped back into the shadows and disappeared.
OOOOOOOOOOOOOO
Dante sat tensely in a chair by the bed. Neither woman had moved at all. Gently, he clasped Cassandra's hand in both of his, watching her face for any signs of returning consciousness. Her hand was cold and limp in his.
"Vergil better get his ass back here soon," Dante murmured to the sleeping women, glancing at the clock.
Blue eyes snapped up as Lady shifted on the bed, mismatched eyes slowly opening.
"Lady?" Dante asked, pulse quickening with joy.
"Holy fucking shit," Lady groaned, "My head is killing me." Groggily, she scanned the room. "Wait," she turned to Dante, "Where are we? And what the hell happened? Where's Vergil?"
"Don't you remember?" Dante asked, tilting his head.
The brunette shook her head. "I was downstairs with Cassie and then . . .oh. Where's Vergil?" Lady demanded, sitting up.
"Hey," Dante scolded, getting up and moving around to Lady's side of the bed, "Take it easy. Vergil went back to the shop to get some of his books. He wanted to see if he could figure out what the gas they used on you was. This is his place apparently, by the way."
"WHAT!" Lady yelled, "He went back! Alone!" She tried to stand but sank back onto the mattress as the room spun.
"I told you to take it easy," Dante snapped, "Vergil will be fine. He can take care of himself."
Lady looked up into Dante's eyes and frowned. "You're worried too. Don't lie to me."
Dante opened his mouth to reply but froze as Cassandra let out a cry. Both sets of eyes flew to the redhead. She still appeared to be unconscious but her face was screwed up in pain. They could only watch in horror when her body started to convulse.
Well, there ya go! Updated at last. I really want to thank MacAnimeGirl for helping me out with this chapter. This one really gave me a hard time which is why it took so long to update. For those of you who follow the animated series, remember the second to last episode where Dante makes Patty mad while she's holding the broom? Yeah, I felt like doing that to my Dante, Vergil, Lady, and Cassandra muses the little shits. Anyway, I digress. I hope it was worth the wait. Don't forget to review!!!!
Shewolf51: Sorry it took me so long to update. I've been working on this chapter forever. I hope it was worth the wait even if I left you with another Cliffy. :-D
SUFFERINGLOSTSOUL: lol. And yet another cliffy. Sorry.
S.S.S.570: Thank you so much! I'm glad you liked it. I always worry about keeping the guys in character. I'm thrilled that you think I've done a good job at it. Anyway, thanks so much for reviewing!
Devil Rebel: LOL. Yeah, I don't know where it came from but I think Cassie brings it out in them. It's not a sissy fight but all in good fun.
Ender36O: LOL. So true. Thanks for reviewing!
Eliina:Thanks!
Silentdeath Bringer: Cliffys are evil but wonderful at the same time. Every man has his weakness and Cassie seems to be Vergil's. If he didn't love her so much he wouldn't do it. Thanks for reviewing!
RikkuDevil: No, it's not dead by any means but my muses are being difficult and I'm in my last semester of college. My writing times has decreased a bit but I'm still on it. And I gave you another cliffhanger. I'm evil. I know. LOL.
Mach Farcon: I thought it was original. LOL. I couldn't think of anything else so that's what we went for. Thanks!
Mistress of Destruction: I seem to have an endless tolerance for fluff but I like my action to. This chapter was an exercise in balancing the two. I hope I did a good job. Thanks for reviewing.
Nowshin: Yeah, I had fun writing that chapter. My main cast have hard lives and have no choice because no one else can do what they do. I think they deserve their laughter and joy too. Thanks for reviewing.
Azura Soul Reaver: Thanks!
MacAnimeGirl: Nope, as you've learned I usually don't use a beta. But, again, thank you so much for helping me with this chapter. I was about ready to give up. I normally hate pink to begin with so making something nasty pink seemed to fit. I'm so very not girly girl. Work and college are definitely kicking my butt and finals are coming but I try. Thanks again!