Kyrie let out a small squeal as Vergil suddenly appeared at the foot her and Nero's bed.

"Where is Nero?" Vergil demanded.

"H-He's in the bathroom," Kyrie replied timidly, pulling the duvet closer around her. Vergil took note of her bare shoulders and looked away with an expression of what could have been either embarrassment or disgust.

"He's moving around freely then?" Vergil asked, still averting his gaze.

"He's a fast healer, but not that fast," Kyrie said a little sharply. "If you intend to ask him to accompany you somewhere, I'm afraid I will have to decline on his behalf."

"I assure you that you won't feel that way once I explain the situation," Vergil said, equally harshly.

"It doesn't matter," Kyrie said, her voice rising angrily above her usually calm tone. "He's in no state to be doing anything strenuous after what you did to him!"

"It was a mere tap," Vergil growled, finally meeting her eyes again. "He's suffered a lot worse."

"Yeah, like when you ripped my entire arm off?" Nero suddenly asked. Vergil turned to find his son standing with nothing but a towel wrapped around his midriff. A nasty bruise spread across his entire chest, and it was clear that he was straining to stand up as straight as he was.

"Nero-"

"What the hell are you doing here?" Nero asked angrily, jabbing a finger into Vergil's own chest. "I told you I didn't want to see you."

"The situation has escalated," Vergil replied calmly. "I don't have time to explain it fully, but what I can tell you is that your orphanage may be in danger."

"What?" Kyrie yelled shrilly behind them.

"What have you done this time?!" Nero shouted, hastily looking around for some clothes. "I swear to god-"

"Stop blaming me for everything and just get yourself over there," Vergil retorted, his eyebrow twitching slightly. "The doppelganger should already be on her way."

"Trish?" Nero paused and glanced at Kyrie. "Wait… This is serious isn't it?"

"I have received information suggesting that there may be an attack on the orphanage," Vergil explained quickly. "How reliable that information is I cannot say, however I thought it best that we take the necessary precautions all the same."

"What about Dante?" Nero asked, pulling on a t-shirt.

"Dante is handling something else at the moment-"

"Something more important than the lives of multiple children?!"

"I told you, I don't have time to explain this. There is also the possibility that the attacker will come to my apartment, so I need to leave now in order to prepare for such a situation."

"Who is this person?" Kyrie queried. "Why would he want to do this?"

"If only we knew," Vergil said, shaking his head. "Do you want me to take you there?" he asked, indicating towards the Yamato.

"I guess you'd better," Nero said hesitantly. "Just lemme get dressed."

"I'm coming too," Kyrie said, also looking around for something to wear.

"I can't let you come to something like this," Nero said softly.

"Let her," Vergil said bluntly. "She'll be safer with you. It's not yet clear how much he knows about our associates-" He paused as a sudden realisation struck him. "Get Nico to take you instead," he said hurriedly.

"Huh?! But-"

"Contact me if you have any trouble," Vergil said, disappearing into a portal before either could stop him.


"Hey, kid…" Dante poked Alisa's cheek and stifled a chuckle as her head wobbled slightly. He stood up from his crouching position next to the sofa and made his way over to the kitchen. After a bit of searching, he managed to find a (relatively) clean rag and ran it under the tap for a few seconds. He was both surprised and relieved to discover that the water actually seemed to be working for once. After squeezing the rag out, he folded it over a few times and returned to the sofa. He brushed some of Alisa's hair away and placed the cloth on her head, hoping it might soothe her a little.

He stepped back and crossed his arms, looking down at her with an eyebrow raised. "What's so special about you, huh?" he asked. He of course received no reply, and opted to just head back to his desk and wait to see what would happen. "I wish I was sleeping as soundly as you right now-" he began, before freezing mid-stride. He had completely forgotten to pass Vergil's message on to Trish! He hovered between Alisa and the staircase, not wanting to leave her alone, but also not wishing to disturb her. He eventually opted for just yelling up the stairs and hoping that Trish would hear him.

"What do you want?" came her frustrated reply after a few attempts.

"Get down here!" Dante demanded.

In less than a minute, Trish's disguised form was leaning against the bannister at the bottom of the staircase. "This had better be good-"

"The guy we're hunting for might be headed towards the orphanage," Dante said desperately. "I'd be making my over there myself, but…" He nodded his head in Alisa's direction.

"What- Where did this kid come from?" Trish asked, walking over and looking down at Alisa in disbelief.

"I don't entirely get it myself," Dante shrugged. "All I know is Vergil needs you at the orphanage as soon as possible."

"Since when did we take orders from him?" Trish asked, already preparing to leave.

"Since he actually decided to trust me with something for once!" Dante grinned. "Seems only fair we should do the same for him."

"...Are you sure it was actually Vergil you spoke to?" Trish asked, laughing lightly.

"Just get outta here already," Dante said, pointing at the door. "Call me if you get into any trouble."


"Mary-" Vergil's greeting was swiftly halted by a shampoo bottle to the face.

"What the hell are you doing here?!" Lady shrieked, desperately trying to cover herself up with her flimsy shower curtain.

"I apologise, I-" Vergil heard a series of rapid clicks before suddenly finding himself staring down the barrel of the Kalina Ann, its bayonet mere inches from his forehead.

"Get out, or the next one will be a rocket!" she yelled, adjusting the still dripping weapon.

Vergil made a hasty retreat towards the adjoining bedroom and sank down on the bed, hiding his face in his hands. The portals, while convenient, were far from perfect. In his panicked state, he had simply instructed it: "Take me to Mary." In hindsight, he should probably have been more specific.

He sat there trying to suppress the heat that spread across his cheeks for a few minutes until he finally heard the sound of water stop. A few moments later, a very unhappy Lady emerged from the bathroom, wrapped in various towels. Vergil hastily got to his feet and tried to explain. "I didn't see-"

"Quiet," Lady pouted, marching past him. Vergil forced himself to look away as she started rummaging through her drawers to find something more presentable than her current attire. He noted before doing so however that she had wrapped her cast in a plastic bag of some sort to keep it dry.

"Your arm is still giving you trouble?" Vergil ventured, staring at a small fleck on the carpet with intense concentration.

"Look away and close your eyes," Lady demanded. "If I catch you looking, you'll never see again."

Vergil did as he was told and cleared his throat. "Listen, I'm not here for pleasure this time," he began.

Lady let out a scoff behind him. "When you say it like that, it makes your previous visits sound seedy," she said.

"I'm serious," he said firmly. "I need you to come with me as soon as you're ready - you may not be safe here."

"You really need to work on your pick-up lines," Lady said. "Okay, you can turn around now." Vergil did so and saw that she was dressed in her usual hunting gear, consisting of a white blouse and jacket, and tight black shorts. She was already loading various guns and ammo into the multitude of holsters she had wrapped around her legs. "Don't look so surprised," she said as Vergil stared at her in stunned silence, his jaw twitching slightly. "I had a feeling something must be up when you just appeared like that - it's not like you to make mistakes."

"Your observation skills are as sharp as ever," Vergil said at last.

"I wouldn't have gotten this far if they weren't," Lady said. She caught sight of her wounded arm and winced slightly. "Well, most of the time anyway."

"We don't have a lot of time," Vergil said, catching a falling clip of ammo as she fumbled with another one. She let out a quiet curse under her breath. "You are not entirely fit to fight," he stated matter-of-factly. "I actually came here to bring you to safety rather than-"

"I don't need you to protect me!" Lady shouted angrily. She raised one of her guns and aimed it between Vergil's eyes. "Don't start thinking you can boss me around just 'cause… 'cause..." She trailed off and stood there glaring at him. After a while, she slowly lowered the gun and snatched the ammo from Vergil's still outstretched hand, thrusting it into a pocket with a disgruntled huff.

"Are you quite done?" Vergil asked, a small smile playing at the corner of his lips.

"Whatever's going on, I can look after myself," Lady said haughtily.

"I am well aware of that," Vergil said, pointing to a small red mark on his forehead where the shampoo bottle had hit him. "But was it not you that sung praises on the advantages of working with, and relying on, the help of others? Surely you do not mean to tell me that it was all a lie?"

Lady opened her mouth to retort, and then closed it again. She let out a short sigh and stomped over to him. "I'm sorry about your face," she said, looking closely at the mark and finding herself relieved that it seemed superficial only.

"And I'm sorry for unexpectedly appearing next to your shower," Vergil said, trying to suppress a chuckle and only just managing to succeed.

"Yeah, well, I guess we're even now," Lady said, turning slightly red at the memory of seeing Vergil walk out of Dante's bathroom all those weeks ago.

"Somehow I feel like I got the better end of the deal here," Vergil said. He bent forward slightly and murmured into her ear, "Perhaps we shall have to fix that at some point."

Lady let out a sound that was a combination between a gasp and laughter and shoved him away. "S-So what's the situation?" she asked, focussed solely on business again.

Vergil's slightly bemused expression returned to its usual serious look and he quickly ran a hand through his hair. "I'll explain once we're away from here," he stated. "Grab anything you think you'll need and let's go."

"Lemme go get the Kalina Ann," Lady said, disappearing into the bathroom.

"Should I be concerned that you shower with your weapons?" Vergil called after her. He caught a quick glimpse of himself in the mirror on Lady's dresser. He looked awful. His hair was greasy and limp, and dark rings were forming under his eyes. He was still wearing the outfit he had changed into last night too. He made a promise to himself that as soon as this was all over, he would have a long bath and sleep until he couldn't take it any more.

"You ready?" Lady asked, returning with her favourite weapon slung over her shoulder.

Vergil cast his eyes up and down her, his gaze once again settling on the cast covering her right arm. "Will you be able to use such a weapon with your current handicap?" he asked.

"I think I've already demonstrated that I'm more than capable," Lady said, winking.

"...Then let us go," Vergil said, unsheathing Yamato.


Trish and Nero arrived at the orphanage at almost the same time. As soon as he saw her, Nero ran over and grabbed her arm, turning her to face him. "What the hell is going on?" he demanded angrily. "And why do you look like that?"

"Oh, you recognised me? Well done," Trish said, pulling her arm free and flicking her shortened hair. "I was wondering which of you would be joining me."

"Enough small talk," Nero growled.

"You're right. We should get moving," Trish said, starting to walk towards the gates.

Behind them, Nico let out a low wolf whistle. "Hey Nero, who's the pretty lady?" she called out.

"Did Vergil explain anything to you?" Nero asked, matching Trish's stride and ignoring the comment.

"Probably only as much as he did to you," Trish answered. "I didn't even speak to him directly, Dante just passed on a message."

"Speaking of which, why isn't Dante here?" Nero looked around. "Of all the times to slack off, this really isn't it."

"He's… otherwise occupied," Trish said as Nero started to walk up the steps to the main entrance.

Nero stumbled slightly and let out a muffled groan. "I can barely even move and I'm here," he said, pointing at his chest.

"Let's just focus on our own tasks," Trish said. "I'm happy to keep watch around the perimeter of the building if you're willing to keep an eye on things inside."

"What do we do if either of us encounters trouble?"

Trish looked over her bronzed shoulder towards the van where Nico and Kyrie still remained. "What about those two?" she suggested. "They can keep watch with us and alert the other group if there's a problem."

"I don't want to do anything that will put Kyrie in danger," Nero said defensively. "I was planning to just lock Kyrie in a room with the children and the rest of the staff so nothing could get to them."

"In other words, the worst possible plan," Trish said, shaking her head. "If you do something like that, they'll just be sitting ducks. Keep them all close together, sure, but putting them all in one room? You might as well serve them up on a platter."

"Do you have a better suggestion?" Nero asked frustratedly. "If we just let everyone wander around, anything could happen."

"I'll be watching the outside."

"And he could already be inside," Nero stressed. "I don't care what you do, but I'm sticking to my plan."

"Fine, fine," Trish said dismissively. "Just be sure to call me when it all goes wrong."

Nero glared at her angrily for a moment, desperately trying to stop himself from biting back. Eventually he turned back towards the van and called out to Kyrie and Nico, who quickly came running. "Kyrie, you're coming inside with me-"

"Does that mean I get to hang out with the bronzed babe?" Nico asked excitedly.

"Nico - This is Trish," Nero explained bluntly.

Nico looked Trish and down and shrugged. "I'll take what I can get," she grinned.

Trish sighed and grabbed Nico's shoulder, shoving her ahead of her. "Guess I'll take this one then," she said. "You armed?"

"I got two of 'em!" Nico said, holding up her hands.

"Nico, this is serious," Nero groaned.

"Okay, okay, lemme see what I got in the van," Nico replied. "Oh, that reminds me! Wait here a sec." She took off towards the van, leaving the others staring after her in bemusement. A short while later she returned holding what looked like a catcher's mitt attached to a robotic forearm.

"What's this…?" Nero asked as she thrust it into his hands.

"I call it 'Field Day'," Nico said proudly. "You get it? Cuz you play baseball on a field? ...It's a name in progress," she added when Nero raised an eyebrow at her. "Anyway, what happens is, you catch whatever your enemy throws at ya, then return the projectile with ten times the force - BAM!" she said, punching the air in front of her. "Trust me, you'll have a real field day usin' it!"

"Okay, that's actually pretty cool," Nero admitted, smiling slightly. "I'll take it, why not." He clipped the devil breaker onto his belt and crossed his arms. "What about you though?"

"Don't worry 'bout me," Nico said, pulling a pair of slick looking pistols out from the rear waistband of her shorts. "I got this covered."

"All right then, let's do this," Nero said, putting a protective arm around Kyrie and nodding at Trish. "Any issues, come find us."


"I still can't believe you did this to me," Lady groaned, bending her head over Vergil's toilet to puke into it for the third time in as many minutes.

"I had no choice," Vergil said from his position just outside the bathroom door. "It would have taken far too long to get here via conventional means."

"Some warning would have been nice!" Lady yelled, finally getting to her feet. She flushed the toilet and washed both her hands and face before staggering into the bedroom.

"Feeling better?" Vergil asked, holding out a glass of water.

"No thanks to you," Lady replied, angrily grabbing the glass.

"I couldn't risk leaving you alone," Vergil stated, watching the rest of the apartment closely through the open bedroom door.

"At least I didn't have any breakfast to throw up," Lady sighed, sipping the water tentatively. She walked over to the bed and sat down heavily on it. "You know this guy probably isn't even gonna show up right?"

"We must cover every possibility," Vergil said, walking over to the doorway and leaning against its frame. "If he really is watching us like Alisa said, he probably won't turn up at the orphanage either, but we can't afford to take any risks."

"Well from what you've told me, he doesn't exactly sound like the sharpest tool in the shed. Maybe he'll take a chance and reveal himself after all…" Lady let out a yawn and fell backwards onto the mattress. "Man, those portals kill me…"

Vergil turned his head sharply as he noticed her movements and quickly walked over with a concerned expression on his face. "Mary-"

"It's all right, I'll be fine in a sec," Lady said, waving him away.

"Where's the glass?" Vergil asked bluntly, surveying the bed covers for damage.

"...Don't worry, I finished the water first," Lady said dryly, holding up the now empty glass. Vergil quickly took it from her and walked through to the kitchen.

"Please refrain from doing anything that could cause damage to my furnishings," he said when he returned.

"Are you serious?" Lady asked, propping herself up on her good elbow. "You're not actually planning to keep this place, are you? Who knows what kind of freaky hexes could have been put on it!"

"I rather like this apartment, thank you very much," Vergil said seriously. "I am growing quite accustomed to having my own accommodation."

"You're hardly ever here," Lady pointed out. "Besides, you can find another apartment. One that wasn't handed to you by some weird Satanist."

"We'll see," Vergil said dismissively. He stood in the bedroom doorway again, idly fiddling with the Yamato as he listened out for any unexpected sounds. Lady watched him in silence for a while, gently tapping her fingers on the bedcovers as she tried to think of something to talk about. Vergil had explained the situation to her as quickly as he could while she was retching in the bathroom, and they had discussed matters briefly during the small breaks in which she was not puking.

"...Are those the same clothes from yesterday?" she asked at last, sitting up fully again.

"What if they are?" Vergil asked, his eyes scanning the living room carefully.

"Have you even slept since I last saw you?"

"Briefly."

"How long is 'briefly'?"

Vergil turned to face her and scowled slightly. "Why should it bother you?"

"I need to make sure you're in top form," Lady said, somewhat sarcastically. "You won't be very good at fending off danger if you're too tired to stand up."

"An ironic statement for one in such a state as yourself," Vergil said, gesturing towards her cast. "I could be fully asleep and still be able to fight better than you."

"Let's not start this again," Lady said, standing up and walking over. "We both know I'd win every ti-" her words were cut off as she suddenly found herself flying through the air, before landing roughly on the mattress.

"I'm not in the mood to be tested right now," Vergil growled, lowering the still sheathed Yamato. "Don't worry, I made sure to avoid breaking anything else."

"Y-You bastard!" Lady said, coughing slightly. She checked herself over for any injuries and was surprised to find that she had none. "How did you-"

"A true swordsman never reveals his techniques," Vergil said, turning towards the living room again.

"I'm pretty sure you just made that up."

"Do you want me to throw you even further this time?" Vergil asked, looking over his shoulder at her.

"Just try it," Lady said, aiming a gun in his direction. There was an almost imperceptible flash of blue, and then the gun was lying on the floor.

"We shouldn't be trying to fight each other," Vergil said calmly. "We need to conserve our energy for the real threat."

"Why are we stuck in your bedroom anyway?" Lady pouted as she reached for her weapon. "It's not like I'm feeling sick any more. In fact, I'm getting pretty hungry."

"More coverage," Vergil said. "By standing here I can observe the entire apartment, including all potential entry points."

"Okay, but I can move around right?" Lady asked, trying to push past him. "At least let me make some breakfast or something."

"The food could be poisoned," Vergil said, refusing to move.

"You can't expect me to just sit here and starve to death," Lady protested. "I'll order something instead-"

"He could intercept the delivery," Vergil stated.

"Come on already!" Lady said, rolling her eyes. "Stop being so paranoid and let me eat something!" She thumped her fists against his back without so much as even a flinch in response.

Vergil continued to block the doorway as he tried to think things over. He hadn't realised it earlier, but he was hungry too. In fact, he could sense that his thoughts were slightly more jumbled that usual, caused by what he assumed was a combination of both lack of sleep and not having eaten anything substantial for a number of hours. He had required neither rest nor sustenance while in the underworld, and he frequently found that he was still getting used to having human needs again, often leaving it until the last possible moment before tending to them. If he didn't act soon, his ability to fight may be hindered after all.

"Eggs," he said at last.

"...What?"

"He probably wouldn't be able to poison the eggs, right? Or at least if he tried, it would be with some difficulty and would likely be obvious."

"Uh, sure..." Lady said hesitantly. "You want me to fry us some?"

"I'll do it," Vergil said, finally stepping forward.

"I guess I'll keep watch then," Lady said, taking his place. She watched as he made his way over to the kitchen and rummaged around in the fridge. "How long are we going to keep this up, anyway?"

"What do you mean?" Vergil asked, placing a box of eggs on the counter. He opened the lid and began to pick up each one individually, inspecting it closely and then returning it.

"Well, suppose he really doesn't turn up today - then what? We can't stay trapped in here forever, and I'm sure Trish has other business to attend to."

Vergil looked up from the current egg he was holding, a small crease forming between his eyebrows. "We'll give him twenty-four hours," he explained after a brief pause. "If he fails to appear, we will re-group at Dante's office and discuss our next steps." He paused again before continuing. "In the worst-case scenario, we could always use that child as bait-"

"Vergil!" Lady cried out, horrified. "I can't believe you would even suggest such a thing!"

"I don't see what other choice we have," he continued, going back to his egg inspection.

"What about the orphanage?" Lady asked. "Protecting it I mean, not using it as bait…"

"I highly doubt anything will actually happen to it," Vergil said. "From the information we have so far, I believe our opponent is far from capable of harming that many people."


"So, uh… You plannin' on keepin' this look, or…" Nico trailed off as she watched Trish climb gracefully up a nearby tree, look around briefly from her new vantage point, and then jump back down, landing with a light thud.

"I'll keep it for as long as I need to," Trish replied, turning to face Nico with a wry smile. "Why, see something you like?"

"I-I was just wonderin' was all!" Nico stammered, holding her hands up defensively. "It uh, suits you I guess."

"Why, thank you," Trish said, turning away with a soft swish of her hair. "You spotted anything unusual yet?"

"No, ma'am," Nico said, reluctant to admit that she had been spending most of her time staring at Trish rather than their surroundings.

"I have a feeling this guy isn't going to turn up, you know," Trish said as they started their third lap around the building. "He'd be a complete idiot if he did."

"Well, he ain't exactly been described as the most intelligent guy around," Nico said, pulling a pack of cigarettes out of her pocket. "You mind if I…?"

"Whatever, we're outside," Trish said, looking through a gap in the fence. "Just don't let Nero spot you."

"Thanks," Nico said, pulling out a cigarette and offering the pack to Trish, who waved it away. "What's the plan if he don't turn up anyway?" she asked, trying to get her lighter to stay lit. There was a light breeze around them, making it almost impossible to keep the flame from being extinguished.

"Beats me," Trish said, taking the lighter from Nico's hands and flicking it on with instant success. She cupped her hands around the flame and lit the end of the cigarette before tossing the lighter back to Nico. "I guess we just wait to hear further from Vergil."

"Since when did he call the shots anyway?" Nico asked, taking a long drag of the cigarette and watching the as the smoke she exhaled was carried away by the wind.

"Since Dante said so," Trish sighed. "I just hope they know what they're doing."

Nico jumped slightly as her phone started to ring. "Oh hey, it's Nero," she said as she took it out of her pocket. "This can't be good…"


"…And in local news, police officers are urging homeowners to watch out for what at this stage is believed to be a pair of armed burglars. One of them has been described as an elderly gentleman with white hair and stubble, while the other was unseen but has been described as sounding much younger. We'll bring you updates as they come."

"I can't believe this!" Dante yelled at the small TV on his desk. "I'm barely past forty, come on!"

"Vergil?" a small voice asked suddenly, distracting Dante from his frustrations. He looked over to the sofa to see Alisa sitting up, a confused expression on her face.

"Oh. Uh, hey kid," Dante said, turning off the TV and getting to his feet. "How ya feeling?"

"D-Did you have an accident or something?" Alisa asked, shrinking back against the rough material of the sofa. Her eyes darted round the room nervously as she tried to make sense of where she was.

"What are you talking about?"

"You look dirty," Alisa said, her eyes widening as Dante approached her. "And you smell bad. I thought maybe something had happened-"

"Hey, I showered three days ago!" Dante said angrily. He lifted an arm and sniffed himself lightly, his nose wrinkling as he did so. "Okay, maybe it was four days ago. Or was it last week…"

"Who are you?" Alisa demanded, looking around for something to defend herself with.

"Uh, right. I'm Dante," he replied, holding out a hand. Alisa stared at the outstretched limb until he finally got the hint and lowered it again. "I'm Vergil's twin brother."

Alisa let out a light scoff. "No way," she said, still huddling as far into the corner of the sofa as she could manage. "He looks much classier than you."

"Classier, huh?" Dante mumbled, scratching at his stubble. "That's a big word for such a small kid."

"I'm seven," Alisa said dryly. "I'm not an idiot."

"How do you know my brother anyway?" Dante asked, crouching down in an attempt to look less intimidating.

"I met him at the orphanage," Alisa said, starting to relax a little.

"Hold up," Dante said sharply. "Are you saying Vergil kidnapped you?"

"Huh? Of course not dummy," Alisa said. "I-" her expression darkened slightly. "...I went to visit him."

"Does Nero know about this?" Dante asked, standing up again.

"Please don't tell him!" Alisa begged. "I don't want to get in trouble!"

"You'll be in trouble anyway once he realises you're missing," Dante said. "At least if I let him know you're safe he won't be worrying about trying to find you." Just as he started to approach his desk, the phone began to ring. "Well hey, looks like I might not need to call him after all," he said, grabbing the receiver.

"Dante, it's Trish."

"That was quick. Run into trouble already?" Dante asked.

"That kid you have with you - what's her name?"

"Hey kid, what's your name again?" Dante called over his shoulder.

"Alisa," she replied, looking down at her feet.

"You heard that right?" Dante said into the receiver.

"That's great," Trish replied, sounding relieved. "I was worried for a moment that we'd lost two of them."

"Two?" Dante asked, clearly concerned.

"Vergil didn't happen to drop off a young boy at the same time did he?" Trish queried. "Nero and Kyrie were going through the list of children to make sure they're all here; Alisa and a little boy called Edward were both missing, hence the call. ...Nero is not going to be happy when he finds out where Alisa is, but at least she's safe," she added.

"Hey if anything, she's safer here than she would be at the orphanage," Dante said. "I'll be expecting payment for babysitting though."

"I'll be sure to let Nero know that," Trish said. There was a muffled cry in the background followed by what sounded like a curse from Nico. "I need to go," Trish said hurriedly.

"Found the other kid?" Dante asked hopefully, only to find that she had already ended the call.

"Is everything okay over there?" Alisa asked, fidgeting nervously.

Dante turned to face Alisa and looked her up and down. "Is there a reason it wouldn't be?" he asked in return, eying her suspiciously.

"Y-You just sounded worried on the phone is all," Alisa said unconvincingly.

Dante watched her for a moment, wondering whether he should try to question her further. After a moment or so, he let out a sigh. "Damn it, I'm not about to cross-examine some brat," he mumbled, more to himself than Alisa. "All right, look - I've been tasked with looking after you, and that's exactly what I'm gonna do. Can I get you something to eat?"

Alisa looked over at the dirty kitchen and shook her head. "...I'm not hungry."

"Something to drink then?"

Alisa shook her head again. "You have a lot of scary looking things on your walls," she pointed out.

"Don't worry, they won't bite," Dante said, grinning.

"Can I play with them?" Alisa asked excitedly, her eye coming to rest on Dante's sword, which was currently leaning against his desk.

"You wouldn't even be able to lift anything in here," Dante chuckled.

"Wanna bet?" Alisa grinned.


"What's the matter?" Trish asked, slipping her phone back into her pocket.

"That's the matter," Nico said, pointing towards a very distressed looking Kyrie running towards them.

"N-Nico, i-it's awful!" Kyrie sobbed as she drew closer. "You need to-" She broke down in tears, collapsing to the ground at Nico's feet.

"What happened?" Nico asked, kneeling down next to her. "Is it the kid? Is he okay?"

Kyrie nodded, wiping her eyes. "It's not him, it's…"

"Let's get her inside," Trish said quickly, helping them both to their feet.


Lady used her fork to push the remainder of her eggs around the plate. They were sitting at the small dining table in Vergil's living room, with Vergil taking a brief pause from his room scanning duties to watch the current news article on the TV. Lady had convinced him to have it on in the background with the excuse that they could keep an eye out for any incidents which may relate to their case, but in reality, she just wanted something on to stop herself going insane from boredom.

"...while the other was unseen but has been described as sounding much younger. We'll bring you updates as they come."

"Ridiculous," Vergil growled.

"Huh?"

"I'm clearly the older twin," he grumbled.

"That's what you're worried about?" Lady asked, giving up on the remainder of her breakfast and finishing off her glass of water.

"You're not finishing your food?" Vergil queried. "It may be all you get to eat for a while."

"I appreciate you making it, but it's just kinda…" she struggled as she tried to find a polite way of saying tasteless.

"I understand," Vergil said, his own plate completely spotless. "But we can't add seasoning, just in case." He took a sip of water from his own glass. "And we definitely can't risk making any coffee."

"...Are you doing okay?" Lady asked unexpectedly.

"What do you mean?"

"Physically," she clarified. "No offence, but you don't look too great."

"Always the flatterer," Vergil said, smiling slightly. He closed his eyes for a moment and took a deep breath. "I'm just tired," he stated. "I don't believe I've slept in a bed for over twenty-four hours, if not longer."

"You told me you'd slept!" Lady protested.

"I didn't say I'd slept in a bed," Vergil said, opening his eyes again and standing up. Lady couldn't help but notice that he wobbled ever so slightly as he did so. He reached out to collect the dishes, only for Lady to grab them first.

"Let me," she offered. "You need to keep watch, right?"

"And you have a broken arm," Vergil said, pulling the plates free from her grasp. He brought them through to the kitchen and placed them in the sink. Lady watched as he leaned over it for a moment, using the worktop for support.

"Vergil-"

"I'm fine," he said sternly. He came back through to the living room and sat down opposite Lady again. "I'll clean the dishes later," he said when he noticed Lady staring at him. "I have more important things to do right now."

"I think you should try to get some rest," she said softly.

"Later," he said, turning his attention towards the television again. "Any news?"

"I mean it," she said, daring to place one of her hands over his. His skin felt cool and clammy beneath her touch. He looked at her out of the corner of his eye but made no attempts to remove her hand. "You're strong, but you're not invincible," she pointed out. "Sometimes you need to remember that you're half human too."

"Enough of such talk," he said, pulling himself free and standing up again. He staggered slightly as he walked back towards the bedroom doorway. "I just need to keep my mind occupied."

"At least come and sit on the sofa or something," Lady said, following after him.

"I need to be able to see everything-"

"Vergil," Lady said harshly. "Take a look at yourself - you're swaying back and forth as we speak."

"Your eyes are playing tricks on you," Vergil growled.

"What if you just sit on the bed?" she suggested. "Then you'll be able to see everything while resting a little."

"I can't risk falling asleep," Vergil said, standing firm and staring past the top of her head.

"I won't let you fall asleep," Lady said, gently pushing him. "Come on, just for a moment." To her surprise, he stepped back slightly and allowed himself to be guided to the foot of the bed. "Sit down," she ordered.

Vergil looked down at her and bent his knees slightly as though to follow her request, only to suddenly straighten them again and attempt to shove his way past her. "I can't," he said, shaking his head. "I can rest later-"

"Just sit down!" Lady said angrily, using her good arm and shoulder to practically tackle him to the bed. They both stared at each other in shock as they realised that her attempts had actually worked.

"Impossible," Vergil said sharply, trying to get to his feet. Lady, who had rather embarrassingly ended up sitting on his lap, used all of her strength to push him back down again.

"Stay where you are," she commanded.

"You should not have been able to overpower me like that," Vergil stated, glaring at her.

"Yet more proof that you're not in good shape," Lady said, somewhat reluctantly getting to her feet. "If I can push you over, imagine what this other guy could do to you."

"Something isn't right here," Vergil said, eyes flitting around the room. He let out a short gasp. "The eggs, "he snarled. "He must have done something to them after all-"

"Or you just haven't slept in god knows how many hours," Lady pointed out. "I feel completely fine." She jumped up and down a couple of times to prove her point.

"Does nothing about this strike you as odd?" Vergil asked.

"Of course it does," Lady said, sitting next to him. "But I'm reluctant to attribute supernatural causes to what could just be genuine fatigue." She looked at the dark shadows under his eyes and sighed. "One hour," she said. "Try lying down with your eyes closed for just one hour. You don't even have to sleep."

"I refuse," Vergil said stubbornly.

"If anything happens, anything, I'll come and get you," Lady promised.

"I'm going for a shower," Vergil said, getting unsteadily to his feet. "Although I would rather not isolate myself from the rest of the apartment, at the very least, a shower should reawaken my senses."

"What if we get attacked while you're in the bathroom?" Lady asked scornfully.

"Then you come and get me," Vergil said bluntly, grabbing a towel.


"Double or nothing," Dante said, glancing at the hand of cards he held in front of him.

"...Are you sure you wanna do that?" Alisa asked, adjusting Dante's coat around her shoulders. They were sitting on opposite sides of the desk, Dante wearing nothing but a vest and a pair of sweatpants he had fortunately found lying around. Alisa on the other hand was surrounded not only by the rest of Dante's clothes, but also every weapon that had previously hung on the now bare walls.

"At least give me a chance to get the Devil Sword back," he groaned. "It doesn't even work properly unless I wield it!"

"That's not my problem," Alisa said, adjusting her newly acquired Faust Hat. "You better find something to bet with though, cuz I'm pretty sure an old man like you getting naked around a minor is illegal."


The orphanage was eerily quiet as Trish, Nico and Kyrie stepped inside. "What's the issue?" Trish asked.

Kyrie just pointed in the general direction of the kitchen, still sobbing quietly. Nico looked at Trish and then back towards Kyrie. "Perhaps I'd better stay with her," she said, nodding in the latter's direction.

"That might be for the best," Trish agreed.

"Where is everyone?" Nico asked Kyrie. "We'll probably be safer with them."

"T-They're in the dining room," Kyrie stammered.

"And Nero?" asked Trish. Kyrie just pointed towards the kitchen again as Nico started to lead her away.

"Come get me if anything changes," Trish said, heading for the kitchen. She pushed the slightly ajar doors open further and poked her head inside. Nero was standing in a far corner of the room, in front of what looked like a walk-in freezer. The air was filled with the hum of various kitchen appliances, while the fluorescent lights cast a cold blue hue over everything. "Nero?" she called out hesitantly.

"Trish…" Nero said, turning to face her. He looked pale, and not just because of the lighting.

"What happened?"

"I've got some good news, and some bad news," Nero said, his voice wavering slightly. "The good news is, I think I found the guy you've all been looking for." Trish joined him next to the freezer, her own eyes widening slightly. "The bad news…" Nero continued, "is that he's already dead."


A/N: Sorry for delays again, work and life have been hella busy recently... Thanks for sticking with it though!