We walk the narrow path Beneath the smoking skies Sometimes you can barely tell the difference Between darkness and light
Reno was tapping his fingers against the dash, biting his lip with the force of his nerves as he got into position. "Come on you sons of bitches, get the FUCK outta my way!" To say he was not happy with this turn of events would be a massive understatement, as Reno watched the five First Class SOLDIER and the entire battalion of grunts creeping up on Zack at this point. "Mother FUCK this sucks like a 3 gil whore." He couldn't get low enough to drop the ladder without getting swarmed by them.
Do you have faith in what we believe? The truest test is when we can not When we can not see
He watched the attack begin, Zack fighting the soldiers bravely, even making some of them shoot each other but there were so many. How long could he last? That was a question he didn't have an answer to right now. He tapped his leg now, watching for an opening, growling when he couldn't GET one. "Mother FUCK, MOVE it, you fucking idiots!" Nerves had become straight up FEAR for his friend now as he saw Zack tiring, hating every single moment of it.
I hear pounding feet in the In the streets below and the And the women crying and the And the children know that there That there's something wrong And it's hard to believe that love will prevail
More gunfire, and Reno suddenly soared over their heads, growling low in his chest as he did. "You are interfering in Turk business, please withdraw now!"
"He's hit, Reno, he's hit, damn it--" Rude let it GO, FUCK THIS. "ZACK--ZACK over here--damn it, ZACK look over here!!"
As Reno got the chopper down lower, Rude threw caution to the wind, and as he knew, possibly his life too --leaping down, Rude leveled his now rather tiny looking Enforcer at the fast approaching and baffled looking SOLDIERS--"BACK OFF, now, move it, move it!!" Zack was down, and hit, and hurt, and Rude wanted to vomit, in sheer horror at what was happening to a FRIEND--a good friend, and good man.
He went to his side and shook his head, again waving off the SOLDIERS, hoping Reno would GET the fucking bird landed and get over there.
"I'm sorry, buddy, we TRIED to get here in time, it was all a setup, Zack, I'm so sorry, I really am, fuck, we tried so hard--and we still failed--where --where is Cloud, Zack, do you know--?"
...hit was an understatement.
The SOLDIER had finally fallen to the ground, exhausted, bleeding, and in pain. "D-don't worry 'bout it, Rudy." He managed to speak, a mall river of blood coming from the corner of his mouth. "Ya d-did what ya could, s'what m-matte--" He broke off, coughing harshly, his stomach feeling like it was on fire as his bile slowly leaked out from several different shots.
"C-cloud's 'bouta two mile hike back tw'rds th' mansion... s'bad, Rude...real fuckin' bad, dunno if'e's gonna make it or not..." He could hear the SOLDIERs milling around, his eyes hazing over as he looked up, spotting Reno heading that way.
"'ey, Red...s-sorry 'bout runnin' out on ya th' other night...s'not like me, y'know, notta love'em'n'leave'em kinda guy." He knew that Rude wouldn't know a damn thing about what he was talking about, would PROBABLY own it up to him being near death and rambling, so he was grateful for that, knowing he NEEDED to say it, and that Reno wouldn't get jumped about it right away. "Had ta try'n help Seph...fucker jus'..." He shuddered, hard, "Th' whole fuckin' TOWN...Cloud's fuckin' FAMILY... I-- I never really got ta meet Momma Strife, WANTED ta, an' never got ta. Guess now I get ta, but s'not the way I woulda wanted ta, y'know?"
Arriving at the dangerous place that called to him like his mother's voice, Vergil leaped off the big black bike and then sent it down into the yawning chasm, as he stood in the cold river's water, waiting for Dante. He wouldn't need that bike again, and Dante sure as hell wasn't going to need his. This was ending here, today, Dante was coming home with him--and they would begin new lives together--where they BELONGED.
And as the rightful RULERS of HELL--and soon enough, Hell on Gaia as well.
Dante would come around--after all, they were HEART and SOUL mated now--there WASN'T any backing down or any of that shit.
Here he came, the bike roaring up. Vergil waited and smiled, unsheathing Yamato again, and then Force Edge as well. He rarely had used the massive blade, but he was pretty sure Dante was going to take some convincing this day. He didn't mind. Not even a little.
Dante's bike rolled to a stop and crashed to its side as the half-demon strode across the cold river, Rebellion held tightly in his hand as he glared at Vergil. "Vergil... come ON, don't DO this! I love you, I really do, but there's things that keep me from STAYING in Hell. As much as I'd LOVE to stay there... there's some things I'd rather NOT have you get in the middle of. A man has to take care of SOME things on his own, and THIS is onea those things." He could already tell that Vergil wasn't going to take that as an answer, and he shook his head, hating this.
"Don't MAKE me stop this. I know what you wanna do, and I know what you're thinkin', and I don't wanna DO that. Those topside haven't done a damn thing to deserve the Temen Ni Gru--it would be SELFISH to raise it!"
He sighed, already feeling twitchy. "Just...let it GO, Vergil. Come home with me, and let us just LIVE. You don't even have to DEAL with anyone else if you don't want to...just... don't MAKE me have to choose like this."
"NO Dante, YOU are coming HOME, and now, right now--enough of this! You are wasting time, our time, my time! We have much to do!"
He held out both swords, one in each hand, and watched his lover's face carefully--this was dangerous, and in a way he hadn't really anticipated --Dante was far more concerned that he not raise the great Tower than he had expected, and this angered him.
"You traitor! I love you, brother, you are my soul now and always were, but this--this is absurd! You cannot SIDE with creatures so far below us they are not worthy to clean our VOMIT, Dante! Get ahold of yourself--and see-- this is our true destiny, come to it with me, by my side--it's not about ME raising the Tower, it's about US doing it--and I WILL make you see it my way, any way I HAVE to. This is not a lesson for your mate in OBEDIENCE, now, this is--BUSINESS, you might say."
He waited, and already knew how this was going to go, Dante was wearing that half smile of angry pseudo amusement, and as his other half drew Rebellion up to fighting readiness, Vergil's heart sank.
"You would PREFER to fight me--you are willing, even, to battle me over this? Dante--just--I will do this on my own, but we belong in Hell, not here. This was never really home, not for you either. Come home with me, and I will take care of the rest. I am GOING to do this, it's for you as much as myself."
Dante narrowed his eyes, body beginning to glow with the signs of his devil trigger. He was getting frustrated with his brother, something he HATED getting to be, but he couldn't HELP it when Vergil was being...well...Vergil.
"Damnit, NO." He glared at Vergil, "NO! If YOU force me, then I can force YOU, and FUCK that, I'm NOT gonna just do what YOU wanna do when YOU don't wanna do what I wanna do!" He snarled, shaking his head as he held Rebellion to the side, approaching his twin carelessly. "Come on, we settle this OUR way."
With a mighty crash of blades, the two joined in their deathly dance, one that Dante wasn't sure HOW it would end.
He'd rather FIGHT me--maybe kill me. Probably kill me--than even talk to me about it--than to even try--
But he matched blade for blade, Yamato being sheathed fast in favor of Force Edge alone, crashing and screaming against the merciless steel of Rebellion--Dante was-- fighting hard already, and he seemed to be pushing Vergil, every time the swords met he shoved at him brutally, and Vergil returned it, feeling a vague edge of strange panic.
This wasn't going as it should.
At ALL.
Dante suddenly caught him DEEP in the side, and Vergil cried out, shocking himself with the sound, himself stunned that this was going so far so fast. Startled, he went into Devil Trigger, and turned on Dante, knocking him to the ground, seeing with even more alarm that Dante was also transforming.
"Dante, wait--damn it--just-- LISTEN to me--"
His brother sent him sprawling, and Vergil reared up again in real anger, both of them glowing and fully changed. "That's the way you want it, that's the way you get it, then!"
The worst battle of their lives was fully underway, and in moments Vergil began to weaken in exhaustion--and Dante still pressed him on, still relentless, until the elder fell, face first, changing back from Devil mode, gasping into the water that filled his mouth.
"Am I...being defeated...??"
Even now, Dante pushed him on, to his doom.
This... this is the only WAY...
Dante didn't WANT to do this, GODS he didn't, but it was obvious that no matter what HE said, it wasn't going to GO any other way. Vergil WANTED to raise the tower, WANTED to wipe out humanity, and as much as he WANTED to give in, to let it happen... that tiny little tug of guilt at damning his child to Hell on Gaea overrode everything. Someone who wasn't even BORN, who had never seen the light of day shouldn't be damned to live through something that would be nothing but a miserable existence for them.
"Just STOP it, Vergil! Goddamnit, if you DON'T...you KNOW what I have to do, and I DON'T fuckin' wanna DO that!" He growled, pushing at Vergil. "Just get UP! If you're so goddamn stubborn about wanting this, then get UP! FIGHT for it!!"
"As you WISH, Dante!!"
Vergil got to his feet, moving Force Edge into position, and took a long look at Dante, who was also readying Rebellion. This was it, then. He could feel it, and his heart was beating very fast, all of a sudden. The beauty of what had happened between them before now seemed--almost as if it HADN'T happened, and yet of course it had, it was deathless, even though they were not.
We are bound for all time, no matter what...
Dante seemed--FELT--grim, as if he had already decided, had already given up--and Vergil understood, really, because he too had already decided to stay his course, just as it was, hold steady, stand true. True to himself, to what he truly believed was best. Even if he died pursuing this dream, this desire--if he did anything differently at this moment, then he would have sold himself out in totality.
"Dante..."
There wasn't anything else left to say.
Forever, it's forever, there's nothing to fear.
And he will follow.
He ran, legs feeling numb and dead already, and when Rebellion cut across his heart, there was the momentary rush of terrible pain, and then there was only the loss, the weakness, the incalculable DEFEAT.
DANTE...!...
Vergil sank down, clutching his slashed chest, and then got up again, having taken up the amulet, severed by Dante's mortal strike into his heart and lungs.
Dying...but I'm not done.
He began to back towards the cliff.
"Hey...HEY!" Dante hadn't expected him to just get up and start walking away, and really, he hadn't wanted him to get up at ALL, as grim and horrible as it sounded. "Vergil! Don't you... don't you EVEN think about doin' that!" He could see where he was heading, and he wasn't ABOUT to let him DO that. "Vergil! Gods, I--I'm SORRY! I-- I..."
He could see the look in Vergil's eyes, and he dropped Rebellion and took off towards him. "Vergil, NO!"
You're sorry, alright...
Vergil brought up Yamato like lightning, holding it at Dante's throat as he raced towards him, the deadly point digging in. "You son of a bitch. That was meant to be fatal, wasn't it? Did you think I would die instantly, or that I would thrash in agony a while, give you a show, before you got to be the great hero and end the pain? I SAW the amazement--and --I saw disappointment, Dante, DISAPPOINTMENT!!-- in your eyes --when I was still standing when you turned around! THIS, you do to me, for a one night stand's BEARING?!"
His eyes narrowed in the still severe pain of his healing chest, and his voice suddenly changed utterly, the sad sound of absolute defeat, of a heart hurt that went far deeper than the mortal wound.
"Leave me and go, if you don't want to be trapped here. Look above, the portals are CLOSING now. I'm--staying here, Dante. This place--was our father's home--"
Stepping back, he watched Dante's face as he fell in slow motion horror backwards, Dante reaching for him, Yamato slashing his hand in that last move of punishment for his crime.
BASTARD.
NOW you're sorry, and it's TOO. LATE.