SPECIAL NOTES:
For purposes of this FVerse of DMC/FF7, Constantine is an OC who is Mundus, and Judas is his brother.
The slash across his hand hurt like Hell, but Dante pressed forward, allowing himself to fall over the edge of the cliff without even a second thought. "You IDIOT. Vergil, you want to destroy the world, and I can't LET you do that! I want you to WANT to be where WE'RE happy, and we WERE happy up there BEFORE you got it in your head to raise the Tower! That DAMN tower has nearly destroyed us, and it hasn't even been RAISED, what do you think it'd do if I LET you raise it? Huh? We'd be DONE, FINISHED, and you KNOW it!"
The free-fall was the worst part of the descent, and he couldn't help but fear what lay at the bottom. He could see Vergil ahead of him, and a slight rush ran through him once he realized that whatever lay ahead...if he could make amends with Vergil... they could face any trials head on...together.
Vergil saw Dante above him, falling down and following, and he was, to some extent shocked to see this, and he would have been shocked if he hadn't done so, as well.
But all was not forgiven, even if they DID survive the horrific fall. And that was far from certain- Vergil had gone over to punish Dante, in a dramatic and really theatrical attempt to shame and horrify him, and at least that had been successful, that much, he had read on his brother's face as he went over. But Dante had tried to KILL him--really kill him, not merely wound, not merely weaken, but kill-- and Vergil wasn't about to let that go so easy.
And for what?
For the hellspawn of ONE NIGHT of cheating??
Or was it for the whole human race? Whatever it was, Vergil surmised it was not enough to warrant this terrible betrayal of their love. Their BOND.
Dull, nearly lifeless violet eyes looked up at the two, a slight smile on his face. "Y'know whatcha gotta do... I know ya don't LIKE it, but s'th' only way. Jus'... take carea Cloud for me, for Seph too... he wasn't all right in th' head... he...he wasn't SEPH..."
Reno had put the chopper on autopilot and locked it in hover, dropping down the ladder and pelting toward Zack with his eyes cold, holding back the tears because according to rumor Turks didn't cry, and it wouldn't do for him to be seen doing so over someone who was supposed to be a target. "I'll take carea him, Zack, I promise. ..gotta get him outta town, though. Old man'll try ta find him and finish th'job if I don't."
At the words "Do what ya gotta do" Reno nodded, borrowing the Enforcer from Rude, the big 44 magnum heavy in the teen's slender hands as he held it to Zack's forehead, one tender kiss on his friend's brow at the same moment he pulled the trigger, simply throwing the gun aside as it clattered across the stone, then began to walk away, utterly disgusted with the scene and with what he'd been made to do.
"I gotta find Strife" were Reno's last words as he went looking for the blond grunt, not wanting a damn thing to do with this scene now. ..at all.
"Reno..."
God, this was a fucking NIGHTMARE to end all nightmares, and it was far from over, wasn't it?
"I--I'll stay here, with him--keep the wolves away, gonna try to get him buried, not sure I'm gonna get to, gonna TRY to--" The SOLDIERs were milling around, watching what Reno and Rude were doing with the now deceased young SOLDIER, and there were already calls being made, as to their highly suspect behavior. This was GOING to be reported to the top, of that, Rude already undertood--but the problem was, they had FAILED. They had utterly failed Zack--and now the only hope was to try to not fail Cloud as well.
Zacks last request.
Save Cloud.
It was too late for Sephiroth, apparently. Reno took off at a run, and Rude began to use his boot to dig a shallow grave.
Blood Lake.
A bit of an understatement, but the name was what it was.
Dante was just seconds behind Vergil when they reached the bottom of their descent, though he would have rather landed on land than in the middle of the sea.
The momentum of the fall sent him rocketing towards the very bottom of the body of liquid, and knocked the breath from him as he continued a now slowed plummet. In an effort to fill his lungs, he gasped, and instead inhaled a lungful of crimson, though he was near enough to the surface now that it wasn't something fatal, just disgusting.
Flopping out on the shoreline, he gagged harshly and vomited the blood, grimacing at it once he realized what it was that he'd inhaled. "Oh, SICK... Ughnastyfuckers..." He rolled over onto his back and looked around, idly wondering who in the Hell would want a huge lake of BLOOD at the bottom of a CLIFF. He was starting to think that the full demons were a bunch of sick fucks, at least, a FEW of them were.
Dante didn't even have time to REACT before Yamato was thrust through his chest, and then pulled out, Vergil staggering weakly, shaking, glaring down at him.
"You ...humanloving vermin, you are SCUM, Dante, utter scum, and you will never see me again."
He turned and walked away as fast as his trembling legs would carry him, never looking back, knowing Dante would of course pursue him. And he couldn't even LOOK at him again now, not--after this. He tried to Trigger but was too weak, and so he broke into a shambling run, praying his legs did not fail him, as they felt they might, at any moment.
Dante could go to He--never mind. But Vergil wanted away from him, did not want to hear him, to see him, worst of all to feel his TOUCH.
"Vergil, wait!" Dante scrambled up, grasping at his chest as he took off after Vergil. He hadn't quite expected THAT, but of course, he HAD hurt his brother, had hurt him badly, and he didn't fault him really. He slipped, and while he was trying to get back up, Vergil had gotten further away, and now someone was blocking his way, though he didn't see the other demon standing there as he started to go towards Vergil again.
"OOMPH!"
He'd plowed right into the other, and after hitting the ground, he blinked hard and looked UP--FAR up-- gulping audibly. At eighteen, he was still prone to his childish moments, and this was likely going to end up BEING one of those moments.
"Y'ah gottah watch where you're GOIN', young'n. Yoah QUEEN bebah is takin' off, and yuh gotta let him COOL off sommat. Yuh done hurt him, did'n yuh?"
Judas threw back his ankle length mane, and turned to look at the middle brother, now at his side, looking down at Dante balefully. "Leave him to me, Judas. I am not joking, go back topside, back to your fucking mansion in the mud. I have business with the sons of Sparda. You KNOW this."
"Yoah watch yuh MOUTH, Consty. I got to teach yuh who's the big devil agin? Yuh doan HOLD a lesson too well, do yuh?"
"Listen to me--he is dangerous, and now that the --change--failed, it's not as if he's any USE to us!"
"Git yuh ass outta heah, Consty boah. I'm handling it, see? Me and this boah, we met that time befoah, he knows to be a good boah, now doan he? I saved him from yuh THEN, and I reckn' I do it agin! GIT! I mean it, now git, boah!! "
It hadn't been a pretty meeting, Dante had been demonslaying, and Constantine --who was ever looking to HARM the twins of Sparda--had been about to deliver some pretty deadly damage to the youngest-- Judas had stepped in and knocked his ass to next week--Dante, however, had not really seemed to GET that there was friend as well as foe, and Judas had finally released him, though grudgingly.
Constantine retreated, furious. But this was not over. He looked to where Vergil was still fleeing, and smiled.
And followed.
Judas kneeled down to Dante, grinning.
"Yuh remember me boah?"
"Gee, what the Hell gave you THAT idea?" Dante sighed, moving to stand up, glaring over at Constantine. "Consty? Great Hades, man, are you gonna LET this backwoods idiot call you that?" Regardless of if Judas had saved him before or not, the youngest Sparda was NOT exactly intelligent enough to know when enough was enough and when he should just shut the Hell up.
He barely spared either of them a glance as he started to move past them, "Dude, I don't care what you have to say, he's pissed, and I gotta make this right. YOU--prissyman--stay the fuck away from me, 'cause next time, I won't be caught off-guard." He found himself barred in by Judas again, and his patience was starting to wear thin.
"If I were you, I'd back the fuck off. I might not be as big, or as badass as you, but when I'm fuckin' pissed, I can and WILL kick your motherfuckin' cajun ass from here to the very Bowels of this Gods forsaken place and BACK again." He was starting to glow slightly, and he was certain that his Devil Trigger would be even more powerful now that he was essentially HOME... but he was wondering if it really WOULD be enough to make good on his rather detailed threat.
"Boah, yuh dumber a rabid addled SKUNK, ain't yuh! Don't yuh know, that there's mah brotha, and I SAVED yer worthless lil ass from him, AGIN. You got a funny way of showin' gratitude, but that's okay, I reckn' yuh learn eventually."
He moved faster than the eye could really follow, and hefted Dante up and onto his shoulder, swatting him on the ass as he did so. "Nuh stop WRIGGLIN, boah! I'm takin yuh sommre SAFE, till Consty gits this out of his system--he goan to look foah yuh bitchbrother, and I know he has a bad intent. Gotta git yuh secured, then I look foah Vergil, deal? Yeah, DEAL."
He headed for his own little place in Hell, and as soon as he got Dante tied up GOOD, he was going to look for Vergil, to TRY to save him from Constantine.
Vergil finally turned at bay, as Constantine cornered him-- "What do you want, you filthy bastard!"
He was still weak, and not in any condition to do this. But he had no choice, it seemed, and this was the evil bastard that had torn the family apart, murdered his parents--he was willing to do battle, even in this sad shape, he was, and he stood his ground bravely, eyes flashing, even as Constantine slowly drew the long and deadly length of Fatality. "You want me, come and get me, scum!"
Constantine only SMILED.
This was to be SAVORED.
"Y'know, I'M not the damsel in distress, VERGIL is, and I can't HELP him if I'm trussed up like a prizebuck!" Dante was struggling as Judas tied him up, not making it EASY, but not getting away. "Come ON, SERIOUSLY, fuckin' let me GO! Big bastard, fucker, pickin' on people half your size!"
He GLARED at Judas, "Just because you SAVED my ass before doesn't mean a damn thing! I'm NOT some little pussyboy you can shove around, I have a lover, and I need to GET to him!!"
As Vergil faced off with Constantine, in the fight of his life--Dante would soon see that Judas meant to KEEP him--and there was no two ways around it. The big alpha devil really meant him no ill will, nor even to Vergil, but he was taking a serious liking to Dante by this point--even if the young demonkiller had no use for HIM.
OR any gratitude for being saved, for having his ass RESCUED, yet again.
"Boah, I GOT to go after them, yu kinna HANDLE it, mah brotha gonna wipe the floor o' Hades WITH yuh ASS, boah, now simmer down and lemmi go get yer little bebah--jest rest EASY, Dante-boah, yuh gits so fired up, and hell, boah--yuh a YOUNGN' still, doan yuh GIT that yet??"
He shook his head and took off, ankle length mane swaying as he hurried away, leaving a quite helpless Dante Sparda to curse after him as he would.
AND TO BE CONTINUED IN REVELATIONS, THE SECOND PART OF THE FURYVERSE SERIES.