Devil May Cry: Would you fight for me?
Written By: Lady Lunar Phoenix
\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\
"I'm how old?" Nero blurted out as he shot up to his feet. Suddenly it wasn't about Dante or the tower, it was the idea that they had time traveled. He wasn't that old, but Dante wasn't 'this' young when he last saw the man either! Leaving Credo and Kyrie just as flabbergasted as they knelt on the ground in confusion.
"So we're in the future, from two different points in your past, Mr. V?" Kyrie tried, her nose was lightly scrunched up in confusion as she tried to fathom this strange change.
Credo was already pushing himself to his feet, using both his sword and Kyrie before Nero rushed in and aided him. It felt monumental to him, the very notion they were in the Underworld 'and' in the future was something beyond what a human could do. 'Humans lack such an ability if this is the work of a demon though... V seems...' As theories and ideas ran by Credo's brain, however; what passed his sight was also telling.
Dante no longer eyed Nero with suspicion and disgust, there was a different light in the mans' eyes. Interest and a spark of excitement, 'well of course if he's in his mid 40s in V's time Nero 'would' be the age of a child...' and suddenly Credo's previous thought came back to him. 'Was' Nero Dante's son? Without an exact age from Dante, it was possible that Nero was already alive in Dante's time or would be soon.
Suddenly as swift as a viper's strike V's cane came down on the hood of Nero's jacket, yanking the young man back. A startled, and uncharacteristic yelp escaped Nero as he was jerked down so that V was now between Nero and Dante. And while V's expression was lost to Credo because of where he stood, Dante's wasn't. The Hunter was startled, his gaze going from Nero to V and then this slow challenging smirk started to appear.
V had brought his cane back down and was resting his hand on it, but the muscles in his bare arm was tense. While his hand gripped the cane's handle with obvious tension, signs of silent territorial scuffling? Credo wasn't exactly sure while Kyrie moved to stand between himself and Nero, a gentle smile on her face.
"Well now that we've been reunited, we can travel to the library Mr. V told us about. After all, I don't recall any tales saying the Underworld is safe for humans." She kept her hand lightly on Nero's arm, ready to tug him into silence before he unintentionally offended someone. While also keeping close to Credo, a nice reminder of the three humans. Much like her brother she had also seen the change of expression and interest in Dante.
'I don't like it, maybe its just how he is, but I wish he wouldn't look at Nero like he's a prize or a steak.' Nero being an orphan left him as prey to a number of unsavory members of the community growing up. 'Exotic prize' was how she recalled one man actually referring to Nero after her parents had adopted him. Not that she understood back then, but she knew 'now' and anyone who looked at him like that set her nerves on edge.
"A library? What type of library would they have in a tower filled with demons?" Nero asked, disliking this strange challenging tension that seemed to mount.
"This tower was built by Sparda to keep the human and demon worlds apart," Vergil began his voice carried on the beats of Griffons wings. Pulling his gaze away from his idiot twin, he brought it back unto the trio of kids... Now that he could see them, he could see other things. Kyrie had made it sound as though her brother was human. But he could see the subtle inflections, in much the way light would be caught and reflected by a gem.
Credo wasn't human, not purely at least, and more over he was sporting a fatal wound from the Yamato. He doubted that Nero used the blade on Credo, but also he didn't sense the sword on Nero's person at all. 'Credo has somehow become augmented with demonic power despite starting out human. And clearly he is close to both of them since he is both Nero's adopted brother and brother in law.' It was almost enough to distract him from his brothers' expression to note this was his daughter in law. That he would throw himself from this tower and when he finally returned to the living world he would have a son, daughter in law, and soon enough granddaughters.
But Vergil recognized Dantes' infuriating expression, he had seen it enough times growing up. When Dante found Vergil with a new item that held his attention. The first thing he did was take it, 'and if I didn't put my name on it mother would just as likely hand it to Dante as back to me. Not that I can carve my name on Nero, I've done enough to the child.'
"Sparda? The Savior, himself, built this tower?" Kyrie's brightened as she looked about, but her enthusiasm slowly clouded with concern. 'If he built it, why is there such heavy emphasis on demons? I mean, the scriptures state that he left all that behind.'
"Indeed, ages ago long before any of us were even a thought in fact." V appeared distracted, his gaze shifting to another door in the room. "But we do need to make haste, when Sparda built this tower it was never intended to house or shelter humans."
Nero moved forward, with Credo slowly getting himself moving, both of them bracketing around Kyrie protectively.
"Exactly, the only humans who have had no ill effects from being here have been born of particular bloodlines or have already given themselves over to demons..." Vergil explained and had to force himself not to look at Credo.
"Ooh I see, and the lady is going to fall over if she stays too long. Fine, fine lets go find this library..." Dante finally leaned back letting his weight fall on his heels before he used his left foot to pivot him around towards the door leading further up into the tower.
The soft sound of leather from his bright red coat was punctuated by Nero's annoyed step, "what about Credo and I?"
"hey don't worry, you're not human it'll be-,"
"Dante..." Vergil snapped, for a moment forgetting that he wasn't in his proper appearance and that he didn't have the Yamato to help punctuate his own annoyance.
But it got the Hunters' attention, turning to notice that Nero was grumbling at the backhanded insult of 'not being human' and fixate on 'V'.
Dante eyed the quartet in front of him, noticing the cute things. The lady had grabbed Nero's demon hand and was trying to hold him back. Because boy did he look mad, while their 'big brother' figure stood back with this speculative expression on his face. There was this strange Vergil vibe that he had when he looked at the man. Stiff back, comically serious, used a similar type of sword that Vergil liked.
He wasn't even human anymore, Dante could feel that much about him already. It just made Dante want to egg him on the way he used to egg on Vergil. Then there was this goth looking stick with a cane. He knew a good deal about the tower, who built it, was clearly experienced in demonology, and rather possessive of Nero.
Then there was Nero.
Kid had Spardas' blood in him and there was only 3 ways he was getting that. If he wasn't from Dantes' time he couldn't be a half brother... though maybe Sparda had kids before and Nero was just the current generation. But if he was from the future, than who else was going to father a fire starter like this guy? Vergil?! The thought was enough to make Dante laugh his head off.
"You think you're human? With a hand like that? Doing the stuff you're doing?" Dante retorted a slight nod to Nero's Devil Bringer. Causing the kid, because he was, to shove his arm behind his back, yeah like 'that' was going to work.
Nero fairly growled in irritation and... was that shame? Was this kid ashamed of what he was? Granted Dante didn't advertise that he was a half demon, those in the know already knew exactly 'why' he was considered superhuman. But he couldn't wrap his head around the idea that his kid wouldn't know...
'What happened to me that he doesn't know he's part demon?' Dante found himself pondering, and feeling this small seed of worry plant itself in his gut.
"The library?" Credo broke into the conversation, turning his gaze to V for guidance. Regardless of what Dante knew or said, his family came first, so as V tilted his head directing towards the door, Credo started walking.
Griffon disappeared into dust that formed more tattoos on Vergils' body allowing Kyrie to pull Nero's attention to how the demon did it. As he complied to her wishes, it left Vergil time to feel awkwardly pleased at having his sons' attention. It also gave him time to study the way the trios' dynamic worked. His son and Kyrie were lovers, but this was prior to that, when they were more family.
"This is part of a tower?" Credo had reached the door and pulled it open, yet instead of another hallway there was a cave? Long and riddled with passages, while red hot lavas' glow illuminated the passages, washing him with its heat. It was also not the hallway they had encountered when the group had descended in their effort to catch up with Kyrie.
"What's wrong Credo?"
Nero pushed past him and walked ahead with V following suit, while he felt the warm gust of wind spill from the open door. He glanced over his shoulder at V, wondering if the man had any idea, thus growing concerned when no. V looked taken aback as well and hurried his own steps.
There was no hiding V's bewildered expression even behind that veil of black hair, as he stepped into the 'hall' and took a look around. "So, shot in the dark but, this isn't part of Temen-ni-gru is it?" The others entered the hallway with varying degrees of enthusiasm with Kyrie jumping in surprise as V gave a sharp rap of his cane on the ground. "Rise."
Dust swirled off into a pool below Vs' feet and out before rising up into the form of Shadow. At the same time the dust in the air re-condensed back into Griffon, both leaving without a verbal order.
"Still can't believe my devil bringer absorbed that birds' feathers, never absorbed something connected to a still living demon."
Vergil wanted to explain, he understood that the 'devil bringer' was part of Nero's Devil Trigger. And that the youth could effect a full transformation, but what reason was there for it to be only a partial transformation originally? Not to mention the smug smirk on Dante made him less inclined, the child identified himself as a human.
Leaving him only able to give a slight shrug in answer, while the larger concern surrounded them. "You said this hallway was, well, normal before?" Credo's prompt nod did nothing to help Vergils' concern. "The Hourglass that got destroyed, the tower moving in time, even your presence makes some distant sense. However; this..." He slipped the cane down so he could point to the hallway with the handle. Regret colored his irritation that this mock up version of Griffon couldn't relay information.
The original that served V often used mental links as well as spoken word to communicate, but the mock up just... lacked the element of life necessary. Yet V did remember something, digging through those memories brought Vergil to the wall where he placed a hand against it. Warmth with the subtle sense of a pulse beneath his calloused fingertips brought to mind the Qliphoth.
'So is this tower becoming an amalgamation?' Vergil found himself ruminating to himself, "We must make haste before the ability to reach the library is either lost to us or made more difficult."
"What did my idiot brother do..." Dante groaned in annoyance as he swaggered further into the hallway and looked about.
"You have a brother?" Nero asked in surprise, his human hand gripping his devil bringer.
'Wait, Dante never told Nero about me? Even in passing?' Fury was a bile in the pit of his stomach. V's memories were of Nero being unaware that Dante had a brother. Instead he had been 'surprised' at the fact, 'So then why did Nero call me back? How could he call me back from the grave if he didn't even know I existed to start with?'
It hissed in the back of his mind, 'you were an accident...'
Demons could be resurrected with a powerful enough Devil Arm and intention, but neither brothers attempted to resurrect Sparda. Vergil didn't know why Dante didn't try, but Vergil couldn't afford the effort to bring back their father. How could he? Sparda died after the fire, somewhere else and never came back for Vergil. Resurrecting him would have been a waste of power and resources. The sword was proof of that, Sparda chose Dante as his heir and protected Dante through the years, while Yamato had not. True the sword gave him the strength to fight demons, but it never shielded him from Mundus' demon squads. Leaving Vergil spending years unsheltered and always attracting demons. Demons that got him chased out of every city, town, and village once the demons...
"Mr. V?
"This part of the tower is alive now, or at least emulating life, its part of a demon tree." He explained with a small frown. "We need to get to the next part of the tower that is not the tree. For this particular tree feeds on the blood of humans..." With that he started walking, gesturing with the handle of his cane for the others to follow.
"Nero? Credo?" Kyrie could be heard gasping their names and the trio was quick to follow him while Dante's weighted steps and presence was felt taking up the rear of the group.
"There... isn't like a medical ward in this tower I suppose, huh? V?" Nero finally asked, comfortable in having Kyrie and Credo with him and now that Dante wasn't picking fights. He was finally able to focus again on Credo. Dark brown, the blood had dried to the point where it appeared to have stopped bleeding. 'I want to think he's ok, but he's moving stiffly if he's healing shouldn't he be moving with more of his normal gait?' Nero pondered as V turned to observe him.
"No, there are statues in the normal..." his lips formed a line, he appeared almost conflicted that caused Nero to frown in answer.
"Either there is or there isn't..." he began causing Credo to hush him with a firm 'Nero'.
"There is nothing to heal a human... I am," V shrugged, "unsure of if what I'm thinking of would have any effect on Credo. There is a chance, but I don't wish you to get your hopes up with false promises..."
"The Goddess of Time statues? You mean those Devil Stars and such, yeah demons don't use them and they have no affect on humans..." Dante pointed out as he noticed pools of blood that began to bubble up from the ground. "Annnd we have company..."
"Damn it... Can you make it back to the other room?" Nero looked over at his family only to hear V.
"They need not run, we can handle these few demons quickly enough that your loved ones will not be in danger." Dust swirled out of thin air around V only to reform as the familiars.
Dante had drawn his own guns and was walking forward as well, leaving Nero to play catch up.
'It even feels right...' Credo was left musing as he watched the three enter into battle. Among the large lizard demons he was free to observe how they moved. Dante clearly keeping Nero in his sights, while V...
"Hey that kill was mine!"
"If I kill it then its mine," V was sitting perfectly balanced on a long spear that Shadow's head had turned into when it stabbed the demon. He had this smug smirk on his face as he looked down at Nero, his cane plunged halfway into the now dissolving demon corpse.
"Oh fuck you," Nero retorted, yet his tone was light hearted, playful even.
V hopped down and followed Nero as the young man charged off towards another demon. His familiars were pushing and baiting some of the demons into the path of Nero's attacks.
Leaving Credo with a strong impression that the pair must have gotten to know each other in the future. How else could V know how Nero fought and fight accordingly to complement Nero's style? 'We never did laugh,' he thought with a pang of guilt. Serious, military style training was all he ever really gave Nero and now that he had lost this opportunity... 'I trusted you Sanctus... And you had to use my family in your plot...'