Lady shielded her eyes against the sun as she made her way through the forest which, up until about an hour ago, she'd had no idea existed. She lowered her hand and glanced briefly towards the sky as a dark cloud passed overhead. The weather hadn't been able to make up its mind all morning, and she hoped her decision not to bring an umbrella wouldn't come back to haunt her.

There was a somewhat pleasant earthy smell in the air as she walked, likely encouraged by the extra moisture in the atmosphere. As she pushed her way through various shrubs and patches of flowers, she took a moment to admire her surroundings. When the sun decided to occasionally show itself, the whole area actually looked rather pretty, and she was surprised she hadn't come across this place before. Then again, it was somewhat out of the way. She'd almost been tempted to decline the invitation, but there was something about the urgency with which she'd been summoned that had made her uneasy, and before she knew it, she was here.

She stumbled slightly as the path became more uneven, and for a moment she was worried that she might have taken a wrong turn and got lost. Concern sooned turned to relief however when the cluster of trees in front of her opened up again. She stepped out onto - somewhat surprisingly - a few metres of decking leading to a large body of water. To the left was a small wooden pier stretching out over the lake, and running along the edge of the decking was a wooden railing of what appeared to be chest-height. And leaning against said railing, was…

Lady huffed and blew a strand of hair out of her eyes before marching over. Sure the walk over had been somewhat enjoyable, but she still didn't actually know why she was here. "This better be important," she said bluntly as she approached. "I had to cancel on Trish for this. I don't know why you couldn't just tell me on the phone like-" Her words caught in her throat as the tall figure turned to face her. The pair locked eyes and her confident stride came to an abrupt halt as her knees seized up. Her hands instinctively reached for her weapons. It took her more effort than she would have liked to force out the next few words: "You're not Dante."

"What gave it away, I wonder?" the man before her asked, running a tired looking hand through his silver locks. Was Lady imagining it, or did his fingers seem to be shaking slightly? Her eyes narrowed.

"Why did you call me here?" Lady asked, her grip on her guns tightening. She didn't dare draw the weapons immediately, not yet. Sudden or unexpected movements around this guy could only lead to disaster. No, right now she was fully on the defensive. One sudden movement from him however, and she was taking her chances. Icy blue eyes bore into hers, sending tremors down her spine. To think someone could look so similar to her goofy best friend, yet instil such an overwhelming sense of fear was still almost inconceivable to her, even after all this time. Lady gulped as the man turned away from her to face the water again. "Answer me, Vergil," she spat when he said nothing further.

The sun broke through again briefly, making the lake sparkle. The fear which had been holding Lady in place faded a little as she watched the dappled light dance across Vergil's features, before it disappeared once more. He seemed… Calm. For a moment, Lady almost allowed herself to relax, before she remembered who she was dealing with. She was about to prod him again when he finally spoke: "Because you seemed the least likely to stop me," Vergil said solemnly.

Lady stepped back in surprise, then asked, "Stop you from doing what?"

Another stretch of silence, then, "I know you and I have not always seen eye to eye. And for that I…" Vergil's brow furrowed and he appeared to glance at her from the corner of his eye. "...For that, I apologise," he finished, sounding strained. His shoulders seemed to sag slightly after the statement, as if some huge weight had been lifted. Lady suppressed a scoff. Hadn't seen eye to eye? Understatement of the year. Maybe ever.

Lady sighed and edged a little closer, opting to lean against the railings herself. He didn't seem to be about to try anything. Not yet, anyway. Even so, one of her hands remained firmly on its weapon. "It's not like we've had much opportunity," Lady said flatly. She could count on one hand the number of times she'd actually seen him since he and Dante got back a few months ago, and even then each brief encounter had been nothing but a tirade of abuse and silent glares. In fact, this might be the longest they had ever been even vaguely near each other without some sort of threat being made. With some reluctance, Lady turned her own gaze towards the water, still carefully watching out for any signs of sudden movement to her left. Not that she stood much of a chance if he actually did intend to harm her, but it didn't hurt to be prepared. She drummed the fingers of her free hand against the wood. "Why did you call me out here?" she asked again when he didn't respond any further. She should have trusted her gut instinct when Dante didn't sound like himself on the phone. Sore throat. Yeah right. She shivered as the first (and only, she hoped) drops of rain started to lightly fall. She glanced over at him again and caught him staring at her, before he quickly looked away.

"Perhaps in another life we might have gotten to know each other better," Vergil said, almost sadly. "Alas, like so many things, it seems it was not to be." He sighed. "I am sorry for any pain my actions may have caused you."

Lady raised an eyebrow. "...Okay, what's going on here?" she asked. This whole situation was starting to freak her out a little. She almost wished he'd just draw his sword there and then - at least she'd know what to expect. She glared at the sky as the rain started to grow heavier. "You sure picked a great day to meet," she said irritatedly, hoping to break the awkward silence.

Vergil shifted suddenly, causing Lady to jump back and finally ready one of her guns. Vergil turned to face her slowly, hands raised. A small smirk had formed on his lips. "Please, if I wanted to harm you I would have done so by now," he said calmly. Lady watched on in confusion as what she'd thought was a weapon suddenly opened up in front of her. Vergil offered her the umbrella with a thin smile, before his mild expression of bemusement became unreadable once more. Lady reholstered her gun and instinctively reached for the handle, then jerked back.

"I don't need it," she huffed. She mentally chastised herself for almost getting within grabbing range. To think she'd let her guard down so easily…

"Are you quite sure about that?" Vergil asked, still holding the umbrella out in front of him. The rain was coming down fast now, and he had to raise his voice slightly to be heard.

"You use it," Lady said, brushing some rapidly dampening hair out of her eyes. "No point in us both getting soaked."

"You're right," Vergil stated, stepping forward so that they were both standing under the shelter of dark blue cloth. "This is much more efficient."

Lady gasped at the sudden proximity and tried to move away, only for a firm hand to grab onto her wrist and hold her in place. Somewhere in the distance, thunder rumbled. "Let go of me!" Lady yelled, yanking herself free. To her surprise, he released her immediately. This time she stayed where she was. They stared at each other in silence as the sound of rain hitting fabric faded into background static. Lady was painfully aware of how loud her panicked breaths sounded to her ears.

"I need you to do something for me," Vergil said at last. He reached into an inside pocket and retrieved two smooth but heavy looking envelopes, which he held out to Lady.

"What are those?" she asked, trying not to let the rainwater from her hair land on them.

"Give the red one to my brother," Vergil stated, "And the blue one to my…" He swallowed. "To Nero."

Lady crossed her arms without taking them. "Hand them over yourself, I'm not a postal service," she snapped. "Did you seriously drag me all the way out here just for something like this?"

Vergil's gaze flickered between Lady and the envelopes, before he turned his attention towards the lake again. "...I can't."

"Why not? You have hands don't you?" Lady retorted. This was all starting to get a bit much. She needed to get out of here.

"...I'm leaving," Vergil stated, looking at Lady again.

"Okay good, about time," Lady said, moving away. "I could have been having cocktails right now-"

"Not leaving here , you imbecile," Vergil growled. "I mean I'm leaving . Everything. Everyone." His grip on the umbrella tightened. "And I have no intention of returning."

Lady's eyes widened and she turned to face him again. "What are you talking about?" she asked in disbelief. "Where are you going?"

"It wouldn't really be leaving if I told you where I was going now, would it?" Vergil said seriously, leaning just a little too close for comfort. He thrust the envelopes in Lady's direction. "Just promise me you'll do as I say and I'll let you go."

"You'll let me go? " Lady asked incredulously. "What exactly are you planning to do if I refuse, huh?"

Vergil looked her up and down then sighed. "Forget it." He turned towards the lake and drew his arm back. "It was naive of me to call you here." He started to throw the envelopes. "And it was foolish of me to have written these."

"Whoa, whoa, wait!" Lady called out, grabbing onto his wrist and yanking him away from the railings. She let out an irritated tut. "I'm sorry, okay? I'll deliver the damn letters if it means that much to you." She was surprised at how warm his skin felt despite the rain, then realised she was still touching him and quickly let go. She stepped back as he somewhat forcefully shoved the envelopes into her hands.

"Thank you," Vergil grumbled. "That wasn't so difficult, was it?" He stepped forward and held the umbrella overhead again as Lady looked for somewhere to store the letters. Eventually she opted for tucking them into the waistband of her skirt, earning a raised eyebrow.

"I wasn't expecting to have to carry anything," Lady shrugged. "I'll keep them safe, don't worry."

"As promised then," Vergil stated, thrusting the umbrella's handle in Lady's direction. This time she took it. Lady tensed up as Vergil's hand moved towards the Yamato then paused. "Not for you," he said dismissively, making his way towards the wooden pier. Lady hesitated then followed behind, holding the umbrella above them both (a difficult task given his height).

"What are you doing?" she asked as he very slowly removed the Yamato from its sheath, perhaps in an attempt to prevent startling her.

"I told you, I'm leaving."

"Okay, but…" Lady brought a hand to her eyes as the sun suddenly revealed itself again, illuminating the sword's blade. Through the black spots now clouding her vision she detected movement, and soon realised that Vergil had returned the weapon to its cover. He stood and looked out across the water for a moment, a small smile playing on his lips. Rain still battered relentlessly against the umbrella above them.

"It seems a fox is getting married somewhere," he said, brushing some hair out of his eyes. Another peal of thunder rumbled across the sky and Vergil's gaze flickered towards Lady. "Or perhaps the devil is beating his wife. It's all nonsense either way."

"I hadn't heard the second one before," Lady admitted, unsure what to make of the sudden change in topic. "I think I prefer the first one though," she added. "Something this pretty shouldn't have something so negative attached to it."

"Unfortunately things aren't always the way we want them to be," Vergil stated, staring across the lake. His expression had darkened again, and Lady felt a faint sense of panic rising in her chest. She gestured at their surroundings.

"It's beautiful, isn't it?" Lady said cheerfully, hoping to distract him further.

Vergil looked at her again. "There is a reason I chose this location."

"Do you know of any other places like this?" Lady asked hopefully. "Perhaps you can show me some-"

"Enough," Vergil said bluntly, closing his eyes. "I can see what you are trying to do."

"I'm not-" Lady chewed her lip nervously. Why did she care so much anyway? They weren't exactly the best of friends. She probably wouldn't even notice he was gone. But then she thought of Nero, and sighed. "Look, you don't have to do this, okay?" Lady said. "Do you really want to leave everything behind after you worked so hard to get where you are now? And… And what about the recipients of these letters, huh?" she said, tapping her belt. "You can't just throw people away like that!"

"This isn't up for discussion," Vergil stated, starting to walk along the pier. "Perhaps I was wrong to call you here after all."

"You could easily have left without telling anyone," Lady retorted, matching his stride with some difficulty. "You could have just left these letters somewhere obvious and disappeared. No one would even realise until it was too late." She tried to catch his eye. "But instead, I'm here. Why?"

"Not everything has to have meaning," Vergil said stiffly.

"Admit it, you were hoping I'd talk you out of it, right?" Lady ventured. "You wouldn't have reached out to anyone otherwise-"

"I wanted to apologise to you in person," Vergil stated, coming to an abrupt halt. Lady almost crashed into him but was steadied once again by a firm hand on her shoulder. "That's all there is to it. Satisfied?"

Lady stared up at him for a moment, trying to read his expression. "Is that really it?" she asked, searching his eyes. His thumb felt warm against her neck and she hesitantly reached her hand up and placed it over his. Vergil's eyes narrowed. "Please don't do this," she begged. "If I go back to Dante and Nero with these letters and they find out I had the opportunity to stop you, but didn't, then…" She shook her head. "Let's throw them away," she suggested. "We can both go back and just pretend this whole thing never happened. I promise I won't tell anyone."

For a moment, Vergil looked like he was considering the idea, but then he yanked his hand free and pushed her away. "Forgive me," he said thickly. A streak of blue flashed across Lady's vision, and for a moment she thought it was lightning until she felt the rush of warm air against her back. She barely had time to register what was happening before she found herself shoved forcefully through the portal, landing painfully on her backside in the woods somewhere.

The rain hitting the leaves around her was deafening, and she quickly pulled her shirt over the envelopes in a desperate attempt to keep them dry. Vergil stood above her, his face shimmering through the thin blue veil of the opening through which she could still see the lake. Lady scrambled to her feet and ran towards him, only to find herself pushed back by some invisible force. "Vergil!" she called out angrily. "Vergil, don't-"

"Thank you for coming," Vergil said shakily, a faint smile spreading across his lips. "Please pass on my apologies to Trish. I'm sure she'll understand."

" Please-" Lady begged, her voice breaking. She watched helplessly as he turned away from her and moved the Yamato through the air, almost imperceptible. A new portal started to appear in front of him, and with it the one she was looking through started to fade. He turned to give her one last wave, and then he was gone.

A/N -

Yeeahhh so... I just checked and apparently I started writing this back in June during a spate of sunshowers that I could see out of the window while working, and then just kinda... forgot about it until now? Sorry it's kinda depressing, but it was an interesting writing exercise to not have a happy ending for once. I hope you enjoy it nonetheless!

The title... I'm so bad at them lol. I based this whole story around a sunshower even though it doesn't really feature in the story much, so that's what you get XD

(P.S. I know I'm behind on my main fic, been very busy and had a bit of writer's block lately but hopefully it'll be back soon! ❤️)