Disclaimer: Yeah... I don't own DMC or anything related to the franchise... sad isn't it?
AU: After debating for a long time, I decided to give this story a go and put it out there. It served as an outlet for writing frustation and also something that I really wanted to make. I hope you enjoy it, and please let me know if you want me to continue.
One large pool of dark energy flourished at the front of a run-down building, the sparks of blue light shining against the windows and the faded-out sign right above the hardwood double door.
Two sets of steps fell on the dirty sidewalk as two silhouettes stepped past the portal. And with a soft click, the living rift twisting the air closed off in a rapid, violent rush of light.
"Maaaan, sure is good to be back." Stretching his arms and bending back, Dante let out a stifled sound.
Giving the man behind him a small glance, the legendary devil hunter walked over towards his shop, casually scouring into the broken boxes to the side of the entrance.
"Look at that, at least they had the courtesy of putting it back." He chuckled as he pulled a set of keys from within a half-melted cardboard box.
Whistling unconcernedly, Dante wrestled with the doors for a moment before he opened his shop, pushing both sides with a strong shove. The sound echoed inside and out, the walls lightly shaking with the impact.
As he entered and took a long breath in, Dante turned back to see his brother still standing in the street with a neutral/irritated look on his face.
Raising both arms, the white-haired Hunter quirked an eyebrow at the other man. "The places ain't gonna bite you. Come on in, brother. Mi casa es su casa and all that."
Vergil stared at his brother, or glared, but considering how the man's face is most of the time isn't easy to distinguish his present mood.
Clenching his hold of the Yamato, Vergil walked into the shop, politely wiping the sole of his boots on the half carpet past the door, and then he walked past Dante, taking his sight to the old couch resting on the back.
Taking a seat on the middle section of the couch, Vergil pressed the tip of the sheathed Yamato on the floor, his gaze resting on Dante for but a moment and then drifting to the complete state of disarray of the place.
"Disgusting…" Vergil breathed out quietly after he spotted the remains of a half-eaten pizza lying to the left of the small table on the side.
For the times they got to share, the elder son of Sparda has learned of his brother's lack of manners or discipline, but seeing the condition of the man's house is vexing even still.
"Yo, Verge. Are you hungry?" Dante, who had disappeared to another room further into the shop, shouted out before popping his head on the hallway. "I found a few slices of pizzas on the fridge, want some?"
Glancing at his brother, Vergil had half the mind growl his negative answer, but to say that he is not hungry would be a lie. However, before he could consider the idea of eating something as degrading as half-eaten pizza, he noticed the unsettling lack of lights on the house, even the cracked jukebox by the window doesn't have any of its neon-like lights shinning.
"No… Thank you." Vergil replied simply.
"Suit yourself, more pizza for me." Dante smiled, going back to the kitchen.
Not long after Dante came back to the large living room/front office with two slices of pizza in his hands. "So, gave any thoughts about what to do now?" He asked Vergil, then stuffed his mouth full of the dubious amount of cheese.
Vergil gave his brother a slightly uncertain glance, then he glanced forward again, swaying the Yamato back and forward.
"That won't do, bro. I know we just came back from hell, but you will have to deal with it at some point." Moving over, Dante shoved his brother to the side, taking a seat on one side of the couch as Vergil begrudgingly settled on the other. "And I noticed that during the time we spent down there, you didn't mention him once."
A long sigh escaped the elder twin. "Dante, this is foolishness."
Quickly a hand came flying to the back of his head, irking Vergil more by the fact that his brother has both hands dirty with food. If no by the fact that is practically covered in blood, ashes, and dirt, he would otherwise impale Yamato into the chest of his insufferable buffoon of a brother.
"Let me make myself very clear, Vergil. This isn't one of our fights or disagreements. You have a son, that is just reality. And the least you can do to him is acknowledge his existence." Pushing himself straight up, Dante moved over to his large office table, sitting on the padded chair and pulling his feet up. "Nero's a good kid."
Vergil closed his eyes and grunted a quiet reply.
"Despite you yanking his arm off, he still fought to save you." Dante continued. "And let's not forget that he beat your ass. That should earn a little respect from you, no? Maybe a faint sense of interest?"
"Dante…" Vergil warned with a calm tone, despite the fierce edge to his voice.
"Really Vergil?! We dropped that bombshell on his lap and then we left." Searching for a calendar on the table, Dante gave up after fighting a little with the stack of bills and papers piled upon each other. "We've been gone for who knows how long. You should give at least a try-"
Yamato crashed loudly on the floor, the loud bang being enough to make the younger twin shut up and glare at his brother.
"The boy has lived his life fine without me." Vergil said calmly, despite the furious glare on his expression.
"That's bullshit and you know it!" Dante yelled, waving one hand angrily at his brother.
"And what you expect of me?!" Vergil yelled right back.
"I expect you to try." Dante's anger cooled down. Leaning his back on the big chair, he moved one hand to the old phone and continued. "The way I see you, you want this just as much as the kid, or else you would've disappeared as soon as we got out from down there. But instead of doing the right thing, you are just scared of facing your son."
A low growl escaped the blue-clad Half-devil. "There is no fear in me or my thoughts, and I resent the very implication of it.
"Yeah, yeah. We will see about that." Grinning as he pulled the speaker to his ear, Dante's expression quickly turned into a frown. "The hell?! The phone is dead." He then got up and flickered the light's switch. "No lights either… really? They couldn't even keep the electricity going?"
On his spot on the couch, Vergil averted his gaze away from Dante with a small grin on his lips. Not that he is thankful that the phone is not working nor because he dreads the thought of who his twin would call, he simply finds funny the vexed look on the man's face.
"Whatever, we can deal with this later. But for now." Dante searched the first two drawers on the desk and smiled as he found what he was looking for. "Ha! It has a little battery left." He then pressed a few buttons on the cellphone and tossed it to his brother. "Just push the green button and put it on your ear."
Glaring at the round electronic sitting on his lap, Vergil took the phone with one hand and frowned fiercely.
"Green button, come on." Dante goaded him with a grin.
Greatly annoyed by his twin's insistence, Vergil slowly conceded and moved one digit toward the lit-up button. Allowing his thumb, a quick press onto it, he casually moved the phone to his ear and waited as it ringed the call.
"Devil may cry, if you got a demon problem, we can help you, if not fuck off." Nero answered in his brazen way of speaking, slightly annoying Vergil on how similar the boy is to his brother, at least in their manners. "Er… hello? If you wanna talk just speak out or I gonna end the damn call."
"Nero…" Vergil replied simply, his voice almost stuttering but he managed to speak with the grace and level that he always does.
"V?!" His son said back confused.
"In a sense." Was Vergil's response, his lips mildly twitching with the shadow of a smile.
"Yeah, it's Vergil, right? My bad... I'm not used to the name yet." Nero's voice came out a little wavering, forcing the young man to cough to get his tone proper and normal. "So, you guys are back?"
"Just recently. Dante forced my hand and I came with him to his… house."
"I didn't force crap." Dante grumbled from the side, earning himself a small grin from his brother.
"Cool… a… you know, tomorrow is a weekend. You guys wanna come over and have lunch? We can call Lady and Trish and make a small welcome back party or… something."
"Party…" Vergil echoed the word, promptly feeling repulsed by the idea of getting together with a group of people.
However, before he could raise his unease of the idea, Dante came over and snatched the phone from his hand.
"Yo, Nero! Dante here. I heard something about a party?" The younger sibling began cheerfully all the while his twin glared at him and complained about his lack of manners. "Of course we are going. Nah, we just need a little time to rest and freshen up. No, no, it's fine. You can tell the ladies about it? I'm kinda without electricity over here and the phone is almost dead. Sweet, see you tomorrow, kid."
Ending the call Dante, dropped the phone on the small table and smiled at the angry scowl he is getting from his brother.
"You'll play nice, yeah?"
Vergil's hand twitched in a need to clench and bring forward a summoned blade to impale his brother. Instead, he reigned in the temper and ran his hand over his hair, combing back the few stray locks that were falling over his forehead. "Does this place have a shower?"
"Upstairs, third door on the left."
Pushing himself up Vergil walked past his brother, carrying Yamato with him without the intention of leaving his blade unaccounted for.
"Tomorrow is going to be fun, Verge. Just learn to relax a little."
Leaving his brother behind without dignifying him with a proper answer, Vergil disappeared into the bathroom, feeling very much tired both physically and mentally.
Peeling his clothes away, he quickly pushed himself under the cold stream of water. Feeling too exhausted to care about the chilling sensation assaulting over his body, he instead just closed his eyes and pressed one hand against the wall.
For a fleeting moment, Vergil allowed himself to feel that one part of himself that has always remained locked away, the part that he almost lost a while ago when V was created.
To freely think about his human part is to peer directly into his past, his mistakes, and his painful memories. Vergil has never allowed himself to stray into that path, it breeds weakness, it peels insidiously slow at his focus, distracting him from his ambition.
Power was always everything in the Half-Devil's life, it filled the void that threatened to consume him whole.
However, now there is more than just his twisted obsession with defeating his brother. Out of nowhere, a new element has come into his life.
"A son… my son…"
Vergil frowned once more. He once had a family, a family that was brutally taken away from him; forcing a young Vergil to learn to survive on his own. It hardened him, forced him to adapt, and press on without looking back.
Now the question tormenting his mind is only one. How does someone like him go about reaching towards a family, towards an estranged son?
It seems that this day has taken a liking to utterly annoying Vergil out of his comfort, as the man now finds himself dressed in the utterly awful pieces of strap his brother calls clothing.
Obviously, he is currently unable to wear his previous garment seeing as everything from his boots to his long dark blue coat is filthy with blood and dirt. And so, as Dante offered a few pieces for him to borrow, much to Vergil's unpleasantness after taking a look at the clothes offered.
Being just as unwilling to parade in the house naked, he settled to wear one pair of pants and a towel around his neck.
Brooding over his inner turmoil, Vergil inspected each bedroom at the second level of the building, begrudgingly choosing the one looking less messy and dusty, which surprisingly enough isn't Dante's bedroom.
Having time to spare and aversion to the thought of spending the night in this dump of a room, the Half-devil tried to clean the mess as acceptable as his sore muscles allowed him to.
After a couple of minutes of cleaning off dust and re-arranging this chamber to something resembling anything close to order, he sat down on the very old padded chair, running one hand over his hair as his mind wandered in ramblings thoughts.
With a quiet squeak, the door opened ever so slightly, allowing a slim figure to slip inside before lightly pushing it close again.
Despite being proud of his ever-vigilant guard, Vergil completely failed to see as the blond woman moved closer to him, a playful smile tugging at her lips.
"Why do I have to learn that you are back through Nero?" She said with a slight purr as her hands casually slid across Vergil's neck.
Instantly Vergil's body shot up from the chair, extending one hand he called out to Yamato, as with the other he grabbed the invader by the neck and slammed her against the wall.
Snarling in fury, he pressed the sharpened side of his sword onto the woman's neck. His blue eyes caught the shocked look on the woman's face, and then he quickly averted his gaze away. "Do not touch me." He growled in a warning, before pushing Trish away from him.
Regarding the white-haired man with slight confusion in her eyes, Trish rubbed her neck with one hand and glared at him. "You're back too…" She said with a lot less enthusiasm compared to just now. "Where's Dante?"
"Out…" Vergil said, if it is as a reply or just an order is rather unclear.
"Very articulative of you." She replied with a small tease, promptly regretting it after the burning glare coming her way.
A loud bang came from downstairs, most likely the sound of the wooden doors slamming against the wall. "Vergil, I brought some pizza! Come and get it while it's warm."
"And there he is…" Trish said in a little comment, their exchange getting more than awkward by the silence. "It was… interesting to see you again." Giving a little wink at him, she left Vergil alone to brood in the bedroom once more.
The elder twin fell to the chair with a very upset look on his face. As he laid Yamato to rest against the wall, he heard Dante greeting the blond demoness, their voices slightly muffled by the walls.
Weighting which one would be worse, him going to bed without eating or having to endure that woman's presence while eating pizza of all things, Vergil decided to pull the towel from his neck and moved over to the large bed.
Lying on his back, he stared at the ceiling with impatience. "In what world will I handle tomorrow if that doppelganger alone is this difficult to bear."
With no clear answer in sight, Vergil just forced his eyes closed. Took little time for the settling fatigue to claim his consciousness into a dreamless sleep.
Tomorrow came faster than Vergil had expected.
It felt like minutes ago when he had laid down to regain some of his energies and now, he is standing here in the middle of the street with a fairly plain paper bag in one hand and Yamato in the other.
As the time for the small celebration Nero has arranged came, Vergil urged Dante to go first, assuring his brother that he had not lost his nerve and that he indeed would attend their gathering.
The simple unsaid explanation for his reason for wanting to come later is simply a matter of etiquette. Contrary to his foolish twin, Vergil has a compulsory tendency to follow things in the most sophisticated manner. And to appear at a host's house without an offering is simply too great of an offense for him to commit.
Now with the small gift in hand, he is debating with himself if he should press the doorbell staring right at him.
The stupid little button just stayed there, as if mocking the feared warrior for his indecisiveness.
Growing tired of his frustrating delusions, Vergil stepped forward and pressed the damned button with one firm press, he allowed his digit to linger there for a brief moment and then pulled back with slight trepidation in his step.
Didn't take long for a muffled voice to sound from the inside, soon followed by a hasty set of steps.
"Oh, you're here." Nero regarded him with a small surprise as he opened the gate.
Vergil replied with a small nod and a grunt. "I told Dante I would come." He then presented the bag forward. "Just needed to fetch something."
Taking the bag with curiosity, Nero felt the shape of a bottle even through the paper. "Thanks man. You really didn't have to, but thanks anyway." He then stepped aside and nodded. "Come in, everyone is inside already."
Stepping in, Vergil mildly cringed after looking to the side and finding an open door leading to the house garage. Before he could make any remarks about the memory of his first visit to the place, Nero walked past him and tapped him on the shoulder.
"Backyard is this way, come on."
Following the young man ahead of him, Vergil took a brief gander around the property. Mostly the front yard with the hint of children at the occasional toy lying on the floor and the big but simple house at the center of the lot.
This small exploration soon came to an end as they reached a corner and arrived at the backyard. Instantly Vergil stopped and stared at the group sitting around a large wooden table, chatting and joking with each other.
Among the group of people, a young woman with auburn hair walked over to them, stopping to talk with Nero.
She took the bag from his hands and then leaned over to the side, making Nero turn and point at Vergil.
"Kyrie, this is Vergil, my ah… father." Rubbing the back of his head, Nero then faced Vergil and raised one hand toward the girl. "Vergil, this is Kyrie, she is my partner and girlfriend."
Taking in a soft breath, Kyrie stepped closer to Vergil and offered him a friendly hand. "Nice to meet you, Vergil."
Studying the girl with a neutral gaze, Vergil noticed her shyness despite the brave face she put in front of him. In a small glance at the two women at the back, he almost felt the need to compliment the girl on her tasteful choice in clothes. But instead, he just accepted her hand and with a gentle motion turned it around to press a soft kiss at the back.
"The pleasure is mine… Kyrie, is it?"
She giggled softly and nodded. Moving a bit closer to Nero, she whispered something to the boy that made him shake his head and grin. "Please, get over the table. We will start serving lunch." She then pressed a little tighter on the bag. "Maybe we can share this with everyone?"
"It is yours to do as you please." Vergil replied with a curt nod.
Smiling at his word, Kyrie skipped her way into the house, leaving the two white-haired men by themselves.
"You heard the lady," Nero said. "Get your ass…" He saw Vergil's eyebrow's quirk and stuttered his sentence into another one. "Just wait there with the others, we will be back in a sec." Rubbing the back of his head, Nero turned to follow after Kyrie but after three steps he noticed that Vergil had yet to take one. "You know, they don't bite…" He then glanced at the three people drinking and chatting. "I think…"
Managing to take a faint chuckle from his father, Nero walked away.
Vergil then stared at the table, debating if he would manage to just cut a piece of the table and drag it to the other side of the yard. Deciding that vandalizing his son's property is not an advisable course to take, he just marched his way into the den of wolves.
"Vergil! I thought you had chickened out, but you came." Dante boisterously called out to him, raising a half-empty bottle of beer in the air.
"I told you I would come." Vergil almost snarled in his response. "And I don't chicken out of anything."
His brother laughed and then pressed the tip of the bottle to his lips. "Well, I will let the world know that the great Vergil isn't scared of a little get-together with his family."
He had half the mind to throw a summoned blade at his twin's beer but managed to reign in his temper yet again. Ignoring the chuckles coming from the other two, he chose the chair furthest away from everyone, at the opposite end of the table.
"I still can't believe he brought the sword." He heard the doppelganger jape, and much to his aggravation the three laughed even if quietly.
Running the fingers of his right hand on the handle of the Yamato, Vergil settled the Dark Sword at the side, leaving it resting against the legs of his chair.
Despite wanting very much to keep his gaze locked to the pleasant scenery of the small garden on the back, Vergil took a glance at the group and almost had the urge to growl viciously when he noticed how close his brother is leaning to the blond demoness.
"Outta the way people, this son of a bitch is hot!" From inside the house came Nico with a large tray heavy with steaming barbecued meat. Her accent almost startling Vergil as much as her continuous cursing. She slammed the thing right at the middle of the table and started blowing her hands.
"Dammit Nico, you almost threw it everywhere!" Nero yelled as he walked out with two pots in his hands, from behind him Kyrie came out carrying plates and utensils.
Nero stopped at the table to argue with the bombastic girl, slowly settling things in place as Kyrie went back in to take a few cups and the rest of the food and drinks.
"So, you are the daddy, huh?" Nico addressed Vergil after she felt that she had enough of Nero's nagging. "Not gonna lie, Nero looks a lot more like Dante than he does you. Probably because of the vampire-like clothes you're rocking."
"Nico! Will you shut up?!" Nero yelled at her again, receiving a large grin in response from her.
Dante exploded with laughter, raising his almost empty bottle at the girl before giving his twin a playful wink. The Doppelganger laughed as well but had the decency of not pointing at Vergil like his brother. The other woman with mismatched colored eyes just chuckled, hiding her mouth behind her beer.
As Nero moved closer to place the plate in front of his father, he brushed the back of his head. "Just… don't mind her. She doesn't mean bad, but her mouth is sometimes bigger than her head."
"Heard that!" Nico complained from behind as she took a seat next to Dante.
Giving a small nod to his son, Vergil didn't offer a comment on the girl's behavior and neither on her words. But curiously enough Yamato is edging dangerously close into his grasp, almost instigating him to commit a very impolite mistake.
Shortly, Kyrie arrived and settled on the table and urged everyone to enjoy the food. Displaying a very courteous manner, she offered everyone a simple glass cup and proposed a little toast with the bottle of wine she brought from the kitchen.
From the corner of his eye, Vergil recognized the bottle and felt a small tug at the corner of his lips when the girl glanced at him and nodded with a grateful smile.
Letting out a very content moan, Lady eyed her cup and then glanced at the bottle sitting on the table with its back turned to her. "This is a very fine wine, which brand is it?"
Being the closest one to it, Trish took the bottle and gave a little spin. "Domaine de La Romanée-Conti, La Tâche." She read aloud, making the other woman gasp quietly.
"Weird ass name. But tasty as hell." Dante chugged the content of his cup in one go and then reached for the bottle to pour himself a little bit more.
"Not weird, just foreign." Trish commented with a soft grin, then took another sip of her cup.
"What year is that? Isn't this a little overboard for a small welcome back party?" Lady asked with a furrowed brow. "Wasn't that too expensive for you two?"
"Well, to tell the truth, Vergil is the one who brought it for us." Kyrie explained, not truly grasping why Lady is so concerned about the wine.
"Vergil?" Dante looked at his brother who is calmly enjoying his cup in small sips. "Tsk, tsk. Brother, if you wanted to bring booze, you should've asked me to help you. We could have dipped in together and brought the double amount of beer we brought over."
The quieter twin ignored his brother's comment, instead, putting his focus on the simple but enjoyable meal in front of him.
"Dante, that bottle you are holding is probably worth four grand." Lady explained.
Dante, who was in the middle of drinking, spat most of it to the side, making Nico jump away and cursing at him.
"FOUR GRAND?!" He coughed a few times before continuing. "How in the hell did you get this kind of cash? And why would you spend it all in a bottle?!"
Facing the stare of everyone present, Vergil slowly reached for a napkin and wiped his lips before glancing at his outraged brother. "It's proper etiquette to give the hosts a gift."
"And you do that with a four thousand dollars wine?!" Dante yelled again, looking down at the bottle in his hand before carefully putting the damn thing down. "God, the number of bills I could settle with that type of cash."
"Settle down, Dante." Vergil growled quietly. "You are being uncouth."
"Uncouth he says." Dante shrugged and then settled down into his chair. "Later we are having a little chat about this money of yours."
Vergil properly ignored the words and continued to enjoy his meal in silence.
After a momentary shock that stunned them, everyone continued to partake in each other's company as normal. They chatted and played around, some giving Kyrie compliments for the food, while others, like Nico and Dante, stirred the conversation away into a boisterous conversation, with the former telling one grandeur adventure after the other.
Feeling rather out of place, Vergil continued to keep his space away from everyone else. Giving as little input as possible whenever his brother called out to him.
All the while during lunch, two people continued to glance carefully toward the stoic man.
Nero watched his father with both curiosity and a small feeling of vexation. Vergil from time to time noticed the glances the boy was giving him and it made him very conscious of himself.
It is clear that Nero is trying to find a way to speak with him, but neither is he finding the words to start it nor is Vergil giving the boy an opportunity to do so.
However, unknown to the hybrid human/demon, a pair of green/red eyes also observed him with a small hint of interest.
Surprising even himself, Vergil managed to stay at that table for an entire hour. Despite the jabs and japes thrown his way, the colder son of Sparda took it all in stride, not wanting to cause a scene.
But as people began to spread a little more over the yard, with Dante and Nero going over to a roughed wall at the other end and some of the others taking to speak a little privately to the side, Vergil slipped away to the quietest spot he could find.
Holding Yamato in one hand, he is standing with his back to everyone else, watching the swaying flowers in the little garden while debating with himself if this is a good enough time for him to leave.
Unsheathing the Dark Blade slightly and then sliding it back in, his mind sways back and forward about opening a portal or not.
"Hey." Vergil stiffened after feeling someone tapping him on the shoulder. Instinctively he drew the Yamato and poised it against the woman staring at him with a concerned frown. "Chill, no need to poke me with that thing."
Frowning at her small smile, Vergil pulled his sword back, allowing Lady to step a little closer to him.
As she offered a small cup towards him, he shifted a questioning gaze between her hand and her eyes.
"Liquid courage." She explained after understanding his unspoken question.
"I don't need it." Vergil turned away, dismissing her offer with a wave of his hand.
Circling around the aggravating man, Lady pushed the cup toward him again. "After sitting there for an hour without saying a word to him, I think you need this."
Growling quietly, Vergil glared at her. He was almost swatting her hand away in annoyance, but his gaze slowly wandered to Nero on the back competing with Dante at throwing darts.
Setting his jaw a little straighter, he casually took the cup in one hand and brought it over to his nose. "This smells like sewage."
"Cheap vodka, the very best for making us loose and stupid." She commented with a smile. "One of Dante's favorites."
He sighed, swirling the drink in his hand. "Why are you doing this?" Vergil asked simply, his penetrating gaze fixated on her duo-colored eyes.
She shrugged, drinking from her own cup. "You came. That shows that you care, that you want to try. Nero accepted you here, he wants you here… he is trying. Not everyone gets a second chance like this."
Does he care all that much? Vergil asked himself that question. Surprising himself, he found out that he cared, at least enough to bear with Dante's constant jibes at him, to bear the constant feeling of uncomfortableness from being around people.
"Fine…" He breathed softly. With one swing of his hand, he downed the entire cup in one go, cringing at the awful taste burning down his throat.
"Atta boy." Letting out a cheerful laugh, Lady decided to risk having Yamato pointed at her throat again by slapping Vergil softly on the shoulder.
The tall white-haired man looked at her with a small frown, but his lips remained neutral if not slightly twitching in a ghost of a grin.
Returning the empty cup to the woman, Vergil swung his coat in the air as he swiftly turned to move towards the other end of the backyard. He marched past the small garden and stopped, giving a small side glance back. "Thank you… Mary."
"Don't call me that! It's not my name anymore." She cried out.
Resuming his march, Vergil just raised a hand in a small wave.
As he got closer to his brother and son, Vergil saw the two arguing about something, with Dante ruffling Nero's hair with a wicked grin on his lips.
"Not bad kid, you are starting to fit into your old man's shoes." He pointed to the target's bullseye impaled with three of the five darts thrown at it. "Always losing to me, like father like son I guess."
"Shut the hell up man! You are up one game and already talking shit?" Angrily walking over the target, Nero pulled the darts out and moved over to the mark on the ground. "Remember who knocked the crap out of you last time?"
Dante snorted. "That was a lucky hit, kiddo."
"Yeah right, sore loser."
"Hey, it was old pops that lost to ya, not me." Dante joked again.
"So be it old man, check this out." Nero arched his arm, preparing to throw the dart.
However, before it could leave his hand a set of five small summoned blades came flying past him, one cutting the air dangerously close to Dante's face. Each and every single one of the tiny blue blades impaled the dead center of the target with the last one hitting with enough force to tackle the prop into the ground.
"Five to five, that beats your three," Vergil said simply, stopping next to his brother to give him a cheeky grin. "Guess which one of us lost this time, brother."
"We're playing darts over here, not tossing spiritual swords with pinpoint accuracy." The younger twin grumbled. "Whatever Verge, I'll toss you a bone this time. I wanted to get another beer anyway."
Tapping his twin on the shoulder, Dante made a motion with his head towards Nero who walked over to place the target back in place. Then, the legendary demon hunter walked away toward Trish, the blond promptly tossing him a bottle of beer.
Nero walked back with the darts still in hand, he glanced at his father and nodded. With a strange silence getting over them, Vergil watched as the boy tossed one dart after the other, smiling a little when his son cursed for missing the last one.
"Kyrie…" Vergil tried to start from somewhere that would get his son's attention, and it got his attention fairly easily, as Nero looked at him instantly. "She seems to be a good person."
Nero smiled. "She's amazing. I mean, I don't know where I would be without her and the kids around."
"Kids?" Vergil questioned with a slightly startled expression.
"The orphans from the orphanage, three of them live with us now." The boy then crossed his arms and shook his head. "Relax, you're not gramps yet."
Humming a short reply to his son, Vergil crossed his arms as well. Despite the small 'boost' given by liquid courage offered by Lady, he still has very little idea on how to approach the boy.
"Father, father, where are you going." Nero began out of nowhere, making Vergil look at him a little confused as he continued. "O do not walk so fast. Speak father, speak to your little boy, Or else I shall be lost."
With a faint smile tugging at his lips, Vergil turned to properly face his son. "The night was dark no father was there. The child was wet with dew. The mire was deep, & the child did weep. And away the vapour flew." Unfolding his arms, he ran one hand over his head, combing his hair back. "You read it."
Nero nodded. "Not all of it. It's an interesting book, to say the least, but I'm getting there." Brushing the back of his head, Nero glanced away from his father's peering gaze. "If you want it back… I can go get it for you."
"You may keep it," Vergil said raising one hand. "It's yours… until our proper rematch."
"Sure thing, old man." Nero grinned at him. "Hey, Kyrie is looking a little overwhelmed by those two." He pointed to his girlfriend looking rather dazed while Trish and Lady are chatting with her. The girl looked at Nero and gave him a pleading look. "Do you mind if I?"
"Go." Vergil just replied, managing a small smile to reassure the boy.
Giving his father a thankful nod, Nero turned to leave but before he stepped away, he stopped and looked at Vergil again. "Actually, do you wanna come too? She wouldn't mind it."
Replying with a short nod, Vergil stepped forward. "Lead the way."
"Hey man, thanks again for coming over," Nero said as he accompanied his father to the open gate. "They must have grilled your nerves into dust, so… thanks for sticking."
"You forget I lived with Dante as a child. No one can be more vexing than that person. Everyone else is bearable enough." Vergil's response was full of mirth, much to his son's surprise. "It was a pleasant afternoon." He then concluded with a formal tone.
"See you again soon?" Nero asked hopeful.
Watching the boy stare at him, Vergil folded his arms but relented a nod. "I'll be staying at Dante's for the time being. That place is disgustingly deranged enough for me to try and fix it."
Nero chuckled. "See you around then. And… feel free to drop in someday. I know Kyrie wouldn't mind having dinner together or something."
"One day soon." Vergil replied, making his son smile at him.
With one curt nod back to his father, Nero stepped back in, closing the gate as Vergil took the Yamato out of its sheath.
Holding his dark blade in hand, Vergil glanced at the closed entrance one more time, feeling comfortable enough in his solitude to smile sincerely at the good feeling in his chest. "I went to the Garden of Love… And saw what I never had seen…"
"What a weird thing to hear from nowhere." He cringed softly after hearing Lady's voice coming from behind him. "Hey, that frown isn't going to work. I saw you smiling when Nero got back in."
"Mary…" Vergil said purposefully, his lips twitching at the annoyed look she gave him.
"How did it go? I saw you talking quite a bit with Nero and his girlfriend." She walked closer, folding her arms against her chest. "Did the liquid courage help? Come on, admit it, it helped even if a little right?"
Moiling over his thoughts for a moment, Vergil conceded a little. "It did… but just a little" He made a motion with two fingers.
"You are welcome. Well, good for you two. Isn't easy, but sometimes the right thing to do is the hardest, right?"
He snorted quietly. "Indubitably. That being said…" Vergil stepped closer and reached for her arms.
Looking at him with a curious gaze, Lady watched as Vergil unfolded her arms and took both of her hands on his larger ones.
Slowly raising it toward him, Vergil placed a soft kiss on the back of both of them. "Once more, thank you… Mary." With a final courteous nod, Vergil let go of her hands and turned in a fluid motion to slash forward two times with his sword.
With a boom of light, a glowing portal opened itself in front of the white-haired half-demon. Giving her one small glance, Vergil stepped right in and disappeared into the mass of darkness, the portal soon closing behind him.
Looking down at her hands, Lady felt a line of warmth across her cheeks. "Oh my…" She smiled to herself. "Now I know how he managed to make Nero."
"Oh god… fuck. Lady, I'm still here!" Nero complained from behind the wall, cringing out of his life.
Softly laughing at the outraged young man storming out away from the entrance, Lady glanced at the spot where Vergil was standing just now, her chest getting bothered by a strange new little itch. "Girl… come on. That's crazy town territory… right?"