A/N:Because of the title, there's a bit of fluff in this chapter


CHAPTER 6: VENUS RISING

"Tell me who admires you and loves you, and I will tell you who you are."
-Charles Augustin Sainte-Beauve


The centaurs looked down at us as we were falling and I heard one of them yell, "We were supposed to retrieve the girl! Curse that demon! We should have taken care of him!" Their voices faded as we started our descent down, but it was Vergil who with his once former metallic self, perhaps the demon part of him, exploded with wings that took us to our salvation. They spanned out and he captured me, taking me by surprise. The stars spangled out and as Vergil caught me, in both his arms. I clutched at him. My arms naturally went round his neck. For a mere moments, we were pressed together, and he swooped us from the lower depths of rivers edge to the night sky. My cheek was pressed against the cool steel of his hardened features. I chanced a glance at him and saw the true demon form.

I felt a wave of something utterly new to me. Fear? Discomfort? But as we climbed higher, the centaurs from a distance at the edge of the cliff still threw arrows at us. This time, I knew they were aiming at Vergil. Perhaps the arrows that struck me did some damage. As I looked down at my body, still holding on to the demon, the arrows had disappeared as well as my wounds. Vergil's deep timbre woke me from my shock, they were sweet to my ears, despite his current metamorphosis, "Now you really have to get me out of here, huntress. They're likely to stalk me down until they try to get to you."

"I don't understand. Where did they come from? Are they too trapped in this dream realm?" I felt the strength of his arms round me, and I knew I wanted them there forever. Maybe it was the feeling of flying in the brisk of the cover of the night, underneath the supernatural feel of exploding stars and falling planets. The smell of mixed sweet scents muddled my senses and the strong metallic arms, flesh and bone, held me as we lifted higher and higher. I felt I had come home at last.

I gave a cry of shock because I had longed for something like this for so long and never knew what it felt like. Until now. This madness, perhaps from the dreamy quality of the atmosphere, brought me to my senses as he set us upon solid ground. I still held on to him, my arms round his neck as he transformed himself back to his human self; his silver hair falling around his temples, remarkable against dark lashes that shaped around steel blue eyes. For a second we remained so, holding each other, clamped together, while my feet barely touched ground. Then he gave a wordless cry. It sounded like shock and loathing. He disentangled my arms and pushed me away from him, "Is this your way of extracting what you need for your father?"

My legs would not support me as I trembled violently from the reaction that I felt when I was near him. My head spun and my heart pounded in my throat, "I don't even know what I'm supposed to get for him! If it's something you own then I shall take what I need!"

I felt shame creep to my cheeks. Perhaps he thought I had clung to him harder than I needed, after I was safe from falling. A sense of conceit swept over me, like a frozen external wave; because I realised I had been longing for something I could never have. Perhaps because I never knew a mans affection, be it even in the distinct form of rescue with a demon. Disgust was plain on my face as I rubbed my bruised ego.

He stood over me, his face hardened in that usual expression. A breeze picked up and cinnamon engulfed me. His hands were in fists and it were as if he were fighting something back, "Are you ready to get me out of here, huntress?"

I started my way up to my full height, anger singing through my brain, "Why do you call me that name? If it's a hunt you want, let's play that game then, shall we?"

He chuckled, a glint of amusement shadowing his boyish features, "A girl with spunk. Arkham wouldn't have produced a mere wall flower. I'll give him that much at least. Let's begin."

We were at the other side of the dividing ravine and where the mechanical waters flowed below. The Centaurs were so far now and we could see that they had departed, perhaps looking for ways to get to the other side.

Because I was so angry at myself and my reaction, my fingers itched for something dangerous, but I didn't imagine that before I could conjure up the ability of weapons to procure what it is I should take from; be it a lock of silver hair, a piece of his demonic energy through means of blood. The noise behind me stilled my imagination and a pair of white dogs growled menacingly, their teeth bared, ready to attack me or Vergil. But the demon before me, with his sly smirk and cold eyes whistled at the hounds and grinned at me, "Looks like our little battle would have to be postponed."

They obeyed their master or so it seemed that Vergil was their owner. They crouched down on all fours, now whimpering as the silver haired devil gave a slow smile, "They won't hurt you. They're my companions here when I'm in trouble." He looked at my surprised expression.

"You think this is all pretty amusing?"

My brain took the advantage, "The myth…Orion in the stars, and the hounds that protect you……," ending it with a whisper.

His light blue eyes flew to mine and there was a sense of pleasure there, "Have you figured it out yet?"

"Poison….you're poisoned….right?" I stammered, coming to my senses, "No…wait.." Reaching out, my hands slightly shook as they closed in on his face. Vergil did not move and as his expression hardened at the contact of my flesh, his body tautened. It was as if he despised my touch.

Narrowing his eyes, he grabbed my fingers before they could trace the contours along his face and murmured, "Do you believe in absolute evil?"

It was a question out of no where but his hands tightened around mine and I flinched, "Yes. I do. Because good comes from God. And you….."

I realized too that he is part demon and although the human part of him is there, would not the demonic side of him taint his blood? His jaw ticked and the breeze picked up. It appeared as if the stars around us blurred and hung like ornaments on a Christmas tree.

He came closer to me, "I am not from God, is that what you wanted to say? That I am absolute evil?"

"I thought once that we are all born pure and innocent and that no one is evil until they have chosen their paths."

What an odd conversation we were having where just moments before, we were attacked by a group of centaurs, and now in the middle of a dream, we stood silhouetted underneath the public eyes of bright hot stars. My philosophy continued, eager to tell him that I thought he may be all that is evil and because I was feeling foreign earlier. In the strength of his arms, I may have been deceived and manipulated by that evil. "It is opposite from God, it is a backward kind of perception."

He then let go of my hands. They felt hot from his touch. He breathed a ragged sigh, "And I am evil?"

I challenged him back, "You are a demon are you not?"

The corner of his lips lifted, "Damned proud of it too."

"You must despise your human blood." I whispered, backing away from him. "Tell me then, demon. What do you know of the real reason for my presence here? Am I not more than your tormenter and your healer?"

The dogs started to bark and we both turned to see the approaching centaurs, their hooves creating a smoky signal from their hooves upon gravel.

"I think an exit is in order…." Then he looked at me, "You were the very reason why I'm here, huntress. You're also the only one who can get me out."

"Because my father locked you up in here?"

Vergil growled at the approaching unwanted company, "I don't know about you, but I'm not running this time. You should ready yourself, huntress and prove your worth. I can't always protect you."

"I don't need you to protect me in the first place!"

My own feminist reaction balked at the way he sneered at me for shielding me last time, "They want me not you, right? So why do you even stay around?"

When the centaurs approached, the older one with the beard pointed at Vergil, "This time, young demon, you cannot escape our arrows."

He had also pointed at our backs and I turned to see what he meant. There were more centaurs at the other end of the cliff. In this realm there was only one way to go and that was down. Or up. And the way things looked, up didn't look possible and the waters bellow were not inviting.

Vergil gave me a quick sidelong glance, "I like a challenge, that's why I stick around, huntress."

Then the dogs charged at the Centaurs and a volley of arrows flew at us. The white hounds zig-zagged away from the deadly blows and one of them managed to fall atop their prey. The bearded Centaur kicked the other dog. A whimpered sound came from the hurt creature. Vergil conjured a long thin sword, which looked like a samurai and charged...