Jeanne stared wistfully around her room, taking it all in. For years she had lived here as her home. It had served to be the roof under her head ever since she had stowed away to this island. And now here she was, getting ready to leave it all behind and come with Vergil back to the mainland.
She stared out of the window, seeing Vergil chop down the trees without his coat. The Nephilim couldnt help but sigh softly, stilling her beating heart from the wonderful sight. She couldn't help but wonder when it had happened. When had she fallen for the Son of Sparda. Was it because of his skills as a warrior? His power and heritage? His cold and mysterious personality? Or was it because they shared a similar story of tragedy?
It didn't really matter, did it? Jeanne was attracted to Vergil. End of story. Did she have any plans to say something to him? No. She figured Vergil was the type of person to keep people at an arm's length because of his past. But still, that didn't stop her from her feelings.
The half-angel shook her head and continued to look through her personal belongings to check if there was anything of worth that she should bring along. Apart from her change of clothes, her locket and Uri, her sword.
"Hmmm. I'll think it over later. I need to cook us our supper."
Jeanne pushed aside her thoughts and headed off to the kitchen. Just in time, Vergil walked in, carrying a stack of logs for them to use as fuel. She nodded at him in gratitude and got to cooking while Vergil threw the rest into the fireplace.
"A few hours left until we depart for the mainland. Are you ready, Jeanne? To leave everything behind?" he asked while he set the logs aflame.
"Ready as I'll ever be." she responded while she efficiently sliced through the vegetables, scooping them up and dumping them into the pot. "By the way out of curiosity, I wanted to ask you something. Your accomplice... Arkham. Do you trust him?"
Vergil scoffed, watching the fire roar as it grew bigger and brighter. "I have no doubt that he'll try to double-cross me once we've obtained the necessary keys to fully erect the Temen-ni-gru. He sacrificed his loving wife to both further his study of the black arts and in attempt to become a demon as well."
"I see..." Jeanne couldn't help but scowl at the thought of sacrificing someone she cared about for such a thing. "So he's the type of person to kill someone for the sake of power, rather than to use it to protect. How revolting."
"More or less." Vergil commented. "And that's exactly why he'll be useful to us. At the very least, until we reach the last gate."
The blonde begrudgingly nodded in agreement. "You've a point... It'll be 'interesting' to meet him when the time comes."
"We will worry about that when we get to the mainland." said the Son of Sparda as he made himself comfortable on the chair, grabbing a book to read to pass the time. "For now, we wait."
She nodded and went back to cooking their stew. Vergil felt his eyes drift away from his book and right at Jeanne. The cambion was plagued with thoughts he never thought would get. The thought of being.. intimate with someone.
Ever since that day, he fully dedicated himself to completely his quest for power, never bothering to even acquaint himself with anyone, under the fear of experiencing the pain of loss once again. And yet, he couldn't stop himself from this rapport that he had built up with Jeanne.
Perhaps, a part of him was tired of being alone, and wanted to feel what it was like to be cherished again. To have someone genuinely by his side. Vergil sighed and placed down his book, losing his interest due to his thoughts. He really did enjoy Jeanne's presence. The days he and her spent together, either training or simply conversing with each other, but to what extent did it reach?
The hour ticked by. Jeanne finished preparing their supper and plated it out on to the table. Vergil pushed himself up and sat down on the table as the two nodded at each other and started eating. Both half-lings ate in silence, not having any topics in mind to discuss with the other. Until...
The blonde dropped her spoon and felt the hair on the back of her stand up. Vergil looked at her slightly with worry before his eyes narrowed sharply, sensing something approaching. The duo nearly jumped out of their seats when they heard a knock on the door.
Jeanne looked at Vergil as he secured Yamato on his person. He adjusted his ascot and nodded firmly. The Nephilim nodded back and approached the door. She twisted the knob and opened it up to only to be swiftly impaled in the gut.
The blonde lurched forward and spat out blood at the sudden attack. She looked up and saw a man in the uniform of the Order, most of his face obscured by the hood, but she could see the sneer on his face as he twisted and further plunged his blade deep inside her.
"Finally... I found you, little angel~"
A Mirage Blade zipped forward and aimed for his face. The man grunted and ripped out his blade from Jeanne's gut, disappearing in a flash. Vergil Tricked towards her and caught the woman before she fell. His eyes narrowed in concern as his gaze fell onto her bloodied stomach. For some odd reason, her wound wasn't closing up.
"What...the hell?" she gritted out, just as confused as he was. "Why isn't it healing up?"
The man reappeared, sword help up high to strike them down. Vergil reacted promptly and parried the strike with his scabbard. Twirling around Yamato, Vergil sent him up with an upper slash before crashing him back into the ground with a downward strike. The man rolled around before being stopped by a tree in his path.
Mirage Blades materialized by Vergil's side, all poised to fire at a moment's Dark Slayer regarded the stranger with narrowed eyes as he slammed the Yamato back into her sheath.
"What do you want with us?" he questioned.
"...I have no quarrel with you, Son of Sparda." The man just stood up as if he hadn't just been slammed against a tree. "The Nephilim is my target."
Jeanne struggled to stand, despite Vergil's non-verbal insistence for her to remain down. She glared at her assault with confusion written all over her face. "Why?! I've done nothing to you! We've never even met!"
"...You exist. That's reason enough for me to kill you."
Once again, the man disappeared in a blink of light, alerting them both. With the small window, Vergil called forth two Vital Stars into his hand and passed it along Jeanne to finally heal her wound.
"Can you stand?" he asked as he kept vigilant of his surroundings.
The Nephilim nodded and pushed herself up, calling out Light's Vengeance to her as the hole in her stomach closed up.
Flashing right in front of them, the man dashed forward and lunged right at Jeanne once again, but this time, she was prepared. She drew out her blade and deflected the man's strike. Twirling around, she struck him multiple times then stabbed him in the chest.
Before she could follow up on it, the stranger sucker punched her, disorienting the blonde. He swept her off her feet with a leg sweep then roundhouse kicked her right into her own home, causing the walls to crumble down on her. Vergil surged forward with incredible speed and stabbed him right in the heart.
"Foolishness." he mocked, before harshly ripping out his and Jeanne's blade. He held both sword in his hands and wielded them with as much efficiency as he could, furiously slashing at his person before hitting him with an cross strike, taking the man aback.
The man fell to his knees, coughing up blood. He growled angrily and tore off the already ruined uniform he wore and suddenly began glowing brightly. Vergil's eyes slightly widened in surprised, feeling as though he had felt this before.
"I gave you a chance to walk away, Son of Sparda. Don't say I didn't warn you!"
The half-demon then realized what it was. He HAD felt it before. From Jeanne. Except this, was far more potent and pure than her energy. He looked up as the man ascended and revealed his true form.
An angel... He was facing an actual angel. Like Jeanne, his entire skin had become chrome white, a halo appeared above his head and two pairs of feathered wings sprouted from his back. The main difference was that his face twisted into a mask, resembling a snarling demon.
The hostile angel roared and headbutted Vergil, discombobulating him. He snarled and lashed at the Dark Slayer, hitting with speed that he could barely keep up with. Every strike that he inflicted on the half-devil brought him absolute agony. Like pouring salt onto an open wound.
Clenching his teeth, Vergil expelled out his demonic energy and detonated it right in the angel's face, blowing him back and giving the Dark Slayer some reprieve. He hissed as his wounds sizzled before finally closing up.
Cracking his neck, Vergil dashed forward and proceeded to a counter attack while his enemy was still dazed. He smacked him twice with Yamato's scabbard before drawing her out and dealing a two-hit strike. Slamming her back in, Vergil grunted and furiously slashed away at the mythical being with his movements being nothing but a blur, repeatedly drawing and sheathing his blade.
Tightly gripping his dark-forged blade, Vergil swiveled around and performed the last hit, a slash attack across the stomach. The angel staggered back, head to toe covered with cuts. Before he could recover, Jeanne swooped in and slammed against his stomach, picking him up and ascending into the air.
"Have a nice flight!"
Once she reached a high enough altitude, she threw him down. Channeling energy into her eyes, Jeanne roared and fired out two beams of light, blasting him further down. Vergil Tricked over and infused the Yamato with his demonic energy, slicing hin through the stomach. He conjured up Mirage Blades above the man and pinned him down.
Jeanne landed down right next to the cambion, staring angrily at the angel. "What the hell is your problem with me?! Why the hell do you wanna kill me?"
The angel simply cocked his head, remaining cool. Before he suddenly exploded in anger, baring his teeth towards the two. "There's nothing I hate more than impure beings! We angels are supposed to be epitome of pureness and beauty! That's why... That's the reason I'm hunting you down, nephilim. The thought of your existence revolts me. After I kill you, I will go for your little sister next!"
The blonde growled and charged right at the angel with fury in her eyes. "I won't let you touch a single hair on her!"
Grunting, the hostile man popped the Mirage Blades out of his limbs and enshrouded his wings around himself to defend against the second barrage of Vergil's Heavy Storm Blades. Jeanne roared and raised up her blade to strike him down. The angel parted his wings to blast her with his own beam.
She grunted in surprised and lowered down her weapon to block the attack. Jeanne focused, before throwing herself to the side and speeding towards her assaulter. Vergil circled around and moved to attack from behind, Yamato drawn.
The angel remained silent, waiting for the right moment. He looked at his two opponents as they grew near, swords in the motion of going down. Then, at the very last second, he flickered away, leading to Jeanne and Vergil striking each other instead. He capitalized on this and reappeared just behind them, going into a crouch and lashing at them with a leg sweep before pushing himself up and kicking them into the sky.
Giving them no time to recover, the man blasted them with a barrage of his sharpened feathers, littering their skin with gashes. Ceasing his attack, he roared and fired his light beam at Jeanne. Vergil grabbed her by the shoulder and teleported back onto the ground.
Without pause, Vergil quickly charged at the angel, as Mirage Blades materialized circling around him, and ruthlessly slashed through him before lifting him and himself up the ground with a rising spiral cut. He continuously dealt out swift strikes as his blades kept on hitting him before they eventually shattered.
The Dark Slayer grunted and slammed back Yamato into her scabbard before seemingly drawing her out by just a bit. "Kneel before me!" he declared, performing a Perfect Judgement Cut, severely carving up his opponent with multitude of slashes.
Dropping down, he slid back and repeated his signature move for two more times, until he allowed the heavily wounded angel to fall with a thud. Jeanne grabbed him by the hem of his shirt and plunged her blade into his gut, making him cough up blood in her face. The nephilim wasn't amused and headbutted him, breaking his nose.
With him discombobulated, Jeanne went ham and hit with a cross to both cheeks, before grabbing him by the head and smashing his chin against her knee, breaking it and launching him up. Vergil flashed above the man and descended down with a loud cry, slicing him in two.
He sighed deeply as he slid his blade into her scabbard with a satisfying click. Vergil grunted, looking down at the bisected corpse in disappointment. "Was that all an angel had to offer. Disappointing." The Son of Sparda turned his back on him and walked up to Jeanne.
Then, they were blinded by a sudden flash of light that originated from the two halves of the supposedly dead angel, greatly disorienting them. Vergil cried out in shock and pain as a blade pierced him from behind.
"Vergil!" she cried out in worry, before having her arms grabbed behind her back by the angel, before being stabbed by the same blade as well.
Vergil gritted his teeth as his body seemed to shut down, unable to even lift a single finger. Finally, their vision returned and the both of them saw two angels on each of their sides, holding them back. A hand gripped him by the hair, yanking it back. The angel looked down on the cambion with a sadistic sneer.
"What was that about me being disappointing? Has your mind been changed yet, half-breed?"
He materialized another blade of light and stabbed it right into Vergil's stomach, making him gasp out blood as his body could no longer handle standing up, and slowly went to his knees, dropping Yamato. Jeanne struggled to lift her body, but like Vergil, she couldn't even move her fingers. The angel walked around Vergil, giving him a look of contempt and disapproval.
"As a sign of my respect to the Legendary Dark Knight, I thought to show you mercy and let you walk away. But instead, you spit on my offer and allied yourself with this filth. So be it then. You shall share the same fate I planned for her!"
Reaching down, he grabbed the dark-forged blade with a sadistic gleam in his eyes and pulled it out of its sheath.
"And what better way than to kill you with the sword made by your father! But first..."
He turned around and faced Jeanne, giving her the most menacing grin she has seen. The angel stalked up to her slowly, dragging Yamato across the grass. Vergil gritted his teeth and kept on trying to free himself as, for the first time in years, fear washed over him.
Once again, he was about to lose someone he considered dear to his heart, while he could do absolutely nothing...
The angel laughed sadistically and swung down the Yamato with all that he had, slicing through Jeanne's body. The nephilim cried out in agony as her body wracked with so much pain. The angel tossed aside the Yamato and drew out his own sword to finish the job.
"Now... Die, you feculent scum!"
He drove his blade right into her heart, making her gasp out for air she couldn't get. The blonde looked at Vergil with so much fear in her eyes, who could only look back with regret and sorrow. The angel made sure to twist it around to make it hurt even more before finally ending it. He ripped out his blade, coated with her blood.
"N-No...! Aurora..." Jeanne gasped out before falling back, the life in her eyes fading away before her entire body dispersed in balls of light.
The Son of Sparda remained silent, face etched with disbelief. No... That didn't just happen. Jeanne did not just die. She did not! And yet the facts before him were laid bare. Raindrops steadily started to drip, before heavily pouring down on the two with thunder accompanying it.
"That's step 1... Now for step 1.5."
Vergil looked absolutely despondent, looking at the ground instead of anywhere else, ignoring his surroundings as he was all focused on his grief and recent lost. He didn't even notice his hair had fallen down. The angel grunted, staring at Vergil with pity. He walked up to the half-devil and raised his sword to tie up this loose end.
"Farewell, Son of Sparda. May you rot in hell!"
Before he can even move, lightning struck down from above and completely engulfed Vergil while he roared in absolute fury, Triggering into his Devil form. The angel was pushed back by the sudden transformation, taken by surprise. The blades that were embedded in the Blue Devil shattered, finally allowing him movement.
"You...shall die." Vergil promised. He stretched out his hand and called the Yamato back to him. Without any other word, he Tricked out of sight, bringing the angel apprehension.
He looked around and heightened his senses, trying to predict where the cambion would appear. His eyes widened as numerous of Judgement Cut spheres started materializing before him. He gritted his teeth and flew up to avoid them, only to realize that they were following him.
The angel couldn't outlast them forever and was constantly struck by the dimension-cutting technique, brutally rending his flesh. The attack stopped as Vergil reappeared, sheathing back Yamato back. He ran a hand across his head, conjuring up Spiral Blades around him.
Before he could recover, the Dark Slayer pulled himself towards him and started throwing out a series of attacks. Vergil clobbered him twice with Yamato's scabbard before drawing her out and swiping him up into the air. Following after him, Vergil dished out quick and consecutive slashes at the man before bringing him back down with a dive kick.
While still in the process of recovery, Vergil growled like a monster and furiously swung his blade, manifesting numerous Mirage Blades around the angel with every strike in Storm formation. With one last strike to the chest, Vergil pushed him back and turned around, as his form dissipated.
"Rest in peace..." He sarcastically taunted while slamming Yamato back into her scabbard.
The Blades launched themselves and skewered the angel in every part of his body, bringing him so much pain that he fell to his knees. Vergil's eyes narrowed and focused. He spun around and drew out his beloved sword, decapitating him with one strike.
The half-devil frowned as his blood splattered all over his face. He flicked off the blood on his blade and wiped off the one on his face. Vergil watched as both the head and corpse and exploded into balls of light, just like how Jeanne had died.
At the reminder of the blonde, Vergil felt his mood grew somber. He ran his hand through his hair and slicked back into its original position. Lowering his head, he closed and his eyes, staving off the tears that threatened to break, and whispered his goodbyes to someone he could call a dear friend.
"Farewell, Jeanne..."
He tucked Yamato back into her sheath as he grabbed his cloak among the wreckage. He wrapped it around his person and started walking back into the main city to head to the docks.
Vergil coldly walked into the mansion where his accomplice resided. His face bore no emotion, apart from mere indifference. Then, a man with heterochromia and a scarred face walked out of the shadows and into the half-devil's path.
"You've returned. How was Fortuna?"
Vergil grunted and simply walked past Arkham. "Nothing of use. The Order of the Sword will pose no threat to our plans, that I can assure. Unfortunately, there books held no other way to access the Underworld."
Arkham didn't look to bothered by it as he followed after the Son of Sparda. "How unfortunate, then. Though you stayed an entire month on that island. Surely it wouldn't have taken long to scour the libraries that exist within that land. Did you have fun there, I wonder."
Unamused by the man's words, Vergil grabbed Yamato and held it threateningly close to his throat. "Utter another word, and you will find your head right by your feet."
Arkham simply grunted and pushed away the katana from his throat. "My apologies. It's been a long day, I can tell. Rest up. The preparations are complete. We just need to start the ritual, and send an invitation to your dear brother."
Vergil held no reaction and simply walked off, probably to do as Arkham suggested. His minds flashed to all of the great moments he spent with Jeanne, making him unconsciously clench his fist at the reminder that she was dead.
"No more..." He silently vowed to himself. "No longer will I remain weak. Just one more day, and I will obtain power absolute. Only then, will I no longer lose anything I hold dear. I will be able to protect not only them, but myself."