20th January 9:00am

Cyra unlocked the front door to the Devil May Cry early that morning. She knew Dante was going to be in some other town for a demon extermination mission and brought a bag of breakfast and other goodies for him. She didn't like him always ordering pizza to sustain himself, especially since he has a bad habit of not paying for it. Setting the breakfast down on the kitchen counter, she remembered something… Seven months ago, they made plans to make pancakes together and never did. It was such a silly fleeting thought and didn't realize how… intimate that could've been.

"You're up early," She heard a voice. Cyra jumped and turned around to see Vergil sitting at the desk, looking at the paper sitting in front of him. She pressed her hand to her heart and exhaled. Admittedly, she was glad it was Vergil, but it didn't completely take her nerves away.

"Not used to anyone being awake here this early…" Cyra said.

"You often break in at 9 in the morning?" Vergil asked.

"Not lately. I wanted to surprise Dante with breakfast before he left," Cyra said.

How sweet of her acting like his housewife, Vergil thought. His eyes glanced back to the paper, "Seems like demon activity is increasing. If I go with him, I could clear out twice as many demons in the same amount of time," She rejected the idea last time, but he tried bringing it up again.

Cyra smirked, "Only twice as many?"

"In my current condition, at least," Vergil said giving her a short slanted smile.

"I think in your current condition, you should stay put, I'm sorry," She said tearing her eyes away.

Vergil just couldn't read her habits. He couldn't figure out how she can go from smirking at him to instantly acting shy. What was either of them saying to make her change her demeanor so much? He was great at observing people, but she was an anomaly. Perhaps she didn't want to reject his ideas. The only logical reason for that would be because she's afraid of him, but he'd humor her and believe that she wasn't. There has to be something more, Vergil thought. Cyra glanced at his silence and saw he was looking at her, "What?" She asked softly, blushing.

How easily she blushed, Vergil smirked, "Nothing."

"Are you mad about not going on a demon hunt with Dante?" Cyra asked him.

Vergil noticed her tone. She did sound worried that she might be letting him down. Vergil walked over to set his coffee mug in the sink, and turned his body to face Cyra, "The only thing I'm angry about is this parasite trying to kill me," He said looking down at her.

Cyra took a slight step back, feeling too close to him, "O-oh," She said starting to look away.

Vergil brought his hand up and tapped the bottom of her chin, making her to look back up at him, "Hm," He let out a tiny grin while looking into her eyes, "Take care," He said and left the kitchen, walking passed a curious looking Dante. Vergil knew he was there and wanted to put on a bit of a show. Dante rolled his eyes knowing he was just trying to mess with poor Cyra, and judging by her face, it worked.

"You're letting him wiiiin," Dante said casually, walking closer to Cyra.

"P-p-pan-cakes…" Cyra muttered loud enough for only here to hear.

Dante raised an eyebrow, "What?"

Cyra snapped out of it and cleared her throat, forcing Vergil out of her mind, "Pancakes! I brought pancakes!" She forced out a bit too loudly.

Dante tried his hardest, but he couldn't stop the wide grin from spreading on his face, "You are such a mess."

"Sh-shut up and eat your pancakes!" Cyra said and crossed her arms.

"I already told you he's not going to stop as long as you keep acting like this," Dante said, still smiling.

There was a part of Cyra that wanted to believe Vergil wasn't doing it just to tease her; that maybe he liked her or at least enjoyed her company. She shook her head, No, that's ridiculous… She convinced herself. They hardly knew each other. Vergil was a half demon with a sort of royal presence to him. Cyra was just a baby deer, as Dante once put it. She knew it… There were so many reasons why Vergil couldn't like her, but at the same time, did she even want him to? Was she ready to move on? "I'm gonna go. Good luck on your mission, Dante," Cyra said and started heading out.

"Whoa-" Dante lightly grabbed her arm to stop her, "I'm sorry, Cyra, I wasn't trying to-"

Cyra pulled her arm back and forced a smile, "No, no, I just have a lot of work to do."

Dante watched her walk off, feeling guilty. Why did he feel bad? He didn't do anything, he reasoned. Damn it, Vergil… He turned to dig into the food that Cyra brought. She was way too thoughtful for her own good.

When Cyra got back to her own lab, she went straight for her notebook. She had about a dozen orders to complete. Her eyes glanced over to a seperate notebook page that had Vergil's name written at the top. His problem was much more important to her. She was going to cure him. It wasn't even for Dante anymore; it was for Vergil. After her current tests, she wasn't making much progress, but she wasn't going to give up. There were more tests and more experiments to do. Her mind started to drift back to earlier that morning. The memory of standing so close to him and the way he looked at her made her heart flutter. He was truly breathtaking. If he was just toying with her, then life truly wasn't fair. Cyra took in a large breath of air and exhaled slowly trying to push the image of him out of her head.

Perhaps fulfilling some of her other orders would help that, and perhaps spark some ideas for new experiments to try for his cure. Locking herself in for the rest of the day, she got to work, determined to end up at least one step closer to finding a cure.

But no such luck.

21st January 9:22pm

Vergil was in the basement of Devil May Cry, alone, re-doing the same sets of sword techniques. He needed to keep his form strong, even while in his weakened body. If anything, he was just learning to deal with how at peace his mind was. It was faint, but he could hear someone descending the stairs to the basement. Dante was still off on his mission. Lady and Trish never went downstairs. That only left one person. His eyes were closed, but he smirked, trying to time this perfectly.

Cyra needed a stress reliever after working so hard. When she reached the bottom step to turn the corner, something sharp flew passed her face, scaring her to her wits. She screamed and ducked down, covering her head. After she realized she wasn't in further danger, she looked up to see a sword sticking out of a wall. She peaked around her to see Vergil walking up, a smug smile on his face, "What the hell, Vergil! Are you actually trying to kill me!?" She shrieked, standing back up, legs wobbling. Her head was still right next to the sword.

"I had it under control," Vergil said hardly able to contain that smirk. He got much closer to her than he needed to retrieve his Yamato from the wall, but anything to make her more nervous.

"I want nothing more than to wipe that smug look off your face," Cyra glared. That wasn't true. There was something else she wanted to do more.

"Is that a challenge?" Vergil asked.

"To punch you?" Cyra asked.

"Let's make it fun," Vergil twirled the Yamato a bit, to position it back into its scabbard, startling Cyra. He rested it on a table near them and walked towards the mat, "If you manage to hit me once, I'll tell you my side of a story Dante I'm sure managed to butcher," Vergil said.

"Alright, and if I don't?" Cyra asked carefully, walking to the mat.

"Are you doubting your ability?" Vergil asked, smirking again.

Oh, that smirk… She could look at it forever, "Just making sure I'm not walking into a trap."

"Hm, smart. If you don't manage to hit me, you have to tell me one of your stories," Vergil said.

"Any story?" Cyra asked, starting to stretch her shoulders.

"A secret that you alluded to the other day," Vergil clarified.

Cyra thought about it. So she'd either have to talk about how she gets her money, or why eye contact was so hard? They could be part of the same story, she thought, "Alright. How many punches can I throw before the winner is decided?" Cyra asked, twisting her torso, continuing to stretch.

"Up to you," Vergil offered.

"...20," Cyra said.

"20! I was expecting closer to 100," Vergil said.

"Wha! You really think I'd need 100 chances to land a punch on you!?" Cyra stopped and asked, face turning red.

"I may not be at full strength, but a 1% chance is pretty generous for a human," Vergil said confidently.

Cyra glared, "20."

Vergil was impressed by both her confidence and her stupidity, "I look forward to your story. Ready when you are."

Cyra tightened her fists. She gave herself a moment to keep her composure. She was going to look like a fool in front of him, and she knew it, but she was determined if it meant she gets to beat a story out of him. Who was she kidding, he was right. He was still a half demon. However, he's a swordsman not using a sword while Cyra practiced using her fists for decades… even if she was a bit rusty.

With an exhale, she leapt forward trying to get the surprise attack in. Vergil caught her fist and used her momentum to push her passed him, now facing her back. He had to urge to push her forward. Cyra spun a kick behind her, which Vergil blocked with his forearm and pushed her leg up, trying to make Cyra stumble. But she broke her own fall with her hands.

Using that momentum, she sprung back up throwing a few more punches, which Vergil all deflected, and he sweeped a leg to trip her. Cyra hit the mat with her back and Vergil kneeled down near her, "5," He said. He was counting? Cyra thought as she kicked herself back up, making Vergil stand up and back away.

Cyra feigned approaching him, which Vergil did not respond to. His reflexes were too fast, Cyra thought. She'd have to make him catch a punch to throw him off guard. Come on, she thought to herself. You've beaten tougher, faster...

She purposely threw a weak punch that'd he'd catch so she could jab with her other hand, but Vergil cut her off and kneed her in the stomach. Not enough to hurt her, but enough to make her back off. Cyra went down on one knee to clutch her stomach. She was waiting for Vergil to say something, to mock her, but he said nothing. Cyra wished he'd say something… The silence was ridiculing her enough.

Cyra leapt up and threw a flurry of punches, Vergil scrunching his face a bit trying to keep up with blocking and deflecting. She was certainly quicker than he thought, which was a pleasant surprise. Perhaps she could be taught a few things. Once again, he used her momentum to push her away, but instead of letting her go, he twisted her arm behind her back so she couldn't move, "14," He said behind her, mouth near her ear.

Cyra wished she was angry enough not to swoon, but she couldn't help it, "I can't break your guard," She said gritting her teeth due to her arm being twisted.

"Do you give up?" Vergil asked, still behind her ear.

Cyra threw her head back into his, causing him to let go of her arm. He was stunned and this was her opportunity to elbow him in the stomach and throw a jab to his chest. His body didn't react much to her hits other than a slight stagger backwards, but the fact that she landed a hit made her jump back with a wide smile, "I did it!" She cheered, but her smile started to falter when she noticed his stance.

Vergil was dead still with his eyes locked onto hers. Cyra didn't move. She felt something was wrong. Vergil took a step forward and Cyra took twice as many steps back, "Vergil?" She asked softly. Without much warning, he charged at her, crashing her into the wall. The hit knocked the wind out of her and forced her eyes to close from the impact of her head on the wall. She fell to the covered floor, trying to open her eyes again only for dread to set in at the sight in front of her.

A blue demon, glaring daggers into her eyes was hovering over her. His demon form? She's seen demons. She's been around demons. But this fear stunned her and made it unable to move or scream. She couldn't even react because she was lifted by her shirt and thrown to the other side. It was luck that there was still a mat there, giving her a soft landing. That throw wasn't exactly light. Cyra opened her eyes and looked at the demon walking toward her, unable to process what to do. How is he able to go into that form without feeling pain? "Vergil!" She shouted trying to knock him out of it, "Please listen to me, you have to get out of-" She yelled before the demon form fell to a knee and started groaning. Soon enough, the demon form faded, revealing Vergil again, clutching his chest from the pain. One hand was on the mat, trying his hardest to keep himself from falling over.

Dante ran up to them, Cyra wondering where he came from, "Cyra, stay back," Dante said. He stood over Vergil, but had his sword out just in case.

Cyra tried to get up, but she was in much more pain than she thought, preventing her from moving much, "He needs a vial…" She said. Vergil was in the same condition he was in when she first saw him. Body writhing in pain, hands looking like they were trying to dig into his body to rip out the source of the pain.

Cyra used all of her energy to push herself up and run upstairs, using the walls to help carry her the way. She went up to find the box of vials on Dante's desk. Thankfully, there were 2 left. She grabbed one and a syringe and made her way back. The head trauma making it slightly harder to focus, but she managed to make it all the way over. Dante was trying to lift Vergil's arm over his shoulder to bring him upstairs, "Wait, Dante…" She managed to say.

Dante peaked over to see Cyra bringing over a vial. She kneeled in front of Vergil while Dante held him down, but Cyra was shaking too much. He noticed her eyes were struggling to stay open.

"I can do it," Dante offered.

"No! You have to hold him," Cyra fought back, She uncapped the syringe and went into the vial to pull out the blood. With Dante holding Vergil's body and arm down, Cyra managed to plunge the needle into his arm and release the blood. Pulling the syringe out, she threw it off to the side and passed out on the mat.

"Shit," Dante muttered to himself. Vergil was still feeling the pain from the parasite, and Cyra may have a concussion. He went over to Cyra and slapped her face lightly, trying to get a response, "You have to stay awake!" He kept saying. She opened her eyes a bit, clearly unaware, "Cyra, stay awake, you know what concussions are," He told her.

Cyra nodded, but tried to lay back down again, closing her eyes. Dante shook her awake again, causing her to open her eyes, "Cyra! Stay awake for like one minute okay, I'll be right back," Cyra nodded and sat up against the wall. Dante turned to Vergil, "Vergil, you pain in the ass," Dante lifted Vergil's arm up finally, but he protested.

"Cyra first," Vergil muttered slowly, clutching his chest in pain, but knowing that relief would wash over him soon.

Dante didn't need to be told twice. He went over to Cyra and lifted her up bridal style to take her upstairs. He couldn't take her to a bed to sleep for obvious reasons. He knew the next best thing. The shower.

Cyra screamed in shock as the cold water was washing over her. All she wanted to do was get out, but Dante held her back, "What the hell are you doing!?" She yelled.

"You hit your head! Making sure you don't fall asleep," Dante said grinning that it worked.

Cyra didn't need to be reminded from her pounding headache. She remembered the altercation with Vergil, but she couldn't focus on anything other than freezing in the water, "I'm fine, I'm fine, I won't go anywhere…" She said holding her head, shivering.

"I'll be right back," Dante reassured as he went to go grab headache medicine and a towel for her to use after the shower, should she need it. Being in a coma was one thing, so was hypothermia. Damn humans for being so weak.

Meanwhile Vergil dragged himself upstairs. That damned parasite sure knew how to drain all of the energy out of him. His own fault really, for instigating a fight with Cyra, but how was he supposed to know that she would hit him and trigger some violent response. Must be the parasite trying to take control. He felt like he was running out of time all over again, yet this wasn't something he could purge himself of with the Yamato. He got to the couch in the lobby and sat down on it. He ran his hands through his hair, pushing the strands back as he listened to the shower over Dante and Cyra's voices.

Dante walked back out of the bathroom and closed the door behind him. The shower shut off shortly after. He turned to Vergil, "You okay?" He asked first.

Vergil was still rubbing his chest, but waved off Dante.

"Don't wave me off, douchebag! You could have killed her!" Dante said.

"You don't think I know that?" Vergil drawled out.

"Then what the hell happened!? You know you're supposed to take it easy!" Dante shouted. The bathroom door opened, revealing Cyra, fresh from her impromptu shower. She was still soaked in her own clothes, but hugged the towel around herself. Vergil couldn't look at her, but Dante glanced over, "I can't even leave for two days!?"

"It was my fault," Cyra said.

"I really doubt it was your fault," Dante said.

"We were just supposed to spar, but as his doctor, I should have known better about physical activities. It was my fault," Cyra said again.

Dante sighed and looked to Vergil, "Don't let it happen again," He said, ignoring Cyra's admittance. He knew Vergil had something to do with it, "Cyra, did you want to stay here tonight? You might have a concussion."

Cyra shook her head, regretting the movement due to her head pounding, "I'd rather go home. Don't have a change of clothes here."

"I can give you some of mine or something," Dante shrugged.

At what Dante offered, Vergil had to get a look at Cyra's face and just as he expected, she was blushing lightly while looking at the floor, "I-I'm fine, really." Vergil couldn't help but grin at her response. It was so predictable, he thought and went back to looking elsewhere.

"Promise?" Dante egged on. Cyra smiled and nodded, regretting it since her head was still pounding.

Cyra's hand shot up to hold her head, "Yeah," She said through a groan, "It's not a concussion."

"Well, I'm gonna go take my own shower, unless either of you plan on wrecking my shop in the next 5 minutes," Dante said and walked to the bathroom, whipping Cyra's towel off of her and closing the door behind him. Moments later, the shower was heard going on.

Cyra suddenly became cold and knew that it was Dante's way of telling her to hurry up and go home, but she had to give another long glance at Vergil. She hoped he was going to say something first, but he was clearly still waiting for the pain to fully fade away. Cyra just wanted to sit next to him and wait with him while it went away, "I won, by the way," She said quietly.

Vergil slowly turned his head to her, "So you did."

Cyra smiled hoping that there wouldn't be any awkwardness between them. He didn't smile back. Instead he got up and went upstairs to his room, making Cyra's smile falter. Vergil closed the door behind him and silence fell around her. Her eyes fell onto Dante's desk where the box of vials was resting. There was one left which meant she had to hurry up and make more just in case. A sigh escaped from her mouth, regretting what happened. She just hoped Vergil wasn't angry with her. He had to know that she didn't want him to suffer through that pain and it was an accident. Stupid, Cyra, you didn't even apologize… She thought.

Just when she felt like she was actually bonding with Vergil, it blew up in her face.