Author's note: Thanks for sharing your thoughts so far, everyone! I love me some drama in fiction, but I'm not a fan of it in real life. Don't worry about any negativity that might appear in reviews. Not everyone is going to enjoy everything, and I realize not everyone could enjoy this story, but I don't really care since I'm having so much fun writing it. It makes me super happy that there are some people who DO enjoy it, so these updates are for you! Also, I have a rough draft of the next few chapters that I'll release when they're ready, so hopefully daily for a bit :)
23rd January 11:45am
Cyra walked into the Devil May Cry with more blood vials for Vergil. She wanted him to be there, but was also afraid of interacting with him. She hasn't seen him since the incident two days ago and desperately wanted to apologize. Maybe that bothered him and he was ignoring her? She wondered, but he didn't seem like the type to get offended over a lack of an apology. It was probably worse to assume. No, she would apologize, if she ever got the chance.
Trish was sitting in Dante's chair, leaning forward resting her head on the palm of her hand. She was playing around with the phone cord, "Morning," She said bored.
"What are you doing here?" Cyra asked getting closer.
Trish rolled her eyes, "Apparently two people can't seem to get along so Dante wants someone here at all times."
Cyra let out a frustrated sighed and dropped her arms a bit, "That's not - Seriously? One time and he gets paranoid?"
Trish shrugged, "Well, you did hire him to protect you and then he disappeared for 7 months, so maybe he's making up for lost time."
"Doesn't he know that job transferred to you and Lady?" Cyra asked.
"I guess this is different, anyway, with his brother in the picture," Trish said.
"I guess…" Cyra muttered and put the box of vials back on the desk, "Whenever you see either of them, just let them know I dropped more blood vials off."
"You okay after what happened?" Trish asked, now sitting up straight.
"Yeah, I'm fine," Cyra nodded.
"Yeah, I thought so. It's almost like you're used to getting attacked by demons," Trish smirked.
Cyra chuckled, "I really can't be mad. It was my fault."
"That's not what Vergil said," Trish said.
Cyra's attention perked up, "Wh-wha-what did he say?" She asked.
Trish laughed, "Oh my god, it's like you're trying to make me tease you."
"I just don't want it to be awkward, okay? I'm supposed to be this guy's doctor," Cyra defended.
Trish narrowed her eyes and smirked, "Yeahhh, you want to give him a check up, alright," She winked.
Cyra's face turned bright red, "Trish!" She squealed.
Trish laughed, "I'm sorry, you just make it so easy! He didn't say anything. I haven't even seen him in days," she lied.
Cyra relaxed, "I guess I'll go do some more tests. Since that's all I'm good for," She sassed.
"Come back later tonight. I think I'm feeling pizza and wine," Trish called out. Cyra nodded and walked out.
"What do you gain from teasing her?" Vergil asked, fully aware of being a hypocrite. He turned the corner from the kitchen where he was waiting, and headed for the front door.
"Hey, I've known her long enough. Better question is why are you avoiding her?" Trish asked.
"None of your business," Was his response and he walked out.
Trish rolled her eyes, "Children; both of them."
23rd January 12:20pm
Cyra was supposed to go back to her lab to work on samples, but she instead decided to walk through the market. It was a lovely day for being the end of January. The sun was shining for once. There was an Unholy Water run planned soon, but she had some time to prepare. Her list of customer's orders was almost fulfilled and she could finally focus all of her attention on Vergil. Thankfully whatever portal Dante and Vergil opened up to come back hasn't been giving them too many problems and the devil hunters were able to handle them. Maybe the demons finally took the hint that humans didn't want them around. That or there wasn't an actual demon king, this time.
Someone tapped Cyra on the shoulder to grab her attention. She jumped at first from the contact but turned around to see a man in his late 30s smiling at her, "Y-yes?" She asked, defensively.
"Are you Miss Cyra?" He asked eagerly.
Cyra didn't give her name to most of her customers. There were only a few she let it slip to, but almost everyone referred to her as Panacea, still very much to her dismay. She never liked having an alternate identity name, but word of mouth was much too powerful. Who could this person be, she wondered, "No, sir." She said politely.
"No, no, you must be! I'd recognize your face anywhere," He said still smiling. Cyra tore her eyes away and drew herself in further, "Oh, let me explain! I'm Frederick. You gave medicine to my sick mother a few months ago! My, the angels must have sent you themselves, because she's all healed! Doing yard work and everything!"
Cyra relaxed a bit and smiled, able to make eye contact, "Oh, I'm sorry I didn't recognize you, sir," She said calmly.
Frederick shook his head, "No need! Some of us aren't fortunate enough to have as much of a memorable face as you."
"I'm very happy to hear your mother is all better!" Cyra forced a smile, trying to ignore the compliment.
"Would you like to come by for dinner tonight? She'd be so excited to see you!" Frederick offered eagerly.
"That's very sweet of you to offer, sir, but I have a lot of medicine to work on," Cyra said with a smile.
"My you are a treasure," Frederick said and started digging into his pockets, pulling out money, "Please, let me pay you for-"
Cyra held her hands out, stopping him from handing her money, "N-no, thank you. I don't accept payment for my medicine."
"Whatever the world did to deserve you, I will never take for granted. I will pass on the message to my family that I saw you and are doing well," Frederick said and walked away, Cyra nodded to him. Cyra let out a breath of air.
What she didn't know was that Vergil followed her into the market, observing the interaction. He didn't plan on following her, but he noticed the stranger acting suspicious once he saw Cyra. Vergil was careful to stay hidden. The way she got nervous when that man spoke to her, getting defensive even through a smile; it reminded Vergil of how she acted when she was around him. He got close enough to hear the stranger invite her over to dinner which Vergil just frowned at. How forward, but he felt proud of Cyra for denying in such a professional way. At least she wasn't afraid to tell people no. She was just a scared little bird afraid of leaving her nest. She has fans, he thought. It could be dangerous, especially if she's offering something as precious as medicine for free. One person can take that too far. A moment later, Cyra went out of her way to avoid a male merchant so she could speak to a female merchant instead. Her body language completely changed. She seemed relaxed. Vergil made a theory about his new distraction that day. The little bird might be afraid of talking to men in general. This is going to be fun. He couldn't wait to figure out continued passed Cyra, out of the market, following the man who approached her.
Cyra felt a chill go up her spine. She turned around expecting someone to be standing directly behind her, but she didn't notice anything weird.
Vergil was closing in on where he assumed Frederick to live. He kept a short distance from him just in case he became wise to being followed, but something told him this man wasn't too bright. Frederick turned the corner and started talking to people, causing Vergil to slow down his pursuit as long as he was in listening proximity, "I saw Cyra!" Frederick cheered.
"What!? She actually leaves her home!?" Another male voice was heard.
"She's in the market right now! If we all follow her, she won't have anywhere to run!" Frederick said. Vergil furrowed his eyebrows at hearing this. Of course they were up to no good…
The men turned the corner and Vergil took out his Yamato and tripped Frederick with the scabbard, making his face plant into the dirt. He shoved the hilt of the Yamato into the second man's stomach, causing him to topple over, the force making him unable to catch his breath. The third man stopped dead in his tracks and Vergil had his blade pointed an inch away from his face, "You will do no such thing," He warned.
"Who the fuck are you?" The third man asked.
"I see you anywhere near Cyra and I will cut off your hands and feed them to the crows. Understood?" Vergil threatened.
"What's it to ya!?" Frederick asked getting up, "Look, if you want part of her goods, we can share! She has an entire warehouse full of stuff!"
Vergil threw a side glance at Frederick and whipped the Yamato's blade across the stranger's wrist, cutting his hand off. Frederick screamed as his hand fell off his arm. His friends ran off, ditching Frederick, "I do not like repeating myself," Vergil said.
Frederick scurried off beaten and bloodied. Vergil whipped the blood off the Yamato and sheathed it. He turned to go back to the market hoping Cyra didn't get caught up in any more trouble. How oblivious she is, he thought.
Vergil has been purposefully avoiding her for two days. Learning that even he was a danger to Cyra, he figured it was best to keep a distance and keep their relationship professional. The least he could do was keep her safe from others, as well as himself. Much like Cyra, Vergil was also playing mental gymnastics in his head, even if he didn't think so. Had he met her years ago, he wouldn't have thought twice about her, but due to his recent acceptance of his humanity, Vergil was able to appreciate her company. He found her attractive and amusing, but it didn't matter. Messing with her and using her as a new distraction was probably too dangerous. He managed to convince himself that he just saw Cyra as his doctor and that if anything harmed her, he wouldn't be cured, and that his sudden protective nature over her was purely for selfish reasons. Simply because that's how he was used to feeling.
23rd January 3:30pm
Cyra made it back to Devil May Cry with a bag of goodies she got from the market. Trish wasn't at the front desk anymore, but Dante peaked from the kitchen with a beer in hand.
"Dante, it's barely afternoon!" Cyra said.
"It's Friday, give me a break!" Dante defended, sitting at his desk.
"No, it's not, it's Wednesday," Cyra said as if Dante was crazy.
"Okay, Miss Doctor, you got me. I'm drinking while the sun is up on a Wednesday," Dante said unapologetically.
Cyra smirked and held out the bag she bought from the market, "Do me a favor and eat one fruit a day. I don't care which one."
Dante took a long swig of beer, "Aww, look how cute you are trying to make me a healthier man," He said and belched.
Cyra would have blushed if she weren't so disgusted, "You're repulsive."
"And you're not my doctor, so you can't tell me what to do," Dante grinned.
"Do you even have a doctor?" Cyra asked him fully knowing the answer. He, of course, didn't need one.
"Nope," He said and threw his head back to drink his beer faster.
Cyra eyed him curiously, and dropped the bag of fruit on his desk, "I take it you had a hard day?"
"Let me get a few drinks in and maybe I'll tell you about my day," Dante said.
"Trish invited me over here for pizza later. I thought about it, but maybe I'll pass," Cyra grimaced at the thought of a wasted Dante. He drank, but it never got that bad.
"Yes! Join me!" Dante said, "It'll take our troubles away."
"I rather like my troubles. Keeps me motivated," Cyra said.
Dante shrugged, "Suit yourself."
Cyra narrowed her eyes, "Maybe I'll see you later then," She said and left the store. Vergil was down the street behind a corner waiting to make sure she got to her bookstore safe. Cyra stopped at her door for a moment before she turned on her heel and continued passed the bookstore, down a street.
Curious, Vergil thought. He continued to follow her, somewhat glad he was suddenly given something else to do. Even if it was just following Cyra around, it was an opportunity to learn about her. One would think this was stalking, but Vergil reasoned otherwise. After all, how else was she going to stay out of trouble.
Cyra made her way to a cathedral at the end of a deadend street. There was almost no life surrounding her, which was a high contrast compared to the lively market she was just in. The cathedral had a dark energy to it, but it was clearly blocked with some kind of magic. A sorcerer had to be responsible for this. Vergil's eyes narrowed, wondering what Cyra could possibly be doing in there.
Cyra pulled the drawstring next to the door, causing a faint sound of bells to echo from within the cathedral. After a moment, the door started to open just enough for Cyra to walk in, then shut just as quickly. What kind of secrets did this woman have?
Cyra's eyes fell upon the sight in front of her and she let out a sad smile. For this cathedral was once her home for two years. More importantly, it was a hospital for excess patients that were injured during demon attacks. Regular hospitals weren't cutting it. In a world where diseases and infections were already such a threat to humans, demon attacks couldn't distract, nor be ignored. That's why this cathedral was littered in hospital beds. Luckily there hasn't been a large demon attack since last June. The good news is that only two beds were taken and the people didn't look to be in terrible condition. There was only one nurse tending to them; someone Cyra didn't recognize.
"My dear, is that you, Cyra?" Cyra heard a voice. She turned her head to see an older woman in a white habit walking up to her, arms out requesting an embrace.
"Lady Amelia," Cyra smiled accepting the embrace. This older woman was her mentor for two years. Cyra was already a doctor beforehand, but Amelia was the woman who taught her almost everything she knew about demons and the supernatural. Amelia hates demons.
"I haven't seen you in months, I thought something may have happened to you," Amelia said.
"I've been a little… preoccupied," Cyra said.
"Are you the Panacea I've been hearing about?" Amelia asked.
Cyra's face turned red, "Yeah, they seem to like that nickname."
"It suits you," Amelia winked.
Cyra smiled, "I'm honored you think so."
"What graces us with your presence?" Amelia asked.
"Actually… I'd like to talk in private," Cyra said softly. Amelia pondered her request, but made her follow her to the back office.
"Something is bothering you," Amelia observed.
"Do you know anything about curing someone from a Nidhogg parasite?" Cyra asked.
"Oh, the Nidhogg doesn't affect humans anymore, there's no worry," Amelia assured.
Cyra looked down at her hands, unsure how to approach this, "What if… this person wasn't entirely human?" Cyra asked.
Amelia stared at Cyra, narrowing her eyes, "I didn't think the rumors were true…"
Cyra's eyes shot up, "Pardon?"
"That devil hunter; the half breed. I heard you started to associate with him shortly after you disappeared from here," Amelia said.
Cyra sighed sadly, "Demons were following me. I needed the protection and I just couldn't lead them here. You have to believe me though, he's on the humans' side!" She begged hoping that Amelia would understand.
"I just wish you told me first," Amelia said seriously, "Did you avoid us out of shame or out of fear of disappointing me?"
Cyra wasn't sure how to answer that, "I… I suppose both. The devil hunter, he... disappeared shortly after I moved in with him and I just couldn't bring myself to come back here. I did abandon you all... It was stupid, I know, but…" She trailed off.
"Dear, you still have a lot of inner demons to work out," Amelia said.
"I know," Cyra nodded.
"So this half demon is sick?" Amelia asked.
Cyra was about to say no, that it was his brother, but she stopped herself. It was bad enough that Amelia knew she associated with one half-demon, she couldn't admit there was another one; especially not Vergil - the former demon king who was responsible for the Qliphoth, among other things. Amelia would never agree to help, "Yes," Cyra lied, "He was poisoned in the Qliphoth tree… due to a Nidhogg parasite. It's trying to kill him and take over his body."
"Hmm," Amelia hummed, staring deep into Cyra's eyes. Amelia sensed something was off. Cyra didn't tear her eyes away. She knew she couldn't out of looking suspicious.
The silence was unbearable, "I've done tests and have only learned to temporarily suppress the parasite's effect, but I can't seem to kill it and cure him," Cyra added.
"Bring him here," Amelia said.
Cyra knew that Dante was relatively well known, but Amelia definitely knew of him. She couldn't bring Vergil to the cathedral pretending it was Dante. She'd be able to tell the difference. Curse them for not being identical twins! "I only came for ideas or advice... I don't think it's wise to bring him here."
"Why not?" Amelia asked, still staring harshly at Cyra.
"I-I just can't. Please, understand," Cyra said, sounding desperate.
"Then I cannot help you," Amelia said.
Cyra's eyes shot up, "No, Lady Amelia, please, I-"
"You abandon our cause without warning, and after no word for 7 months, you come in here asking for a favor, and you wonder why I cannot help you?" Amelia asked seriously.
Cyra's eyes started to well up, but she remained strong, "I'll make it up to you! Please, I'll do whatever you want. I can't let him die. He's… important to me," Cyra said, voice threatening to crack.
"A demon important to you… What would Gabriel think?" Amelia asked in a low voice.
Cyra froze, "Don't you dare bring him into this," She said weakly, unable to keep up her confidence.
"That feeling right now? He's rolling in his grave feeling it," Amelia said digging in deeper.
Cyra shut her eyes, trapping in her tears, "This isn't fair… I've made holy waters. I've done my part! I know I haven't been here, but-"
"You've done nothing but make a commodity for vendors!" Amelia spat, "How many were purchased with trust only for them to be fake!?"
"That's not my fault! I can't control what vendors try to sell!" Cyra defended.
"You could have prevented it by not starting it, Cyra. Use your brain," Amelia said.
Cyra tried to force herself to calm down, "You're right… I'm sorry… But please, Lady Amelia, this man helps humans. He hunts the real demons out there. Letting him die would only hurt humans even more and you know I'm right about that!" Cyra said. For a second, she thought she was actually trying to save Dante.
"Then bring him here and I shall judge that for myself," Amelia said.
"I told you I can't," Cyra repeated.
"Then we have no deal and I will have to ask you to leave," Amelia said.
"Lady Amelia…." Cyra muttered, voice breaking.
"Your tears make you look weak," Amelia opened the door and waited for Cyra to walk out. Cyra didn't want to budge, but she did. She stopped in the doorway, right in front of Amelia and looked down on the older woman who was a couple inches shorter.
"I will keep coming back here until you help me," Cyra said confidently, earning one final stare from Amelia before she walked out.
The main door opened and shut behind her, exposed once again to the outdoors. Cyra stood against the door unable to move. She regretted even going in the first place, but she couldn't give up. Her legs began to tremble yet still managed to push herself forward, going home, still oblivious that Vergil was still watching over her.
Vergil made it to the roof of a building, to be better out of sight while she was in the cathedral. He heard the door open again and observed how sad and disappointed she looked. What could have happened in there? He wondered.
Cyra shuffled her feet forward, mind still focusing on the interaction in the cathedral. She couldn't do this on her own, she needed Lady Amelia's help. She needed someone's help… Cyra eventually made it back to the bookstore and sat down in her seat, once again staring at the microscope in front of her.
Gabriel… Cyra's eyes shifted to a framed photo that was laying face down in the corner of her desk. How dare Lady Amelia bring up his name… she winced as she glared at the framed photo, not knowing what else to take her anger on. Her hand reached up toward the photo and hesitated before she flipped it over, revealing a photo of her and a male brunette: Gabriel.
Once her husband, only to be taken away from this world because of demons. She vowed that she wouldn't let anyone else suffer the same fate. That's when she met Lady Amelia. They had similar interests and took Cyra in as her ward. Helping already injured humans wasn't enough; she wanted to prevent demon attacks, which is why she began working on Unholy Waters. It didn't matter what Lady Amelia said, Cyra knew that Gabriel would be proud of her. Maybe she couldn't save Gabriel, but she would save Vergil. Cyra's eyes stung with tears and she turned the framed photo back down. It's been almost three years since his death, but it didn't get much easier.
The door to her bookstore was heard opening and Cyra quickly wiped her tears away, trying to hide evidence of her crying. She casually turned to the door to see Trish walk in, much to her surprise, "Oh, hey," Cyra said and continued to work at her station.
"Hey, just checking in. You alright?" Trish asked, noticing the tears.
"Oh, yeah… Just uh, science stuff," Cyra said not making any sense.
"Screw it, I'm not playing middleman," Trish said, "I didn't come to check in for my own health. There's a certain half demon who asked me to make sure you were okay."
Cyra let out a chuckle, "Dante still worried?"
"Not Dante," Trish corrected.
Cyra stopped fumbling around with her slides and turned to look at Trish, "...Vergil?"
Trish nodded with a smirk, "He said you looked upset."
"When did he…" Cyra stopped and decided to ask a different question, "Why didn't he ask me himself?"
Trish shrugged, "I didn't ask."
Cyra was worried he was angry, but if Vergil was concerned about her, maybe they were okay and it wouldn't be awkward, "You think it's about the other day?"
"I really don't talk to him much, so I don't know his motivations," Trish said and noticed Cyra's tension, "So… are you okay?"
"Not at the moment, but I'll be fine," Cyra said honestly. Hearing Vergil was worried about her certainly helped.
"Perhaps some pizza and wine could cheer you up? Dante is already way ahead of us," Trish asked. Cyra almost forgot. It was like that Wednesday was destined to be forgotten with alcohol.
23 January 8:46pm
Meanwhile, Vergil was at the Devil May Cry office, dealing with a drunk Dante, "Just like one beer!"
"I have no interest in your drinking activities," Vergil said.
"A daiquiri more to your liking?" Dante asked desperately.
"Feel free to make me one and drink it yourself," Vergil said starting to get annoyed.
"C'moooooon!" Dante threw his arm over his shoulders, "Let loose, big bro!"
"No! Get off of me, you drunk buffoon!" Vergil said pushing Dante's arm off of him.
Cyra and Trish were at the front door, laughing at the image in front of them. Vergil paused for a moment, not expecting to see Cyra already. Vergil composed himself after fighting out of Dante's grasp, and ran a hand through his hair, taming any strays that may have fallen in the altercation.
"One of you try to convince him!" Dante said.
"You give off a 'drinking scotch alone in a library' vibe," Trish said pouring herself a glass on wine.
Vergil ignored the comment and headed to the front door, passing everyone. He and Cyra only made eye contact for a second, but it was enough for Vergil to see her red, tired eyes from crying. Humans were all more emotional than demons, some more so than others, making him wonder just how emotional she gets. Tears made him uncomfortable; coming from Cyra was no exception.
"You sure you don't want to drink with us?" Cyra asked, trying to stop him.
"Yes," Vergil said leaving the office, not even glancing back.
"Well, I tried," Cyra said.
"Aw, who needs him? Let's get our wine on!" Trish said and handed Cyra a glass of wine. Drinking sounded good then, but she just wanted to leave and go after him. Cyra tried to push that out of her mind and just enjoy the night with her friends.