AN: Thank you everyone for the wonderful reviews! I wish FFnet had a public way to respond to reviews, but just know that each and everyone of them are appreciated! Suspense and fluff are my jam and plenty more coming *evil smiley face*
I hope you enjoy this chapter and the next chapter will be out much sooner!

26th January 10:30am

Apparently Cyra orders supplies to be taken to one place where she can pick them up instead of having to go to many different places. Much like when she makes deliveries, she takes them to few locations where people could pick up her work. Smart, on her part. Less time in public. Vergil supposed it was a good thing she wasn't much of an extrovert, as less chances for getting too close to people who just want to take advantage or hurt her.

Cyra was inside a building to take care of some business and Vergil opted to wait outside - not too close, but still in sight in case something went wrong. He was leaning against the wall, eyes scanning the street. It was a quiet street, so not much to look at, but there was still some traffic. He peeked inside after a moment to see Cyra talking to two men. Her body language didn't seem too unlike how it was around that Frederick, but at least they weren't being too invasive of her personal space. Vergil could only hope that these men were past business partners that she knew. Sure, he liked playing with her nerves for fun, but he didn't know the intentions of these strangers.

There was a recent time when he wanted to avoid her thinking that it was the best way to protect her. They were lucky that he hasn't lost control to the parasite since the first time, but they were also careful not to trigger it, now understanding how it worked. The lack of physical activity was driving him crazy, so he had no choice but to sneak off and fight lesser demons that he managed to find - secretly, of course. Watching her without having to hide it felt like a massive improvement on their friendship, or whatever they would call it. He was actually running errands with her. How quaint. She was letting the man who attacked her protect her from others. She really is a fool, he confirmed as he looked at her through the window. The corner of his lip twitched into a smile.

Cyra walked out and they both continued down the street separately for a moment before they met up in another street. Cyra caught up, "Well, I deliver 10 orders and I get requests to do 20 more," She said annoyed.

"If I had to guess, you agreed?" Vergil said.

Cyra sighed, "Yeah… I told them I'd do it, but it'll take a while and they didn't seem to happy about that."

"Not like they have a choice in the matter," Vergil said, irritated that she was taking this so lightly.

"I love what I do, but to be honest, I want to focus more on you," Cyra said and blushed, "I-I mean your blood," Though it didn't sound any less weird.

"Well, I can kill them if you want to have less work," Vergil said. Cyra laughed, Vergil relieved she didn't take it seriously, albeit a bit concerned.

"If only it was that easy," Cyra said jokingly.

Oh, but it was, he thought,"You could let them die from whatever illness and be done with it," Vergil suggested.

"That's not helpful either!" Cyra chuckled.

"It'll be in our best interests," Vergil egged on.

"Not for my reputation!" Cyra said.

Vergil realized she was too busy wanting to be helpful to realize they were just using her, "If only they learned to appreciate you."

"You don't think they appreciate me?" Cyra asked looking at him.

"Considering they doubled your workload, they only view you as a medicine dispenser," Vergil said. Cyra looked back down, keeping silent. Vergil assumed the truth bothered her, "I'm sure there are a few people who genuinely need your help that care," He felt weird consoling someone. He never thought he cared enough.

Cyra smirked, the sleep deprivation making her feeling bold, "Like you?"

Vergil wasn't expecting it so he threw a glance at her, noticing the playful look on her face, "Don't let it get to your head," He said back with a light smirk.

Cyra blushed at the indirect confirmation that he cared about her. Well, duh, of course he cares. He had to considering she was curing him, "And here I thought compassion was only for humans. It's almost like you are one."

Vergil scoffed, "Are you still on that?" He asked trying to sound annoyed, but he was amused.

"Yup. Until you admit it," Cyra said noticing the smile that was trying to surface.

"I'll admit that when you can admit that helping these people is a waste of time," Vergil fought back.

"Hmmm," Cyra pretended to think about it, "Fine. It is a waste of time. They clearly don't appreciate me. Your move," She said.

Where was this boldness coming from? "Well, that's no fun," He said.

"I said my thing. You gotta say it, too," Cyra said.

"Alright, don't push it," Vergil said, a slight grin appearing on his face. It felt nice to banter with her a bit rather than when she tried to dig into his psyche. He felt... content.

"Auntie Cyra!" A young child's voice was heard. Cyra turned and immediately got pushed back as a child threw herself around her waist. Cyra managed to stand her ground however, hugging the small child back.

"Eleanor!" Cyra cheered.

Eleanor backed up and smiled. A man ran up, out of breath, "Eleanor, I told you not to run from me!" He looked up at Cyra, "I'm so sorry, I couldn't stop her once she saw you."

"Simon! That's okay," Cyra said and crouched down to Eleanor, "Look how big you've gotten!" Her long brunette hair was in pigtails, matching her age and attitude.

"I"m 10 now!" Eleanor cheered.

"10!" Cyra said surprised.

Vergil noticed how relaxed she was, a high contrast to how she normally talks to any other human, especially male. He decided to back away from the conversation a bit to give her privacy, but still close enough to be able to hear the conversation, "I haven't seen either of you in so long," Cyra said smiling at the man in front of her that she hasn't seen in almost three years. Simon was Gabriel's older brother by two years. She got a good look at him, happy that the years looked kind to him. He still had a friendly, welcoming aura to him, although he did look a bit tired in the eyes.

"Daddy thought you moved," Eleanor said.

The man known as Simon smiled sheepishly, "I didn't know what else to tell her."

"I've actually been in the city. What about you two?" Cyra asked.

"We're just visiting my parents," Simon said.

"Ah, yeah… it's around that time," Cyra said. The third year anniversary of Gabriel's death. Of course the family would come together around this time.

Simon glanced over at Vergil since he saw he was standing so close to Cyra before, assuming they were together, "You've been okay?" He asked.

Cyra smiled, nodding, "Hanging in there."

"I'll be in town for a week, if you wanted to come by my parents. I know they'd love to see you," Simon said.

"Yeah! I have a new brother you have to meet!" Eleanor cheered. That explained the tired eyes on Simon.

Cyra was forcing her smile that was threatening to drop, "Oh, Um… I don't think so. Sorry…"

Simon nodded, "I understand… Well if you change your mind, you know where to find us," He said grabbing Eleanor's hand to lead them away. Simon glanced once more at Vergil, who was making eye contact right back at him. He tore his eyes away to walk off.

"Bye Auntie Cyra!" Eleanor waved.

"Congratulations, Simon," She awkwardly said before they left, "...Bye."

Cyra stood there for a moment longer watching her former family walk away. Vergil stayed back and waited for Cyra to walk over to him when she was ready. He didn't know the situation but with that little girl referring to her as an aunt, he figured out that Simon was the brother of her deceased husband. Vergil wasn't qualified to say anything, let alone comfort her. Luckily he didn't have to say anything because she came over and spoke first, "I guess we go to the cathedral now," She muttered monotonously.

They walked in silence, which was fine for the both of them. Cyra was thinking back to Simon and Eleanor. Once upon a time, she was a big part of that family. Gabriel's family was such a contrast to her own growing up, it made her that much more attached to her husband's. Seeing Simon and Eleanor again made her feel like she was right back into that family as if Gabriel was still alive. But once the realization set it, it made her even more depressed.

Cyra started to see spots as her eyes started to lower. She stopped walking only to lose her balance, bumping into Vergil a bit, who held her back up right away, "S-Sorry," She muttered and regained her composure.

"Are you alright?" Vergil asked.

Cyra nodded her head lightly, "I'm fine… I just need to sit down for a bit," She said and sat down on the edge of a water fountain in the middle of the little plaza they were walking past.

Vergil sat down next to her, "You haven't been sleeping," He observed.

Cyra glanced at him. She wanted to smirk and say something about his compassion, but she didn't want to keep annoying him with it or make him feel awkward about admitting he cared, "It's not that. Um…" She trailed off.

Vergil leaned forward, elbows resting on his knees. He had a feeling she was trying to gain her composure to tell him something important, so he let her take her time. It was oddly comforting to him knowing that even someone like Cyra had trouble expressing their emotions and feelings. It made him feel like there wasn't anything wrong with it, that it didn't make him less human. He wanted her to share with him what she was thinking about. Last night, and even when they first met, she always asked about how he was feeling, and wished it was that easy for him.

"Simon and Eleanor are…" Cyra sighed and pinched her eyes together for a moment before bringing them back down and turned sideways on the edge of the fountain, so that her body was facing Vergil. She crossed her legs and focused on the water fountain as she told her story, Vergil glancing at her for a moment before she spoke, "I was married once…for 10 years. My husband, Gabriel, was a police officer and he, um… died from a demon attack," It was always hard for her to admit he was dead, "Simon is his brother. I haven't seen his family at all since the incident, so it just brought back memories. It's almost been three years, but sometimes the wound feels fresh."

"I'm sorry for your loss," Vergil said feeling strange having to console someone, but he was glad to finally hear it from her, this time with more detail.

Cyra smiled softly at his words, understanding it probably felt odd for him, "Thank you. You know, I started making demon wards because I didn't want anyone else to have to lose someone because of a demon, but then people started asking me to make other medicine and I couldn't say no."

Vergil nodded, listening to her story, "You think by letting these people down, you'd be letting down your husband."

Cyra's eyes watered, glad that Vergil wasn't looking at her so he couldn't see, "I guess so."

How ridiculous. She was putting a burden on herself out of guilt or perhaps even a distraction so she wouldn't have to cope with the loss of a loved one. He couldn't really judge, though. He never coped with emotions in the most productive way, but she was much more fragile than he was. Vergil turned his head enough to get a glimpse of her face, but not enough for it to be obvious. She looked sad and could see her eyes glistening with tears. He wondered what exactly she was thinking about. Married for 10 years... That feeling of insecurity from the last night was creeping up again. How could he compete with someone she was with for 10 years - Someone who hasn't even been around for 3 years and yet she still felt so strongly for?

Cyra snapped out of her trance and glanced over at Vergil quickly, "I'm sorry, I didn't mean to dump all that on you," She tried to stealthily wipe a tear away, hoping Vergil didn't notice. She remembered telling Dante about everything when she first met him. At least she knew Vergil for more than a few days before telling him.

Vergil was reminded of one of his older theories, back when he still just saw her as a harmless distraction, "May I ask you something personal?" Cyra felt nervous at what he could possibly ask. She nodded, urging him to continue, "Is losing your husband why you're afraid of talking to men?"

Cyra's face heated up, "What!?"

Vergil chuckled, "I'll take that a yes."

Cyra relaxed, "Is it really that obvious?"

"When I first met you, I thought you were afraid of my being a demon. You said that wasn't it, so I started humoring other ideas," Vergil said, "Turns out I was right."

Nevermind the other part of the truth where she just thought he was unfairly attractive, but she wasn't going to admit that. Cyra let out a chuckle and looked down, putting her thoughts together, "I didn't really have a good relationship with my own family growing up. Gabriel and I got married right after we turned 18. He and his family were my whole life. He always protected me - made me feel safe. I admit that I was too dependent on him, so I never really got used to talking to people I didn't know unless it was for my job, I guess," Cyra explained.

Vergil knew he could protect her much better than her husband did. That's something he didn't have to feel insecure about. Although, he wasn't sure where that sudden competitiveness came from. Perhaps he hasn't had a proper fight with Dante in a while. After constantly battling for 7 months in hell, the withdrawal must have made him want to win at something - anything, he reasoned. Back to the real matter, he did notice how confident she was when she did her work. Her job was just another distraction to tear her away from the reality that she felt alone and scared to move on, "I noticed that, too."

"Guess I'm not as much of a closed book as I thought," Cyra said trying to make it sound light. She thought she held in her secrets well, but her face seemed to betray her.

Vergil looked at her, "The only downside to those eyes of yours is that they give away all your secrets," He said. The only downside? She thought. She blushed at what she correctly assumed was a compliment, which earned a light smirk from him, "A police officer though. Am I right to assume that it explains your self-defense and wealth?"

"Stooooop," Cyra whined, "You're figuring me all out," Cyra said.

Vergil chuckled. One conversation made him learn so much about this woman who he once thought was such a mystery. At first, he thought uncovering her secrets would be the fun part, but he was glad to find out that actually knowing them was even better. Making her nervous was just a way to distract himself, but having her feel comfortable around him was something he never thought he wanted until it happened. He took a deep breath and slowly exhaled, preparing himself for what he was about to say, "I used to repress feelings, thinking they were a weakness. Being forced to deal with them recently made me realize what's most important. Dante helped. You have as well," He said.

Cyra knew it was probably still hard for him to share emotions like this. On the surface, he didn't say much, but it probably took a lot for him to admit it and she couldn't help but feel special that she was the one who he was sharing it with. Then it dawned on her. Cyra's words from the night before reached him. He did accept his humanity, despite his past, and this was his way of confirming it to her. She smiled, but he was too busy looking ahead to see it. Probably for the best, but she wished she could see his face then. Instead, she leaned forward and rested her forehead on his shoulder, gripping his arm's sleeve with her hands, "Thank you," She said.

For what? For sharing? For comforting her? Vergil found himself not retracting his arm away, partially surprised at Cyra's boldness, but also due to just enjoying her closeness. He supposed it didn't matter what she was thanking him for, other than she was just happy to be around him, which once again, made him feel oddly content. What a frustrating scenario it was to be emotionally attached to someone. It was equal parts welcoming and confusing. She couldn't see it, but Vergil raised a hand, fully intending to reach for Cyra's… if someone didn't interrupt.

"Oh my, what am I seeing here?" Lady asked strolling up to Vergil and Cyra, who instantly let go of him. Vergil could practically hear her heartbeat, which would have made him laugh if he weren't so annoyed at Lady's interruption, "You two shopping together?"

"Browsing the sales," Vergil said sarcastically as he stood up.

"I had some things to run and asked Vergil to come with me," Cyra said, standing up, not sure why she was explaining herself. Her face was reddening and she knew it, so she tried to avoid eye contact.

Lady wondered if Vergil and Cyra had something going on. Did Dante know? Oh, Lady wasn't going to miss an opportunity to annoy them, "Oh, mind if I tag along?" She asked.

"N-No, thanks, we just have to go to the cathedral now," Cyra said.

"Oh, that place you're not supposed to go to?" Lady asked, attention to Vergil.

"Do you enjoy meddling in other people's business?" Vergil asked her.

"What business am I meddling in?" Lady asked with a raised eyebrow.

"Our business," Vergil said hoping by being direct, she would leave. Cyra was still upset and didn't want Lady in the picture to make it worse. Vergil learned something new. He wasn't just protective over Cyra from thugs - he was willing to defend her from everyone.

Lady smirked, "Oh, I see. You two wanted to go alone, is that it?" She asked.

"Well, our plans never concerned you, so yes," Vergil answered. Cyra just glanced at Vergil, wondering what he meant. She wanted to be alone with him some more, but not because she disliked Lady, which is probably the only reason he wanted her to leave. Cyra felt light, contributing it to Vergil somewhat taking control of the situation since Cyra was such a nervous mess. Only once she started seeing spots again, followed by dizziness, she knew what was coming. Cyra brought up a hand again, uselessly holding it against her head.

Before Lady could respond to Vergil, she noticed Cyra forcing herself to stay standing, "You okay?" She asked, causing Vergil to look back to Cyra.

"Yeah…" Cyra muttered and lowered herself to the ground.

"Ugh, not again," Lady said with an annoyed sigh, "When was the last time you slept?"

"I'm sleeping fine…" Cyra muttered, probably not even aware she was speaking.

"Alright," Vergil bent down to put an arm under her knees to pick her up and carry her, "Let's get you home."

Cyra curled her head into Vergil's neck and was muttering things he couldn't entirely make out, "Fine… put… me down... cathedral…" She said but her body did not protest.

"I take it this happens often," Vergil said as he and Lady made their way to Devil May Cry.

"Like once a week. She'll be so sleep deprived and then pass out for a day. Sometimes in the middle of the street like this," Lady said.

Vergil could tell she was fast asleep already, "Today I witnessed for myself how much they take advantage of her and she doesn't seem to care," Vergil said, irritated. She was passed out in his arms for them - people that didn't care about her.

"Tell me about it. Wait till she tells you why," Lady rolled her eyes.

Though Cyra already did. Any reason why she's putting so much of a burden on her own body would disappoint him, Vergil thought, but knowing it was a way for redemption or to cope was hard to argue. Everyone wanted to atone for something. Only Cyra didn't seem to realize this wasn't something she could atone for. She did nothing wrong. He knew that humans never gave up and that was their strength, but in certain cases it seemed to be just as much of a weakness.

"Soooo, you two got something going on, orrr?" Lady asked.

"None of your business," Vergil said.

Lady shrugged, "Well, sorry if I interrupted anything…" She muttered.

They got to Devil May Cry and Dante was leaning back at his desk, sitting up when he saw a passed out Cyra in Vergil's arms, "Whoa, is she okay?" He asked and walked up.

"She passed out again," Lady deadpanned.

"Figures," Dante sighed, "You can take her up to my room if you want."

Vergil continued up the stairs with the intention of putting her into the guest room; the room he was currently using, before Dante spoke up. Putting Cyra in Dante's bed didn't sit well with him, but perhaps arguing about it would make things worse. Vergil ignored him in the end and put her in the guest room. He put her down on the bed and covered her up with the blanket, Cyra entirely passed out. He wanted to stay with her for a bit just to be in her company, but he realized the longer he spent with her, the more curious Dante and Lady would have been. It was bad enough Lady saw them together and would probably gossip to Trish. Women...

Vergil went back to the main area meeting back up with the two, "So you guys were all together?" Dante asked.

"No, I was on my way over and saw them sitting together," Lady said, eyeing Vergil.

Vergil threw a cold look back at Lady, "She was upset. I was just giving her company."

Dante threw an eyebrow over. Vergil came home late from Cyra's the night before and then they spend the day together? "Aww, he does have a heart," Dante said.

"Hm," Vergil let out half a chuckle.

"What upset her?" Lady asked, feeling a sliver of guilt. She was too busy poking fun at them, she didn't think to realize what was happening.

"She ran into old family which led her to tell me about her husband. The whole ordeal depressed her and I just happened to be there," Vergil said. Dante felt relieved that it was now out in the open. Telling other people's secrets wasn't really his style and felt bad about telling Vergil, even if it was with good intentions.

"If you tried to comfort her, I can see why she was still so upset," Lady said.

"Is there a reason you're still here?" Vergil snapped at her.

"Alright, alright," Dante said, interrupting, "Lady you mind staying here?"

"I'll stay for an hour," Lady said, crossing her arms.

"Thanks. Vergil and I are gonna go on a little demon hunt tonight," Dante said turning to his brother, who throw back a raised brow. Seemed like the conversation Dante wanted to have with him was going to happen sooner than he thought.