"Where is everyone?" Nero asked as Dante sat down at the table.

"Kyrie is still having some private time, and Nico's gone out for a smoke," Dante said tensely. He leant forward in his seat. "Nero listen, I think we'd be best cutting this thing short."

"How bad is it?" Nero asked, also moving slightly closer.

"I just got rid of a whole bunch. I think it should be okay for now, but I'm not sure how much longer we can stay here."

"You said it would be safe," Nero hissed. "In fact, should the girls even be alone right now?"

"It's fine, I…" Dante hesitated. "I've got Trish watching the rear." He held up a hand to silence Nero before he could speak. "She saved my ass when I went out there earlier. Turns out she was dealing with something else in the area and stepped in. I've told her everything."

"So much for not turning up to the party…" Nero mumbled. He chewed his lip nervously. "Look, maybe we should just come clean to everyone. At least that way they'll know what to look out for."

Dante shook his head. "This whole mess is my fault, okay? I started it so I'll finish it."

"No Dante, it's our mess," Nero said firmly. He sighed and ran a hand through his hair - a habit which he had undoubtedly picked up from his father. "Look, I don't want to worry the others either, but if it's starting to get bad then… I don't think we have much choice."

"It's nearly over," Dante said. "Sure these things are getting braver, but they're also getting reckless. There can't be that many left."

"Damn it Dante, just think about this!" Nero snapped. "You know how badly things tend to go when one of us tries to do everything alone. You only have to look at my…" He looked down at his hands on the table and realised they were shaking slightly. "Man, I get it, I really do. It took me a long time to learn how to rely on others too, but having Nico and everyone else around has made things so much better than they used to be. I don't think I could do what we do without you guys."

"I've dealt with much worse before, this is nothing," Dante said defiantly. "Besides, I'm not exactly doing it alone - I have you and Trish. That should be more than enough to fix this."

"We should at least tell my-" Nero cleared his throat. "We should tell Vergil."

"No way," Dante said quickly. "He'd just get pissed at me for not telling him sooner."

"Who cares? " Nero groaned in frustration. "If this keeps up much longer he's going to find out anyway! Especially if they're after the Yamato like we thought - surely we should at least warn him!"

"I'm starting to think our theory about the Yamato might be wrong," Dante huffed. "It made sense when we were together, but now the Yamato is nowhere near us and they're still here."

"Why else would they be doing this though?" Nero asked. He looked down at his left arm. "Unless there's still something…" He shook his head. "No, now's not the time to get distracted. We should tell-"

"Maybe it's something to do with all of the excess power that's still inside us…" Dante theorised, ignoring him. "I mean sure we tried to burn as much of it off as we could, but I still don't feel right, and I get the feeling you don't either. Maybe they want to use it for something."

"Dante," Nero said tersely.

Dante finally looked at Nero again, then glanced away. "Alright look, I… don't want to tell him, okay?" Dante sighed. "Not yet."

"But why the heck not?" Nero asked, getting increasingly frustrated. "Surely with his powers alongside ours this would be-"

"Because he's not back at full strength yet!" Dante yelled, slamming his fists on the table.

Nero stared back, mouth agape. "Wait, what? But-"

"Sirs, if you could please keep it down," their waitress suddenly piped up from next to the table. "You are disturbing the other patrons." The pair looked up at her in confusion, then offered quiet apologies as they seemingly remembered where they were. "Perhaps you would like to order desserts?" The waitress suggested, somewhat sharply.

"Not yet, sorry," Dante mumbled dismissively.

"Very well, but if you don't plan to order soon then I may have to ask you to leave," the waitress said, narrowing her eyes slightly.

"We'll get to it, we're just waiting for our friends to get back. Sorry again," Dante said, forcing a tight smile. The waitress clicked her tongue then turned on her heel and walked away. A small murmur of disapproval spread across the restaurant as the other guests turned back towards their meals.

"What are you talking about?" Nero hissed quietly once their server was out of earshot.

"I told Nico I'd wait for her before ordering dessert," Dante explained. "Speaking of which, I thought she'd be back by now-"

"You know that's not what I'm talking about," Nero said angrily. "What do you mean he's not at full strength?"

Dante sighed and swirled the last of what remained of his drink around in the glass in front of him. "I don't think he realises it himself," he said. "But there's… Well, there's something not quite right about him I guess." He downed the cloudy fluid. "I'd have told him about all this sooner if I thought he could handle it, but-"

Nero laughed suddenly. "I'm sorry, are you telling me that Vergil of all people isn't capable of looking after himself? Now I know you're just making excuses."

"It's not that he can't look after himself," Dante said sternly. "But these… things , they're…"

"Is he really weak, or are we just too strong?" Nero asked seriously. "It's just like you said. We tried our best, but…" He sighed. "Compared to us, anyone would look weak. Even… Even him."

Dante hesitated for a moment, then rolled up his right sleeve to reveal an already healing bite wound. Nero's eyes widened. "Those things are vicious, Nero. If they can do this to me then I don't even want to think about what they might do to my brother."

"And you let Nico go outside?!" Nero asked in disbelief. "Are you crazy?"

"I'm starting to think I might be," Dante said with an increasing edge of panic in his tone. He rolled his sleeve back down. "Look, I can't really explain it, but I don't want my brother facing these things. Not when we're so close to ending this."

"This is…" Nero shook his head, trying to clear his thoughts. "Okay, fine. If that's really how you feel then I won't argue, but I think we should at least tell the girls. We can't risk them wandering off alone until we figure this out."

"But-" Dante sat back in his seat and let out an annoyed growl. "...I know you're probably right," he sighed after a moment's thought. "I guess it was wishful thinking to actually be able to enjoy some normal time together with everyone for once, huh?"

"Well hey, I didn't tell anyone either," Nero pointed out. "Besides, we were handling it just fine by ourselves, but now…"

"I know, I know," Dante huffed. "At least with Trish on our side, things should hopefully get a little easier."

"We can only hope," Nero said, getting to his feet. "I'm gonna try and find Kyrie. I think you'd best go locate Nico before we have another problem on our hands."

Nico was out of the van and suspended in mid-air before she even realised what was happening. She was still tightly clutching her pack of cigarettes in her right hand. Her eyes widened as she came face to face with- Wait. What was she looking at exactly? The thing before her spoke. Or at least, she thought it did. It was then that she realised she was actually upside down. Or was she? A low murmur surrounded her.

"Damn, you're one ugly son of a bitch, huh?" she tried to say, but it came out as barely more than a whisper. What was this thing? She could simultaneously see the restaurant a short distance away, yet somehow she couldn't see at all - almost like trying to look through a thick fog. A cold black mist seemed to have washed over her. It felt like what she imagined being inside a rain cloud would be like. Except she could see eyes. And teeth. And… Tongues? No, tendrils? What- "What in the hell are you?!" she called out again, louder this time. The air around her seemed to shudder and the darkness started to undulate. A wet sheen appeared on her skin all at once. It felt simultaneously too warm and too cold. "I-I ain't afraid of you!" Nico yelled, trying to hide the slight shaking in her voice. She wondered if anyone else could see what was happening. Why had no-one come to her aid yet? Unless they had and… Nico felt a fresh jolt of fear run through her spine. Kyrie! If Kyrie came out here then-!

A wave of dizziness swept over her. She could feel bile rising in her throat as her head somehow started to swim even more than it had been already. She suddenly wished she hadn't had so much alcohol afterall. There was a strange scratching sensation in her mind now, almost as though something were digging through it, looking for something. She tried desperately to push back at it, straining with all her might to kick whatever was running around in her mind the hell out. For a moment she thought she might be making some progress, until-

"Nico?" The sound of her own name echoing through the darkness brought her back to the present. She tried moving and found that she couldn't. Everything was somehow even darker. But then came the sound of his voice again: "Nico if you're out here, I need you to-" Dante's voice faded into obscurity once more. Nico's eyes frantically darted around. Why had it sounded like his voice was coming from below her? With some difficulty, she managed to crane her neck slightly. Oh. that's why . She was above the restaurant now. She let out a muffled cry. She really had become a raincloud! No. NO . Now was not the time to panic. She waited for Dante to call out again, only barely hearing the noise of the street below above the frantic whispers that were starting to grow louder.

When no further call came, she tried to yell back towards Dante herself. Perhaps unsurprisingly, she found she could not.

((SILENCE WENCH)), a shrieking voice screamed inside her head, causing her to jolt in surprise.

Oh hell no, Nico thought back at it after a moment's confusion. What the hell is this-

((DO NOT RESIST AND WE MAY LET YOU LIVE)), the voice called out. It rippled through her skull like a headache, simultaneously there yet not there. It felt almost like she was hearing the concept of what it was trying to say, rather than the actual words themselves.

Yeah I don't think so mister, Nico thought angrily. This place is private. Nico only. Now get out before I-

((WHERE IS IT.))

"Nico! Where are you!" Dante's voice briefly broke through again before disappearing once more. He was definitely well below her now. That was right, she had to contact Dante!

((MAYBE WE SHOULD HAVE CHOSEN A DIFFERENT ONE.))

((NO, THIS ONE KNOWS. SHE MUST. I HAVE SEEN HER WITH THEM.))

Hey, stop that! Nico protested as the unpleasant sensation of things slithering through her mind grew stronger. She needed to do something! She caught sight of the cigarette pack still tightly clutched in her fingers. She squeezed her eyes shut and focussed all of her strength on her right hand. With surprising difficulty, she managed to peel her fingers free, then watched as the crumpled piece of cardboard fell to what she hoped was the restaurant's forecourt below. If she could just get Dante to look up …

((TELL US WHERE IT IS!)) The voices inside her mind screeched impatiently.

I don't even know what you're-

((THERE!))

Nico felt her entire body freeze. She was turning suddenly, the haze clearing ever so slightly so that she could see again. Eyes that weren't quite her own scanned the buildings around them, searching, analysing. And then, finally, she locked eyes with a very concerned looking man sitting at a window on the top floor of a restaurant opposite the one she had been sitting in just (moments? hours?) earlier. Somehow even from this distance she could tell who it was, and felt a wave of both delight and confusion pass through the air around her. And next to him was…

((BUT HOW IS THIS POSSIBLE? IS HE NOT STANDING BENEATH US?))

((NO, THIS ONE IS DIFFERENT. HE IS…))

Nico didn't know how it was possible, but the air around her seemed to smile. A jagged, unpleasant gesture that made her want to puke again.

((LET US ALERT THE OTHERS IMMEDIATELY.))

Darkness surrounded Nico again. She felt wind whipping against her face, cold and sudden. Were they moving? No, wait… She was falling! Her scream ripped through the air as the ground beneath her grew closer at an alarming rate. So this is what a raindrop feels like… she thought absurdly as she squeezed her eyes shut.

Vergil's entire body felt cold. And then, just as suddenly as he had locked eyes with… whatever that had been, he was staring at an empty parking lot once more. By the time Lady had reached out and gently touched his arm, he wasn't even sure if he'd really seen anything at all. And in time it took him to turn and face her, the whole incident had faded in his mind like some sort of imagined dream.

"What's the matter?" Lady asked. Her eyes were wide and full of concern.

"I…" Vergil squeezed his own eyes shut and pinched the bridge of his nose. An all too familiar feeling was starting to spread through him, and he tried to quash the panic rising in his chest. It was a feeling of fear. Of helplessness. It was a feeling he hadn't experienced for a good few months now. He'd thought he'd finally moved past such things. "Something's not…" he glanced down at the Yamato, still wrapped in its waterproof disguise.

"Is it happening again?" Lady asked gently. She hadn't seen him look this pale for a while. At the start, not long after Dante and Nero had left them behind, it hadn't been unusual to find Vergil leaning against a wall, trying to catch his breath, or occasionally stumbling when trying to pull off a particularly difficult manoeuvre. She'd ignored the issue at first, out of respect (and because of the intensity of the glares she would receive if she accidentally indicated that she had, in fact, noticed that he wasn't quite performing at full fettle.) As they had grown closer however, he'd finally started to open up to her a little and admitted that the whole 'demonic building' situation had left him somewhat worse for wear. A lot worse actually.

She recalled the first time she had walked in on him nursing a particularly nasty wound just below his rib cage. He'd been angry, no, furious when she had entered the shop unannounced that morning after they'd parted ways the night before. As it had turned out, he'd been up all night trying to avoid bleeding to death. Strangely enough, a man who usually heals instantly wasn't exactly great at administering first aid. After the initial uproar (and, Lady was ashamed to recall, a sharp slap to Vergil's face), he'd finally conceded and let her show him how it was done. He'd even let her clean the foyer while he glared at her from the sofa. It wasn't long after that that tending to each other's wounds had become a regular thing for them. Part of her even started to suspect that he might have secretly enjoyed it on occasion, playing up the pain just to feel her fingers on his skin. Of course, it wasn't exactly like she wasn't enjoying it… Lady dug her fingernails into her palm, trying to bring herself back to the present. Now was not the time to get lost in the past. The point was that over time, his strength had gradually started to return, and for a while now he'd almost seemed back to his old self. Almost. So, to suddenly see him look so concerned was, well, concerning .

"I'm fine," Vergil said stiffly, although the slight furrow in his brow suggested otherwise. He turned to look out of the window again. The almost torrential rain had stopped almost as suddenly as it had begun. The sky seemed to be clearing up somewhat too. "Perhaps we should-"

"Sir, madam, your starters," a rather exasperated voice suddenly said next to them. The pair looked up to see none other than the man who had welcomed them in the foyer. He almost tossed the plates onto the table with an obvious look of disdain.

"Where's the other waiter?" Lady asked, keeping an eye on Vergil out of the corner of her eye.

"The other…? Oh right. They had to attend to a personal emergency of some sort. They've asked me to pass on their apologies," the man huffed.

"What kind of emergency?" Vergil questioned.

"I don't see why that's any of your business," their new guest sniffed. "Enjoy your meal, I need to get back to the front desk. A new server will be with you shortly."

"Wait, so you're not replacing our waiter?" Lady asked.

The man let out a dry laugh. "Hardly. I'm well above such-" He stopped himself and cleared his throat as a waitress passed behind him. "Well. I brought you these as a favour to them so that you wouldn't make a complaint. Don't expect anything further." With that, their reluctant server turned and marched away, mumbling something about ungratefulness and blackmail.

Lady and Vergil turned to face each other again. "...You're right, something's definitely off here," Lady said, subconsciously reaching for her handbag.

"I knew there was something strange about that man…" Vergil said quietly, almost to himself. He glanced down at the plates in front of them. "What do you want to do about it?"

Lady looked at the steaming food in front of her, her mouth watering slightly. It certainly didn't look like it had been tampered with in any way. She gulped. Perhaps it had been wishful thinking to hope that they could actually enjoy a normal meal together for once. She wondered how Dante and the others were doing and suddenly found herself wishing that she was with them instead. She really wasn't in the mood tonight to deal with... Whatever this was. Maybe if they just ignored the issue then it would go away. Yeah like that's ever worked. She sighed. Her hand had found its way onto the small gun by her side, and she quickly dropped it and pushed her bag away. "I don't know what I want to do," she admitted. "I was hoping we could at least eat something before… Well." She straightened up suddenly. "Wait a moment, weren't you about to say something before that guy turned up?"

"Forget about that," Vergil said quickly. The strange feeling that had come over him had passed, as had whatever he had seen outside. He suspected Dante was probably dealing with it as he spoke. Part of him wasn't sure whether he was glad or disappointed that he hadn't gone out to dinner with Dante and the others tonight. He was desperate to try using the Yamato in combat again, to see if he was still capable of wielding its full power. But perhaps tonight wasn't the best time for that. He took in Lady's hungry expression, observing how longingly she was staring at the various breads and meats in front of her. The Vergil of old would have rushed out long before this - heck, he wouldn't even have been sitting here a few years ago - focussed only on his own curiosity and desire to quell whatever had made him feel so… violated . But he'd changed now. Or at least, he hoped he had. If Lady stood up now, guns at the ready and marched off into the night, he would follow, there was no doubt about that. But the woman before him was hesitant. Torn between doing what she thought she should do and what she actually wanted to do. He tapped his fingers on the table. There was nothing to suggest that whatever was going on here was likely to affect them in any way. Not immediately at least. Perhaps for once, just for once, he could actually be selfish for a different reason and take the option that would make them both the happiest. And that option was… "Let's eat," Vergil said.

"Really? But-"

"We've waited all this time, we might as well see if the food was at least worth it."

A slow smile broke out across Lady's face. "Thank you," she sighed happily. She knew it likely wouldn't at last, but perhaps just for a moment she could finally pretend that they were a normal couple on a normal night out. And when things inevitably went to hell, well then they'd just have to deal with it like they always did. Of course, there was Vergil's slight wobble earlier still to concern herself with, but he looked less pale than he had a moment ago at least. Perhaps they could - no they would - make this work somehow. She was sure of it. And then she could finally brag to Trish about what a nice uneventful date she'd had. She grinned up at Vergil. "I love you."

The cigarette packet seemed to have come out of nowhere. Dante's first thought when the thing smacked him on the top of the head was Oh no, they've turned her into the thing she loves most!, before he realised how utterly absurd that was. At first he'd quickly scanned the forecourt again, trying to see if Nico was perhaps lying injured somewhere. It was only as he heard Nico's desperate cry that he finally looked up, and only just managed to catch a glimpse of Nico as she disappeared into what appeared to be a far too low flying rain cloud. Within a few moments, the torrential rain that had been soaking him through since he came outside had stopped.

A/N - Man, I really need to stop having Nico cliffhangers... XD

P.S. My new job is still making it a lot harder for me to find the time to write than I'd like to. I'm hoping this might improve when / if I can work from home, but I don't know when that'll happen or how it'll affect things yet, so we can only hope. In the meantime, all I can ask is that you bear with me in between what may sometimes be lengthy waits before updates... I know it's annoying for readers, so thank you for sticking with me so far! Your support means a lot! ^_^