"Go on."

"I refuse."

"C'mon, just once? It'll be fun, I promise!"

"Absolutely not."

"Just try it!"

"Enough! " Vergil's irritated response was lost in the roar of metal grinding against metal, and the excited screams of the people foolish enough to mount the mechanical beast before them, as it sped past for the umpteenth time. He'd lost track of how long they had been standing in front of the unpleasant looking structure, but having had more than ample time to assess what he was looking at, he was very much certain he did not wish to get any closer to it than he had to. The strangely sweet smelling stalls and the tattered looking tents containing strange spectacles he could just about handle, but these things… He looked towards the sky, suppressing a shiver as his eyes traced the uneven spikes reaching above them, each illuminated by a myriad of nauseating colours. As far as camouflage went, he couldn't deny that it would be difficult to find someone here, but it also had the extremely unpleasant sensation of making one feel uncomfortably small.

"God you're such a bore sometimes," Lady pouted. "Alright fine, I'll just go by myself." She turned to leave, but was stopped in her tracks by a firm hand on her shoulder.

"Mary…" Vergil said hesitantly. Was he really about to let his own thoughts on the matter deter her from doing what she wanted? No, it was more than that… He'd sensed something earlier, passing by overhead. Whatever it was had seemed to pause, just for a moment, before continuing onwards, seemingly unnoticed by the masses below. It had filled him with the same sense of dread he'd felt at the restaurant, and he had been grateful for the colourful lighting when he felt the blood drain from his cheeks once again. He sighed. Ignore it, he reminded himself. Just for tonight. Even so, he turned his attention back to Lady; he had to at least try to prevent her from going up there. "While I can understand your… enthusiasm, let us not forget that we hadn't exactly planned for this." His nose wrinkled as he struggled slightly to remove his hand, leaving a greasy print behind on Lady's beautiful silken dress. His battle with the pink demon known as candyfloss had been brief, but he was still noticing the effects even now. The sooner they could get to a source of running water the better. He felt sticky.

"What's your point?" Lady asked, crossing her arms defiantly.

"My point," Vergil said, looking her up and down, "Is that we are not precisely dressed for this." He gestured to his own attire - his tie now shoved haphazardly into a back pocket, and the first few buttons of his shirt gradually becoming more undone as the heat from the throngs of people continued to consume them. Everywhere around them people were walking past wearing shorts and t -shirts, small summer dresses, and large sun hats, despite the late hour. Although it was approaching autumn, it was still almost unbearably warm.

"Like that matters to these guys," Lady replied, rolling her eyes. "They'll let just about anyone on." She glanced over her shoulder. "In fact, I'm pretty sure one of the ride operators was wearing nothing but a pair of underwear earlier…"

"Perhaps, yes, but…" Vergil's eyes trailed down to Lady's bare feet, her thin heels long since snapped on the uneven ground and tossed away into the night. "I think even places such as this may have certain safety limits."

Lady glanced down and wiggled her muddied toes. She looked lost in thought for a moment then stared up at Vergil with an evil looking grin. "Alright then, you'll just have to let me borrow yours!"

Vergil's eyes widened slightly, before he regained his composure. "Not a chance."

"Aww come on, I thought you were a gentleman?" Lady said teasingly. The dig stung slightly, and Vergil gulped. He had already offered to carry her around as soon as she started to lose her footing and was met with laughter, so it wasn't like he hadn't tried… He angrily looked away and clenched his fists.

"There is a difference between being a gentleman and being a fool," Vergil tutted. "I have humoured your whims many times tonight, and I shall continue to do so for as long as you adamantly refuse to leave this place, but this…" He gestured to his shoes. "This is not negotiable."

Lady's smile faltered slightly as she saw the anger flash across his expression. A blush started to creep along her cheeks as they made eye contact. She'd been pushing her luck a little ever since they'd got here, but perhaps she'd taken it a little too far this time. It had been silly of her to think Vergil of all people would be able to change his attitude so quickly after all. Spontaneous or not, he was still the broody, surly guy she'd known all this time. But that's what makes him so fun to tease… She thought absently. She was actually surprised he'd managed to last this long without fleeing. "You… Do realise I was kidding, right?" she said at last, straightening up. She laughed nervously. "As if those flippers of yours would stay on my delicate little feet anyway!" she added, sticking her tongue out.

"F-Flippers?" Vergil stammered, stepping back slightly.

"C'mon Vergil, you're easily twice my size, if not more," Lady smirked. "I'd have better luck walking on my hands!"

Well why don't you then, Vergil almost retorted, but bit his tongue. He was doing it again - letting his own self consciousness ruin what was intended to be just a lighthearted joke (probably). He took a deep breath and forced a smile. "I'd like to see you try," he said, a little croakily.

"Yeah, I bet you would," Lady replied with a wink, lifting the hem of her dress slightly. Vergil's face reddened as the implications hit him. Lady took one last glance at the roller coaster, then shrugged. "Come on, let's go do something else," she said, punching Vergil lightly on the shoulder. "The floor of the ride is probably covered in gross stuff anyway."

Vergil nodded and allowed himself to be dragged in the direction of another food stall. The pair walked in silence for a moment, both more than aware of the Yamato that hung between them, still wrapped haphazardly in its makeshift disguise. Both knew that one simple slash could solve this whole dilemma. Yet for some unspoken reason, both were afraid to use it.

"We need to get over there," Nico stated as Trish's bike pulled into the forecourt of Ristorante Gustoso.

"I'll handle it," Trish said quickly as the vehicle came to a stop. "You should get back to the others." Her mind rang with promises to Lady that tonight would just be a normal date for once, and the vague threats she had made towards Vergil should he let anything untoward happen. She couldn't let their evening be interrupted by something like this. Not tonight. If they hadn't managed to resolve whatever this was by tomorrow then maybe she'd consider letting them in on what was going on, but today was their anniversary damn it! Trish couldn't remember the last time she'd seen her best friend this happy, if ever . Tonight for Lady and Vergil was date night. Nothing more, and nothing less. Trish's grip on the handles of her bike tightened as Nico firmly shook her head.

"Those lot already know I'm fine," Nico said, almost dismissively. "On the other hand-"

"The two of us heading over there would just draw more attention," Trish said, hoping her tone didn't sound too pleading. "Besides, if those things are after the Yamato like we think, then you'll be much safer with Dante and Nero." Trish held up a hand to silence Nico before the latter could speak again. "And… Maybe don't tell the others where Vergil and Lady are currently holed up, okay? I'm worried that Vergil and Dante getting together might only attract more of those jerks." It was only half an excuse. The things seemed to be gone for now, but if they came back at full force… Trish sighed. Truth be told, she wasn't really sure what her plan was here. So far she'd just been keeping a close eye around the perimeter, making sure that none of the strange shadows which seemed to flit around just outside of her direct line of vision were able to make it close enough to either restaurant. Perhaps posing as their waiter had been a little too far, but heck, it had pretty much worked out. They seemed to be having a good time when she last checked on them. She'd been fortunate that the bookings had come together as planned, although she was expecting an earful from Vergil later. Now that everyone knew she was here though, it was going to be a lot more difficult to check in on the happy couple without being noticed. And what would she do when they left? Her plans to follow them were completely out of the window if everyone else was going to be there too. Plus now there was also the added concern of the Yamato…

"Looks like we won't need to worry about that," Nico said, pointing a shaky finger over Trish's shoulder. Trish turned quickly, and it took her a moment to realise what was wrong with what she was looking at. The Ristorante Stravagante - which up until just an hour ago had been a glowing golden palace of polished glass and extravagant decor - now sat in complete darkness. Even the fancy looking fountain at the front seemed to have had its lights turned off. The only illumination now was… Trish's stomach fell as she noticed the steady flashes of red and blue reflecting off the building's exterior. Were they too late?

Nico jumped off the motorbike and ran towards the building before Trish could stop her. It was only as they approached the front doors of the restaurant that they spotted the two figures huddled close together, seemingly deep in conversation. By the time Trish had caught up, Nico had caught Nero's eye, and the two were embraced in a surprisingly sincere looking hug. The pair separated and Nero gave Nico's shoulder a gentle shove. "That's for making me worry," he grinned, although his eyes betrayed his lingering concern.

Nico gave Nero's arm a light punch in return. "And that's for makin' me leave my cigs in the van in the first place," she retorted. The grin quickly disappeared from Nero's expression at the statement.

"Nico, I'm so-"

"Leave it out," Nico said, waving her hands. "Weren't your fault, so don't you be goin' all guilt ridden on me." Nico stiffened, as if suddenly remembering something. "Oh right! What's going on here? Ver-"

"Erm, excuse me," an important looking man said rather incredulously from beside Nero. "We were mid-conversation here, do you mind?"

Nico took a second to glance at him then carried on. "Yeah whatever, this is important," Nico said dismissively. "'Kay so listen-"

"Perhaps I shall have to take this elsewhere afterall," the man said firmly. "I should have known I'd be wasting my time talking to a child."

"And just who are you, huh?" Nico snapped at last, looking over Nero's shoulder. John stepped forward and flashed his police badge, which Nico looked at in confusion.

"Let me know when you're ready to take this seriously," John said to Nero, heading towards one of the remaining police vehicles. "Until then I'll just stick to my original plan." Nero let out an annoyed tut and ran after him, grabbing onto his arm.

"Wait, please," Nero said seriously. "Nico's just been through something really big, it's not her fault."

"And it's not my problem," John said, finally noticing Trish. He paused and raised an eyebrow, scrutinising her. "...Do I know you?"

Trish looked back at him with equal consideration, trying to think whether she'd met this particular male before. There was something about the way he carried himself that seemed oddly familiar. Then it hit her. "Friend of Morrison's?" she asked. John's eyes flashed with recognition and he walked over and held out his hand, which Trish shook with just a little too much force.

"That's right, we met last year at-"

"How's the wife doing?" Trish whispered into his ear. A sudden look of realisation came over his expression. John quickly pulled his hand free and jumped back, clearing his throat.

"W-Well anyway, I think we were just about done here," John said shakily. He glanced at Trish then walked over to Nero and held out a card with a sigh. "Give me a call once you've mulled it over with Dante. If I don't hear from you by tomorrow morning, I'll continue my search for him." He quickly turned on his heel and marched back to his vehicle, avoiding Trish as he did so. Nero pocketed the card with a smirk. It was nice to see Mr Detective looking so flustered for a change. He glanced over at Trish and grinned. He didn't dare to hazard a guess at what she'd said to him, but he knew better than to ask questions.

Meanwhile, Nico was looking between them all, whipping her head back and forth. She looked up at the darkened restaurant, towards the window where just a while ago she'd seen the unexpected vision. "Someone wanna tell me what the heck's goin' on here?" she asked at last.

"Demonic crystals," Dante said slowly. He shook his head and took a swig from the glass of whisky he'd poured. He lowered his drink, considered it for a moment, then downed the rest. "Like, for real?" he belched, slamming the glass down on the small table in front of him.

"Apparently," Nero shrugged.

"You're sure he's not just pulling your leg to buy time or something?"

"As far as I can tell he's legitimate," Trish chimed in. "I've seen him with Morrison before." She was leaning against a wall, nervously tapping her foot. Where were they? Demons hadn't been the cause of the restaurant closing early, so that at least was a relief. What wasn't a relief however, was the actual reason for all the police, if John's account was to be believed. Attacking a waiter with a sword? What were they thinking?! She cursed herself for not being present at the time. But then… She glanced over at Nico who was currently curled up asleep in the front passenger seat, with Kyrie carefully watching over her. Retelling events had apparently worn her out again.

"I mean I guess it's not unheard of," Dante said thoughtfully. "I've seen all kinds of random demonic stuff over the years. I mean heck , we fought a building last year." He poured himself another drink. "The question is, why now? You're telling me those things have been lying around since last year and only now do they cause a problem?"

"It's not as simple as that," Nero huffed. He'd already tried explaining it once, but Dante had been more interested in listening to what Nico had to say, which Nero could hardly blame him for. Now was the first chance he'd actually had to be able to speak to Dante properly.

"I'd say the timing actually makes perfect sense," Trish said seriously. "Think about it. Those things have been lying around ever since you guys got sucked into that portal. Given the circumstances around the… What did that guy call it?"

"The Apartment Incident," Nero said, rolling his eyes.

"Right… Given what happened, I'd say it's more than likely that those crystals were formed from the lingering demonic energy that got absorbed into the building right?" She glanced between Dante and Nero. "And let's not forget where that energy came from."

"But we're nowhere near the old apartment here," Dante pointed out. "Us coming back shouldn't really make a difference. Unless…" He shook his head. "Continue."

"It's just a theory," Trish shrugged. "But at the very least, it seems like they're reacting to your presence. Whether the energy is trying to find its way back to you, or trying to take more of your power for itself remains to be seen."

"That guy said they were growing ," Nero stated. "I say it doesn't matter what they are, we just need to get rid of 'em as soon as possible!"

"The question is how to do that without the Yamato," Dante said, absently scratching his neck. He finished his drink again, then got to his feet. "Alright, let's think about this all for a sec," he said, pacing up and down. Nero and Trish exchanged a brief look. It seemed a plan was inbound. "Those things that attacked Nico are after the Yamato, right? They seem to have a vague idea of where it is, which is why they've been following us around, but they haven't managed to pin it down just yet. Now we could go find Vergil and just ask him to open up an interdimensional trash can for us, but if we do that, there's no telling what our shadowy friends might gain."

"On the other hand, if we don't find a way to deal with this then that John guy is just gonna do that anyway, and be way less prepared," Nero pointed out. He chewed his lip nervously. "Plus there's always the chance that Vergil will use the Yamato on something else and end up bringing the danger right to him…"

"Then we'll just have to make sure that doesn't happen," Trish said, pushing herself away from the wall. "How about I go find them while you guys-"

"Them ?" Dante asked. "Oh that's right, you said Lady was with him, right?" he said, looking at Nero.

"I…" Nero blushed slightly. "Well, yeah they were in the photo together, so…" But why? That dress didn't exactly look like demon hunting gear… As for his father's suit…

Trish sighed internally. She'd meant to ask Nero not to mention this particular fact, but hadn't managed to speak to him in time. Still, it wasn't the worst thing to have come out of the situation - the photo had apparently shown them with their weapons drawn, so they at least had the excuse of being out on a job together if needed. Her eyes flickered towards Nero. Unless that part had been a lie…

Dante hummed thoughtfully. "Alright, that gives us one less thing to worry about I guess." He pouted slightly. "Although I still think they could have at least taken a few moments to drop in and say hi given how close they were and all…" He sighed. "Trish is right though," Dante said, looking between the pair. "I think one of us needs to track down Vergil and make sure he doesn't use the thing until we figure out what's going on." He pointed at Nero. "He seems more likely to listen to you than either of us, so Nero I'm designating you to Yamato duty."

"Hey now, surely a neutral party would be better for this?" Trish said quickly. "Sure we don't really talk much, but at the very least we've never really argued so-"

Dante shook his head. "Trish, I need you to stay here and watch over Nico and Kyrie in case those things come back. Besides, we might need to take the Yamato by force if we have to, and weakened or not I still prefer Nero's chances against my brother over yours, sorry."

"That's-!"

"Wait a sec, no one said anything about taking it!" Nero protested. "Besides, what am I supposed to say to him? I thought you didn't want him getting involved in all this?"

"Just watch him for now," Dante said. "Keep us updated on his position once you find him and then we can choose when to act if necessary. Of course, if he does try to use it then you know what to do."

"I'm not just here to be a babysitter," Trish growled. "I really think it would be better if I was on Vergil-duty."

"It's okay, we can swap things around later if needed," Dante said confidently, earning a glare from Trish.

"And what are you going to be doing exactly?" Nero scowled.

"I'm gonna head over to City Hall or wherever these crystals are to see what we're working with," Dante replied. "We should prevent this from escalating before we end up with two sets of enemies on our hands. Once we know more we can work out where to go from there."

"Let's not forget we still have our original problem to figure out," Trish huffed. "Those things looking for the Yamato have to be coming from somewhere. Perhaps one of us should be working on figuring that out first, instead of standing around doing nothing."

"You're not wrong…" Dante agreed. He glanced over at Kyrie and Nico. "If not for those guys you know I'd happily let you go, but…"

"Actually, you don't need to worry about us…" Kyrie piped up suddenly, taking everyone by surprise. She turned with some difficulty to look over the edge of the driver's seat. Dante crossed his arms and shook his head.

"Hey, I know what we talked about earlier but-"

"The Orphanage," Kyrie interrupted him quickly. Her eyes turned serious for a moment before softening again. Dante could almost feel the mental slap across his cheek.

"What about it?" Nero asked, only just picking up on the subtle communication between the two. A question to be asked another time, perhaps.

"Well, it's always been warded against low level demons," Kyrie explained. "But given what happened last year, we got a few priests in to set up a whole new series of sigils, both inside and out. It's almost impenetrable save for exceptionally powerful demons." She smiled at Nero. "And you three, of course."

"That's actually pretty impressive," Dante nodded.

Kyrie blushed a little at the compliment. "Well, I couldn't risk anything happening while you two weren't here," she said. "That and it just seemed like a good idea in general."

"D'you think we could get something like that for the van?" Nero asked, glancing around the small space.

"You know, I did suggest it," Kyrie said, glancing over at Nico as she let out a snort in her sleep. "But she was worried it would only draw more attention to her as she drove around, so she opted not to."

"Something tells me she may have changed her mind about that," Trish said dryly. She turned to look at Dante. "Either way, this means I'm a free agent. What say I get looking for our smoky friends while you two go play?" And maybe keep an eye out for the happy couple in the process.

Dante hummed thoughtfully for a moment then nodded. "Okay, but be careful. If you find their base report back, don't try to take it on alone."

"We'll see," Trish smiled.

Dante tutted but said nothing further. He pulled the card Nero had given him out of his pocket and inspected it again. "Okay, we all know what to do. Given the circumstances, what say we all reconvene in a couple of hours wherever Nero is?" He looked over at Kyrie. "Save for you guys of course - we'll come to the orphanage once we've figured this all out."

"Sure," Kyrie said, breathing what could either have been a sigh of relief or disappointment. "Just please make sure you all come back safely. I couldn't bear to lose you again so soon."

Nero got up and walked over to Kyrie, pulling her into a gentle kiss. "Never again," he whispered, stroking her cheek.

"Jeez guys, get a room," Dante said, rolling his eyes. He glanced around the van once more. "Alrighty then, first step the orphanage. Next step, saving the world! Or… something like that."

A/N - Greetings! Sorry this chapter took a little longer than expected. I don't want to depress you all too much, but May was not a good month for me - First of all I caught Covid which wrecked me for about two weeks, then I very recently lost a close family member (still dealing with that one, so next chapter may be a while again).

Either way, this chapter was mostly written and I needed a distraction, so I finished it! Plot progression! Kinda! Anyway I'll try to update again when I can, thank you all so much for sticking with it as always! ^_^