A/N: I got a lot of positive feedback on the first chapter, so thanks a lot you guys! It really got me pumped to keep going 8] So let's see… no clue how long this story will be, at least 5 chapters for sure I think, but knowing me it'll probably increase as time goes on, so who knows, lol. Anyways, sorry if there's any typos or anything, it's just me proof-reading it and after a while I tend to see what I want to see and not what's actually there x_x But here we go with the next chapter… I wonder WHO it could be that was found outside? Awkward moments are on the horizon, lol. Also, side note, if you leave a review and I don't respond, blame the site for not giving me all of my notification emails :/
Disclaimer: I don't own the characters, just the plot. No one profits, blah blah the usual crap. M rating just in case, and the drinking age is lower than 21 where they live so don't hassle me about that xP Romance isn't the major focus of this story but there will be some sprinkled in here or there, so consider yourself warned 8]
Chapter 2
Nero wasn't sure what to do with himself as he waited downstairs. The three elder hunters had been up in Dante's room for at least half an hour now. He couldn't really tell what was going on up there, he only caught the occasional snippet of whispered conversation and heard doors opening and closing followed by rushed footsteps. At some point Kyrie had dragged him down to sit with her on the couch, probably in an attempt to comfort him, but Nero was still highly on edge.
It was hard to miss the white mess of hair on the unconscious man's head as he'd been carried inside. It was dirty, sure, but the color still managed to shine through- probably because of the rain outside. Nero might have brushed it off as an elderly man, or just random happenstance of someone having that color hair, but the way Lady had shouted for Trish to help them, and the disturbed look on Dante's face told the teen exactly who was upstairs right now.
The situation didn't make any sense to Nero. He was fairly certain Dante had told him that the man was dead… or something like that. Definitely no chance of the elder twin returning from the demon world, so how was he here? As ridiculous as Dante acted sometimes, he still would never fall for an imposter or a trick of the man's identity, so that was ruled out. But then how was this happening? Nero knew he wasn't that drunk, and he wasn't asleep.
The teen was startled out of his thoughts as Lady and Trish came back downstairs. Both ladies looked rather stressed out and Nero couldn't blame them, he was about to chew a hole in his own lip as it was.
"Okay so, we've all agreed, you two should stay here tonight," Trish announced matter-of-factly. "Lady's got first watch down here, Dante's going to stay up there for a while, and I'm going to do a little recon," she added with a flick of her long blonde hair.
"But wait a minute," Nero protested as he stood up to argue. "I wanna know what's going on!"
Lady rolled her eyes at the teen and shooed him to the side. "Shut up and help me set the couch bed up so your girlfriend can get some sleep. I'll tell you all about it while we work," she chided and motioned for Kyrie to stand so they could get the bed ready.
Nero frowned but he knew he didn't have much choice, so he started moving cushions with Lady as Trish headed out of the shop. He knew he was being a bit unfair, everyone was stressed and he doubted anyone had any real information, but the teen also felt like he had just as much right to know as anyone else, probably more than them even.
"So… it definitely seems to be him. Vergil," Lady explained with a sigh as they pulled out the bed portion from inside the couch. "Dante's a hundred percent on that. The guy looks like he's been through Hell… but hey, if it's Vergil then that makes sense," she added with a shrug. "And don't go asking me how he got here because he's still not awake and we have no idea," the huntress threw in as she caught the perturbed look on Nero's face. "He's here, somehow. Now we just have to hope time has lessened old wounds."
"What do you mean… you think he's going to attack us if he wakes up?" Nero asked, suddenly feeling a bit worried. Sure, they guy looked like shit from what he saw, and Nero did still have his sword… but he'd also heard that Vergil was a pretty tough customer when it came down to it. Hell, the teen had just found out he had a father… he didn't want to have to kill the man before they'd even officially met.
Lady shrugged as she wandered off to go collect some sheets for them. "It's always a possibility," she added over her shoulder.
There was no use in freaking out over it, at least that's what Nero wanted to believe, so he settled in with Kyrie after the bed was fully set up and tried to sleep. It didn't come easy, especially with Lady off in the corner typing away on her phone, or when she would creep upstairs to check on Dante, or when the three would switch shifts of watching Vergil, the shop, and the surrounding area, but eventually Nero felt himself slipping into unconsciousness.
Nero was surprised to find it was daylight when he woke, and that Kyrie had apparently gotten up well before him. The only other person in the room was Dante, who looked terrible as he sat perched on the bottom of the stairs.
"Uh… you okay?" Nero asked as he rubbed his eyes and cracked his neck. "You look like shit, no offense."
Dante waved him off as he stood and cracked his own neck in response. "Just peachy, kid."
Nero nodded slowly and climbed out of the bed. "Sure… so, um, I guess that was an exciting night, huh?" he mumbled awkwardly. The tension in the air was thick, and to the teen Dante looked like he was on autopilot.
"Yeah, you could say that. It's not every night you're supposedly dead brother just pops on in for a visit from the demon realm," the elder hunter snorted, finally sounding a bit more alive.
"Yeah, and here I was thinking I could skip buying a Father's Day card," Nero joked awkwardly. He didn't even think about how weird that was until after he'd said it.
Dante's gaze softened slightly as he exhaled and shook his head. "Shit, sorry kid… I know this has gotta be some kind of fucked up for you. You barely got to know about the...situation, and then this happened. How're you holding up?"
Nero shrugged a bit uncomfortably and ran his hand through his hair. "I mean, I guess I'm okay. I was pretty freaked out, but it feels a lot better to know I'm not alone in all this. Like, I've got Kyrie and I've got all you guys, so it… it helps," he admitted. "But um, well, Lady said… she said he might attack us or something when he wakes up. Do you think that's true?" he asked tentatively.
Dante shrugged and rubbed at the stubble on his chin in thought. "I mean I guess it's a possibility, but honestly? I'm hoping that he came here on his own because he knew it was safe. If he wakes up and tells me that, I think it'll be okay. If he goes off the deep end then we'll do whatever we gotta do to keep everyone safe."
Nero nodded slowly and tried not to grimace at the dark expression that flitted across Dante's features. A showdown like that wasn't something that anyone wished for. The teen couldn't say he felt particularly protective of Vergil. It wasn't like he'd even known they were related until a few hours ago, and the man had never been a part of his life, but at the same time, Nero didn't want to have to deal with the aftermath if Dante ended up needing to put his own twin down. The awkward hugs and possible crying were way too much for him to think about.
Luckily for Nero the tension was broken by the return of Trish and Kyrie, who'd apparently been shopping from the grocery bags in their hands. Nero gave his girlfriend a quick peck on the cheek to say good morning and had his hair ruffled by Trish as they passed.
"It's too gloomy and stuffy in here. Go take your girlfriend out for some fun," Trish chided lightly as they put the food away. "We can handle things here, we'll call if something changes," she added as she moved over and tossed the teen's shoes at him. "Get lost."
Nero huffed quietly but decided it was easier to just comply. Plus, the atmosphere in the shop was a little oppressive and he was worried he might freak out if he didn't get some air soon. He quickly pulled on his boots and grabbed Blue Rose, opting to leave his sword since he could conceal the gun easier and draw less attention, and then headed out with Kyrie to find something fun for the two of them to do for the day. Vergil wasn't going anywhere anytime soon, so they might as well distract themselves a while.
The teens stayed out most of the day until the evening, only returning to the shop when it was time for dinner. As expected, there had been no change, and Dante had vanished upstairs after a quick meal to resume his watch. Seeing as there was nothing else for them to do, and since no one would let Nero or Kyrie volunteer for any of the watches, the pair just settled in to watch a movie and then sleep.
The next two days passed by in much the same fashion, though Trish actually let Nero take her turn surveying the area outside so she could sneak off for a "girls day" with Kyrie. The teen wasn't even annoyed since he finally felt like he was contributing, and he knew Kyrie always enjoyed the small moments she got to spend just doing normal girly things that she wasn't really privy to back home.
Trish at least had the decency to return with Kyrie around the time that she was supposed to be switching with Lady, and although the other huntress wasn't fooled for a second she just rolled her eyes and got ready to head out as everyone piled back into the shop. Kyrie looked a little guilty but Lady just pinched her upper arm and told her not to tell Dante and left it at that as she left.
Much later in the evening Trish managed to convince Dante to take a break and come watch a movie with them downstairs instead of sitting up there in that stuffy bedroom. Luckily for them, Lady appeared a short while later with pizza for the group and everyone finally took the chance to relax together while they ate and watched the movie. It felt like it had been weeks since Nero had come over that Friday night, but it had only been a few days. Everyone looked so much worse for the wear, a break was what they needed.
As the movie ended Nero got up to change the disc for another, and a horrendous scream sounded from the upstairs portion of the shop. All heads whipped in that direction, and before anyone could breathe Dante launched himself toward the stairs. Trish tore off after him, and Lady followed suit after a hasty order to the teens to stay put. The sound had been awful, an almost inhuman wail of pain. Nero could feel his hairs standing on end from the screech.
"Nero… do you think... " Kyrie murmured, her words dying as another outcry of pain was heard amidst the chaos of the three hunters scrambling around upstairs.
"I dunno Kyrie. I don't know what's going on… but I think he's awake."
