Author's Note: Me on Sunday: I'm going to post once a week, give people time to read, its all going to be fine.

Actually Me: Eh it's Tuesday I want to keep posting *Posts*

Schedules (EOA excluded) are hard. Not because I don't have CHs done... but because I write too much. xD

Chapter Two

When Ashira woke up again over a day later- this time without any strange voices or miserable dreams - she got right to work. Vergil wouldn't approve. Nor did Priscilla, for that matter, The elder demon had argued in that scolding way she did when she thought Ashira was making the wrong decision. She'd finally come around (albeit begrudgingly), when Ashira said: "I know I'm being irrational, Scilla. But I have to do something, or I'll lose more of my mind than I already have. And I ask that you accompany me in case I do end up regretting it."

Now, after demanding to braid Ashira's hair in the most lavish way possible and fix her up in her most ridiculous dress (two tasks which took a significant amount of time to accomplish), the two had left for the gardens. That hadn't been Ashira's first choice. She was more interested in checking on the family quarters, check on problems in the city, and find out if the demon chefs had managed to make a pizza. But Priscilla had insisted, and Ashira had relented.

Secretly, she was happy to be out of her room at all. Work was just an easy excuse, and Ashira was certain Priscilla had seen right through her.

"The flowers are changing again," Ashira said as she knelt by a plot of roses with a mix of heart-shaped and diamond petals. Every plant in the Underworld was distinct; unique shapes or unnaturally bright colors that couldn't be found outside. These particular roses - which was a name she had given them and probably not their true name - were a metallic gold with hints of silver energy that pulsed back and forth through the roots. A month ago, they'd been a deep shade of crimson. "Faster than usual."

"I have noticed that myself," Priscilla said. She'd made herself look younger today, having curled her brown-haired pony-tail instead of trying it back in a bun. Even her dress was fancier than usual, as Ashira hadn't seen her attendant wear anything but blacks, whites, and grays. Though the pale blue satin was almost the same. "I have a gardener keeping track of them, though she has yet to find a pattern."

"It's happened more than once?"

Priscilla hesitated but recovered quickly. "I've seen four changes in the last month, but I've heard this may be the fifth."

Ashira froze. "The fifth?" That couldn't be right. It was too much of a coincidence. The garden did change from time to time, but it was usually once or twice over months or years. But five times in one month? The same amount of times that she'd been dragged into one of her dreams? "When did these change?"

"They were pink yesterday, your highness."

Ashira rose slowly, but her mind raced. "This gardener of yours," She said. "Did they see every change?"

"No, but they've talked to enough people to piece everything together." Priscilla shook her head. "There have been no duplicate colors, as far as we know. I've been looking into it myself, but haven't found any obvious pattern. "

Shira…

Her attention jerked toward the noise, her eyes scanning the trees as her heart lurched into her throat. Vergil? Impossible. His voice was all wrong. Too young and scared. Too quiet and too far outside of her mind. Dread flooded her lungs, and it took everything she had to summon V instead of collapsing out of pure panic. "I don't hear anything," He said quietly.

Why?

She took off, ignoring both V and Priscilla's shouts behind her. She felt a tug of alarm on her soul, but Ashira ignored it, lifting her skirts to run as fast as she could. The voice continued- why, Shira, why? - and she narrowly avoided a few of the servants she hadn't seen. The world seemed to close in on her. Her head pulsed with pain, and she realized she was seconds from another collapse.

But the voice…

When she turned the corner, a scream escaped her before she could stop it. There, lying in the fountain, was Vergil. But not her Vergil. A younger version; one she couldn't have possibly met. But as she approached, his form flickered to his older self and back again. Ashira tried to tear her gaze away. Tried to tell herself that this was nothing but a sick dream. She'd skipped the stupid voice and the endless night sky. soon she'd wake up in her bed with Vergil chastising her for daring to leave…

Instead, the water turned to blood, and her eyes fell to a very familiar, demon sword in his chest. Dante. She'd recognize it anywhere. But why? She stumbled forward as the world spun far too fast. "Vergil… don't… wait…"

When she landed in someone's arms, it took Ashira far too long to realize that Vergil - her Vergil. The living Vergil - had pulled himself to her side. The body of his other self was nowhere to be seen. There was no blood. No sword. No sign that he had ever existed.

Because he hadn't.

Vergil grimaced as his eyes flickered past her. "Your highness!" Priscilla yelled as Vergil lifted Ashira into his arms. "Is she…?"

"She's fine," Vergil snapped. Priscilla took a long step back and quickly bowed her head. Ashira heard Vergil's near-silent sigh. "My apologies, Priscilla. I'm not angry with you." Ashira hoped he wasn't angry at her either, but she didn't dare meet his gaze to find out. Though the incessant worry that radiated between them was almost as painful. "I'll take care of her from here, and leave the remainder of the preparations to you."

"Of course," Priscilla said with another bow. As she left, Vergil's gaze jerked to Ashira, but the fury in his eyes was a far cry from the pain and borderline terror in his soul.

It was V who spoke first. "I couldn't see it," He said. "At least, not before you did." Both Vergil and his human self frowned, their eyebrows furrowing with a million questions that had no answers. "If it was a hallucination… then, at the very least, I should have experienced the same things she did."

"A second death," Vergil muttered. "A different cause."

"You were younger," She said, quietly. "Not by much… but…"

Vergil's fingers twitched. She brushed his hair back for him without thinking, earning a silent thank you for her efforts. "You didn't dream," Vergil said. Ashira didn't respond, as she wasn't certain what to say. It had felt like a dream, but she wasn't sure why. There hadn't been a clear moment where she slipped from reality like all the other ones, so he had to be right. But she had also never hallucinated outside of her nightmares.

They were pink yesterday...

"The flowers," she murmured.

"What?"

"V," She said. "The flowers. Are they…?"

He vanished for a brief moment. An image sparked in her mind before he returned. "Orange," He said. "All of them changed."

Vergil's grip tightened as Ashira's memory filled in any gaps he hadn't caught on to. "Gather any information you can," he said to V. "Preferably before the family gets here." V nodded as Griffon appeared, carrying him away without a word. As he left, Ashira's body felt heavy.

Not again.

"Stay with me," Vergil said.

She wanted to, but it took everything she had to keep her eyes open. "I can't…"

"You won't let them down," He said. "But you're not leaving my side while they're here, understand?"

She nodded against his chest, grateful when the feeling passed. But even as he whisked her away, silently promising her that everything would be alright, Ashira couldn't bury what she'd seen. All she could do was press her ear to his chest, close her eyes, and let his heartbeat consume her senses until it was all that was left. And even then… it wasn't quite enough.

While Nero had heard a few short descriptions of Eternum over the years, none of them quite compared to seeing the city for himself. Even from on top of the massive cliffs surrounding the place, Nero knew this place was something special. Eternum was almost futuristic in a weird way, with tall, silver and black buildings and massive bridges that crossed in every direction. The bright lights shifted colors in different parts of the city, illuminating the buildings in an eerie glow. Houses of all shapes and sizes were built straight into the cliffside with no discernable pathways leading into the city itself. But the few people Nero did see leave vanished into thin air, and he couldn't see where they went.

"Father," Kaiden said quietly, his eyes locked far to the left. "Look."

And when Nero did, the sight of the castle alone took his breath away. It towered above everything, settled on a massive plateau. Unlike Eternum, which was built of bright metals and curved architecture, the palace was like an old cathedral with four tall spires at each corner as if they were holding the place together. In the inner walls were four buildings bound into one with a single dome on top covering them all. But despite all of that, his attention was drawn straight to the symbol in the sky; an impossible mix of two wings; a blue dragon for his father, and golden bird for his step-mother.

Dante whistled. "I don't know what I expected," He said with a lazy grin. "But this is a million times better."

"It used to be covered by fog," Pythagoras said. He had guided them through the blue treed forest, but swore up and down on multiple occasions that he was only doing so while they waited for the royal guard. Apparently, escorting the family of the Demon King was "too mundane for a demon such as himself." "But it was lifted once your brother took the throne."

"Wow," Angelica said. "I should've brought a camera."

Pythagoras snorted. "Nothing you brought would have worked here, child."

Angelica scowled at him, but Nero talked before she could. "They built all of this?"

The elder demon almost looked offended. "There are plenty of capable demons in the city with skills your father does not possess." Then, he sighed in resignation. "Though he and her highness build a capable team and figure out what all needed to be built, so I will give them some credit for that."

"The castle built itself," Dante said.

Nero whipped around. "What?"

"It was a boring concrete square before they claimed it," He said as he put his hands on the back of his head in some kind of nostalgia. "It burst into flames while Luce and I were leaving, and turned into that."

"That is how it works," Pythagoras said with a dramatic eye roll. "It did the same for Mundus, and likely every King before him. It's not that difficult to..."

"Hey deadweight!"

Nero's glare turned to the sky. Griffon swooped down, but Nero didn't flinch as the bird flew inches from his head, laughing all the way. When he spun back around, he landed on Kaiden's waiting arms, and Nero's glare gave way to a sigh. "Way to pick sides," He muttered. Kaiden smiled ever so slightly as he scratched the bird's chin.

"See?" Griffon said with the bird equivalent of a purr (or whatever that scratchy noise was). "My fellow bird gets it. Ya treat me with respect, and I'll…"

"Tolerate you," Kaiden finished. Griffon's mouth hung there for a moment of confusion, before he huffed with a ruffle of his feathers.

"Don't tell me you are all their highnesses sent today," Pythagoras said.

"Course not!" Griffon said. "I just came out of the goodness of my heart."

"How thoughtful of you." Pythagoras spun around with his signature grunt. "I'll leave you to it then." Nero just shook his head as the demon waddled away and looked back to the city instead.

"He hasn't changed one bit," Kaiden said as Griffon hopped to Nero's arm instead.

"He's probably still angry with you," Angelica said. "Honestly twenty books? How the hell did you…"

"Language," Nero snapped without thinking. Dante snorted, and even in the silence, Nero could hear the "apple doesn't fall far from the tree".

Angelica rolled her eyes. "How the heck ," She glared at Nero as she said it. "Did you get all of those out without him noticing?"

"Unlike some of us," Kaiden said. "I learned how to be discreet."

"Discreet," Angelica snorted. "Being a hard-ass does not…"

"Language!"

She scowled, but it was Kaiden that spoke. "Have you learned nothing from your favorite grandfather?"

That, as most things did between the twins, started a heated argument that Nero ignored. "The pipsqueaks don't shut up," Griffon muttered.

"That's how it goes," Dante said. Nero looked to him in surprise, but his Uncle didn't look back Instead, he stared out over the horizon with his arms crossed. His eyes were no longer glittering. His small smile looked more forced than anything Nero had seen from him in recent memory. "Our family's always been a little crazy."

Before Nero could question them, a large blue butterfly appeared before him. "Finally!" Griffon said as the butterfly transformed before their eyes. "Took ya long enough."

Morpheus looked older than Nero remembered, and not nearly as imposing. Vergil had assured him that Morpheus was a valuable ally, but Nero was still a bit weary. Last time he'd seen the demon, he'd been dragged into a hellish nightmare and been forced to kill his father to get out. "Welcome," Morpheus said with a bow. "There's a guard nearby that can take us straight to the castle, but he can only take three at a time."

"Kiddos first," Dante said, his gaze still locked on the city. "I'll meet ya there."

Nero wanted to question him. Maybe duel him on the spot and beat whatever was wrong out of him in a fair and impartial fight, but Angelica dragged him away before he had the chance.

Ashira didn't know why Vergil had indulged her on this particular morning. He'd been insistent on keeping an eye on her, and the two had spent the last three days shuffling between the couch and the bed with various books and conversation. And while it had been nice to spend some alone time with him, their stress had only gotten worse. Another dream had claimed her at some point, followed by a third Vergil, this one impaled on something akin to a crystal. And, after many hours of silence, he had begrudgingly explained that was part of Mundus's torture… but it couldn't have killed him.

And the flowers had changed again; orange to teal.

Now, the silence of the sparring room, and the feel of Yamato in her hand - something she hadn't fought with in months - was exhilarating… and sorely needed.

It helped that their demon halves hadn't had a proper fight in months.

The two had been sparring for at least an hour now, and neither had said a word. At least, not outloud. Vergil was quick to correct her posture, swings, and basically anything else he could in her head, while she had a good, quiet chuckle at his abysmal feather control. But she also heard the quiet approval whenever she knocked him back in any capacity (he rarely moved further than an inch). In return, she tried to encourage him to keep tossing feathers around instead of relying on his summoned swords. There were no points. No expectations. Just a constant back and forth to push off the anxiety for as long as possible.

Ashira flipped over a triad of feathers, and swiped Yamato in Vergil's direction. Fire burst from it in a wide arc. Vergil flipped Fumetsu in his hand, dispersing the fire rather than absorbing it. In another second, he was in front of her. She blocked each swipe. He parried her counterattack, shot down her feathers with his own, and the two leapt backwards without a clear winner. "Better," Vergil said.

Ashira grinned as she flipped Yamato in her hand. His eyes flickered to it for half a second, before shifting back to her. "I'm getting there," She said with a shrug. "Not as impressive as you."

She swore she saw his chest puff just slightly. "Different style than mine."

"Of course," She ran her fingers along the blunt side of the blade. Flames ignited behind them, and she snapped the blade to the side. "Humor me?"

Vergil's eyebrows shot up, but he was back in his battle stance within seconds. Ashira took a quiet breath, focusing entirely on the sword in her hand. He waited, patient, though he was still giving her a look somewhere between amusement and confusion. "I've been wanting to try this for awhile," She said as she pointed the blade toward him. "Please forgive me if it doesn't work."

Before he could respond, she threw it at him. Vergil blinked to the side in surprise, reaching for the handle. But she spun to the right, and the blade diverted straight back to her. She snatched it out of the air with a flourish and sent the flames away. "While that is impressive," he said. "That isn't all you can do, is it?"

"Wanna find out?"

Vergil's lips twitched in a smirk as he beckoned his feathers back to his side. Ashira ignited Yamato again, and Vergil charged. She jumped back, dropping the sword where she'd be standing. Before it hit the ground, she swiped her hand up and the sword followed. Fumetsu collided with it. He teleported past it, but Ashira flipped away and beckoned it back. Vergil dodged to the side. Ashira kept her distance, her attention split between controlling the sword and watching him. He did humor her, letting the sword collide with Fumetsu from time to time to see how hard she could push back.

Eventually, however, her control slipped. Vergil knocked the sword aside. She phased toward it, barely grabbing the hilt just in time to raise it between them. But Vergil was faster. He grabbed Yamato, sheathed both swords, and pinned her beneath him in the blink of an eye. Ashira stared at him in surprise, before bursting into laughter. "It was impressive while it lasted," She said, satisfied.

"Using your flames to direct Yamato like one of your feathers," Vergil said thoughtfully. "I will admit, that is not something I had thought of."

She snorted. "You don't need the flames." She'd seen him "boomerang" Yamato a few times, and was well aware he only did it to show off.

"How did you find time to practice?"

"Training swords," She said. "Not great for an actual fight, but good for practice." She lifted herself on her elbows as his hands slipped off her shoulders. "Thank you for humoring me, your highness," She said with a purposefully breathy tone. Vergil twitched as the warmth brushed along his lips. He shifted toward her, but she only smiled. "Yes, Vergil?"

"Your treading a thin line, my beloved. " He whispered, his knees pressing against her hips.

"Is that so?" She kissed his cheek. "Unfortunately for you, we don't have a lot of time."

Vergil growled as his eyes flickered with demonic energy. "Is that a challenge?"

Ashira laughed. "Maybe."

The door slammed open. Vergil's head snapped up, and both were back on their feet before Ashira had a chance to blink. Dante's laughter echoed throughout the room. "Are we interrupting, your majesty?" He said with a grand bow. Nero grimaced behind him, but the twins were too busy staring wide-eyed at the images of dragons and phoenixes etched into the walls of the hallway. A small mercy, Ashira supposed, but she didn't really mind. If anything, Vergil was more embarrassed than her, though he was too busy glaring at his brother to show it.

Griffon merely snorted as he swooped into the room and landed on Ashira's head. "I leave you two alone for five minutes and you just can't help yourselves."

Vergil's annoyance turned on the bird instead. "It's been over an hour."

"Same difference."

As Vergil's gaze turned murderous, Ashira pressed her shoulder to his and took a step forward. "Pythy hadn't given us an exact time on the door," She said with a shrug. "But it's nice to…" Her eyes widened as a low voice echoed through the hallways. In the distance, far past the twins, was a stumbling figure in a brown cloak. No. She thought. Not…

"Shy?"

Nero's voice drew her gaze away, but the figure kept moving. "It's nice to see you," She finished with a strained smile. Vergil's hand pressed against her back as a question echoed in the back of her mind. The figure - Vergil - crumbled, vanishing before he hit the floor.

Why?

Why must I keep watching you die?

Yamato pressed against her palm, jerking her attention away. "Hold on to that," Vergil said. Neither his eyes nor his voice betrayed his worry. Though the gesture alone drew a suspicious look from Dante. "I didn't bother wearing my belt today, and my brother will be enough of a handful as it is."

That was a terrible excuse. Vergil was more than happy to do everything one-handed if it meant he could carry Yamato around. But she understood his intent, and found a strange sense of peace as she clipped the scabbard to her belt. "I'll let Priscilla know it came in handy." She knew her smile was weak, and didn't dare look at the rest of her family. "Dinner's probably ready right now. Should we…"

"Yes," Vergil said as Ashira finally looked away. "You better be hungry, Dante. We have no use for this pizza once you leave."

Dante's eyes lit up. "Hellfired pizza?" He said as he wrapped his arm over Nero's shoulder. "I'm sold." He spun around, yanking Nero with him as he practically stomped toward the twins with a hearty laugh. "Let's go, kiddos! I've got a palace worth of food to clean out!"

Vergil's head tilted. "Something's wrong with him."

Ashira blinked. "How could you tell?"

Vergil frowned. "He's trying too hard."

"Come on lovebugs!" Dante yelled from down the hallway. "Unless you want us to get lost!"

"Dante!" Nero groaned. "Just wait like five damn minutes."

"They'll find us eventually."

Ashira stared down the hallway for a long moment before she realized that her hand was clenching Yamato so tightly that her knuckles had gone white. Vergil stepped in front of her, hand resting on top of hers. "Breathe."

"I swear I've heard you say that before." His eyebrows furrowed. Ashira sighed. "It was only a joke, my love." Still he said nothing as his grip tightened on her hand. "I'm fine, Vergil." She said. "I…" She paused, then sighed again. " Actually, I'm not fine in the slightest. I'm confused and scared and I can't piece anything together and I don't know what to do."

For another long moment, Vergil said nothing. Then, his thumb brushed her cheek, pushing just enough to tilt her toward him. When his hand slid around the back of her head, he leaned in and kissed her. Ashira's heart fluttered at the tender touch, and she likely would have melted on the spot had his other hand not pressed on her back.

When he pulled away, his voice was quiet. "I know it's difficult, Shira, but I need you to be strong." Both hands shifted to gently cup her cheeks. "We'll figure this out."

"Together," She whispered. "Just like everything else."

"VERGIL!"

Vergil growled, and Ashira gave him a small laugh. "We should probably hurry before he tears the palace apart."

"I'd like to see him try."