Author's Note: I apologize for the delay. As I've mentioned on EOA (which also got delayed), things have been... interesting in the last few weeks. But everything is getting better, and I'm finally back on the "let's finish up this series" train! Hope you enjoy :)

Chapter Five

It took less than a minute for Vergil to realize that he and Dante were in way over their heads. And while his demon half bristled at the thought, even it was wary of this unfamiliar, other-self. This man turned monster was far beyond what Vergil had ever been while trapped in that suit.

Ashira had seen the other ways he should have died. Fitting that he had to face down the one that hadn't; the one who's survival was probably the worst of them all.

Unfortunately for Vergil's ego - or fortunately for his sanity - Dante was the one actually fighting. There hadn't been a conversation on the matter. In fact, Dante was eerily silent. No jabs or sarcasm. No calls to Vergil or attempts at banter. His entire demeanor was deadly serious, and any other demon would have crumbled by now.

But Nelo… Nelo seemed impervious to everything. Every attack bounced off. His own strikes were blindingly quick. Dante had triggered for about half a second but had been forced out of it as it had done more damage to the building than the armor. He moved better than Vergil could recall as if the suit was nothing more than a second skin.

Vergil flinched at the memory, pulling himself further away. He could feel it. The armor digging into his skin like hundreds of daggers slicing straight to the bones. He jerked his hand away, realizing that his own claws had cut through him without him realizing it. The wounds faded, but his heart didn't stop.

He knew this feeling too; panic. He hadn't experienced it too much himself, but he'd helped Ashira through numerous attacks over the years. He realized somewhat bitterly that experience might actually be hurting him now, as he knew what to expect. His heart raced out of control. His skin felt clammy. His hands would be shaking if they weren't clenched into fists. Everything was closing in, even as he tried to tell himself otherwise. Maybe if he didn't know, it would be easier to handle.

But it wasn't.

He was drowning in what he thought he'd long gotten over.

And Ashira wasn't here to pull him out.

"Verge!" Dante yelled between strikes. "Stay with me!"

Vergil shuddered, trying to refocus his mind. "Walk through the steps!" Dante shouted again. "Figure out what we need to do."

Steps… the steps. Right. Vergil had tried the front door but hadn't been surprised to find it sealed shut by magical means. He knew he couldn't break it, and had a feeling that whatever had sent them here wanted something else. He'd done a quick scan of the library from where they were and knew for certain that Pythagoras was long gone. Dead or missing, it didn't matter. This was no longer his library.

Find the sword.

Vergil blinked backward instinctively, narrowly avoiding a swipe from Yamato. Dante intervened on the second strike, grunting as Nelo pushed back. "Go, Verge," Dante said. "Find those…" He hissed in slight pain, before knocking Nelo away. "Find the pieces for that thing upstairs."

That was the most logical thing to do, but Vergil hesitated. Everything felt wrong. Was this the only Nelo? If he had defeated Dante in this "timeline" or "world", then what happened to Dante? Where was Mundus? How long did they have before he showed up?

"Stay with me!" Dante repeated, his voice louder than before. "I can't have you off in another world right now!" As he swung his Devil Sword again, Yamato parried it. In the half-second it took Dante to recover, Rebellion was already diving toward his chest.

Vergil surged forward without thinking. His demon form slammed into Nelo, throwing him across the room. The armor hit the wall but landed back on its feet as if nothing had happened. Vergil threw as many spectral swords as he could manage to block the creature's path and reached for a feather. No, he told himself. The fire wouldn't work on him, and he couldn't waste them so soon.

"This way," He said as he blinked back onto the second floor. "Dante!"

"You want me to just leave him?"

Vergil's words caught in his throat. Logically, Dante should stay here. Vergil was certain he could keep Nelo occupied. But his heart… his head… his panic…

"Yes," Vergil said. "We can't risk it."

I need you.

Dante was by his side in an instant. "You know," He said with a weary grin. "This is the first time we've run from anything."

"I suggest we do it well," Vergil said. Two more spectral swords knocked Nelo out of the sky, and the twins took off into the stacks before he had a chance to recover.

Nero had known of Angelica's growing demonic powers, but even he was shocked at how quickly she flew through the trees. And sure, he could have easily kept up, but Kaiden - who was both much slower and had yet to leave his odd trance - would be a sitting duck if anything found him. And, as much as Nero hated being away from either of them in situations like this, he didn't have much of a choice. Angelica was smart. She could fight. And if she needed help, she would come back to him. And if anyone could catch the astoundingly quick child Vergil in this mess, it was her.

Focusing on his son was the best thing he could do.

"Kaiden," He said as they kept an easy pace; a light jog for hybrids that most humans could never keep up with. But when Kaiden didn't answer, Nero finally leaped in front of him, stopping a collision with his wings. "Kaiden," he repeated, but the teen stared straight past him as if he'd left the world completely. And Nero realized with a twinge of horror that this was the exact same look Ashira had had before she'd vanished through her own portal.

"What do you see?" Nero said. He knew it was a shot in the dark, as he hadn't actually known what had happened to Ashira during her own trance. But both of hers had been quick, and she had nearly collapsed both times. Kaiden… he was still moving. Still running. And Nero didn't know what else to do. "You can tell me."

"We have to find him," Kaiden said, his voice still hollow.

"Listen to me," Nero said. "Whatever's got a hold of you, you need to get away from it. Fight back, Kaiden. You're my son, and I know you can do it." He didn't know if his words were even reaching the teen, but he prayed to whoever was listening that something was working. "Please," He whispered almost without thinking.

After another moment, Kaiden's eyes snapped back to clarity. He stumbled forward, but Nero caught him in a tight hug. "Dad," Kaiden whispered, his voice shaky. And that almost scared Nero more, as his son hadn't called him anything but 'father' in years.

"It's okay," Nero said as he pulled Kaiden closer. "Everything's gonna be okay."

"I saw something."

Nero pulled back slowly, wings still on Kaiden's shoulders. But his son's hands fell into his own, still shaking. Nero squeezed them gently, a gesture neither of them had experienced since Kaiden was a child. "What was it?"

Kaiden hesitated, uncertain. "An egg," He whispered. "A giant white egg. And there was a man beside it, but someone I'd never seen before." He shook his head, baffled. "I don't understand it, dad. I don't know what it means. Why?"

"GET AWAY FROM ME!"

Nero's head snapped to the side as Vergil's voice echoed through the forest. Angelica's voice followed quickly after- "listen to me, dammit!" - and Nero looked back to Kaiden. "Are you alright?" Kaiden nodded, so Nero continued."I promise we'll figure this out."

Kaiden watched him, his eyes clouded with doubt. Nero didn't blame him. He still didn't have a clue where they were or why they were here. He was in the past, yes, but it didn't feel right. Surely them meeting Vergil now would change something in his own future. But his memory was still the same. All three of them were still here. But what would happen if they kept going? What if they simply hadn't done enough? Would Nero know at what point to stop? And even if he could protect Vergil… should he? Or was he supposed to sit by and watch?

"Dad," Kaiden whispered. "We have to help him." His eyes drifted in the direction of Angelica's voice. She and Vergil were fighting now, and Nero could hear the occasional clang of metal on metal. "I don't know why, but I just… I just feel like…" His voice trailed off again, and Nero could see the terror in his son's eyes. So, he pulled Kaiden close and kissed his forehead. Kaiden froze, and Nero could feel his own cheeks heating up. But then his son's arm wrapped around Nero's back, and his muscles relaxed.

After a long moment of silence, Nero pulled away and met Kaiden's gaze. "I trust you," Nero said. "Let's go."

It didn't take long to find Angelica, but Nero wasn't certain whether to be proud that she had her future grandfather in a chokehold, or horrified. "What happened to talking?" Nero said as he pried them apart. Vergil jerked away, but Kaiden slipped in front of him. "Hold on, Verge," Nero said.

"Go away!" Vergil said, but his voice wavered. It felt so strange seeing his father like this. Young. Inexperienced. Terrified. Running for his life. Had he forgotten Ashira already? Nero didn't know that story as well as he probably should. "How do you… I don't…"

"Wait," Kaiden said as he lowered himself to one knee. Vergil took a step back as he clutched Yamato to his chest like a teddy bear. Hadn't he just gotten it? Nero wasn't certain. Vergil hadn't talked much about this part of his life, and now Nero was regretting not asking more questions. But he watched in silence as Kaiden snapped his fingers and a golden feather appeared in his palm. Vergil's eyes widened in some mix of confusion and recognition. "Do you remember?" Kaiden said quietly. "Shira?"

Vergil took another step back, eyes flickering to Nero before he stopped short. "I don't know what…" He frowned, standing a bit taller. "Who?"

"She was your friend," Kaiden said.

"Kai…" Nero didn't know the dangers of telling a much younger Vergil about a girl he was supposed to have forgotten. But considering the three of them were talking to him at all… maybe that ship had already sailed.

"I don't…" Vergil's voice trailed off. "I don't… remember…" He took another step back. "My family… they're all…" Tears filled the corners of his eyes, but Nero saw him stubbornly attempt to blink them away. "I can't stay here. I have to…"

"Take this," Kaiden said as he held the feather out. "It'll protect you."

Vergil's expression turned dark. "Nothing can protect me."

"We can," Angelica said. "We're close to Redgrave, right Dad? We can find help there."

"No!" Vergil said sharply. "I need to get to Fortuna."

"I can get us there," Nero said as he held his hand out. "But I'll need that sword."

He wasn't surprised when Vergil yanked both himself and Yamato away. Angelica was behind him in an instant. "Don't make me chase you down again," She said with a scowl to rival Vergil's own.

"You can't have it," He said. "It's… It's mine. I won't let you take it from me."

"I know you're scared…" Nero said.

"I'm not scared!"

"But you're going to have to trust me."

"I will do no such thing."

"Oh come on," Angelica groaned. "Why couldn't we have met an older one?"

Vergil's eyes widened as Nero glared at her. "Not the time," He hissed. But before Vergil or anyone else could question her, low gurgles echoed behind them. Demons. Nero reached for Red Queen as Angelica unsheathed her own. "Stay with him, Kai," Nero said. He could feel the portals opening all around them, followed by every demon noise he'd ever heard, overlapping themselves in an endless wave of nonsensical sounds. Could he fight them all off? He knew Vergil had taken down a dozen or so on his own, but Nero wasn't certain if that had already happened, or if they were stopping it.

Did it matter?

He didn't have the answer to that either.

But he did know one thing. He would never, no matter the circumstances, risk the lives of his own children.

"Quick," He said beckoning to Angelica. "We have to go."

"But…"

"Angelica."

She pouted for about a second before sheathing her sword and turning to the others. "You heard him, boys."

"Take it," Kaiden whispered, neither him nor Vergil looking her way. "You'll feel much better. I promise." Though hesitant, Vergil reached for the feather. It pulsed with energy as it brushed his fingertips, but didn't dissipate as Nero expected it to. Instead, he closed his palm around it with a curt nod, before tucking it away in his jacket.

A loud shriek startled them all. "Go!" Nero shouted.

"But if we can't use Yamato," Angelica said. "How are we getting to Fortuna?"

"Run now, talk later!"

Ashira expected to find a pile of demons hoping to devour whoever dared encroach on their domain. And she wasn't technically wrong. There were plenty of demons. But none of them moved, even when she landed in an unneeded blaze of glory. The few around her burned, but their charred bodies simply stayed that way. None turned to dust like they should have. Their skin turned black, not bothering to melt. The rest were completely still; frozen in time, just like the members of the castle she had left behind.

Vergil's landing was near-silent, but she felt the ripple of energy as he slipped out of his demon form. "Impressive," She murmured as she leaned toward a demon. "I hadn't realized how quickly you grew accustomed to that form."

"Why do you speak of me so fondly?"

She hadn't meant to laugh. Honest. But that question felt so absurd. To hear it in his voice. To remember that he knew nothing about her, and might not have ever even found her in this timeline was just… too much. She wasn't surprised to see his scowl when she finally calmed herself and glanced back at him. "It's a simple answer, I suppose," She said. "But also much more complicated than I think either of us are ready for at the moment."

"You're dodging the question."

"And you're ignoring the more important issue." She waved her hand at the demons around them. "Does anything seem off, Sai…" She caught herself. "Vergil?"

His eyes narrowed for a moment, likely contemplating whether to keep arguing with her, or let it go. And while Ashira knew the conversation was far from over, he did let it go for long enough to investigate one of the unburnt demons nearby. "Stasis," He said simply. "It's a power I've used on numerous occasions."

"Not recently."

That time, he glared at her. And considering the fact that she hadn't meant to say it, Ashira knew she deserved it. "Geryon can too," She said. "But not on such a massive scale… so I doubt that's what we're dealing with."

"Your angel is more concerning," Vergil said. "I've never heard of it."

Neither had the future him. Or anyone around them for that matter. Not a single person, including Pythagoras, could guess what demon would willingly call themselves such a thing. The Angelos were the closest things she could think of, and she hadn't seen one of those in years. Her Vergil had tracked down every possible source of those things within weeks of taking the throne. And Nelo shouldn't exist in this timeline if Vergil was right here. Though that was assuming a lot of things about her predicament that she really didn't know.

"Where would you start, V?" She muttered.

"You," Was his reply. "If this is truly another world, and not simply our past, then finding yourself might give us more information."

She couldn't imagine how that conversation was going to go, but it was worth a shot. "I know a place we could go," She said. "But…" She froze as a small, blue figure appeared out of the corner of her eye. She jerked her head to the side, but the figure vanished. "Take it," She heard Kaiden say. "It'll protect you."

"We're close to Redgrave… right Dad?"

Their voices were so loud and distracting. Each one overlapped in a scene she couldn't see. A world she wasn't a part of. A ghost of a young boy seemed to slip in out of reality on a whim, never lingering long enough for her to figure out who it was. But considering her recent nightmares, she had a terrible suspicion. No. She thought. Please… I don't want to see this.

Another voice - the same, foreign one from her nightmares - echoed in her head. Your family's interference is meddlesome. Agony shot through her. She grabbed for her head, desperate to force out whatever was pulling her apart. She heard Vergil's voice over the chaos, but the unknown person's rage pulsed in her ears. I will not fail! I cannot fail! You will not fail me! Somewhere over the pain, the demons around her surged to life. The burnt ones crumbled to dust. The others lunged toward them. She reached for Yamato, but her vision blurred before she could. She lurched away as a fury's claw narrowly missed her face. She hit the ground hard. Her glasses flew off. The world went dark. She summoned any flames she could, but knew it wasn't enough.

Hold on, Ashira. Another voice- the same voice? She didn't know anymore. It was all the same at this point - whispered. Just a little longer. I promise.

Suddenly, the world went silent. Ashira stared at the flickering demon souls in surprise as Vergil reappeared in front of her. He very slowly sheathed his weapon, staring straight at her as he did so. The second it clicked, the souls around her vanished, and she heard the flesh of numerous demons hit the ground. But when she tried to thank him, her chest seized with panic. "No, no, no," She said. "I can't… not without…"

Vergil.

A hand gripped her shoulder. "Ashira," A voice said. She couldn't look up. She didn't want to hear anyone else. Too many voices. Too many people. Her heart pounded against her ribcage. She couldn't breathe. She couldn't think. She couldn't… she couldn't do…

"Ashira!"

She blinked as her eyes met Vergil's. When had she grabbed his jacket? Or him, for that matter? What was he...

"Breathe."

She did, and the world retreated. Air slowly filled her lungs. Her heartbeat returned to normal. But her vision didn't. "My glasses…" She said.

"Shattered," Vergil said. Ashira took another breath, quelling another bout of panic before it had a chance to consume her. "You're a demon, are you not?"

"My sight never healed," She said simply as she tried to stand. But her legs gave out, and she found herself tumbling straight into Vergil's arms. She uttered more than a few curses in her Phoenix tongue, and Vergil's eyebrows furrowed before she remembered that he could still understand her. Too many things to keep track of. "Sorry."

"You're blind."

"Technically."

"What's that supposed to mean?"

"It means we need to keep going."

"You can't even stand."

"I have to!" She snapped. "I can't… I can't watch another…"

Vergil sighed, but she wasn't certain if it was frustration or something else. "Come on," He said as he held his hand out. She took it, but found herself on his back a second later. She blinked, bewildered. Her Vergil could catch her off guard whenever he wanted. But this Vergil…

Her mind was too hazy to finish that sentence.

"You want to know why I speak of you so fondly?" She murmured as her head fell to his shoulder. He said nothing as he stood up, adjusting her arms until they hung somewhat clumsily around his neck.

"Do one of your familiars know where we're going?" He said.

Her fingers twitched as she tugged on the closest familiar she could find. Shadow manifested at their feet, purring as she rubbed her muzzle on Vergil's leg. He stared at her for a moment, before shaking his head. "V can help too," She said. "He knows the way as well as I do."

Again, Vergil said nothing as he followed after a very confident Shadow. Ashira wished she could stay awake and remove this awkwardness blooming in her chest. Did he feel some connection to her? It was possible. Soulmates were often aware of each other long before anything happened between them. A feeling of comfort that was difficult to explain. And she knew he was lonely. Her own Vergil had admitted that once he was comfortable enough to share such things with her. Maybe that's why he was humoring her. Or maybe he felt there was no other choice.

I'll be there soon, A voice whispered. Just hold on a little longer.

"Why is it," Vergil said. "That you speak so fondly of me?"

Ashira sighed. "It's a long story."

"We've got plenty of time."

She chuckled. "If I had a dollar for every time I heard you say that…"

"Tell me," He said. "What I mean to you."

"Promise you won't drop me?"

He scoffed. "You say that as if I have a choice."

"Technically…"

"I won't."

She pressed her forehead against his back, contemplating where to even start. So many stories together. So much time spent apart, and even more spent married. Their life on the throne… his relationship with his son… Mundus's defeat and everything he'd overcome. What could she say that would give this man here - this Vergil hurting from years of untold suffering - hope?

"In my world," She said slowly. "You're a king."

"Is that so?"

She nodded. "It took a long time to get there, though. So maybe it's best to start at the beginning… the day that you and I met for what you thought was the first time, right at this spot under the remnants of the Qliphoth tree…"