A/N: Hey sup guys, I'm currently enjoying the end of MLKJr day (no classes for college students :) and decided I should do at least some typing for next week, though I have no big plans for the rest of this week beyond starting my new job! :) Anywho I'll get onto that chapter where I'm sure I'll torment poor Vergil some more :p
Disclaimer: I don't even own a poster of Vergil
Admittance
"What?" Madeline said softly, looking deep into the young boy's eyes, she was confused, what on earth did that mean?
"I…" Anthony seemed to realize what he'd just said and that he hadn't meant to say it in the slightest "I don't know." He said softly, going to turn around again but Madeline put a hand on his shoulder.
"Why does it matter that I'm human? So are you." She said. She noticed that when she said it his eyes averted away from her, there was something about that statement that made him uncomfortable.
"I…" he didn't want to look at her, so instead he stared at his toes, hoping that he'd be able to make the fear go away. He took a deep breath and then looked up at his current caretaker, deciding then and there that telling her would be more beneficial than continuing to try and hide it. "It's because I'm not." He said. Madeline just looked confused so he sighed and spoke again
"I'm not entirely human." He repeated
"What?" Madeline asked, staring at her charge in confusion and worry. What did he think he was? Did he make something up just to account for the loss of his family? Then her mind flicked back to the glowing, maybe he was telling the truth…
"My mom was human." He said softly and then looked down at his hands, taking a deep breath and summoning Yamato. Madeline jumped backward startled beyond all belief and put a hand over her mouth so she didn't yell too loud. "My father was a powerful demon." He set the katana on the floor as to not terrify Madeline too much and the woman swallowed audibly.
"W-what…? Anthony… how did you do that…?" Vergil looked at the ancient weapon
"It's a devil arm," he explained "I'm connected to it, it does what I bid it to, I can keep it within myself for safekeeping." He picked it up and slid it back into its resting place beside his arm. He wasn't sure exactly why it chose that place to reside but it was easy enough for the young half devil to keep track of that he never questioned it too much.
"But… devils don't exist…" Madeline said, her voice barely above a whisper. She nearly flinched, her mind urging her to run when Anthony's eyes flashed a bright, glowing, green and he said
"Are you so sure?" with that he turned away, seeming to not know what else to do, he was a little kid again, small and vulnerable and in need of help.
"Anthony… your mother… what actually happened?" she was certain that it had to do with his heritage, it would definitely explain why he was so hesitant to talk about it.
"She… wasn't strong enough… neither was I… there was a demon… a powerful demon who wanted to hurt our family… he killed us… I didn't expect to wake up though…" Madeline thought that perhaps he was just confused on his pronouns, that he was hurt and scared and nervous to talk about what had happened. In the back of her mind she decided that it didn't matter what this kid's genetics were, he needed her help, even if they sat well beyond the realm of extraordinary.
"Us…?" she prodded, Anthony nodded in response, a hand over his chest. He often rubbed that spot, like an old wound…
"We heal fast… but… I didn't think… It hurt so bad…" he bit his lip and clenched his small fists, trying very hard not to cry. "He shot us… both of us…" Madeline's eyes were wide in horror. That wasn't a revelation she saw coming. He had been shot in the chest? At first her mind tried to rationalize it, but she had seen him change, there was no wound there, not even a scar. She pulled the boy into a hug without a second thought. He flinched at the motion, he was still shaking slightly, from what emotion, she wasn't sure. "I didn't think that I'd wake up… and see my mom…" she could hear the lump in his throat as he tried to swallow past it.
"It'll be okay Anthony." She said, holding him tighter, trying to contain the tremors, trying to help him calm down. She stroked his hair slowly, and eventually the tremors slowed and stopped and his breathing began to calm. She stayed that way for a few moments longer before letting him go and holding his shoulders, looking into eyes that glistened with unshed tears.
"She died because I wasn't strong enough to protect her." He said, there was an anger in his voice that Madeline had never heard in a child before "I wasn't strong enough then but I promise… I swear that I'll make him pay for the pain he's caused my family." The last couple of words were more growl than anything and the older woman didn't like the otherworldly light that crept into his eyes. So she did what she could to take his mind off of it; she ruffled his hair and smiled at him when he looked at her in confusion.
"We can talk about if vengeance is the right thing in the morning, but for right now, you need to get some sleep." Anthony was about to open his mouth in protest when she shushed him solidly, picking up the squirming boy and setting him down on the bed with a grunt.
"Ah ah, sleep." She pointed at the pillow. The boy grumbled something under his breath and finally lay down. Madeline smiled and stroked his hair one last time before leaving the room.
Once outside of it she closed the door, her heart hammering a million miles a minute in her chest as all the information that had been laid out in front of her finally started to sink in.
"Oh god… what've I gotten myself into…?"
A/N: I like this :) and Madeline is taking things shockingly well considering the circumstances.
Till next time,
-Winged Element
