STIGMA 2: Memory

Chapter 7: Thicker Than Water

"ALEX!'

Screams from the sleeping seer in my arms jolted me out of dreams about talking cheese which was telling me about the end of the world.

"Micah," I shook her gently. "Micah, wake up."

She opened her eyes and buried her head in my shoulder. "Adrian, it's your sister. Something is very very wrong. You need to get to her now!"

I opened my mouth to reply when my phone started ringing.

"McCann here."

"Adrian, its Dante. You need to get out to my place now. Your sister is losing her mind!"

"What? Dante, slow down. What do you mean 'losing her mind'? She's always been crazy." I replied dismissively.

"Her mind is breaking apart. I need you to find my brother and bring him with you NOW!" He then abruptly hung up.

"What the hell?" I muttered, glancing at the time. It was just after 5 am. "And why do I need to find Vergil?" I looked down at Micah.

"I have to go."

She snuggled in closer. "I know."

"I don't want to." I kissed her softly and breathed in her scent.

This was not what I wanted to be doing. I didn't want to drive for about four or five hours to see my sister. I wanted to stay with my girlfriend and sleep. But duty called so I dressed, grabbed my shotgun and went to find Vergil.

I knew Vergil had been given a room here at STIGMA but whether he actually used it or not was another question. Anytime I had been in the library he'd always seemed to be in there either working or reading. I had started to wonder if he actually slept at all. Did Devils need to sleep?

The answer was probably no as I found him in his office. But he wasn't working and he was certainly not reading. Instead Vergil was just sitting there, seemingly staring at the wall. He didn't appear to even notice me there.

"Vergil, you awake over there?"

He turned to look at me. "Yes Adrian, what can I do for you?"

"Your brother just called. It's my sister. There's something wrong with her. Dante said she was going crazy and that I should find you and bring you with me."

That normally stoic face changed to an expression of the deepest concern in an instant. "Where is she?"

"At Devil May Cry."

"Those fools!" He snapped. "Dante should never have taken her from my sight! Not now!"

Something suddenly clicked. "Did you do something to her?"

Vergil was silent and he refused to meet my gaze. I became suspicious. "What did you do to her?"

"We have to go now!" He grabbed my arm and pulled me out of the library and outside onto the terrace.

"Vergil, what the hell's going on?"

"There's no time to explain. Just hold on!"

He grabbed my arms from behind. The ground disappeared from beneath my feet and the air rushed by my head as we ascended into the sky.

"Vergil, what's so important that we couldn't have just driven out there?"

"Her mind will fracture beyond the point of repair within days if I don't get to her. The longer we wait the worse it will be. Taking her from me was the worst thing they could have done."

"I don't understand. What happened to her?"

"It's far too complicated to explain right now."

"Try me."

"Your sister is undergoing a transformation of sorts. Once I marked her, Alex's mind began to bond to mine. Putting a large distance between us at a time like this could be fatal for her."

"You marked her? What kind of mark?"

He was silent once more.

"Vergil I swear to god if she dies I will hunt you down and kill you very slowly."

"I most likely wouldn't survive her death so it would be moot point, Adrian."

I was silent. My mind wandered to the first time I had met him, the time I nearly lost the only family I had left.

"Okay, take it easy." Dante picked me up easily. My leg was broken and I could barely sit up because of my ribs.

"Where's Alex?"

"Do you want the long version or the short version?"

"The short."

"My brother tried to kill a demon and she got in the way and now she's dying."

"WHAT?"

"Cool off. I'll take you to her."

When we got to a house that belonged to healer named Teisha, I almost injured myself further after being greeted by the sight of blood on the doorway at the entrance to the house.

"Where is she?" I demanded.

Dante helped me into Teisha's healing room. My sister was laying on a bed, bleeding. Her shirt had been ripped open and her skin was ashen.

"ALEX!" I looked at Vergil, accusingly. "You did this to MY sister?"

Instead of answering, he coughed up a large quantity of blood and collapsed on the floor.

"Well, this is certainly getting interesting." Dante commented. "Teisha, will she live."

I looked to where my sister was lying. The healer was wiping away the blood. The wound was no longer bleeding. Colour was slowly returning to her face.

"She will but just barely. It will be a few days before she regains consciousness. As for your brother, I'm not entirely sure."

My sister was once again at death's door and like last time it was Vergil's fault. I couldn't put my finger on it but for some reason I knew that she loved him. She loved this bastard who had only ever caused her pain. It was beyond all comprehension.

"Do you love her?" I had to know.

He didn't answer. Always a good sign.

"She loves you. I have no idea why she would ever choose a sick son of a bitch like you but she has."

"We're here." He finally said

As we descended the familiar red letters of Devil May Cry's entrance came into view. I felt some relief knowing that I could see my sister but only some.

Vergil dropped me on the ground rather rudely and kicked the doors open.

"Where is she?" He demanded. As I ran inside Dante was sitting on the couch.

"Alex is upstairs. Trish is looking after her."

Vergil practically flew up the stairs faster than my human eyes could see. I looked and Dante and shrugged; then I followed him upstairs.

Thankfully this time my sister wasn't bleeding to death and her skin wasn't whiter than a corpse's. However she was unconscious and writhing about as if having a nightmare.

Once again I felt responsible. I was the oldest out of the two of us. Her safety had always been my first priority and I had failed her yet again. Worst of all I had failed the only memory I had of my father.

Protect her, always.

I had no memory of what he or my mother looked like. But those three words had always stayed with me. Those three words filled me with guilt and shame knowing that I had not done my duty to protect my family.

"Father, I'm sorry." I whispered as I took a seat next to Alex. I looked at Trish.

"How long has she been like this?"

Trish shook her head. "I'm not sure. A few hours maybe."

I watched as Vergil stroked her hair and whispered something I could not hear. Fierce anger rose in my chest.

"Haven't you done enough to hurt her?" I asked coldly.

Vergil shot a glare so cold it could have frozen a volcano. "If Dante hadn't removed Alex from my sight she wouldn't be in this situation right now."

"And if you had kept your fangs away from her in the first place I wouldn't have had to remove her!" Dante stood up. "This is pointless. Adrian, yes my brother in his wisdom, put Alex in this mess. Unfortunately he's the only one who can get her out of it."

I looked down at Alex. She whimpered in her sleep. I had seen her jump headfirst into fights with vampires, demons and all manner of filth. To see her so helpless, so beyond my reach scared me. If I wanted her to live I had to swallow my pride and let Vergil reach her.

I looked at him. "Do it. Save my sister."

Author's note: Thanks for everyone's comments. Keep them coming.

Next Chapter: This is Not a Dream.