STIGMA 2: Memory

Chapter 9: Breaking The Shell

I was cradled by warm hands, shielded by loving arms and cocooned in peace. A familiar masculine scent filled my nostrils. My head lay cradled against a strong chest.

"Stay with me, Lariska. I can't lose you again."

The world shatters around me but I have no fear. I am safe and protected. The shell finally breaks and I am free once more.

My eyes flicked open. Mid afternoon sun streamed through the window I sat up and stretched then frowned. That was a dream I just had. According to Trish, I wasn't supposed to dream at all. Or maybe that whole conversation had just been one big hallucination in the midst of my delirium.

I went to the bathroom to change. As I stared in the mirror I waited for the dragon to appear and to devour me. Nothing happened. I sighed with relief and proceeded to wash my face. After that I started to apply some make up.

As I got to my eyes I stopped dead in my tracks. Traces of ice blue had crept their way into my green orbs.

"What…the…fuck?"

I slowly backed away from the mirror and began to run downstairs.

"DANTE!"

I flew down the staircase and into the kitchen expecting to find the demon hunter with a beer or tomato juice in his hands. Instead the kitchen was empty.

"He's not here." I stopped dead in my tracks. That voice, I had heard it in my dreams this morning. I turned around to face him. There he was; my beautiful nightmare. I backed into the cupboard against the sink.

"Stay away from me, Vergil." My voice trembled.

"Please let me explain." He stood only five metres away from me. So near, yet so far. Unexplained feelings of love and justified fear and hate fused inside me.

"No!" I snapped. "All you have ever done is hurt me! I just want all of this to stop. It's bad enough that you violate me but you reject me as well. Then I have to put up with seeing your memories of some dead girl you loved inside my head when I don't even know who I am!"

Vergil backed away. "They're not my memories."

"Then whose are they?"

"Yours."

My knees collapsed beneath me. "What the hell? You mean I'm that little girl? I'm Lariska?"

"This may be a little difficult to believe but it's true. Your real name is Lariska."

A pale hand took mine and helped me up. "You didn't know because I was forbidden to tell you. You never wondered why I was so cold to you. Why I never approached you if I didn't have to?"

"Because you're an asshole?"

He glared slightly. "Imagine seeing the one person you love deeply not remember anything about you or the childhood that you shared together. I've had to live with that since I was thirteen."

"What happened to me?" I stopped for a second and then it clicked. "Wait…you love me?"

Once again we were face to face. But his gaze was no longer as cold as winter. There was some trace of humanity in those eyes; there was concern, sorrow and something else I couldn't quite place. Was it love?

"I don't understand you Vergil."

I was rewarded with the smallest of smiles; a rare treat from him. "I've heard that before."

"Does this have anything to do with my parents' murder?"

"It has everything and anything to do with it. But it would be easier to show you than tell you." He lowered my hand. "Get dressed."

"Where are we going?"

"My home."

Author's Note: A lot of angst music inducing went into writing this. I would suggest Frozen by Within Temptation, Decode by Paramore (yes I know it was written for Twilight, don't flame me) and Shame by Stabbing Westward. Frozen sounds like it was written for Vergil.

Thanks for everyone's comments. Keep them coming.

Next Chapter: Memory.