Vergil

I gripped Yamato tightly to the point where my knuckles turned white. There's no way I have a child let alone a kid like that… I thought, remembering how the kid threw a fit when Dante told him that giving him my katana was a mistake.

After retrieving my sword where he had slammed it into the ground I realized that there was now a huge gap in the carpet that needed to be closed. Soul just waved it off and told me that Herokii will fix it when he got back. I didn't bother asking where Herokii went because it wasn't even time for the nightclub to open yet.

Sighing, I headed up the stairs and back into my room. I slid through the door and sat on the couch to think.

If I have a son then that makes me a father. But I'm not ready to be a father. I've just been informed of whom I was- am, and I'm still struggling to believe that I have an uncle and a brother. This is all too much too soon.

"Try to be a father Vergil. He doesn't have anyone." Why should I care about a brat like him? Of all the kids in the world, why did it have to be Nero? Why couldn't someone else be my son?

Wait… is he my son?

There must be a way to confirm it. I would have to ask Soul if the humans had something that could compare our DNA.

I folded my hands and rested my chin on my knuckles. Would Soul know anything about the humans' inventions? Probably not.

With another sigh, I stood and returned to the mess that the child and me made downstairs. I zigzagged around some rubble and found my way to Soul's office. I tapped the door to let him know before I entered.

"Still thinking about Nero?"

I answered his question with another question, "I know we haven't been here all that long but do you know of any contraptions that the humans possess that can read and compare one's DNA?" He blinked and shrugged his shoulders.

Sighing in defeat, I left the club. That's when it hit me- Dante! He's been here since he was a young boy. Wouldn't he know how to help me?

But, where exactly was Dante? I know he followed my s- Nero but I had no idea where he was heading. I have no idea where Dante even lives or a way to contact him. Should I wait for him at the club? Or maybe the café? Would Patty know where to find him? Would she know-? Wait… How do I find Patty?

All that thinking was starting to give me a headache. The only ways that I know of to keep my mind off the headache were to hack away at demons or relax with another strawberry sundae. I chose the latter since there were no demons around and I could wait for Dante there.

--

I dipped the spoon into the red syrup and gracefully brought it back to my mouth. I savored that delicious strawberry taste. As I devoured my strawberry sundae I kept an eye on the door to the café.

It wasn't long before I glimpsed a familiar crimson coat making it's way to the entrance. My so-called 'brother' slipped through the door; Nero by his side.

Dante reached down and laced his fingers with Nero's before placing a kiss on the younger demon's cheek. I scowled as Nero rested his head on Dante's chest. Dante had obviously ignored Soul's advice and went ahead and confessed his feelings.

Nero's eyes swept the café and finally rested on me. Sapphire eyes growing wide, he quickly tapped Dante's chest with the palm of his hand to get his attention. Noticing Nero's sudden change in demeanor, he followed the kid's gaze and casually waved to me.

I can't believe we're related.

The fool slid into my booth with a goofy grin. "Hey, Verge." He said, scooting over so that Nero could sit down. Said boy just stood there; his eyes darting back and forth between Dante and me. He took a nervous step towards Dante and then hesitated. I wondered if the kid was afraid of me or if he was just uncomfortable with the fact that I might just be his father.

Whether or not he was afraid or uncomfortable, he plopped down next to Dante; his expression now blank. He then spoke to me. "I could care less if you really are my father. I love Dante and me being his nephew isn't going to change that."

"I've noticed." I replied. "However, if I am your father then you're going to have to listen to me."

"Forget it! I'm an adult. I don't have to listen to you. "He gave me a glare. "Besides, you weren't there for me when I was little so why should I listen to you?"

I shook my head and pinched the bridge of my nose in frustration, trying to remember what I was going to ask Dante if I saw him. "Dante… I'm not sure if I'm his father. Do you-"

"DNA testing!" Dante read my mind. "You should probably get a lawyer first, and then they'll guide you from there." When he noticed the look on my face he rolled his eyes. "Just look it up."

"I can do that." Nero told him. "The Order of the Sword's Head Quarters has a ton of computers. I could use on of them. Besides, I don't think this old man even knows how to use a computer."

"Nero, kid, when you call him an 'old man' then you're calling me an old man too." Dante told Nero. The younger demon looked up at him with realization and made to apologize but Dante brought him into a sudden deep kiss. I almost gagged at the sight.

"Dante!" I warned him. It didn't take long for me to grab his attention. I waited for an apology but none came. "Very well. If that's all we're going to talk about today then I'm leaving you two cuddle-buddies alone."

"Wait! Vergil, I think Nero should hang out with you. At least for a day…" Nero glanced at him and then shook his head. At least we agreed on one thing. "If he does turn out to be your son, well… I just think it would be best if…" He was at a loss for words. It's hard for him to explain compared to me. Unlike him, I have knowledge on my side.

I knew he meant well. "Alright, Dante. He will." I wasn't sure what we were going to do together but I was going to try. Even if I didn't know why I felt like it was something important that I had to do.

Dante seemed relieved. "Kay then." He proceeded to gently push Nero out of the seat next to him. After he was free of the booth he waved us goodbye as he left.

"Why did you agree to that?" I turned to see Nero giving me another one of his pathetic glares. "Don't you get it? I don't like you!"

"Too bad, kid. You're stuck with me." As I stood I could hear a low rumble. A quick glance at Nero and I realized that he was really hungry. "When did you last eat." No response. "Would you like anything to eat?"

"Any chilidogs here?" I gave him a shrug. I didn't even know what a chilidog is. "Are there any menus?" He scanned the café and realized that they were already on the table behind the ketchup bottle. Grabbing one, he checked for his choice for food and, with a grin, closed it.

"I take it you found it?" I asked as I slid back into the booth. I waved the waitress over.

"What can I get for you handsome?" She asked Nero.

"Two chilidogs… please." He gave her a sparkling smile that would make any woman swoon.

"Anything to drink?" She asked. When Nero didn't reply, the waitress quickly wrote the order down and left us.

"Why is it that everyone in this family, save for me, eats food that's bad for them?" I muttered under my breath, forgetting that Nero was part demon like me and had exceptional hearing.

"How would you know that Dante eats bad food?" He asked me.

"…" I couldn't answer him. Did I finally remember something? "Lucky guess."

"Alright, if this is going to work, you are going to have to stop hiding things. 'Cuz I know you're lying." He glared at me from under his platinum bangs. "Tell me the truth from now on." He didn't press the subject.

"My apologies, but it really is none of your business." The boy was starting to grate on my nerves and I wasn't in the mood, my headache didn't go away and it was getting even worse.

"I'm only asking if you could stop lying to me, is it really so hard to tell the truth?" He asked.

Bang!

I had slammed my hands down on the table as I stood, making the kid jump a mile high into the air. I lowered my voice so that only he could hear me. "Listen, Nero. I don't like you and you don't like me, so don't try me, got it? If you think you can just walk in on my life-"

"Who the hell is walking on who's life?! You're the one who showed up out of nowhere and everyone keeps on telling me you're my dad?" He yelled at me.

"I'm not arguing with you in a public place, kid." I told him as I started to walk out of the café. Opening the door, I looked back at the kid sitting at the booth. He was just as angry as I was. Lucky for him he didn't headache, eh?

I slammed the door behind me and watched Nero through the window. His food had arrived the moment I had walked out. He was very careful not to get any of the sauce on his clothes but he still got it around his mouth. He didn't even bother wiping it off. What a slob. He's more like Dante than I am. And isn't he supposed to be my son? Why the hell didn't he act like it?

I made to leave from my spot outside the window, planning to ditch him but remembered that I told Dante I would spend time with the brat. I had no other choice but to stay and wait for the kid to finish.

--

The snores were so incredibly loud; I couldn't concentrate on anything. My headaches had worsened to a migraine. The kid's snoring didn't help.

An hour or two ago Nero had finally finished his chilidogs and had come outside. He was just about to leave when I caught him on the elbow and reminded him about what Dante said. At first he refused, told me he had changed his mind about what my brother had told us and he would not give me a chance because of the fight. Promising him that he could wield Yamato every now and then convinced him otherwise.

My mistake.

Now the kid was asleep on my couch, his body shielded from my view because I was facing the back of the seat. His snores vibrating through my head, felt like hammers against my skull. I was just about to wake him up but thought otherwise. The more time he was asleep the less time I had to spend with him.

I swallowed two Advil and washed them down with a glass of water. It was going to take awhile for the painkillers to take affect so; in the meantime, I rubbed my temples with the pads of my index fingers.

The snores grew silent and for a second I thought that my migraine had finally dispersed but when I looked up at the couch I saw Nero stretching and rubbing the sleep out of his eyes. He gave a big yawn and looked at me with sleepy eyes. He looked like a small child was just interrupted from his daily nap.

"Morning, sleepyhead." I told him.

He looked at me for a couple of seconds before he spoke. "You sound just like Dante." He said as he fell back onto the couch, disappearing from my view again.

I froze for a second. I sounded just like Dante? I shook my head, clearing it of the thought that I actually sounded like my so-called brother, the action causing a burst of pain from the migraine.

"You know, Nero," I heard a grunt in reply. "I'll take you to the carnival after I get rid of my headache." Changing my mind was the hardest to do but surely Dante would have found out if he just slept through my time with him.

"The carnival?" He was up again and stared at me with confusion. "Why would you want to take me anywhere." He knew I wasn't going to reply. "I've never been to a carnival before." He confessed.

"Neither have I," I told him. But for all I know, I could have been. Too bad I don't remember anything before I died. "Now go back to sleep." I got up and left him to go take a nap of my own in my bedroom.

I shrugged off my coat and laid down on it, staring up at the ceiling. So far, since I've been brought back to life, everything has been really confusing. I had an uncle, a brother, and even a son. What am I supposed to do?

Taking a deep breath, I calmed myself and closed my eyes, willing my migraine to go away. Then the snoring started again. This time, however, the snores were muffled because I had closed the door to my room. I wondered if I snored. Nonsense. That would be something Dante would do.

I turned in the bed, trying to get some rest.

--

I stood at the entrance gate to the carnival, Nero at my side. Nero had been on a rant on our way here about how he was really excited and how long it was since he went somewhere fun. Thank god I woke up without the migraine.

The ticket booth was old and its paint was starting to peel from the corners. The window was foggy but I was still able to see the man behind it. He handed us two tickets, one for me and one for the kid. I thought the kid would squeal in excitement but his mouth was now in a thin line.

"What's a matter?" I asked him.

"I don't know why but I'm tired… again." He looked up at me. "It's probably because I talked a lot during our walk here." He smacked his lips together now. "I'm kinda thirsty too."

I rolled my eyes at him. He was definitely more like Dante than me.

We arrived at a popcorn vendor where we bought some popcorn and sodas. Both of which Nero had drank. He didn't even leave any for me. Go figure. If I didn't know any better, I'd say he was Dante's son. Nero quickly gulped down a bunch of popcorn, stuffing his face as soon as his mouth was empty again. I warned him not to eat too much too fast before getting on a ride but it didn't seem to register in that empty head of his.

The first ride he pointed to was a rollercoaster-like ride by the name of "Ring of Fire". I was not willing to get on that thing because it didn't have any seatbelts even though it had a bar you could hold on to. The ride went upside down and that would be very uncomfortable considering how fast the ride was. So I let Nero get on it by himself. By the time he got off he was vomiting everything that he ate for the day, including the chilidogs. I couldn't help but pity him even though I had warned him of his consequences.

The next ride I had chosen. I wanted a calm ride; one where I had a feeling that Nero wouldn't get sick on. I chose the Ferris wheel. At first he protested but I told him that he would have to sit out here and do nothing until I got off of it.

Now he was pressing his face against the glass to the cart, looking down at all the people below.

"You know other people have probably done that." I calmly told him.

He turned to me. "Done what?"

"Pressed their face up against the glass." I stared down at everyone below. We were so high up. "There are a lot of germs on that window." When I finished that sentence Nero had quickly pulled his hands off of the glass and wiped them on his pants, one side of his face red from pressing against the window. I laughed.

After the ride we decided to take a break and have something else to eat and drink considering that Nero had upchucked everything he had eaten previously. We had ourselves some tea and soda and shared a funnel cake. Nero was eating much slower than last time and he was very cautious about the soda.

"Would you like to check out that giant circus tent over there after you finish that?" I nodded in the direction of the yellow and red tent.

"Sure," he replied with his mouth full of a mixture of funnel cake and soda. He swallowed and picked up the last piece of cake and quickly downed the rest of his soda immediately after.

I stood and picked up the empty paper plate, throwing it away in a nearby trashcan and he tossed his soda away. We both headed towards the tent

As it turned out, it wasn't like a circus show at all. It was actually a bunch of animals normally found in different parts of the world fenced off. There were feeding dispensers where we could pay a quarter and would receive food for a certain animal. Nero retrieved a couple of carrots and fed them to a Giraffe. It's tongue wrapped around his whole wrist and he freaked. Another laugh erupted from my throat. The kid was a riot.

I decided to go ahead and get a view oats to feed to a couple of goats. When I reached down into the pen to feed them however, one of them rammed the fence with enough force to make me take a step back. The food in my hand was now on the ground on the inside of the pen where they were happily eating away at it. That cracked Nero up

After our little 'incidences' with the animals in the tent we decided to sit down and watch a show. We sat on metallic bleachers that faced a little stage. It took a couple of moments for all the seats to be filled so we took those moments and played a game that Nero called 'Rhyme Tyme'. We had to rhyme to each other's words but we couldn't say any repeats. We were also not allowed to say names, countries, places, products and anything of that sort. I had no difficulty beating him at his own game.

When it came time for the show, it was already dark out. The lights above lit the stage and an elderly man stood there, holding a cane. He stared out into the crowd. "Welcome, one and all, to The Great Malluni! A spectacular magic show just for you." Now, be amazed!" Dramatic started up and smoke started to cover the stage. He lifted off his hat and showed us the inside of it. Nothing was in there. He then reached down into and brought out a white dove. He let go of it and soared above us. It then went back down to the stage where the magician clapped his hands over it and there was a loud pop. Sparkles shot out from where the dove was seen last.

"Now," the magician spoke again. "I will need assistant. Who is brave enough to disappear?" Everyone in the crowd raised their hand. He then pointed at Nero. "You! You like a young magician. Will you not come down here and show this crowd what you can do." Nero glanced at me and I nodded. He got up and walked down to the stage where the magician asked for his name. The magician then revealed a large crate in the shape of a coffin. He directed for Nero to step inside it. Without questioning, the kid did. Then the crate was sealed and the covers were placed back over it. The magician then pulled out a wand. The tip of the wand caught fire and he set the crate ablaze.

When the smoke cleared, the crate was gone, and so was Nero. "And there, in the crowd!" The magician crowed. The spotlight settled on Nero as he was walking down to the stage. "Give a big round of applause for the young magician, Nero!" The crowd erupted into cheers and claps. Nero stood tall and proud, a big grin had spread across his face.

When the carnival started to close, Nero and I were exhausted. And we had to walk all the way back to the nightclub. Nero was so tired that he could hardly stand on his own, let alone walk. I let him lean against me as we headed towards my home.

When we finally arrived we found that the doors were locked and the lights were turned off. Soul must've gone to bed early tonight. I searched my pockets for the keys and, finding them, let us inside. Nero and me quietly tipped-toed up the stairs, which was proving to be difficult; every other step we took a stair would creak loudly.

Nero stumbled and fell onto the couch where he started to curl up for the night. I tossed a blanket over him to make sure he was protected from the cold before I headed to bed myself. A whisper that was almost too quiet stopped me in my tracks. "Night, dad." Nero said sleepily.

I shook my head at him. "I might not be your father, remember. We'll find out in a couple of days. Get some rest, okay kid?" And with that, I stepped into my room so I could also get comfortable enough to sleep.

TBC…

Authors Note: I'm sorry I have not updated in almost a year (maybe longer). I haven't received many reviews and any that were decent enough to encourage me to go on. But, thanks to the encouragement from a rather kind reviewer, I have finally made the tenth chapter. But then I started to have problems with the document manager (wouldn't let me upload any stories). Did you like it?

PLEASE REVIEW!