Chapter 8

Kyrie looked around at the counter, searching for the spatula, which kept on mysteriously vanishing every time she needed it. Shaking her head and looking puzzled, Kyrie turned back to her batter and had to resort to mixing it with a spoon.

"What 'cha doing?" Nero popped his head in the kitchen.

"I wanted to bake some get well cookies for Lady- do you think she'll like chocolate chip?" Kyrie began to carefully spoon the dough unto the cookie sheet.

"I know I would…" He trailed off, brightening as Kyrie pulled out a paper bag from behind the counter that looked close to bursting.

"I already had a head-start on yours. Thank you for yesterday Nero." Kyrie smiled, watching as he broke the teddy bear sticker she had used to seal the bag and quickly dug in.

"Mm…! No one bakes cookies like you do." He chewed appreciatively. "Ever consider selling these things? I'll buy a truck-full."

"You're biased." She pulled on oven mitts and picked up the tray. "Besides- I've never met anyone with your appetite before. I'll expect you to buy two trucks."

"Done. I better get a discount though- I doubt my salary would be up for that kind of abuse." Nero pulled open the oven door and Kyrie pushed the tray in. "…you better not be giving Dante any." He added after a thoughtful pause.

"Hm," She made a non-committal noise, "Aren't you supposed to be at work?"

"I heard that Credo's making you wait for the door repairman so I just wanted to pop by and see how you were doing before I left." He leaned against the kitchen table, licking a chocolate covered finger. "After all, if you were under attack again and died because I wasn't here to save you- I'd have to find someone else to wash my socks for me."

"A tragedy, I'm sure." Kyrie replied dryly.

"It is. I like how you roll them into those little balls. Still don't know how or why you do it- but I like 'em."

BEEEEP! BEEEEEP! BEEEEP!

"Oh bother," Kyrie turned around to see the oven smoking. "The cookie sheet must have stuck to the back again."

"I'll get it." Nero rose smoothly and pulled the oven door open. He reached in unthinkingly, and hissed in pain as the hot metal rack touched his bare forearm.

"Nero!" Kyrie turned the tap on and he stuck his left arm under the cool water, both ignoring the insistent beep of the fire alarm.

The pale flesh of his forearm had turned an angry red.

"Owwie…" Kyrie murmured sympathetically.

Nero shrugged. "Ah, it'll heal. It was a stupid thing to do anyway."

She peered at the skin that was showing signs of blistering. "It was a good thing your hand wasn't burned. That glove… Hey, why do you never take that thing off anyway?"

"It adds to my charm." Nero replied breezily, tucking said hand safely out of sight. "Can we turn that alarm off now?"

While Kyrie opened the window and allowed fresh air to waft into the room, Nero watched as the redness turned into a blister and just as quickly faded away back into unblemished skin. The entire healing process took less than a minute, and he ran a gloved finger across his skin thoughtfully.

"Huh? But I thought…" Kyrie's gaze fastened on Nero's arm.

"Well, it wasn't as bad as it looked." He spoke blithely, but Kyrie didn't looked convinced.

"Well, I'm glad it turned out to be nothing." She replied doubtfully. "But that really looked like a bad burn a while ago…"

"Nope- still good and healthy." Nero raised an eyebrow. "Come on- what's with that face?"

Kyrie silently reached out and wound her fingers around that of his gloved hand. Nero gave a start, but couldn't find the strength to pull away from her delicate hold. Her hand seemed fragile in comparison to his- but he was completely and utterly subdued in her tiny grasp.

"I know there's a lot of things friends can't tell each other, like the whole picking up a car and throwing it effortlessly thing," She shook her head as Nero opened his mouth to interrupt. "But whatever happens, whatever secrets we need to keep, I just wanted to say... I trust you."

"I know," Nero felt a weight in his chest as he gently pulled away. "It's me I don't trust."

.

Vergil allowed himself a weary sigh as he returned the thirty-fifth book about magical bonds he had skimmed through that that night. None had been helpful with his particular situation and his patience was fast evaporating.

This was getting ridiculous. He hated any show of weakness but lately it was as if he had no control over his actions when it came to dealing with her.

The idea that she had some unusual and unwanted hold on him made his skin crawl. He had had no intention of being anybody's puppet- not after he had just come back into freedom.

Yesterday's events had only further strengthened his suspicions of Kyrie not being entirely normal.

After leaving her at the house, Vergil had gone to the northernmost part of town slaying the occasional group of demons that had the misfortune to cross his path.

He was just in the middle of a fight when all of a sudden the ground beneath his feet gave way. It was as if some invisible barrier had fallen all at once and he could see further and more clearly than he had ever seen before. He could distinguish every yellowing bone and claw, every ragged thread of the Hell Pride's dark garments, and every notch on their rusty blades in more detail than ever. But at the same instant, there was an urgency to leave as an inexplicable anxiety flooded his mind.

She needed him.

Vergil stumbled slightly.

He quickly composed himself and, annoyed that these demons had seen him at a moment of weakness, swiftly cut them to dust.

The need to protect the girl had overcome all sense and reason, and he had found himself racing through the city, drawn towards a place he somehow knew she would be. Several groups of demons had appeared to block his path, but Vergil passed them with a few well-controlled strokes of his blade. He had no time to deal with distractions- not when his careful reserve of energy was fast depleting.

He had arrived at the scene in time to see Dante throw an arm around her waist and he had to restrain himself from marching over and breaking his younger brother's arm. Although he had to admit that it was not unusual for him to want to break Dante's arm in the first place- but to actually have a reason for doing so was just strange.

Before he could move however, a car had slammed into Dante's smug face and a boy had marched in from the other side of the road to join in the tussle.

Vergil had watched them battle from the shadows of the street side, thoughtfully studying the new comer who handled the fight with commendable aplomb. The boy had considerable talent, but moved sluggishly and was too concentrated on the area near Kyrie. He would have mocked this display of overprotective ness; that is if he wasn't feeling the same reluctance to let her out of his sight.

Kyrie and the boy left soon after, and it was at this point that he had regained sufficient control over himself to pad away and conclude that there was something very wrong with the way he reacted to that girl.

It had been twice now that he had rushed to her rescue without even meaning to; this loss of self-possession that he had always prided himself upon was starting to unnerve him greatly.

The usual approach he took whenever something annoyed him would be to hack at it with his sword. But as the problem was that he was obligated by some unknown force to protect her in the first place, Vergil supposed that he needed to take a more subtle approach.

He pulled out a book at random, grimly determined not to rest until he could find the answers he needed. Vergil flipped through the pages until a chapter title caught his eye.

Jackpot.

Vergil's focus turned completely to the book in his hand as he read the short section.

Demon Magnets

For reasons unexplained, Darkness has always sought out the Light.

Embodying this, Demon Magnets are humans with the ability to summon creatures from the demon world. This ability to summon is usually awakened when the subject reaches the latter part of adolescence or when introduced to areas of high magical concentration.

Upon their awakening, Demon Magnets are said to develop bonds with the first demon summoned, otherwise known as a Consort. This symbiotic bond is said to obligate the Consort to protect and defend the Magnet, in return for the Magnet's amplification of the Consort's abilities. Power from other demons can also be channeled to the Consort, in order to champion the Demon Magnet effectively.

Most Demon Magnets do not usually survive to adulthood, due to their untimely summons and the way they attract attention from other demons living in the vicinity.

Vergil scanned the page once more, a frown creasing his brow.

That was it? Where was the cure part?

Vergil tucked the book within his trench coat and resumed his search with renewed vigor.

Demon Magnet, huh? He did have a bad habit of getting caught up with one legend to another… just once though, it would be nice to have been asked for permission before being thrown into another life-complicating situation.

Vergil allowed himself a moments respite from the twelve-hour search he had been doing, and closed his eyes.

For some strange reason, a chocolate chip cookie sounded really good right now…

Moonlight reached for the sleeping figure on the couch, playing across long blonde tresses and tracing the marble curve of her cheek. She lay in complete silence, a figure as still as death except for her eyelids which flickered with uneasy dreams.

Suddenly, Trish's eyes snapped open.

She sat up and pressed a hand on her temple, a look of pain crossing her face.

It couldn't be… They had lost all contact since the time under Mundus. There was no reason for her to be here at all. It… it must have been a dream. Yes, that was it. A dream.

Trish got to her feet gracefully, making her way out the door of the agency and unto the lonely streets.

The wind was chilly, but she didn't feel the cold as she wandered aimlessly about.

She shut her eyes against the sudden onslaught of emotions. Trish had tried so hard to sever all ties from the past that she didn't know what to make of this sudden resurgence of old feelings and memories.

She couldn't help but wince as a picture of the captors of her past came unbidden to her mind's eye: Mundus. Phantom. Griffon. Nelo Angelo. And finally there was…

Trish stopped short and pressed her hand against her forehead in an effort to calm her troubled thoughts.

The best moment of her life had been when Dante had sent Mundus back where he belonged, and his hold over them had disappeared. When Trish no longer felt any trace of the one creature that had instilled a fear so deep it had resulted in a twisted loyalty, she wept for a joy she still thought she did not deserve.

Life had begun when she met Dante.

Shopping with Lady, bantering with Dante, hunting demons, saving lives, and getting used to the greasy pizza after-taste: Trish finally felt like she belonged somewhere.

"I won't go back." She swore quietly. "Sorry Gloria, but it's about time I walked out of your shadow."

"A pity."

Trish inclined her head in graceful recognition at Gloria who stepped out into the lamplight.

"I was so hoping to have you back again sister." Gloria's voice was a dangerous purr. "Remember the good old days with Mundus? Of course, I was surprised to find out that you had a hand in his send-off…"

"Well, all good things have to come to an end." Trish replied.

"There's no reason they have to." Gloria stopped in front of Trish and moved to embrace her. Trish gave an involuntary shiver that made Gloria freeze in mid-action, her fingertips inches from the blonde girl's arm.

"We were once the best of friend's- do you remember Trish?" Her voice was wistful. "We used to tend to each other's hurts and share everything from weapons to shampoo and kills. Mundus made us together- at the same time, out of the same breath. Even if I don't understand why you decided to side with that demon hunter, it doesn't mean its final."

Trish felt a strange burning by her eyes, something she had come to associate with tears. "Gloria-"

"I will absolve all your sins." Gloria plowed on. "I will forgive everything and wipe away even the memory of the past. We can all start again. We've missed you so much dear. Just say the word and we'll do it all over. Just say the word…"

"No."

Her quiet reply cut through Gloria's impassioned speech. Gloria blinked, looking as if she had just woken up from a once cherished dream to find it turned into a nightmare.

"'No'…?" She repeated slowly, disbelievingly.

Trish raised her golden head. "You may not have heard Gloria, but I fight for the humans now. What we were doing under Mundus was wrong and now my soul demands that I make it right." Her lips curved into a hint of a smile. "Weak as them may be, someone has to keep them alive."

"Soul?" Gloria hissed, "You have no soul. Did you forget sister?" She turned heel and stalked off towards the end of the road, before pausing and looking back, her colorless eyes flashing brightly in the darkness. "Tell me dear, this Dante character… what can he give you that Mundus and I can not?"

Trish stared sorrowfully at her sister, knowing that the next time they faced each other, blood would have to be shed. "He offered me a reason to live. I took it."

Gloria gave a curt nod and leapt into the darkness, leaving Trish colder than she had ever felt before.

.

AN: I'M SO SORRY! I really am- forgive me for not updating sooner—FORGIVE MEEEE!

Ahem. Anyway, I hope this chapter cleared things up a little more!

My greatest thanks to all of you who read and reviewed, especially to Mazda Kitsune (Glad you liked it!), Gotta Dance 88 (Thank you!), Hao is Hot (Hehe- well, he doesn't actually love her... yet.), Doujinshi Artist (XD), Belladonna Isabella (Don't worry- I agree wholeheartedly! Having Vergil go and actually admit that he cared for someone would be too OC this early in the story... thanks for pointing that out!) Krylancelo and The Black Inferno Alchemist, (Hehe- here, both of you have a dark chocolate bar and bask in the glory that is Vergil XD), Takuma (Um, I apologize for any misunderstandings- but Vergil is one of the main characters in my story o.o I appreciate your honesty and I'll understand if you stop reading… thank you for all your reviews!).Yuuko (Nope- no long name for Dante. Don't worry- only the old dude calls him that anyway), Clairavance (You always know what to say to cheer me up! Thanks!).

Well, what else can I say?

Thank you. Thank you. Thank you.