Chapter 14: Sleepless Nights
It was a lazy day, with the sun being unusually cooperative and willing to grace the city with its presence. Fine days like this demanded nothing short of lazing around indoors, drink in hand, and the air conditioning turned up full blast to combat the heat. Even the demons seemed to agree; hence the telephone of Devil May Cry lay unusually still and silent.
Dante sat with his chair tipped precariously on its hind legs. He was the perfect picture of indolence with his figure stretched out in between the desk and chair; booted feet crossed casually on the battered desk with a magazine draped over the lower half of his face.
He was just debating on whether or not he was too lazy to walk over to the fridge to finish the rest of the strawberry ice cream, when the door to the agency slammed open and Vergil stormed in.
Although his elder brother's face was impassive, Dante could read in the telltale glimmer in Vergil's eyes and the extraordinary loping grace of his brother's stride that he was itching for a fight.
So much for his lazy afternoon…
"Do you mind closing the door?" Dante allowed the magazine to slide down his chest and rest on his lap. "You're letting the heat in."
Vergil ignored this and halted just in front of the desk, drawing his blade in a motion so swift that Dante found his nose a bare centimetre away from Yamato's razor-edge before he could blink.
"Explain yourself. Why did you tell the girl about the demon gate? Is my past any of your business that you're entitled to gossip about it?"
Dante raised an eyebrow and cautiously righted himself. "Huh?"
"Eloquent as always. I'm referring to your amusing comment about the hell-gate. Kyrie delivered your message as requested."
"Responsible, that girl." Dante agreed. "Think of it as a caring reminder. You disappeared for two days, of course your little brother's gonna worry."
"Back off." His voice was bitingly cold and the blade lowered a hairsbreadth to nick at the skin of Dante's throat. "Let me make it clear to you now. I may owe you for," He practically spat out the next word, "saving me from Mundus but I refuse to be dragged so low as to have my weakness thrown in my face by everyone. I will stay with you until I pay it off and no longer."
A single ruby bead travelled down the length of the blade, and Dante's eyes flit to it, noticing the uncertain path it traced towards the handle.
His forehead knotted in a frown. To hold the blade in anything less than a perfectly parallel plane was sloppy swordsmanship; and Vergil did not do sloppy swordsmanship. But why did…
Dante's lips parted in wordless surprise.
Vergil's arm was trembling with the effort to keep Yamato aloft.
Dante felt a chill grip his heart even as he gave a noisy sigh, falling into his role as the carefree wisecracker. "Alright. I get it already- no more talking to others 'bout the incident."
"No talking to others about me period." Vergil was puzzled at his acquiescence, and slightly disappointed that he wasn't getting the fight he wanted. He sheathed his sword smoothly. "Stay out of my business."
"Alright already. What, do you want the first scoop of my ice cream to close the deal as well? I can't get anymore sincere than that."
"…What flavour?"
Dante looked slightly apprehensive as the suggestion of sharing tiptoed the line of empty words and reluctant action. "Coconut." He lied smoothly.
Vergil frowned. "Forget it. Do you have an assignment for me?" He sighed at Dante's suddenly brightening countenance.
"Funny you should ask- 's matter of fact I do. Enzo has a problem with the bar tender in one of his usual bars. Turns out the dude's actually a necromancer and is taking the souls of the beautiful, young ladies that he chances upon." He paused thoughtfully. "…You know what, forget that Verge- I want this mission."
"No. You'll spend the check there just as soon as you'd receive it."
"Money's made to be spent."
"Pay off your pizza tab before you can squander the rest of it." Vergil instructed and Dante had to smile at the disapproving look on his elder brother's face.
"Tightwad…"
"Simpleton. Get the details from Enzo as soon as you can."
Vergil strode out of the building and Dante's smirk crumpled into an apprehensive frown.
After their reunion, his brother and he had usually kept out of each other's way. Vergil hid himself in the house that Dante had bought especially for that purpose, nursing his shattered pride and battered body in solitary silence.
And Dante… well, Dante tried not to hover over his brother's side.
He was a mess of emotion, made mostly of elation at this chance of reconciliation, at the chance to have a part of his family back. But there were also the stirrings of fear at the possibility that the darkness had lain their claim too tightly over Vergil's soul – that he would have to banish him back to hell. Then there was the anxiety of finding the right way to act and the right words to say…
'Hey Verge – don't go psycho anymore, alright? It would suck if I had to kick your sorry butt back to hell so quickly. How was the weather there by the way?' Was too nonchalant and blasé.
'I missed having a brother around to scold me about everything… I've regretted letting go your hand everyday of my miserable life. Can't we just forget about everything and start over?' Was nauseatingly dramatic.
But how could he ever explain something so very simple and so very difficult as the longing for family?
Of course, the affection he held for Trish and Lady went beyond blood, (although goodness knows they had shed enough blood for one another to be kin twenty times over) to deeper and more powerful bonds tempered by failures and successes, of pleasure and suffering – of life, in all its pain and glory.
But there were deeper wounds and older scars.
Damn.
He had never been good with such touchy-feely intangibles such as emotions. The way he dealt with most everything that troubled him was with a slash from a sword and a dozen rounds from Ebony and Ivory.
Perhaps he was getting a little maudlin in his dashing age.
Dante heaved a sigh and rose for that tub of strawberry ice cream.
Nightmares, although perhaps memories would be a more accurate word, had begun to plague Vergil's sleep every night this past week. He had begun sleeping less and less, until he finally deprived himself of slumber all together. Even the brief snatches of sleep he had managed were still dream-flecked and gave him no rest; so he fought against the heaviness of his eyelids through sheer force of his iron-will.
Vergil put down the books he had been unsuccessfully perusing and made his way from his room to the kitchen, giving in to the sudden craving for a hot mug of coffee.
He gave a resigned sigh when he found Kyrie rummaging through the cabinets, presumably for the exact same thing.
"Good afternoon!" She smiled at him from behind her shoulder, still straining on her tiptoes for the coffee jar that just always somehow found itself at the furthest corner of the cupboard, inches from her fingertips. "I was just about to make myself a cup of coffee. Would you like some as well?"
"…Make it scalding."
"Coming right up!" She gave up stretching and resorted to ungainly hops.
He watched in amusement as Kyrie blew an errant strand off her face with a disgruntled huff and clambered unselfconsciously up the counter, emerging seconds later from the depths of the cabinet with her prize in hand: a can of ground coffee beans.
For all her cheerful demeanour, he noticed the darkness under her eyes and allowed himself a tired slouch. So she hadn't been sleeping well either? Somehow, it felt good to have someone sharing in his sleepless misery.
"You haven't been sleeping well." Vergil commented evenly.
She stifled a yawn as she hopped down. "I suppose it's the nerves… The fair is tomorrow after all. Will you come as well? I'll treat you to popcorn and a ride."
"As tempting as that sounds, I'll pass."
"Okay, what about popcorn, a ride and a drink?" The kettle that had already been set over the flames let out a shrill whistle and Kyrie juggled pot, cups and coffee tin with practiced ease. "I can only bribe you so far though – Credo cut my allowance since I got this job and I don't get paid till next week."
She placed the black coffee mug in front of Vergil with a dull thud and nursed her own cup, watching him take a sip of the dark liquid from beneath lowered lashes.
Kyrie was… concerned. Vergil's skin seemed paler than usual, stretched paper-thin over painfully sharp cheekbones. The dark smudges from beneath his eyes gave testimony to the hours of sleep he had foregone, the hours of sleep that he desperately needed.
"And you? Have you been sleeping well?" She made her tone polite and nonchalant.
For all his barely veiled exhaustion, Vergil's eyes glittered as sharply as ever. "Very well, thank you." He enunciated clearly, quietly; lying so blatantly that he was practically daring her to call his bluff.
"I'm glad to hear that." Kyrie blew across her cup. "But if you were having a hard time sleeping, hypothetically speaking of course, I would suggest a hot bath followed by a cup of milk and a back rub."
He snorted lightly. "Tried and tested I suppose."
"Well, it always helped Nero get to sleep." Kyrie smiled.
Vergil's eyes narrowed slightly. "And you know that because?"
"Oh, didn't I mention it? We literally grew up together. He's living in the same house as Credo and I."
"How cosy."
"It is fun having your best friend over all the time – it's like a permanent sleepover."
"Complete with giggles, sharing of secrets and painting of nails I suppose." Perhaps, he was being unfairly snarky… he blamed it on the sleep deprivation.
Kyrie looked amused. "Well, the sharing part might be right, but I do most of the giggling and all of the nail painting… Oh my, it is getting late." She finished her drink and swiftly rinsed her cup out.
"I'm done now."
"Alright." Vergil sipped his drink and made no move to get up. "Goodbye."
Kyrie paused. "Um… goodbye." She shuffled from one foot to another and fiddled with the keychain on her bag, dragging her feet to the doorway. "Well…"
"Well?" His calmness was starting to get to her.
"Well… would you… uh… like to take a walk with me?" She looked puzzled at his sudden change in mood and his blatant unwillingness to take her home as he had always done for the past month.
Vergil took another sip, dragging out the silence before he answered. "Ask your boy to take you instead."
"Boy… Oh, you mean Nero? He's still at work." A frown touched her lips. "Is something wrong, Vergil?"
He ignored her query and began to trace the rim of his cup in slow, lazy circles instead. "Hm. Do you have your pepper spray and stun gun on hand?"
"No. I started leaving them at home when you started walking with me..."
"Pity." Vergil's eyes flickered up, gleaming a stunning blue even in the fading light. "Piece of advice; when a demon comes, run as fast as you can, as hard as you can. Maybe you'll live."
"Or you can take me home and beat them up if they come." Kyrie hinted.
"Or that." He agreed, but only settled even lower into his seat.
He was such a difficult man to get to know; she suspected that any step back in their almost-friendship would tantamount to killing any chance of it entirely. She had grown very fond of the taciturn man whose back was always rigid with painful, lonely pride.
Every unwilling smile she had managed to drag out from those pale-lashed eyes, every mocking comment that belied his slightly more civil manners, had somehow become very important to her. Kyrie was drawn to the contradictions of this man who insisted on drinking his coffee black and bitter, while obviously detesting it's taste.
"But… I could die." She wheedled, wincing inwardly at how pathetic that sounded.
"In the event of a demon attack, yes, you probably would." He agreed looking faintly amused at the thought.
"And then you'll have to bury my dead body." She switched tactics and tried to look threatening.
"Which I shall do with the utmost ceremony." He agreed solemnly. "Perhaps even shed a tear or two if I'm feeling up to it."
There was silence as Kyrie glowered at him.
"If I do die, I'll haunt you forever. Walk me home."
AN: ...Short I know, but I was a little tied up with packing my things and saying good bye to people since I'm off to college next week~ :D But I'm looking forward to writing the next chapter even if it might be tricky to incorporate a song into the work…
Beta-d by the wonderful Clairavance: the spelling, grammar and syntax goddess.
Now, for the shout outs!
Yuu-ko: I'm glad! XD I had a lot of fun with that chappy myself~
Takuma: XD As soon as you said that I rushed to google and researched!! Apparently, those books aren't canon in the DMC universe, so we'll have to wait for Capcom to tell us about that.
Angelforver06: Thank you! I hope this chapter came up just in time~
Ultimo: YES BOSS!!! XD
Hao is Hot: I gotta agree with you there – the DMC ladies are so much fun to write :D
Trinity Archangel: Hahaha – good point! I didn't mean to do that though, it just happened that I had to cut chapters shorter if I wanted to update more quickly… Sorry for the shortness of this one as well :(
EricDraven201: *bows* :D
JadeOokami: Thanks so much for the feedback! I appreciated it a lot :3
And out of curiosity… are you guys rooting for Vergil, or Nero? (All together now: dun-dun-duuuuun!!!)