**WARNING**

This chapter may contain scenes of violence, vulgar language, sexual materials, and mentions severe trauma. Mature audiences only.

Chapter 7: Weakness

13, December 2014

Noelle

Her wings folded tight to her back as she landed on the rooftop of a building that was still crumbling from the Qliphoth. The energy swirling around that she had felt before was stronger, but the trail was still getting cold very quickly. She frowned. It was odd that she hadn't seen any demons this close to the remnants of the destruction. Her emerald eyes scanned the streets and rubble below. A ghostly chuckle echoed in her ears, and she whipped around, looking for the source. She had heard that voice before. She narrowed her eyes at the woman that had appeared on the other side of the rooftop.

Red eyes looked back at her. The woman's pale skin was a stark contrast to her waist length dark hair, black leather corset, and leather pants. She had a wicked smirk on her face as she stared at the tan skinned brunette. Noelle's hand went to her sword, clicking the katana free as she stood ready to fight. Her eyes widened as the woman flexed a set of wings, inky black feathers glimmering in the sun.

"Who the hell are you?" Noelle asked, her voice stern.

"Who I am is not important, 'Little Bird'" She sneered. "At least not right now."

Noelle stiffened. Few knew her nickname. She gripped the hilt of her blade tightly. "What do you want?"

"I want to offer you a proposition. You see, I know an awful lot about you." She said as she looked at her nails, boredom written across her delicate features.

"Not. Interested."

"You will be. You see, Noelle, I know all about you. Your past. Your baby. I can see the darkness in your twisted little heart."

Noelle bared her teeth at the other woman. "So what? You know who I am. Good for you."

"Indeed. I also know we can help you. You have darkness. Powerful darkness thanks to your bloodline. We can give you a better life. More power."

"I'm not interested. I don't associate with Fallen." Noelle growled.

"You will." she said, raising her arms as two swirling black portals appeared next to her. Two males stepped out of the portals, the bigger male dressed in black cargo pants and combat boots. He had silver grey eyes and long black hair that moved in the breeze. His wings flared as he reached for the broadsword on his back. His upper body was bare, and his chiseled chest and arms were littered in whorls and swirls of tattoos. The smaller male was clad similar but wore a tattered black denim vest, his shoulder length black hair straight with his bangs swept to the side over his amethyst eyes. He had a katana strapped to his back between his wings. While he was muscular, he was definitely smaller than the other male.

"Twins. Meet Noelle. Noelle, meet the reason you will seek me out. Remember boys, don't kill her…. Yet." The girl said as she stepped back into the portal before they both closed.

Noelle flared her wings and aura, drawing her blade. The two males smirked at her, the larger one tying his hair back. The twins attacked simultaneously, barely giving her time to deflect. She blocked their attacks, turning to slice at one. A sharp pain in her side made her yelp, her wings flaring to give her a lift. She lifted off the roof only to feel a large hand grasp her calf and drag her back down. One of the twins stood above her, forcing her to her knees as the other reached for her hair and forced her head to tip back. Noelle felt blood trickle down her side from the stab wound.

She gripped her blade and swung it at the smaller twin and landed a hit on his leg, forcing him to let her go. The other caught her off guard, throwing her off the side of building. Her wings flared behind her as her past flashed before her eyes. She screamed, flailing as she tried to flip over. One of the twins appeared beside her, diving after her and kicking her into a window on the side of the building. She felt the gash on her side burn as glass shattered, embedding in her skin. She rolled along the floor of the building, struggling to get up. She flared out her aura, praying Alexis would sense her need for help.

Finally getting herself up on her knees, Noelle knelt on the ground, spitting out blood. The twins seemed were definitely well trained. She struggled to hold her sword up, standing only to feel stumble to the open window she had crashed through. She took flight, trying to get a bit of advantage over them. The larger twin sliced at her, and she blocked, the force knocking her back. She fell to the ground, wincing when she was picked up by her hair and thrown into another wall. This time her strength failed her, and she couldn't lift her body up.

Noelle's vision wavered as she looked up at the twins who landed in front of her. She felt strong hands grab her body and the ground started to get farther away as they twins took flight, once they got to a height they liked, the large male dropped her. His twin orbed, appearing in a ball of shadows beneath her. He grasped her wings, putting a foot on her back as he flipped backwards. Noelle screamed as blood and feathers burst from her skin, her jacket and wings tearing away from her back. The male let go, kicking her in the chest as she fell. Her body hit the roof of the building, her arms, and wings bloody and splayed beneath her. The older male speared her katana at her and in stabbed through her abdomen, pinning her to the ground. Noelle felt her blood soaking her clothes as she lay there, coughing from the hot liquid filling her lungs.

Alexis

Four pairs of eyes watched the blond as she paced. She had felt Noelle's aura flare, but it hadn't been enough to pinpoint her. She was beginning to worry about the brunette's life. Sage sighed, her cloak and her scythe appearing. Alexis looked at her, the worry evident in her cerulean eyes. Vergil was getting very frustrated with her pacing. He waited until she walked past him before reaching out and snagging her wrist. Her body spun and he pushed her against the wall firmly. He slid his knee between her legs, pressing close to her as he gripped her chin with one hand.

"You need to calm down." He told her, his grey eyes meeting her blue ones. "Noelle is a warrior. If she was properly trained, as you all claim to be, she can hold her own."

Alexis blushed, unable to move as the weight of his body on hers heated her core. She glanced past him, finding the others looking away. A gasp escaped her lips as she felt a weak pulse of aura similar to Noelle's.

"She's hurt. Her aura is really weak…." The blonde said softly.

"Come on. We can at least go look for her. "If she's in serious trouble I'll –" Sage halted, her wings forming instantly.

"What the hell is going on?" Nero asked, standing from the couch as Sage froze up.

"I can feel her soul. We need to go. Now." Sage said.

Vergil released his hold on Alexis, letting the blonde summon her twin blades. The devil in blue drew Yamato, opening a portal.

"This will take us to her. Or at least get us close." he said, taking Alexis by the hand and stepping through.

Sage flipped her hood up and orbed as the other two males followed. They all arrived at the base of a building near the Qliphoth ruins. Sage was looking around, examining the fresh blood and broken glass. Dante and Nero scaled the building, the younger hunter going through the broken window while the elder made his way to the roof. Alexis looked up as she heard her name shouted, her wings spreading and lifting her to the rooftop. Sage followed along with Vergil and Nero. The sight on the rooftop had them all gasping.

Alexis knelt, the blood staining her white clothes as she gripped the katana and pulled it from Noelle's body. The brunette's emerald eyes were lifeless and dull. Alexis let her aura glow around her, doing her best to assess the injuries. Sage stood to the side, her hood down and her body frozen stiff. The pool of blood beneath Noelle had the redhead turning, hitting her knees as she vomited over the edge of the roof. Nero stepped to her side and held her hair back, rubbing calming circles on her back.

Alexis worked as quickly as she could, her aura doing the challenging work of healing the girl's major internal injuries. A glowing white orb crashed into the rooftop, a dark-skinned male with white wings and gold armor stepping from it. Alexis had tears in her eyes as she looked up at him.

"Rafe… She… I can't… Her wings…" The blonde sobbed.

Raphael nodded, kneeling down beside the two. He carefully rolled Noelle on her side, his hands glowing as he took Alexis' and held them over the brunettes torn back. The healing power of the two helped to fuse the blood-stained wings back to their proper place. Jagged pink lines would remain on either side of her spine. Raphael sighed and stood.

"I cannot do more. Take her home and treat her injuries. She will have to heal naturally from this." Rafe said before he left in a flash.

"Dante… I need you to take her home. The townhouse has my medical supplies. And Sage… I don't think she can orb us both." Alexis said as she looked to the pale redhead who was trying to control her breathing.

"I'll take care of Sage." Nero said, still kneeling beside her.

Dante looked numb, staring at the body of the brunette. Noelle's chest rose and fell with each weak breath she took. She knelt, carefully scooping her up as Vergil opened another portal. The four walked through the portal and found themselves in the kitchen of the townhouse. Alexis ran for her medical bag, instructing Dante to lay Noelle on the kitchen island. Noelle's wings had faded away, making her small frame easier to move. Alexis returned to the kitchen, tossing the large bag on the table, and pulled out alcohol, a fluids bag, a pouch of blood that shimmered like it had gold in it, and bandages. She moved to the sink quickly scrubbing her hands in the sink and tossing her vest to the floor, she put on gloves and getting an IV in Noelle's arm, handing the bag of fluids to Dante.

"Vergil I need your help." She said, grabbing tweezers and handing him a flashlight. "Hold this steady so I can get the glass out of her side."

The man listened, holding the light steady as she flushed the wound and plucked the glass out. The brunette twitched in pain and Dante put his hand on her shoulder. Alexis gave him a grateful glance and whispered something in Latin. The blonde set the tweezers down as she flushed the wound again, placing a towel under the girl's side to absorb the bloody liquid. She handed Vergil gloves and instructed him to hold the wound together as she started to stitch it closed. Noelle gasped, her eyes blowing wide with pain as she tried to scream. Dante's hands kept her still as he held her down.

Almost twenty minutes passed before Alexis was done stitching Noelle's open wounds. She gave the girl a sedative and a large shot of morphine, knowing she would burn in out quickly. She hooked up the blood bag and began to wrap the stitched wounds with bandages. She sighed as she took off her gloves, taking the used set from Vergil and tossing them. She motioned for Dante to pick Noelle up and showed him to her room. Once she settled the brunette in her bed, she hung up the blood bag and fluid bag and left the room to go back downstairs, leaving Dante sitting on the edge of the bed watching the girl.

Alexis stopped by her own room to change into black yoga pants and a blue tank top. She picked up her stained clothes and went down to the kitchen, grabbed a trash bag, and tossed her bloody clothes in. She did the same with any towels and remnants of used medical supplies, sanitizing the counter before taking the bag out to the trash can in the garage. When she came back in the kitchen, Vergil met her with a softer look on his face, almost resembling concern. She felt tears well up in her eyes as she leaned into him.

"She will pull through this. She is strong." Vergil told her, putting his arms around her in a gentle embrace.

Alexis nodded, sighing as she heard the front door open. She wiped her eyes and went to make tea as Nero walked in with a hand on Sages waist. He helped the redhead sit down at the kitchen island and looked at the blonde.

"Noelle…" He started.

"Will be fine. She is resting. Dante is sitting with her… But she will need a few days before she can tell us what happened." She answered.

"I didn't recognize the energy. It wasn't a demon. So what the hell could have done that to her… And to go for her wings…" Nero said softly.

"Whoever it was wanted to send a message." Sage whispered, accepting the ginger tea from Alexis. The redhead was still ghostly pale, her eyes filled with a mixture of emotions.

Alexis held her hand out to Sage, but the older girl just shook her head at the faint glow of the blonde's skin. "I will be okay, Lexi. You don't have the energy to check in on me right now." Sage said softly, giving the younger woman a sad smile as the glow faded.

"Noelle's memories will be intact. She will need a few days to come around before she can tell us what happened." Alexis said as she heard footsteps coming down the stairs. Dante appeared in the kitchen doorway, and Alexis gave him a somber look.

"We will patrol around the house on our rounds. Lady and Trish will take the first watch. No one goes out alone. You two can call us if you need an escort." Dante said with a heavy sigh. "I'd like to think they just went after her for convenience but I'm not going to risk your lives on that."

Alexis nodded. "Thank you Dante. If we need anything, we will call…" She said. She felt Vergil put a hand on the small of her back and looked up at him as Dante left the house. Her blue eyes were tired and sad.

"I'll have the ladies bring your car back. I will stay until they arrive." He said before looking at his son. "Nero. Go get Nico. She can team up with you one a patrol for a while."

"Right. You gonna be okay?" Nero asked Sage, concern in his eyes.

"Yeah. Go on now. Shoo." She told him as she sipped her tea.

Nero nodded and left the house after getting the keys to the girls' car. Alexis watched Sage stand and head for the stairs. She listened carefully for the sounds upstairs, hearing Noelle's door open and the silence before it closed again, and Sages door shut a moment later. Alexis sighed, leaning against Vergil who still stood beside her. She felt him stiffen at her touch, but he didn't move away. She felt the exhaustion settling over her as her body let go of the tension in her muscles. The worry was still in her eyes and etched on her face, but she was no longer panicked or fidgeting. The cold eyes of the man behind her were trained on her features as she turned her head toward him.

"Thank you for helping…" she said softly.

"Your gratitude is not needed." He said, albeit less cold than his normal tone.

Alexis nodded and turned to rest against the counter, keeping herself relatively still as his hands rested on her hips. She felt oddly calm with him as the house settled into a calm, quiet. The sun had begun to go down as the pair stood in silence, nothing but their breathing between them. His eyes trailed over her delicate features as she seemed to drift off in thought. The silence was comfortable, and he felt drawn to her in a way he wasn't used to. He still was acclimating to his human feelings and the thought of caring about this woman scared and intrigued him. He lifted his hand, running the pad of his thumb over her lower lip as she looked up at him.

Vergil pressed his body against hers, his fingers gripping her chin firmly as he gazed into her cerulean eyes. She gave him a halfhearted smile and closed her eyes, his touch a welcoming feeling to her. Seeing an opportunity to explore these feelings, Vergil tilted her chin up, leaned in, and pressed his lips to hers.

A/N: Well this was a fun chapter to get through. I know it is a little shorter than normal, but I wanted to end it naturally and this felt like a good place to end.

I want to thank you all for coming along on this journey and I encourage you to review/comment and favorite or follow this story so you can keep up with updates. I hope you have a great holiday however you celebrate.

Disclaimer: I do not own Devil May Cry, its characters, or material. This is purely fanfiction.

Story Available On: Wattpad, AO3