AN: Different font styles denote different languages.
-o0o-
The wind slipped through his hair like threads on a woom, running across his body as the figure descended towards the grassy ground below. His clothes violently fluttered in the night air, the cold breeze felt even colder by his rapid descent. He instinctively braced his hands in front of his face before his body made contact with the earth, kicking up a cloud of dust as he did.
Pain rippled through his body and mind, making him yelp in pain. His head ached from the sudden impact, and his arms felt like they were on fire.
"Ugh…" the figure weakly groaned.
The pink haired mage stared down at her new summon, a young man with raven black hair. A commoner.
Her eyes were wide in shock, but quickly softened into one of despair and acceptance.
'As I thought… I really am just a Zero… What's the point of trying anymore if this is all I can summon…?' she thought to herself as tears began to pool in her eyes.
"W… where am I?" The figure groaned in a language unknown to her.
Louise snapped back to reality just as the person began to sit up. Her mind began to panic. She could not let him see her, not now. She glanced around and caught sight of a few bushes, and quickly dove into them. She peeked over the edge to see the young man regain his bearings.
He dizzily stumbled to his feet, nearly losing his footing once or twice as his vision quaked before him. He placed his right hand to his head, clutching it.
"H…hello?" he called out, closing one eye as his head throbbed.
Receiving no answer, he shakily stumbled forward through the lawn. His balance was nearly non-existent, and he mentally wished he had brought a cane with him when he fell through.
Louise watched him walk away, and then fell onto her rear in shock and disillusion. She tucked herself into a small ball, her hands wrapped around her knees. Once more, salt laced prisoners broke free from her watery confines.
-o0o-
Vergil closed the door behind him as he stepped into the room. Dante and Nero were already there: the man in red leaning against a lantern lit wall; and Nero on a bed in his boxers.
"Done with your bath?" Nero asked.
Vergil nodded, and Nero threw his shirt over to a corner of the room.
"So… what's the plan Dante? You said you wanted to stay here, but is that really a good idea? That chimera is still out there, and Lady, Trish, V, pretty sure they're all still waiting," Nero said.
"You can head on back right away, Nero. I don't mind if you head out to Fortuna and Kyrie. You two live together 'n all."
"I ain't leaving you here Dante. We're family. I'm just worried Lady and Trish might cut you out on the payment by staying here for a week."
Vergil stifled a small chuckle.
"Monetary gains aside, the boy is right," Vergil added, "if you wish to stay then so will we. I will reiterate his opinion, however, what is your plan?"
"The plan… plan is ta help out little Pinky with whatever problems she's got."
Vergil quirked up a brow.
"Do you intend to train that girl to become a successful mage? We are not well versed in magic, nor do we have the time. There is little we can do to help."
"Nah, had somethin' else in mind." Dante said with a wave of his hand.
"'Something else'?" Vergil replied, "We are not caretakers either, Dante. Whatever problems the girl may have outside of academics is none of our business."
"You didn't see her eyes, Verg. You didn't hear her either. After the binding failed, her eyes… they were empty, like she'd given up on life."
The older twin raised a brow again to his younger, signaling him to continue.
"It felt like she didn't have a reason to keep going anymore. Like she lost her motivation, and you of all people should know how that feels."
Vergil crossed his arms.
"I have never once lost my motivation, Dante, if that is what you are insinuating."
"No, I meant that you didn't lose your motivation."
"Then you are contradicting yourself, brother."
"I- look, point is, it felt like the kid lost her purpose, alright? And I can't help feeling-"
"That we are responsible?" Vergil finished for his brother.
Dante shook his head.
"You're not entirely wrong, but it's more than that. I can't help but feel that she might do something pretty extreme if we leave her alone."
"And… you wish to what? Mentor her? She is no hunter Dante, she is a scholar. The teachers here can provide more guidance to her than the three of us can."
"All the books in the world can't replace actual people Verg, you know that."
"That is what teachers are for, Dante."
"I think what he's trying to say," Nero interjected, "is that what she needs right now are friends. People other than teachers. Dante said it earlier, that she was being bullied."
Vergil cast aside a glance towards his son. "And?"
"And I know what that's like," he said while raising his right arm, "Sparda's blood gave me a demonic arm when I was a kid, remember. Back then, they thought I was a monster, something evil. The Order of the Sword never accepted me and neither did anyone else in Fortuna. I almost even believed them at one point, almost gave into that hatred and became the one thing they feared. That was until I met Kyrie and Credo, two people that actually cared."
"Your fiancée, and her deceased brother," Vergil said.
"Yeah… and their kindness… that was the greatest gift I'd ever gotten. They helped me get through my childhood, cuz I finally had somebody who cared, who gave a dam. So I know what Dante's trying to say. He's saying that she needs someone right now, someone to be in her corner and pull her back from the darkness."
Vergil sighed, and closed his eyes.
"There's more," Dante added, "When I was carrying her back to her room, she kept sayin' in her sleep that she was sorry… sorry that she was a failure, sorry that she had no magical talent. She sounded BROKEN."
Silence passed for a second before Vergil spoke up.
"So… our mission then is to oversee her health, ensure she does not do anything rash, and assist her to the best of our abilities during our short stay of approximately a week?" Vergil asked.
"Pretty much, yeah," Dante replied.
"Very well. At least you are aware of your parameters. I can somewhat rest without planning for your lack of incompetence."
"If you don't want to help, you don't have to," Nero said as he watched Vergil sit by the window.
"Foolishness. She needs more than your encouragement to break her shell. She needs to learn to stand up to her tormentors," he said as he settled down into the chair.
Nero stared in slight confusion.
"Wait, so you're on board?" he asked.
"I do not recall myself ever disagreeing with your motivations," Vergil replied.
"In other words my dear old brother was always gonna help. He's just too shy to show that he actually cared," Dante replied.
Vergil smiled.
"I have no idea what you're talking about Dante. I was merely pointing out the facts."
"Yeah yeah. I'm gonna hit the hay," Dante said as he walked towards one of the guest beds, shaking his head at his brother's reply all the while.
"I'm gonna do the same. You gonna sleep, Vergil?" Nero asked his father.
"I am fine where I am," he replied.
Nero cast a glance at the wooden chair he sat in, perched next to the open window.
"Well, if you catch a cold, don't expect me to take care of ya. I ain't much of a doctor."
"Noted. Rest well, Nero."
The youngest of the three nodded, and climbed into his bed.
Vergil watched his son tuck himself in, then focused his gaze back outside. His blue eyes then caught sight of an ethereal glow. He quickly sat up, catching the attention of the other two.
"Verg?," Dante said, "What's wrong? Forgot your underwear in the baths?"
"No, someone is casting a magic spell."
"WHAT?!" Both in bed hunters exclaimed as they sprung out of bed.
"Go find the girl, I'll see to our uninvited guest," he said as he Tricked out of the room.
Dante quickly got his bearings, heading for the door as Nero hastily put on his pants.
"Should we tell the headmaster?" Nero asked.
"Nuh-uh. If it's what I think it is, that's the last thing we're gonna do. Check around the building instead, make sure everyone is asleep. If you find anyone awake, tell them to go to bed."
"What?" Nero questioned, "Dante why would I-"
"Just trust me. And if they ask about the spell, just tell them we were trying to find a way back home and made a mistake, alright?"
Dante gave Nero no time to reply as he sped out the room, rushing away from the dorms.
The younger hunter sighed. He slid on his shirt and began to patrol the halls.
-o0o-
The wobbly figure stumbled through the grass, approaching what he could see to be a stone building. A lone cloud rolled over the blue moon, covering the field in darkness as the figure walked closer. His vision was stabilizing now, and he could now see the door in front of him. He reached a hand out to grasp the ringed handle, only to recoil in shock when the wind apparently cut his hand. Blood began to seep as he clutched his right hand with left, holding it to his chest. His mind raced trying to come to a conclusion.
'Is there some kind of trap there? But what the heck makes the WIND cut someone?'
"If you wish to enter," a voice echoed throughout the courtyard, "then you must beg for it."
He widened his eyes, and looked around, finding nothing. Something in his mind told him to glance up, and he found a figure on the roof of the building. The cloud moved in time for the blue moon to envelope the figure in darkness. From his silhouette, he could make out that the man wore a loose shirt and pants, and in his left hand a long katana.
The next second the figure disappeared in a blur, surprising the wounded man as he scanned across the building. He then felt the sharp cold steel of a blade press against his neck. His whole body stilled as a chill ran down his spine.
"I have little wait for games. Answer my questions honestly and you may be able to walk out of here," said Vergil.
The wounded man gulped, but said nothing.
"Choose to remain silent in the face of danger? I can respect this. But it will serve you poorly without your legs."
Vergil drew back his blade, aiming his sword at the intruder's legs. Before they met, the figure loudly pleaded towards the swordsman.
"I'M SORRY! PLEASE DON'T HURT ME!"
Vergil's eyes widened and he stopped his blade millimeters away from the figure's legs.
"That's… Japanese…"
The figure opened his clenched eyes at the recognition of his spoken language. Slowly, he turned one of his blue eyes towards Vergil.
The swordsman steeled his gaze and asked the stranger a question, "Who are you?" spoken in the stranger's language.
The young man gulped and replied, "I'm Saito. Hiraga Saito."
-End of Chapter 5-
AN: Hello all! Sorry for the delay. I meant for the introduction saga to end here in Chapter 5, but it quickly spiraled out into something a lot bigger (nearly thirty pages worth (O_O) almost as long as the past 4 chapters combined), so I decided to break them up into 3 parts. I'll be posting the next 2 in a few hours after giving them a look over. Keep up that Smokin' Sexy Style guys, and I'll see you in the next chapter!
P.S. I hope you enjoyed the twist reveal of our mystery guest. I hope to write to even better surprises and scenarios for you all in the future!
