Archive of Our Own ^beta

Chapter Text

Vergil died.

And it’s all my fault.

The empty bottle of cheap whisky went flying across the room, smashing into millions tiny glittering shards against the wall.

The fragments fell down, joining the pile of broken glass on the Devil May Cry’s floor.

The blue’s half-devil’s murderer was still drawing breath, a monster on the loose, a traitor to his own flesh and blood. A stain on the surface of the earth that needed to be erased.

I want to die.

He had killed his own twin. He had attacked him. Stabbed him. Left him agonising on the ground, abandoned to his fate as the Temen-ni-gru was closing on his wounded form.

Please, just let me die.

His twin had looked at him with sad resignation as he had murdered him. Accepting defeat and death without even flinching.Trying to comfort him even as he lay dying.

It didn’t matter that Dante had been cursed, that the magic had amplified his anger until it turned into blind rage.

The core of hatred and resentment had been his own.

His brother’s life had been extinguished by his own hands.

Vergil had fought and kept watch over him, giving up everything so that Dante could break away from the spell that had been bound to his body.

Please…

But now that Dante was free and his brother had passed on to the other side, there was nothing left for the red twin in the world of the living.

The guilt and the pain were driving him to a new form of madness. One that wasn’t filled with burning anger, but with the endless cold void of despair.

Please, I can’t go on. Not like this.

After all they had been through, after all the pain and the loss, the healing and the joy… everything was broken. Dante was broken.

Not without you.

The half-devil snatched another bottle, ripping the cap away and gulping its content desperately. The burning sensation was the only thing that helped him get his mind away from the void that was devouring him.

The alcohol was the only means left to forget, and Dante was eager to fall into oblivion. He was a coward, fleeing the awful truth that he had shattered his own world.

That he had destroyed what he had wanted to protect the most.

Vergil had died a month ago and the red twin had drowned himself in booze day and night, the bottles filling the hollowness inside his soul that had been left by his brother’s absence.

The blue half-devil’s stuff was still lying untouched where Vergil had left it. His room was full of his clothes, the bookshelf that Dante had gifted him was still awaiting to be filled.

His poetry volume was still lying on the coffee table next to the couch.

Dante couldn’t bring himself to touch his belongings, afraid to stain the last reminders of his brother’s life here with his blood covered hands.

Why ? Why did you do that ?

His brother had saved him but at what cost ? Why would he sacrifice everything for Dante ? Couldn’t he guess that without his presence, the younger twin had no purpose left in life ?

Why would he abandon all he had fought to get back ? His freedom ? His life ? His emotions ? Nero ?

Why did you give up on everything for me ?

The hunter didn’t deserve all of this. He wasn’t worthy of it.

The last words his brother had whispered in his ear were crawling beneath Dante’s skin. Maggots eating at his rotting flesh. They left him confused and hurting, cutting him endlessly.

But now you’re up one. You won, Dante.

Did his brother really think this was all that Dante saw him as ? A rival ? Someone to challenge ? Did he die with that thought in mind ? That his twin saw him as nothing more than that ? Like he hadn’t meant the world to him ?

Sharp pain pulsed in Dante’s chest, his eyes growing wet again.

He was in so much pain. He couldn’t handle it. He couldn’t keep on waking every day like this. This had no meaning, he couldn’t just keep going on like he had when he was younger.

Lonely. Bitter. Hurting.

If I’m up one, then I only need to lose…

Dante stood up from his chair, stumbling to the side as the room spun, the whisky’s sweet poison sending the tiles waltzing in and out of his line of sight.

His only dancer partner until now had been the never ending stream of glass bottles. Dante was thankful for their company these past weeks, but it was now time for him to leave that cursed dance floor.

I can't keep on like this. This needs to end.

The red twin snatched one of his guns as he came to stand in the middle of his shop.

He had tried to find his place in this world and for a moment he had found it, deluding himself that the universe would finally allow him to find happiness.

That his twin was back. That he had a nephew, a new shot at a family.

That he had been granted a life, after all the pain he had endured.

What a cruel joke it all had ended up to be.

Destiny had given him everything back, before taking it again. A cosmic cat playing with its food and this time, Dante wasn’t the one on top of that food chain.

I’m not strong enough.

But it didn’t matter anymore. If his twin wasn’t awaiting him here, then he would go join him in the after life.

Dante stumbled until he reached the couch, his eyes looking at the small poetry volume lying on the table, the golden V letter gleaming gently in the dark.

Pain choked him again, wrapping its claws around his heart, robbing him of his breath.

I’m sorry Verge, I’m so fucking sorry.

The red twin let himself fall down on the couch, his eyes glued to his twin’s most cherished book.

I shouldn’t have taken it without asking for your permission.

His eyes filled up with tears and they started to stream down his face of their own accord.

He wanted to grab the book, cling to the small object like a child would hold onto his beloved toy, but he was too scared of destroying it. Everything he touched ended up disappearing.

The red twin’s gaze shifted to another gleaming object, Ivory. His trusted weapon was lying in his hand, the temptation to end it all right now was a siren’s call.

He tightened his grip on the gun’s handle, bringing the cool metal of the barrel to lie against his skin.

Exhilaration coursed through him at the feeling.

This is it. It’s finally over.

A wave of relief washed over him as the hunter’s finger tightened on the trigger and he closed his eyes.

He took a last deep breath before a deafening bang echoed in the Devil May Cry, and blood splashed on the wall behind the couch.

Dante was floating in the dark. He couldn’t see, he couldn’t hear, and most importantly he couldn’t feel anything anymore.

The only sensation left was the slow pull of death guiding him through the obscurity.

His thoughts drifted back to his life. To the sweetness of his childhood before tragedy struck for the first time taking his mom and his twin away.

Then to the Temen-ni-gru where he lost Vergil for the second time.

To Mundus’ dark machinations, when Dante had killed his own brother, losing him all over again.

That part of his life had been terribly hard, leaving him a shadow of his former self, but then… he had been granted his family back.

Vergil had resurrected and he had stayed. With Dante. They had finally found their way back to each other. It had been rocky and complicated, especially when Dante had ignored his boundaries concerning the little book.

But now, he had lost everything all over again and this had all been his fault.

Dante longed to see his sibling again, praying that he could soon join him. That he would find peace, somewhere he belonged.

But as the half-devil rejoiced that his pain was finally gone, his vision started to clear. The darkness enshrouding his senses receded, blurry forms appearing before him.

His ears started to pick up on the hammering of his heart inside his chest.

His lungs filled with air and he gasped as pain, sharp and brutal, tore through the blessed oblivion he had yearned for.

He came unwillingly back to consciousness, his body clinging onto life when his mind wanted to die.

Dante blinked drowsily and saw his empty shop before him. He was still sitting on the couch, his back resting against the cushions.

The red twin’s vision blurred and re-adjusted as he flinched. His movements were uncoordinated and clumsy, his head pounding painfully.

He swallowed thickly, but there was something obstructing his throat and blocking his jaw and he ended up spitting a mouth-full of congealed blood and debris.

What the hell ?

He moved his hands and saw that was still holding Ivory, his finger loosely wrapped around the trigger.

His eyes lingered on his gun for a moment, his brain trying to make sense of his situation.

Dante shifted again and felt his back stick to the leather cushions, the material of his shirt feeling uncomfortably wet and clinging to his skin.

His hair was plastered against his nape, his scalp itching terribly.

The half-devil’s hand went up to his head and his fingers were met with damp strands of hair, matted and strangely glued together.

He brought his hand back down and looked at it. His skin was covered in deep reddish smears and tiny bloodied clumps of flesh.

Ah yeah, he had shot himself in the head.

And it seemed he had survived it. Worse, he was almost completely healed already.

Dante straightened and his shirt detached itself from the couch with a sickening sucking sound. He stood up, holding on to the armrest for support when he stumbled.

The red twin turned to look at the wall and the window that stood tall behind the couch. The yellow tapestrie and the glass surface were covered with a circular spray of gore.

He watched his own brain matter plastered against the wall and his pain and confusion morphed into something far darker.

Dante burst out laughing, the sound raw and hysterical as despair wreaked havoc inside his mind.

A bullet to the skull hadn’t been enough. He healed too much and far too fast.

He wanted to die but he couldn’t. At least not for now, not until he found something strong enough to surpass his healing abilities.

He was currently stuck here, trapped in his own personal hell, with no exit in sight. Not even in death.

The half-devil slowly took a few stumbling steps back to his desk and picked another bottle up.

His laughter turned into a sob as he let himself fall back into his chair and he unscrewed the cap, aiming to drown himself into oblivion all over again.

His clothes felt stiff and filthy, covered in a layer of dried blood . The red half-devil sniffed and took a big swing from the bottle.

The spicy taste of the golden liquid mixed with mess left at the back of his throat, leaving him scrunching his nose in disgust.

It felt too sweet and too metallic, thick like cough syrup and burning like gasoline.

His stomach churned and he gagged, his drink coming back to splash on the wooden floor.

Ah fuck…

Dante’s head spun as he heaved, and he held on to his chair as he waited for his stomach to settle.

He gasped and shivered, his head still hurting and itching.

The half-devil’s gaze machinaly trailed from the mess on the floor to the couch and the stain on the wall.

What am I supposed to do now, Verge ?

He shivered again and he let his head come to rest on his desk as the world grew dark around the edges.

For a second, the shadows and stains on the couch took the form of his brother’s silhouette and the younger twin’s heart skipped a beat.

But he blinked and the illusion shattered, leaving him all alone in the dark. He was growing too cold and too confused to think straight.

He blinked slowly as the office turned grayer until he finally ended-up passing out.

Chapter Text

Trish came to a halt in front of the Devil May Cry’s door and her sensitive sense of smell picked the metallic stench of blood up.

Fear ran through her veins and her hand shook slightly as she pushed the door handle.

Dante had been devastated since his fight against Vergil.

The demoness was trying her best to help him cope with the loss and the pain, but as the days had turned to weeks her friend’s state had grown worse. Now, she feared that he might have given-up altogether.

The door opened and the smell of blood grew stronger as she took a careful step inside.

She looked around the darkened space. It was a mess, empty bottles and shards of glass covering every available surface except for the coffee table.

The small surface sporting Vergil’s book was the only bastion of order left inside the shop.

A vestige of the blue twin’s influence that was still visible, left untouched like a tiny piece of sacred ground amidst the ambient chaos and degeneration.

Trish’s gaze shifted from the book to the couch and her heart skipped a beat as she saw the massive stain of gore on the wall behind it.

Her blood turned to ice and she took a shaky breath. This was Dante’s blood, she could easily recognize the smell of it.

What had her best friend done to paint a quarter of the room in crimson horror like this ?

She anxiously searched for the hunter’s silhouette, turning her head towards the other side of the room.

He was there, passed out at his desk, hunched over the smooth wooden surface. His head was resting on one of his arms, the other one still holding on to another empty bottle.

On the corner of the desk was one of his guns and Trish gasped as she understood what had happened.

Terror and anger eclipsed everything else, leaving her with the heart wrenching realisation that her best friend was reaching the end of what his heart could endure.

That if she didn’t find a way to fix this, she would end up losing him.

If not for his insane strength and resistance she would have lost him last night.

Feeling nauseous and upset, the demoness slowly walked around the desk. She didn’t want to startle him.

Dante seemed to be absolutely unaware of her presence and even after calling out to him a few times, the red twin showed no sign of hearing her.

Now that Trish was standing right next to him she could easily see the remnants of what he had tried to do. His snow-white hair was encrusted in blood, the grisly sight was leaving her covered in goosebumps.

“Dante ?” She called out to him again, reaching out and touching his forearm prudently.

The hunter still showed no reaction at all and Trish feared that maybe he had injured himself so badly that even his healing wasn’t enough to keep up.

“Dante! “ She insisted, shaking him slightly, anxious for him to wake up.

Pale blue eyes opened a sliver, glassy and tired, but the demoness felt relief at seeing him react at all. Her friend made no attempt to move, blinking sluggishly while his gaze roamed the vacant space of the shop.

“Hey, look at me.” She tried to get his attention and when his eyes shifted to her, the demoness felt a pang of sadness.

Dante’s gaze was empty. The small fiery gleam that had always lit his eyes was gone.

“Trish ?” He muttered under his breath.

“Yes, it’s me. Heavens, Dante, you’re covered in blood.” She said, avoiding to point out why he was in such a state.

She already knew what had happened and there was no point in causing him more pain now by making reproaches.

“Hm.” He huffed, still not making any attempt to move at all.

“Come on, we need to clean you up. You can’t stay like this.” She suggested as she grabbed his arm and pulled gently, inviting him to move.

He said nothing but he didn’t resist her hold either and so she helped him straighten up and then come to a stand.

He swayed dangerously as soon as he left his chair, and the demoness looped his arm around her shoulders to keep him upright.

He leaned on her and she took up much of his weight while she guided him towards the stairs.

Getting up to the bathroom proved to be a long and fastidious process that left her arms hurting from the strain.

Trish let Dante sit on the bathroom floor, his back against the bathtub. He was far too obedient. Passive even.

His lack of bickering and complaining was setting her on edge. Dante was never easy to read but he would usually hide his feelings behind sarcasm and bitterness.

Even those two traits were absent now, leaving the legendary hunter to behave like a fragile porcelain doll that could shatter at any moment.

Sighing softly, Trish knelt next to him and her hands snatched the bottom of his shirt.

“Let’s wash this.” She murmured as she pulled the fabric upwards until her friend slipped out of his blood slick shirt.

She threw the piece of clothing into the sink and picked the little shower head, testing the water temperature.

Once satisfied she motioned for the red twin to lean back so that she could wash the blood out of his hair.

Dante gave her an exhausted look and her heart clenched. Still, he let her do as she pleased and she let the spray of warm water rinse most of the debris out.

Thick clumps of congealed crimson kept sticking to the white strands and the demoness picked up some soap.

She carefully scrubbed his hair and his scalp with the tip of her fingers, almost flinching when her hands found the not-yet-faded scar of the gunshot wound on his skull.

He hadn’t been messing around. This would have killed anybody else.

She rinsed his nape and wiped the blood off his back afterwards, helping him put on a new shirt as well.

With his hair damp and his tired and sad expression, the legendary hunter looked like a hurt and lost child.

This whole situation was ripping Trish’s heart out.

She helped Dante stand back up but she didn’t lead him towards the stairs. The ground floor was in dire need of cleaning as well.

The demoness dragged the red twin to his bedroom, and this time there was a small spark of confusion in his gaze.

“Get some sleep, Dante. I’ll take care of the blood downstairs.” She whispered as she guided him to his bed.

She pushed him to lie down, pulling the covers over his body before she left him to rest and went back downstairs.

Now that she was alone in the shop, Trish had trouble containing the flow of fear and pain that were pushing at her self control.

This couldn’t go on like this or Dante would die. He might have survived this time but if he didn’t feel better soon he would try something again.

And he would eventually end up finding a way to kill himself.

But what could Trish do ? What were you supposed to do when the enemy you needed to defeat was the same person you wanted to save ?

The only person who would have had enough influence on Dante would have been Vergil.

And the blue twin’s absence was the very reason for her friend’s suffering.

The demoness went to get a broom and a bucket, intending to clean the shop up a bit. She didn’t know what else she could do to help her friend anyway.

Nero was sitting on the roof of his home, watching the night slowly fall upon Fortuna.

The wind was carrying the promise of rain as it plucked the last dried out leaves that were still stubbornly clinging to the trees.

The bright colors of fall had dissolved into grayishness, just like all joy seemed to have departed from Nero’s daily life.

Everything felt gray, cold and uninteresting. It was fitting, really.

Nero sighed as he let his gaze trail over the sad landscape before him, heart heavy.

It had been a month already since he had found his uncle lying in the swamp where this whole debacle had started.

He had seen the markings on the red half-devil’s skin disappear and he had felt such relief. At least at first.

Then, Dante’s anger filled gaze had changed as the curse had lifted, his rage dying under a tidal wave of grief.

The horror in the legendary hunter’s eyes kept on haunting Nero’s nights just as much as his words.

The young man could still hear his uncle choke out the awful truth.

I… I killed him.

And only at that moment had the quarter- devil understood why the red twin had come back alone. Why his father was nowhere to be seen.

Nero’s world had come tumbling down. Dante had killed his twin, the madness induced by the curse twisting his reason until the hunter had done the unthinkable.

It had left them both broken.

The days that had followed that cruel twist of fate were a blur in Nero’s mind.

After the first week of shock, grief, and pain had passed, doubts had started to worm their way in the young hunter’s mind.

A part of him was rejecting what had happened, convinced that Vergil was still out there somewhere.

He couldn’t be just… gone. Not after all they had been through together. Nero refused to believe it.

Dante was convinced that his twin wouldn’t have been able to survive the fall into the Underworld after the devastating blow he had suffered.

If anyone knew how much the twins could endure it would be Dante, but the man was so drowned by regrets and shame that Nero didn’t trust his judgment. Not this time. Not on this.

Maybe the wound had been fatal. Maybe the fall and the demons of the Underworld would be more than enough to kill anybody else.

But if anyone could survive this, it was his father.

And so, Nero had started to search for him, for a clue that his old man was still breathing and surviving somewhere in the Underworld.

His work has proven to be fruitless until now, but the quarter-devil was still clinging on to the hope that he would find him.

He couldn’t stomach the idea that the man was gone, it was too painful, far too much to bear.

The young man was already struggling with his absence and the doubts about his well-being.

Dante’s mental state was worrying Nero as well. The red twin had been emotionally annihilated by what he had been forced to do.

Nero hadn’t seen his uncle since their last meeting in the swamp, but Trish was watching over him, and the demoness was reporting to the young hunter on how he was fairing. From what the quarter-devil could gather… It was a nightmare.

It only served to reinforce Nero’s certitude that he needed to find Vergil no matter the costs. If the blue twin had truly died then… Nero didn’t know what he would do.

“Nero ?” A female voice called for him from the garden.

It was Lady. The demon hunter was staying at his place for a few days.

She had agreed to help him with the pretty desperate plan that Nero had crafted.

If anyone knew if Vergil was alive, it would be M’ma Juma herself. The spirit was linked to the after-life and she was the one who had cursed Dante.

If Nero managed to get onto her good side maybe she would accept to answer his questions.

The spirit had shown some strange fondness for his person and the young man hoped that this would allow him to get to know the truth.

Even if that floating mask was giving him the creeps.

Once Nero knew if Vergil was still alive, he could then go to the second part of his plan. Go get him and bring him home.

Nero jumped down from the roof and came to land next to Lady.

He had been in need of a moment of solitude to get his shit together after the kids had asked him where the blue twin was.

They didn’t know what had happened yet, they just knew that Dante was sick.

It was hard to keep the truth away from the boys and it was adding to Nero’s depressed mood. It felt like there was a wall between him and his family, and it left him feeling lonely.

“Hey. Did you find it ?” The young man asked his hunter friend.

“Yeah, I got it in the van already. You found the rest of the stuff ?” Lady asked in return and Nero nodded.

They wouldn’t go to M’ma Juma with empty hands. The spirit wasn’t evil but she was unpredictable and volatile.

So, after some complementary research on her origins and the cults that were dedicated to her, Nero and Lady had gone hunting for gifts.

Nero had bought rum, peppers, and candles aplenty, while Lady had gone to fetch a black rooster.

Those items were said to be greatly appreciated by the Grave Keeper.

“Let’s get going then.” Nero said and he took a deep, shaky breath.

They would need to drive all the way back to the spirit’s swamp, find it, and pray that the outcome would be in their favor.

So much was at stake on this journey that it left Nero’s hands shaking as he got a hold on the van’s steering wheel.

Chapter Text

Dante sighed as his head was resting on his pillow.

He cracked an eye open and saw that the sun was setting already. Another day had gone by. Another stream of painful hours he had been forced to endure.

Trish had sent him to bed a week ago, like a mom would do with her kids.

It should annoy him that she was interfering with his personal space so much, ordering him around and meddling in his business.

In truth, the red twin didn’t give a damn. Whatever she did or didn’t do, it changed nothing to his situation.

Sure, being freed of the blood plastered to his skull felt nice and lying in a real bed was more comfortable then his chair, but the hunter was in no place to enjoy such frivolous things.

Comfort was nothing against the solitude and grief that was eating him from inside out.

His only solace was sleep.

Since his failed attempt to go join his twin in the after-life, Dante felt disconnected from everything.

Nothing could stir enough interest for him to care, and so he had stayed in his bed these past days.

He kept mostly to his room now, only moving to replenish his stash of alcohol once in a while.

Dante shifted and buried his face in the pillow, blocking the outside world from his view and from his mind. Nothing good was awaiting him out there anymore.

The half-devil would rather stay half-awake, half-asleep in his bed like this forever. Reminiscing about the past. Thinking about his sibling.

His dreams were now his favorite place to spend his time. He yearned to lose himself in those fantasies where Vergil was reading on the couch or where the two of them were at Nero’s home.

A gut wrenching mix of happy memories and desperate, unattainable, dreams.

Dante eagerly spent his days sleeping, ignoring everything and everyone, drowning the occasional nightmare into booze.

Maybe his body was growing weak from the lack of food, or maybe the universe was having pity on him, because the more the days went by, the easier it became to stay asleep.

It was such a cruel irony that sleep had been his greatest foe for most of his life only to become his refuge now.

With a bit of luck he would eventually fall asleep forever and die of starvation while spending time in his own fantasy.

He didn’t care if this was really going to happen or not, he just felt so damn tired all the time.

Dante could feel his mind drift into blessed slumber again but the shrill ringing sound of the phone downstairs came to disturb him.

The red twin ignored it, not in the mood to talk to anyone, not finding the strength to get up and go down.

But minutes went by, and the phone kept ringing endlessly until it managed to annoy him.

Dante sighed, he wouldn’t be able to sleep with that blasted thing making so much noise.

He stood up stiffly and stumbled downstairs, aiming to pull the cable out of that thing and shut it down.

As he crossed the room and stood next to his desk, he saw that Trish had cleaned the place up.

He didn’t understand why she had bothered to do that.

The ringing kept going on and on until Dante’s eyes shifted back to the little object.

Whoever was calling must be pretty desperate to keep on insisting like this.

The red twin found himself hesitating. He sure as hell didn’t want to answer this, feeling tired and discouraged already, but on the other hand…

What if someone was in need of help ?

Would he be responsible for whatever would happen to them if he just ignored that call ?

What would have Vergil done ?

His twin wasn’t the type to go running through Redgrave to save every single damsel in distress, but he wasn’t the type to let his feelings get in the way of his principles either.

Dante hesitated some more and as the phone kept calling out to him he eventually picked up.

“Devil May Cry.” He mumbled and the words felt uneasy and foreign.

He hadn’t answered a single call since he had gone to help Lady out in that god forsaken swamp almost seven weeks ago.

The man on the other side of the line was sobbing and begging, calling for help as a demon was on the loose in his garden.

The human had barricaded himself in his home with his family, but the creature was clawing at the building to get inside.

Dante felt a small spark of compassion for these humans and then sad resignation as he hung up and he shook himself up.

He would go help them and then he would go back to sleep.

The half-devil exited the shop and triggered, taking flight towards the neighborhood where the attack was taking place.

He made haste and arrived in a few minutes, easily spotting the demonic signature of his target.

A Fury was clawing at a small house’s roof, tearing the tiles away to create itself a passage inside.

The demon stopped and looked up, hissing when it saw Dante’s red winged form dive for him.

The hunter tore the lizard from the roof and threw it down into the garden, landing on the manicured patch of grass alongside his prey.

He let go of his trigger and summoned his sword while the demon snapped its jaws and growled, angered at his intervention.

Dante chuckled bitterly at the demon’s aggressivity.

“No ! No barking ! Bad, demon ! Now, come here.” He mocked the Fury’s attitude, feeling some twisted pleasure at letting his anger out on this target.

The demon growled again and launched itself at the hunter but Dante dodged easily.

“Good boy !” He snarled as his sword cut a deep slash on the creature’s flank.

The demon howled in pain and turned around, ready to attack again. The lizard’s anger was easy to feel.

Dante knew how the demon felt, his own anger had been eating him alive for weeks under the curse’s influence until it had cost him everything.

The Fury dashed forward, slashing its claws at the red twin, but the hunter was too fast and he simply stepped aside.

Vergil would have cut that demon in two without letting it get the chance to attack again.

Dante’s heart dropped as the intrusive thoughts and grief and guilt came crashing down on him all over again.

His twin wasn’t here anymore and it was his fault.

That demon’s rage was nothing compared to the hatred the half-devil was feeling towards himself.

He turned to the demon and let his sword disappear. Maybe this call was a blessing after all, an answer to his problem.

“What ? Are you angry at me ? Want to get your revenge ? Yeah? Then come and get it !” He said as he opened his arms wide, inviting the Fury to attack him.

Would that demon’s sharp claws be enough ? Would the creature succeed where his gun had not been enough ?

The creature launched himself at him with abandon, its claws piercing his flesh and its fangs burying themselves in his shoulder.

They tumbled down in the grass, the Fury slashing and tearing with all its might. Blood spurted and puddles of crimson stained the ground.

Sharp, searing pain radiated from the wounds that were inflicted upon the half-devil’s flesh.

The legendary hunter let the physical pain eclipse his emotional one, focusing on the tangible feeling.

Maybe that demon could do it. It was built for the hunt and the kill after all.

Dante waited, eager to get this done with. It was painful and frankly disgusting, the smell of the lizard’s breath was gross.

However before the creature could inflict lethall damage, a gunshot echoed loudly and the demon’s head snapped to the side.

More gunshots followed, and the demon was hit in the head, falling limply on top of Dante.

The red twin looked up and spotted a familiar blond woman.

Trish…Always so stubborn.

The demoness ran up to him and she pushed the dead demon away, her eyes frantically looking him up.

The half-devil sighed softly, feeling disappointed that she had come to save him. Why was she even trying so hard ? It’s not like he wanted to live on.

“Dante ! Shit, are you okay ?” She asked worriedly, a deep frown on her brow.

No. No, he wasn’t. But not because of the various injuries that left him bleeding.

He didn’t bother to give her an answer and sat up. The world spun and his torso screamed in agony as the motion pulled on the wounds.

He could feel his healing kick in but it was slower than it used to be. That was good, he was growing weaker, soon he might be able to finish himself off.

His attention snapped back to his friend as her hands were patting him up and down, checking him for hidden injury.

“I’m fine.” He muttered. He’d rather have her leave him alone.

“You’re not. You’re far from it, and I’m not just talking about these wounds. “She snarled and there was a spark of anger in her eyes now.

“Does it matter ?” He mumbled as he stood up clumsily.

“To me, yes. To Nero too. It would have mattered to him as well.” She almost growled and Dante’s brow shot up in surprise.

Trish rarely lost her cool like this, she was always calm and unbothered. Her comment was a punch to the gut and it made the red twin flinch.

Her expression softened when she spotted his reaction.

“You’re scaring me, Dante. I don’t want to lose you.” She whispered and the half-devil watched her, feeling exhausted beyond any words.

He already knew that and yet, it wasn’t enough. Even his best friend’s fear for him, and her pain at seeing the state he was in, was nothing compared to his guilt.

It made him feel even worse because he knew that this situation was taking a toll on everyone around him. He was causing pain to his friends and family. Again.

He was the reason for all the woe that had befallen them.

He needed a drink. Many drinks.

He squeezed his friend’s shoulder as he passed her by, a silent apology for everything she was going through because of him.

He never meant to cause her pain. Fuck, he had never meant for any of this to happen, and yet here he was.

Dante left the tiny house and its traumatized inhabitants, walking down the streets towards his shop.

It was night-time already but it wasn’t late. The sidewalk was full of people going on their daily business, scrambling out of his way as they saw him.

The half-devil glanced at the windows of a bakery and saw his reflection. Yeah, it wasn’t pretty.

He looked like he had fallen into an industrial-sized blender. His clothes and skin were torn, blood drops trailing his steps along the way.

The passers-by were gasping and whimpering when they saw him but Dante couldn’t bring himself to care.

He had been chewed on by a demon. So what. It would heal soon anyway. That was the big problem here.

Some of them even asked him if needed help and it would have been sweet if he hadn’t felt so empty.

Dante stopped at the convenience store located the closest to the Devil May Cry.

The cashier, a burly dark haired man with a beard, looked him up and down but didn’t comment.

The half-devil grabbed three bottles of the cheapest, strongest, alcohol available and went to pay.

“You good?” The cashier mumbled as Dante paid.

“Peachy.” The hunter muttered and the man just nodded and dropped the subject.

Dante was thankful for his discretion as he exited the little store and finally reached the door of his home and entered.

Silence welcomed him, cold and lonely, and the hunter’s eyes trailed machinaly to the coffee table and his twin’s book.

Pain raw and overwhelming filled him up and he ripped the cap of one of the bottles, drowning the emptiness in a big gulp of low quality booze.

The burning sensation wasn’t enough to draw his attention away from the small poetry volume.

How long will I be trapped here ?

Another gulp, another empty bottle joining the trash, and Dante felt the accumulated effect of blood loss and alcohol cloud his thoughts.

He was so fucking tired of everything.

He stumbled and went up the stairs, starting to sip on the second bottle.

He managed to get to his room as the world started to spin and his legs felt weak.

Letting himself fall down on his bed he wondered how long it would take for his body to grow weak enough.

He wasn’t yet completely healed from his fight with the Fury. This was strangely encouraging, in a few days, maybe a few weeks he would finally manage to make this nightmare stop.

In the meantime he would go back to sleep.

Chapter Text

Nero was having a freaking hell of a headache as the damned chicken kept cawing madly at the back of the van.

That bird was making so much noise that he had started to wonder if M’ma Juma would accept its dead body as an offering. Shit, he’d even cook it at this point.

He was already tired and stressed out enough as it was, without needing the additional migraine.

Thank god they were finally arriving at the location.

The landscape around the van was slowly losing its forest grounds, large patches of grassy fields replacing them.

The absence of most trees allowed the eyes to see far away and M’ma Juma’s swamp gave a feeling of endless greenery.

It was beautiful in its own decaying way, the lush grass feeding on the degenerating debris and the water puddles that littered the whole area.

A few timid trees still clung to the fields, keeping low to the ground as if they feared to anger the spirit should they grow too high.

The van was slowly pushing forward, crossing the swamp on the sole road leading into it.

The path was growing more and more impassable, the asphalt vanishing to leave only a lonely passage made of damp dirt.

The vehicle steadily went on the uneven terrain, Nero driving carefully to avoid landing into a hidden pond of stale water or getting stuck in deep mud.

The quarter-devil knew the way he needed to go but he still had to be carefull. This whole area was dangerous, and the waters weren’t the only things to be aware of.

It had taken a three day drive to come here from Fortuna and Nero was tired.

So was Lady, even if she was trying not to show it. The young hunter could see the dark circles under her eyes and he guessed he must have looked like shit too.

Finally, after what felt like an eternity, the van stopped as the dirt path ended and Nero jumped out, eager to stretch his legs out and get his plan going.

“So, here we are again.” He muttered and his heart started to beat a little bit faster.

“I hope this will work out.” Lady whispered as she came to stand next to him, her eyes taking in the greenish environment.

“Yeah me too. Thank you for coming along by the way.” Nero told her as he went to the side door and snatched the rooster’s cage.

“Don’t mention it. It’s partly because of me that everything went so awfully wrong.” She answered and her heterochromic eyes looked filled with sadness.

“Let’s hope we can make it better.” Nero murmured softly.

He picked up the bag filled with the rest of their gifts as well and made his way through the high weeds.

The two hunters started walking, their boots splashing into the water, massive reeds encircling them, preventing them from seeing what laid beneath their feet.

They marched on for an hour until they reached the discreet remnants of what had once been a cemetery.

The old gravestones were still here, partly swallowed by the soft soil, some even sticking out of the water ponds, like small desolate islands.

The grave that Dante had broken laid untouched on the side and Nero felt a shiver of fear. This accident had caused them all so much pain.

The quarter-devil spotted the stone that he and Vergil had discovered at the same time his uncle had hit the other grave.

The stone was still free of the plants that had tried to devour it, sitting perfectly straight where all the other ones had odd angles to it.

Nero and Lady saw the small island that hosted a flat stone surrounded by two small broken pillars. M’ma Juma’s altar. The Lwa’s last remaining temple from what Nero had found out.

Lady stayed back as a measure of precaution, leaving Nero to talk to the spirit.

The quarter devil swallowed thickly, feeling terribly nervous as he dropped the rooster’s cage next to the stone. The bird had kept suspiciously quiet since it had been taken out of the van.

The young man pulled the candles out of the backpack and put them on the stone before lighting them up. He also put the peppers down on the stone before he poured two glasses of rum.

One for him and one for the spirit. An offering. An invitation to talk.

Then, Nero sat down in front of the stone, heart hammering, before he spoke the formal greeting that was said to be the traditional way to invoke the Grave Keeper.

“M’ma Juma, would you like a drink ?” He asked into the silence and then he waited for the spirit to answer.

Oh, you know me well, chéri.

The quarter-devil froze as the suave female voice with its thick accent echoed from nowhere.

What brings you back to M’ma ?

“I need your help. Please.” Nero mumbled as the floating mask of the Grave Keeper appeared before him in a flash of green light.

You’re not dead, boy. You’re not even dying. What do you wish M’ma to help you with ?

“I am searching for someone. I need to know if he’s still alive.” Nero told the spirit, heart in his throat.

I know who you are searching for, chéri. Your father. The son of Sparda that I didn’t curse.

“Yes. Please, I need to know what happened ! I brought you a gift, to apologize for the disturbance.” Nero pleaded, putting the rooster’s cage on the stone surface.

The mask kept silent for a moment and Nero feared that she would refuse or take offense at the bird.

I like you, chéri, so I will show you. But first, drink with M’ma.

Nero’s heart skipped a beat in hope and he picked the glass up, emptying its content in one go.

He coughed at the burning sensation and he heard the spirit’s laugh as he watched the other glass emptied itself by magic.

Now, boy, look into the waters…

Nero scrambled up and neared the waterline of the stale pond of water. The small duckweeds and other greeneries that floated on its surface parted of their own volition, leaving the dark water beneath to show.

Nero looked down at the endless depths of M’ma Juma’s world and an image formed.The quarter devil gasped as he recognized the silhouettes of the twins in a strange place.

They were fighting, their boots splashing into what looked like a shallow river that fell into an endless abyss.

A few blows were exchanged before the Yamato disappeared from Vergil’s grip and the man stood before Dante.

Nero’s heart clenched when his uncle, his skin almost completely covered in black, charged at his unarmed father and simply ran him through. Blood gushed out as the long blade pierced the blue twin’s chest.

The red half-devil pulled his sword out and Vergil collapsed to the ground, unmoving.

Then, Dante took a step back and the blue twin’s hand grasped his right boot. Nero flinched hard as his uncle simply shot him in the arm, staring blankly at his brother's lying silhouette.

The legendary hunter then turned his back on his twin and it wasn’t long until the strange tunnel-like place started to collapse. Stones started to fall from the ceiling and the small river grew larger.

Vergil was left to be washed away by the river, dragged down into the void.

Nero felt tears pool in his eyes, his breath coming in short gasps. The was so fucking painful to see.

“Is he… dead ?” He whispered, his voice thick and his throat clogged.

M’ma can feel your sorrow, boy.

The image in the water shifted again, a new landscape opening up before the quarter-devil’s eyes.

Nero saw white fields of strange, string-like weeds that moved with the wind. Stone statues and broken pillars dotted the landscape as the vision zoomed on a small and shallow river, its water flowing gently over white gravel.

It would have looked peaceful and soothing if not for the blood-red sky above the white environment.

The vision followed the water until it closed on a navy blue silhouette lying on the white riverbanks and Nero’s heart was pounding painfully.

Vergil wasn’t showing any sign of life, his body washed ashore by the Temen-ni-gru’s river.

Nero was already struggling with his fear and grief but then he saw a demon approach the motionless figure, hidden in the white high-weeds.

Horror flooded his veins as he wondered if M’ma Juma was going to show him a scavenger feasting on his own father’s corpse.

The quarter-devil’s heart was aching awfully as he watched the demon sneak discreetly up to the blue twin but as the Riot almost reached him, the demon was swiftly impaled by a flock of blue energy swords.

Nero was holding his breath as his father slowly shifted, straightening with difficulty. He managed to sit up and then to stand, his posture hunched and unsteady as more demons emerged from the weeds.

The vision vanished and Nero’s stomach dropped, torn between incredible relief and terrible worry.

Your P’pa is not yet on the other-side, chéri.

“But the curse ? It’s broken but he’s still alive ?” Nero wondered, confused.

Yes, the curse-bearer is convinced he is. His heart has been consumed, the curse broken.

The young man gasped, his heart leaping in his throat as incandescent hope started to burn inside him.

“Thank you, thank you so much ! I have to find him ! I have to get him out of there !” Nero exclaimed his feelings of elation slowly growing frantic now.

Vergil had survived, but the wound had been grisly and the Underworld was dangerous.

What he had seen had taken place more than a month ago, there was no telling how long the half-devil would be holding on trapped down there. Especially in his state.

The Underworld is vast, boy, this will not be easy. M’ma can help you, but there is a price.

Nero gulped as he watched the mask, feeling deeply unsure about what a spirit as old as M’ma Juma would ask him for in exchange for her assistance.

“W-what do you want in exchange for your help ?” The young hunter mumbled, his heart beating so fast his ribs were protesting at every little shockwave.

M’ma is lonely here. Forgotten. You will find thirteen new graveyards and make them mine, so that M’ma will watch over them.

Thirteen graveyards ? This would take a certain time to find but it didn’t seem impossible to do. If it would allow him to get his father back, Nero was ready for anything.

“How do I do that ?” He asked, not wanting to dive into some fucked up voodoo shit without more information.

You will put three stones on the first female grave of every graveyard and draw my sigil at the entrance.

“Okay, I guess I can do that.” The quarter-devil agreed after glancing at Lady. This might be their best shot at finding Vergil fast.

Then come see M’ma again when you are done, chéri.

The big mask vanished into a flash of greenish light and Nero felt the presence of the spirit disappear, juste like it did when he had found Dante.

He took a shaky breath and tried to clear his thoughts. This had proven worthy of the time spent on coming all the way here.

The young man glanced at the altar and then at the rooster and he shivered. The bird was dead.

Nero left the little island without making any sound and was careful to not simply run away. Politeness was of essence with M’ma Juma and any provocation could lead to a disaster, he wouldn’t risk angering her now.

He motioned for Lady to follow him and they went back to the van in silence, trekking through the wetlands and swatting a few mosquitoes along the way. They hopped inside the vehicle and the quarter-devil fired the engine and slowly drove out of the region.

They carefully waited until they left the Grave Keeper’s grounds to finally talk.

“So ? I gathered that Vergil’s alive ?” The female hunter asked him and she sounded carefully neutral.

“Yeah, at least he was in the vision but what she showed me happened probably more than a month ago.” Nero told her, feeling a bit anxious that the spirit hadn’t shown him something more recent.

What if the half-devil had died in the meantime ? The awful possibility existed and it would explain why she chose to show him that part only. But Nero couldn’t just give up because there was a risk.

“Okay, so if he’s still out there how do we proceed now ? We can’t use the Temen-ni-gru to go to the Underworld, should we wait to find a gate and try to pass through ?” The female hunter asked him and Nero was thankful that she was planning to help. Even without him asking her.

“Yeah, I guess we’ll have no choice. M’ma Juma said she could help us locate him inside the Underworld in exchange for our help. She wants us to mark thirteen graveyards as hers and then she’ll help.” Nero told his friend while the van finally accessed a real road where the asphalt looked mostly okay.

“So we need to find those places and then come back here. We should try to stay in the swamp’s vicinity. Most towns have their own little cemetery anyway, that way we will not lose too much time on driving.” Lady mumbled as she started to rummage through the glovebox, searching for a map.

“Yeah, we need to get this done quickly. We don’t know how long Vergil can hold on in Hell, he… he was in a bad shape. And it’s important for Dante too, he’s not taking this well.” The quarter devil mumbled, his thoughts bringing him back to Redgrave.

The red twin’s state was deeply preoccupying and Nero was feeling anxious and sad that he hadn’t been able to go see his uncle since the curse had been broken.

After Lady and Trish had called him, Nero had taken a plane to come to the swamp.

He had found the hunter unconscious in front of M’ma Juma’s altar and he had learned of what had happened at the Temen-ni-gru.

The first wave of pain and grief had been devastating.

They had stayed lost in their pain for hours until Trish and Lady had dragged them out of the swamp and then back to town.

Nero had stayed there for a few days, incapable of thinking past the loss. It was only when Lady had simply put him in a car and taken him to the airport that he had realised that he was on his way back to Fortuna.

Trish had taken care of bringing Dante back to Redgrave and Nero hadn’t seen him since. Without the Yamato there was no quick way to go from Fortuna to Redgrave and planes were expensive.

Nero couldn’t just trigger and fly over like the red twin could, he wasn’t strong enough for such a long distance. And his uncle was in no shape to do that at the moment as well.

And so, the quarter-devil had been stuck home, relying on Trish to keep an eye on his family member while he was far away. It hadn’t been easy, and keeping the truth from his kids hadn’t been easy as well.

His boys kept asking questions, wondering when the twins would come by. They had no idea what had happened and the quarter-devil would need to clear this mess fast.

The children were sharp, they would figure out that something was wrong very soon. Nero wasn’t ready to face them, he wasn’t even ready to face the fact that his father might be gone forever.

Now that his plan was slowly taking shape, Nero felt the urgency of the situation more than ever.

He would give his all and rescue Vergil.

There was no other outcome he would accept.

Chapter Text

Kyrie was sitting on the edge of the garden, sitting on the small flight of stairs that separated their house from the grass.

It was early in the morning and the boys were all asleep.

Little patches of fog were clinging to the plants behind the house. The lush green leaves were all gone, and gone were the incandescent colors of fall as well.

Her garden stood naked and gray in the sad, cold, morning light.

Kyrie sniffed and blew her nose, snatching a tissue from the box that was lying next to her. Her eyes were red and puffy, the tip of her nose hurting from all the times she had wiped at it.

She had woken up alone in her bed this morning and her chest had felt too small to contain the pain inside her chest.

She had come here, outside the house, despite the cold and foggy weather to search for a safe place where she could let her emotions escape her control.

A place where her lovely kids wouldn’t hear her break down, because this whole situation was absolutely horrifying and Kyrie’s heart was breaking apart.

But her babies didn’t know of it yet.

Nero had been brought back home by Lady a month ago. Her lover had abruptly left the house prior to that, leaving her only a note in the kitchen.

Dante's in the swamp. Taking a plane to go get him, I’ll call you asap. Love you. Nero.

She had come home to this bad surprise and it had left her anxious to know that he had needed to go in such precipitation that he hadn’t had the time to call her. And then, there had been no call from him at all.

Kyrie had been left feeling awfully worried, she knew that if Nero wasn’t calling here it meant that something terrible was happening.

Dante’s curse had been on their mind since the red twin had bruised her wrist. Kyrie wasn’t angry at him for the small pain and the blueish marks were already all gone now. The man had been so devastated after he had inadvertently hurt her.

It should be surprising that it had never happened before. The twins and Nero had such superhuman strength that the slightest slip on their part could end up in a serious injury.

The opera singer had waited, praying that her man was alright, that Dante was alright as well. She should have prayed for Vergil as well because tragedy had struck again, taking her father in-law away from them.

It hadn’t even crossed her mind that the blue half-devil could have ended up a target of the curse induced rage that had been devouring Dante’s mind.

Kyrie sniffed again, wrapping her arms around herself in an attempt to find some comfort.

Dante had been forced to murder his own twin brother.

She could still visualise the car parking in front of her home, her heart leaping in her throat when she spotted Nero outside the house with Lady. She had been so relieved and happy to see them come home.

That had been until her man had come inside and she had noticed the haunted look in his red rimmed eyes. The grief that was stealing all other emotions from his gaze.

And Nero had whispered the devastating news, breaking down and trembling as he was forced to put words on his pain. And they had been left to cry their eyes out.

Kyrie still couldn’t believe it. Vergil was gone, the cold yet gentle man that had been curiously glancing at her cookbook in the kitchen was dead. Nero’s long lost father, who had been trying hard to navigate his way into their world, lost all over again.

How could life be so cruel ? How could it give Nero his family back just to take it away so soon? How could destiny so relentlessly hurt the twins like this ? It just wasn’t fair.

They deserved to be happy, all three of them. They had gone through so much pain already, and now tragedy was striking them all over again.

They had mourned for many days, leaving the boys to stay with Nico for a while. But then, Nero had started to express doubts about the situation.

He was still hoping that his father was still somewhere, trapped inside the Underworld.

Kyrie had listened to him, and it was true that Vergil was unimaginably strong. As long as they hadn’t recovered his body there could still be hope that he had survived. And if he hadn’t, he still deserved a proper ceremony.

She couldn’t stand the idea that they would just … abandon him. Alive or dead they needed to find him and bring him back home.

Dante seemed to be sure that his brother died by his hand, and his guilt had been crushing him since he had awoken.

Trish had called Nero and Kyrie a few days ago. She wanted to let them know that she had found Dante one morning at the shop, in a bad shape.

The red twin had tried to end it all with utmost brutality, and that he had only survived thanks to his demonic strength.

That news had destroyed them even more. They were slowly losing the red twin oo and if they didn’t find a way to reach him… he would end up leaving them forever.

Kyrie felt her stomach churn at the thought. She didn’t want to lose him… Tears pooled in her eyes and she sniffed, taking another tissue to blow her nose again.

They hadn’t told the boys what had happened. The children knew that something was amiss, their foster-mom knew that. Her little kids were smart and very curious, they had picked up on Nero and her appearance.

They had started to ask questions right after they had come back with Nico. The little boys had spotted the signs that their foster parents weren’t doing well. That they were sad.

Nero and Kyrie had chosen to keep them in the dark until they had managed to know exactly what had happened.

If Vergil was truly gone... then they would eventually have to announce the dreadful news to them.

In the meantime Dante was branded “sick”, which wasn’t that far from the truth, and Vergil was just… absent.

They didn’t want to lie to the children and so they just tried to avoid the subject entirely.

It wasn’t working well, especially given Kyle’s obsession with the blue twin, but Kyrie hoped to be able to hide the situation for another few days.

At least until Nero came back from his third trip to that swamp and maybe had been given some answers.

Would that strange spirit that had cursed Dante truly help them ? She was terrified that it might lash out on Nero but her lover was adamant on going back there.

Kyrie felt so desperately useless here, stuck at home trying to hide her sobs from the children.

She felt her nose start running again and she wiped it with the back of her hand this time.

Her hand came back reddened with blood and she stared at the ruby color before she quickly grabbed another tissue to quench her nosebleed.

This wasn’t the first time that it happened these past days.

This situation was taking a toll on all of them and the future seemed bleaker with every minute that passed.

Dante was helping Kyrie set the table, carrying a pile of plates outside of the house into the garden.

She had asked him to take the little pile outside as he was on his way to join Nero and Vergil in the garden, and he had happily obliged.

The red half-devil put the plate atop the table that was set on the grass before he turned to his twin and grinned.

Vergil and Nero were sparring and the kid was sort of holding his ground against his father.

He was improving but Dante could see that his brother was still holding back. Maybe Vergil didn’t want to insult the kid or maybe he was just trying to limit the property damage.

Dante didn’t know but he still felt his heart swell with pride and love as he watched the father-son duo having so much fun.

Nero’s three kids were sitting a bit further away, looking at the duel with huge eyes and their little mouths open. Yeah, it was quite a sight for sure.

The duel went on for a few minutes before Kyrie’s voice echoed from the kitchen.

“Dinner’s ready !”

Dante sighed happily, this was perfect. He was starting to grow hungry.

He was not the only one it seemed, because the kids promptly rushed towards the table with excited shouts.

Vergil and Nero stopped their duel and went closer to the table as well, taking a seat on the plastic chairs disposed all around it.

Even Lady and Trish emerged from the house, the two hunters chichating and looking all excited.

Dante glanced at his twin, watching for his reaction at Trish’s arrival but his brother didn’t seem bothered by her presence. The legendary hunter watched them cooly greet each other with a nod and go back to their respective conversation.

The red half-devil felt relieved that their relationship was improving as Kyrie arrived, carrying a towering pile of pizza boxes in her hands.

She dropped the large pile on the table and Dante’s stomach growled in anticipation. He took a box and picked a slice up, starting to munch happily on it.

Dance glanced at his twin, Vergil was sitting next to him and Kyle was sitting on his lap with an enormous smile splitting his face.

The little boy’s clinginess knew no limits. As the boy was even allowed to eat his pizza while staying as close to his “grandpa” as possible, he was radiating satisfaction.

Vergil didn’t seem bothered by the little human’s presence, one of his arms loosely wrapped around Kyle’s midsection to prevent him from falling over when the boy shifted too enthusiastically.

If anything, his brother seemed relaxed and there was a small smile on his features. Dante had rarely seen him so… happy ?

The red twin felt his heart ache in his chest, it was so good to see him like this.

This whole dinner felt like a blessing, and Dante felt all warm and fuzzy inside as he was content to just be there.

He listened in on the conversations, stuffing himself full of pizza, enjoying the moment.

And then, his twin picked a slice of pizza and started to eat. Dante stared at him in surprise.

Vergil eating pizza ? Now that was really out of the ordinary…

The disturbing vision troubled Dante a lot, and the red twin felt his thoughts spiral out of control.

The cosy feeling, the simple joy, was starting to crumble under a wave of doubts.

The hunter felt his heart start to beat a bit too fast, his thoughts growing a bit sharper, the people around him acting strangely out of character.

And Dante realised that this was a dream.

Despair raw and almighty filled him. He begged, heart shattering, as the happy family portrait before him started to fade away, blinking in and out of existence.

No matter how hard he tried, he didn’t manage to hold on to the dream, his body betraying him and taking him back to reality.

Dante woke up in his bed, the grayish ceiling of his bedroom replacing the soft glow of his dreams.

A sob escaped him as the loss of this little piece of comfort hit him hard.

He covered his face with his arm, hiding in the crook of his elbow. He tried to block the world from his sight, mask his tears, but the pain was just too much.

Why did he wake up ? Why couldn’t he just stay there ? In the depths of his dreams ? It didn’t matter if it was all fake, he just wanted to stay there forever.

Everything but coming back here where nothing was left, and all his hopes were dead.

He was in pain but he didn’t want to get better. He was lonely but he didn’t want company. He was tired but sleep was only making him longing for more…

Nothing felt right, his head was stuck in this place where there was nothing but endless suffering.

His heart was beating too fast but he couldn’t calm down, he felt hollow and yet emotions filled him up to the brim. He was breaking apart.

He couldn’t go back in time to change the past and now the future meant nothing.

There was only the present, this cage that was crushing him, and oh how he longed to escape from it.

His emotions were spiraling out of his control but they had nowhere to go and Dante snatched another bottle at his bedside, gulping half of its content down at once as he sat on the edge of the mattress.

His empty stomach protested sharply, burning pain radiating from it.

The painful sensation managed to distract him from the mess choking his heart and mind.

For the smallest of moments his mind was empty of everything but for the sharp pain taking all the available space. Dante shuddered and gulped in some air at the familiar sensation.

It had been a long time since he had felt that sort of temptation, the longing for this little moment of clarity amidst the storm of his emotions.

He used to do that a long time ago, when his thoughts escaped his control, when the alcohol wasn’t enough to fight his inner demons.

That need for it had vanished with Vergil’s return but now…

Dante drank the rest of the bottle up. The booze was starting to cloud his head and yet it was the pain inside his guts that was allowing his thoughts to stay away from all the grief.

Well, beggars couldn’t be choosers…

The red twin smashed the bottle against the frame of his bed, half of it shattering and falling to the floor. He held the neck of the broken bottle firmly in his hand and slammed the jagged edge against his abdomen.

Searing pain coursed through his body as glass ripped through his skin and pierced his flesh. Blood flooded his mouth as his stomach spasmed at the damage.

He pulled the bottle away, leaving it to fall onto the bed. His shirt was already covered in red, the wetness spreading to soak his clothes and covers.

The red twin gasped in pain, shivering as he let himself fall to the side, coming to rest on his pillow.

He let his gaze drift over his room, focusing on the agony in his midsection. Had Vergil’s pain been worse when he had stabbed him ? Had he felt as cold as Dante was feeling now?

The red half-devil spat another mouthful of blood as he felt his body slowly start to heal already, his skin itching.

This blessed moment of distraction would soon be already gone. It didn’t matter, he would just need to repeat it until he finally joined his twin.

Chapter Text

Trish turned the pages of the magazine, gazing quickly at the pictures without really looking at them.

The content of the glossy paper wasn’t important. She didn’t care about what they said or what the pictures were about. She was just trying to stay busy, keeping her thoughts away from the half-devil that was still sleeping upstairs.

Three days had gone by since her best-friend had let a Fury use him as a chew toy. She had been so scared when she had watched the demon perched on Dante’s form, its teeth shredding and tearing at him without the half-devil even trying to fight back.

The demoness knew that this had been another desperate attempt on his part to end it all and it left her furious and deeply depressed.

It felt like she was powerless to do anything. She couldn’t alleviate Dante’s pain. She couldn’t bring Vergil back. She could only try to keep her best friend alive and hope that time would let him heal.

But as the weeks went by slowly, the red twin wasn’t healing at all. If anything he was growing worse with every passing day.

At first he had been sad and angry, enraged at his twin’s sacrifice, at his own inability to rid himself of the curse, at the spirit of the swamp, at the whole universe.

And all that rage and pain had turned against him until he had tried to kill himself a first time.Trish could still see the outlines of the stain on the wall, the grisly reminder of what had happened.

When his first attempt had proven unsuccessful Dante had sunk even deeper into depression, giving up on everything, hurting himself and waiting to wither away. To Trish, this was growing even harder to handle than his attempts on his own life.

A bike came to a stop in front of the Devil May Cry and Trish went up to the door to get the delivery. She had ordered pizza, as she did every so often when she was here.

Dante and Trish had spent countless evenings eating this and drinking themselves into oblivion to forget their pain for a while. But now, the demoness had lost her drinking buddy. He wasn’t interested in sharing a glass anymore, alcohol only serving to keep him asleep.

Olive-less pizza in hand, she went up the stairs and got to Dante’s bedroom. She knocked on the door but no sound answered her and so she let herself in.

The room was dark and silent, the hunter lying face down in his bed beneath the covers with his eyes closed. Trish stepped inside, the tip of her boot bumping into an empty bottle, sending the object rolling away.

“Dante ?” She whispered as she went up to him and came to sit down on the edge of the mattress.

Her friend didn’t answer but his brow furrowed and he eventually opened his eyes. The pale blue orbs shifted to her, tired and red, filled with silent interrogation.

“I ordered pizza.” she told him, showing him the white cardboard box. “Everything on it, except olives. Your favorite.”

There was a hint of surprise and the ghost of a sad smile on his lips.

“Ha, thanks but… I’m not really hungry right now.” He muttered as he let his eyes close again and shifted slightly, his head coming back to bury itself in his pillow.

Trish felt her heart clench in pain and anxiety. Dante had already visibly thinned down, he hadn’t been eaten for many days. Weeks even.

If this went on he would soon grow too weak. Either he would try to kill himself and succeed, or he would fall asleep and never wake up again.

“Please, you need to eat something. Anything. Just tell me what you’d like and I’ll go get it for you. Please, Dante.” She begged him, unused to feel so helpless.

What could you do, when you were trying to save someone that didn’t want to be saved ?

“I’m good, thanks. “ He murmured and he drifted back to his dreams, running away from real-life.

Trish sat in silence on the bedside, watching with growing desperation as the red twin slept.

How long would he hold on like this ? Weeks probably. His body was resilient beyond reason, its degeneration was slow but it was there and it already showed.

The demoness sighed and she felt bone-deep tired as well. What was she going to do if she lost Dante ? Sure she would still have Morrison and Lady but her connection with Dante was special.

They had saved each other. They had hunted demons everywhere, they had found Nero in Fortuna, and now they were grieving together too. She didn’t want to lose him and yet her friend was so desperate to depart for a better place.

How could he be so selfish ? How could he reject all the love of the people around him ? Could he truly throw his twin’s sacrifice away, when Vergil had worked so hard to save him ?

She was angry. She was sad. She was scared. She was lonely. She was… desperate.

Trish put the pizza box on the nightstand and then she went to lie on the bed, one arm wrapping around the silhouette hidden beneath the covers.

She snuggled up to him, doubting it would give the red twin any comfort but this hug wasn’t just meant for Dante. This was for herself.

She would hold on to him and bask in his warmth while she still could. Before he left her behind here all alone.

Lady watched the landscape unfold through the van’s windows as Nero drove on a small road whose asphalt was nothing more than a memory.

They were currently hunting for graveyards, trying to fulfill their part of the deal with M’ma Juma as fast as possible.

Vergil’s survival might depend on their ability to get this done quickly. If the half-devil was still alive to begin with.

The doubt about whether or not the Grave Keeper was lying to them, or just hiding the current state of things, was a weight on both of their shoulders.

They just didn’t know. And they wouldn’t know until they held their part of the deal and created all of these small altars inside the thirteen cemeteries.

This uncertainty kept them from calling the Devil May Cry for help.

With Dante’s help this could get done faster but if Vergil proved to be truly dead at the end … it would wreck the hunter’s heart even more. It would be far too cruel and so Lady and Nero had agreed to do this themselves. Just in case.

They couldn’t give the red twin hope and then take it away. This was too much.

From what Trish had told them over the phone, Dante was slowly withering away as he refused to eat and kept on sleeping endlessly.

It was breaking Lady’s heart to know that her friend was in such pain.

They had come so far since their very first meeting. She had hated him and his demonic heritage, by principle more than by real dislike, but they had ended-up becoming friends.

She was even actively trying to save Vergil now, and their relationship was even more complicated than hers and Dante’s.

Lady understood that he had been manipulated by her father to open the Temen-ni-gru. She couldn’t fault him for that but then, he had destroyed Redgrave and trapped her and Trish into these horrible armors.

Maybe she should feel lucky that Urizen hadn’t just killed them off at the time, but it still left her angry and uneasy to know that this demon king was on the loose.

Then, there was the case of V. The man had acted strangely in her presence and in hindsight he must have recognized her at the time. He had been awkward and distant but not without gentleness.

These very different aspects of the same man were leaving her confused where Vergil was concerned.

Her feelings on the side, Lady was actively trying her best to save him for three major reasons.

Without him, Dante would break and she cared too much about the man to let him suffer like this. Not when there was a thin chance to make this right. Not when all this ness had started because she had asked for help on her case.

Then, Vergil had saved her life at the shop when Dante had lashed out and she didn’t like to stay in his debt.

And most of all… Nero. Lady knew the bone-deep pain of losing a father. She had killed her own and even after all the horrors that the man had done, all the pain he was responsible for, she still mourned him.

She wouldn’t let the boy lose his dad just after finding him. It would destroy the kid, like it had irreversibly damaged her all these years ago.

Maybe it would be even worse for Nero because Lady had resented her father, but the kid and Vergil were actually getting along.

Their bond was new and fragile but it was strong and it was pretty heartwarming to watch.

The three Sparda descendants couldn’t fool Lady, they loved each other far too much. They would try to deny it but it was plain to see. It was their biggest strength. And now that one was missing it was their greatest weakness too.

“ So ? What are you going to do once we get your father back ?” She asked the boy. She would assume that they would do it. They needed to have faith or they would all sink into the deepest pits of despair.

“I, huh, I… Fuck, I’m going to hug him. And hit him. And then we’ll go to see Dante and I’ll hug him and smack him in the face too.” Nero huffed and Lady saw his grip on the steering wheel grow tighter, his knuckles turning white.

“Nice plan. You know, I shot Dante in the head the first time I saw him. It didn’t really do anything, but I still shoot him when he annoys me.” She told the boy, trying to get his mind onto more tolerable thoughts.

“What the fuck ? You shot him ?” Nero gasped and his surprise was understandable.

“Yeah. Then I fought him, twice. I fought Vergil as well.” She said and she chuckled when she saw the young hunter’s shocked expression.

“Shit ! But how ? ! “Nero exclaimed, looking confused but curious.

“This situation was one hell of a complicated mess, and it was a really long time ago. We have all changed a lot since then.” The female hunter said, her gaze lost on those old and painful memories.

“I’d like to hear that story. No one ever tells me anything…” Nero mumbled, sounding pretty unhappy. “What are you going to do once this mission is over ?”

“Good question. Some shopping would be nice, I’ll take Trish along. We’ll send the bill to Dante. “ The brunette snickered, eyes gleaming with mischief.

“What ? You can’t just do that ! That’s not a thing !” Nero sounded scandalized.

“He owes me money. I can do whatever I want !” She said, smiling at him. “This is a form of interest rate.”

“He won’t ever be able to clear his debts to you if you keep piling bills on top of it !” Nero hissed, the kid was growing visibly angry. His protectiveness for his uncle was really sweet, but he was missing the point.

“I want him to stay indebted to me.” Lady told him. “That way, I’ll always have a valid reason to just drop by and see how he’s doing.”

She saw Nero’s anger flare and then die, his mouth parting but no words coming out. He glanced at her in surprise but still looked skeptical.

“I don’t think you need to go to such lengths to just see him. You’re friends.” He muttered, sounding doubtful. “You could just go see him without all these shenanigans.”

“Yeah, because you’re not using demon hunts as an excuse to call Vergil over.” She taunted him and the boy jumped, growing bright red.

“I…I don’t… Shit, yeah. Maybe you’re right.” The young man admitted, looking embarrassed and Lady burst out laughing at the young hunter’s sincerity.

“I won’t snitch, I promise, besides I’m pretty sure they both always await your call impatiently.“ She grinned at him and he shyly smiled back.

Lady was pleased to see a semblance of joy back on his young face. She had stayed in Fortuna for a few weeks before they had gone out to confront M’ma Juma.

The female hunter had seen how hard the situation was for Nero.

The kid was keeping up a brave front, clinging on stubbornly to his plan and his hopes to save everyone. The odds were piss poor, and they both knew that, but doing something was helping.

Nero stopped the van in front of a small graveyard in the middle of nowhere.

This was the second one of the day and the seventh cemetery they were stopping by in total. They had been traveling day and night for three days again. The area was vast and the towns were separated by very long distances with very poor roads.

The two hunters jumped out of the vehicle and quickly went to work. Lady went to pile the rocks on the oldest female grave while Nero quickly carved M’ma Juma’s sigil on the gate.

It took them only a few minutes to mark the place.

The cemetery was now M’ma Juma’s and as it had been the case in all the graveyards they had visited, they could hear a gloomy rooster crowing in the distance. Even if there was no coop and no farm to be seen anywhere.

A shiver ran through Lady’s spine at the sound as she was getting back inside the van again.

She met Nero’s gaze and she could read the same unease in his eyes. But the boy fired the engine and the van drove on, aiming for the next cemetery.

They still had six ones to mark and then they could go back to M’ma Juma.

Chapter Text

Nero poured himself and the Grave Keeper a glass of rum as soon as he arrived back at the spirit’s altar.

The quarter devil’s heart was beating fast. Now that they had marked all the thirteen cemeteries like they had agreed to do, it was time for M’ma Juma to hold on to her part of the deal.

She had told them that Vergil was alive and that she would help them find him inside the Underworld. How she planned to do that was unknown. They couldn’t even be sure that his father had survived the 8 days it had taken them to accomplish their task.

There still was a possibility that M’ma Juma had been lying to them from the get-go, and that this mission had been for naught.

“M’ma Juma, would you like a drink ?” Nero asked as he looked at the flat stone of her altar. The gifts he had brought the last time were still lying there, untouched.

You have worked hard, chéri, M’ma is very pleased.

Nero felt a shiver run down his spine at the female voice echoing from absolutely nowhere.

“Thank you. Will you help me find my father, like you promised ?” The quarter-devil felt a knot form inside his stomach, bile burning the back of his throat in fear that she would betray them.

Yes, M’ma is no liar, chéri. I will open a portal to the Underworld for you and you will have to find your P’pa and bring him back.

A portal to the Underworld ? This was amazing, this could allow them to go find Vergil and bring him back. There was just one problem left.

“You said the Underworld is vast, will you help me find him ?” The young man insisted, remembering the floating mask of her own words.

I am not the one who will help you with this, boy.

“What ? But…” Nero gasped, had they been tricked that easily ? A portal was better than nothing but how long would it take to find Vergil down there ? Days ? Weeks ? Years ?

His father couldn't stay that long down there. Dante wouldn’t survive that long without his twin returning to them.

Your kindness and respect have not gone unnoticed, Nero. Robert has volunteered to help you find him.

“Who’s… Robert ?” Nero mumbled, absolutely confused. What the fuck was the spirit talking about ?

There was a flash of greenish light behind the young hunter, and Nero looked over his shoulder. One of the graves was lit, the stone and the letters on top of it radiating a greenish glow.

It was the grave he and Vergil had cleaned up during their very first visit, the one Nero had stumbled upon.

The young hunter watched with huge eyes as the ground before the stone cracked open and shifted until an old waterlogged coffin emerged from the wet soil.

Lady was looking at the strange scene from further away, her surprise and fear easy to see in the way her skin was growing chalk-white.

Your friend shall help you as well.

Nero gulped and gestured for the female hunter to come join him as the mask turned to face her, acknowledging her presence for the first time. Lady quickly came to stand beside Nero and they waited for the Lwa’s instructions.

The coffin levitated towards them, leaving its tomb, until it came to rest in front of M’ma Juma’s altar.

The lid opened and Nero and Lady glanced down at its content. There was a skeleton lying inside it, wearing a tuxedo in a deep purple color pair with a white tie and what looked like dried out flowers lying around the remains.

The skulls' empty orbits were glowing a deep green.

Go lie down with Robert inside his coffin, Mary. He requested your company in exchange for his assistance.

“I’m sorry ?” Lady mumbled, looking down at the wooden box in incomprehension.

Nero stared at the coffin as well and could swear he had seen one of the orbits blink.

“Shit, did he just… wink at me ?” The woman hissed in disgust and annoyance.

Robert will take your soul into the other-side. Follow the dead and dying, let them guide you to your missing man.

Nero and Lady gasped and looked at each other, a thread of hope mixing with fear. If Lady’s mind could roam the Underworld by following the dead demons she was almost assured to find Vergil.

The half-devil would have surely left a colossal trail of dead bodies in his wake.

The dead tell no tales, but your ghost shall be visible. Guide Sparda’s first son back to the portal but make haste. I can’t keep it open forever.

“What shall I do while Lady’s searching for him ? “ Nero asked the Grave Keeper, wondering what his part in their mission would be.

You shall kill all the other demons that will try to pass, chéri. We want no disturbances in the cemetery.

Kill demons. Well, that was pretty much his field of expertise. Nero nodded and he glanced at Lady praying that she would accept this, huh, strange demand from the dead guy.

The female hunter sighed but went up to the edge of the coffin and stepped inside. She went to lie on her back next to the skeleton, looking pretty pissed and unsure about all of this.

Nero’s hand was itching for his weapon should the undead man try anything but he kept motionless next to Lady and the woman eventually relaxed a bit.

After a few seconds of silence where nothing happened and Nero started to feel anxious, Lady gasped and the young man saw her eyes start to glow green, just like the skeleton’s.

The quarter-devil turned to face the spirit, and saw that M’ma Juma’s mask was glowing incandescent green as well.

The spirit rose into the air above her altar, and a small spark appeared above the stone. It grew larger and larger until a hole between the dimensions opened.

Nero snatched Red Queen from his back and readied himself. He would defend Lady from anything that came out of there and hope that she would find his father.

This was their chance. This could change everything.

Vergil was panting as the Yamato severed another demon’s neck from its body. The Riot crumbled to the ground and gave a final twitch as it died.

The blue twin had been trapped in the Underworld for precisely 48 days now, and he was reaching his limits. His healing was growing dangerously slow and even his movements were less precise then he liked them to be.

Since the Temen-ni-gru’s river had washed him ashore and the bridge between worlds had closed, he had been unable to get any rest or sustenance.

Now more than a month later, his sword felt strangely heavy, as did his whole body.

The wound that Dante had inflicted upon him had been catastrophic and it had taken many days to close, draining a good portion of his strength already.

He was lucky that it hadn’t been fatal, his brother’s strength was not to underestimate afterall.

Vergil had been prepared to die to lift the curse that had been laid on his twin but he had survived.

What an irony that he had needed to lose the battle against his twin to win the war but well, only the end result mattered.

The only thing that was truly important was that Dante was now safe and free of that spell.

Still, the smell of his blood, of Sparda’s line, had drawn armies of demons upon him. Endless waves of the Underworld’s denizens had tried their luck, hoping to be the one to end the Dark Knights’ son.

But Vergil had killed every single one of them.

Those insects didn’t pose a real threat to him. It was the exhaustion that was the real danger, and exhausted he was.

The Underworld was an unforgiving environment and a single moment of weakness could swiftly turn deadly.

As the deep gash on his upper arm was proof of it, the blue twin needed to find a way to escape the never ending attacks or the demons would eventually kill him.

The wound was bleeding badly, his sleeve soaked in crimson and it hadn’t started to heal at all.

This cut should have vanished almost instantly but it was lingering painfully on his flesh, showing him with utmost clarity how weakened he truly was.

The half-devil tried to catch his breath, wiping the sweat off his brow as the next demons were already preparing their next ambush. He could see them trying to surround him, hiding into the white weeds that covered this part of the Underworld.

There was just no end to their numbers. Despite all the stubbornness he possessed, the blue half-devil was starting to feel the bitter taste of despair.

Vergil engaged into another exchange of blows, cutting and killing his way through another pack of demons.

The ground beneath his boots was sticky, the dirt soaked in demon blood until the thick smell of it was permeating everything.

He could feel the tear on his arm rip further and warm fresh blood trickle down his arm as he needed to swing his blade hard to get rid of his attackers.

He had spent months here alongside Dante after the Qliphoth.

They had fought many demons at the time but as they had been together. It had allowed for one to rest and leave the other one to stand watch for the night.

Now that the blue twin was on his own, sleep was not an option. Vergil couldn’t afford to lower his guard, just as he didn’t even get enough time to hunt for food either.

The demons simply kept coming at him, day and night, with no respite whatsoever.

The blue half-devil couldn’t die here. He needed to find his way back to the human world and make sure his brother was alright.

He had given Dante his word that he would save him, that all would be alright, and he intended to make sure his twin really was.

That sentimental fool must be taking this situation awfully hard.

Vergil knew his sibling, the guilt of hurting him must be crushing his too soft heart. He had to go back and show his younger brother that everything was fine.

That he was alive. That he was trying to come home.

He wanted to go back to his son as well. He missed them both very much.

The new pack of demons died screaming at his hands but the half-devil felt his legs tremble under his own weight, and one of knees buckled.

Vergil was starting to doubt his chances of survival as he had to sit down for a second.

Could he reach a portal before he ended up drowned under another wave of endless demons ?

Gates were not easy to find, they were rare and attracted many demons that were eager to pass through.

Even if he found one, he would still have to fight his way through the masses of foes and this would require much strength.

He needed to rest, at least just a bit, so that he could keep on fighting. If he passed out here, it would be the end of him.

He had managed to survive Dante’s attack and his forced trip through Hell until now, but his chances were growing slimmer with every passing day.

Vergil was strong, but he wasn’t invincible, he wasn’t immortal.

The blue twin’s instincts screamed in warning as he felt a presence at his back. He snaped back to full attention, but whatever this was, it didn’t feel like a demon.

He glanced all around him, searching for the reason his senses were screaming at him like this.

He couldn’t see anything of interest apart from the piles of gore and dead demons that he had left in his wake. And yet he couldn’t shake the feeling that something was watching him.

The half-devil stayed alert but didn’t try to get up yet, using this small moment of respite to maximum. He hadn’t been granted more than a few minutes of combat-less time in the past two weeks. He would use this to the best of his abilities.

A shiver ran down his spine as the wind turned unnaturally cold and for a moment the thick metallic smell of blood was replaced with the dry, dusty smell of a tomb.

A small change in the light made the blue twin stand back up and raise his sword in haste.

It looked like his moment of rest was already over, at least he had managed to catch his breath even if he was still bleeding.

His pale blue eyes watched his surroundings with care, searching for the presence he was feeling. He eventually saw that one of the demon corpses’ eyes had turned a bright poisonous green.

The Yamato ready in his hand,Vergil took a careful step towards the dead demon. A strange greenish mist escaped the corpse’s eyes and formed a cloud above the ground.

It took the shape of a female silhouette that left him to stare in confusion. Mary ?

Why was Dante’s hunter friend appearing in front of him ? What kind of sorcery was this ? If this was supposed to be a trap set for him, whoever was casting that magic had failed to do his research beforehand.

Mary and himself didn’t get along, they didn’t trust each other.

The ghost girl looked all around herself before her fog-made eyes landed on him. Her face lit up with something akin to relief and pure joy and the blue twin felt even more confused.

The ghost took a few steps towards him and Vergil took on a fighting stand, ready to break whatever magic this was.

The phantomatic version of Lady froze and raised her hands up in a surrendering gesture, trying to appease him. She pointed towards him, then to herself and after that she pointed to the east.

Vergil stood his ground, not trusting that apparition one bit. The Underworld was filled with traps and tricks, each and everyone more deadly than the last.

The ghost watched him with an angry frown, she combed her fingers through her air before she motioned for him to look at her.

The apparition started to trace letters in the air and the blue twin watched, decrypting her words easily. Spell. Portal. Nero.

Vergil’s heart skipped a beat, a small spark of hope mingling with the heavy dose of suspicion.

Did his son find a way to contact him? Through Mary ? Was that strange mist-made silhouette truly trying to guide him towards a portal ?

The chances were high that this was a trap, but if Vergil stayed here he would eventually grow too tired to fight and that would be his downfall.

If this was indeed a trap, he would just have to kill whoever had set it. If by a miracle it wasn’t, then this might be his only chance at getting out of here alive.

The blue twin lowered his blade slowly and looked towards where the apparition was pointing.

There were still no demons trying to ambush him. It was strange that he had been left alone for so much time. There had been no demonic attack since that Mary-lookalike had appeared.

Was this a part of the trap ? Or were all the demons lured somewhere else ? Were they all teaming up to kill him at the first opportunity ?

Whatever the case, Vergil tightened his grip on the Yamato’s handle and started to walk towards the east, following the greenish ghost. He had no other choice anyway.

Chapter Text

Dante’s eyes opened as he heard a strange, loud, noise inside his shop.

He blinked sluggishly, feeling unrested and tired even if he had pretty much spent his whole time asleep.

The red twin wondered if he may have dreamed the sound or if maybe someone was inside the building. He kept on listening as he laid in his bed and the sound came again, sharp and loud. Bang. Like a door slamming shut.

The red twin sighed, pissed at the disturbance and he turned around in his bed. Intending to go back to sleep right away.

Sadly for him, the sound echoed again, interrupting his slumber all over. Dante sighed, he would have to stand up and take care of that noise or it would keep on disturbing him.

The half-devil sat up in his bed and pushed on his legs to stand up. The room spun around him for a moment, leaving him to take a stumbling step to the side before he managed to straighten back up.

He left his bedroom and glanced at the mezzanine. The Devil May Cry was empty but for his own presence. He should feel happy to have been left alone, but in truth Dante felt nothing.

A small movement on his right caught his attention before he saw the bathroom door shift and slam against the wooden frame. Bang.

No wonder it had disturbed him, the noise was coming from the room that was right next to his.

The red twin walked to the bathroom and smelled the fresh cold air from the outside on his skin.

The bathroom’s window was open, allowing the night breeze to come in. This must have been Trish’s doing, maybe she opened it after taking a shower.

Dante pinched the bridge of nose as a headache was already starting to build in his head. He walked inside the bathroom, intending to close that window and go back to sleep.

As he crossed the small room, his sight caught another movement and he absent mindedly glanced sideways. His heart skipped a beat in mad hope. Vergil ?

Dante stopped and stared, the small spark of hope transforming into another endless inferno of pain and self loathing.

This had only been his own reflection in the mirror.

He laughed bitterly at his own stupidity. Had he stooped so low as not to recognize his own reflection anymore ? His laughter was quick to turn into blind rage, and his fist collided with the bathroom mirror, the glass breaking and his reflection shattering.

Fuck.

He pulled his hand back, broken shards of glass sticking out of his knuckles and leaving a bloodied imprint in the middle of the mess.

Fuck this. All of this.

His anger died as grief and pain came back to fill him up. He had managed to stay blissfully away from those feelings for such a long time as long as he had stayed asleep.

And now they were coming back with a vengeance, reminding him of what had happened. Of what he had done.

I’m sorry, I’m so sorry…

A new wave of sobs escaped him and his knees buckled, leaving him to crash on the bathroom floor. He lost track of time as despair and pain shredded him from the inside until he felt hollow and numb again.

Dante looked down at his hands. His right one was still bleeding freely, leaving large coppery stains on the tiles. He wasn’t healing, not yet.

The realization left him surprised and then hopeful. Had he finally reached the point where his body had grown weakened enough to die ? Would he finally be able to leave all of this behind and go join his brother ? His mom ?

Dante didn’t want to relive the disappointment of surviving again, this time around he would make sure it would be enough.

That thought left him strangely cheered up, a twisted sense of comfort building up in his heart. He was finally reaching the end.

Lady was anxiously watching over Vergil as the blue half-devil was following her slowly through the Underworld.

She had never been down here but she knew exactly where the portal to get out was.

In her very strange, and very uncomfortable, astral-form she could see a big pillar of light rising to the sky. It marked the exit point they needed to reach. This was the courtesy of Robert.

Her very dead, yet very vibrant, companion was lightning up the path for her to come back to the human world.

Robert was a very strange kind of womanizer but he was actually really charming even in his deceased state. A real, undead, gentleman.

The hunter had done as M’ma Juma had told her to do, she had followed the dead. Now that Lady was walking the strange line between life and death, she saw both worlds. At least a part of both worlds.

Vergil hadn’t been subtle on his path through the Underworld and Lady had been quite content to follow the endless stream of demon souls that were slowly departing for another place.

In this strange ghost form she could travel at great speed without growing tired, she wasn’t even really walking, more like gliding over the Underworld’s ground. It had taken her a few hours at most to find Vergil.

Finding the blue twin had been relatively easy, but now that she was standing next to him she was growing worried. He was in a bad shape and Lady was anxious that he might not make it to the portal.

The half-devil was obviously exhausted and she would have never guessed that she would see him so thinned down and pale. He always seemed so indestructible…

And yet, now that the man was silently following her ghost, she couldn’t help but fear for his safety.

He was having trouble keeping up with her speed, and she needed to pause regularly to allow him to catch up.

They kept on trekking through Hell for another hour and he had to kill two dozens of demons along the way.

As the last beast fell down impaled by a sword of light, Lady saw him stumble before he crashed down on his knees.

She instantly went up to his side but there was nothing she could do. She couldn’t touch him, she couldn’t even speak to him. She had no real physical form, she was only visible.

The female hunter knelt next to him and she saw only suspicion and tiredness in his gaze as he glanced up at her.

She tried to get his attention before she pointed at him and traced a new set of letters in the air to try to communicate. Rest.

“There is no time for that, I am fine.” He hissed and he straightened back up, looking even paler than he had been.

She looked at him with all the sarcasm she could muster and he stared back at her with a faint anger in his eyes.

Lady sighed, turned around, and kept walking towards the gigantic pillar of green light that she seemed to be the only one to see. She slowed her pace down considerably, adapting to her exhausted companion’s condition.

The light marking the portal was slowly but steadily growing nearer. At the pace they were currently going they should reach it in another hour.

The hunter jumped when she heard a branch crack on her left side and she jumped out of the way by reflex as another pack of three demons ambushed them.

One of the demons swiped its claw at her, tearing through thin air and disturbing her phantomatic body. It didn’t hurt but it felt awfully gross.

Lady turned in fear to see how Vergil was doing. Two demons were already lying dead on the ground and the third soon joined them as the Yamato sang.

The blue twin was left panting and sweating and Lady was afraid he was going to pass out. But stubborn as the man was, he straightened again after a few seconds.

“Is… Nero on the other end of the portal ?” He unexpectedly asked her and Lady simply nodded.

“Do you need to physically cross the portal to go back to… your normal state ?” He asked as well and Lady shook her head in the negative.

She hadn’t needed to cross the portal to come down here. She had fallen asleep in Robert’s coffin and she had awakened inside the Underworld next to the undead man.

The spell M’ma Juma had casted upon her probably didn’t need her to cross through a normal portal.

“Demons will be lying in wait before the gate as they want to cross into the human world. I will fight my way through them but I am weakened. There is no guarantee that I shall make it.” He told her and Lady’s stomach clenched.

She didn’t like where this was going. She didn’t like this at all.

She planted herself in front of him, doing her best to convey all the complicated emotions she was feeling without being able to utter a single word. He had to make it. There was no other choice.

She gestured for letters again, hoping she could make him understand the gravity of the situation. Nero. Sad. Dante. Sick. Suicide.

Her heart swelled with compassion and sadness as she saw him freeze up in horror.

Then she pointed at him and then she pointed to the direction of the portal with all the authority she could muster. He had to make it.

He watched her and he kept quiet, his gaze lost in thoughts for a moment before he nodded.

“I shall do everything in my power.” He murmured and Lady put her hand over her heart, thumping on her chest two times. I’m with you.

Vergil huffed softly and he nodded in a silent thank you.

They started to walk again, Lady leading the way until the portal was finally into their line of sight. The gap between the worlds that M’ma Juma was keeping open was in the middle of another endless patch of white weeds.

Between them and the portal stood a small army of demons and Lady felt worry build inside her again. Vergil had been right to sound pessimistic, this was a lot of demons to fight at once.

She could see the demons that were the closest to the gate pass into the void, aiming for the human world. The demons were pushing and fighting each other, battling for the right to cross over first.

The female hunter hoped that Nero was alright on the other side. Demons must have been pouring through for hours, they needed to stop this invasion right away.

Lady’s gaze shifted back to her silent companion.

Vergil was looking at the mass of demons with attention, his gaze icy and his frown deep.

He was still looking as exhausted and as pale but the cut on his arm seemed to have finally started to heal in the few hours they had been walking.

“I shall see you on the other side.” He simply told her and the blue twin started to walk towards the mass of demons.

Lady found herself rooted on the spot, torn between fear and hope. She crossed her fingers that he would manage to cut his way through that army but she was terrified that he might not make it.

She followed his navy blue back until it reached the first line of demons and then chaos erupted.

The female hunter watched in awe and horror as demons were turned to shreds by the Yamato faster than her eyes could follow. Vergil was Fast.

Even in his state, she had trouble keeping up with the sheer speed of his attacks. She could only spot the after-images that followed his path.

Blood splashed everywhere, turning the white field into crimson. A symphony of howls and roars echoed over the large plain, the battle raging between demons and the half-devil.

Vergil dodged a few blows at the very last moment, his movement not seeming as smooth and precise as she knew them to be, and Lady felt another pang of worry.

He had been pushing himself hard these past hours. What would happen if he felt unwell now ?

A few demons saw the massacre start at the back of the lines and they quickly pushed their way into the portal while the others all turned to face Vergil. The fight turned into a general unorganized brawl.

Lady’s heart skipped a beat as the blue twin was starting to lose ground against the sheer mass of foes. This was a one-against-fifty-opponent fight. No one beside that man and his twin could pull such a feat off.

She watched in horror as one demon managed to land a hit, its sharp claws piercing through the blue half-devil’s shoulder. He managed to free himself almost immediately but red started to stain his coat as blood gushed out.

Lady wanted to scream in frustration. She wanted to help him but she was rendered so fucking useless by the limitations of this form.

Still, she launched herself into the fray too, aiming to at least make for a diversion. The demons had all been able to see her, maybe this would help Vergil even in the slightest.

Many demons on the outer perimeter of the battle were startled by her apparition and they paused to look at her, taking their attention away from the main fight.

The blue twin used the opportunity and triggered. A wave of energy sent the demons flying back.

Fiery slashes of energy cut many demons cleanly in two and Lady watched as Vergil dashed forward, cutting himself a path christened in blood and death.

Lady felt a surge of exhilaration as she saw the blue twin finally reach the portal and disappear into it.

Chapter Text

Nero was sweating buckets.

He had been killing demons without interruption for hours now.

As soon as M’ma Juma had opened the portal, they had started to crawl through.

Riots, Furys, Behemots, Scarecrows, there were so many sorts of demons that appeared before him, straight from the deepest parts of Hell.

The quarter devil was still holding his ground pretty well but he hoped that this wouldn’t go on for too long.

If he failed to stop them it would endanger Lady, as the female hunter was lying unconscious in that strange coffin a few steps behind him.

Shit, Nero hoped she had managed to find his father down there, and that she was alright.

It must have been four hours already and the sun was slowly getting low on the horizon.

The quarter devil didn't want to fight demons in this swamp during the night. The environment was too unfamiliar and once enshrouded in darkness it would grow extremely dangerous.

The more the minutes ticked by, the more the young man feared that Lady wouldn’t manage to find Vergil or worse, that she did find him but that he wasn’t breathing anymore.

Doubts and fear were occupying a good portion of his mind as he killed the demons.

It was a small blessing that they appeared one by one or two at the time tops. If there had been more it would have quickly grown unmanageable.

Nero was currently watching the smooth surface of the gate with attention, awaiting the next demon to show its ugly head.

He didn’t quite expect to face a whole pack of demons at once.

Those fuckers didn’t even seem to notice his presence at all, they looked just eager to flee the area as soon as possible.

Nero attacked them anyway and he promptly killed two out of the dozen of demons that had managed to pass through.

Three winged ones hastily flew away without searching for a fight, abandoning their comrades to battle the hunter.

The quarter devil was left with seven more demons that were growling at him. This was a lot but he could do it.

Nero dashed forward and slashed one of the Riots’ arms away. The crippled demon fell down with a howl of pain before another one of those fuckers came straight at his back, swiping its claws at him.

The young hunter jumped away, firing Blue Rose mid air and killing it. Only five and a half left to go.

Nero was startled when the portal behind the demons abruptly changed color, turning an intense cobalt blue.

He watched, throat clogged as the green light vanished altogether and a terrifying winged silhouette came through, landing on the demons.

Space and time split in hundreds of fragments as the Yamato unleashed its most powerful attack and silence fell over the swamp. There was nothing left of the demons besides a pile of corpses.

Nero heard M’ma Juma cackle above her altar and the portal disappeared at once, leaving the swamp to grow dark as the sun was setting in the distance.

The quarter-devil was frozen on the spot until he heard Lady gasp at his back. He quickly glanced over his shoulder to see if she was alright. When he saw his friend straighten back up and abruptly scrambling out of the coffin he felt deep relief.

Lady’s mismatched eyes met his, looking frightened, and Nero’s heart clenched.

His eyes swiftly searched for his father. The quarter-devil’s heart was hammering so hard in his chest that he felt like it would soon break his ribs.

Vergil was still standing in his full trigger just before the Grave Keeper’s altar. His proud and fiery form was glowing in blue, painting the swamp in sapphire.

Nero felt incommensurable joy and relief at seeing him, his eyes growing wet. He had been so scared to lose him, so terrified that he would never have the chance to hold him again.

However, before the quarter-devil took the first step towards the winged hybrid, the half-devil’s trigger disappeared, leaving him to sway dangerously.

Nero dashed forward, heart leaping in his throat. He crossed the distance in a blink and his arms wrapped around his father’s back as he collapsed, his legs giving out abruptly.

Nero came to kneel on the grass, holding Vergil’s weight tightly against his chest, keeping him from crashing to the ground.

“Shit ! Hey, are you okay ? Dad ?” Nero whispered anxiously, not even feeling embarrassed by the very familiar choice of words.

The young man felt his father’s labored breathing in his hold, his warm exhale against the side of his neck.

Nero adjusted his hold on his form, trying to make him more comfortable. As he repositioned his hands on his back, he felt a sticky warm wetness seeping through the blue twin’s coat.

Fear held the quarter-devil’s guts in an icy grip as he glanced over the half-devil’s shoulder, looking down at his right hand. Blood was trickling down between his fingers, thick and warm.

“Nero ?” The half-devil murmured breathlessly.

“Shit, you’re hurt ! Hang on ! It’s okay, it’s over. I’m here, you’re safe.” The young man mumbled, tightening his hold, trying to reassure him and bring him some comfort.

Or maybe that reassurance was for himself. He didn’t know, he didn’t even care right now.

Nero’s arms shook as he held his father tight, letting his own head rest against his and fuck, it felt so good to have him back.

Footsteps echoed next to them and Lady came to kneel at their side. She was looking pale but uninjured, her eyes looking at Vergil's back with attention.

“I saw him get hit in the shoulder. It shouldn’t be a big deal but he’s too exhausted. He was barely able to walk.” She told Nero and the young hunter felt his father grow a bit stiff at the female hunter’s words. Yeah, he didn’t like someone underlining his weakness, no matter how dire the situation.

“I shall be fine. I just need …some rest and sustenance. But first, I need to see Dante.” The half-devil murmured and he sounded so weak that Nero’s heart felt like it was breaking apart.

“Yeah, let’s go get Dante. After that, you’re both coming home with us to Fortuna. Kyrie will put you both on her special reverse diet until you get better.” Nero mumbled and he was still unwilling to let go of the man he was holding against him.

Vergil huffed at his words, the ghost of a smirk on his too pale face. He must be too tired to argue, that was good because Nero wasn’t joking. His father had grown thinner, starved by his stay inside the Underworld he guessed.

He would need rest and care and so would Dante. They were both in too bad shape to take care of themselves; at least for now.

“Thank you both for bringing me back.” Vergil muttered but his voice was already sounding better now that he wasn’t so out of breath.

“Always.” Nero whispered to him and Lady just nodded.

_________________

Dante put his guns down on his desk, he didn’t need them anymore but he had too much respect for his two beloved weapons to risk damaging them beyond salvation.

It would be a terrible waste to destroy such pieces of art, and there had been enough things wasted on his life already. No need to add another thing to the list.

He left his sword too. It was a source of power, his father’s power.

The red twin didn’t want to take the chance that having it stored inside him could make a difference. His mother’s amulets were inside his sword as well, and the hunter found himself too sentimental to bring that memento along.

His mom had saved him and now he was going to reject her last gift. She was going to be so angry at him. Vergil would certainly be pissed as well, he had tried so hard to save him and now Dante was throwing everything away.

He had tried to end everything a few times without success, but this time it would be different.

Dante turned around and started to leave the shop.

He opened the entrance door and was unexpectedly met with Trish, the demoness standing right at the bottom of the short flight of stairs.

They looked at each other, and his friend looked deeply surprised at seeing him up and going outside the building. That was understandable, he had stayed in bed for more than a complete month now.

“Dante ?” She called out to him and the hunter just smiled back at her.

“Hey, Trish.” He greeted her back.

The demoness kept standing in his way, a worried frown on her face.

She knew him well, far too well, her sharp mind would probably put two and two together. Especially if she saw that his weapons were still on his desk, not accompanying him.

She was going to try to stop him, to save him, like she had desperately tried to do for these past weeks. It had taken a toll on her too, Dante could see it easily.

He had ended up hurting her, just like he had hurt all the people around him.

“Where are you going ?” She asked him, keeping her tone carefully neutral.

“Ah, I’m just going to stretch my wings a bit.” He answered and he wasn’t lying, technically speaking. He passed her by, coming to a stand on the sidewalk.

“Really ?” She whispered and there was a wet gleam in her eyes as she turned to keep facing him. The red half-devil felt another pang of hurt and shame.

“No.” He answered, deciding to stop pretending altogether, he loved that demoness too much to lie to her face so blatantly. “But I’m still too strong for you to stop me.”

“I know. Fuck, I know. So please, please, don’t go. I…” She begged him and the hunter crossed the distance separating them and pulled her into a hug.

“I’m sorry, Trish, I’m afraid I can’t stay here any longer. I’m not strong enough.” He whispered in her ear before he let her go.

He took a step back and even teleported further away when she tried to keep a hold on him.

“Dante ! Please ! “ She shouted, her hand reaching out to him.

“Hasta la vista, baby.” He told her with a grin before he triggered and took flight, leaving her alone in front of the Devil May Cry.

The red twin heard his friend call out to him again but the sound faded quickly as he flew away.

Dante pushed on his wings and rose into the sky. The sun was setting above the city, the sky ranging from deep red on the horizon to deep black in the east.

It was beautiful. The breeze was gentle and cool, the sky sporting his colors. It felt like the universe was giving him a last guard of honor as he went on his final journey.

The hunter could feel his trigger burn through his last reserves of energy, he wouldn’t be able to keep flying for very long.

Dante pressed on. He might not be able to go as far as he would have wished, but it didn’t really matter.

He just needed to find a calm and empty spot, one where he could be left in peace. He didn’t want any witnesses to what was going to happen. He didn’t want to injure anyone in the action either.

He didn’t need to go very far as he quickly arrived at the destroyed part of the city left in the Qliphoth’s wake.

The place where Vergil had come back. It was sort of fitting that he would depart at this precise place.

The half-devil felt satisfied with the location and he pushed on his wings again, gaining height. He rose in the air, higher and higher until the city looked small and insignificant beneath him.

Alone in the blood red sky, Dante looked at the immensity that was stretching all around him. He contemplated the landscape for a moment, soaking it in its majesty, wanting to take this with him.

It was as beautiful as it was lonely and cold. Dante felt his heart clench in pain and misery again but felt strangely calm now.

His strength was starting to fade.

He felt his trigger vanish, fiery sparks mixing with the colors of the sky, and as his wings dematerialized he felt gravity claim him.

The wind whipped at his face, toying with him as if he was nothing. He started to drop from the skies, tumbling down, turning and swirling uncontrollably.

He tried to relax, to even enjoy the adrenaline of fall.

He felt his speed reach terminal velocity as he was still far above Redgrave.

He caught a few glimpses of the city as it grew bigger. The ground was coming closer with every heartbeat, death opening its arms to welcome him.

Dante closed his eyes as he reached the roofs of the highest buildings of the city, ready for the imminent impact that would end it all.

Chapter Text

“Hasta la vista, Baby.”

Trish felt her stomach drop as her best friend told her farewell with a grin and fled into the sky. Out of her reach.

“Dante! “ She called out to him, praying that he would change his mind, that he would stay. That he wouldn’t leave her here, going to a place she couldn’t follow him to.

The demoness felt her heart shatter as she watched his silhouette grow smaller until he was barely visible. Tears trickled down her face as she could only stare dumbly at the darkening sky, her world losing its centerpiece.

What could she do ? What should she do ? Should she call Nero ? But what for ? To tell him that his uncle was about to kill himself and that she couldn’t do anything to stop him ? That Nero himself couldn’t stop him ? Even if the kid could fly after Dante, he was too far away to be here in time.

Without the Yamato there was no chance for the kid to appear miraculously at the Devil May Cry.

On the heels of that thought, she heard sounds coming from the inside of the shop and her heart skipped a beat, her breath catching in her throat.

“Fuck ! Why are all his weapons here ? Dante? Dante !” Nero’s voice boomed and Trish scrambled to the door, not believing it.

“Nero ?” She shouted, slamming the door open, and sure enough the kid was standing right in the middle of the room. But he wasn’t alone.

Lady and Nero were helping a blue clad form stand upright and Trish’s heart swelled with hope and terror. Vergil.

“Trish ? Shit, what happened ?” Nero asked and he paled when saw her tear streaked face and red eyes.

“Quick ! Dante flew away, he’s going to kill himself ! We have to stop him ! “ She shouted desperately.

There was a blur of blue light followed by after-images of the blue twin’s silhouette as Vergil vanished through the front door and triggered.

Vergil rushed out of the shop as fast as he could, triggering and taking flight in one swift motion.

Adrenaline was flooding his system as Dante’s demon friend’s words left him on the edge of panic.

He had known that his twin would take this whole situation badly but he hadn’t imagined that his little brother would go that far.

What on earth had his sibling done while he was gone ?

Vergil felt his wounds tear up from the strain of flying so hard but he didn’t feel any pain. All of his thoughts were focused on the tiny pull that told him where his twin was.

As long as he felt Dante’s presence he stood a chance to save him from doing something foolish.

The blue twin crossed the city so fast that the landscape was nothing but a large blurry stain beneath him.

He looked up as he felt his brother’s presence grow closer and his heart skipped a beat when he spotted a silhouette falling from the skies, tumbling down uncontrollably, falling to its demise. Dante !

Vergil pushed even harder, launching himself in a race against time, against death. He felt his heart beat so fast he couldn’t separate the beats anymore, power like never before coursed through his veins.

He felt the Yamato pulse sharply inside him, echoing her master's desperate plea to reach his twin.

The blue twin felt space and time bend and tear against his scales as he tore through the laws of physics. The air rippled and boomed around him, his surroundings turning into a purplish mix of void and light.

Vergil jumped through space, using a bastardized portal opened without the sharp edge of the Yamato.

He appeared right next to his twin as Dante was only a short distance from the ground.

Vergil’s arms reached out and wrapped around his twin with all his strength.

The brutality of the high speed impact knocked the breath out of his lungs, breaking Dante’s momentum but sending them crashing to the ground hard.

Vergil wrapped his wings around them both to try to soften the impact. They still ended up rolling on the ground, toppeling all the ruins they slammed into, unable to control their catastrophic landing.

The blue twin managed to take the blunt of the fall, feeling his bones snap at the sheer brutality of the collision.

They rolled and tumbled until they eventually came to a stop on an empty patch of dirt.

The blue twin ended up sprawled on top of his brother, unable to hold onto his trigger anymore. His wings vanished as he transformed back, his vision growing gray at the edges as he gasped for air.

He felt disoriented and weak, his nerves screaming in pain as the adrenaline started to fade.

The blue half-devil blinked hard, fighting the pull of unconsciousness. He needed to make sure his twin was alright but he was paralysed, his body ignoring his stubborn will.

He struggled but his limbs felt like they were made of lead.

The blue twin’s head was lying over Dante’s chest and after a few seconds of fruitless fight, he felt the surface beneath his cheek rise gently.

Vergil froze and waited until he finally picked up on his little brother’s heartbeat echoing beneath his ear. He gasped in relief and blinked, his head spinning.

He fought to hold on but everything turned dark and the blue half-devil passed out.

Dante gasped as searing pain, burning hot and all encompassing coursed through his body.

He grit his teeth to hold back a cry of pain, damn he was hurting so much. Why was he in such pain ? Wasn’t death supposed to free him of all these sorts of things ?

He took a shaky breath that jolsted his battered body and left him to whimper, his chest felt so heavy.

His heartbeat was echoing painfully in his skull, leaving his ears to ring. Shit, had he banged his head against something ? Everything felt like he was underwater, confusing and strangely muffled.

He felt his senses slowy come back to him and horror and desperation wrapped around his throat, leaving him struggling to take a proper breath.

Shit… I’m alive ? But how ? I thought this would be more than enough.

Dante opened his eyes, the blurry colors of the sky met his gaze and it was almost completely painted in a deep night blue now. He blinked and his vision cleared before it grew blurry again as tears pooled inside his eyes.

Fuck. Why? Why did he survive the fall ? Why was he still trapped here ?

Water trickled down his face, and he took another shaky breath, fighting against the weight on his chest.

He felt paralyzed, suffocating, hurting from the inside out. His body felt as broken as his heart, and yet he was still alive. Not even dying from the feeling of it.

This wasn’t how it was supposed to be. He should be dead.

He should have been nothing more than a stain on the ground, this should have been impossible to mess-up, failure-proofed.

His body shouldn’t have been able to recover from the impact and yet here he was.

This was a nightmare, was he really stuck in this lonely hell forever ?

The half-devil tried to shift, testing how far the damage done to his body went and he was confused to discover that he seemed only moderately injured. He could move his toes inside his boots and the same went for his fingers, so his spine was fine.

He felt small gravel and dirt beneath his hands. His arms were still valid, obeying his command even if it was painful.

Sharp pain pulsed in his right leg, his ankle and shin were probably broken. His head was hurting and his chest felt like a fucking elephant was sitting on top of it so maybe his ribs were broken as well.

This was far too little damage, even at his healthiest he should have ended up in a far, far worse state then he actually was. His bones should have shattered all over. It wouldn’t have been fatal but it would have left him bed-ridden for many days.

But right now… he was bruised as hell but … he was mostly fine. This should have been almost impossible while at the top of his game, and God knew he had done his best to fuck his resistant body up until it couldn’t keep up anymore.

Dante blinked again and gasped, his tears drying on his face already. He was so tired of everything, this felt so unfair and the disappointment was leaving a bitter taste in his mouth.

The red twin shivered and pain coursed through his nerves like thousands little needles made of lava.

He had to stay optimistic, this damage would serve to weaken him further.

He just needed to understand what had happened and then plan his next course of action. He did not intend to linger here any longer, and the sooner he would end this the better it would be for everyone…

The red twin grit his teeth hard and he lifted his head to look down at himself. If he could move, then he could go back at it straight away…

He glanced down at himself and his mind went blank. There was a body lying on top of him.

The half-devil’s heart started to beat so fast that dots swam in his vision but he forced himself to blink past it.

His brain couldn’t process the information his eyes were giving him, his lungs screaming for air as he forgot how to breathe.

The person’s head was lying over Dante’s heart, his face turned in the opposite direction so that snow white strands of hair were all the red twin could see.

I… I know this color…

Nero ?

Attached to the familiar hair was the rest of the man’s large frame, wearing a deep blue coat with silvery decals adorning the collar and upper back.

Shit … I-I…know this coat. I know this…

The image grew blurry again and Dante needed to remind himself to take a breath before he passed out. His lungs expanded and cool air filled them, the rise of his chest making the figure lying on him shift oh so slightly.

Dante blinked and took a second breath but the body didn’t disappear from his sight. The heavy warm weight on top of him was still there, confirming the reality that his brain kept denying fiercely.

The red-twin’s mind was frozen, torn between confusion, hope, and fear that this was another illusion because… this was simply impossible.

All he had lost, all he had so desperately wished for, was lying right there.

His heart still pounding like crazy inside his chest, he felt his eyes grow wet again.

Please, please, please, let this be real…

Dante lifted an arm from the ground, reaching out to the phantom whose deeply missed presence was lying motionless over him.

The red twin feared that the dream would shatter at the first attempt to make it real, but as his fingers combed through the white strands, the ghost didn’t vanish.

The red twin felt the cool and soft strands of hair beneath his touch and his breath caught in his throat.

Dante gulped for air as his body started to shake uncontrollably, the tremors rattling his bones and leaving him struggling to speak.

And yet he so desperately needed to hear the word in order to make this real. He fought to focus harder, swallowing thickly until he eventually managed to choke it out.

“V… Vergil ?” He murmured hoarsely, still not believing what he was seeing.

There was no answer or movement from the man but Dante still could see him, touch him, feel his presence against his demonic senses.

His twin was here. He was back.

He’s alive.

The three small words turned Dante’s world upside down, leaving him a breath away from fainting at the wave of emotions that were drowning him.

Rendered numb to the pain inside his body, the red half-devil shifted and wrapped both arms around his twin’s back, pulling him close against his chest, terrified that he would simply disappear.

Feeling his warmth against him was the final straw that left him breaking down entirely.

Dante sobbed uncontrollably, all the guilt and the pain, the grief and the shame, it all burned away into the inferno of hope inside his heart.

How was this possible ? How did he survive ? How had he managed to come back ? Why did he save him again ?

Lost in his emotions the younger twin held on to his brother for dear life, until he felt the blue half-devil spasm in his crushing hold and Dante hastily loosened his grip but did not let go.

Vergil jerked again, coughing weakly, the sound wet and raspy and the red twin felt his stomach clench in fear.

He gazed down at his brother’s form and noticed the large dark stain on his coat, right next to his shoulder. Dante shifted his hand and let his fingers brush against the fabric, they came back stained with red.

He’s… he’s hurt…

His eyes couldn’t leave the red smear, terror paralysing him. He had to help him, he had to do something, but he couldn’t move. He was too wounded and too exhausted to even straighten up and yet he had to take care of his wounds.

The hunter felt panic make his blood turn cold, liquid ice filling his veins. Was he granted his twin back just for the universe to take him away again ? Was this a part of whatever divine punishment he was the target of ?

Had he weakened himself so much that he would be unable to save Vergil all over again, but would still not be granted death?

Dante’s vision was growing darker and he felt so desperate and so full of rage at his own helplessness.

No, no, I can’t pass out, not now… I have to help him, I…

“Dante!”

A distant call echoed and the red twin’s gaze shifted from his bloodied hand to his surroundings. He looked to the side, his unfocused eyes having trouble adjusting as he turned his head in the direction of the sound.

He spotted a silhouette that was running up to him and another spark of hope formed inside him.

Chapter Text

Trish abandoned her bike as soon as she spotted the signs of destruction left by the twin’s catastrophic crash.

It looked like a meteor had struck the city, leaving a trench filled with wrecked buildings parts and various debris.

Heart in her throat, the demoness ran and followed the trail of broken walls and turned up earth until she finally found the reason for her frantic search on an empty patch of dirt.

Nero and Lady would be there soon, Trish had left them to find a way to join the site on their own, hopping on her bike and racing through town.

She had been unable to truly follow Vergil, he had been far too fast but she had managed to guess his general direction and then she had seen the cloud of smoke and dust appear above the block.

That had allowed her to know where to find them, and now that she was finally reaching the brothers she was terrified to see if the blue twin had managed to save her best friend or if they had both died in the manoeuvre.

“Dante !” The demoness called out, every step bringing her closer to the heap of dark blue and red clothes that laid on the gravel.

She saw her friend move, his head turning towards her, and she felt relieved. He was alive, Vergil had caught him. This was nothing short of a miracle.

The demoness came to a screeching halt next to the half-devils and knelt down. Her hands reached out immediately and gently grabbed the red twin’s face, helping him focus on her when he looked about to faint.

“Dante ? Can you hear me ? Are you okay ?” She asked him. The younger twin was looking as pale as a ghost, his bruised and battered features pushing hard beneath his dust covered skin.

“Trish …?” He asked weakly, seeming pretty out of it. No wonder given the state these two were in.

The demoness felt a hot sticky sensation against the tip of her fingers and she drew her hand slowly back, looking at the red stains on her skin. She gasped before she gently turned Dante’s head to the side and parted his hair to have a look at his scalp.

Shit, a head wound.

She probed at it lightly, her fingers pressing against his skull to feel for the severity of the damage. Nothing gave way beneath her touch and the demoness took a shaky breath, thanking the universe for this small mercy.

“V-Vergil… ” Dante gritted out, taking the demoness' attention away from the red twin to the blue one.

She looked at the man that was lying atop Dante, motionless but for the slight movement of his breathing.

“He’s alive, Dante. “ She told the hunter, needing him to stay calm but this only served to make him more agitated.

“He’s… b-bleeding.” He choked out, his whole body shifting clumsily as he attempted to straighten but fell back down in an instant.

“Dante! You need to stay down, you’re bleeding too. Just rest. You’ll be fine and so will he.” She urged him, pushing firmly on his shoulder to keep him from trying to sit up.

She didn’t know how far his injuries went beyond what she could immediately see.

The same went for Vergil. As long as they couldn’t inspect them thoroughly there was telling how bad the situation truly was.

“No, no I… I need to help him…” Dante grunted, fighting her attempts at keeping him down.

He was growing even paler and his frame was shaking with exhaustion, worrying the demoness a lot.

“I know, Dante. Just hold on. Nero is coming and so is Lady. As soon as they are here we can take a look at him, okay ?” She shushed him, hoping to help him calm down.

She watched the hunter’s hold on his twin grow tighter as he nodded weakly.

He was holding onto him like a child would hold onto his stuffed-toy, afraid that someone might take it away from him.

“It’s okay, everything will be okay now. Just hold on, please…” She mumbled as her first wave of shock and fear was receding slowly, leaving her with only pain and anxiousness.

She had just come so close to lose him, so damn close. There had been nothing she could have done to save him, no matter how much she tried to hold on to him these past weeks, he had simply given up.

But now, beneath the haze of pain and confusion that clouded his gaze she could see a stubborn gleam again.

The little light that should have never gone out was back.

The demoness huffed and sniffed, wiping her cheeks as a few tears escaped her again. Now that the blue twin was here, was the nightmare finally over ?

Nero spotted Trish kneeling next to his family members’ bodies and his stomach flipped.

He was fucking terrified, his worst nightmare was taking shape right in front of him.

Did they make it ? What if they didn't ? If they were both dead, what was Nero going to do ? He couldn’t lose them, he wouldn’t recover from that. Not again.

“Trish ! “ Lady called out to her friend and the blond head turned to them. She was crying and Nero felt his heart skip a beat.

No, no, no, please, no…

He made a bee-line to the demoness, Lady hot on his heels, and they stopped right next to the motionless twins.

Heart frantic and breath catching in his throat, Nero dropped to his knees and forced himself to focus past his terror.

Dante was holding his father, his arms wrapped around him tightly. The red twin was conscious but disastrously pale and shaking like a leaf.

Nero hoped that this was only the result of the accumulated exhaustion and the aftermath of the fall’s adrenaline and not the sign of something deeply wrong and more serious.

Now that Nero knew that his uncle was alive, he focused on Vergil. His father’s eyes were closed and his face was bruised and bleeding.

The wound on his shoulder was still dripping crimson and it had started to form a small puddle on the ground.

They needed to lie him down and get a better look at him…

“Dante ? You need to let him go, we…” He told his uncle but the man’s arms twitched and his hold tightened in reflex, denying them the access to the blue twin.

“N-no, I… I can’t…” The hunter mumbled, his eyes glazed over, almost feverish.

“His head is wounded, it’s not deep but he’s not thinking straight.” Trish whispered into Nero’s ear and the boy felt his stomach clench again.

“It’s okay, Dante. He’s not going anywhere, we just need to lie him down so we can look at him. He’ll be just right next to you.” Lady whispered to the red twin, her hand coming to slither between his and the blue twin’s form.

She gently squeezed his hand and guided his arm out of the way, coaxing him into slowly letting go.

Nero crossed mental fingers that Dante wouldn’t fight them, but the half-devil seemed too tired and out of it. He followed Lady’s gentle instructions without too much difficulty.

Vergil freed of his brother’s hold, Nero and Trish carefully lifted him and rolled him over on his back, letting him rest just right next to Dante.

The red half-devil followed his twin’s silhouette, turning his head to keep him in his line of sight, while Nero and Trish started to take a better look at both of them.

Nero patted his father’s body up and down in search of broken bones or any other injuries he could feel, while Trish and Lady inspected Dante.

The quarter-devil’s fingers encountered many fractures, the flesh giving way under his touch, and the young hunter winced every time he found one.

His father seemed to be worse off than Dante, the red twin only sporting a broken leg, a few broken ribs and his banged-up head.

This should be insignificant for someone as strong as the legendary hunter.

Nero felt his heart drop when he understood that his uncle had fucked his health up so badly that it was keeping him from healing.

It was very much the same for Vergil, his exhaustion being the main reason for his worrisome lack of reaction.

Nero hoped that they would start healing as soon as they got some decent food into their stomachs and a real good night of rest.

Lady folded her jacket and used it as a pillow to support Dante’s head.

The red-twin had ended up losing his battle against unconsciousness as soon as he was reassured that his brother was alright.

Nero sighed as he was pressing down hard on the blue twin’s shoulder, quenching the stubborn blood flow that kept trickling to the ground despite his best efforts.

The wound was large, looking like a jagged stab wound and the boy prayed that it wasn’t as bad as it looked.

He glanced at his father’s profile and then at his uncle’s. Ugly bruises were covering their skin and it left Nero feeling sad.

They both looked wrecked, too pale, too bruised, too thin and too tired.

Recovery was going to be a bitch for both of them…

The young hunter was startled when he felt the shoulder beneath his hands tense-up and he quickly glanced back at his father.

“Hey ! Shit, wait ! Don’t move !” He exclaimed, fearing that the blue twin would start bleeding again if he jolted his wound.

Blue eyes opened, looking confused and tired. The half-devil blinked slowly and a slight frown appeared on his brow as Vergil’s gaze shifted to look at Nero.

“N…ero ?” He mumbled. Vergil tried to turn his head to face him but he froze, a small hiss of pain escaping him.

“Yeah, it’s me. Please don’t try to move, you’re injured.” He pleaded, hoping that the stubborn man would just listen.

“Where…” He gasped and the quarter-devil could easily guess what he was looking for.

“He’s just right next to you, he passed out a few minutes ago but he’s fine.” Nero told him.

The blue half-devil slowly turned his head to the side and the young man could feel the tension leaving his father’s body as soon as he saw Dante.

“How are you feeling ?” Nero asked the blue twin, still deeply worried about his state. “And don’t you dare say “I’m fine” !” He warned, anticipating his most probable response.

The blue twin scoffed lightly but it left him to clench his teeth.

“... Exhausted.” He finally admitted and Nero felt a small pang of worry and shame course through him because he needed to ask him one last thing before he could leave him to get some real rest.

“Do you think you’ll be strong enough for one last portal ?” He asked his father, already reflecting on another way to get them both to safety if he was too weakened to do it.

The blue twin frowned and reflected on his question for a few seconds before he nodded and Nero felt awfully guilty to ask him to push himself even harder after everything.

“...help me…up.” Vergil whispered and Nero could feel his muscles tense beneath his hands as the man started to shift.

“Wow, take it slow.” Lady’s voice echoed next to them, her hands reaching out to stabilize him as he sat up.

“Trish, can you get Dante ? Lady, can you help her carry him ? “ Nero asked the two hunters. The portal wouldn’t last long given the state his father was in, they would have to cross quickly.

Nero looped Vergil’s arm around his shoulders, trying and probably failing to keep from hurting him by touching any broken bones.

The blue half-devil didn’t show any indication of the pain he was in, but he grew paler as they straightened and stood up.

“We’re ready.” Trish told them as she was already positioned behind Dante’s head, her hands grabbing the back of his shoulders while Lady was ready to pick his legs up.

“ Where ?” Vergil muttered.

“My place, Fortuna.” Nero answered him without any hesitation and no one questioned his choice.

The young man was carrying most of the blue twin’s weight, the exhausted hybrid’s legs already shaking at the effort it took to stand.

The Yamato appeared in his father’s hand and the quarter-devil did his best to help him keep steady when he slashed the two lines for the portal. A tear in reality appeared.

The two women and Dante hastily crossed through the void and Nero soon dragged his father after them.

They all appeared inside Nero’s living room and he could hear Kyrie’s startled call from upstairs as she heard them.

His lover quickly came down to see what was happening and she gasped as her home was invaded by four surprise guests.

As soon as the purple void at their back closed up, Nero felt his father pass-out.

His legs buckled beneath him and the quarter-devil struggled to hold him as all his weight pulled them to one side.

The quarter-devil fought to keep his balance, slowly lowering the man to lie on the floor and leave him to rest.

“Nero !” Kyrie came straight up to him and a small cry escaped her when she saw who was lying on the ground “Oh god ! You found him ! “ She exclaimed and when Nero looked up at her he saw that she was crying.

“Y-Yeah.” He mumbled as he glanced down at his father and then at his uncle who was on the floor as well.“Fuck, yeah, I-I did. “

The enormity of the situation was finally dawning on him, he had indeed found his father. His desperate plan to search for him had worked. He hadn’t lost him.

He hadn’t lost Dante either.

They were both alive, banged up and sick but safely back home.

Chapter Text

Kyrie was helping Julio with his homework.

They were both sitting at the boy’s desk inside his room.

The opera singer had been trying to stay busy inside her home, to help deal with her anxiousness.

She was waiting for Nero to call.

The kids had been quite disturbed by his absence, they feared that their foster dad was slowly abandoning them.

After all, even Vergil and Dante weren’t coming over anymore. Those sad little comments had been tearing Kyrie’s apart for the almost a month.

It was true that Nero had been absent a lot these past weeks, her lover was fighting to find his father.

Kyrie just hoped that his hopes wouldn’t end in another heartbreak.

She heard noise coming from the living room and she looked up at the same time Julio did.

Voices and booted steps echoed from downstairs. The girl’s heart leapt in her throat and she asked Julio to find Kyle and Carlo and stay upstairs for now.

She rushed out of the room and her heart felt like it was about to burst.

Kyrie went down the stairs and she gasped, not quite believing what she was seeing.

Lady and Trish were standing in the entrance, kneeling next to Dante. The red half-devil was lying unconscious on the ground and Kyrie's stomach clenched in fear at seeing him like this. God she hoped he was alright.

Feeling terrified for his health, the girl’s eyes searched desperately for Nero.

Her man was in the living room, a few steps behind the two female hunters. He was on his knees, bent over another motionless silhouette.

Kyrie ran up to him but as she reached her lover, she gasped in exhilaration.

She instantly recognized the man lying next to Nero, his white hair and dark blue coat unmistakable.

“Nero! Oh god ! You found him !” She exclaimed as her blood turned into confetti.

Nero was back and so was his father ! Even Dante ! This was a miracle ! She had been so desperately worried about both of them.

Her emotions grew too strong, her joy so overwhelming that she started to cry.

She didn’t bother to wipe her tears this time, those could flow down her cheeks all they wanted. They were happy ones.

“Y-Yeah.” Nero mumbled, looking stuck in a state of shock.”Fuck, yeah, I-I did. “

He looked at her, eyes huge and it looked like he was only realising this situation now. It made Kyrie chuckle wetly.

She dropped down on her knees next to him, her worry coming back to taint her happiness as she watched her father in-law.

Stomach flipping at all the blood and the paleness of his skin, she glanced at Dante too.

The red twin didn’t look much better, blood plastered to the side of his head.

The more she looked at both of them, the more the horror of the state they were in was dawning on her.

They were wounded. Badly. Sick, even.

Her heart ached. They needed help and care. There was no way they could leave them in such a fragile state !

“N-Nero. How are they ? What happened ?” She whispered as she detailed the blue twin’s appearance and she felt bile rise in her throat.

“It’s a long story but… We managed to find Vergil. He was in a bad shape and when we arrived in Redgrave Dante tried to kill himself. He managed to save him but… they need rest. And food.” Nero whispered to her, his voice strained and quivering.

“We can’t have them lying on the floor like this, we need to move them to a bed…” She started to reflect aloud but her thoughts were quickly interrupted by Trish.

“We need to keep them next to each other. Dante’s going to wake up and he’ll panic if Vergil’s not around.” The demoness said and Kyrie nodded, sniffing again.

“I - I’m going to fetch blankets, we can put them on the ground and let them lie on it. It won’t be as comfy as a real bed but it’ll be better then nothing.” Kyrie said as she stood back up and went upstairs.

She snatched as many blankets and quilts as she could carry and brought everything down.

Nero and Lady had moved most of the furniture out of the way to make room and the opera singer spread many blankets on the floor, building a makeshift mattress.

“Okay, now we can move them.” Nero mumbled and he frowned as he looked at the two members of his family. “We’d better get them out of their coats and boots too.”

“Yes, but we have to be careful and take it slow.” Lady answered and they all nodded along.

“Okay then, Vergil first.” Trish suggested and the four of them went around the motionless blue twin. “Kyrie and Lady, you stay at his legs. If he wakes up and lashes out it’ll be dangerous. “

Kyrie nodded in understanding and she slowly helped him out of his boots while Trish and Nero sat him up and carefully slipped his arms out of the navy blue coat.

They then slowly lifted him up and put him on the left side of the blankets.

They repeated the process with Dante and Kyrie felt her stomach churn as she easily felt his broken leg when she pulled on his right boot.

She bit her lower lip to keep herself from crying again.

These two were strong, they would heal. They just needed a bit of help to get better.

They shifted the red twin and carried him onto the blankets as well, leaving him to lie next to his twin.

The four of them stood before the motionless hybrids, feeling unsure what to do now.

“Should we leave them to sleep for now ?” She asked the others, feeling quite unsure about what they needed. Her in-laws weren’t fully human.

“Yeah, let’s wait until they wake up and then we’ll have to get them to eat something. They must be starving.” Nero said, and Kyrie was already thinking about what she could give them so that they could gain some strength.

They seemed too weak to eat anything that would require sitting up and chewing. Maybe something they could drink up would be the best option ? To give them some fluids as well ?

Soup ? Juice ? This all seemed not rich enough for these two.

They looked so thin and so sick it was making her heart ache. She wanted to comfort them so that they would feel a bit better…

Kyrie’s mind lit up with an idea. Something comforting that they could drink… How about hot chocolate!

She would put some extra chocolate inside, so that it would give them a lot of energy to heal.

It wasn’t, nutritionally speaking, the best choice but those two were in dire need of calories.

Her other guests and Nero were probably hungry too as it was getting really late. She could warm them the dinner left-overs if they wanted.

Her thoughts were interrupted as she heard small footsteps above and her heart clenched.

The children. In all the agitation she had forgotten that her kids were waiting upstairs.

But how were they going to explain the situation to them ?

Julio was in Kyle’s room. His two little brothers were sitting with him, just as Kyrie had asked.

There was a lot of noise inside their home and the boy had recognized Nero’s voice amongst the sounds.

Their foster dad was back, it was such a relief.

Nero had been absent a lot these past weeks and Julio had started to grow worried. The whole situation had felt so strange for so long now.

He had seen how Kyrie and Nero’s eyes had looked red, the two grown-ups had seemed so sad all the time.

Dante and Vergil hadn’t come to visit them in almost two months and Julio wondered if there had been a dispute between the twins and his foster parents.

Dante had accidentally hurt Kyrie during their last dinner together.

He had apologized but her arm had been all black and blue for two weeks, it must have hurt a lot. Was she angry at them ? But then, why did she look so sad ?

She had tried to hide it but Julio had seen her cry a lot. Nero too. And yet, even when he had asked them what was wrong, they had denied that there was a problem.

Julio didn’t understand why they were doing that. Did they think he was too small to understand ? That he was too dumb to see that something was wrong ?

The oldest kid knew with every fiber of his being that his adoptive parents were not alright. But he didn’t know why. And that was hurting him terribly.

“Julio ? Do you think they don’t like us anymore ?” Kyle mumbled next to him, his little brother looking deeply saddened.

“Who ?” He asked him.

“Vergil and Dante. They didn’t come see us for so long…” The boy was pouting, his fingers playing with the colored feathers adorning his stuffed-toy.

“I don’t know. Kyrie said Dante was sick…” Julio told him, but in truth he was having doubts about the veracity of what their foster parents had told them.

“Okay, but what about Vergil ? Where is he ? And who are all those people downstairs ? Why can’t we go down too ?” The boy asked him and Julio was at a loss for an answer. He did not know.

As frustrating and terrifying as it was, he just had no clue what was happening. It was the same for Kyle and that left them to consider all the worst outcomes.

This couldn’t go on like this, they needed to know. Maybe Julio could go take a look… Kyrie had asked him to stay upstairs but….

“I’m going to take a look. You stay here and you watch Carlo.” Julio made his mind up.

“WHat ? But I wanna see too !” Kyle protested loudly.

“No, we’re not supposed to go. You don’t want to get punished again do you ? And Carlo can’t stay alone. Wait for me, I’ll be quick.” He told his brother and Kyle was pouting again, looking annoyed but not willing to get punished again.

Julio went outside the bedroom and neared the stairs slowly. He didn’t want to draw attention to himself, he just wanted to know who was here.

He went down a few stairs discreetly and peeked through the railing at the ground floor. Lady and Trish were here, Nero too. Julio felt his heart swell with joy. They had visitors !

But why were they not allowed to come down if friends were here ?

Julio looked again. The grown-ups were all in the living room standing right in the middle of it and looking at something.

He followed their gaze and saw Dante and Vergil lying on the ground.

His joy was quickly eclipsed by uncertainties and worry. Why were they sleeping ? Why were they here ? Why was everyone acting so bizarre ?

Feeling scared to be discovered while he was disobeying, the boy quickly backed away and went back to the room.

He shut the door and his thoughts were spiraling wildly. What was happening ?

“So ? What did you see ?” Kyle came to stand right in front of him, looking so very serious while he held his plushie close to his chest.

“I…I saw Lady. And Trish. Nero’s back too.” He mumbled, feeling unsure of how much he should tell Kyle.

If he told his brother that the twins were here he would either make a run to see them or make a scene.

In both cases, Kyrie and Nero would know that they had not listened and had gone to see what was happening.

“Awesome ! Let’s go say hello !” The boy shouted and Julio winced at his enthusiasm. Maybe he needed to tell him the rest ? Would he understand why they shouldn’t go down ?

“Kyle there’s… there’s someone else too, but… but you have to promise me that you are going to stay here and be quiet. Okay ?” He tried to negotiate and his brother nodded with eyes huge filled with curiosity.

“Dante and Vergil are there too. But they are sleeping.” He whispered and he saw Kyle almost burst with excitement before he remembered that he had promised to behave.

His brother looked happy but then he frowned and his young mind still noticed the strange part.

“Why are they sleeping ? It’s not time yet.” He asked with a frown.

“I don’t know. Maybe Dante’s still sick ? Maybe Vergil too ?” He wondered aloud and he jumped when the littlest member of their family babbled next to them.

“owie ?” Carlo looked about to cry and Julio felt terrified that he would betray them by starting to wail.

“Shhhh, it’s okay. “ He shushed the toddler.

Julio was trying his best to keep control of the situation when he heard steps climbing the stairs and his heart clenched in apprehension.

Hu-ho. Had he been spotted ?

Chapter Text

Nero knocked on Kyle’s door before he entered the room.

His three kids were inside and it felt good to see their little faces. He had sadly neglected them in all this complicated situation.

Nero regretted not spending much time with them these past weeks, but he had had his reasons… even if his boys didn’t know them yet.

Now that everything was settled, he was going to explain everything to them.

He couldn’t leave them in the dark any longer. It was bad for the kids and it had been a terrible weight on his and Kyrie’s shoulders as well.

“Nero !” Kyle exclaimed when he saw him appear in the doorway and the boy came straight at him, asking for a hug.

Carlo and Julio soon followed his example and Nero was feeling happy to just hold them like this.

“It’s so good to see you all. I missed you so much. “ He told them as he ruffled their hair, light giggles answering his playfulness.

“We missed you too.” Julio told him, the shy boy smiling.

“Yes !” Kyle shouted. “Can we go downstairs now ?”

Nero winced at his question, of course Kyle would be impatient. But before he could let them go inside the rest of the house, they still needed to understand what was happening.

“Yes but listen. Lady and Trish are here and so are Dante and Vergil. They will all be staying here at home with us for a few days.” Nero explained, patting their littles heads and coming to sit down with them on the carpet.

“That’s AWESOME !!” Kyle shouted, his little eyes growing huge. It looked like the kid was about to burst with excitement.

“Why is everyone here ?” Julio asked and his oldest son was looking happy but cautious.

“Well, I told you that Dante was sick…. and he’s still not feeling well. Vergil too. They are very very tired but they’ll soon feel much better. So, when you go downstairs I want you to promise that you’ll be careful not to disturb them, okay ?” Nero tried his best to explain the complicated situation so that they would grasp what was happening without knowing everything.

He didn’t have the strength to explain to them that Dante had been actively trying to commit suicide for a month. That was just too much for their young minds.

The two oldest kids nodded in unison, looking very serious and focused. Even Kyle.

It made Nero’s heart swell with pride and love, these two were sometimes complicated but their hearts were made of gold.

“Okay, then how about we all go say hi ? But not for too long it’s getting really late and it’s already past your bedtime.” Nero told them as he stood up, picking up Carlo as he straightened.

There was a blur of colors as Kyle disappeared through the door and ran in the corridor.

“Kyle ! No running on the stairs !” Nero hissed as he quickly followed his middle child.

The boy stopped and looked back at him before he went down, holding on to the railing like he was supposed to always do. Nero huffed and went after him, Julio accompanying him.

They all arrived downstairs and Kyle froze as he arrived in front of the living room. He looked back at Nero and fear had replaced the overexcited gleam in his eyes.

Nero sighed and pulled him closer to reassure him. Yeah, this wasn’t easy to see.

“Let’s not make too much noise. Lady and Trish are in the kitchen, let’s go.” He whispered and Kyle nodded again and he left the living room without making a sound.

Nero saw him enter the kitchen and he was about to follow him when he felt a light tug on his pants. He looked down and Julio was silently asking for his attention.

“Nero ?” The boy murmured and the quarter-devil bent down to listen. “There’s blood on their clothes.”

The young man’s heart clenched, of course his sharp little boy would notice. He couldn’t just tell him a half-truth, it would hurt him.

“Yeah… they’re hurt, Julio. But it will be okay now, they are both back and they’re really strong you know. They’ll feel alot better real soon.” He told him as he adjusted his grip on Carlo on his arms.

“But you said they were sick ?” Julio asked him in confusion.

“They are too, that makes everything more complicated. That’s why I want them to stay here for now, this way we can take care of them. I don’t want them to be alone and sick in Redgrave.” He explained to the boy and he seemed to accept his explanation.

“I’m happy they’re here, I missed them too.” Julio simply whispered, shyly looking away.

Nero smiled and kissed the top of his little head in affection. That kid was too sweet for his own good.

The three of them went to join the others in the kitchen. The two female hunters and Kyrie were sitting at the table and the smell of food was filling the space. Nero was famished.

He put Carlo in his chair and took a seat at the table, their toddler yawning tiredly. He must be really sleepy as he was staying so calm.

The quarter-devil smiled when he spotted Kyle showing his plushie off to Trish, the demoness was listening to the boy’s explanations about his stuffed-bird. He did that with every person he met that had never seen his toy.

Kyrie put a plate in front of him and he snatched her hand, entwining his fingers with hers and pulling her close.

She came to him immediately, her arms wrapping around his shoulders and he was happy to rest against her for a moment.

This day had been one hell of a rollercoaster of emotions.

She kissed him softly before she eventually pulled away, leaving him to eat his plate.

Nero watched her go back to the stove, there was a small cooking pot on it and she gently stirred its contents before coming to sit with all of them.

They ate up in relative silence, the three hunters feeling tired after that eventful day and the kids looking like little zombies as the hour was growing very late.

It wasn’t long before the children were put to bed and Lady and Trish excused themselves too.

The two hunters would use the van in the garage as a guest room, Nico would surely be thrilled to see that she had company.

Nero and Kyrie found themselves alone in the kitchen.

The quarter-devil looked at his lover as she pulled two cups out of a cupboard and filled them up with the cooking pot’s contents. He watched with growing curiosity.

He went closer to her and glanced at the cups.

“Is that… hot chocolate ?” He mumbled in surprise.

“Yes. Extra sugar, extra chocolate.” She told him, looking strangely focused. “I want to try to wake them up and have them drink it.”

Nero’s brows shot up in surprise. He didn’t know what to say to her plan.

Those two were unconscious and sleeping, trying to wake them up could be difficult, maybe even dangerous.

But on the other hand, these two were famished and they absolutely needed to eat something to replenish their energy or their healing would be slow.

It was true that drinking this would bring them one of a hell of an energy boost.

“We can try, but I don’t know if they’ll come back to consciousness.” He answered honestly.

“I know, but it’s worth a try. They are too weak to take a real meal for now. This should help them at least a bit and I don’t know… this always brings me comfort. I hope it’ll make them feel better too.” She said and she smiled sadly at him, looking tired and worried and Nero’s heart clenched all over again.

“If I didn’t love you so much already, I think I might have fallen in love all over again right now.” He chuckled, feeling all warm inside.

She kissed him again, a slight blush on her cheeks.

“I love you too.” She whispered. “Now, help me out with your father ?”

Nero nodded as she turned to the table and picked one of the cups up. They walked into the living room and they both came to kneel next to the blue twin.

Nero positioned himself right next to his head, he would help him straighten up if they managed to wake him enough to take a sip.

Kyrie glanced at him and Nero nodded for her to go on. He was feeling awfully tense, afraid that they might startle the half-devil and that he might react badly.

“Vergil?” Kyrie called out softly, her hand reaching out to squeeze one of the blue twin’s.

They waited for a few seconds and he eventually stirred lightly. Tired blue eyes blinked open and Nero was feeling quite guilty to disturb his rest like this but it was for his own good.

“It’s okay, you’re in Fortuna. I know you are tired but you need to drink a bit before you can go back to sleep.” She whispered gently, trying to get his attention.

The young hunter watched as his father’s clouded gaze swept over them both and then managed to focus, growing sharper as he seemed to recognize them.

“Nero ? Kyrie?” He murmured and fuck, it felt good to hear him react.

“Yeah, it’s just us. Come on, you need to get something into your stomach. It’ll make you feel better.” Nero told him, squeezing his shoulder in reassurance.

The quarter-devil shifted and helped him sit up. He held him upwards, one arm looped around his back to support him, while Kyrie put the cup to his lips.

He blinked drowsily but took a small sip, then another, before trembling hands reached out abruptly and wrapped around the singer’s.

His lover gasped in surprise as he pulled the cup, and her hands around it, towards himself and gulped the sweet beverage down in one go.

Nero’s stomach dropped at witnessing his desperation. Shit, he must have really been starving seeing as he swallowed everything so fast.

Kyrie stared at his father with huge eyes and Nero followed her gaze searching for the reason for her surprise.

He gasped too when he saw that the bruises and wounds on his face started to visibly fade away.

“I’ll get you more, hold on.” She exclaimed and she stood up and just ran back to the kitchen.

She came back a few seconds later, the cup filled to the brim again, before she knelt back down next to them.

Kyrie helped Vergil hold the cup steady while he kept on drinking, his hands shaking with exhaustion.

The blue twin drank the whole cup again and Nero could feel him slowly start to relax, the tremors of his body calming down now that his stomach wasn’t so empty.

Kyrie pulled the second emptied cup away and his father abruptly went slack in his hold.

“Ah fuck, he’s out again.” Nero whispered as he shifted and laid him gently back down. He took a look at him but he was indeed asleep now.

“Yes, but he drank a lot and it looks like he really needed that. What a relief ! We need to make Dante drink as well now, it should help him too.” She smiled at Nero and the quarter-devil nodded in approval.

The red twin looked as bad as his brother, he needed to heal and for that he needed energy.

Nero only feared that he might still refuse to drink should they manage to wake him up.

Trish had told them that he had refused to eat anything since the curse had broken. This would have killed anybody else but his uncle had just grown weakened.

It was a statement to his strength and to the pain he had been in.

It was making Nero angry and sad to know that he had tried to end it all over and over again.

He understood. And yet… Nero didn’t want to lose him and so it was hurting him badly to watch the man give up.

If the quarter-devil hadn’t managed to find Vergil, he would have lost them both and his heart ached everytime he thought about it.

But this was now in the past.

Now that the twins were reunited again, the red half-devil should feel better soon. At least Nero hoped he would.

Kyrie went back to the kitchen with Vergil’s emptied cup and she came back with the other one she had prepared.

Nero stood up slowly and switched sides, coming to kneel next to Dante this time. His lover joined him and they looked at each other before they looked at the legendary hunter lying before them.

Time to get this half-devil filled with some chocolate too.

Chapter Text

Dante heard someone call his name before he felt a light squeeze on his hand.

Was Trish trying to wake him up again ? His friend was as stubborn as himself and that was really impressive. What did she want now ?

Dante was fine with staying asleep, he had been doing that for most of his time now.

He was trying to join Vergil… wait. Something wasn’t quite feeling right. Or more accurately, something felt right. Righter than it had for many weeks.

The red half-devil felt confusion leave his head to ache.

Damn, his thoughts were all over the place, did he try to shoot himself in the head again ? Did he survive it a second time ? This was probably a record.

He heard a voice call out to him again, and his confusion grew. The sweet female voice wasn’t Trish’s. It was… Kyrie’s ?

Dante’s heart skipped a beat, why was she in Redgrave ? Or… was he in Fortuna ? But how and why ?

The red twin grappled for his memories, trying to make sense of his situation. It all came back to him in a tidal wave of pain, fear, sadness and joy.

The hunter’s mind cleared as he was coming back to consciousness and he felt him.

Vergil’s presence was registering on his senses like the sun in the sky, a gigantic star made of blue cold light. A supernova that was burning his desperation down by its simple presence.

Dante let his mind bask in the rays of his twin’s burning mind. He must be physically close to him to allow for such a strong connection.

The red half-devil reached for him, letting his own mind drift closer.

He felt like Icarus, flying high up to the sky and aiming for the sun, feeling high on the feeling of joy and relief. But unlike the boy whose wings melted away, Dante didn’t fall from the heavens. Not this time.

The sun didn’t burn him, if anything it welcomed him with open arms and for a blessed moment it felt as if they had never been apart. They touched and melted, two entities complementing each other, feeling whole again.

But soon, Dante felt his twin’s presence grow softer and he felt his tiredness, his need to go back to sleep.

The red twin left him to rest, focusing on the voice that kept trying to coax him into waking up.

“Dante ? Can you hear me ?” Kyrie’s voice echoed again and half-devil felt himself wake up.

He blinked and found the little singer sitting next to him, her eyes underlined with dark circles.

She looked tired. Nero was sitting right to her and his nephew looked even worse for the wear.

Dante blinked again, his head was hurting like a bitch and so was his right leg.

He wanted to take a look at it, to understand why he was in pain but he found himself too weak to do so. Shit.

He was lying on something soft and from what he could see, it looked like he was actually inside his nephew’s living room in Fortuna.

“Dante?” Kyrie called out softly again and he glanced at her but he had trouble staying focused.

“Kyrie ?” He mumbled and his voice felt hoarse and his throat dry.

“Yes, I’m here with Nero. I’m sorry to wake you when you’re hurt but you need to get some fluids to feel better. I made you something to drink.” She told him with a gentle smile.

Dante blinked again and his eyes trailed down to the porcelain cup she was holding in her hands. He was indeed thirsty but…

“Ah, thanks but…” He hesitated. He had been about to refuse out of habit but … maybe he should drink a bit ? Would he feel better after ? Was it strange to feel lost about something so simple ?

“Vergil drank two full cups before he went back to sleep.” Nero’s voice echoed right next to his head and Dante glanced up at him.

The red twin paused for a second. Was there really a reason for him to refuse ?

If Vergil was really here then he needed to get his strength back as fast as possible, he couldn’t take the chance that he might be helpless to care for him.

He had felt the bitter taste of that feeling after his fall from the sky. He didn’t want to experience this ever again.

But how was his brother going to react after all he had done ? Dante had murdered him and he had taken pleasure at doing so.

It might have been the curse’s influence but he still felt … guilty and soiled by these feelings.

Would Vergil ever be able to forgive him ? Would Dante ever be able to forgive himself ?

There was only one way to know the answer, and to do that he needed to get better.

He owed his brother an apology, he owed one to Nero and Trish as well…

“... I’m afraid I’m gonna need some help…” He mumbled weakly and his heart clenched when his nephew and Kyrie looked shocked and happy at his words.

“Of course, now, nice and easy.” Nero quickly answered and he felt the kid’s hands slide beneath his shoulders and back, slowly pushing him up until he was almost sitting upright.

Kyrie approached him with the cup and she put the rim to his lips, helping him hold the thing steady while he drank.

The thick and rich liquid was a shock to his taste buds after refusing to eat for so long. Chocolate, sweet and warm slid down his throat and pooled in his stomach.

Before he could stop himself he emptied the cup and Kyrie took it back. The opera singer patted his arm gently and quickly stood up, disappearing into the house.

This left Dante to mourn the small porcelain object and its sugary content. But before he could feel drowsy again, Kyrie came back and she extended another cup to him.

The red half-devil huffed softly at her gentle thoughtfulness.

“Thanks.” He whispered and he felt Nero’s hold tighten slightly, feeling more like a hug now.

He let himself relax in the kids' embrace, finding strange comfort in their care.

This felt like one of the dreams he had lost himself in while he waited for death to claim him.

He gladly accepted the other mug full of hot-chocolate and with every sip he took he could feel his body find a tiny portion of its strength back.

His head wasn’t hurting as much now, and even his leg felt more tolerable.

His thoughts felt still confused but infinitely sharper than they had been a few minutes ago.

Feeling slowly getting stronger, Dante shifted and turned his head to look beside him.

His twin was lying on his back just right next to him. No wonder his presence had felt so intense, he had indeed been right there.

“How?” Dante whispered, his eyes turning to Nero. “How did you find him ? How is he even still alive ?” He asked his nephew, needing to know the answer.

He had stabbed him right through the chest. He had seen him collapse and he had even shot him while he was down. Vergil had survived the wounds, the fall, the Underworld… It was a miracle.

“I went to ask M’ma Juma to help me.” Nero whispered back and Dante felt his heart skip a beat.

“This was too dangerous, kid ! Are you out of your fucking mind ?!” The red twin hissed, outraged at the risks he had taken.

“I had no other choice. I had to know… and when she told me that he was alive I… I was so relieved. I know it was a huge risk but he's here now. And you’re too. I regret nothing and I’m going to apologize.” The young man scoffed and Dante was torn between wanting to hit him and hug him.

“Shit… I… Thank you, Nero.” He choked out, his words coming with difficulties.

He felt the boy holding him shudder, a suspicious sniffing sound escaping him.

Kyrie put the cup down on the ground and she leant forward, wrapping her arms around both of them, water trickling down her cheeks.

Dante felt something inside him slowly unwind, a knot of emotions that was unraveling and it left him feeling bone deep tired but peaceful.

He felt himself slowly start to drift away in their embrace. His twin was alright. His family was here. He was with them. The nightmare was over.

He needed to sleep now, but this time he was eager to wake up again soon.

Kyle was in his bed but… he couldn’t sleep.

The boy looked up at the ceiling above his head and held Mister Feathers, his plushie, close to his chest but he just couldn’t stop thinking.

He was happy that Nero was home. He was excited that Trish, Lady, Dante and Vergil were here too.

He had so many things he wanted to tell them. So many things he wanted to ask them as well.

This was preventing him from finding peace and just falling asleep.

Kyle was feeling a bit upset too. Seeing Vergil and Dante sick was making him feel scared.

Nero had said that the red twin had been sick more than a month ago. Why was he sick for so long ? When Kyle got sick it lasted a few days and then he felt better, why wasn’t Dante feeling better ?

DId he not go see the doctor ? Kyle would need to ask him, maybe the hunter was scared to go ? Kyle didn’t like it either but Kyrie always said it would be okay.

Vergil looked so sick too, did he catch the same thing as Dante ? Would he be sick for so long as well ?

The boy sat up in his bed, feeling anxious at those thoughts. He didn’t like to see people sick. It always left him feeling sad, sometimes even scared.

This situation felt too out of the ordinary to be something as simple as a tummy ache.

Nero and Kyrie had been acting strange since the twins last came for dinner and that was a very long time ago.

And now that Kyle had seen his grandpa and his great-uncle lying asleep on the living-room’s floor he felt deeply anxious for them to wake up and tell him what was wrong.

Because the child was scared and he didn’t understand what was happening.

What if he woke up tomorrow and they were gone again ? Everyone was always going away for long periods of time and leaving him behind.

Kyle felt too agitated to stay in bed and the boy decided to get up. It was really, really late and the house was silent.

Even Nero and Kyrie seemed to have gone to bed now.

The boy exited his room silently, dragging his plushie with him, and he hesitated.

He had promised Nero that he would not disturb Vergil and Dante because they needed to sleep but… the boy wanted to see if they were alright.

The child slowly went downstairs, taking care not to make too much noise and he went to the living room.

Dante was lying on his side, deeply asleep. Kyle stood right next to him, watching with attention for any sign of discomfort but the man kept snoring softly, unaware of his presence.

He didn’t look as pale as he had been before but his clothes still were all dirty.

Reassured that he was still here and doing okay, the boy went around him to stand next to the other twin.

Vergil was sleeping on his back and Kyle gasped softly as he spotted bruises on the man’s arms and on the side of his face.

Did he get into an accident ? Was he hurting ? The boy felt scared and saddened at the sight, clenching his toy to himself.

The boy’s gasp didn’t go unnoticed and he quickly saw icy blue eyes blink open. Kyle felt his stomach drop. Hu-Ho.

He had woken him up. He was in trouble. Nero was going to be so mad.

Vergil’s eyes shifted and landed on him, looking surprised and frowning. Kyle froze and held his breath waiting for him to get angry.

“Kyle ?” He murmured in the silence and he didn’t sound angry but his voice was all raspy.

“I’m sorry I didn’t mean to wake you!” The boy quickly mumbled and he was terrified to disturb him when he was obviously hurt. “I was scared and I-I couldn’t sleep and I wanted to see if you were okay and…”

Kyle rambled, panicking as he was scared of getting caught disobeying and worse to have caused potential harm to the man.

“It’s alright.” Vergil murmured again and he looked like he was about to fall back to sleep.

“Can I… stay with you?” Kyle boldly asked, not wanting to go back to his bed. He still couldn’t shake the fear that they just might be gone tomorrow.

“Yes.” The blue twin muttered and his eyes closed back, he must really be tired.

Kyle was relieved to have his permission to stay and if he was honest, he was feeling sleepy too.

The boy came closer, slowly stepping on the blankets, and he simply went to snuggle against the blue twin.

That way he wouldn’t disappear without him noticing.

The boy felt drowsy as he was lying on the soft makeshift bed, nestled between Vergil’s arm and waist.

He yawned, feeling comfortably warm and reassured as he listened to both twin’s regular breaths.

It wasn't long before Kyle fell asleep as well, joining the two half-devils into slumber.

Chapter Text

Nero woke up only a few hours after going to bed.

He moaned and rubbed his face tiredly, he would like to stay in bed some more but he had things to take care of. Very important things.

He had gone to bed late after finally bringing his family back home and helping Kyrie give them something to drink.

It was only once Dante had pretty much passed out on them that they had gone to bed themselves.

Nero had been blessed with a few dreamless hours of sleep. It hadn’t been much but it should be enough for now.

He was feeling too anxious to check on the twins to stay asleep anyway.

The quarter-devil stood up and exited the bedroom in silence, trying his best not to wake Kyrie up. He made a quick stop in the bathroom for a shower before he went downstairs.

He held his breath as he approached the living room.

His uncle and his father were still there, lying on the blankets like they had been before he went to sleep.

Exception made for one more person on the makeshift bed.

Nero mentally swore a blue streak as he spotted Kyle soundly asleep, nestled against Vergil’s waist. That boy was impossible.

Deciding to drop the matter for now rather than make a scene and risking waking everyone up, Nero went to the kitchen, fuming.

He pressed on the coffee maker’s start button and gathered cups and stuff for breakfast, putting everything on the kitchen table.

Today would surely be a new record for their little household. They had never had so many guests for breakfast.

Nero was almost done preparing everything when Kyrie came to join him, carrying Carlo. Julio was not far behind his lover as she entered the kitchen.

She stole a kiss from him as she went to put their big baby in his high-chair and Nero found himself blushing like a teenager with a crush.

“I see that Kyle has, huh, made himself at home downstairs…” She whispered to him and Nero sighed.

“Yeah. He might be the most stubborn person I know, and that’s setting the bar really, reallllyyyy high.” The quarter-devil mumbled grumpily and it made Kyrie chuckle.

Hearing her laugh appeased him very effectively.

It felt so much better than the constant sadness they had shared these past two months.

This left him to feel so much lighter and happier now that he knew they would be fine.

Even his foster son’s shenanigans and clinginess couldn’t put a dent on the warmth in his heart.

He was still a bit worried about his family members’ health and how they were going to react after all that had happened.

But as long as they were all together, it should be alright.

As morning came over Fortuna, Trish woke up inside the van.

She had slept on the passenger seat while Lady had taken the couch.

The demoness yawned and stretched as she exited the vehicle and crossed the garage to go inside the house.

Nero, Kyrie, Julio and little Carlo were already inside the kitchen and she greeted them before she took a chair for herself and sat down at the table.

“Coffee ?” Nero asked her and she gladly accepted.

Lady arrived shortly after, grabbing her own cup of hot beverage and sitting down.

“ ‘morning.” She mumbled, sounding cheerful but a bit sleepy.

This summarized pretty much everyone’s condition this morning, except for the two unconscious hybrids in the living room.

The demoness’ sharp senses were quick to pick up on a new step of soft footsteps coming towards the kitchen and she tapped on Nero’s arm to get his attention.

The quarter-devil glanced at her before he followed her gaze and Kyle appeared in the doorway, rubbing his eyes and dragging his toy behind himself.

“Good morning Kyle, have you slept well ?” Nero asked him and the boy instantly grew stiff and looked up at his foster dad, looking embarrassed.

The boy kept silent, seeming a bit ashamed but then he nodded timidly and came closer.

“Vergil said I could stay.” The boy justified softly and Trish chuckled over her cup of coffee when she saw Nero change color from white, to red ,to green, to white again.

She expected the young hunter’s temper to explode but surprisingly he just sighed and gestured for the child to come sit at the table.

“Maybe we should go check on them and see if they are awake too ?” Lady suggested and Trish nodded.

The demoness was worried about the twins’ condition. Especially for Dante’s.

She rose from her chair with the three other adults in the room and the four of them made their way to the living room.

They came to a stop at the edge of the corridor, wondering if they should leave the half-devils to be or wake them up.

Their hesitation didn’t last for long as a soft gasp of pain escaped Dante as he shifted, rolling from his side to the back stiffly.

Pale blue eyes opened and blinked, a small frown forming on his brow.

Trish instantly came to drop next to him, her hands staying on his shoulders to stop him from moving too fast.

Kyrie and Nero held their breath as they watched the red twin come back to consciousness.

Trish watched her best-friend open his eyes, her guts tight with hope and fear.

“Dante?” She called out to him, trying to get him to focus.

“Trish?” He mumbled and he blinked again, his gaze landing on the demoness next to him.

His frown deepened before his eyebrows shot up and he jerked, trying to sit up abruptly.

“Where am I ? Where’s… shit ! Vergil ? ” He exclaimed, fighting Trish’s hold on him as he tried to straighten.

“He’s okay, he’s right next to you. Look, look on your left.” Lady told him and the red half-devil seemed to finally notice the presence of many people around him.

Dante froze and he slowly turned his head to his left, his eyes finally finding his brother, his whole frame shuddering.

“F-Fuck… Trish ? Is this real ? Is this really true ? I’m not… dreaming ?” He whispered, sounding terrified and lost.

“Yes. It’s real, you’re not asleep.” She confirmed, squeezing his shoulders.

“Thank you, thank you…” The red twin whispered over and over, a litany of thanks and apologies flowing out of him.

“ Don’t thank me yet, as soon as you’ll feel better, I’m going to put olives on every available surface of that damned shop of yours. ” The demoness threatened, her voice thick with tears and fury. “You were really going to leave me. On a shitty movie quote. You asshole, I should strangle you right now.”

“Wait for your turn.” A whisper echoed next to them and everyone’s head snapped at the second half-devil.

Trish felt Dante’s body go stiff beneath her hands; his heart beating so hard she could feel it against hers palms.

“Verge?” Dante whispered like he still couldn’t believe it. “You’re… okay ?”

“Yes.” The blue twin huffed, his gaze landing on his brother. “ Are you ?”

“Y-yeah… I… I think I am.” The red twin mumbled, staring at his brother.

“Good. Now, I shall give you death myself.” The blue half-devil muttered as he shifted sit and then to stand up and all the people in the room rushed forward.

“Woa ! No ! No fighting in the house, and no killing either ! “ Nero hissed as he reached Vergil first and helped him stand up. “Please take it slow !”

But Vergil wasn’t listening to his son and Trish felt a spark of anxiety as the blue twin glared at his brother.

Dante clumsily got up as well, keeping strangely silent. Trish helped him stay upright when he swayed a bit, feeling uneasy at his lack of response.

“You … You …” Vergil muttered as he stumbled closer to the red twin, looking about to attack him right away.

Trish wanted to shield her friend from the danger but the hunter gently pushed her to the side and came to face his twin.

Everyone in the room held their breath as the two came to confront each other.

“You senseless, sentimental, fool … Don’t you ever dare try that again.” The blue twin hissed as he pulled his twin into a hug.

Dante froze at first but after a second his arms wrapped around his twin and he hugged him back tightly.

“You’re one to talk. Self-sacrificing idiot. What were you thinking ? ” The red twin huffed and sniffed, his voice thick with overflowing emotions.

“ I tried it your way for once. I didn’t.” The older brother snarled and a mix between a chuckle and a sob escaped Dante’s frame.

The tension in the room vanished and Trish felt her heart ache, it was such a relief to see her best-friend finally acknowledge his emotions.

This pain, guilt and self-loathing that had been eating him up inside since the swamp incident were finally leaving him. It was such a beautiful sight.

“I’m so sorry. For everything I said. Everything I’ve done.” Dante choked out and Trish didn’t exactly know what had happened at the Temen-ni-gru but she knew that it had left him destroyed.

“Don’t. Most of your … arguments were true.” Vergil answered and Dante’s hold around the man tightened to the point it must have grown painful.

“No, you can’t say that. I won’t deny that a part of it came from me but … It wasn’t your fault. None of it. It was wrong of me to accuse you like this.” The red whispered, squeezing his twin against himself.

“Dante… can’t breathe…” Vergil hissed and the hunter abruptly let him go.

The blue half-devil’s legs quivered and buckled again but Nero had been expecting the outcome and he caught his father before he crashed down.

“Fuck, I’m sorry…” Dante mumbled and Trish and Lady quickly came to grab him when he swayed again, growing pale.

“You both need to stay down and rest ! Have you any idea how worried we’ve been ?” Lady hissed, looking about to shoot them.

They helped both twins back down on the blankets. Their little outburst had drained them, consuming all their energy.

Trish sat down next to Dante, unwilling to leave his side. She had been so terrified that she was slowly losing him.

She needed a bit more time to let the realisation truly sink in. Especially after she had been left so desperate and helpless to help him.

The demoness sighed softly, heart still bruised.

The half-devil lying in front of her shifted and his hand came to squeeze hers.

“Thank you Trish.” The red twin mumbled and he looked sleepy again.

“What for ?” She asked, feeling a bit confused.

“For fighting for me when I gave up. I owe you one…” He mumbled drowsily and the demoness squeezed his hand back.

“Yeah, you do. So don’t you ever think about taking the easy way out again, that’s my price.” She grumbled, her stomach still upset at the memories.

“Expensive… but I’ll try my best.” He whispered and then he fell asleep.

Trish huffed as she heard his breathing grow slower. Stubborn idiot.

Chapter Text

Vergil and Dante appeared inside the Devil May Cry through a portal.

They had spent three days at Nero’s house until their strength was back and their wounds were healed.

Once the twins had recovered from the poor state they had been in, they had decided that it was time for them to go back to the shop.

Their stay in Fortuna had been impossibly chaotic but still surprisingly enjoyable.

However, Vergil longed for some peace and quiet now.

Preferably away far from any children whatsoever.

Nero’s home had been too crowded for his liking, but the blue twin had surprisingly managed to rest deeply despite everything.

It had been so strange and so foreign to have so many people around him. So many eyes watching over him without malicious intent.

Nero, his family, and Dante’s two friends had cared for them both. Providing food, shelter and protection when they had been too weak to fend for themselves.

Vergil supposed that this was the very definition of “love”.

Just like Dante had tried to jump into the Underworld to save him, or how Vergil had been ready to do anything to break his twin’s curse.

And now that the blue half-devil was back at the Devil May Cry he couldn’t help his heart from clenching painfully as he glimpsed the other facet of this “love”.

The wasteland that was left by its absence. Despair.

The shop was an endless showcase of love’s darkest side.

The Devil May Cry was a bottle-graveyard. Vergil had already caught glimpses of the situation when he had appeared inside the shop after Nero and Lady had saved him.

However, he hadn’t gotten much time to notice the full scale of the terrible truth.

Now that he was more alert he was standing in the middle of the shop, he couldn’t stop staring.

He could detach his gaze from the dark stain on the wall behind the couch. From the tiny impact left by the bullet when it had embedded itself in the tapestry.

He could very well guess what had happened here.

Dante had tried to do what his twin had feared the most. He had obviously survived and then tried again.

If Vergil hadn’t caught him at the last second, he would have died.

And the blue twin would have been left alone here, probably choosing the same path his twin had.

Vergil was trying to keep his emotions in check when he felt his brother come to stand behind him.

Even if he understood, the blue half-devil was still feeling angry at what his brother had done here.

“I should stab you.” he muttered, incapable of separating all the feelings that were tearing at his heart apart.

Sadness. Anger. Fear. Grief. Love.

They were all screaming at him, fighting for the upper hand inside his head.

“I… I just… You were gone. Because of me. Again. And I… I couldn’t take it anymore…” Dante whispered and his emotions seemed to be as complicated and raw as Vergil’s.

The blue turned away from the grisly proof of his brother’s depression.

“I-I killed you. Worse, I left you to die. I might have not recognized you on Mallet Island but this time I knew. I knew. And yet I was unable to stop.” His twin’s voice was quivering.

“Dante…” the blue twin whispered and he didn’t quite know what to say, because it was true.

He had been influenced by the curse and so it hadn’t been his fault, but his brother still felt responsible.

Denying his feelings now wouldn’t help him to forgive himself.

“I wanted to hurt you and I did. Shit…everything I’ve said to you… it was a part of me. A ugly, resentful part of myself… and I don’t know how to cope with that knowledge.“ Dante said, his hands clenched, his posture stiff.

His little brother was fighting to keep his composure and it hurt to see him so full of pain.

Vergil sighed and he walked up to his brother, laying a hand over one of his shoulders to try to bring him some comfort.

“I felt the same towards you once.I thought mother had chosen you and abandoned me to die with the demons. I hated both of you for it.” Vergil murmured as he squeezed his shoulder lightly.

“That’s not what happened.” Dante exclaimed, sounding pained as he straightened and searched for the blue twin’s gaze.

“I know. I’ve felt responsible for her death. For being too weak to defend what was dear to me.” The blue twin still continued to explain, hoping to get his point across.

“You’re not responsible for mom’s death. Despite what I’ve said, I know you aren’t.”His little brother sounded terrified that his words at the Temen-ni-gru had hurt him.

They had. But not because of Dante’s rage and resentment but because of Vergil’s own anger and pain. The words were true, even if they were cruel.

“Maybe. But I’ve caused you pain. A lot of it. Even when I tried to save you from that curse.” He insisted, looking his twin in the eyes.

“So what ?” Dante looked at him, confused.

“So, it’s alright if a part of you resents me, Dante. I understand. Because a tiny part of me resents you too. It’s a part of us.” The older twin tried to explain. “It doesn’t lessen my love for you or your love for me.”

Dante gulped and stared at him, looking unsure and scared. Like he was hoping his words to be true and yet he was doubting them at the same time.

“How can you be so sure ?” the hunter murmured, looking almost scared to admit that Vergil was right.

“That gigantic smear on the wall is proof enough. Love and anger are entwined, Dante. That was that Spirit’s lesson for us to learn.” He whispered to him, pulling him closer as seeing him so upset was painful.

“Shit… You know, you may read too much poetry.” His twin huffed softly, hugging him back.

Vergil could feel his frame shake as a few sobs escaped his control and so he just kept him close, waiting for his pain to leave him.

“Maybe. I might add a few cookbooks to my shelf for a change.” he whispered in his ear, feeling him chuckle wetly.

“You can add anything you want. It’s yours. Everything here is. As long as you don’t try to die on me a fourth time.” Dante muttered as he drew back slowly, wiping his eyes.

“I shall do my best.” Vergil scoffed at the comment.

“And I will do my best to keep away from any kind of magic, curse, spirits and shit…” The hunter mumbled with a small smile.

“Nice resolution. “ Vergil snickered, as he went up to the couch and chose to ignore the stained wall.

He had to step over many bottles and broken glass on his way to his usual spot.

“Yeah. I will clean this place up too. I didn’t care much about its state these past weeks but now… I’ll make things right.” Dante told him and it felt like another little promise.

“It’s alright.” Vergil told him as he picked his old poetry book up and sat down on the couch. “We’re home now.”

Chapter Text

Dante was dripping wet from the pouring rain as he eventually came back to Nero’s house.

The weather was absolutely awful outside, the rain drowning Fortuna in a constant shower of cold water.

A large puddle was forming beneath him as he shrugged out of his coat, water trickling down his frame in little rivers as he stood in the entrance.

He might need to borrow clothes from Nero again, because his own were now drenched.

The red twin had come to help his nephew out with a demon lurking on the city’s docks.

The kid probably didn’t really need assistance to dispatch one lonely demon, but since the swamp incident… Nero was searching for more contact. He must have been left quite traumatized by all that had happened.

And Dante was absolutely fine with that. He wanted exactly the same thing, to be honest.

God, the red twin himself wanted to keep his family locked up in the house so that he would be sure that they wouldn’t ever end up hurt again.

He couldn’t really give in to the impulse of course, because Vergil was too strong, but the temptation was still lingering in his mind.

It had been only a week now since Vergil and himself had gone back to the Devil May Cry.

Nero and Kyrie had pretty much nursed them back to health while they had stayed at their place. These kids had poured their heart and soul into it, and anytime the hunter thought back to these few days he couldn’t help but feel strangely moved and almost shy about it.

He had been a mess. Weakened and helpless to care for either himself or his brother. Vergil had been in quite the same situation, and even his legendary stubbornness hadn’t been enough to soldier through the pain and exhaustion.

They had been in need of help and Nero had pulled through flawlessly. They owed the kid a great deal.

Dante felt mostly fine now, all the fatigue and strain from these past weeks was already gone.

He still felt hungrier than usual, his body still replenishing its strength but even this should disappear soon. He had gained back most of the weight he had lost thanks to Kyrie stuffing them with food all the time.

Vergil on the other hand was still deeply tired from over exerting himself for such a long time. His brother had truly pushed himself above all limits for too long, especially since he had sustained most of the damage when he had saved him.

This was rendering his healing slower than Dante’s. He was still weaker than he should be.

His twin hid it well but Dante could see it. Feel it. There was no way he would let him do anything that might tire him some more.

The red twin had to stop himself from constantly watching his sibling for any sign of distress. Vergil was swiftly annoyed by his overprotectiveness, but Dante couldn’t help himself.

When Nero had called for help because of the hunt, they had come over to Fortuna right away.

The red twin had talked his brother into staying at Nero’s home while he went to search for the demon with the kid.

Vergil had first protested, denying his temporarily weakened state but the blue twin had eventually caved in after everyone in the household had begged him to stay.

It had taken Kyrie’s tearful gaze to make him stop resisting. Smart girl.

A small shiver of fear still ran down Dante’s spine as he remembered how close he had come to lose him. It was still haunting him, leaving him to wake up at night, searching for his brother.

Even after his twin’s words and all the explanations, he couldn’t forget how he had attacked him.

He couldn’t burn the vision of his hand twitching slightly when he had shot him out of his memory. He would carry this piece of nightmare all his life.

“Dante ? Oh ! You’re dripping wet !” Kyrie exclaimed as she exited the kitchen and came into his line of sight.

“Yeah, the weather is pretty awful…” He mumbled, his wet shirt sticking against his back coldly.

“Do you want to change ? You’ll catch a cold if you stay like this !” She started to fuss over him, pushing him towards the bathroom like he was little Carlo.

“I won’t get sick, but I’d be happy for some dry clothes anyway. But only if you let me take care of putting the wet ones in the dryer.” Dante negotiated, this time she wasn’t babysitting him.

The girl giggled, surrendering to his demands and telling him where the machine was.

“Thank you, Kyrie. For… everything.” He muttered and she smiled at him brightly.

“I’d hug you but… you look like you fell into a pool !” She chuckled and it made Dante grin as well.

The red twin went inside the bathroom and changed, feeling better now that he was wearing something dry.

This felt like Deja-vu but he wouldn’t let the bad memories taint the new ones he was making.

He went to the dryer, put his clothes inside and started the machine as Kyrie had explained.

Then, the legendary hunter went to join the rest of his family.

Nero was back home too, having already changed in the van. He was sitting at the table with Vergil, the kids and Kyrie.

There was cake on the table and the children were feasting, judging by the gigantic brownish smear over Kyle’s face.

The kid’s eyes were gleaming with satisfaction and happiness as he was sitting right next to Vergil.

“Danteeeee ! There’s cake !” The boy shouted far too loudly. “ It’s… chocolate ! “

Dante’s heart skipped a beat. Could this be a coincidence ? Had Vergil asked Kyrie to bake this? For him ? He had spotted the recipe in the cookbook his twin had been reading.

Seeing this cake on the table was bringing him back eons ago, to times where their mom would make them one to celebrate their birthday.

“Did you save me some ?” He choked out, feeling his heart longing for a piece of it. A childhood memory coming back to life.

“Of course we did !” Kyrie exclaimed happily as he came to sit down at the table.

Dante glanced at his twin, searching to see how he was reacting to the memories that the cake was bringing back.

But his brother wasn’t looking at him, nor at the sweet dessert on the table because he was busy wiping the chocolate off Kyle’s face.

Dante smirked at the scene as he picked the spoon up.Kyrie gave him a slice of cake, and after staring at it for a second, he started to devour his plate.

Chocolate, sweet and heavy filled his mouth, making him dive into happy childhood memories.

He ate his slice with an incredible amount of joy, feeling a smile stretch his lips as he his heart felt all warm.

Everyone at the table was eating cake as well, but to Dante his was more than just a dish, it was a tiny piece of his former home.

It was such a delight.

Vergil was eating as well and Dante was relieved to see that. His twin needed energy and the red half-devil would make sure to help him discover more human food.

It didn’t matter if he needed to abandon pizza for a while, he wouldn’t let his twin keep on skipping so many meals.

Maybe they could order fried rice,sushis, shawarma or even just fries, or anything his brother would like to try.

Now that they were together, they had all the opportunities in the world to find what they liked and what they didn’t until they both felt at ease. At home.

Dante’s plate was soon emptied and he sighed, feeling sated and happy.

“Dante.” He heard Vergil call out to him and he glanced at his twin.

The blue half-devil smirked, an amused gleam in his eyes as he extended a paper towel towards him.

“I see some things do not change.” He snickered and when the red twin looked at him in interrogation, Vergil tapped the corner of his mouth.

Dante chuckled as he wiped his mouth with the paper and indeed, chocolate stains soon covered the little towel.

Just like when they were kids, yeah… that didn’t change in all this time. It was nice.

Soon after, the twins decided to leave Fortuna to go back to Redgrave. The red twin retrieved his clothes in the drier and changed back.

Then, they bid goodbye to everyone.

Dante slapped Nero’s shoulder, messed the kids’ hair up, and then pulled Kyrie into a hug.

“I’m not wet this time ! “ He huffed. “Thank you for the clothes. And for the cake, it was really amazing.” He whispered to her, squeezing her tight.

The opera singer hugged him back fiercely, an excited gleam in her eyes and a large smile on her face.

“I didn’t make the cake.” She murmured in his ear secretively.

Dante felt surprised at her admission. If she hadn’t baked the cake, who would have done it? Nero had been on the hunt with him, the kids were too small to bake yet, that left only…

Vergil.

Dante’s heart made a little backflip in his chest.

His twin opened a portal and swiftly disappeared inside it before the red twin had any chance to ask him questions.

The legendary hunter couldn’t believe it.

A bright smile was splitting his face in two. His twin was making himself at home.

Chapter Text

But now you’re up one. You won, Dante.

Dante woke up with a gasp.

There were tears in his eyes, threatening to spill treacherously. The red half-devil blinked and took a shaky breath, trying to calm himself.

He looked around, analysing his surroundings. He was at home, in the Devil May Cry but… there was no one beside him in his shop.

The red half-devil had been sleeping at his desk, like he would usually do, but now that another nightmare had come to haunt his rest he was feeling terribly anxious.

W-Where is he ? Please, where…

The hammering of his own heart was drowning all other sounds in the room, his emotions walking on the thin line between anxiety and simple panic.

“I can hear your heartbeat. “ A voice echoed above him and the hunter promptly looked upwards.

Vergil was leaning against the railing, watching him with a small frown. A book was in his hands, one of the ones the red twin had gifted him.

Relief washed over the hunter, allowing him to finally take a deep breath.

“Another nightmare ?” His brother asked as he left the mezzanine to come down.

Dante was still searching for his voice, recovering from the bone deep terror.

He was terrified that Vergil’s presence here was just another dream.

That he might soon wake up and realise that his twin’s blood was still on his hands. That even if the red twin desperately wanted to die, he was still unable to.

But like most nights for the past month, his nightmares proved to be just horrible memories and fantasies.

Nothing more than that.

As his sibling walked up to his desk, looking so calm and collected, the red half-devil just nodded.

Vergil knew very well what Dante was seeing in his dreams every night. After all, his twin was at the centerpiece of all of them.

“You still need to sleep. You are beginning to look like a Hell Caina.” The blue twin said as he stared at the hunter intently.

“Yeah, well… I’m having some issues with my beauty sleep, as you may have noticed.” Dante huffed, his voice a bit hoarse.

He knew he needed to sleep more. He knew his twin was doing just fine and was more than capable of handling anything that could happen while he napped. And yet….

“I did, indeed. Is it still the same dream ?” Vergil asked him as he left the desk to join the couch with his book.

“Yeah…” Dante mumbled, his heart still aching.

It was always the same flashes of his rage-polluted thoughts. Of his sword ripping through his brother. Of a hand clinging on to his boot before he simply shot it down.

Fuck.

Dante’s heart ached all over again.

Feeling hurt and anxious, the hunter left his desk as well to come sit with his brother.

The physical proximity with Vergil was the only way he had found to sooth the bone deep terror.

“Why aren’t you sleeping ?” The red twin wondered. After all, it was the middle of the night.

They were now completely healed, thanks to their stay at Nero's place, but the blue twin needed as much sleep as Dante.

“I lost myself in this book. After that, I picked up on your distress. “ Vergil simply said, his eyes on the pages.

“Ah. Sorry for that.” Dante whispered, rubbing his tired eyes with his fingers. He felt exhausted and a bit embarrassed as well.

The chances that he would manage to fall asleep again were slim. Maybe he should make some coffee and give up on the prospect of getting any rest tonight.

“No need for apologies.” His twin answered, absorbed by the book. It was quite funny to see him so focused on it.

“You like it ?” The red twin asked, feeling deeply curious.

“Yes. I might even lend it to you, should you want to read it.” Vergil muttered, his gaze switching from the pages to the hunter.

“Why not. You know, there’s a nice bookshop not too far away. The little lady there seems to really know all there is about books.” He said, watching his brother read.

It felt so surreal to see him here. To feel his presence just right next to him. 

“I would like to see this for myself then.” Vergil told him while he kept on looking at the pages with a little familiar frown.

“I’ll show you. But first, I want to spar with you. “ The red twin muttered with a little grin.

“Fine, but I have a condition.” The blue half-devil added and Dante’s eyebrow shot up in surprise.

“Okay? What do you want ?” He mumbled, feeling a bit confused now. His twin would rarely back down from a challenge.

“I want you to rest first. Get some sleep, Dante.” This felt almost like an order and it left the red twin to scoff in consternation.

“It’s not that easy and you know that. I think I’m gonna need your help.” He snickered, feeling mischievous all of a sudden.

He let himself fall to the side, leaning against his twin until his head came to rest on his shoulder.

“You are impossible.” Vergil sneered but he didn’t chase him away, and so Dante smirked and just stayed like this.

“Mmm.” The red twin just confirmed, enjoying his little joke.

Maybe he enjoyed it too much because he soon felt himself relax and his eyes grew heavy.

“Fool.” Vergil huffed as Dante was already starting to drift away. “Just… rest.”

The legendary hunter’s vision grew completely dark as he focused on the warmth against him, and he soon unexpectedly fell asleep.

Vergil sighed as he felt his twin’s weight lean heavily against his side. Dante might have been fooling around but he was now fast asleep.

His brother was still having nightmares about the curse.

They plagued him every single night and the blue twin was feeling quite desperate to find a way to help him get over this traumatic experience.

Even if he wasn’t sleeping well, Dante was doing a lot better now than he had been while the blue half-devil had been trapped inside the Underworld.

Vergil had made it a point to know exactly how bad things had been while he was away, and he had been terrified and confused to learn just how bad his “death” had hit his twin.

That sentimental fool had just given up.

And that wasn’t sitting well with him. Not at all.

If Nero hadn’t been so incredibly stubborn, and hadn’t looked for him for so long, they would have both ended up dead.

They had been lucky.

Still, this mess had left deep scars on his brother’s mind, fresh ones that only added to his usually complicated nights.

Vergil let his gaze drift back to the pages of his book.

If clinging to him like this was the only way for his sibling to finally have some peace and decent sleep, then he was ready to endure this.

If he was being fully honest, he didn’t mind the contact that much. It was leaving him feeling somewhat strange but not in a negative way.

No, it felt like he was needed. Wanted. Loved ?

A shriveled and shy part of him was soaking this strange feeling up, like a dried out plant who was finally given water.

He wasn’t quite sure how to react to these unfamiliar emotions but with his twin asleep like this, he was given an opportunity to familiarize himself with this new aspect of his feelings.

In all secrecy, of course.

Vergil found himself unable to focus on his book anymore. The strange spiral of emotions was diverting his attention from the lines.

He glanced at his twin... Dante would wake up with a bad crook in his neck if he stayed like this.

The blue twin shifted very slowly, guiding the sleepy hybrid so that he would lie down properly.

Dante grumbled incoherently in his sleep, his arms coming to wrap around the blue twin’s waist and squeezing him tight.

Vergil flinched as his brother clung to him like he was some sort of stuffed toy. It reminded him of Nero’s son and his bird plushie.

The blue half-devil tried to scutter away and to free himself from the arms that were trapping him.

Unfortunately, the more he moved, the more Dante’s hold tightened.

The blue twin gasped as the hug grew too tight, the hold crushing his midsection. There was a good chance that his bones would break should his twin use a bit more strength.

Vergil stopped struggling, letting himself relax back against the couch’s cushion. As he kept still, his twin’s hold eventually slowly lessened.

The older half-devil sighed again. He was held prisoner by his own brother’s unconscious clinginess. What a mess.

It should leave him embarrassed and annoyed and yet… he only felt mild consternation.

Giving up on the prospect of getting out of his predicament, Vergil closed his book and let it come to rest on the floor.

He let his thoughts drift away as his own fatigue was making itself known and he closed his eyes.

If he was stuck like this, then he would make the most of it and get some rest as well.

He allowed himself a nap while his brother kept on holding to him, enjoying the simple feeling of being comfortable and safe.

It was only when the night gave way to the day and Dante stirred that Vergil’s environment came back into full focus.

He watched his twin wake-up, glassy blue eyes slowly blinking open.

Dante yawned and looked up at him before he glanced down to take a look at his own situation.

A soft chuckle escaped him when he noticed what he was doing.

“You r’lly let me stick to you like you’re a big teddy bear ?” He mumbled sleepily, squeezing him again.

“Yes. You almost broke my ribs when I tried to get away.” Vergil simply answered as his brother let go of him and straightened instantly.

“Oh shit !” Dante exclaimed, almost jumping from the couch. “You good ?”

“Yes. “Almost” was an important part of my sentence.” He scoffed at his brother’s obvious and unjustified distress. “I am fine, Dante.”

The red twin visibly relaxed at his comment, colors coming back to his face.

He looked better than he had been the day before. These few hours of real sleep had worked wonders it seemed.

“I need a cup of coffee, but after that I’m challenging you into a duel !” The hunter grunted as he stretched .

“Hm.” Vergil huffed, raising an eyebrow.

“ Yeah ! If you win, I’ll take you to the bookshop ! And if I win…” His brother exclaimed as he strolled towards the coffee maker. “I want another cake ! “

Vergil was left speechless at his demand.

He had baked his first cake under Kyrie’s gentle and careful instruction but…

Did his twin really like chocolate that much? Or was it because of the memories it brought back ? Vergil wasn’t sure.

In any case, he wouldn’t lose. And even if he did, there was still a small issue with his brother's demand.

“Even if you win, we don’t have the necessary equipment.” The blue twin countered, not denying that he had indeed made the cake at Nero’s home.

It had been his very first try at cooking anything.

He had been curious to see if he could do it, and if his twin would like it. The answer was obviously “yes” to both questions.

It had been a pleasant experience but he wasn’t feeling too sure about trying it again so soon.

“We’ll find a way ! Guess what ? I’m feeling generous, so I’ll let you cook anything you want.” Dante smirked, a challenging gleam in his eyes.

“You would need to win first. And you won’t.” Vergil snickered as he stood up as well.

It had been some time since they last fought against one another, and he was eager to get some exercise against a worthy opponent.

“Guess we’ll see that soon !” his twin smiled and Vergil opened a portal to an empty field in the middle of nowhere.

It was their usual training ground, where there was no one to disturb them and no need to watch out for property damage.

The perfect little battle ground for them to spar all they wanted.

The two twins crossed through the void and took place on the patch of grass.

“Ready ?” Dante asked him, his sword appearing in his hand.

“Always.” Vergil answered, the Yamato already unsheathed.

They both dashed forwards and sparks flew as their blades hit.

Almost six hours later, Dante was sitting on the grassy ground sweating profusely and out of breath.

Vergil wasn’t faring much better but the blue twin was still standing, leaning on the Yamato for support.

“ ‘kay, I’m beat. Score for you !” Dante huffed as he fought to catch his breath.

Now we’re even again. Just like it should be.

He was panting hard and sore all over, bleeding from small cuts that were quickly healing.

They had spared hard, giving their best to gain the upper hand until exhaustion had caught up to them.

Dante wasn’t feeling bad about admitting defeat, quite the opposite. He was feeling relieved.

Oh, he had given his all while he was fighting. It would have been a lack of respect on his part if he had simply let his twin win.

No,no, they had fought fair and square. And his brother just won.

The fact that this rendered Vergil’s surrender while Dante had been cursed nul and void was only a bonus.

A nice one. The red twin felt better now that his ass had been kicked and that this anomaly had been corrected.

They were back to normal now. Whatever the result of their next match, it would be fairly won. Owned and to be proud of.

Dante chuckled as he watched his twin drop unceremoniously down, sitting on the dirt as well. He was panting as hard as himself, bruised and banged up all over.

“ Damn, we haven't fought like this since the Underworld !” The red twin huffed, giving up and letting himself fall back on the ground.

“Yes.” His brother panted too, resting a bit.

They stayed there in comfortable silence for a while, letting their bodies heal and recovering from the effort.

“A promise is a promise, I’ll show you the bookstore. I just hope you’re not going to abandon me in order to stay there 24/7 !” Dante said, turning his head to watch his brother.

“As tempting as it is, someone needs to keep an eye on you.” Vergil scoffed lightly, a small smirk on his lips.

Dante grinned back. It was nice to hear him confirm that he was staying with him.

“Maybe I’ll team up with Kyle and Julio. We’ll give you enough trouble to keep busy.” He taunted. Teasing his twin had always been one of his favorite activities.

“Please don’t.” The blue half-devil mumbled grumpily which made Dante burst out laughing.

His brother looked at him strangely and once the red twin’s laugh died down he wondered what was going on in his head.

“Penny for your thoughts ?” He asked him.

“I… have rarely seen you laugh like this.” The blue twin explained but he stayed pretty vague.

“Yeah, you’re right. I guess I’m just… happy ? I mean, the kids love you and it’s just so much fun to watch them swarm you every single time.” Dante grinned from ear to ear.

“Don’t make me stab you again.” Vergil warned him dryly and the red twin had to stop himself from laughing again.

Gosh, he was feeling so much better now.

He waited a few minutes before he eventually stood back up and dusted his clothes off.

“So ? Wanna go see that store ?” He asked his twin, frankly eager to show him the place.

His first instinct had told him that Vergil would most certainly like it. Maybe his brother would find himself some new reads to put on his shelf.

Vergil had put the piece of furniture inside his room but he liked to read on the couch.

Dante wasn’t sure if his twin simply needed a comfortable chair to read in his room, or if it was a deliberate choice on his brother’s part to stay close to him.

In any case the red twin enjoyed his quiet presence downstairs. Without it he quickly felt lonely again.

“Yes. I am reaching the last chapters of my current read.” He accepted as he stood up smoothly.

If not for the small specks of dust on his coat, no one could have guessed how vicious their sparring session had been.

“I’ll buy you another bookshelf once yours is full.” Dante chuckled but he wasn’t even joking.

He’d fill the shop up with books if that was what his twin needed to feel at home.

“We’ll see when the times come. After all, we will need to change the bathroom mirror first.” Vergil answered and Dante could only agree.

He had cleaned most of the mess inside the Devil May Cry that his terrific depressive state had left behind, but the damage was still visible.

The mirror was gone but not yet replaced, and the tapestry above the couch was in dire need of some new paint.

Thinking back to what had happened at the time was still leaving his heart to ache.

He didn’t think too much about what he had tried to do for so many weeks. He didn’t feel ashamed about it either.

No, the remaining signs of his depression were reminding him of what he had done to his twin.

That was the part that was leaving him petrified and hurting everyday.

The rest was just a confusing blur of pain, sleep and blood; one that he would get over soon enough.

Trish was still, rightfully, mad at him. He couldn’t blame the demoness, she had fought tooth and nail to help get back up and he had preferred to give up on everything.

She hadn’t mattered enough for him to overcome this hardship. Neither had Nero and his family.

Dante felt quite bad about that part now. It hadn’t mattered to him at the time, but now he saw that he would have abandoned them all. He had been terribly selfish.

He wouldn’t apologize for what he had done, because it had been the simple truth. If his brother hadn’t been standing right next to him now he wouldn’t have stopped.

He knew that. He wasn’t proud of it for sure but… they couldn’t understand the pain. He had endured so much of it already, this would simply have been too much.

Dante wasn’t perfect, he wasn’t invincible. Sure, he was very strong but what was strength when you had nothing left to protect ? You couldn’t protect your soul from the pain of loss. And Dante had lost so much.

But now, this was all behind them.

They needed to look forward and salvage what could be saved. Repair what had been broken, and pray that his friends and family would forgive him for his selfishness.

They had to move forward and try to make the best out of the chance they were given.

“Dante ?” Vergil called out and the hunter’s head snapped to him.

“Ah yes, sorry. I was lost in my thoughts.” The red twin quickly shook himself and focused, he had been carried away by the dark memories.

He wouldn’t let the nightmare he had been through drag him down. Vergil was here. Dante was determined to find his place alongside his twin, and he wouldn’t let the past rob him of his future.

“Are you… alright ?” Vergil asked him quite unexpectedly.

He had been doing that a lot these past weeks. His brother seemed to be still worried about his mental state but in truth Dante was mostly fine now. Except for his nightmares.

“ Yeah I was just thinking about… two months ago. I… just have trouble wrapping my head around how I lucky I am now.” He sighed softly.

Vergil watched him in silence for a moment before he simply nodded in understanding.

“Yes. I too have trouble accepting this miraculous outcome. Fate is sadly seldom on our side.” The older brother sighed as well before he turned and opened a portal.

“Yeah… but hey, let’s not look a gifted horse in the mouth. I’m happy like this.” Dante exclaimed as he walked up to his twin and patted his shoulder before crossing into the void.

Vergil followed him and they vanished from the training ground.

Chapter Text

Vergil was walking beside his twin on the sidewalk.

The afternoon was slowly departing and the wind was bitingly cold now that the night was inching closer.

Winter was settling over Redgrave and the weather was growing colder with each passing day.

The temperature wasn’t a real issue to him nor to Dante. It was a matter of comfort more than anything else.

But the humans on the streets weren’t built like them, and they were wrapped into thick coats and scarves, trying to shield themselves from the frosty wind.

Red cheeks and nose tips were visible on every anonymous face as they strolled down the block.

Vergil was observing the mass of people around them, his sharp senses searching for any sense of aggression.

He had avoided contact with the general human population as much as possible.

He wasn’t suffering from an acute dislike of humans but he had been locked in the Underworld for so much time that he didn’t know how to interact with them.

Just like with food, this would need careful research and observation before he could find his marks.

But now that he was walking with Dante amongst the humans, he felt quite at peace.

All these people seemed too busy to notice their presence and those who did were torn between fear and awe. He could handle that.

Some women’s gazes were lingering on them a bit too long, a light blush on their cheeks that had not much to do with the cold.

It was a strange feeling he hadn’t experienced since… her. She had blushed when they eyes had met as well.

Vergil’s heart ached at the memory and he carefully brought his focus back on the present.

A few minutes later Dante stopped in front of a building.

The classical architecture with its stone facade and elegant columns had been slightly modified to allow bigger windows showing the book store’s interior.

“That’s the place. I wonder if that little lady is here, she was the one to choose your books.” His twin said, a white cloud forming as his breath hit the cold air.

“Hm.” Vergil answered as his eyes were taking in the store.

There weren’t many people inside it, the hours slowly growing late.

“Wanna take a closer look?” His sibling suggested and the blue simply nodded.

They pushed the door and entered, the air inside the shop feeling almost too hot after the coldness outside.

“Welcome ! Can I help you ?” A small woman with gray streaked hair appeared around the corner of the store, a pile of books in her hands. “Oh ! It’s you again ! So ? Did your brother like the books?”

Dante glanced at him with a proud grin and he couldn’t help but smirk.

“Yes. I did, indeed.” He told the small female human.

“That is nice to hear ! Not many people have such refined taste in classical English literature.” She beamed at him as she dropped her stack of books on the counter.

“I am already through with most of the volumes.” He casually told her, his eyes already sweeping over the shelves.

“Impressive ! If you are here, I suppose you are looking for more ! If you liked those, I would recommend … this. And this. And this one too.” The woman started to instantly pile another collection of books on the counter.

Vergil couldn’t help but feel curious about what she was choosing and so he glanced at the names and titles.

While the bookshop lady was rummaging through her shelves he sorted the existing pile out, excluding the tomes he had already read.

He glanced at his twin, Dante was keeping strangely quiet. This could only mean trouble.

His twin was surprisingly standing in front of a bookshelf, seemingly quite focused on one of the books. Vergil watched with fascination as he picked a book up, glanced at the content and then came up to the counter.

“That one is for me.” He simply shrugged.

The blue twin was curious to see what it was, but his sibling’s hand was covering most of the small volume up and it was preventing him from seeing the title.

“And… we have this one too. This is a masterclass in alexandrines, one of my personal favorites.” The little woman came back to the counter, taking his attention away from Dante’s founding.

Vergil glanced at the pile of books and picked three.

“I shall take these and come back at another time for the others.” He told the human.

She smiled excitedly again, adding quite interessting comments and facts about the books he had picked. Some he already knew of, some he didn’t.

The woman’s knowledge on the subject was impressive, and Vergil couldn’t help but feel some sort of kinship with her.

The blue twin paid and picked his next read up, turning to his twin.

Dante was still keeping his book out of sight, a mysterious gleam in his eyes.

Dante was feeling so proud of himself.

He was so full of mischievous, childish, glee as he watched his brother instantly get along with the little book lady.

He had known those two would be on the same page. Pun intended.

And as his twin was looking sincerely interested at what the woman was telling him, he couldn’t help but grin.

Vergil was looking at ease here. He had been tense and alert all the way to the bookstore, certainly watching out for any attacks or demons.

Here, he looked relaxed and in his element. It was rare to see him like this outside of the Devil May Cry or Nero’s home.

It just showed how much his brother was expecting things to turn out for the worst at every opportunity.

It should let Dante feel good that his twin was not acting like this at the shop anymore. He was obviously feeling safe enough there to lower his guard.

But it served to underline how much  way he still had to go before he could truly feel better.

The red twin’s gaze swept over the interior of the store until a colorful shelf labelled “tourism” caught his eye.

As he waited for his brother to choose a new book he glanced at the ones on the shelf and all at once, another grin stretched his lips.

“Where to eat in Redgrave ? The top 100.”

Now that was just what he needed.

He went up to the shelf and picked the book up, quickly glancing at the content.

It was a little guide listing restaurants and various little places where to snack. From big fancy and expensive restaurants to small pizza joints, the list of suggestions was extensive.

Vergil was still struggling a lot with eating human food. His twin was lost, having been deprived of real food for so many years that he kept on hunting demons by default.

He was making tremendous efforts to adapt and learn, and Dante was so fucking happy to see that but…

The red twin wasn’t the best at helping him. Especially not on the matter of food as Dante only ate pizza and strawberry sundaes.

Maybe it was time for the red twin to make an effort and learn as well. He knew more about human food than his brother, even if he didn’t bother to eat it.

He loved pizza but his twin didn’t, and Dante was unwilling to let him skip meals and keep on surviving on demon blood.

Maybe they could try something new.

Maybe they could find things they both liked.

Maybe Dante could order something that wasn’t pizza for once.

This would be uncharted territory for both of them but… if they tried it together it should be okay. They could learn and ... grow.

The hunter felt his twin’s gaze on him and he quickly hid the little guide away.

He wanted to keep this a surprise.

A small frown appeared on Vergil’s face, his brother had noticed that he was hiding something.

Dante smirked. He would know soon enough what was happening.

The shop lady came back and Dante used the distraction to hide the book while his twin paid for his purchase.

The hunter fumbled in his pocket for some cash and left the money on the counter for the lady to take, showing her the book while his twin wasn’t looking at him.

The woman smirked and discreetly nodded that she understood before both twin exited her shop.

They started to walk back towards the Devil May Cry and Dante couldn’t keep himself from grining.

How would Vergil react once he had ordered some new sort of food ? His brother wasn’t used to many different dishes.

He only ever ate what Kyrie cooked, but they didn’t go to Fortuna that often.

What should they try out first ?

Not pizza for sure… maybe something completely different ? But that would be quite a shock for the red twin…

They arrived at the Devil May Cry and Vergil went upstairs to put his books away.

That was leaving Dante with a few minutes to make a decision and call…

The legendary hunter opened the book and went to the section talking about their neighborhood. Many restaurants were listed, including Ciacco Pizza.

Dante smiled as he spotted his favorite pizza-joint, sadly they made exclusively pizza so it wouldn’t do.

The half-devil glanced at the restaurant listed beneath Ciacco Pizza, another Italian restaurant but specialised in pasta.

Pasta. Why not ? Vergil had already eaten some at Nero’s place but there were many different ways to prepare them so…

Dante would even probably find a sort of pizza equivalent but as pasta for himself. He was open to change but he’d rather take it slowly…

Decision made, he picked the phone up and ordered before his twin came back down.

When Vergil arrived down stairs and looked at him, Dante innocently shrugged.

“I ordered dinner.” He simply said while his twin went to sit down on the couch without commenting.

The red twin did his best to look normal even if he was feeling strangely impatient, curious and even a bit scared.

This was a sort of experiment, something new for both of them.

The hunter took a magazine and glanced at the pages absentmindedly while keeping an eye on his sibling.

Vergil was reading, absorbed by his new book. Perfect.

An hour went by in comfortable silence until a bike parked in front of the Devil May Cry and Dante left his desk to retrieve the food.

He paid the delivery guy and brought the plastic bag to the couch, letting himself drop down on it and putting everything on the coffee table.

Dante took the two white boxes out of the bag and he placed one on Vergil’s side.

“What is that ?” The blue half-devil voice echoed next to him.

“Dinner.” Dante answered, putting a small plastic fork next to his pasta cup.

“Did you anger them so much that they stuffed your pizza in that small box?” His twin teased and it made him laugh at the little jab.

“That’s because… it’s not pizza.” The red twin answered and he glanced at his twin with a smirk.

“I don’t understand.” Vergil muttered, closing his book as his frown grew deeper.

“Well… I thought we could try something new for once. I honestly never tried this either, so I don’t know if it’s good.” Dante told him in all honesty.

“You … Want to eat ? But not pizza ?” His twin was looking at him with skepticism and suspicion.

“Yeah. Now don’t make this more awkward than it has to be. It’s strange for me too. Now, eat.” The red twin scoffed as he opened the lid of his box.

The spicy sweet smell of tomato sauce, basil and meat hit his sensitive nose. It smelled really good and he was growing curious to try it out for himself.

“What is this ?” Vergil asked again as he picked the white container up and copied his gesture to open it.

“ “Pasta alla bolognese.” It’s pasta with tomato sauce and beef meat. Don’t ask me for the details because I have no clue.” Dante huffed as he picked his fork up.

“ Hm. The form looks… familiar.” Vergil commented as he watched his portion with great care.

“Yeah, that is spaghetti. Kyrie already made us some but with another sauce. Mom used to make us pasta too but I don’t know what she was putting on it.” The hunter explained as he picked some pasta up and brought it up to his mouth.

Hey. Not bad.

It wasn’t as good as pizza, but Dante could definitely go along with that dish if Vergil liked it too.

The younger twin took another spoon full as he watched his brother.

Vergil was deeply surprised.

His twin had ordered food that wasn’t pizza. Something his little brother didn’t know. Just like Vergil didn't know either.

Something that was new for both of them.

There was only one plausible reason for his brother to want to try something new, and that was for Vergil’s sake.

Dante knew of his troubles adjusting to human food and his dislike for pizza. So he had gone out of his way to make sure he would still eat something.

Even if it meant making some change to his own habits.

“You ordered this for me ?” He asked, copying how his sibling was eating this dish.

“Yeah. You don’t know shit about human food and frankly, the same goes for me. We can try various things out and, huh, see what we like ?” Dante confirmed, his mouth full.

So this was a new experience for both of them, something his brother really knew as little as himself.

For once, Vergil wasn’t the only one confused and ignorant of something that seemed to be common knowledge.

That was a lot to process and it was making his heart ache strangely. He felt… grateful.

“But how… “ The blue asked but he was promptly interrupted.

“Tada.” Dante pulled a small book out of the pocket of his red coat. “A guide about Redgrave’s restaurants. That way we’ll know all there is to eat around here !”

“That was the book you found at the library.” Vergil muttered, quite shocked at his twin’s little schemes.

“Yup. Now, eat ! It will grow cold.” Dante insisted and as he kept shoveling the yellowish pieces in his mouth.

Vergil looked down at his own little box.

Yellow tendrils topped with a red-brown mixture. It looked quite confusing but it smelled really nice.

The blue half devil picked the fork up and caught some yellow threads. The strange dish hit his taste buds unexpectedly.

It was sweet yet salty, the yellow parts feeling quite soft but a bit bland, leaving the red part to give the flavor.

That wasn’t bad. He would even dare to say that he sort of liked it.

“So ? What do you think ?” Dante asked him.

His twin was watching him with such focus that the blue twin was starting to wonder if there should be something extraordinary about it. Could it be poisonous ?

“It doesn’t hold a candle to Kyrie’s cooking, but it is fine I suppose.” He answered, not quite knowing what to answer.

“Yeah, I agree. It’s okay, but I still prefer pizza. Or Kyrie’s cooking. When are we invited for dinner again ?” The red twin wondered all of a sudden.

“Tomorrow.” He said, continuing to eat his little white box.

“Nice ! She’ll be thrilled to know we tried something new. Next time, we can try something else again, if you want ?” His sibling asked him and there was a small hint of vulnerability in his tone. An uncertainty.

“I… would like that. Yes.” He acknowledged softly.

Dante smiled and relaxed, his empty paper container landing on the coffee table before he leaned back on the couch.

Vergil finished his own portion in silence and let his cup lie next to his twin’s.

“Dante. There is something I wish to understand.” The blue twin said as he let himself come to rest against the cushions as well.

“Okay ?” His brother answered and he stiffened visibly.

“You have always stayed here, in the human world. How is it that you are not more familiar with other kinds of human food ?” The older half-devil asked, feeling deeply perplexed.

“Ah. I guess it’s a fair question… but I’m not sure what to tell you.” Dante mumbled and his hands came to rub at his face in an unexpected sign of nervousness.

Vergil looked at him and waited, his brother seemed to be searching for his words.

“I always liked it a lot. Mom used to make us pizza sometimes and I was always so happy when she did that… “ His twin whispered and his voice was hoarse.

“Then when the house burned down and Mom and you were gone … I… I was all alone and I-I guessed it brought me comfort to eat it again. It felt like… home … and I didn’t want to eat anything else and lose that feeling.” Dante murmured and there was the lightest tremor in his hands.

“I… understand.” Vergil told him and it was true. He knew that bone deep longing and pain.

His brother visibly relaxed next to him, sprawled bonelessly.

“I often find myself missing her. Even after all these years.” The blue added in the comfortable silence.

“Yeah, so am I. I miss Dad too…” Dante mumbled and they just kept sitting on the couch for a moment, thinking back to distant times.

Vergil was lost in his thoughts until he picked up on a change in his twin’s breathing after a while.

He glanced to the side and saw that Dante had already fallen asleep, too many bad nights leaving him tired, even if that soft fool was trying to hide it.

The blue huffed softly and picked his twin’s little book up. He would stay here, just in case another nightmare would come to disturb his sibling’s rest.

Now that he had his hands on that mysterious restaurant guide, he would study it.

Dante had chosen pasta for tonight. The next meal would be of his own choosing.

After all, he was home now.