Metempsychosis

Chapter 6

From Chapter 5…

It did, however, take him aback at the time, that the form Nero's demonic aura took had a slight resemblance to Nelo Angelo. They weren't completely alike, but there was enough of a resemblance there that he had thought it was Nelo Angelo at first glance. But there was no need to freak Nero out even more with this bit of information. The kid looked ready to drop at the slightest thing already.

Instead, Dante merely added, "He probably just helped you awaken your Devil to get you out of that situation as well as to get back Yamato."

"Gee… that's real comforting."

"Kid, that's what I'd consider very comforting since it is Vergil who we're talking about."

And that, was probably the least reassuring thing Nero had heard ever since learning about Vergil's presence in his body.

If Vergil only aided him for his own, self-serving purposes, he was going to be in very deep shit once Vergil decided not to "play nice" anymore.

A few days had passed since Dante's revelation that Vergil had aided Nero in Devil Triggering for the first time. Trish's research, with Kyrie's aid, had garnered some results. The downside to using said results was that the spell was quite a complicated one.

Firstly, as a potion had to be brewed for the spell, it required ingredients and components that weren't so easily obtainable. Secondly, the time required to brew the potion correctly would take a month – time which they didn't have, because nobody knew how long more Vergil would continue being dormant. Gut instinct told him that they didn't have much more time to waste.

From Dante's observations of Nero however, it was becoming increasingly clear that Nero's strange, inexplicable fatigue over the past few days had to be because of Vergil. He had no idea what his twin was doing to Nero to sap the kid of his energy so badly, but to Dante, Nero's tiredness signaled that the time Vergil was going to make his debut – so to speak – would be drawing near soon.

Which led him to consider one aspect of the spell that Trish had shared with him, and only him. Trish had told Nero and Lady that the spell would remove Vergil's spirit from his body, and both Dante and Trish could tell that Nero thought it meant drawing out Vergil's spirit. Lady, to her credit, seemed to sense that there was something more to the spell, judging by her slightly skeptical expression. But she had said nothing, thankfully.

Certainly, the spell would draw out Vergil's spirit. But upon completion, it would also destroy Vergil, yet, frustratingly, the spell was useless if it was incomplete. Meaning that Vergil's spirit would just return to its original host if the spell were not properly concluded.

That was the dilemma that Dante was thrown into.

As much as Dante had tried to squash it flat and dead multiple times over the course of many, many years, there was still a small part of him that dearly wanted his elder twin back. That part of him continued to hope against hope that Vergil's reappearance this time would not be a bad thing despite what history dictated. There was also the fact that, to Dante, if there was no other choice and Vergil had to die, he would rather Vergil go in a manner befitting the proud swordsman that his brother was (such as in a fair fight to the death) and not as a result of the spell.

Trish knew that when it came to Vergil, it was best to let him decide before anyone else made a move, and Dante appreciated her letting him, and only him, know. She had also suggested that although it would take time for the spell to be ready, they should still proceed with it just in case. As soon as Dante gave the go ahead, that is. The other thing she'd suggested was to have him tell Nero personally about the true effects of the spell so that the two of them could have a proper discussion over this matter.

Sometimes, Dante wished that female-kind didn't have to make so much sense all the time.

But he had to talk to Nero about this. It was the kid's life Vergil was affecting the most. Much as he rather defeat Vergil properly in a duel, Dante couldn't do that when Vergil was using Nero as a host. Dante also rather doubted that Vergil would bail this time even if the kid's body was giving out. If Vergil couldn't win, then he'd probably drag the kid along with him just to give Dante one hell of a guilt trip in the process.

If sufficiently cornered, Vergil would fight to the bitter end, fight until he drew his last breath; his notion of honor would not allow him to surrender when there were no more options left. That, however, did not mean that Vergil cared about collateral damage, and Dante knew that Vergil wasn't above using psychological tactics to count as a form of victory. Vergil would drag Nero to Death's door and beyond with him if death was the only end waiting for him, even if Vergil would very likely have preferred to drag Dante down instead.

It didn't quite explain why Vergil hadn't tried to do exactly that, eleven years ago, but Dante chalked it up to it being one of the things that he still could not understand about his twin. (He refused to give in to the hope that there could be other, more sentimental reasons for what happened eleven years ago.) Regardless, what he did understand about his twin was enough for him to know that if he could not be sure that Vergil did not have malevolent intentions for his return, then…

Vergil could not be permitted to live.

"Kid, I need to have a talk with you," Dante announced matter-of-factly the second Nero stepped into the small, mostly unused kitchen.

Nero blinked, trying to clear the fog in his mind. His fatigue was getting worse each day, and it was getting harder and harder to concentrate on things for any decent amount of time. He heard Dante, but his brain was taking quite some time to process exactly what Dante was saying.

"Huh? Talk? Oh right… okay…"

It was probably a really bad sign even to himself that he didn't even consider snapping at Dante for not using his name, even though he'd known for a while now that it was mostly a useless endeavor even if he did snap at the older hunter.

"It's about the spell that will remove Vergil's spirit from your body."

"What about it?"

"Trish didn't tell you everything about it. It's not just a removal spell. When the spell is completed, it will also destroy Vergil."

Usually, Nero had no qualms about killing a demon that was clearly out to harm innocents. But he realized now that the demon in question was Dante's twin brother. He couldn't fathom having to kill his own family, which in his case would be Kyrie since he was an orphan and Credo was gone too. Nero didn't know whether the talk of twins being psychologically linked and each being each other's "other half" held any merit, but it definitely wasn't going to be an easy task to have to kill the other.

"…this is not going to be easy for you, isn't it?"

"From your interaction with Vergil, I'm already sure he isn't borrowing your body to come and have tea and cupcakes with us. If he's plotting something bad, he has to be stopped. Even if that means killing him… I'm prepared to do it. I will do it."

Nero could see that Dante was serious about this. He would kill his twin if it came down to it. But there was a lingering reluctance in doing that deed; Nero could detect that in the way Dante had spoken. Despite their history, Nero suspected that Dante still wished that he didn't have to be pitted against his elder twin. Perhaps if someone else could deal the finishing blow…

"There is… another matter," Dante started, derailing Nero's train of thought, and then paused. "Vergil had always been a person who took pride and honor very seriously."

Nero blinked at the sudden change in topic. Or at least it felt like a change in topic. True, his mental faculties still definitely weren't firing on all cylinders right now, but there had to be a point to why Dante was suddenly talking about Vergil's character of all things.

"If you were Vergil, what would be your most preferred way of dying?"

"…is this meant to be some kind of a trick question, Dante?"

"Just answer me, Nero."

It was slightly startling to hear Dante finally use his name after so long, but it spoke volumes about just how seriously Dante was in wanting to hear his honest answer. So Nero forced his sluggish brain to start working again so that he could give the other man a properly thought-out answer.

People who took pride and honor seriously… would probably loathe sneak attacks and other stealth tactics when it came down to fighting a worthy opponent.

"A straight fight, with no dirty tricks…"

"Yes."

As Dante paused again, Nero's mind seemed to be working at a faster rate now and he was able to piece together part of what Dante hadn't said. Or perhaps had difficulty stating.

"You want to fight Vergil normally, right? But the spell… it won't allow that. Am I right?"

"That you are," Dante sighed. "This is just… I guess you could call it a personal preference. Regardless of his actions, Vergil always prided himself on his honor and code – questionable as they may be – and followed them to the letter…"

"Is there a middle ground?" Nero asked. "Is there some way to just remove Vergil's spirit from me?"

"Unfortunately, no. This spell is useless if it's incomplete. The spell will destroy Vergil after removing him from you, but if it isn't done to completion, then nothing will happen." Dante paused then before heaving a sigh. "Hell, I don't even know why I decided to tell you all of this."

Dante was tired. More tired than he'd ever felt even when dealing with demons and devils after him just because he was the Dark Knight's, Sparda's, son. Nothing could ever compare to having to face his blood brother again, regardless of the guise Vergil would be in this time. Perhaps it was also because he would be facing Vergil in Nero's body, if it came down to that. Nero was a very good friend and thus made it all the more personal if the fact that he was going to fight to kill his twin brother wasn't personal enough already.

He honestly did not want to do it yet again, and that was probably messing up his thinking. Letting Nero know the truth about the spell was one thing, but perhaps he had made a mistake in letting the kid know about how Dante himself felt about the spell.

"Dante, look, I… I think I kind of get it," Nero said. "Don't interrupt me. I might not have a twin brother, or even a brother tied to me by blood but… Well, Credo was for the longest time like my elder brother and I know I'd do anything and everything to save him without needing to kill him. And, and if I had no choice but to kill him, I'd do my best to do right by him, to do it right. I know you said that I don't stand a chance against Vergil in a mental match of wills, but I swear I'll try. Then maybe you can find another way to remove Vergil without using this spell."

Seeing how earnest Nero was kind of took Dante's breath away. He hadn't really expected anyone to understand his stance on Vergil. It figured the kid would be the one to surprise him on this aspect when, truly, they didn't know each other all that well nor for a very long period of time. There wasn't really much else that he could say to that declaration.

"Thanks, Nero."

Nero gave him a slight smile. "Don't thank me yet. There's something else that I have to tell you. Don't think you'll like this bit."

"I'm sure I've heard shittier things before. Spill."

"Fine. Okay, Dante, if… if I do lose control over my body despite my best efforts, I don't want you to hold back when dealing with Vergil," Nero said seriously. "I don't want my body to be used as a tool to hurt any innocents again, so you'll have to stop me. Besides, it's not like we haven't fought before."

Nero hoped that if he assured Dante that he wouldn't blame the elder hunter for injuring him, it would allay at least one more thing on Dante's mind. It had to be hard enough to handle finding out his long-thought dead brother was alive and out for revenge.

Dante managed a wry smile at Nero's last line. Guess the kid never really got that the two times they'd fought in Fortuna, he hadn't exactly been serious. Both times, he had been either toying with Nero or testing him out. With Vergil, however, Dante had learned the hard way that "playing" was the worst thing to do. So he couldn't hold back, but he would have to check himself from outright killing Nero – by accident.

The kid was hardy. Anyone with the blood of his old man in them would be. But chances were that Nero's body would not be able to handle the level of abuse Dante knew he himself could take. And by that extension, the level of abuse that Vergil's original body could take. So it was an inherent fear of Dante's that he would overestimate Nero's body's capabilities when he was in the mindset of facing off against Vergil.

"Promise me that, Dante."

"…yeah. Don't worry, I'll stop Vergil."

Over the next few days, Dante continued observing Nero. Despite the kid's words and despite telling Trish to try looking into other spells (he still gave her the go ahead to start on the original spell, though), watching Nero continue being visibly and mysteriously tired every day was not making him very hopeful. Vergil was doing something, he was sure. But whatever it was, he couldn't say. Nero was maintaining that he'd slept through the night and hadn't had any more encounters with Vergil in his subconscious, but Dante's unease was not abating.

This particular weekend morning, Patty had come over and the place was a little crowded, what with Lady and Trish also present. Over the years, Patty's visits had dwindled from daily to around thrice to twice weekly during term time, and when school was off, she'd be over a little more frequently. Dante attributed the reduced visiting frequency to having found her only surviving family, her mother, and quite understandably, she would want to spend time with her mother. Dante knew that if he were in her shoes, he'd be hard pressed to even want to be out of the same room as his mother. He probably wouldn't ever admit it, but he was touched that he'd apparently left such a big impact on Patty that she would still make an effort to be around him even after everything had happened.

Whenever Patty showed up though, she still helped in cleaning out his office and lately, she'd been really quite eager to hang out around Nero. Through his eyes, Patty seemed to be more than a little fascinated with Nero… which wasn't a very good thing right now. Having long since learned to trust his gut instinct, Dante decided that it would be sooner rather than later that he enforced the ban on Patty visiting the Devil May Cry.

He was coming down the stairs to the main office when he felt Nero's aura suddenly become chaotic. Then Nero stiffened for a second before he hunched over, both his hands clutching his head, fingers clenching hard in his hair. Trish and Lady were starting towards Nero, but Patty was the one right next to Nero on the couch.

"Patty! Move away from Nero, now!" he commanded, even as he took the last few steps at demonic speed to close the distance between him and Nero.

Patty hesitated for a second, looking at Nero, but thankfully she obeyed him without protest. As she quickly ran to the other end of the room, Lady reversed directions to go and stand slightly in front of Patty, looking ready to defend the younger girl should anything happen. Dante was grateful for Lady's quick analysis of the situation. That left him and Trish within immediate striking distance of Nero.

By this time, Nero was gasping and sweat was rapidly forming on his brows. He could tell that Nero was fighting it… fighting Vergil most likely. Perhaps because of that conversation he had with Nero, he decided to wait. Just a little longer.

No sooner than that thought crossed his mind, Nero's aura flared wildly and in an instant, he had Triggered, destroying the couch that he was on as he crumpled to the ground. Most distressing was the fact that Dante could now feel a separate, but all too familiar aura intermingled with Nero's and it felt more… dominant. Before Dante could do anything though, as if a switch had been flicked, the Trigger disappeared and then Nero began to scream. A horrible, spine-chilling sound forced out from what had to be pure torture.

"Lady! Get Patty out of here now!" Dante yelled. "Patty, remember what I told you before? From today, you're not to come back here or find me until I tell you it's okay. Got it?"

Lady gave him a terse nod, and began hustling a rather frightened, but still worried-looking Patty towards the exit. Patty looked at him and for a second, Dante almost thought she was going to run over to hug him, but then the girl merely nodded in understanding.

"Be careful, Dante! Trish!"

"We'll be fine," Trish reassured her.

"Go, now!" he added.

Then Patty was out of the main doors with Lady. Good.

Now… Now, he could only wait.

So... it's been around 2 years since I last updated this... Oops? Writer's block, new fandoms and university life added up, but well... at least it's out now? Strangely enough, I'm always most productive fanfic-wise when exams are near (because everything else but revision is more interesting)... Sorry for ending on another cliffhanger when talking is what was mostly happening here, especially when I'm not going to, and quite rightly can't make any promises about the next update. But it was still the most appropriate place to end the chapter.

Also, I've made a minor edit to chapter 4, in which the time frame for when Nero got his Devil Bringer was changed. In short, he got it shortly before DMC4 happened. Made the change after rewatching the DMC4 cutscenes and realized that he wasn't very proficient with using the Devil Bringer at the start of the game... which also prompted me to revist this fic and complete this chapter. So yay for exam-time procrastination?

Hope you've enjoyed it!

carzla