Dance With The Devil

"This is what it means to be held

How it feels, when the sacred is torn from your life

And you survive"

~Natalie Grant-Held~

Vergil looked down on Dante, who was kneeling on the floor from where Nero was laying prone and still, his face looked wan from all the stress he'd undergone. Dante stood in one fluid motion and returned Nero to the couch before turning to face Vergil. "Vergil what's your deal? Why didn't you catch him?" Dante said, his blue eyes lightening to match Vergil's winter ones. For the first time in his life Vergil looked away from Dante before he spoke "I… have no right to do such a thing…, I am his father yes but I have not raised the boy or anything, we are strangers to one another and strangers do not act with such familiarity." Looking at his brother Dante saw that even though his voice had not changed, there was the undertone of something that wasn't there before.

Choosing his words carefully, he made sure to articulate them. "Vergil a stranger would stop someone from falling and everyone starts out as virtual strangers and then you build up from that into something more." Dante was pleased to see Vergil looking him in the eyes again. "Thank you Dante, I appreciate what you've said. Could you watch Nero, I need to go out for a while." Dante nodded his head in acceptance before sauntering back to his desk.

Vergil walked along the crowded sidewalks, one of many pedestrians braving the wrath of Jack Frost. He pulled his jacket closer to him, hands stuffed into his jacket pockets unusual for him since he hated the stance, he supposed he could lower himself for a while, it was too fucking cold to be a 'rigid prick,' as Dante often called him. Feeling his eyes sting from the sharp icy winds he removed the sunglasses he kept in an out of sight pocket, smoothly sliding them across his eyes, he continued walking feeling cold inside and out.

Sighing Dante ran a hand through already messy hair. Glancing over at Nero he could see that the kid would be out of it for a while. He could understand why Nero would faint, hell anyone would have swayed at the bombshell that was unfairly dropped upon him. Sneezing Dante swiped a hand across his nose before walking to check the thermostat. He cursed when he saw the heat wasn't even working, maybe he should have looked at buying a house or an apartment that a least wasn't subzero temperatures. "Hmm I bet a bottle of Jack and a nap would warm me real nice, right kid?" He wasn't exactly expecting an answer and wasn't surprised when he didn't receive one. Pulling his beloved crimson coat from the back of his chair he grabbed his wallet and had one hand on the door before he stopped looking back at the kid. "Awww hell I can't just leave you here by yourself these damn doors don't lock and even if they did I ain't got any key for them." At the risk of bodily harm and being called a pedophile by Nero he heaved the kid over his shoulder into a fireman carry and brought him up to the room he was in before. Laying Nero on the bed he draped covers over him and left him where he would be somewhat safer and be warm.

Nero knew he was dreaming, how else would he be in Fortuna and the size of a four year old again. Glad he was the practical type who could recognize fiction from non-fiction, or a better term would be past from present. He tried to look to the left and move and found that he couldn't. Growling to himself in his head he cursed the fact that he had no control in this dream, he was just another member of the audience. Sighing once more to himself he thought that he might as well enjoy the ride and just coast along.

He paid attention to what he was doing and saw that he; well little he was running along a dirt pathway his short legs pumping as his breath in and out. Still going he saw that he was fast approaching a house his house in fact the one he shared with his mother the first few years of his life. He felt his heart lurch when he saw her. He couldn't get over the fact that she looked just as he remembered. She wasn't a beauty or supermodel glamorous. She had even features he got the shape of his eyes from her he was told. Her eyes a warm grey stood out startlingly against the black frames of her glasses and her dark brown hair was pulled into a ponytail away from her face so it wouldn't bother her while she worked.

She never had an actual job he recalled asking her once why, and she had told him that because his father had left them money to live comfortably. She did like to work with her hands though. He could always find her with hands in soil or painting something on the canvas or drawing with charcoal. She loved to get messy he recalled always loved to do something fun. He finally reached her, wrapping his small arms around he jean covered legs. Laughing she pulled him into her arms hugging him close to her chest. She smelled of warm earth and sweets. He couldn't hear the words that they were saying to one another but whatever was said was ended when she started to tickle him and he laughing like a wild child ran from her to the back of the house towards the garden where they would play till the sky turned a deep crimson and the cold and hunger pains would drive them into the house. There they would continue happy and safe in their little world to love one another unconditionally and away from the prying eyes of the religious fanatics of Fortuna. As the dream continued on Nero sleepily thought to wonder why his loving mother would want to live in Fortuna, it might have been beautiful but it was as cold as Capulet with the people that lived they're tainting it with they're fanaticism for Sparda.

Author's Note: Hello, sorry for not updating like I said I would. My computer broke and I am now looking for a place to upload it. I didn't really like this chapter all that much its way to short. I the original is on my broken computer. When I do get the chance to update again I will make the chapter longer. If anyone has any questions feel free to message me about them. Also could someone tell me how to fix my formatting, I hate that the story comes out looking so weird.