Chapter 27

Nero sat on the bench, alone, watching the sun set beyond the ocean horizon. It was a beautiful evening. Perfect for taking a much needed sabbatical from the pressures of the last week. It was the first time since coming home that the youth had gotten a break from chaos. Now that the threat of the vampire overtaking was dispelled, Nero was intent on enjoying his solitude.

He sighed, remembering how glad he'd been to return to Fortuna after his visit to Constantine. His first stop had – of course – been to see Kyrie. They'd been able to steal only a few emotional minutes before duty had parted them.

After ensuring that his beloved was safe, the young knight made his way to headquarters to update Captain Balwin of the current situation. Lady had been there, too. She had arrogantly informed Nero of her ability to drive back most of the leeches from the city limits. But he was pleased to hear that a few still attempted to gain advantage.

Nero let Balwin handle the politics of notifying the surrounding towns and responsibility of organizing an offense while he went off alone to hunt the bloodsuckers. The decision was accepted with only a bit of thought given to protocol. Nero's suspension was revoked, and he was given a standard issue sword to use until such time as he could repair Red Queen.

After offering Nero assistance, and being assured it wasn't needed, Lady returned to Capulet City to help Dante organize a plan of attack. Between her, the hunter, Trish and Vergil, the vampires didn't stand a chance.

Leaning back on the seat, Nero let out a contented sigh. He closed his eyes and enjoyed the soft caress of the wind on his face. Port Caerula was the only place Nero felt truly at home. It was here that his mind was relieved of all worry, that he felt like he really belonged.

"There's a exonerating quality to the dusk, don't you think?"

Nero turned and looked at Vergil. The other man was gazing at the sunset with a nostalgic expression of contentment. The youth felt unexpectedly accepting of the intrusion and scooted over to offer Vergil room to sit down.

"How's that new sword working for you?" Nero asked as Vergil agreed to the request.

The elder man grinned at Alastor as he placed the double-edged blade across his lap. "Well," he answered. "I was impressed with Dante's choice. I'd expected something a bit more disagreeable."

Nero smiled. He had a feeling that Dante's act of bestowing Vergil with a powerful blade like Alastor was the hunter's way of showing trust in his brother's judgment. He also had the idea that Vergil was more flattered by the gift than he was willing to express.

"Speaking of swords," Vergil said as he handed Nero a small, unadorned suitcase, "this should be sufficient in repairing yours."

Nero took the case with a bemused countenance. Upon opening it, his expression quickly became one of awe. He picked up one of the wrapped stacks of bills and fanned them. Given the amount of each bill, the sum of each stack and the number of stacks, he deduced that the suitcase contained a quarter of a million dollars. That was ten times what he needed for parts to fix Red Queen.

"Where did you get all this money?" he questioned.

Vergil's face betrayed nothing more than it's customary secretive visage. "I called in a favor."

"Oh," Nero mused, with a quick chuckle of understanding. "This is what you wanted in return for helping Abigail destroy the vampire lord."

"I wasn't my first choice," Vergil said. "But it seemed the most fitting."

Nero closed the case. He held it out to Vergil. "Thanks. But I can't take it."

The other man made no move to take the object back. "I don't understand why not."

The young knight shook his head. His mouth opened but he was unsure of what excuse to give. As their eyes met, Nero noticed sincerity in Vergil's gaze.

"The money is yours, Nero. You earned it. And, more importantly, it's owed to you."

"I don't need your money," Nero stated in a heartfelt tone.

"It's not a matter of necessity."

The young man lowered the case, along with his eyes. He felt an odd mixture of emotions, both at Vergil's presence and at his uncharacteristic kind sentiment. Nevertheless, he managed to keep an even tone when he spoke. "You feel like you gotta make up for not being around?"

Vergil remained silent.

"Cause I get it," Nero continued. "I'm fine. I mean, you know – It's fine."

After another minute of silence, Vergil laughed. Not humorously or condescendingly, but morosely. "Fine," he repeated. "If there's one thing I learned from my time under Mundus' control, it's that there are far worse things than death. That lesson was reiterated to me daily during my time in purgatory, where I was left with nothing but the memories of every contemptible action I'd ever committed and faced with there painful consequences." He looked at Nero. There was indescribable pain in his eyes as he shook his head. "That is not, by any definition, fine."

Nero wanted to say something, but was ultimately mute. As he strove to think of some phrase to speak, Vergil regained his former composer.

"If you don't want the money, don't keep it. Give it away. Burn it. Do whatever you please with it. But I'll not take it back."

Taking a deep breath, the young man nodded. He sat the suitcase at his feet, deciding to keep it. "Thanks," he said.

"You're welcome."

Nero sat back and turned his eyes to the ever darkening sky. "How long are you planing on staying in Fortuna?"

Vergil shifted his weight, also staring at the horizon. "I haven't decided. I suppose it would be prudent to stay. My father dwelt here for a time, and Fortuna does appeal to me. But," he added with a sigh, "to immerse myself in a society that worships Sparda for something he wasn't seems...illogical."

Nero chuckled. "Yeah, I guess so."

The last ray of the sun's light gave way to a clear, navy sky as Nero and Vergil gazed upon the twinkling of the first star. For the first time in a long time, Nero knew who he really was. Despite the confusion and often feudal nature of his bloodline, he was content with life and the variety of options available to him. The power to decide his own destiny was one he would savor.

Nero smiled and decided to allow himself a few more moments with Vergil before going home to Kyrie.