#v'sapocrypha

Chapter Thirty-Eight:

Note: AH! I’m so sorry, but this chapter is going to be a few hours late! Sorry about that. I woke up today with a spinning headache, so I called off work and decided to take something for my head and take a short nap. And i woke up five hours later. And I hadn’t started today’s chapter yet because I fell asleep at my computer last night doing god knows what. FORGIVE ME! (-~-)

Sunday, August 25th, 2:15 am

The once quiet seaside town that they had visited only a few weeks ago was in complete and total disarray. Several structures had collapsed as a result of the vibration caused by the cave-in, and a fire had broken out a few blocks away. Swarms of people had filled the city streets in a panicked and ineffective bid to escape the seemingly doomed area before it fell to the ground in a heap of ash and rubble. Where those on foot were headed was anyone’s guess since the train station was still under construction due to the cultist attack that had nearly taken the lives of dozens of innocent bystanders, and most didn’t seem keen to allow strangers into their vehicles. Firetrucks and other assorted service vehicles were headed towards the city center, their intention to save as many people from the disaster clear for all to see. 

All in all, a stark and somewhat jarring departure for the serene scene they’d left behind only a few short weeks ago.

With an almost disbelieving shake of his head, Dante turned in the direction of his twin. The eldest of the two was standing alongside him, seemingly understanding what was going on better than he was, but no less taken aback by the rapid collapse of the settlement they currently stood in. It had taken them less than five minutes to arrive at this location after realizing that going directly into the conduit’s cave was virtually impossible due to some unseen barrier that seemed to be blocking their path. Although Dante had not seen Vergil fail to open a portal before, he didn’t need to ask his brother if that was a normal occurrence. If the somewhat befuddled look on his face had been anything to go by, it clearly wasn’t. So with no other options available to them, they had retreated to the relative safety and ease of access that the city provided them, intent on simply entering the structure the same what that they had originally. But now those plans seemed highly improbable and the likelihood of them being able to execute them as planned was distant, to say the least.

“So, any idea why like half of the city is on fire, Vergil?” Dante said with a thick layer of barely concealed confusion. It was far from the first time he’d seen a city burning, but from what he could tell, this didn’t have anything to do with a demonic attack. It occurred to him at that moment how strange it was that he immediately attributed large scale disasters to demonic activity and not a natural disaster of some sort, but that was simply the world he lived in. All of his assumptions were based on experience and inexperience in equal measure, and it was admittedly strange to see a city leveled by something that wasn’t strictly demonic. But while the irony of that wasn’t lost on him, a certain question still lingered in his mind.

How had this happened in the first place?

The obvious answer was that Belial had done this somehow. After all, the timing of the two events and the locations involved couldn’t be coincidental. But the question that lingered in his mind was how had a demon managed to level an entire area without stepping foot into the human world? The number of explosives that would be needed by his cultists would have certainly set the entire adjoining forest alight, and the only thing on fire around them was downtown. Add to that the fact that Dante was somewhat certain that what remained of the cult either had been or would be exterminated by their leader, and you had a total juxtaposition of situations that didn’t strictly strike the youngest of the Dark Knight Sparda’s twin sons as possible or impossible simultaneously. It was all simply a bit surreal.

Vergil shifted slightly, taking in the litany of sights before him. In a situation like this, it was best to beat the authorities to the sight of the disaster of they still could, but he wasn’t sure how they could find the conduit from the ground level on foot before the local military decided to stumble their way into the forest. He combed the inner recesses of his mind, contemplating their options. He didn’t particularly like any of them, but it was still far from the worst outcome that this scenario could produce.

“... I can’t say. But we have more pressing matters to deal with,” Vergil said, turning and facing away from the street towards a nearby alley.” If we are to have any hope of reaching the conduit before they do, were going to have to go in from above. I am not in the mood to contend with armed military personnel tonight. This is a new shirt.”

Dante raised an eyebrow, following after his twin. While the prospect of being seen wasn’t ideal, and they would probably have to fly further out of the way as a result, it was still the quickest way of getting there since Yamato was out of the question. But they were going to have to be quick about it. An armed response couldn’t be far off.

“Wait, when did you buy a new shirt?” Dante asked as it occurred to him that his older brother had just mentioned wearing one. From what he could tell, that was true, he was in fact, wearing a new dark blue dress shirt of some sort that seemed to be made of a silk-like material. In fact, knowing Vergil’s exacting taste in literally everything, Dante was willing to guess that that was exactly what it was made out of. He just hadn’t noticed it until now due to the fact that both of them tended to wear multiple layers of clothing at all times. Hell, all of them did. But he couldn’t recall Vergil mentioning that he’d gone shopping at any point, well, ever. It was far from the most important thing going on at the moment, but he was still curious.

The Darkslayer shot his twin a look of slightly flabbergasted disbelief as he continued forward, stopping when he was certain that they were out of the line of sight of most of the locals. It was beyond him to try and comprehend why his younger twin cared about that with everything going on, but he still just didn’t get it. Why was he like this? Why had he always been like this?

“Magnolia purchased it. She insisted upon doing so when I visited her last week. She forced me to go shopping with her in an attempt to prevent me from hovering over V during his recovery, at least according to her.” Vergil crisscrossed Yamato through the air, this time leading to a portal opening. He let out a vague sigh of satisfaction, pleased that this time his destination seemed to be assessable. He’d never experienced such an unnerving phenomenon before, and the devil slayer in blue had no intention of doing so.” Come. We have somewhere else to be.”

Vergil stepped through the portal, signaling his urgency to Dante as he left him barely enough time to slip through after him before the portal closed. As soon as they exited the gateway, Dante took a moment to look around to try and regain some semblance of familiarity in regards to this new location. After a moment, he realized where they were. Just ahead of them was the cave entrance, or at least what remained of it. 

The blackness that had resided deeper into the structure bellowed outward like a tidal wave of putrid, all-encompassing smog, threatening to envelop the entire area. There was a definite change in the atmosphere that they found themselves in, something more primordial and malevolent. It was as though something had been unleashed in this place; some unknown seal broken. The twins looked at one another, seemingly coming to the same conclusion before activating their devil trigger forms and lurching forward into the sky.

Around the for several miles in either direction was the inky blackness that bellowed out of the remains of the conduit, snaking out in either direction like some sort of demonic tentacle monster comprised of smoke and fog. In a way, it reminded the youngest Son of Sparda of the roots of the Qliphoth, grasping and reaching out in every direction simultaneously as though it were searching for something. It was an unsettling sight, to say the least. Dante shook his head as the two of them plummeted downwards towards the center of the mass, Vergil seemingly knowing more about this than he was alluding to.

“I didn’t know that cave was keeping all of this in it. Do they do normally do this kinda thing?” Dante said hesitantly as they approached the gaping wound that the cave-in had left in the ground below. It was as though a small lake had caved in and left a massive, jagged structure in the middle. Another unintentional yet morbid reminder of what was left of Redgrave City now that the Qliphoth had been destroyed.

With a slight furrowing of his brow, Vergil responded, clearly displeased by what he saw.” In truth, I’ve only heard whispers of what happens when a conduit goes critical like this. Try as they might, there is no way to stop this. At least this time the damage will be less widespread since there are no nearby cities. And most of the region seems to be evacuating.”

As they descended into the darkness before them and attempted to find a place to land that wasn’t mostly obscured by darkness, broken trees, or rubble, Dante mulled over his brother’s statement. What did he mean by “this time”? Was this not the end of the damage? “This isn’t over, is it? What, is this thing gonna blow up or something?”

The moment they both landed in front of the conduit, the structure shuttered viciously, sufficiently knocking them both off of their feet. They returned to their human forms as they made impact with the ground below them, nearly falling into the putrid black liquid below them. With a shared barely audible groan of discomfort, they both brushed themselves off and clambered to their feet, warily eyeing the imposing monolith in front of them.

For a moment, Vergil didn’t speak. He simply gazed upon the structure, not accustomed to standing this close to something so volatile and primordial. During their initial journey to rescue V, the eldest Son of Sparda had never been afforded such an up-close and personal encounter with the conduit, but now that he was closer to it, he wished that he was anything but. The structure radiated a certain unmistakable aura that he was all too familiar with, and it brought back memories that he would prefer to permanently forget if given the opportunity. This had most certainly been Belial’s handiwork, of that there were no doubts on his part. But that didn’t mean that he understood how it had come to pass. The devil slayer in blue closed his eyes for a moment before turning to face Dante, not at all pleased with the outcome this was going to initiate.

“Yes. Absolutely.” Vergil said, the level of certainty in his voice was far from comforting considering the subject matter that they were discussing. There was a grim, unwavering quality to the way that he spoke those two simple words that made the hair on the back of Dante’s neck stand up as he gazed upon the structure in front of them. There was no stopping this thing. He didn’t even need to ask. The calm, almost relaxed demeanor that radiated off of his older twin spoke volumes. He’d accepted that things had just blown wildly out of proportion, far out of their realm of conceivable control.

Well… that’s not good. Guess you’re not gonna get a follow-up date with Magnolia anytime soon.” Dante said as another tremor echoed through the cavern, the cave becoming more and more unstable by the second.

Vergil shot Dante a somewhat livid look, clearly displeased with him. Dante resisted the urge to smile in spite of it all. Nothing about this situation was positive, aside from the embarrassment that Dante knew that his brother was concealing beneath his barely justified rage. It didn’t matter if it was a date to him or not, Vergil was going to be livid either way and he knew that the moment his lips had allowed those words to slip through them.

“It was not a date, Dante.” Vergil said through clenched teeth, letting out an irritated sigh.” We need to go.”

Dante shook his head slightly, allowing the barest form of a smirk to spread across his face.“Yea. Uh-huh. Sure, Vergil. I’m sure it wasn’t. Just keep tellin’ yourself that.”

The Darkslayer in blue unsheathed Yamato, extending towards Dante in a movement so smooth and sudden that Dante was genuinely taken aback by it. He allowed the blade to linger there for a moment, giving his younger brother a stern look of something akin to disgust before the younger of the two raised his hands in a halting gesture, signaling that he was done talking. Vergil then withdrew the blade and cut another cross-section in the air, this time more aggressively than before. The devil hunter in red got the idea that his older twin was repurposing the same motions that he’d like to do to him, but he wasn’t keen to find out. A lifetime of pushing Vergil’s buttons had taught Dante when he was dangerously close to being impaled by his brother, and his instincts told him that it was probably best to leave things be before he found himself in the possession of an extensive dry cleaning bill.

“Not another word, or I will leave you here. That I promise you, brother.” Vergil said, returning Yamato to its sheath with one graceful swing. He then stepped forward and into the portal, allowing his younger twin to follow close behind. As soon as he was out of earshot, Dante chuckled to himself as he gave the conduit a final glance and stepped through the portal, not at all surprised by his identical twin’s threat. Vergil clearly didn’t like discussing private matters, and even though Dante doubted that they had actually gone on a date, he knew that his brother would react the same way regardless. At the end of the day, Vergil was a solitary creature who didn’t enjoy others meddling in his personal affairs. But at least if they were seeing one another, Dante could finally put one question he’d always had about his older twin to rest. It seemed that friend or otherwise, Vergil possessed a predilection towards beautiful, fierce women. That was one of the few things they seemed to have in common. 

Dante couldn’t help but wonder what V and Nero’s mothers were like...

(-~-)

Sunday, August 25th, 4:30 am

“If I was willing to make a guess, I’d say the gas main probably ruptured due to the collapse of one of the buildings, and some exposed electrical wiring probably did the rest. But I’m not a civic engineer, so I can’t add anything more to the conversation. Anyway, we will be closely monitoring the situation to see if things approved in either Capulet or-”

A burst of static freed the shorter-haired man from the bleak reality of the news they’d just received, allowing them a moment to think. Nero glanced over at V, quietly cursing himself for bringing the portable radio that he’d found in the van into the house as his older sibling leaned over and silently turned the volume down, leaving it barely audible. He didn’t need to hear anything else, and Nero didn’t really disagree with the prospect of not listening to the reposts that were flooding in from both cities. Another demonic attack, and a cave-in. It didn’t take a mental giant to put together the fact that this might have something to do with the cult or the demon that they worshiped.

For almost a minute, they sat in near silence in front of the fireplace, reflecting on how something like this had happened. Everything had been just fine a few hours ago. What had changed so drastically in the short time that they’d been away from everyone else tending to V’s new dwelling? Was it that difficult for this region to go more than a week at a time without a catastrophic accident of some kind? V glanced up at Nero, his eyes traveling over towards the fireplace for a moment before he spoke.” … I did this, didn’t I? When I talked you both into going down there. I can just feel it.” He turned his attention towards the radio, fiddling with his sleeves for a moment as he considered the possible scope of his actions. There had been no way of knowing, but still. “I shouldn’t… throwing that cultist into the conduit was a terrible mistake. I just knew somehow.”

Nero shook his head, but there was a part of him that understood what he meant. It was not V’s fault that this attack had occurred, but the conduit acting like this after spending so long dormant underground did seem like fortuitous timing. But to totally blame himself for something like this didn’t seem fair. That wasn’t to say that he was surprised by this turn of events, but he still didn’t agree with the sentiments that V felt towards this situation. Was it simply his nature to respond to situations out of his control that involved innocent people being harmed by blaming himself?

“Look, this isn’t you’re-”

Before Nero could finish his statement, an unexpected sound caught their collective attention. Despite all possible logic telling them that what they’d just heard wasn’t possible, they knew better than to doubt their senses. Seemingly everything in their life was improbable. This shouldn’t’ be any different, aside from the fact that they were sitting in the living room of a basically abandoned building in the dark where no one should have known they were. That was an important factor.

And yet, in spite of it all, there was a knock at the front door.

(-~-)

Chapter Eleven: Departure

Note: I considered skipping this train ride section for pacing reasons, but I couldn't pass up the opportunity to make Vergil and V more uncomfortable than they already were. This is a quick intermission chapter because once this train arrives, it's beach time! Thanks again for the comments! This is going to be a fun few chapters!

(-~-)

It had been a relatively short time since the train had arrived, but it was now time for it to depart and head for greener pastures. With a final toot of it's horn, the heavy metal locomotive's wheels began to turn and it pulled away from the station, slowly gaining speed as it lumbered towards the tunnel at the far end of the tracks. It entered the pitch black space and barreled towards the far end, outward bound. Within the next few minutes they would be in the outskirts of town, cutting through the wooded plains that surrounded the county with a lovely view of the bay and the nearby mountains on either side of them. The oceanfront was only a few hours away, so they would be arriving just after daybreak. But before any of that happened, they needed to pass through the tunnel.

As the children peered out of the blackened windows in fascination, everyone made themselves comfortable. Lady and Trish retired to the far end of the car towards the entrance, still wrestling with their bags. Nico plopped down a few feet away from them, stretching out and relaxing. She didn't really have anything to do to pass the time, so a nap would suffice for the time being. Maybe she'd check out the snack car later on. Kyrie and Nero made sure that the children understood the limitations of what they were allowed to do on the train and then sat down, Kyrie opting to join Nico while Nero headed over to sit down next to Patty and Dante. The young blond woman was in the process of divulging some sort of complicated plot she wanted to enact once she got to the beach. Something about shopping and sunbathing. Nero couldn't be sure. He and Dante had both tuned out almost instantly.

During the on-boarding, V had made the decision that he would follow Vergil to his seat and sit with him. Setting aside the fact that basically every seat was available, aside from the ones that were currently being used to store luggage bags, Vergil had opted to sit as far away from everyone else as he could. His social battery was extremely low, second only to his eldest son. And even that was up for debate. The darkslayer needed to take a moment to collect his thoughts and compose himself. Stabbing someone to death the second the train pulled off wasn't the best way to kick off the trip, and he had the feeling that this was going to be a long day.

For now, all they could do was wait until they were able to see again and find something to do to pass the time until they reached their destination.

(-~-)

The countryside of Capulet City was a beautiful local filled with small cottages that sat in the middle of rolling green hills. The trees that bordered the crop fields on either side were lush and green, providing a perfect contrast to the snow capped mountains in the distance. They were only about an hour and a half from their destination, and not many other passengers had boarded during the quick stops that the train had made. Those that did had made their way to other cars, seemingly keying into the fact that everyone present was traveling as a group and that they'd be intruding in they came and sat in the middle of them. There were so many empty seats on the other train cars that it didn't make a difference one way or another.

Dante had long since dozed off again, leaving Nero alone with Patty. The two had met previously, but this was the first time they had actually gotten the chance to have a decent conversation. Kyrie had since joined them, sitting quietly and enjoying the beautiful view out the window next to her as she flipped through the pages of a random magazine she'd found in the food car. The children had finally run out of energy and fallen asleep, freeing up all the adults to do as they pleased as long as it was relatively quiet. It was a rare moment of relaxation and peace, and Kyrie was going to capitalize on it. After all, even when Nico and Nero were watching the children, there was always noise. It hadn't been silent like this since they'd taken them in, but she still adored the little ones and was proud of their decision to take them in. She just missed the peace and quiet they'd once had from time to time.

"So you guys grew up together and then started going out and now you have kids and stuff?! That's so cute!" Patty tried to keep her voice down, but she found the story of how Nero and Kyrie had met too cute whisper," I had so many boys at school ask me out that it's insane. Maybe I should have Dante pay them a visit sometime. Might not be worth it now, though. I graduated a couple of weeks ago. Dang it! Missed my chance at revenge!"

Kyrie smiled, glancing up from her magazine. She'd been so engrossed in it that she'd barely been paying attention, but she couldn't help but notice the last little bit of what the teen blond had said to her. She was a talkative girl, but she was very friendly.

"Oh, you're too kind, Patty! It's so nice to finally get to meet you. We've been so busy for a while now. Dealing with what happened in our home a few years ago has been rough, but I think everything is looking up now." Kyrie beamed, her face flushed from excitement and happiness," You should come by sometime for dinner! We could show you all the pretty new things they've built. I think you'd like it!"

Nero nodded in agreement, semi awake. His attention was drawn towards the back of the car where the other half of his family currently resided. V wasn't one for conversation, and neither was their father. What was he hoping to achieve by sitting with the older demon slayer? "Yea, you should totally come over sometime. Don't be surprised if the locals look at you funny, though. They aren't used to outsiders yet, but they're getting there. It's just taking a while."

Patty shook her head, folding her arms across her chest. She had an indignant but somehow silly look on her face. It was hard to tell how she actually felt about the proposition.

 "No, I don't think I'd like it, you guys," She said firmly, driving home her point. At the last second she cracked a toothy grin, holding back mischievous laughter," I'd LOVE it! I've always wanted to go to an island! I'll totally come over when we get back from this trip. It's gonna be AMAZING!"

Nero shook his head, sighing internally. Yea, Patty had definitely been around Dante for too long. She was nuts, but in a fun sort of way. And watching the way she handled his uncle honestly cracked him up. She was a wildfire in a tiny woman's body, and he couldn't help but find her thoroughly enjoyable to be around. In a way, she reminded him of Nico. She just had better manners, wore a lot more pink, and cursed a lot less. But she reminded him of Kyrie, too. She was so well put together and, well, girly. In a way, she was like a perfect middle ground between Kyrie and Nico. And anyone that could boss Dante around got bonus points in his book. Well, just about anyone.

Kyrie giggled, clearly delighted by the young blond's response. "Wonderful! I look forward to it."

As if in response to their conversation, Dante slumped over and smacked his face against the table between them, promptly shaking himself awake. It didn't really hurt the youngest Son of Sparda so much as it annoyed him, but he was awake now either way.

"Ug, fell asleep. What did I miss?"

The three of them laughed, sharing their heads at the spectacle that had unfolded in front of them as Kyrie double checked to make sure that the devil hunter was alright. She knew he'd faced worse things before, but she still couldn't help but worry. "Oh, you two are just terrible. He could have hurt himself! Have you no shame?"

Nero, Patty, and Dante exchanged silent, blank glances before bursting into hysterical laughter. They were all suddenly very glad that they'd brought Kyrie along for the ride. That had to be the funniest damn thing they'd heard in a long time.

On the far side of the room, the sudden uptake in activity had caught V's attention. The young summoner craned his neck in an effort to get a better view of the excitement, his keen hearing catching the faintest glimmer of what they were going on about. For a moment, a small smirk ghosted his lips, humor lifting the boredom he felt. He'd been sitting there for a while, silently looking out of the window. He was battling the desire to enjoy his surroundings white also wanting to take a nap. But there was a time and a place for rest, and he'd have plenty of opportunities to do so later.

As V watched them continue to laugh and enjoy themselves, Vergil watched him in a manner so stealthy that V had yet to clue into it. The eldest of the twins sat with his back to the commotion, V sitting on the other side of the table from him. While he knew that he could sit basically wherever he wanted, their tickets had actually specified these seats. Vergil hadn't realized that he wasn't required to sit in the exact spot marked on his stub, and the last thing he was going to do was give Dante something to make fun of him about. So, at least for now, he was going to make it look like he'd picked this spot on purpose and was only sitting her because he wanted to, not because the ticket had picked the spot for him. 

Knowing that, part of him wondered why V insisted on sticking around.

After they'd reached their respective seats, Vergil had returned his son's bag to him, taking the opportunity afforded by their swift departure and subsequent lack of light from the tunnel to slip something out of his own bag without V noticing. The eldest Son of Sparda was relatively sure he had a foolproof way of breaking the ice with his decidedly silent offspring. He'd just didn't think he'd have to utilize it so early in the trip.

With V's attention slowly drifting back towards the window and away from the events unfolding inside of the train, Vergil slowly sat up straight and leaned over the table. V glanced over at him quietly, carefully concealing how perturbed he was by his father's sudden closeness. Without speaking a word or breaking the hard won fleeting eye contact that he'd managed to garner from his child, Vergil reached down onto the seat next to himself and procured a familiar bound tome. He placed it face down on the table, a soft thud sounding off as the cover made contact with the table's laminate top. Vergil slid it half way across the table but didn't remove his hand. Judging by the slow blink and accompanying barely audible exhale that V released from his lungs, he was ecstatic to see his treasured book again. And it couldn't have happened at a better time considering how little there was to do on the ride to the oceanfront.

"... I believe you dropped this…" Vergil didn't follow up on his statement. He instead waited quietly for V to respond in some way. Considering the part that the book had played in his resurrection, and the fact that he'd carried it around with him during the events of the Redgrave City calamity, Vergil had rightfully ended up concluding that his oldest son held a great deal of love for the tome. If only he knew…

V reached towards the book and then slowly withdrew his hand, instead choosing to place his hand down on the table next to it. A part of him simply couldn't believe that it had survived yet again. The last time he'd seen his favorite collection of poems, it had been tucked away on his person where it belonged. He'd recalled a few choice words just before his untimely demise, reciting a choice fraze that he'd saved for just such an occasion.

"While thy branches mix with mine, and our roots together join."

"...I thought I'd lost this forever…" V stopped for a moment, suddenly overcome with a level of emotion he didn't really understand how to process. While some might think it foolish to place such a high amount of importance on such a small, ordinary item, the book had been a great comfort and an unwavering friend during some of the most difficult parts of his young life. To have it returned to him was… liberating. "I... don't think I have a way of properly thanking you for returning this to me..."

Vergil leaned back in his seat, shifting slightly. Now they were getting somewhere. Vergil glanced out of the window for a moment. him brain taking a second to process what he wished to communicate. To say that it was difficult for him to say things in a manner that didn't make him come off as completely unapproachable was an understatement. But in the case of his two sons, he was trying to improve that aspect of his personality. Even if only a little.

"You can start by explaining how it came to be in your possession in the first place. After all, the book was originally mine," Vergil said cooly, giving V an almost inquisitive look. The young white haired summoner balanced slightly, letting out a long sigh that spoke volumes. Vergil already knew the answer, but his reaction spoke volumes.

V slouched slightly, glancing around him as if he were uncomfortable divulging his secrets with the rest of the train in earshot. He leaned in slightly, trying to get closer but not come off as suspicious. 

"I have a feeling you already know what I'm going to say," He said almost breathlessly. He suddenly looked almost physically ill, the ideal of talking about such a sensitive subject twisting his stomach into knots. He could practically feel his blood pressure rise just contemplating the conversation ahead of them. "But if you wish to discuss that then privacy is paramount. Could this wait until we reach the station?"

Vergil nodded, now feeling much the same way that V did. He knew that they were going to have to have this conversation sooner or later, but that didn't make things any less uncomfortable. These sorts of conversations were always tense and fraught with painful baggage. As much as Vergil would've loved to dodge this topic for the rest of his life, he had to own up to his mistakes at some point, and the gravity of that fact was slowly starting to weigh on him. There was nothing he could do about it. He'd avoided it as long as he could, but it had caught up with him nonetheless. The day had finally come.

Like it or not, it was time they talked about V's mother.

And he didn't like it. Not one tiny little bit.

(-~-)

Chapter Ten: Baggage

Note: All your comments on the last chapter about Vergil had me rolling on the floor laughing like an idiot. See this, this is the kind of chaotic energy I thrive off of. Thank you for allowing me to flourish like this!

(-~-)

4:50 am

A soft mist settled across the worn metal of the train tracks as the moon hung low, casting shadows across the dimly lit train station. The long beams of hardened steel shined from a combination of moisture and moonlight, making them look as new as the day they had been placed. Everything tended to look clean and new at night, and this was no different.

Everyone held their positions, babysitting their megar luggage (not so megar in some "cases") and the children in Nero's case as they awaited the arrival of the train. It would be here in a matter of minutes, and was supposed to be relatively empty considering the time of morning that it would be arriving during. Considering the fact that most of the locals were scared stiff of the dark at this point, getting them to stand at a train station in the middle of the night in dim lighting during a light sprinkle was totally out of the question. But that worked out better for them. And even if they were foolish enough to venture out during such trying conditions, Morrison had pulled some strings and, as a result, they basically had a whole train car to themselves. Apparently, someone owed him a favor and was in the good graces of the train company.

As Kyrie and Nico rounded up the children and took inventory of their belongings, Vergil took mental inventory of his surroundings. Dante had long since decided that he couldn't be bothered to stay awake and wait for the train, so he had made himself comfortable on a nearby bench and dozed off, much to his older twin's bewilderment. How Dante was capable of sleeping in such an unfamiliar environment was beyond him. Just a few feet away from him were Lady and Trish, trying to work out how they were going to get their luggage onboard the train. They had brought at least a month's worth of clothes on what would be, at most, a week long trip, and were having a difficult time reconciling the logistical challenge that came with moving that many bags. He would actually be amused by this if it weren't for the lingering feeling of discomfort that hung low in his gut, keeping him on edge. 

For a menagerie of complex yet obvious reasons, the prospect of spending several days with his two adult children put him seriously on edge. While waiting for the train, the realization that he actually had no idea what went on in either of his adult children's lives had slammed into him like a van into a brick factory, and he found this fact supremely unsettling.  Aside from the different abilities they possessed in battle and the basic facets of their dramatically different personalities, Vergil was forced to admit that he actually had no idea what his children were like below the surface level. And making small talk wasn't something anyone in their family was any good at. 

This was going to be… challenging.

As if called upon by the awkward atmosphere itself, V walked past silently, taking a moment to stop and catch his breath. For all his talents, waking up early and actually being functional were not qualities he possessed. While he was coherent, that didn't mean that he was at peak physical condition. Due to V's habits and general disposition, he was much better acquainted with the concept of staying up for long periods of time that he was with getting up at a moments notice and catching a train. He found the concept distasteful and exhausting.

Vergil glanced between their respective bags, half wondering what V had actually packed. While he was more than willing to believe that Nero and Nico owned clothing suited to an afternoon at the beach, the polar opposite could be said for his eldest son. V didn't come off to him as the type to even know how to shop for outdoor clothing, let alone own any. It was curious. Regardless of what he believed, the young summoner actually owned a luggage bag though, to the shock of literally no one present, it was a rolling one. While Vergil was more than aware of his son's condition, it put him off slightly to be reminded of it. Perhaps if he helped him with the bag…

Without a moment to spare, a vintage red convertible pulled to a stop in the parking lot and out stepped Morrison. He opened the car door on the opposite side of the car to allow Patty to exit, the young blond girl dragging an oversized rolling bag along behind her as she headed towards the loading ramp to join the others. Upon catching sight of Dante sleeping, she stopped and shook her head, clearly disapproving of his sleeping habits.

"Hey, at least he made it here on time," Nero said as he walked past her, finally finished with taking inventory of the children's personal belongings," We've gotta give him credit for something. I was sure he was going to be late. I got no idea how he managed to beat us here."

Vergil spared them a passing glance as he folded his arms across his chest. He most certainly shared patty's disapproval. "When the alternative is being impaled on the end of my blade, I find that he is usually willing to accommodate my demands. But there have been a few... exceptions," Vergil drifted off for a moment, thinking," Did you know he didn't own any cookware or dishes before today? It's truly absurd."

Nero shot him a knowing look, taking a step closer to V to assess his condition. "Yea, neither of those facts really surprise me. You're both insane, after all."

Patty shook her head, clearly entertained by the pent up tension that fueled their conversation. She had no idea what caused it, but she definitely found it funny. "See, I was right! Dante just needs motivation! And the best way to motivate him is to smack him with stuff. It all checks out."

Vergil stared at her blankly for a moment. Yes that was what his twin needed. Motivation.

Just a moment later the lumbering locomotive they were scheduled to be boarding blew its whistle, signaling it's approach. It didn't sound far off. Everyone scrambled to collect their things and receive their tickets from Morrison who laughed under his breath at the unorganized mess in front of them before wishing them a safe trip. Literally everyone he knew was a walking disaster, and it never got old. Or less funny.

Much to Nero's surprise, the only person who seemed totally at ease was V. The taller while haired descendant of Sparda was leaning against the streetlamp nearest to the tracks, having migrated there during the commotion. He had everything together and seemed to be quietly observing the children. Though the little ones were well behaved, this was their first time near a train. If Carlo's experience with hot soup was anything to go by, he needed to divert a bit of his attention towards maintaining the welfare of the children. Kyrie was keeping an eye on them, but she and Nico had their bags to deal with and Nero only had two sets of eyes. At least as far as he knew. He'd grown wings and a new arm during his absence. Anything was possible. Nero was practically a super advanced amoeba at this point as far as he was concerned.

"Were you… You know, um…," Nero's entire mental process flat lined as he made eye contact with V, unsure of how he wanted to phrase his proposal," Did you… ya know… need help with your bag, V?"

The young summoner blanched, his pupils dilating for a moment like an alarmed house cat before he blinked and composed himself. It all happened so quickly that it was nearly imperceptible, but he'd done it nonetheless. V shifted his stance slightly, diverting his eyes in an attempt to break eye contact with Nero. He glanced in the direction of the oncoming train before speaking. 

"... I'm fine. This isn't the first time I've had to board a train recently," He glanced sparingly at Nero, clearly somewhat flustered by Nero's polite offer." But… I do appreciate your offer. Your concern is refreshing. I'll manage."

Nero shrugged, scratching the bridge of his nose before ducking away. He needed to check on the children. "Sure thing. Let me know if you, ya know, change your mind or something."

As the train pulled into the station, Nero took a moment to step away and join Kyrie and the kids. Attempting to keep three young and excited children under control while juggling luggage was going to be quite the experience. Thankfully children's clothing was smaller than its adult counterparts, so they were able to fit everything in one bag. In hindsight, it was rather impressive that Trish and Lady had individually packed more clothing than their entire family put together. Impressive, excessive, and hilarious. After a cursory check and a hurried final count, they prepared to board after the rest of the group. Going first would slow things down considerably.

While Patty gave Dante hell for falling asleep, V watched the train pull into the station casually. This was far from his first train trip, but it had been quite some time since he'd traveled with other people. And never with children. He shot Nico a quick glance, collecting his bag before it became an obstacle in their path. The young mechanic nodded in approval.

"I wonder why Nero didn't take Magnolia up on her offer to babysit the kids," She said as she grabbed her bags," I mean, I love em as much as the next person… but don't people usually take vacations to get away from their kids?"

V stood up straight, no longer leaning against the lamp. He considered her words for a moment, before facing ahead, clearly focused on something in the middle distance. That was a reasonable question, and he couldn't fault her for being curious. While no one minded that the children were along for the ride, especially since Nero had told most of them beforehand, he had to admit that he'd wondered the same thing when his younger brother had made that decision with Kyrie.

"If I were to make an educated guess, it's partially for his own benefit. He may wish to spend time with them," He said as he stepped towards the now still train, clearing a path for everyone," And also, what better way to drive our father absolutely insane? It's as much an act of revenge as it is an act of kindness. In a way, I almost find it poetic."

Nico gave him a funny look before the gears in her brain unstuck and she laughed slightly. "Oh, I get it! It's a parental pissing contest! Gotta remind his old man that he's the better parent!"

"Yes, I believe he's taking the moral middle ground on this trip, isn't he" V said, a hint of humor in his voice. He closed his eyes for a moment, scoffing at his sibling's petty yet understandable level immaturity," Well, that is when the high ground is being morally impregnable and the low road is refusing to come at all."

"Don't act like you wouldn't do the same thing," Nico said as she tried not to laugh. Vergil was approaching with Dante, and she didn't need him honing in on their conversation. She liked to think he liked her. Well, at the very least he seemed to want to stab her less than most of the rest of the team. That had to count for something.

V let out a brief chortle, covering his mouth with the back of his hand. " I have no children. And my methods of causing aggravation and proving my moral superiority are a bit more… subtle. Not to say that I care much either way."

Nico punched him in the side, eliciting a surprised exhale and a curious look. "No kids that you know of!"

He stared at her blankly for a moment, an unreadable look passing across his face. It was completely belied by his calm demeanor. "No. I'm quite certain that I don't have any. That would be impossible. I… Damn it."

She gave him a silly look, repressing the urge to go totally wide eyed and burst into laughter at what he had just inadvertently implied. Nico had caught him red handed, and his involuntary confession answered a lot of burning questions for her. "But what if ya did though? Or what if ya do someday? I mean, you've gotta have some luck getting a date with all that poetry you read, right? And it's not like your ugly or somethin..'"

V stopped for a moment, both to allow Kyrie to board first and to consider her statement. He turned back to her, his head tilted slightly to one side in an involuntary action that indicated that he was somewhat unsure as to how to answer that question. Nico got the impression that he'd probably never been asked that before, and Nero shot them both a curious look as he passed by them.

"... I've… I haven't… I don't think I've taken the necessary time to... consider that question yet. I have no way of answering that, at present." V seemed distant for a moment, almost troubled. 

For a second, Nico felt very uncomfortable. This was obviously a touchy subject, but not in the way she would have expected. Most of the time people got angry or flustered when asked a personal question they didn't intend to answer. V just seemed… forlorn and absent from the conversation. It was as if she had just asked him about someone dying or something, and he was recalling a painful memory. In that moment, Nico was certain that he had thought about it before, but uncertain as to how the subject affected him.

At least for the time being, she was going to drop the subject. This wasn't a good way to start what was supposed to be a fun group outing. V was always a little gloomy, but she'd clearly struck a nerve that she hadn't meant to, and the last thing she wanted to do was cause him to spend the entire train trip being upset and distracted.

"Yea um, sorry about that, I guess. Wasn't tryin' to… you know…" Nico said as she walked along behind the rest of the group, her bag in hand. The train was only going to stay for a minute or so longer. No one wanted to have to drive there to meet them.

V waived her off, blinking slowly in a way that showed that he absolutely did mind, but wasn't going to make a big deal out of it. He had bigger problems and didn't tend to hold petty grudges as a general rule. Although there were exceptions to that rule, he knew that Nico hadn't meant anything by it. If anything, she'd probably been trying to entertain them both.

"I'll go after you," He said, tilting his head nonchalantly in the direction of the train door. He honestly didn't enjoy being the first to board the train. Even though he knew it was entirely irrational and foolish, he felt as though he was being watched when he was the first to do something with his group. It made him feel slightly anxious, even when he was with people he trusted. 

She nodded and hopped on board the train, nearly stumbling with her heavy bag. For a moment, V considered the probability that she had snuck some of her "work" with her on the train. But then again, he was certain that everyone had snuck weapons on board as well, so it was a good thing that they didn't have to go through a metal detector or baggage check before boarding. All those demonic swords and specialized guns would have been rather difficult to explain away. In an ideal world, they wouldn't need them. But in the world they lived in, no one was foolish enough to think that asking Vergil to leave Yamato at home was a good idea or that it would end in anything but a swift stabbing.

"I see that your boarding last."

V turned his head, glancing over his shoulder to face the all too familiar voice that had just spoken to him. It was Vergil. His brain raced to pinpoint the exact moment that the eldest Son of Sparda had broken away from his twin brother and stayed behind to confront him, but it jammed like a cheap lock. Regardless, he was here. And he couldn't pinpoint why that made him so supremely uncomfortable. Perhaps it had something to do with what had happened the last time they had been alone with one another at a train station. His fight or flight instinct screamed at him, imploring him not to repeat the same mistakes that had landed him in the Redgrave incident in the first place. After all, if he hadn't taken that walk and walked face first into Vergil…

No, that hadn't been his fault. 

He needed to stop doing that to himself. 

That was in the past now.

The young summoner nodded, his vocal cords failing him. While he was aware that he needed to speak with him at some point on this trip, this would not be the moment that that happened. And the sudden realization that whatever awkwardness there was between them would transfer to their three hour train ride was almost enough to make him bolt across the parking lot and catch the ferry home. But that would accomplish nothing. And Nico had the keys, so the van wasn't going anywhere anyway.

Vergil let out a sound somewhere between a sigh and a chuckle, clearly expecting some sort of response akin to the one he received from his oldest son. And yet there was something else in his demeanor that betrayed his silent hope that that wouldn't be the case. Perhaps it was something in his eyes that V caught a glimpse of that told him that his lack of diction… saddened Vergil? Was the eldest Son of Sparda capable of that? V liked to believe so. Perhaps "liked" wasn't that proper word for it.

As V considered this, the train whistle blew. They would be departing in a minute. Vergil glanced over at the train casually, clearly not concerned about the concept of being left behind. He'd teleported to further away things in the past, and they'd been moving considerably faster than a train. He foresaw no challenge, at least for himself. While he assumed that V might share a similar ability, he had now way of knowing how proficient he was. But there would be no need to find out if they boarded the train.

"Come then," Vergil said as he approached the train, passing V in the process. He stopped for a moment, glancing over his shoulder to double check that he had complied with his request and found that he had. He then extended his arm to stop him, handing him one of the two slips of paper in his hand. It was a train ticket. V looked it over for a moment, giving Vergil an appreciative nod in the process. Much to his dismay, functionality had yet to return to the auditory cortex of his brain.

"I don't believe I saw you get yours from that middleman Dante is acquainted with, so I took the liberty of doing so on your behalf." He said casually as he stepped past him, swiping V's bag in the process. It was beyond Vergil to simply ask for it. He already knew what his son's response would be, if any at all.

V reached towards the confiscated luggage bag, his response too delayed to accomplish anything noteworthy. The young white haired summoner opened his mouth to speak, but words failed him yet again and he let his arm fall limply to his side. He sighed softly and cracked a small but appreciative smile before following after him. He'd stolen a glance at their respective seat numbers when Vergil had handed him the ticket earlier. 

It seemed that they would be sitting together…

(-~-)

And just like that, the beach arc has begun! What's that? You thought it was going to be one or two chapters? HA! Try like five or six! There is character development that needs to happen here, people! Thanks for reading, take care, and I'll see you again on Friday! Bye bye! Also, I have a discord server. The links to it and my user id on there are in my A03 bio and listed below! I'd love to chat if you're ever in the neighborhood lol!

Server: https://discord.gg/Uyp75N6