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She never really talked about herself, V had noticed. It had been two weeks since he barely made it out of the Qliphoth alive, and in those two weeks he had the privilege to hunt demons alongside what he would dare call... companions.
“Sweet dreams form a shade,
O’er my lovely infants head.
Sweet dreams of pleasant streams,
By happy silent moony beams.”
He learned that Nero never met his parents and grew up with two other kids, one of them being this “Kyrie” he always heard him talk to on the phone. He noticed he had a habit of scratching his nose whenever he got embarrassed. It was a conflicting characteristic for his apparent brash and carefree personality, but V welcomed the sincerity nontheless.
Nico adored her grandmother, and loathed her (murdered) father, to which she was thankful to Dante. She had a sharp mind and a sharp tongue. Nico was... unpredictable. One moment she could be smoking in silence, deep in thought, the next she could be bickering with Nero, talking V’s head off. But it was an undeniable fact that she cared, and V respected her talents as a lethal artisan.
“Sweet sleep with soft down.
Weave thy brows an infant crown.
Sweet sleep Angel mild,
Hover o’er my happy child.”
Then there was [Y/N], his new partner in demon hunting. V couldn’t count the times he felt breathless and amazed by her moves in the battlefield. She was kind and elegant, and V appreciated the fact that someone held interest in the poems he recited and also shared some of her favorites.
He could talk all about her voice, her beautiful smile, her soft hair that he once had the chance to run his hands through, comforting her after a wound she received.
But he did not know who she truly was, where she came from and most importantly, how a woman like her found herself in this mess.
No, [Y/N] did not talk about herself at all.
“Sweet smiles in the night,
Hover over my delight.
Sweet smiles Mothers smiles,
All the livelong night beguiles.”
Across the debris, a giant cat was purring much to the shock of a certain gothic poet. He watched from afar as a melodic giggle joined the purring.
“Who is a good kitty? You are a good kitty.” [Y/N] had completely lost her surroundings, V noticed. It was almost like she wasn’t aware of her blood covered figure and the fact that she was sitting on the remnants of a dead city.
He didn’t mind. To see this tiny speck of love and hope in the middle of despair, to see her cradle his familiar with a small smile... But there was something else. A small glimmer of sadness in her bright [E/C] eyes.
V couldn’t help but feel his heart tighten in his chest.
“Sweet moans, dovelike sighs,
Chase not slumber from thy eyes,
Sweet moans, sweeter smiles,
All the dovelike moans beguiles.”
Nico looked at [Y/N] dumbfounded. “ ‘cuse me...” she said. “...could you repeat that again?”
At that she earned a sharp nudge from Nero, but Nico just swatted his hands away. It was a quiet night and Nico declared she wanted a “Bonding Time” so there everyone was, sitting inside the small van, sipping away at their beers.
V didn’t expect [Y/N] to answer Nico’s question the ways she did. Maybe something like “Destroy all the demons.” knowing how she despises them. Or “Travel around the world.” maybe. She seemed to be an adventurous one. Hell he even expected her to say “Nothing.” and go back to her own shell.
So when her answer to “What was your dream before all this shit happened?” was “A family.” V froze, his gaze locked on [Y/N]. Nero cleared his throat loudly, sensing [Y/N] was done with the conversation. “A’ight I gotcha.” Nico said and turned to harass Griffon.
[Y/N] thought nobody saw it. But with a heavy heart, V watched as a single tear rolled down her cheek.
“Sleep sleep happy child,
All creation slept and smil’d.
Sleep sleep, happy sleep.
While o’er thee thy mother weep.”
He woke up to the sound of singing, which was odd considering his surroundings. [Y/N] and him had taken shelter in an abandoned apartment before they were to meet up with Nero. He had trouble sleeping. He knew the time was nearing. He would be gone, back to his demon self and reemerge as a different person. In a way, ending his existence. Would he forget everything that happened upto this point? Would he forget her? He didn't know. He didn't want to.
He suddenly became aware of her non-existence in the room and jumped away from the bed he claimed for the night. It was still dark outside, meaning he didn't do a good job sleeping. He followed the voice, suddenly the lyrics sounding very familiar. When he found the source, his heart broke.
In front of a broken cradle stood a broken woman. The tears ran freely as did her melodic words. V had never seen her, he realized. He had never seen what she had been through, the pain she lived with. But he finally understood what she had to lost to get to this point as [Y/N] wailed whilst clutching her abdomen, mourning a ghost.
V's feet carried him to her, without knowing. All he wanted was to end her suffering, to see her beautiful smile once more. As he stood behind her and wrapped his lean arms around her stomach, for a moment he forgot the fact that he also was a ghost and joined the woman he dare say loved as they sang together.
“Sweet babe in thy face,
Holy image I can trace.
Sweet babe once like thee.
Thy maker lay and wept for me.”
He did not look behind as he left your body which was supporting his crumbling flesh. He was nearing his end as he slowly approached his demon, and he knew he shouldn’t look at you, for he might just abandon his destiny and fall back into your arms. No he couldn't look back, especially when he raised the cane that would end his existence.
"While thy branches mix with mine, and our roots together join."
He gritted his teeth and closed his eyes in pain, afraid of what is to come next. He did not want to forget. He did not want to forget his humanity. He did not want to forget her. He wanted to make her happy. He wanted to be with her.
He wanted to give her a family.
As the cane pierced the demon he felt his soul mix into his older self and the human V was no more.
As the illusion of an old house crumbled away, [Y/N]’s eyes fell onto a new figure. A figure in a dark blue coat and silver hair, a katana on his side. "Vergil." Dante had breathed out. As the figure turned around he first glanced at Dante, his younger brother, and then Nero. After that his eyes locked with hers, and she forgot how to breathe.
"[Y/N]..." fell from his lips. From the ashes of V, Vergil was reborn.
“Wept for me for thee for all,
When he was an infant small.
Thou his image ever see.
Heavenly face that smiles on thee,“
"Take care of Nero, [Y/N]. Adios." Before [Y/N] could protest Dante transformed and flied away, away to the root of the Qliphoth. Vergil just stood there for a moment. Looking at the boy and the woman. The woman that he held in his memories but not in his arms.
He did not forget, he let a small smile grace his lips. "I won't lose next time." he addressed Nero and then also turned to [Y/N] and threw at them the book V always carried, for the first time in his life wanting to be remembered by his humanity. "Hold onto that until then."
He turned around to leave, but was stopped by her voice. "Wait please!" she had cried and he turned around once more to face her. She was clutching her chest, her eyes focused on his. Vergil felt like a deer in the headlights, feeling as if she was gazing at his very soul. "A-are.." she started. "...are you really him? Is that you V?" Vergil felt his heart crumble, just like his human self did. Was he? Was he still V? Or was he still the same old Vergil, the one after power.
After a moment of silence he smiled, closed his eyes and pressed his forehead against hers, caressing her cheek. "No... not the same." he thought to himself even though he still did not know the answer to her question. That, would have to wait.
"I leave you with a family, [Y/N]." he finally whispered. "It might not be the one you wanted but please correct my mistake, take care of my son." A single tear left her eye and fell onto Vergil's hand. Before he transformed and left her once more, he hummed the melody that would seal their promise.
“Smile on thee on me on all,
Who became an infant small,
Infant smiles are His own smiles,
Heaven & earth to peace beguiles.”