Archive of Our Own ^beta

Chapter Text

“Dante, you should listen. I want to pass on as much knowledge as I can to you boys. I won’t be here forever you know.”

Vergil was sitting in Sparda’s lap, reading the book opened under his father’s palm.

He looked up at Dante who was sprawled on the floor as usual during their studies. But father stopped scolding him long ago.

“Are you leaving?” Dante suddenly looked up eyes worried.

Vergil couldn’t help but sneak a look at his father too. Their father who looked just like them, with kind eyes that spoke much of his old age. That wrinkled softly whenever he looked at him and pet his head affectionately.

“Not right now.” Vergil knew it was meant to comfort them but Sparda’s eyebrows momentarily creased with regret before smoothing back to his usual kind expression as he looked at Dante.

“Eventually everyone goes away. All life is finite, and I’m no exception.”

Vergil eyed the small webbing crack creeping out of his father’s tall collar.

Now that Vergil is older he knows those little cracks, brimming with energy, were the first signs of Sparda fading away.

Vergil always felt something was off, unlike his foolish twin who was mesmerized by the eerie violet peaking through their father’s skin. They had fought about this too.

Sparda knew for a long time he would die soon and tried his best to leave them as ready as can be. Before he ran away and died alone somewhere, thinking it would keep them hidden.

How wrong he was.

But could he really blame him? Sparda did all he could to raise great swordsman out of his two sons. That’s what saved Vergil that day.

He remembered the sharp sting of swords ripping through his chest.

“What is the matter?” the soft voice of his mother came to soothe, along with a gentle hand combing through his hair.

He opened his eyes to look at the face of his mother, worn by this demoness created just for him. He wanted his heart to hate and rage against the mother that chose his brother over him. But every time Vergil looked at this replica of her face he couldn’t help but be filled with sorrow and let her comfort him.

“Nothing.” He sat up, letting her hand fall from his head.
“You know you can tell me. I’ll always listen, Vergil.”

He didn’t want her to listen. He wanted to carve her with the Yamato.

Drop her lifeless body in front of Mundus before doing the same to him.

But he couldn’t. Not yet.
---

The world around was pitch black and frozen. His eyelids wouldn’t open, and his eyes won’t move in their sockets.

Every breath he tried to take was stuck, right as his chest should have begun to expand. His body had no breath to expel anymore for quite some time. His lungs begged for air, trying again and again to take something in.

Frost was biting at every inch of his skin. Inside his blood was boiling, trying to force his body to keep functioning. Trying to keep him alive. Keeping him awake and aware of every moment.

Then, it stopped.

The first breath he took was painful, the force his desperate lungs used Crushing his insides. His eyes opened to the sting of water.

He was bound, he could feel it now.

A Mask covering his airways and pumping him with oxygen.

But the water was draining. His eyes squeezed out the remains of it. His drenched hair clinging to his face.
He was panting.

His head pounding and every small noise caused it to worsen.

“Tony?”

Was that him?

“Can you hear me?”

Barely.

He wanted to speak but he couldn’t. His body won’t let him.

He focused his gaze on the woman standing in front of him.

Short hair and mismatched eyes.

Had he seen her before?

“Tony?” she placed her hand on his shoulder.

His shoulder jerked.

She didn’t touch him anymore.

“Do you remember me?” she asked warily.

He shook his head.

It took a long moment for his vision to stop shaking.

He had no ideas who she was.

He had no idea who he was.

The binds holding his hands were released and dropped to the floor with a loud clang that rang in his ears and sent another wave of pounding in his head. As soon as his hands were free he ripped off the breathing mask and took a deep breath to try and calm himself down. The air smelled of dust and machinery. The headache seemed to calm with the non sterile air in his lungs.

“Stay away.” He rasped. If she wasn’t crouching and so close to him she probably wouldn’t have been able to hear him.

She seemed to hesitate for a moment what to say.

“You were frozen for quite a while. It’s going to take some time to feel normal. Do you remember anything?” She tried.
“Maybe lay down for a while, it could help.” Her hand came closer to try and push him to lay down but he caught her arm roughly.

“Don’t touch me Lady.” He warned. Voice shifting with the hint of an unhuman growl.

“Let go; I’m only trying to help, D... Tony.” She gritted.

He let go of her arm and she rubbed her bruising wrist to try and soothe it.

“How do we know each other?”

“We work together.” She let herself fall back to sit on the ground with him. “You were hurt badly on a job. They had to put you in freezing to keep you alive.” She eyed him. “look like they fixed you too well, though.”

“Very funny.”

“How are you feeling?” she tried asking.

“I guess almost dying explains how I’m feeling.” His head was starting settle down. He tried looking around him at the white lab and all kinds of contraptions and weird objects.

“I work here?” he asked, not recognizing this space or anything in it.

“Not exactly. You work on the field with me. These are the labs where they work on things for us.”

“huh.” Explains why he has no recollection of this place. At least he had some reaction to his lady here.

She seems to know him, and somewhat worried about him.

But he couldn’t ignore his instincts, especially when he had no memories whatsoever.

“Are you hungry? We can talk over lunch and I’ll tell you everything I know about you.”

“Fine.”

Chapter Text

Tony and Lady sat down at some nearby diner to eat. She ordered them both these greasy burgers. It was definitely good, Tony mused, but he felt like he had better.

A small pang in his head made him scowl. ‘No olives, yeah, yeah. Don’t worry kid, I know.’

His chewing slowed down as he tried to focus on the voice, before long he noticed Lady was looking at him and he picked back his pace.

“You okay?”

“Thought this might float some memories.” He monotonously said looking at his half eaten burger.

“Did it?” She asked.

“Well maybe it could have, had someone not interrupted my concentration.” Tony argued.

“You’re even more annoying now, in case you wonder.”

He smiled sarcastically at her before focusing back on his burger.

“You said you’ll tell me about myself.” He said not bothering to swallow beforehand.

“Yeah.” She seemed slightly grossed out. “Well, I’ll tell you as much as I know. I can’t say you shared much with me.”
“Why’s that?”

“We weren’t exactly best of friends.” She said matter of factly.

“That’s not hard to tell.”

She eyes him before continuing.

“Anyway, you are Tony Redgrave. You should be around the age of twenty. No dad around, just your twin brother and mother. They died when you were attacked by demons. You started demon hunting. Got recruited by Darkcom to hunt demons. That’s pretty much it.”

“Demon hunting?”

“Was the existence of demons also wiped out of your brain?”

“I guess.” He shrugged.

As they walked back to the Darkcom building, Tony looked up at the sky. He tried focusing on the little fragment he heard. It was a man with an Italian accent. No olives. He didn’t like olives. Even this is something. But there had to be something else here. That man knew him considering he already knew his dislikes.

He tried to really concentrate on this memory.

He could see the back of this man, he was in a kitchen… there were sounds of chopping. ‘You always-‘

“Earth to Tony.”

He bumped into lady who was scowling at him, standing purposefully in his way to get his attention.

“What?”

“You looked out of it, I wanted to make sure your brain is still working.”

“Thank you. I was just in the middle of finally learning something about myself.” He was starting to get pissed off. She ruined both chances he had of his brain surfacing memories he had.

“Don’t worry too much about it. If anything maybe it’s good that you don’t remember all the fucked up things that happened to you as a child. We can make new memories for you, nicer ones.” She turned, resuming her walk.

“I ain’t making new memories with you Lady.” He scowled with disgust.

“Fuck you.”

“No thank you. I’d rather die.”

---

After their lovely lunch Lady and Tony got back to the Darkcom HQ uneventfully.

She filled him in with the events of the past few months.

After a long battle with a rabbit demon , in which he was injured and many lost their lives, the government decided to take action and take the fight into hell.

Not the soundest logic he heard.

Not that he heard that much in his few waking hours to really put that into perspective, but it sounded stupid. He won’t say that to Lady.

She takes him to a private room to show him footage of hell.

After she deemed his brain fried for the day she escorted him to his room to rest.

---

Come morning he wakes up to her banging on the door. He isn’t a morning person much is he?

He gets ready in leisurely pace, just slow enough to enjoy himself. Having Lady impatiently wait for him is a nice bonus.
“Took you long enough.”

“I just wanted to look my best for my first mission back on duty.” He answers in a mocking tone.

Before they leave she takes him to a storage room to give him back his weaponry. She hands him two guns, Labeled Ebony and Ivory.

“These are yours. Custom made to keep up with your obnoxious shooting style.”

He likes their weight in his hands. They feel familiar yet also… not.

He held them before he was sure of it. It’s not the first time he sets him eyes on the lovely ladies whose portraits are embedded in the handles.

“Good, let’s go.” Lady says.

He feels like something is missing. He likes these guns but, there is something else. He lets it go for now, doubting Lady would be of any use to answer.

She takes him outside where a truck is waiting for them. Lady takes the driver’s sit and waits for him to get in. His step falters when he’s climbing in, a tightness in the pit of his stomach stopping him. His body must not have fond memories of these trucks.

She raises an eyebrow and he just smiles back and forces his body to move into the sit.

They go on what Lady calls an easy mission.

“Just to get you back in the game.”

He feels alive when he fights.

There is a spark that ignites when he shoots those demons.

‘You promised you’d play with me!’

‘I didn’t promise anything!’

He stands among the corpses littering the floor, panting and grinning like a fool. He feels happier. That memory is fond. Something good. Someone he likes.

Someone he played fight with.

“You look crazy.” Lady remarks.

“This is fun.” He says almost too quickly.

He wants to hear that voice again.

“Any other demons that need killing?” He calls way too merrily for Lady’s liking.

“Demons?” a voice called from the street.

Both Tony and Lady froze. There weren’t supposed to be civilians coming into this alley way. Their truck was supposed to be enough of a blockade for such a small job.

“yes ma’am. It’s best if you stay away.” Lady called.

“I need help with demons. I was looking into some demon hunters around the area…” She called unsurely from behind the truck.

They moved out to meet the woman.

A tall blonde with emerald green eyes.

Tony was frozen the moment he laid eyes on her.

His chest tightened painfully.

She looked at him, head tilted with what could be called mild confusion.

“what can we help you with?” Lady asked all business like.

“There is this man… I’m sure he’s a demon! But no one believes me. But I know! There is something wrong with him! He mumbles something about gaining the power of a demon knight. Looking through any book that we have about demons.”

Something about the way she talks feels off to Tony. Not in what she’s saying, but rather the face doesn’t fit the tone?

“you have books about demons?” Lady asks, already suspecting something. Ever since the existence demons went public, Darkcom was flooded with all kinds of calls and requests to take care of “demons”. They had no time to meddle with some cult that imagined they actually have any knowledge about demons.

“I come from a society that was aware of demons before recent events. We worship the demon knight Sparda, for saving mankind. Books about demonology are common practice, but there are the ones that no one touches anymore. Full off old spells and stories.”

“A cult then. One that worships a demon.” She knew. They probably truly believe that their cult is reasonable and true.

“The great savior is the reason we are still here. There is no need to speak ill of those who wish to worship their savior.”

“Lady here wanted to ask who that man is? Right Lady?”

Tony says with a smile so fake Lady’s eye twitches.

“He is a stranger. New to our community.”

“How did he find out about you?” he asks. Too curious for Mary’s liking.

“Those who want to learn about the great savior will come to Fortuna eventually.”

“Fortuna?” She asks, she has never heard of such a place and she’d like to think her geography is rather good.

“It’s an island, where the great savior separated the realms. He ruled the people there for a while too. Bestowed knowledge, both in combat and literature.”

“The real Sparda was there?” Lady asked, ‘failing’ to mask her disbelief.

“You seem to like that guy.” Tony joked sensing the weird energy coming off of Lady. He didn’t want this woman to feel invalidated by her, after all she did need their help if someone was trying to mess with hell.

“Yes, we all do.” Somehow he doubted she was sincere about it.

“well I say we go to Fortuna and take a look. What’s your name miss?” he held out a hand with a charming smile.

“Trish.” She took his hand in a light squeeze and let go.

“Well then, I’m Tony and this is Lady.”

“I’d rather be addressed as lieutenant Arkham.”

“You could have said that a while back.” Tony remarked, as if he would have actually obliged her request.

“How far away is Fortuna?” She asked, impatient.

“Four hours.”

“You drove four hours to find a demon hunter?” Lady ask her tone barely masking her suspicion.

“The body that keeps the order in Fortuna isn’t taking my worries seriously enough. There are a few brokers for mercenaries here that came up when searching. Some promising demon hunters too.”

Tony smacked Lady’s back, “Four hours ain’t that long. We can stay the night there.”

“We can’t just leave like that! We need to report to HQ!”

“Oh come on. I’ll just go without you, ya’ll seemed to do fine without me for a while so a few more days won’t hurt.” In that scheming smile he gave her she could see Dante peeking through.

She was worried of this little trip that he’s going to drag her into.

There was also something else. She couldn’t really put her finger to it… but this woman somehow looked a little like Dante.

Chapter Text

Vergil stood silently in front of the door he had just knocked on. He was covered in a black cloak, looking every bit like a gloomy shadow as his knocks went unanswered.

Yet, he wasn’t planning on leaving. If anything he would just break down the door and wait inside.

“Vergil?” a quiet voice asked, someone already used to his shadowy disguise and late night visits.

He turns to look at her as she goes up the final steps to her front door.

“Ella.”

She is wearing a thick long coat and a wool scarf wrapped tightly around her neck and head to keep the cold out.

Ella tugs the scarf away from her mouth, a smile already painting her lips.

“How have you been?” she asks.

She unlocks the door and lets him inside.

“Good enough. Better now.” Vergil answers as he goes in and hangs his cloak on the coat rack.

“How have you been fairing?”

“Good enough. Better now.” She looks at him with a small smirk as he furrows with fake annoyance.

“It’s an amazing surprise to see you again so soon.”

Ella joins him sitting on the couch, shaking out her long blond hair after being trapped under that heavy scarf all the way home.

She takes a deep breath before turning to him with a smile he knows is meant to keep him from asking too much.

Nonetheless she hugs him as if he could mend all the wrongs of the world. He doesn’t question, just hugs back and let’s his chin rest on her head as she snuggles into him.

“I will go take a shower.” Ella mumbles into his chest before breaking off the hug slowly, her hands still resting on his arms.

“I will be waiting.”

Only after his affirmation does she let go and disappear into the bathroom.

When she leaves his lets his head lean back and he dozes off.

He dreams again of the day they met.

He was in the grand library in Fortuna, browsing poetry books late at night. The library would be closing soon to the public and he would find his way to the back for the books of a more demonic nature.

“You’re new.” A feminine voice sounded to his right.

He turned to see a young blond looking up at him with curious blue eyes. She held a dusty book to her chest, a poetry book that came from this section of the library.

“Do you need help with putting that back?” he asked, disregarding her question.

The empty spot belonging to this book was around his eye level and the young lady would have probably had to stretch far to put it back.

“I would love that. If you would be so kind to get me that one as well.” She pointed slightly farther to the left. Another copy of the poetry book he was reading.

He silently took her book and placed it back before retrieving the other one.

He caught the gaze of some of the patrons, looking at him as if he is plagued, before hurriedly looking away.

“Some of the people of Fortuna do not agree with my line of work.” She said. She didn’t even need to turn to know some of those looks landed on her as well as the person who dared acknowledge her.

“Are you a criminal?” Vergil asked, one eyebrow slightly raising in disbelief.

“No! Nothing like that. But it’s not the most… acceptable job. You need money to survive.”

“I don’t.”

“Well you do look quite well off.”

“I don’t have any money.”

“None at all?”

“No.”

“Huh. How do you buy food then?”

“I…” he was too swept up with the questions he forgot he did not need food like a normal human being.

“It doesn’t matter.” He mumbles and turns back to the page he was reading, hoping it was enough of a sign to leave him alone.

“I like that author.” She said, getting closer and looking over into his book.

“You have your own.” He says, subconsciously moving it closer to himself.

“Well, I only wanted to read it since the handsome new stranger chose it. I think that author has some better ones.”

He felt the urge to argue back at that moment, the kind of urge that he hadn’t felt in years. An urge that burned in the fire that took his twin and mother away from him.

He turned to really look at her.

She smiled at him, eyes all sparkly as if she had won.

He sighed.

“It was my mother’s favorite. She always asked father to read it to us. I have fond memories of it.”

“Is she gone?”

“Mhm.”

“Vergil? Are you asleep?”

His eyes flutter open and he turns to look back at Ella.

She plops back down on the couch next to him, and places her wet head on his shoulder.

“What’s on your mind?” she asks.

He stays quiet for a long moment.

“Do you remember this twin of mine I told you about?”

“Mhm.”

“I had the sudden urge to go and look for him. I had to search for days and… he didn’t even remember me.”

“You told me once that the bond you share is beyond human understanding. That your blood will always call to each other.”

Ella says quietly.

“It did. He looked at me, and I could feel it. He no longer remembered me. I was not needed anymore.

So I left him, I knew the anguish I caused him and didn’t regret it.

It was foolish to begin with. I have no idea what compelled me to go look for him, but it matters not anymore.

I made sure were even.”

He said with faltering conviction, as if it was unnoticeable he was trying to convince himself of his words.

Ella knows he won’t revisit the matter anymore today, so she just squeezes his hand. Even if the way he holds her hand back is painful, she lets him.

At first rays of days Vergil rouses. He always stalls but never waits for Ella to wake up. He knows well enough he’ll fall into this fantasy of playing house and he can’t afford that.

He is still bound to Mundus and too weak to challenge him. His quest can’t be halted for any reason. Not even the little semblance of family he has here.

---

Vergil is back in hell. He stands for a moment staring into nothing, mind overflowing with thoughts.

When his mind quiets he takes off to Mundus’ palace.
He needs his head clear and everything neatly stowed away in the back of his mind.

“You have been away for a while.” The demoness parading his mother’s face says as he comes in, voice just as sweet as he remembers. She was waiting for him right behind the door to his quarters.

“You have a curious smell on you.” Her insinuation is clear to him. He wishes he could have spat some insult at her for sticking her nose into anything he does.

She circles him and inhales deeply.

“Our king wished to speak to you as soon as you came back.” She says with a sly smirk.

“I will go then.”

She breathes a laugh and sits on his bed. Her eyes a shade darker just like her smile. Like that she looks nothing like Eva.

Vergil prefers this cruel gaze.

He lets go of his human form, the black amour Mundus crafted for him taking it’s place.

On his way he catches his reflection and takes a moment to look. His father… would be disappointed in him, wouldn’t he?

There is not a single thing of him in this devil form.

There is only Mundus who ripped apart his family.

Slayed him mother.

Dante must look just like Sparda.

Be like him.

That’s why she chose him.

His throat feels tight.

He’d rather just be done with it.

Vergil kneels as he arrives to Mundus’ throne. Head lowered, his eyes looking at the cracking gray stone that serves as the floor.

“I have a task for you, Angelo.” Mundus’ begins.

“Your servant came to me yesterday claiming you were nowhere to be found. Now, you come back to me reeking of a human.” Vergil tensed, the calm tone of his master was scarier than fury.

“Perhaps you are exploring your father’s path?”

Vergil could feel his throat closing up, his head throbbing under the black metal that obeyed it’s master’s wrath.

“No, my king.” He choked out.

“I was looking for information about the seal between realms. There is a grand library on earth that has the writings of the traitor.” Every word scratched against his throat. But he started to feel the tension lessening.

“Books do not smell that strongly of humans, Son of Sparda.”

“The human working there was… beneficial.”

“Was there any progress made?”

“There is a man trying to open the seal. He knows whose blood needs to be drawn for the spell to break. I am to be part of it if the seal is to open.”

“Good. You will open it and by that time I will be powerful enough to claim all the humans to myself and truly rule both worlds.”

“Yes, My king.”

“My Nelo Angelo. The humans have captured many of the lowly demons of hell. Herded them conveniently for you to bring me.”

“Yes, My king.”

Vergil takes off to the human base. He flies through the vast expenses of hell, noting some are burning with flames that do not belong to hell.

He could not understand why the humans would go willingly into hell. What kind of foolishness is this? To bring ruin upon themselves for the sake of parading their ‘power’.

He stopped that train of thought.

He landed in the smack center of their base, greeted by humans working to push ruble out of the way.

They all fell to shreds as he walked past them, Yamato slicing neatly through everything in their path.

These humans won’t stand a chance against a higher ranking demon. Just bombing the weak demons that were not that far related to humans and thinking it was some heroic achievement… humans, whatever.

Vergil marched forward to the detention center. His sensed guiding him towards the presence of the weak demons that the humans held captive.

He knew well enough this wasn’t a rescue mission.

Mundus fed on these kinds of demons regularly. To him, the humans had just conveniently caught and grouped up his next meal.

The blood was not as potent as a human’s of course, but they were close enough to give a spike in power. Nothing like the legendary fruit Mundus ate all those millennia ago that turned him king, made from the blood of countless humans.

But Mundus wanted to rule both worlds, for that he desired every bit of power. Vergil could understand that quite well himself.

He came to a stop in front of the cells, the demons looking at him in terror as he stood in the pooling blood of the humans he slayed.

“Our king Mundus grants you your freedom, show him gratitude.”

He led as the demons scrambled to follow him like ducklings, unknowingly to their slaughter.

He kneeled as Mundus devoured every last demon brought before him.

“leave.”

He did as told.

As he did for the past decade or so. He couldn’t hold the snort that came out of him. What a joke. A failure. A useless weakling.

A stain on his father’s legacy.

He will raise the tower.

He will get Sparda’s power.

He will get more power.

He has to.