Chapter Text
Vergil blinks spearing flashes of purple and black out of his vision, shaking his head in a vain effort to clear it. The air around him tightens his lungs as he coughs in smoke. The echo of Yamato's song filters into his ears in a hazy fashion, surrounding and cocooning him.
What happened?
Vergil takes a breath, curling his fingers around the tsuka of his beloved devil arm. She thrums, waking his senses as her strength flows through him. Right. There was an explosion, along with hundreds of demons at the roots of the Qliphoth. He still feels them.
Blinking again, the spots clear from his vision.
He wishes they hadn't.
Vergil staggers to his feet in an instant, staring ahead at the burning house of more than thirty years past. This can't be real, but the usual signs of his nightmares remain absent. How ironic that he'd want to be having one when faced with the real thing again.
He glances around the backyard, his feet treading automatically towards the house when he realizes the fire has already spread to the front gates.
The temptation to save himself, his young incarnation, is oh so powerful, but.... If his younger self is outside like he was, then he'll survive. Vergil knows where he'll be, but Dante is another matter entirely. As much as he mocks his brother for his idiocy, mother told Dante to disappear, and once the child's fear wears off, he'll be long gone. By Dante's account, it was already too late for their Eva.
Vergil halts at the back door, throwing his hands up to shield his face when flames blow out the glass window in the top half. The scents of all the demons cloud his nose, but the smell of human blood is unmistakable. Hissing and coughing, he opens the door. Dante said their mother hid him in a cabinet, so that narrows down his location considerably.
"Dante!"
A growl leaves his throat when he sees Mundus's servants in the back hall. He slays a great number of them as they traipse through the house, checking several tight spaces where his brother might be hiding. The demons appear in waves upon waves, slowing his progress as they ravage anything within reach. Vergil cuts through them easily, Yamato's edge vicious and unforgiving against those who destroyed his home. It feels good, probably better than it should, to see justice done in such a violent manner. He's not sorry.
The smoke begins to take its toll, his breaths turning into wheezes more so with each swing of his blade. It was a miracle the demons never found Dante, and suddenly Vergil finds himself increasingly grateful that the masses of Mundus's servants that clouded his own senses that day also prevented them from finding his little brother.
With bleary eyes, Vergil opens a linen cabinet, frustration and desperation crowding into his thoughts in a way he hates. "Dante!"
Heat and flames buffet at him from all sides, blackening his cheeks with ash when parts of the house come down around him. If only being cambion enabled them to survive without oxygen, then this wouldn't be a problem.
Vergil stumbles into the entry, wiping sweat from his brow as he coughs. He summons his doppelganger to his side and lays waste to the demons pouring in through the broken front windows and those of the reading room. The ceiling is higher in the entry, ensuring he's well below the smoke now, but the damage has already been done. And finally, so close now the smell of their mother's blood is overpowering, he senses Dante's presence. This child feels painstakingly familiar to his own brother, yet dimmer with youth and inexperience.
Just past the entry, among collapsed wood and burning support beams, is a pool of blood Vergil doesn't dare look at too long.
With a ragged cough, Vergil pushes himself onward, defending his sibling with a devotion he wished he understood all those years ago. Dante, his only remaining family, believed he was dead, and even when Vergil did nothing but make his life miserable after that, his brother still loved him—still tried to save him.
After what seems like an eternity of single-minded focus, the demons flooding inside slow to a trickle, and then to nothing at all.
Vergil falters, dropping to one knee and using the Yamato to support himself. The shaking in his frame isn't entirely from exertion. Mundus meant to slaughter them all those years ago, and his forces weren't for show.
Swallowing down his past fear, Vergil pushes himself up and carefully steps toward the coat cabinet in the front of the house. "Dante? Are you all right?"
His only response is a soft whimper.
Vergil touches the handle of the right door. "I'm opening the door, Dante. I know you're afraid, but I will not harm you."
With a patience he doesn't feel, Vergil slowly opens the door. The knowledge that the fire doesn't burn the house down entirely is the only thing stopping him from dragging Dante out whether he wants to go or not.
The child form of his brother sits inside, curled tightly into the back of the cabinet with his hands covering his ears. Sooty tear tracks line his cheeks, but he remains willfully silent in his efforts to hide. Vergil reaches out to his wrists, tugging them down gently. "Look at me, Dante."
Dante lifts his eyes, squinting through tears. "Dad?"
Vergil shakes his head. "No."
"Then... who are you?"
With a somewhat rueful smile Dante wouldn't understand yet, Vergil answers, "My name is V. We are family, of a sort."
The child wipes his eyes, sniffling as he moves to peek out of the cabinet. "What about mom?"
Vergil stops him, placing a light hand on Dante's cheek to stop his head from turning. "Don't, Dante. There is nothing we can do for her. We must leave this house and find your brother."
"Mom went looking, but s-she never...."
"I know." And being stabbed in the chest with the Sparda itself couldn't possibly hurt so much. Vergil smothers a cough in the crook of his arm. "But we must go. They'll have found him by now."
Dante's shock and horror bleeds onto his tiny face. "H-he ran away. This is all my fault."
So, this is where his brother's guilt began.
"Come with me." Vergil offers his young twin a hand, picking the boy up and clutching him to his chest as he searches for a safe exit from the house.
Dante squirms. "Wait. Rebellion."
Vergil wants to deny him, should for his own well-being, but he can't bring himself to do so. He grabs this world's Yamato while he's at it, absorbing both katanas so he can safely carry his sibling. Something must be wrong; she should have been missing, already in the hands of his younger self.
"Your breathing sounds funny, Mister V." Dante mutters.
Vergil chokes on his laugh, guarding Dante's head as a coughing fit interrupts his progress out the front window. "I suppose it does. The consequences of inhaling too much smoke." Which, if he's honest, isn't much better outside than inside by now.
Only his vague memory guides his steps toward the playground.
He halts in his tracks when a hazy shape appears in the hanging clouds before them, ensuring Dante has a secure hold before reaching within for the Yamato—just his. His addled senses are no help in identifying the threat before him. "Not another step."
They do not heed his warning. "V?"
His tired mind supplies Dante's old alias only because he remembers thinking it was stupid. He admires the foresight of his twin in not calling him by his real name, either. "Tony?"
Dante, his Dante, emerges from the dust, bloody and worn and clutching something to his chest. It takes Vergil far too long to comprehend what he's looking at: his brother holding Vergil's own child incarnation close. Emotion swells in Vergil, halting any words he might've uttered. Dante chose him. Again.
The knowledge weakens Vergil's knees just as Dante reaches him and he catches Vergil's arm with his free hand. "Whoa, whoa. You okay?"
"Mister V?"
The younger Vergil finally pulls away from Dante's neck at the sound of his brother's voice. "Dante!"
Vergil releases his charge to his older brother, Dante doing the same as he crouches down beside them. He checks Vergil over with calloused hands. "We need to get you out of all this smoke. Come on, kiddos. I know a safe place, but we've gotta be careful, all right?"
"What about mother?"
Dante takes Vergil's wordless headshake as his answer. "Sorry, buddy."
Both young twins fail to hold back their tears, but Dante takes initiative to take care of all three of them. "Vergil, take your brother's hand and don't let go. I know how you feel, but we've gotta go now." Smirking just a little, Dante offers his older brother his hand.
Vergil could almost laugh at the irony of Dante reaching out to him yet again, but instead, he coughs and takes his twin's hand.
Dante pulls him to his feet, taking the younger Vergil's free hand as well. "Remember, no letting go."
"Mm-hm."
The eldest twin rolls his eyes, allowing Dante to tug him along. Vergil's condition swiftly improves once they leave the smoke behind, but he still doesn't let go. Seeing as he exists in two places at once at the moment, he technically already agreed.
After two hours of traveling, the younger twins are exhausted, so Dante carries a sleepy younger Vergil against his chest, the child's hand still loosely gripped in his little brother's. Vergil cradles Dante's younger self. He frowns when Dante starts sniffling, soft sobs eventually falling from his lips. At first, the eldest twin doesn't respond, but he never has been able to ignore Dante for long—the curse of having a little brother. He quiets the boy, drawing the Yamato's song from within. She and the Rebellion still clutched in the younger Dante's tiny hand resonate in a soft melody for him.
A glance at his own counterpart gives him a measure of comfort; the other child is asleep.
"You big softie." Dante chuckles.
"What was I supposed to do? Let him cry and not comfort him?" Vergil shoots Dante a glower, ensuring his dense twin takes his meaning in its fullness. "If I'd done this thirty years ago, things would've been much easier."
Dante hums, giving Vergil's hand a squeeze of reassurance. "It wasn't your fault."
"Nor was it yours."
The two pairs of twins proceed in silence aside from the soft song of their blades, eventually arriving at the end of a familiar dead-end street. Though Vergil only saw the place a few times, it truly does seem naked without Dante's neon over the doors.
"No one will bother us here. Morrison told me this particular piece of real estate was on the market for years before I got to it because of its location. I'll give him a call from the payphone up the street once we get the kids settled and tell him.... Well, something that doesn't quite sound as batshit as the truth. He rolls with a lot of my particular brand of crazy, but this would be a whole lot at once."
"He is quite... supportive for a contractor."
Dante huffs. "That's one word for it. Anyways." A little spark of demonic power is enough to break the locking mechanism. "It's not gonna be as comfy as my place without furniture, but I'll see if I can't bring something back when I go out."
Vergil frowns when he steps inside. How the hell does it actually smell worse without Dante living in it? "I thought you were just going to use the phone."
"We've got kids with us, Verge. They'll be hungry soon, and should at least have blankets."
"How are you going to pay for any of that?"
Dante rustles around in his pockets. "Well, I've got about, uh... thirty-two bucks. Food takes priority, but I should be able to get that and a sizeable blanket from someplace that they'd both fit under."
Vergil nods slowly.
"We'll put the kids up in the guest room for now. It's farthest from the front door."
"Be watchful, Dante. Mundus's minions are still very much seeking those of Sparda's blood, and our scent is far stronger than theirs."
Dante chuckles as he starts up the steps. "You don't gotta worry about me, old man. I can take any of those lackeys he could send. You gave me more trouble than he ever did."
Vergil's expression blanks, as though he's unsure whether to smirk or frown. He eventually settles on a soft frown and a creased brow as he lays Dante's mini down next to his own. After a quick check to make sure they're both still asleep, he faces his brother. "Seeing as our arrival here is a mystery, it is reasonable to assume we could just as easily disappear. Try not to take overly long."
"Got it. Take good care of the kiddos while I'm gone."
The older twin gives a grim nod. This was his responsibility once, years ago, and he will not fail a second time. Vergil settles against the wall beside the children, summoning the second Yamato from within himself and putting it beside his younger incarnation. Her song is quieter, almost... shy, or confused by his presence, but bound to his soul as she is, she responded to him all the same. But this Yamato does not belong to him. He wasted too much of his life lusting after that which did not belong to him.
It took him far too long to be content with what he always had.
"Mister V?"
Vergil startles, glancing down at his youngest twin. When had he woken up? It occurs to him, in this situation, he's one of four quadruplets. And he thought one brother was bad enough growing up. "Yes, Dante?"
"Where did Tony go?"
"To find food, among other necessities."
Dante sits up, his hand still clutching his brother's. He glances around, shoulders curling inward as he shivers. "Where are we?"
Vergil wants to tell him it's safe, but this place is not Dante's well-loved Devil May Cry. Not yet. "A safe-haven. My brother watched over this area for a great many years."
"Watched over it? What for?"
"One would think your experience today would tell you exactly what for."
Dante curls on himself further. Regret pangs through Vergil in an unexpected way as he sees a familiar haunted shadow flash across Dante's face. It makes him distinctly uncomfortable. Something tells him that, despite Vergil telling him not to look at their mother, he'd already seen too much. It wasn't as though the open slats in the cabinet prevented any unsightly views.
Vergil sighs. "I'm sorry, Dante."
The child glances up at him with a furrow in his brow. "Why?"
"For many things, most of which you will...." Vergil gives a snort. This is not his Dante, and yet, somehow, he hadn't realized he'd need to remind himself. He supposes seeing that flicker of him in the child made the divide smaller. "Most of which you hopefully need never understand."
"That doesn't make any sense. If I don't need to understand it, why apologize?"
Vergil manages a soft laugh when he recognizes Dante's effort to puzzle him out. He always did like a good mystery, and the appearance of the two older twins out of nowhere certainly qualifies. "An excellent question."
Dante lifts a brow. He knows a dodge when he hears one.
"I suppose, you simply reminded me of my own brother for a moment."
"You need to apologize to your brother?" the boy asks, his voice a little softer. He glances down at his own twin. "Me, too."
Vergil blinks. "What for?"
"It was my fault he was all alone. I should've just let him read his book, but I.... He just looked so...." Dante scrubs his free hand across his eyes. It doesn't seem to help, instead bringing on familiar sniffles. "It doesn't matter. Shouldn't have pushed him. I said.... I said I hated him." Tears flow freely down his face, no matter how desperately he wipes them with his sleeves. "He could've gotten hurt, a-and it would've been all my fault."
The answer is obvious, but Vergil can't help his own morbid curiosity. He's a glutton for punishment. "Do you?"
"What?"
"Hate him?"
Dante chokes on a sob. "Of course, not! That's stupid. He's my big brother."
A warm laugh, Vergil's first in years, bursts from his lips, shocking them both. Dante's blunt denial makes those years he spent believing such nonsense seem even more ludicrous than before.
"What? You thought yours hated you?" Dante warbles, shining eyes clearing of their grief even if the tears don't quite taper off.
Vergil shakes his head at himself, splaying one hand in a defenseless gesture. "A foolish idea, but yes. We were separated for many years, a period which occurred after my own stubborn sibling said something to that same effect." Exactly the same, if this world truly is as parallel to his. It's not so parallel anymore....
Dante shakes his head. "And adults are supposed to be the smart ones."
"Smart enough to save you." Vergil answers, offering his young twin a genuine smile.
A beaming, if watery, grin is his response, a look Vergil hasn't seen on his Dante since they were children. Whatever he expected to feel because of it, it wasn't longing. When Vergil truly was V, he doubts he ever saw a real smile from his brother.
"Did you save him?"
Vergil hums, the line of his mouth turning softer, yet no less expressive. "No. He saved me, in more ways than I think he'll ever know. I've hurt no one else in the world more than him, and yet when I walked a path from which I could not return, he followed me."
"Where were you going?"
"The underworld."
Dante stares at him. "I thought dad sealed it away."
And this is where explaining things between the two worlds gets tricky. Vergil shoots the boy a warning look simply for the fact that he's not ready to deal with that particular question. "Yes."
As usual, Dante is unaffected by his glares, but he does concede. He tugs his sleeve a bit more, seeking a dry spot to wipe his face with. "My brother makes the same face when he wants me to shut up. I guess that makes sense... if we're family, that is."
Ah, skepticism. Mixed with Dante's shrewd observational skills, it's a potent mix. "You're wondering why you've never heard of us."
"Yeah."
"We're something of a family secret." Vergil says.
Dante sighs. "You're not gonna answer my questions anymore, are you?"
"That all depends on your question."
The child quiets, drawing his knees up to his chest and wrapping his arms around them. Vergil hardly knew his brother could seem so... fragile. "Those things.... The demons. Are they gonna come after us again?"
Vergil purses his lips. He never has been much for lying, and even though this Dante is not his Dante, he's still Dante. They've seen right through one another since birth. Hiding anything from those scrupulous eyes was never an option. "They might, but Tony and I will protect you. We've fought them our entire lives."
Dante accepts his answer with a wordless nod. And then his lip wobbles again. "Why did they come after us? We didn't do anything."
Vergil reaches out with gentle fingers, stroking Dante's hair in quiet comfort. He doesn't want to see his little brother afraid, no matter his age. "It was nothing you did or did not do, Dante. You were a means to an end to a powerful demon, nothing more and nothing less. We will take care of him."
"You say it like it'll be easy."
"Tony and I are more than powerful enough to destroy him." Vergil promises. An idle, curious thought occurs to Vergil. Would his status via the Qliphoth count in this world? "I wonder...."
Dante perks up just a little. "Wonder what?"
Vergil chuckles. "Wouldn't you like to know, nosy little nestling?"
"Well, duh. I wouldn't have asked if I didn't."
"That's too bad, then. You've found yourself another question I won't answer for you yet."
Dante pouts, although he makes a valiant effort to pretend he's not. "Yet? So, that means if I ask again sometime, you might tell me?" He visibly deflates when Vergil smirks. "Well, fine. I'll figure it out myself."
Vergil cocks a brow. "If you ever actually figured it out without me telling you, I think I would be willing to pay you a handsome sum of money."
"I'd settle for ice cream."
"Of course, you would."
The youngest Sparda shrugs, falling quiet for a little while. He worries at his lip, glances at his twin, and fidgets intermittently. Funny how little his nervous tics have changed over the years.
"You're afraid to fall asleep."
"When I was sleeping before, I.... I saw-" His expression crumbles. "I saw mom, but she-"
Vergil tugs his young twin into his side. "Tony and I will keep you safe."
Dante clutches his coat, taking a steadying breath. It doesn't do much for him, not that Vergil expected it to. While hardly comparable to his version of events, this day will still rank as one of the worst days of their lives. "I'm still scared. Mom told me I needed to be a big boy, but I...."
"She would never have expected you not to be scared." Vergil casts a look at his younger self where he lays on his side, careful breaths indicating an attempt to pretend he's asleep. He nudges the child with his boot. "That goes for you, too, little one."
The boy stirs, all pretenses of sleep gone as a keening noise leaves his throat. It takes a minute or so for him to decide he needs the same comfort Dante does, but eventually, he swallows his pride and crawls up against Vergil's opposite side. Vergil holds the child firmly against his body, comforting both twins in a manner he sorely needed at their age.
It never registered with Vergil before now just how scared his little brother would've been. He ran, but he had no idea where to go. Just like him, all Dante would've had were the clothes on his back, his sword, and the knowledge that the demons were coming for him.
Fifteen slow minutes tick by while the two calm down.
"Vergil?" Dante whispers.
"Y-yeah?"
He reaches tiny fingers across the eldest twin's stomach to grip his sibling's hand. "I'm sorry I said I hated you."
"I'm sorry, too. I shouldn't have left you alone."
Vergil, unable to help himself, presses a kiss to each of their heads. They're only children, and never deserved what happened. "Now, say goodnight, little nestlings. It's about time you both got back to sleep."
Dante wipes his face again, lifting his head to rest against their protector's chest a bit better. "Night, Vergil. I love you."
"Love you, too, Dante. Goodnight."