Old Friends

"Reia and I fought. She was just as strong as when I first fought her...... And I knew I couldn't beat her. She was stronger than me. After what seemed like hours, I couldn't take any more. I feel to my knee's and waited for the final blow to come, I closed my eyes as I saw my wife come at me with her sword, Ashara, waiting for the blow that will end my life. It never came. When I opened my eyes, Reia had gained control, tears going down her face. She told me to kill her. One drawback with Barius' ability is that he will feel equal pain and equal wounds to the puppets. She told me she knows it will be hard.... But she wanted me to live so that I could honor my promise.... To her and to my son. To protect humanity, to protect life. I was torn.... But she gave me her sword, and after our final kiss... Our last kiss..... I stabbed her. Barius fled and released her in that second before she was stabbed, but I didn't pursue him.... I stayed with my wife. I tried to save her. I Failed. She told me she was proud.... And that my choice was one that she hated for me to have. Finally... after only 3 minutes.... She peacefully passed and joined my son."



He sniffs and wipes his eyes. "The Order sent agents to help me, and found me with her sword in my hands, and her in my arms. They assumed I had killed her, and tried to kill me. I knockned them out, and fled with my wife's body, my son's body, and her weapon. I buried them where she and I first met. Only I know where her body is. I swore on her grave and the grave of my son that I would avenge their deaths. Barius would not escape justice. Even if I have to wait for another thousand years I will kill him. So began my Crusade against Hell, and the wanting of my death by Heaven. This is why I protect humanity Night, this is why I am so merciful toward those who probably don't deserve it. My curse is... of course.... Something called the Black Rage, after my wife died, Barius cursed me. It is a curse that says everytime I use my powers, I have a chance of being taken over by another Vergil, one that was serving the Dark Triade. One that will murder without hesitation, remorse, or feeling. And will savour the kill. This has only happened to me twice, both times before I met you. Both times against demons that had killed innocents like my son and wife, or had helped destroy the Order in Germany." Vergil finishes with a sigh.



"After all this, do you reconsider being an ally to me? To claim friendship with me, is a death warrented by both Heaven and Hell." Vergil stares at the city through the broken window, not glancing at Night at all.

All the while he was speaking, I had gotten off my perch on the glass and walked over to the desk, hoisting myself up to sit on it beside Vergil. A few moments passed, then I spoke.

"An ally? Pfft. You're more than just merely an ally, Vergil. You're one of my oldest friends, and one of them i consider my best. Like i said before, I don't care that you could go on a rampage and possibly kill me while in that state. To actually be a friend is to accept a person who - or what - ever they are. I don't bother to ask about a person's past for the sole reason that the past self isn't the one in the present. Screw Heaven and my father's legions. Screw Hell and my mother's army of whores. The only way we're breaking up is if one of us dies, or...actually, that's about it."

I leaned forward, arms on my knees and hands clasped together in front of me.

"Nothing can sever your connection to your family. Including the uncontrollable version of yourself. I say just go all out, and when you feel him pushing his way to the surface, push him back down even stronger with the good memories of Reia, the good memories of Vance." I leaned back, slowly ending up laying on the desk. "If you go down, I'm coming with you, and so is that Hündin, Barius."

I stayed silent for a few minutes, then took a deep breath and let it out as a sigh. "For a straight answer, no, I'm not reconsidering. I've got your back until the end, and you know it enough even not to ask."

I gave him a smile, sealing my contract.

Vergil smiles and nods back, then looks back out to the city. "We won't find him for a long while..... That's the way he works.... Resurface then hide when the heat is too much. He knows that if he stayed in this city I'd find him within a day. He knows he can't kill me by himself either....." Vergil narrows his eyes.



"I'm afraid this will be a bit bigger than just me and Barius though..... I don't know if you've noticed, but ever since 1914, World War 1, Heaven and Hell have been moving an awful lot.... The peices are set, and pretty soon, someone is gonna make the first move. And this time.... It's not going to be a war that we can hide like in the past.... This time it's going to be humanity's war as well."



Vergil looks at her. "I know you don't like humans too much, Night. But I can't allow innocents to die. I'm no better than Barius if I give into the easy way, giving up and allowing humanity to die.... I've failed twice now, I won't be able to face Reia if I fail a third."

"I understand. Instead of knocking them out, if unnecessary, I'll scare them away from our path." Reluctantly, I added: "...And if I have to save one from utter destruction, I'll do it."

"Thank you Night." Vergil says, smiling at her. "Now.... We should probably get out of this building." He points to several cop cars and three SWAT vans parked around the entrance of the sky scrapper.



"Any suggestions?"

I got off the desk, and walked over to the window. I studied the patrols for a few moments, then took out a few green pinwheels. "These won't harm them, I assure you." I threw them down towards the humans trying to swarm into the building, and quickly detonated them. A foggy green gas enveloped the area, setting the confused humans to sleep. "Now we jump." As if it were a trigger word itself, I stood from my crouched postion, and stepped off the edge of the building, landing in a roll and looking back up to watch as Vergil came down.

Vergil chuckles, looking back as SWAT team that had entered the building 20 minutes before burst through. He grins and steps off the edge.





End of 'Old Friends'





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News Reporter: "Two terrorists had destroyed the upermost part of the Brindor Corp. Skyscrapper, Mr. Dorn was unharmed and was no where near the building at the time of the explosion. Investigators are still pondering on how the terrorists escaped or even how they got that far up in the building. No word yet on if they were after Mr. Dorn himself, or was attacking his own buisness."



Barius turns off the TV. "Well played Vergil.... But pretty soon your little humans aren't going to be able to be ignorant of our world."



There is a knock on the door.



Barius looks at it. "Come in."



A well dressed man enters. "Mr. Dorn, the meeting is ready at your lesiure, sir."



Barius nods and waves him off, as the bulter exists, Barius picks up his wine glass and moves a pawn forward on his chessboard. "The pieces are moving, and no one, not even you Vergil or your friend, can stop it now." He grins and takes a drink of wine.



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