The Past, The Present and The Future [Ephemera]

[Vergil]

"Death did not hold me in it's grasp for long... Yet why do I feel as though I never left that place?...", Vergil asked himself as he gazed upon the lake, standing tall by it's shore, the sole of his boots getting wet as the water passed by him. A couple of months past by since the resurrection of the dead son of Sparda, which instead of having his corpse rotten in the fiery pits of the Netherworld as it was supposed to, was no gazing upon a beautiful lake, the cold and refreshing water running between his boots and the pebbles underneath them, his mind filled with question, doubts and worries. The reason why Vergil was brought back to life was clear though, he didn't have to be a psychic to figure it out. Dante was able to hold back Mundus by defeating him, but the Emperor of Darkness wasn't that easy to be killed, after all, even after his father defeated him he still wasn't able to put an end to his unholy life, so it was only a matter of time before that disgusting creature would crawl back up and resume his plan to conquer or destroy the human realm. With him back, the forces of good would need every help they could get and they figured given that Vergil was the son of Sparda, he would aid them in their cause. What they probably didn't know, or really weren't aware, was the fact that Vergil could care less about the humans and their demise would be the same as naught for him. The only thing the Dark Slayer wanted now was power so he could have a rematch with the Prince of Darkness, for he wanted payback from the time he was wounded and Mundus was able to defeat him and corrupt him.

"It will take some time for me to recover... And a longer time for me to gain back my strength...", Vergil said to himself as he looked at his left hand, Yamato being gripped by his fingers. The blade longed for his master, he could feel it. It also longed for a worthy battle by his side.
The thought of escaping that island to go back to the Temen-ni-gru and fight his way back up to Mundus crossed his mind several times, though he knew better then to charge head on to a battle against a legion of demons without being at full strength and besides... He had an obligation now at that place.
Honor was something that Vergil upheld to the max, given that he walked the path of the True Warrior and given that he owed the one that resurrected him his life, the son of Sparda would have to stand by her side until she ordered him otherwise. It was a pain in the ass not being able to do what he pleased, but he needed to do that.
The first weeks he had kept his distance from her and others, he had just came back from the dead and he needed some time to process that, plus his personality really didn't help. And he would still avoid seeing Ephemera for some reason, but why?... Vergil's blue eyes looked at the soothing horizon, wondering what he would do now that he was back, besides from training of course.

[Ephemera Valentine]

Training the novices was, as always, the first thing on her daily to do list. Some were slower to learn than others, hence why the High Lady decided Ephemera was to train them. With her it was learn quickly or don’t complain about the cuts and bruises, it never took long for them to beg for their previous tutor and that was the way Ephemera liked it. In an attempt to get some peace Ephemera had retreated to the roof of the Head Quarters where very few could actually reach. She had a lot on her mind. Keller, her ward, would find out soon about her heritage about the parents she never knew and the brothers that didn’t even know she existed. It gave her a headache just thinking about it. “Lady Ephemera! Lady Ephemera where are you!?” the frantic calls of the servants reached her ears and she couldn’t help but groan in annoyance.

In one fluent motion she flipped herself from the roof, red hair billowing about her as she descended to land before the shouting servants. “Is there something you need of me?” The servant, in his fright, had fallen to his knees. Ephemera held out her delicate but cold hand to help him up, her starlight eyes watching him closely. “My Lady, Vergil is missing! The High Lady sent me to check on him and he was gone!” The vampire laughed softly, she shouldn’t have, she knew that but she really couldn’t help it. “Do not worry yourself, I know where he is,” Ephemera turned and walked towards the lake, the servant running along behind her with her guns and sword. Why he thought that she would need them was beyond her.

“The High Lady also requests you seek out Dante and Keller...The time has come for them to know the truth my Lady,” Ephemera bowed her head as she listened to him. She’d put off telling Keller for one single reason...The words were too hard to say. The vampire muttered something under her breath, it sounded something like ‘I know’ but with Ephemera that wasn’t always the case.

The moment her keen eyes locked upon snow white hair she knew it was him. The half-breed that had stolen her heart without even trying. Ephemera dismissed the servant as she walked towards Vergil, her steps ever graceful. “You gave the servants quite a scare, they were sent to check on you and you weren’t there.” Her voice was like silk, smooth, gentle and slightly seductive. “How are you feeling?”

Tomorrow Ephemera was to leave on a mission, she wanted to be sure Vergil was alright before she left otherwise she would do nothing but worry. She worried already, he didn’t seem to want to be around any of them, perhaps she was a little bit more than worried. Upset perhaps. Ephemera walked over to the lakes edge, crouching and tipping her delicate fingers into the water. Over the years she’d spent here she’d become accustomed to the head that would sometimes emerge from the water to peek at its surroundings.

“Watch over me tomorrow Great One and may your ancient wisdom guide me,” she whispered, this was sort of a ritual for her, she always asked for the guidance of the old one before a mission, they all did. Rising to her feet she turned to look at Vergil with a warm smile. “I’m surprised you haven’t volunteered to train the novices, they are all dying to meet you. Apparently being trained by Sparda isn’t as good as one of his children,” Ephemera shrugged, what was this world coming to. Her starlight eyes met his and she felt a slight heat come to her cheeks. Stupid body, I feel like one of those ridiculous school girls with a crush.

[Vergil]

Vergil's mind wandered off a bit, searching for truths yet to be made clear or just too unbelievable to be recognized. The white-haired man closed his calm yet cold blue eyes, meditating so he could be at peace with no distraction either from the landscape, or from the one that held great power and took a quick peek at who was standing by the edge of its lake. Indeed, Vergil knew of the great beast that dwelled within the lake, it's power ancient and vast, though something that just wouldn't impress the Son of Sparda.
The man searched his mind for the memories of when he was corrupted by Mundus, in hopes he could remember if when corrupted by him he gained access to any information about the Emperor of Darkness, because to corrupt something, one must leave a piece of himself within its target and that could be used to acquire important information given the link between the piece and the "parasite". Vergil could remember almost everything from when he was Nelo Angelo, though what happened after he was defeated by Mundus was locked away and he was unable to reach it. Vergil started focusing on his battle with Mundus, remembering how beaten he was from sparring with his brother, a displeased frown appeared on his face as he thought to himself, If my idiot of a brother didn't beat me at that time, I would've probably defeated Mundus..., though he quickly regained his calm and cold expression as he dug a little deeper. Though suddenly, as he was remembering what Mundus did to him after the battle, a shooting pain erupted out of nowhere and Vergil seemed to have been pierced through the skull several times with several needles, making him open his eyes, rub his forehead and grit his teeth in pain. The man shoved those thoughts aside and panted slightly, though quickly regaining his composure.
"Humph... I guess he didn't want me to find out what he did to me... Bastard.", he said in a low tone as his gaze went back to the soothing horizon. There was no point in doing that again, not while Vergil was still weakened from the resurrection.

Vergil looked back, cold blue eyes gazing on whoever was coming from behind him, catching a faint glimpse of red, the hybrid recognized who it was immediately. Lady Ephemera, the one that had set him free from the grasp of death. It was unknown to Vergil himself if he felt gratitude, or anger towards her, because sometimes Vergil pondered if it would've been best if he had stayed dead, though grateful or not, he owed her his life and he had to repay it somehow.
The man calmly returned his gaze to the horizon as the woman talked to him, his cold and calm voice echoing slightly as he replied, "I needed a little time out of that place so I took the opportunity to visit this lake. Since I've arrived here I felt an ancient power that dwelled in this lake and I was curious to see what emanated such power.", he looked at her for a few brief seconds, before returning his gaze back to the horizon, looking at her gentle visage for a few moments before answering, "Better then yesterday I suppose...", a slight sigh that was almost unnoticeable escaped his lips, showing a slight sign of frustration for not being at full strength.

The woman whispered something as she tipped her fingers on the cold water, probably a ritual of hers. Vergil was never one to ask for power from another, rather take it by force, so the whole concept of praying for protection or strength was something completely put aside and not even pondered on. When she rose up, Vergil's eyes looked at her, noticing every beautiful trait that she had. For some reason, ever since Vergil had come back, he started feeling something he had never felt before, something new and... Warm? And that feeling only increased every time he looked at her, though he would not show it, maintaining his cold and calm posture and expression as the woman talked to him.
"I'm not the kind to be teaching others... As much as my father enjoyed training novices, I for one am not too thrilled to do so.", he said bluntly to the woman. It was true, every last word of it. Vergil would never share what he'd knew with Novices because he thought they did not deserve being taught and besides... His training would either kill them or render them unable to fight, something that would prove to be less beneficial then if he just stayed out of the training business.
Suddenly, his cold blue eyes met hers, those beautiful and delicate eyes that could make the coldest of hearts melt by starring at them for just a few seconds. The Son of Sparda seemed to have lightened up, his eyes maintaining their cold expression as usual though with a slight hint of warm.
"You look ravishing as usual Lady Ephemera.", he said as he looked at her eyes, those hypnotic and beautiful eyes of hers, though his personality had to stand in the way and make him shift his gaze elsewhere, attempting to find another topic to discuss. "I heard your whispers... You asked for guidance and protection for tomorrow. May I ask why?", he asked as he looked back at her, his eyes slowly making their way back to hers. He couldn't control them for some reason, but in all honesty, he probably wouldn't mind that he didn't on this occasion.

[Ephemera Valentine]

Her eyes closed, the strength of the Hydra was legendary though few knew of its existence here, she’d grown used to its presence and no longer noticed it because of that. They all felt it when they were first brought here but more than two hundred years of it and you forget it’s even there. Unless you fall in the lake...You very quickly become aware of it again when that happens. Ephemera owed her life to the Hydra though it seemed happy enough to be near someone without them screaming and running away. In the whole time Ephemera had been here there had never once been an attack by the Hydra, she was the second oldest person here, second only to the Hydra. It never ceased to amaze her how often people didn’t believe how old she was, she looked good for her age granted but still did they really have to argue with her? Surely she knew how old she was. Ephemera opened her eyes as she cast Vergil a glance.

“What you sense is the Hydra, legend says that after being hunted by angels and demons alike who sought his destructive powers he grew tired of being constantly hunted he sought refuge here with Night Blade. They gave him the lake to hide himself from the rest of the world and it return he would guide us where he could and inform us when one of us is lost. When our training comes to an end will give a veil of our blood to the lake and when one of us falls you can here the Hydra’s sad song from the waters.” Having been here for two hundred years she’d learnt a lot of Night Blade lore and history. Ephemera could still remember the first time she’d felt the Hydra’s presence, she’d felt so small and strangely threatened. The High Lady’s stories of it emerging from the lake to eat unwary novices...That really didn’t help the still vulnerable Ephemera. The Right Hand ran her fingers back through her hair, she couldn’t remember the last time she’d been able to just stand her without being interrupted every five minutes by a servant needing her for one thing or another. There seemed to be no shortage of things for her to do nowadays. Go find Dante, go find this Devil Arm, find out what happened to so and so....And people thought that being the Right Hand was fun...How little they knew.

The vampire knew he was frustrated, she knew what he was going through. She’d been through it herself after all. “You’ll be back to your old self in no time dear Vergil, you can trust me on this, believe it or not I too have been through what you are going through now. Like you I am one of two, a twin. My brother Falco meant everything and then the greed and foolishness of my parents took him from me. In my anger and despair I slept for fifty years, when I awoke I was weaker than I’d ever been, my blood lust was uncontrollable, I wished to feed on anything and everything that came near," she looked at him through pitch black eyes. “I wanted to hunt and kill but was too weak to even hold my sword properly.” Her voice was darker than normal, as if it had changed with the changing of her eyes. She walked closer to him, placing a delicate hand to his cheek before leaning in towards his neck but rather than biting it she kissed it before darting back.

Her formerly darkened eyes had returned to normal, it was clear now what she’d been doing. She’d long been curios as to how he would react, he didn’t know she never took blood from living people, all her blood came from friends who worked in Blood Banks. “The High Lady at the time found me and brought me here to recover and train, it took a while but I got there eventually. Just give it time, the High Lady says your recovering well, the chances are you’ll soon be free to go,” Ephemera knew that when that day came it would be a sad one for her. Despite his clear avoidance of her she liked having him around, he was very nice to look at, actually had manners unlike most of then men in Night Blade and well...she felt safer with him than she ever had with anyone else other than Falco.

The sweet laugh of Ephemera left her lips, “Your father learnt as much as he taught. Besides, in your weakened state they might be a bit of a challenge for you, no?” She was clearly just being playful with the last statement, she knew that the novices would more than likely not get anywhere near him, she however would more than likely be his equal, with her long years had come strength great than most expected from her. “Perhaps it is a battle you need, no? The thrill of the fight might be just the ticket to regain your strength. The champion of Night Blade should be a good enough match for you,” the only reason she was volunteering the champion was because the champion, has always been, the Right Hand of the High Lady.

“Kind sir, you flatter me with your words but I fear they would be better suited on someone more deserving of them,” Ephemera bowed her head to hide the crimson blush that had taken hold of them, she looked at the ground, attempting to calm the racing of her heart and the blazing heat that had overcome her usually cool skin. When her cheeks had finally cooled down she looked up at him, before meeting him it had always been her skills in battle that had been complimented, not her looks. It was taking some getting used to. “You don’t look too bad yourself, you look just like your father when he took the form of a human though you have better taste in clothes.”

She looked down at water, thinking of the best way to word the reason behind her asking for guidance and protection. Part of the reason was that if anything should happen to her then the Hydra would sing for the loss of her, if she didn’t then it wouldn’t for not showing it respect.

“So that should something happen to me then it will sing for me, to bring me peace. Those who ask for protection and guidance are given it so that their spirit will find rest. The person I must seek out tomorrow is a demon hunter who might possibly try to kill me, I thought it might be wise.” Ephemera smiled. “Tomorrow I seek your brother, who as I understand it isn’t all that fond of things that aren’t human.”

[Vergil]

As the woman told the ancient lore of the mythical creature that resided on that lake, Vergil paid the utmost attention to it, his eyes looking at her in his usual, cold, calm and observant way. So that creature had been hunted down by angels and demons alike for it’s destructive power? From what Vergil could detect that creature was fairly powerful, yet in all honesty, Vergil had encountered more powerful foes then that creature of myth, but his standards were too high and he would not say anything to Ephemera out of courtesy for her beliefs and for the fact that it would be just rude to disrespect such an important creature to the Night Blade. The first thought that came to Vergil’s mind was the question of how to extract such power from the beast. He didn’t do it out of spite and he owed the Night Blade his life, or rather Ephemera, so he couldn’t do something of the sort. Besides… Should Mundus’ reach the island with Vergil still there, maybe the creature would prove useful in the defence of the island given that he was one of its dwellers. Though comparing the power of that creature and Mundus… It’s needless to say that if Mundus himself would be the one attacking the island, the creature would be no match for the Emperor of Darkness.
”Such bond you Night Blade’s have with this creature…”, Vergil commented, slightly surprised that such a creature would allow itself to bond with a lower kind of creature, let alone weep for their death. Emotions weren’t Vergil’s strong suit, so he couldn’t really understand the reason why the creature would sing to not only weep for and honour the dead, but also to warn the others of that member’s demise.

She was trying to make him feel better, trying to pull him up a bit so he wouldn’t be so down and frustrated about his weakened state. She told him her tale and Vergil could almost feel a slight hint of pain in her words, though he said nothing as he listened to her, his eyes looking upon her gentle and perfect visage, though something made him slightly unease as her words matched the color of her eyes, which were now pitch black as a starless night. Vergil knew she currently had control over herself, though he wasn’t used to the idea of allies, let alone of friend, so her transformation put him slightly disturbed for some reason, as though she was going to attack him. Maybe it was reflex given his life of following the path of the warrior, because he couldn’t control that feeling every time Ephemera shifted to her transformed state.
Her cold hand touched his skin, no warm what-so-ever came from her touch and then she leaned towards his neck. Without even realizing it, Vergil’s grip on Yamato became tighter, yet another reflex he couldn’t control, but he didn’t feel her teeth penetrating his skin, rather her cold lips on his neck as she kissed him. A soft yet faint smile appeared on the corner of his lips, though it quickly faded the minute Ephemera darted back, being replaced by his usual cold and calm expression, his eyes never leaving the woman.
After that, she continued as assured him his strength would return to him in due time and with a slight sigh, Vergil replied, ”If you say so m’lady… Though to be in this state… It’s degrading for me.”. Vergil was making more of a fuss then it really was, because sure he wasn’t as strong as before his death, but he still held much power within him, it just wasn’t as much as back that and it would probably return before he knew it. Though the only thing more important to Vergil then knowledge and Lady Ephemera, was power, because with power he could defend himself and those he wants to protect.

At the mentioning of his father, Vergil looked down a bit, a slight frown appearing on the corner of his lips. Not even he knew if he was angry at his father or if he just missed his presence. Once it was anger for hiding the Force Edge from him, making it so difficult to discover because of the information he lacked about it and every so often was sadness for he did kind of missed him, he was his father after all. He shook his head lightly and replied her comment with a smirk and said in his usual tone, ”I’m not that weakened Lady Ephemera, I can still defend myself. I’m just not as strong as I was, currently.”, he smiled calmly at her.
When she suggested a duel to ignite the flames of battle once more within him, Vergil cocked his eyebrow, though he smiled when she mentioned the champion of the Night Blade as an opponent. If there was one thing Vergil always did when taking shelter anywhere was find out as much as he could about it. When he was at the Temen-ni-gru, he read everything there was to know about it, except how to unlock the final seal, because that didn’t show up anywhere, not even in Arkham’s library. When Vergil arrived Night Blade Headquarters, the first thing he did was shut himself in its library and Archives and soak up as much information as possible about its structures, the training, the members of the council and so forth. One little thing, that actually surprised him, was the so called “Champion of the Night Blade” which archives indicated that the current Champion was none other then Ephemera.
With a calm smile, Vergil said, in a mixture of sweet and cold tone, ”I’m afraid I could not lay a hand on the Champion m’lady Ephemera, after all, it wouldn’t be very chivalrous of me, nor would I even think of doing it, to harm the one who brought me back…”, he continued to smile and looked at those beautiful eyes of hers, the warm feeling coming back to him for some reason once more.

When she bowed her head and seemed to believe she did not deserve to be complimented on her looks, Vergil smiled calmly and said as he gently placed the side of his finger underneath her chin and gently made her rose her head so he could look into those beautiful eyes of hers and said, ”I’m anything but kind m’lady, I was merely stating a fact. Also, I can’t think of anyone more deserving then you to receive praises regarding your beauty.”, he then made his fingers run gently down her soft and silk smooth skin. The two were very close to each other and for some reason, Vergil did not mind that and he always had been picky about being to close to people and getting touched by them, but with Ephemera, it was the complete opposite for some reason unknown to him.
When she complimented his looks and clothing, Vergil made a quick bow with his head and said in his usual tone, ”Thank you m’lady. And yes me and my sibling share a few traits with my father, though he always praised that goatee of his… Frankly I disliked it.”, he chuckled lightly as he said that last part.

Vergil seemed more relaxed now, he even had a slight calm smile on his lips as he looked at Ephemera, though the minute she explained why she was praying to the Hydra, Vergil’s eyes widened slightly and his expression went from serene, to serious in a blink of an eye and he said, his tone filled with concern for Ephemera, ”You’re going to find my brother?... Then I’ll come with you. Dante’s too stupid and too much of an idiot to understand anything… If he senses you are a vampire his tiny brain will only think about killing you and I won’t allow it!”, he said as he unsheathed his blade slightly, looking at his sword that shined as a beam of light reflected on it. He sheathed it and looked at Ephemera, his eyes filled with concern over her. His words were true, at least from what he remembered, Dante was a hot-head and a knucklehead so even if Ephemera announced her presence and told him everything, the idiot would probably attack her and if something should happen to her, Vergil would not stand it and would even kill his brother should he do something to Ephemera.

[Ephemera Valentine]

Ephemera would never harm him, even in her hunger she still held more control than most vampires her age. If she didn’t possess as much control as she did then most of Night Blade would have been eaten already. Ephemera had kept the fact that she’d been late feeding a secret, the novices always worried when around hungry vampires though they had no need to worry when it came to Ephemera. There was very few who managed to tempt Ephemera and the main culprit was standing right in front of her, the scent of Vergil was like anything she’d ever encountered. Never before had someone toyed with her sense like he did. To her heightened senses he smelt like blood and the demon ilk, when she’d first found his tomb she’d barely been able to smell his humanity but with every day that passed she could smell it more and more.

“You have nothing to fear from me dear Vergil; despite what I am I have no desire for your blood or at least not enough to warrant attacking you for. I wouldn’t risk hurting you.”

The gentle, almost motherly tone she used during the last sentence was the same one she’d used of Keller so many times before while the child was still growing up. There was more than one reason behind her not wishing to hurt him, he was dear to her and she cared for him deeply, not to mention the fact that the High Lady would have her head if anything happened to him.

Having witnessed his power first hand many years before he’d even known of Night Blade’s existence she could understand why he was so frustrated now. When he first raised Temen-ni-gru Ephemera was sent to stop him before he unleashed Hell, Dante got there first however much to her disappointment. “When you raised Temen-ni-gru I was sent to stop you and bring you back here, you were going to be my replacement whether it be after my ascension to High Lady or not I’ve never been told...” [/color]

“Vergil you don’t need to be so formal with me, please just call me Ephemera or Mara, every few actually refer to me as Lady and those that do I wish to hit with a hammer until they get it through their thick skulls,” Ephemera looked down at her long black and red nails as she reached out to trace his face with her finger tips tenderly, she lowered her hand when she realised what she’d been doing. “I hope your still around when I do become High Lady, you have a very...intimidating aura that tends to scare off potential suitors... I may need you when that time comes around,” Ephemera looked down, the heat had returned to her cheeks, she really did hope he would still be around. The vampire brushed her red hair back from her face as she looked at him and smiled. If her sister had been there she would have been teasing Ephemera and singing about someone having a crush. Calamity seemed to be very good at winding her old sister up.

There was no doubt in her mind that he would soon be back to his original strength and she would have to check up on him every five minutes to make sure that he hadn’t snuck out and left, no harm was to come to him. Ephemera had been charged with keeping him safe. The vampire was not looking forward to when that time came, she had a funny feeling hat he would be the sort that gave the babysitter a lot of trouble. In this case she would be the unlucky babysitter.

Ephemera couldn’t help but smile, ever the gentleman, she kind of liked that about him even if it did mean she had to put up with being called Lady a lot. “My dear Vergil, you make it sound as if I really had a choice in the matter, the High Lady asked me to revive you as a favour, in my opinion the sacrifice of one was worth it for the greater good...What’s finding a soulmate worth when compared to millions of innocent lives?”[/color] Ephemera shook her head. “I would do it again in a heart beat, without hesitation. I’m actually quite fond of you,” she looked down, her cheeks burning with the rush of blood coming to them. Yes, she would do it again any day, more than happily.

“If you won’t spar with me then perhaps you’ll accompany me to the dance tonight, I have to go but it would be nice to see you there, I could imagine you being a fine dancer,” the vampire hoped he would take her up on her offer, it would be nice to see a different side to him. Plus she hoped that he offer her some protection from the gawking eyes of men, she felt self conscious as it was, never mind in a dress. “I’m supposed to be singing tonight, I would really like it if you were there...I don’t know why but...I feel...safer around you than I have ever felt before,” she whispered, her tone soft and gentle. Ephemera wasn’t used to feeling like this around anyone, in her three hundred years of life the vampire had never experienced anything like this and she wasn’t sure if that was a good or a bad thing. Am I...am I falling for him...? This wasn’t the first time that Ephemera had wondered this, she’d thought it several times before but as always she pushed the thought to the back of her mind.

The moment she felt his touch she looked up, looking into his eyes with a gentle gaze. She couldn’t tear her gaze away from his, she didn’t want to. The vampire couldn’t stop her eyes from lulling shut under his gentle touch, Ephemera couldn’t help it. Every complimentary word he spoke to her made her heat race, she could feel it pounding against her chest. The temptation to take him into her arms and hold him was undeniable but she controlled herself and stayed where she was. Without thinking she placed her hand upon his chest, looking into deeper into his eyes. “I’m going to have to keep an eye on you and the girls here, they’ll be locking me in closets just to get near you,” the naturally seductive tone of voice crept back into her voice.

A gentle laugh left her lips, “I have to admit I shared your dislike, he was quite the charmer too.” Ephemera had many fond memories of Sparda, he’d always been very good to her. The vampire smiled at him, she could foresee herself forming many fond memories with him too.

The concern in his voice touched her, she gently placed both her hands upon his cheek. “Hush now my dear, you don’t need to worry about me, really. If it makes you feel any better about it then you can come with me. My dear Vergil, if I didn’t know any better I would say your getting protective of me,” Ephemera leaned forward and placed a gentle kiss upon his lips, closing her eyes as she did so. The vampire opened her eyes as she drew back and looked down, “Sorry...I shouldn’t have.” Ephemera was about to step back but her own body stopped her, she couldn’t bring herself to move away from him. Why can’t I move away? Ephemera placed both her hands upon his chest, watching him carefully through her starlight eyes. “Vergil I...I...never mind,” she bowed her head, shuffling her feet nervously. Feelings were never her strongest point.
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[Vergil]

Vergil frowned slightly, the shame boiling inside of him and almost making him almost noxious. How could he do something so disrespectful to her? She saved his life and that was how he repaid her, by seeing her as a threat? He bowed his head slightly and said with a calm, yet slightly embarrassed tone, ”My apologies Lady Ephemera. It’s just that when you devote yourself to fighting too much, everything triggers one’s reflexes. I hope I did not offend you.”, he then rose his head once more, his eyes looking into hers and hoping she wouldn’t take offence by that wretched reflex he had before she kissed him on his neck.
Vampires were an interesting race and the lust for blood was probably something Vergil would hate to have, though the immortality was a good compensation. The lifespan of a hybrid such as himself was above and beyond that of a normal human, though it could not be compared to immortality. It would be rude to ask if he enjoyed being a vampire, so Vergil kept that question to himself for the time being, but curiosity would probably take over him one day and he would ask her that question, though when the two knew each other better then they knew one another at that moment.
It was unknown to Vergil if it was because she was a vampire, but for some reason, every time he looked into those beautiful eyes of hers, he felt like he was being pulled towards her, the warm feeling growing within him every time he even thought about gazing upon her and her eyes.

Ephemera then mentioned the time in which Vergil had raised the Temen-ni-gru from the bottom of the earth. So many lives were lost as Vergil renamed the seven fallen and set amok the several demons, just so he could lure his twin brother inside, his quest for power that backfired on him. Such memory would be best forgotten or left alone, not because Vergil felt bad about it, which he didn’t for he was incapable of feeling anything towards humans, but because it was a failure and cost him his father’s power, thus he felt aggravated every time he remembered that little incident.
”I was supposed to be your replacement?... At that time, I assure you that I would not even think about considering helping anyone but myself. Back then I could only count on one person and that person was me…”, he said as he frowned slight and looked away. Ever since he and Dante had part ways after their mother died, he had been alone in the world, only relying on himself to surpass the difficulties he faced, thus why he was such a lone wolf, only looking after himself and no one else.
When she commented on Vergil’s way of addressing her, he smiled slightly and replied, ”I apologize, but it’s the way I’ve been taught. It’s merely a way of showing the respect I have for you. So I think you’ll be using that hammer then?”, he chuckled lightly. Much to his surprise, Vergil was actually telling a joke? The tight-ass, cold, calm and collected Son of Sparda was actually kidding? That was a first. He was kind of embarrassed for saying that and it wasn’t really like him to say anything like that.
When she said she hoped Vergil was still around when she became High Lady, a soft and reassuring smile appeared on his face, he then made his fingers gently brush a few strands of hair that were standing in front of her face and calmly said, ”I owe you my life m’lady. Should you require me I’ll always be there.”. The son of Sparda owed that woman his life, even if it meant to put his quest for power on hold for some time, he would do it, for those were the rules of chivalry, a art long forgotten by most.

”Was it really worth it m’lady? To sacrifice the chance to find your soul mate in exchange for a life? I raised the Timi-ni-gru once, causing hundreds of deaths, to which, I’ll be completely honest, feel no remorse what-so-ever… Is it worth loosing your chance of finding happiness in exchange for a mere murderer that you are not certain if he’ll kill again in quest for more power? I won’t deny that I’m pleased to hear you’re so fond of me, but…”, Vergil said bluntly, his tone as cold as ice, his eyes showing that he spoke the truth. The Dark Slayer could not feel the slightest hint of remorse towards those he killed, nor could he say for certain that he would not do it again just to gain more power, though for some reason, after saying that, he looked to the side, his expression remaining cold. Did he feel ashamed for his actions? No he did not, but for some reason looking at Ephemera after he said that felt wrong and something he didn’t want to do.

When the vampire woman mentioned something about a dance, Vergil’s white eyebrow cocked, the man not even understanding exactly why such a powerful figure of the Night Blade would invite an outsider instead of another powerful figure, say, the right hand of the High Lord? Perhaps it would be best if Vergil declined the offer as a gentleman? Besides, not only wasn’t he a dancer, he disliked gatherings and hated being cooped up with people; he much preferred hanging around their library and soak up more information regarding their group then just standing there and watching people dance.
Though something made him think twice before he replied to her offer, something shiny and irresistible to him and made that offer one he could not refuse. His tone taking the shape of one interested on the subject and clearly indicating that he would attend, ”You repay me in full merely with your presence Lady Ephemera. When I’m around you, things don’t seem as…”, Vergil stopped and looked at her with a calm smile before continuing, ”It’ll be an honour to accompany you to tonight’s dance m’lady and I look forward to hearing you sing, I’d wager you do it wonderfully.”, he continued to smile as he looked into her eyes once more, those intoxicating eyes of her’s.
At her remark about girl’s locking her in closets just to get near him, he smirked and smiled slightly.

Vergil expected more resistance from her regarding him escorting her to go fetch his idiot of a twin brother, though he was pleased that she wanted him there. If Dante so much laid a hand on her, Vergil would make sure that hand would never touch anything again and he had no problem what-so-ever in severing his brother’s hand.
He smiled at her comment, only to reply in a calm, yet gentle manner, ”Well… I’m rather fond of you as well, so I’d be devastated if something were to happen to you Lady Ephemera.”, what happened shortly after would even make him drop his beloved Yamato onto the ground, plunging itself between the pebbles and staying there. As her lips met his, Vergil closed his eyes, enjoying the moment of bliss and pure happiness that came out of nowhere and that he did not know how. Vergil had never fell for someone before, his mind only focusing either on his quest for power, or training, so it was only natural that he did not know exactly what it felt like to fall in love.
When she broke the kiss and stepped back, Vergil was actually slightly disappointed and confused at the same time, wanting that feeling to last for all eternity, but it didn’t. The man looked at Ephemera with a gentle look and though slightly confused, he took a step forward and embraced her in his arms, his lips close to her ear as he whispered to her in a gentle tone, ”You mean the world to me Lady Ephemera… Though I’ve killed many only to achieve more power, so I could defend myself and protect what mattered the most. Thus I ask you: Knowing this, can the Beauty love the Beast?...”, he held her close to him, though should she want to break away from him, she could do it without being stopped, though he wanted to hear her answer so much…

[Ephemera Valentine]

A sweet laugh left her lips, she’d been alive for three hundred and nineteen years and had long become accustomed to people being afraid of her, most of the children that were brought to Night Blade as novices were afraid of her. The vampire looked at him with sympathetic eyes of crystallized starlight, a little smile took over her lips. He was wise to be cautious of her, Purebloods like her weren’t known for being forthcoming about their gifts and abilities, she’d heard of vampires with the ability to control an individual with a single bite. As far as she was aware this was not an ability she possessed, she could do she supposed but then again how often did Ephemera actually use her vampire abilities? Not very. In many ways Ephemera saw being a Pureblood as a blessing, she had no fear of sunlight, didn’t have to worry about growing old and could do things that most demons couldn’t do even at their strongest. The downsides? Most people covered themselves from head to toe in clothing, cried whenever they bled around her and not to mention the out living those you loved and cared about...And the stupid individuals who threw coats over her head whenever she went outside during the day....This usually led to her wrapping the coat around their heads and walking away while muttering about hiding all of the coats and jackets in the building. The worst thing about that was that she would actually do it, she had that much patience and would do it just to be spiteful.

“I’m a vampire Vergil, I’ve been around for three hundred years, fear is not something I’m unfamiliar with, you can trust me on this.” She closed her eyes for a moment as she composed her thoughts. “I have feared and have been feared, that is how life is. I have no fear of you because the members of Night Blade are an army of brothers and sisters to me and I doubt my sister would take kindly to anything happening to me, that and while I’m alive you share my immortality. My death would revert you to your natural lifespan." She smiled softly at him. “I’m not offended.”

Ephemera opened her eyes and looked straight at him. “If you were my replacement you would stand to be one of the most powerful people in the human world. The influence and power of Night Blade is greater than you realise Vergil, I have an army at my disposal who took an oath to do whatever I command of them. I could lead them into Hell and they would obediently follow,”

she shook her head. She couldn’t understand why they would put such blind faith in her. Night Blade had never ceased to amaze her, the more time that passed the more they seemed to surprise her by putting more faith in her.

It shocked her slightly when he respected her, she was a servant even if there was no shackles holding her here. She’d taken an oath to serve the High Lady until death prevented her from completing her obligations. Everything she knew about Vergil was contradicting what he was saying. And then there was the joke, she was very tempted to come out with ‘Who are you and what have you done with the real Vergil?’ She thought better of this however. “You respect a servant who has never been her own master? How every odd,” her words were accompanied by a light smile that she couldn’t have hidden even if she wanted to. She was no less a servant to Night Blade than he had been to Mundus as Nelo Angelo. Yes she was well aware of his history, if she’d been looking for the name Vergil on his crypt she would have been looking for a very long time.

“As for the hammer I suspect you might enjoy that,” she winked playfully, recovering from the shock of him making a joke. Ephemera liked this side of him and suspected she was one of the few that had witnessed it. He seemed so relaxed compared to the first time she’d spoken to him, that conversation had been like drawing blood from the proverbial stone. But still, she really did like to see him like this, it made him seem so much more approachable. The vampire smiled at him, she was surprised the servants weren’t spying on them already, they didn’t trust Vergil as far as they could throw him and often worried for their Second in Command.

It brought her more comfort than he could possible know that he would be there if she ever needed him. Ephemera made no secret of the fact that she dreaded the day when she would take her place as High Lady after two hundred years of being the Right Hand, as she put it ‘I would make a mistake and cause a war, we’d all be killed’ to which the High Lady would laugh and remind her that greatness was in her future. Ephemera had to admit that she was right but that didn’t mean she had to like it. “Thank you Vergil, it means a lot.” More than you can possibly know.

A serene smile captured her lips, “Many would argue that it wasn’t worth it, this is true. They believe it was unfair of the High Lady to ask such a thing of me after all my years of service. My sisters would more than likely agree with them but...I suppose the really question is...Do I agree, no?” She shook her head, sending her flaming red hair flaring about her face. “No, I don’t agree with them. So what if I never find my soul mate, my mother has yet to find her soul mate and she is more than a hundred years my senior, who is to say I would ever find mine? I was hesitant to do as my Lady had asked of me, I will not deny that, but then I remembered something your father told me. ‘For there to be love, there must first be sacrifice.’ ” Ephemera smiled, bowing her head as she did so. It was easy to see that Ephemera wasn’t a very judgemental person, she believed that everyone could find redemption if that was what they really desired.

While he was debating whether to accept her offer or not she was wondering how she’d found herself singing at the event after making it clear last time that she would not be doing it again. Ephemera was followed around for weeks after the last dance and not just because of her dress either. The more artistic of Night Blade’s members followed her to attempt to get her to sing again, she’d stayed on the roof for a week after that, despite the fact that it had rained a lot. When she’d eventually came down she’d been soaked but her faithful stalkers had abandoned her in that time so in her opinion it was worth it. She just prayed that it wouldn’t happen again this year.

She wished he’d finish his sentence, she wanted to know what he was going to say and made a mental note to ask him about it later, he was finally starting to be more open with her so she didn’t want to push it and push him away in the process. Ephemera’s smile brightened when he accepted her offer, genuinely happy that he was going to be there. She suspected her little group of stalkers would try anything with him there...Though he seemed to be very good at getting her to blush, proven by the crimson that animated her usually pale cheeks. “My singing is no better than anyone else’s in Night Blade, I just do it less than others...” Ephemera was slightly shy when it came to her abilities outside of combat which wasn’t helped by how modest she was either.

Ephemera and Dante had done business in the past though that was merely over the phone, she’d sent jobs his way to make sure his business stayed a float, with his shop open they knew where to find him and most of the time they were jobs that she didn’t want to do. Vergil knew his brother better than she did, his knowledge would be useful to her and his presence would put off novices from wanting to go with her, she hoped...Or at least those were the reason she would give if questioned, really it was because she liked his company.

His words only strengthened the intensity of her blush, how could they not? Never before had such word been spoken to her. The kiss scent a spark through her entire body, one that she couldn’t explain, had it not been for the fact that her mind was calling her an idiot she would have more than likely kept her lips upon his just to feel the spark once more. After breaking the kiss she noticed Yamato no longer at his side. She couldn’t decide whether he’d been surprised in a good way or a bad way because of that, from the moment of his rebirth he’d clung to the blade as if it were life itself and now to see it upon the ground...The vampires heart was beating faster than ever before, no matter what she did she couldn’t block out its infernal beating in her ears.

The moment his arms wrapped around her the part of her will that had been fighting with her body to move lost its battle, she allowed herself to become lost in his embrace, her eyes lulling closed though this wouldn’t last long. The moment she heard him speak her eyes snapped open in shock. Again all she could hear was the thundering of her own heart that felt heavy with nerves. His words had taken her by surprise, it took her a couple of moments to reign in her mind. “Vergil...” her voice was quite, almost shy, as she wrapped her arms around him and rested her forehead upon his shoulder. “You are no beast Vergil but yes...she could, very easily.” Her eyes closed once more awaiting his reaction. Ephemera could love him, although she’d been trying to hide it she’d fallen for him the moment their eyes met for the first time.

Ephemera loved him more than he could imagine despite being ordered by the High Lady to keep an emotional distance from him. For the first time in over two hundred years she was disobeying an order, this was one order she couldn’t obey. She didn’t want to be emotionless towards him and deep down she suspected the High Lady knew that she wouldn’t stay away from him. Had that been her intention the whole time? For her to fall for him? It would certainly explain why she’d hadn’t sent Calamity...This would have to be investigated later but for now she was merely enjoying being held in his arms. "I love you Vergil...I don't regret for a moment bringing you back because if I hadn't....I wouldn't have found you and that would have been a fate worse than death...The soul mate I risked losing...was you."
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