[Ex-Boyfriend –Part Three]

"Let's break up."

The words stewed between us for long minutes as Vergil's eyes stared deep into me. I watched the colors in his eyes swirl, his face frozen as if permafrost has descended upon his features. He moved so little that I wondered if he was even still breathing, and the scariest part was that he blinked once per minute on average.

The silence staring went on until I couldn't take it anymore, escaping the loud questions in his gaze as I turned back to the scene of young families playing in the orange hue of the setting sun. Our date had been lovely; the transport was smooth, food was good, movie was entertaining and the weather had been perfect. The mood had been excellent, except for the fact that throughout the whole date, I knew that it was our last.

"You don't have to pretend that you didn't see this coming, Vergil. You and I both know that we have been getting too busy for each other. You've been busy setting up Devil May Cry with Dante, Lady and Trish, and I've been investing my whole body and soul into establishing myself in Audrey and Yessen... It's not fair for us to continue pretending that we are still dating when we don't even text each other for a few weeks at a time." I continued, desperate the fill in the empty conversation space between us.

Back when we were still law students, Vergil and I had run through many mock-trial sessions as opposing representatives. The man could talk. A lot. As long as it was to prove his point and protect his client.

But in situations like these, Vergil spoke not even a single word.

"Before you ask me; yes, I've thought things through. I'm not dumping you, and we're not breaking up because you or I have found another person to love. You're still the person I adore, but right now, we need to take a break from each other and focus on our jobs. Maybe we can be together again when things go right, but right now; I need to be single again."

"You don't have to be single to focus on your job." The first defense the man spoke was a factual, evened statement. "If you want time alone, we can take a break for as long as you want."

"There's no use holding on to this relationship when I'm talking about years apart, Vergil. I don't want to limit the both of us from any future relationship while we focus on our jobs. Perhaps you might meet a better girl than me during one of your jobs. Perhaps I meet someone more suitable for me eventually. I don't want us to turn bad, so let's just stop here and part while we are still amicable with each other." I shook my head.

"I'm not good enough for you?" Throughout my whole speech, it seemed as if Vergil had only focused on one single sentence.

"No, no, we've been perfect together. But we are on different paths now, and we plan to dedicate ourselves to that path that we walk on. I'm never going to turn my back on what I chose just to give in to you, and it's not fair for me to expect the same. So, the only solution is for us to break up."

"You really want this? Will you be happy with this?"

"Yes." I said confidently, not knowing that I would regret it eventually.

"Ok."

The man stood up from the bench we were sitting on, and immediately I felt cold on my side where his warmth had shielded me from the soft pre-winter wind. I watched as he turned and walked away without another word, his silhouette against the setting sun branded into my mind.

"It's a 99% match. The DNA from the sample that you provided us matches that of your fetus."

I blinked, and then suddenly I was sitting in an office, the smell of antiseptic strong in my nose. The woman sitting in front of me was at least ten years older than me, but the pity in her eyes was not something that I could ignore as she held the beige paper folder between her hands, watching me carefully as if expecting some sort of breakdown or freak-out session right there and then. I had no doubts that she had dealt with many such patients before; just that simply wasn't in my character to go through a whole intense session.

"I see." Was my only reply to the shocking news, nodding.

"Ms. Veluria? Are you okay? Do you need a moment to yourself?" My gynecologist asked carefully, clearly afraid of triggering a bomb.

"I'm fine. I just asked for the DNA test to satisfy my own curiosity." I answered evenly. "Nothing is going to change. Just because I confirmed the identity of my baby's father doesn't mean I'm going to throw all the responsibility on him. I made the decision to keep the baby back in the first trimester, and I'm not going to turn back now just because I know who helped me make him."

"Are you sure you don't want to talk to the baby's father?" My gynecologist asked, and I was glad that DNA Tests were completely anonymous. At least there wasn't going to be the chance of news being spread that someone was pregnant with the son of the famous Vergil Sparda of Devil May Cry.

"There is nothing for me to talk to him about. We separated, and having his child is not going to make a difference."

"Raising a child is... a big responsibility, Ms. Veluria. Doing it alone might... If the fetus's father is still alive, perhaps you might want to let him know of what he has done...?"

"There's no point. Besides, he left town after we broke up. We are not keeping in contact anymore, and I'm not desperate enough to chase after him just because I have his baby inside me now." I waived the concern away, looking down at my hands just to make sure they were not trembling or giving my emotions away.

"Flight Y1000 bound for Kaino is due to depart at 12am from Gate 50. Passengers, kindly make your way to the respective gate. For passengers with difficulties getting there, please approach the nearest airport staff for assistance. Thank you." The announcement made me look up, and my surroundings had changed again.

I was seated on the front row in front of Gate 50, with passengers already queuing up to enter the plane via the extended corridor. I looked down again, and saw the roundness of my abdomen. In my hands were two items: the plane ticket bound for Kaino, and the ultrasound photo of my unborn son.

"Miss? Do you require assistance getting onto the plane?" A helpful staff approached me –the single heavily pregnant woman who had yet made a move to join the queue.

I looked up, took in a deep breath and wiped the tears running down my cheeks, forcing a smile on my face back at the staff who looked frozen in shock at the sight of my tears.

"I'm fine, thank you." I said, pressing the ticket and the ultrasound photo into the hands of the frozen staff as I climbed slowly to my feet, the familiar strain of the weight in front of me settling in my back. Once my feet were stable again, I picked up my overnight bag from the seat by my side, then turned back to the staff, taking only the ultrasound photo out of her hand.

"Miss, your plane ticket?" She offered the other document, but I shook my head.

"Thank you for stopping me from making a mistake. Work was stressful, and the pregnancy hormones almost made me give up on my promise to take care of my baby by myself. If I had gotten on the plane, then I would have just gone running back to the side of the man who fathered my child. I was desperate for help for a moment there, and you gave me the push I needed." I said to the shocked woman who clearly had no idea exactly how much of a help she had been just by approaching me.

Sometimes, it was the very strangers in the street that helped during the worst times. During my time of desperation for someone to bear the burden of bringing up a child with me, this innocent airport staff had lent me a hand –simply by approaching me and asking if I needed help to get on the plane.

I fumbled quickly through my bag for my wallet, pulling a few bills out and shoved them into her shocked hands the same way I had done previously. She tried to return it, but I firmly closed my hands over hers, forcing her fingers to curl over the notes.

"Take them as my gratitude for giving me the push I needed. Please shred that plane ticket for me, and if –god forbid –you ever see me trying to go to Kaino again to look for my child's father, I beg you to please come to me and stop me once more." I insisted, and turned to walk away as quickly as my swollen pregnant legs could allow me.

Then, as I took my next step, I realized the scenery had changed again, and my fingers were curled around a pair of scissors. The pile of clothes had finally been dragged out of the closet, and I knew that there would be no one else in my life who would ever fit into those clothes ever again. Even if my son were to grow up to be able to fit into his father's clothes, there was no way in hell that I would ever allow him to wear the clothes of a man who had almost ruined my life, and then had all but disappeared on me.

"Die, you bastard." I said scathingly to no one, but fixing a very strong mental image as I attacked the shirt with the scissors. Satisfaction filled me no end when the used-to-be fitting shirt fell away to ugly, jagged scraps of cloth.

"Go to hell." I said again, picking up another pair of pants –they had used to be his favorites pair that he left in my house whenever he stayed over –and took utter pleasure in dismantling it into small square pieces. The more I cut, the stronger the thrill of exhilaration that filled me as I fixed the mental picture of me stabbing the man who used to wear these clothes. I imagined myself rushing to him with the scissors tightly grasped between my fingers, then ramming it square into his chest. "You deserve nothing but a painful and long death filled full with regrets. I hope you regret every single thing you do ever since you left me. I hope you regret letting me go, you bastard. I hope someone gives you STDs and you have to chop your dick off for it."

These words were probably not the best choices of word for a lawyer to say, but at least I was in the safety of my house without any audience. I continued lathering scathing insults and dark wishes onto a man who definitely could not hear me, cutting up the clothes that he had piled up at my house back when we were dating. The man had so many articles of clothing at my place that I used to wonder if he had any left back at his own home shared with his brother.

But ever since he left, it had been an eyesore pile of clothes that I was finally getting around shredding to piece and relieving my anger while doing so.

I worked through the whole pile until all that was left in front of me was a messy pile of cloths, and an empty heart that had burnt up all the rage that had been held back for ages. But just as I was about to get depressed all over again, feeling empty and hollow, a sharp pain surprised me. I gasped, putting my hands over my abdomen and waiting for another sign.

Another kick.

"You haven't been born yet, and you're already siding your father?" The chuckle escaped my lips before I could help it, the action lifting my spirits uncontrollably. The pregnancy hormones were really a big culprit of my mood swings, and though I had been able to control the swings during my work, they became much more pronounced whenever I relaxed at home.

"You little traitor, if you protest against my insulting your father again, I'm going to have to throw you in a dumpster when you are born." I said, rubbing my stomach absently. I could feel the stirrings of the young one inside of me, but was rational enough to know that he could not possibly understand my words.

"The words 'I hate papa' must be the first words you say, Little Devil, or I will disown you. You hear me?" I threatened lightly, but could not help but chuckle when my baby actually stopped stirring as if understanding my threat.

Still absently rubbing my seven-month pregnancy bump, I looked back at the pile of cloth made from my ex's clothes. My Little Devil would never get a chance to know who his father was, but there was no harm letting him know a little of his father's scent. I climbed off the couch with effort and tottered over to the shelf to retrieve my sewing box.

A blanket for the Little Devil from his father's clothes would do just fine.

________________________________________________________________________________

"Mama, mama. Wake up. Mama!" The sound of a familiar child's voice, along with tiny hands shaking me by my arm brought me back to reality from my dreams.

"Nero?" I asked groggily, reaching instinctively to hold the boy's hand just to make sure he was there physically by my side. I blinked a few times to find myself back at home, having fallen asleep on the couch, and my little boy standing by the couch and holding on tightly to my hand. "Little Devil, what's wrong? How long has Mama been sleeping?"

"You slept from when the small hand on the tick-tock went from four to five!" Nero answered brightly, and his face betrayed no worry or any concern that might have forced him to shake me awake.

"Did you wake Mama up because you were bored? I'm so sorry, Little Devil, but work has really been busy for Mama, so she was catching up a little on her sleep."

"No, Mama. I woke you up because Mr. Hero is at the door! Mr. Hero is here to protect us again." The excited glint in Nero's eyes was lovely, but the reason why the glint was there was anything but lovely.

"There are no more dangers, Little Devil. The Bad Guy living opposite moved out, remember?"

"There are always bad guys in the world!" Nero protested, then tugged my hand again, clearly insisting that I attend to the man who must still have been left at the door. "Let Mr. Hero come in, Mama!"

"Mr. Hero?" I was suddenly much more awake now that my mind had connected an identity to the person my son had come to recognize as a hero. "Did he talk to you?"

"Yes, I recognized his voice! He's waiting outside for you to open the door for him, Mama. Let's let him in!" My beloved son spoke with such excitement that I knew immediately that it was probably a bad idea to chase away 'Mr. Hero' from my doorstep right in front of him. Still, I was trained as a lawyer, and I had all but brought up my son with my own two hands.

Suffice say, there were tricks up my sleeve.

"Little Devil, Mr. Hero must be very thirsty after a whole day of saving people and then coming to visit you. Will you go fetch him a cup of water while I let him in?" I put on my usual smile, standing up to see the boy nodding brightly with an eagerness to help. It was all too soon that little feet went pattering to the kitchen, and I took the slim window of time to rush to the main door, determined to chase the alleged 'Mr. Hero' away before making some excuse to my young unknowing one of him needing to leave urgently to save someone else or something of a similar sort.

"I made my point very clear, so please stop visiting-" My prepared arguments fell on deaf ears when I realized the true identity of the man standing in front of me, his arms spread outwards as if inviting me for a hug.

"Part of me really wants to continue the sentence, but the other part of me is just disgusted at that stupid smile hanging on your face. Wipe off that stupid look on your face before my son sees it." I continued when a second of silence was spent with the man still waiting for me to run into his embrace as if this was some sort of dramatic reunion.

"Sheesh, you're the same as always. I thought you might have warmed up abit after not seeing me for the past 6 years. They say distance makes the heart grow fonder, but yours just got icier." Dante complained, thankfully wiping the goofy grin from his face, dropping his arms back to his side.

Ironically, the fading away of his smile motivate mine to return to my face naturally. That disappointed, pretend-hurt look hanging on Dante's face was something I had not seen in the past 6 years and seeing it again was reminding me of the many situations that had made him show that face in the past. Though Vergil and I had occasionally been the reasons why Dante had his puppy-dog expression, the remaining majority times had been situations cooked up by the man's own stupidity.

"That saying only applies if you were in my heart in the first place." I answered, but my hard words were paired with a welcoming smile that definitely softened the impact. "What brings you here?"

"I don't think I need to tell you that Vergil is back in town, right? He didn't allow any one of us to come find you after coming back, but I finally managed to squeeze something out of him after the girls forced him drinks to make him a blabbing drunk. Me and the girls decided that I will come to talk to you today while they try to distract him from the fact that I'm gone from the joint." Dante answered with blatant and refreshing honesty that I no longer found common in the many other people populating my daily life.

"Do I want to know what you are here to talk to me about?" I crossed my arms, not moving from the door.

"Don't you want to listen to someone who you haven't seen in the past 6 years? There are so many stories I've been dying to share. Especially about him and the stupid things he did."

"You mean the stupid things you did." I corrected with a smile of remembrance. Seeing Dante certainly made me remember of easier days when my worries had only been opening the door to deal with Dante's newest mess alongside Vergil. "But what makes you think I am interested in knowing how he lived? We broke up six years ago; what he did and who he did it with are all none of my business."

"Who he did it with? Please. You know you're the only person he will ever do anything with, right? After we left this place, it was just him being a slave driver and forcing us to do jobs after jobs after jobs."

"Mama, what's a slave driver?" The interruption of our conversation suddenly made me aware of the fact that my innocent son had returned to my side with a cup of water held carefully between his hands, smiling brightly at the man he thought was 'Mr. Hero'. I wasn't sure if Nero actually remembered how his father looked like, but I couldn't exactly blame a 5-year-old boy for not being able to recognize the same face –particularly given how similar the Sparda twins looked.

"Hello, Little One." Dante's voice definitely softened a little, grinning widely at the appearance of his nephew. I had no doubts that the man already knew of Nero's relation, and quickly shot him a warning glare. Dante gave no hint of acknowledging my glare –or the intentions behind my glare –and simply remained grinning at the little boy standing by my side.

"Mr. Hero, you are back! Have you come back to protect Mama and me from the baddies?"

"Of course, I'm here to protect you. But your Mummy is doesn't need my protection; she even has the power to chase away the biggest baddie in this entire world." Dante replied, reaching forth and patting Nero on the head, his other hand accepting the cup of water naturally as if it had been offered to him in the first place.

"Really? Can Mama be a hero too?" The wide eye surprise of a boy's naivety was almost too much to bear.

"Mummy is just a lawyer, Little Devil. Don't listen to his lies, I am not that strong."

"Mr. Hero is a liar?"

"Your mummy is just being humble. It's true that she chased away the biggest baddie in this world. She managed to chase away my brother, who is the slave driver." Dante interrupted before I could make an excuse, and I glared once more with strength –this time the promise of something worse happening if Dante spewed anymore nonsense to my innocent boy.

"Your brother is a big baddie, Mr. Hero?"

"Only the biggest in the world." Dante squatted down to meet Nero on eye-level with his grin, and I could only guess what was going on in the man's mind. "Do you want to see some magic, Little One?"

"You can do magic? Yes!"

It was something that had happened very often back when I was dating Vergil, but the 6 years of separation had dulled memories. I jolted in surprise when Dante suddenly pulled out a plastic toy sword out of nowhere -thank goodness it was a fake rather than their usual real one -offering it to my son with a dramatic flourish.

"Wow, that's so cool! How did you do it, Mr. Hero?" Nero exclaimed gleefully, grabbing the plastic sword and studying it with great interest.

"It's a secret. But if you want to know the secret, will you play with the toy by yourself while I talk to your mummy?"

There was clearly no better way to distract a 5-year-old boy with a promise of being let into a secret held by a 'hero', and Nero obeyed immediately, running back into the house with his precious new toy where I heard him beginning to entertain himself.

"He doesn't have a single inch of his dad inside him. Vergil was already a solemn kid without a childish side when he was 5." Dante commented as he straightened up with a sigh.

"That's only because you were there. He said he had to pretend to be mature to help your parents remain sane. He once said that if he was the same as you, your parents would have died much earlier than they did." I answered, opening the door wider to let him in since the man himself had already made his intentions known. "Come in if you want to talk. But if you're going to talk about taking Vergil back, then you can save your saliva."

"Of course, I'm not going to talk about taking him back. You may be the only person in the world who can control him, but even I'm not so inhumane as to make you adopt a monster like him into your family." Dante joked as he took the invitation –surprisingly obediently taking off his shoes and leaving them neatly to one side.

"I didn't you know you became such a neat person. Did you not always just kick your shoes wherever you liked when you came over to my place?" I commented as I followed after him.

"Let's just say after you broke up with him, Vergil was a very hard man to please. People get a personality change during puberty, but he only got a personality change after you two broke up. I had to learn how to deal with a Vergil that was ten times pricklier." Dante answered easily, seeing himself into the living room where my son was entertaining himself in the corner, fighting imagination people, stabbing them with his toy sword and making all sorts of sounds.

"I'm not going to apologize." I announced clearly just in case the man had been looking for apology. "I refuse to be responsible for what he did after we broke up."

"I wasn't blaming you." The man raised both hands in defense. "Jeez, I forgot how defensive you lawyers can get."

"Your brother studied law too." I reminded, sitting beside Dante on the couch since the man himself had already invited himself to the seat.

"He only uses that knowledge to get us out of being used for destroying property. That's the only good thing that came out from that." Dante shrugged, casting a cursory look around the living room. "Enough about him. Nice place you got here. This is way better than that cramped room you called your place back in college."

"In case you don't remember, I was student in debt. Very much like what you were." I pointed out, keeping an eye out for Nero who was still entertaining himself. I had been a single mother long enough to know that 5-year-old boys like my son required looking after every minute while he was awake because toddlers like him could simply easily walk into the corner of a table and knock a gaping hole into his forehead within a matter of seconds.

"It really does feel like ages ago, though. It's only been 6 years, but you already have a kid and doing relatively well at your firm? I met your boss; he told me that you were doing fine. He's a bit of a strange guy, though. He looked kind of breathless."

It seemed as if Dante was adamantly staying on the safe topics and clearly ignoring the questions that had anything to do with Nero's parentage despite the fact that the secret was not so secretive in the first place. I greatly appreciated the man for suiting my needs, and slid easily into comfortable conversation.

Nero interrupted us halfway demanding for attention, but Dante was clearly adept at chasing inquisitive young boys away by producing another toy gun out of nowhere for the boy to entertain himself. I didn't want to ask how many toys the man had up his sleeve, but made a mental note to warn him against spoiling my son with too many new toys all of a sudden.

Still, it was an emotionally relieving conversation and I somehow felt much younger as we reminisced about the past –both of us clearly requiring no filters or concerns at making digs at each other and reminding each other of our foolish past selves. The conversation was so relaxing that I hardly realized as time passed, and my spirits had been lifted. It was as if I had somehow been transported temporarily back to the past as the memories of those days were brought up again.

This was, at least, until the topic of our last final exams came up.

"Do you remember what we did after the last exams we had in our entire lives?" Dante asked as we moved from the previous topic to the next, clearly enjoying the reminiscing as much as I did. I was very familiar with the people close to Dante –his brother as well as two beautiful ladies Trish and Mary Ann who were as deadly as they were beautiful. It took people with special guts or a steel heart to deal with those hardened ladies hanging around Dante, and thankfully both Vergil and I were in their good books. As for Dante... till this day I still could not understand the choice of the two very outstanding (even back in college days) ladies in sticking by Dante.

"I think you forgot the fact that I had to take the Bar after graduating from college to be a fully-fledged lawyer."

"Oh yeah, there was that for you too..." Dante commented with a thoughtful look as he flipped through his internal book of memories, clearly doing his best to remember the very moment that I stepped out from his life. "Did you break up with Vergil before or after your Bar?"

"Shortly after I got my Bar and found a job." I was extremely clear on this, because the breakup had almost resulted in my worst performance in a case when I had still been a junior member in the firm. I had been almost close to getting fired due to my work performance then, but had thankfully somehow managed to make it through.

"Oh... yeah that's right, you broke up after you got the Bar but before all of us finished our studies to get a demon-hunting licence... I was going bring up the story of how we got Vergil so drunk that he needed an interpreter for him the next few days, but you weren't there. Yeah, the reason why he drank like that was because you broke up with him and he was completely down in the dumps back then. Worst condition I'd ever seen him been in at that time. He didn't even cry or get drunk that much when our parents died."

"Was Vergil in a really bad shape after I left? How long did it last?"

It was easy to inference from Dante's words, but it was still a question that had been begging to be asked ever since we sat down and started reminiscing. Because of the dream that I had been having right before Dante visited, the memory of our breakup was fresh in my head. Vergil had simply agreed to it in his calm manner and then walked off. Of course, I knew Vergil was only pretending to be strong at that moment of breakup, but I never knew exactly how terrible it had been for him, and how long it had lasted.

I mean, I suffered from the breakup too –despite the fact that I had been the one to bring it up in the first place.

"Uhm, you don't want to know the details about that, Riss."

"Why? We've been over for 6 years. You can tell me." I pushed the point at the sight of Dante's hesitation. For a man who had been shamelessly airing all the stupid and embarrassing things that he and his brother had done in the 6 years that we had been apart, Dante was surprisingly taking his brother's side this time, which only served to further my curiosity. "Did he forget me after he found another woman? Or did he move on after that story you mentioned about him being so drunk that he needed an interpreter?"'

"I would have fallen on my knees and thanked god for answering my prayers, Riss." Dante sighed, covering his face with his hands. "Please don't ever tell Vergil I told you this..."

"Tell me what?" I prompted, patting Nero when my boy finally got tired entertaining himself, climbing himself up on the couch beside me and resting his head on my lap. There had been a few instances when I had to receive my clients at my home for work, and thus my Little Devil had become used to not interrupting our conversations when he witnessed his mother talking seriously with someone. This didn't stop the young boy from seeking affection, however, and that usually came in the form of him snuggling beside me and napping.

"That he never got over you. Not even a single time in 6 years. I thought time was going to heal wounds, but after one and a half years, I knew it wasn't happening. He was just distracting himself –and keeping us busy –with work, but he never forgot about you. He still keeps the toilet seat down for you when it's only us two guys living in the same apartment, and he cooks your favorite food on your birthdays. He buys chocolates and flowers on your anniversaries, and he still brings home nice-looking jewelry that he finds on missions because you like collecting and displaying jewelry."

"He... umm... still does?" I swallowed once. "T-That's nice to hear."

"Mama?" Nero stirred, rubbing his eyes lazily. "Mama! What happen?"

"What? It's nothing, Little Devil. Everything is okay." I looked down to find my son looking up with alarm. I didn't even realize the reason behind Nero's alarm until the sight of my son watching me with confusion, shock and fear blurred temporarily and cleared when I blinked.

"Whoa, Riss. I didn't mean to say that to make you feel bad." Dante rushed to say, and I turned to realize that Dante had torn his face from his hands, now looking at me with the same level of shock as my son. "You asked, and I answered honestly. I thought you were okay with what happened 6 years ago? Please don't cry. I'm sorry, pretend that I never said anything, okay?"

"No, it's not your fault." I rushed to wipe the tears that were somehow flowing against all rational thoughts. "I don't know why the tears are coming as well. It makes no sense; I haven't cried for something this minor in ages."

"I thought you were going to take it all okay since you're a hard-ass woman since long ago. I'm sorry that I brought up something you didn't want to listen to-" Dante was clearly more flustered when the tears continued to flow without stopping even after I wiped them. It was a familiar feeling –it was the same strike of weakness for a very special someone that I had buried deep in my heart.

"Mr. Hero, you're a baddie!" Nero surprised us both by shouting, jumping from the couch and running to hammer his small fists on Dante's side. "Mr. Hero made mummy cry! You're a bad guy!"

"Ouch, hey hey..." Dante winced and protested despite the fact that there was no possible way that a 5-year-old-boy like Nero could actually hurt him. "Little One, it's really not my fault that your mummy started crying. Please listen to me..."

"I don't want to listen to you! You're a bad man who made Mama cry! Go away! Stop making Mama cry!" Nero yelled, beating his fists furiously against the poor man who was forced to his feet with the boy's insistence.

"I wasn't the one who made Riss cry!" Dante still protested despite the fact that he was letting himself be dragged away from the couch with my son's grabbing tight to a small portion of his pants and pulling Dante towards the door. "Little One, you've got to listen to me!"

"Nero, it's okay. Mama didn't cry because of him..." I rushed after the two of them, wiping the tears with my sleeve quickly, and trying to hold my insistent son back. Unfortunately, the bull-headed stubbornness of my son was inherited from the father that he didn't know he had, as Nero ignored my trying to hold him back, pulling and dragging a semi-cooperative Dante to the door.

While I was grateful for Dante for not hurting my son by using his true strength as a demon hunter, there was nothing I could really do against my determined young one.

"Go away, and don't come back!" Nero yelled loudly as he gave Dante a hard push out the doorway of the front door (that Dante had helpfully opened himself). The young one's (official) uncle cooperatively stumbled out of the door as if Nero's shove had been useful, still protesting. But my son –the young man of the house –had none of Dante's words and I watched helplessly as Nero hefted Dante's heavy boots one by one, throwing them out of the door where the man stood after being thrown out.

"Nero, I'm sorry! Please let me back into the house; I'm really not the reason why your mother is crying!" Dante protested, but Nero stood in front of me with his two feet planted firmly on the ground and his arms crossed decisively.

"I will never let a baddie who makes Mama cry into the house! Go away! You're not Mr. Hero, you are Mr. Baddie in disguise!" Nero shouted back. "Leave Mama alone!"

Despite the tears and the ridiculousness of the situation, I could not stop my helpless smile of amusement when my Little One turned back to me with a serious face.

"Mama, close the door and don't let Mr. Baddie come into the house!" Nero ordered –clearly aware of his height deficiency and inability to reach the door handle.

"I'm really sorry, Dante." I apologized with a smile to let the poor kicked-out man to know that there were no bad feelings retained on my part. "Nero won't be appeased until you really go. Come back some other day and we can continue catching up."

"Alright, I get you." Dante sighed, knowing that he was defeated by my 5-year-old. "I'll see you again. And... I guess I'm sorry for saying the wrong things."

I might have wanted to assure Dante that this whole mess was the fault of my rebellious tear glands, but my little one didn't allow more as he continued shouting at the top of his lungs that a certain Mr. Hero was actually a bad guy in disguise who goes around making his mother cry. Since there was really no other way to appease the young one, I shot Dante another apologetic look before I closed the door, turning quickly to tend to my young son.

Dante shook his head to himself at how the situation had turned within a matter of a few seconds, beginning to pick his boots from the floor. He had barely reached for the first boot when an extreme cold chill ran up his spine, and instincts as a demon hunter made him look up.

What met him at the end of the corridor could be described as something worse than a demon. Much much worse than a demon.

"You made Riss cry?" The question was spoken so coldly that Dante could hardly believe that his ears had not gotten frostbite from hearing the words.

The very capable demon hunter began to tremble in fear at the approaching figure, dropping the boot that he had barely lifted from the floor.

"Did you hear everything? I can explain... It's not what you think. Please hear me out." Dante begged.

But like his son, the father was not interested in listening.

"I hear enough from Nero's shouting." Vergil declared, standing in front of the closed door where he could hear a mother doing her best to calm her angry son through the door. His hand fisted in the front of Dante's shirt, dragging the cowering man to his full height. "Let's go home. I don't want a murder in front of Riss's apartment."

There wasn't need for Vergil to say anything more.

Dante knew he was completely and utterly fucked.