A/N: This piece was inspired by Jo Chen's artwork called "Homeoplasia" which means, healing. If you haven't heard of her (google the name), just know that's she's an awesome artist and she has done work for the Buffy the Vampire slayer comics, the Fable II cover art and Street Fighter. I met her at a convention called Anime USA this past weekend and saw a lot of her awe-inspiring work.

I'm pretty sure that this would be considered AU... I dunno.. take it how you will.

To ShyAnon: I did see the surfing picture and I had no idea that she did that too! Thanks for the heads up!

On Black Wings

Frantic and shallow breaths drowned out the silence and filled the semi-darkness of the cave. Warm, viscous fluid oozed from the hunter's sucking chest wound, matching the same angry shade of crimson of his flamboyant leather coat. Cold steel had pierced his chest, narrowly missing his heart and likely puncturing a lung. It was getting far too painful to breathe. It was getting harder to stay conscious.

He couldn't tell where the attack came from. He questioned why he didn't sense it. Any other time, he would have seen it coming and easily blocked it. Why not now? Had his senses been dulled by curiosity? After, he had felt that he was near and his emotions took over. Months following Temen-ni-gru, he longed just to see his other side again. He couldn't accept that Vergil was lost to him. And that fool's quest would surely claim his life.

Fueled by naïveté, Dante followed his senses to a thorny cave that bordered on this world and the next. The feeling carried over to him, overwhelming him, beckoned to him; that sense of familiarity that no one else seemed to feel. A hand firmly gripped his left shoulder and pulled him down to the ground as the metal seared into his flesh.

He could barely react. Dante grasped onto he hand that still held strong to his shoulder. "Vergil?" he wheezed out. The blue clad devil's only response was to dig his blade deeper into his twin. It tore past vital organs and out of his back with a sickening squelch.

More blood flowed from the wound, filling the hills and valleys of his well-toned abdominal muscles. Dante's breathing quickened. Gritting his teeth was all he could do to bear the pain as the sword slid in deeper. His lungs burned with an intensity that he had never felt in his entire life. The shallow breaths were soon followed by wet coughs.

With each cough, blood splatter upon his lips, coating his chin. More sprayed onto Vergil's regal, blue overcoat. As much as the spiky-haired twin deemed the task necessary, he couldn't bear to watch the suffering in his twin's eyes. He kept his eyes trained on where Yamato ended up, watching as the blood coated the blade and dripped to the ground. Did it comfort him that Dante held on strong to his hand?

From that connection, he could feel a pulse. Dante's was fast, mirroring the beats pounding madly against his ribcage. Dante held on, a little while longer and Vergil realized that his hands were freezing, probably from shock. Dante's grip began to wane, causing Vergil to break his stare from the crimson puddle they sat in. He looked at his younger brother in his pale blue eyes and heard him softly whisper, "I'm glad it was you." No flippant remarks... only sincerity as he quietly slipped away. He reached down and closed his twin's eyes.

Vergil laid his lifeless form down, carefully and slid the blade out with reverent attention. He flung the blood off and sheathed it. He did what he could to clean up the body. He collected his brother's corpse and took off on black wings.

I may actually publish this one in another language. Cheers or jeers? Review please?