A/N: I'M BACK! Sorry for the long delay... life has been crazy. I've switched positions at work like 3 times, I GOT MARRIED - I literally got married the weekend DMC5 came out. I left my own wedding dinner to go finish the game xD Anywho, I'm back. Sorry for the delay. This chapter was started last year, but it's just been nuts, and with work... just wasn't feeling the writing no matter how many times I tried to complete this. Sort of a small chapter, but I wanted to cut it here since it was a good place to close it.

With the release of DMC5, I did want to just state that this will be a canon-divergent story since it doesn't match up with those events. I also wanted to clarify that I've had the plot of this story since 2010, so any similarities with DMC5 details are purely coincidence and this story is not based or, nor borrowing from the plot of that game (and any differences between the two are to be expected, so please don't message me complaining that they don't match).

But enough of that, enjoy!

Vergil wasn't so sure what to make of things as they currently stood. He hadn't spent much time with Nero since being formally introduced to him a few days ago, and he didn't know if he was thankful for that or upset by it. Dante had been doing his best to give them some space, but now it seemed like his twin was making it his mission to force the two of them to spend some time alone. Everyone else had left the shop: Dante on a job, and Trish and Lady had stolen Kyrie away for some 'girl time', leaving Nero and Vergil alone to their own devices. Dante had not-so-subtly told him he needed to actually talk to his son, instead of hiding away from him all day, and then he'd left.

The air in the shop was stifling, so much so that Vergil decided it would be a good opportunity to head outside before he started getting cranky. He had promised Dante he wouldn't just abandon Nero without making some sort of effort to get to know him, and it wasn't like he had any money to leave and do something else anyways, so he decided to just limit his escapades to a small training session in the backyard. Nero looked equally uncomfortable with their circumstances, and Vergil would have had to have been blindfolded to not notice the awkward looks the teen kept shooting him when he thought Vergil wasn't looking. Maybe they could bond over a small sparring session? The idea didn't seem too bad to Vergil, and he was looking forward to some exercise.

"Nero," Vergil called out, trying not to snort at the way the kid all but jumped in his seat when his name was called. "Would you be interested in a little light sparring?" he asked, cracking his knuckles a bit. "I'm falling asleep sitting here, and I could use the practice," the devil explained. Vergil figured if worse came to worst and things got too weird, he could just feign tiredness since he wasn't nearly as in shape as he should be, and he could escape back inside. He received a somewhat stiff nod in return, and made his way to the small clearing in the backyard that seemed to be everyone's favorite practice spot.

Vergil took a few minutes to stretch and loosen up as he waited for Nero to get ready. He had mostly been laying around since waking up in the shop for the first time, and while he was mentally ready for some action, he wasn't going to go overboard and embarrass himself. High speed regeneration didn't apply to emotional wounds.

"Alright… I'm ready whenever you are. Dante spoke rather highly of you before," Vergil called out once the boy seemed like he was ready. "Let's see what you've got." He wasn't going to taunt Nero as mercilessly as he would Dante, at least… not until they were more comfortable with one another. No need to sour an already strained relationship between them.

Vergil was able to see the first strike coming rather easily, Nero wasn't exactly hiding his intentions as he came swinging with his blade. He raised Yamato and forced Nero's strike off to the side, quickly stepping back to get ready for the next one. Vergil usually preferred to stay on the offensive, but he actually did want to see what the kid had up his sleeve first.

"Not bad…" the devil smirked as Nero came at him a few more times. He was starting to feel loosened up finally, which was a good thing.

"Yeah, same to you, old man," Nero snorted, and Vergil rose an eyebrow at him. So, that's how it was?

"Let's take it up a notch," Vergil suggested. He quickly ducked below the next swing and teleported back several feet to prepare his strike. That little move had pulled on his energy a little more than it should have, but he was pretty sure he was fine for now. Vergil leaped into the air and propelled himself down, slashing with a dark swirl of energy from Yamato. He was pleased when Nero managed to block it without much more than a grunt for his efforts, especially since he didn't want to get thrown out of the shop if someone got hurt.

This was nice, no need for talking when they could just let loose out here, at least, it seemed like a good idea to Vergil. He knew he was sort of avoiding things, but this was easier. If there was one thing the devil was afraid of, it was being tossed out on the streets now that he was back. Dante had been more than generous to take him in after everything he'd done, though he had a sneaking suspicion that was due to his brother's misplaced guilt over the whole Mallet Island fiasco. Vergil was going to try to get along with everyone, especially Nero, as his brother had asked… but he was taking baby steps. A spar or two he could manage… sitting down and chatting? Not so much.

Vergil blocked a particularly vicious strike, though he was pretty sure he lost a few pieces of hair with how close it had come. Nero was actually very good, in a more wild sort of way. Not the same elegance with a blade that he himself possessed, it reminded him a bit of Dante's style, though there was an obvious difference. Nero was a little less over-the-top, and more concentrated on dealing damage. If Vergil wasn't so good, he would have been very worried. As it stood, he was only mildly concerned due to his rustiness.

After a while, Vergil could feel himself tiring. Nero had been pushing him pretty hard, it seemed like the boy had something to prove, and Vergil would be a liar if he didn't admit that he was impressed. He decided to call it a day for their match before he embarrassed himself - he hated to lose, after all - and signalled for the other to stop.

"I think that's enough," the devil called out. He didn't miss the slight look of disappointment from Nero, but he wasn't about to get knocked on his ass today. "My apologies, I'm not quite as… energetic as I used to be," Vergil explained. It was a little embarrassing to admit, but he figured it was only fair to let him know.

"Are you thirsty?" Vergil asked as he wiped the sweat from his brow with the back of his arm. He received a nod from Nero, and excused himself into the shop to grab something for them. This wasn't so bad, and while he was still a bit unsure of how to proceed, Vergil couldn't help but feel a little silly for avoiding Nero so much. He fetched a couple of water bottles from the fridge and made his way back out. Nero had taken a seat at the picnic table, so he joined him, placing the bottles down on the table as he took a seat on the opposite side.

"So…" Now came the difficult part. What exactly were they supposed to talk about? Vergil wasn't all that great at conversation unless he was talking down to someone; he hadn't had to luxury of working on his people skills in the demon realm.

"Yeah…" Nero murmured as he sipped from his water bottle. "You're pretty good, for you know, being outta commission for so long," the teen spoke up, rubbing awkwardly at the back of his head.

Vergil nodded back at the other as he placed Yamato on the bench and grabbed his own bottle, mostly to keep his hands busy. He could do this. He wasn't a quitter.

"You're much better than I'd anticipated. You had me a little concerned," Vergil replied, and he fully meant his compliments. Nero was actually a lot better than he had heard. "...Perhaps we can try again another time, we can see who the real winner is," he added, smirking just slightly. There was nothing wrong with a little friendly competition. Vergil wasn't entirely sure how long he planned to stay at the shop, but he didn't want to just close the book without establishing some sort of contact. Maybe Nero wouldn't want much to do with him after this, but he wanted to try.

"Yeah, sure. I've beaten Dante before, I think I can take you too," Nero replied and cracked his knuckles. Vergil snorted softly at that, but nodded all the same. It was a deal then.

A somewhat awkward silence settled after that, and Vergil shifted uncomfortably in his seat. He did his best not to stare, but that mostly just meant he was avoiding eye contact like a child. It had been easier to talk when a mediator was present, but why couldn't he just suck it up and act normal?

The devil sighed heavily after a few minutes and turned his gaze back to Nero. It was time to stop avoiding the topic and thinking someone else would do it for him. If he was in the other's place, Vergil would want to opportunity to have his questions answered too.

"I know this is… awkward, to say the least…" Vergil started, watching Nero carefully as he spoke. "Everyone is so keen to push us together and make us 'talk'," he continued, making air quotes around the word 'talk' as he shook his head. "We should, to be honest… I can imagine you have a lot of things you want to say to me, or to ask me... " Vergil folded his arms in front of him on the table and tried to relax. Nero looked about as uncomfortable as he was, so at least he wasn't alone. "We don't have to do it all today, you know," he added. "But… I'm here, now, or later, for whatever you wish to discuss." There, that wasn't so hard.

"Uh… thanks," Nero murmured, shifting a bit in his seat as he placed his bottle down. "I guess I do have a lot to ask you. Stuff I wanna know… but I… don't know if I'm ready yet." Vergil was a little relieved, in a weird sort of way, to hear that.

"Let's just take it one day at a time then," the devil suggested, receiving a nod from Nero in return. They didn't need to be rushed by everyone else. If it took twenty years to get it all out in the open, then that was Nero's decision, and Vergil would support it as best he could. It was sort of nice, having a reason to make sure he stayed in contact and didn't vanish. Granted, Nero might not want him around if he heard the sorts of things Vergil had done… he wasn't entirely sure what all his brother had told the boy, but he would handle that when it came.

"Can I ask you… one thing, if you don't mind?" Nero spoke up after a moment. Vergil nodded, curious as to what it could be. Nero had a weird expression on his face that was hard to pin down. Vergil had agreed to answer his questions though, so he braced himself to hear it.

"Do you remember her?" Nero asked, his gaze flickering down to the table. "My mom, I mean," he added for clarification. Vergil blinked, a bit caught off guard; he hadn't been expecting that, though he supposed he should have been.

"To be honest? Not that well…" the devil admitted. "I think I can remember a few details… she had very long, dark hair," Vergil explained. One memory he could recall rather vividly was running his hands through that hair, but the rest of that night was pretty fuzzy.

"My memory after the things that have happened to me isn't the best… I might recall some more details later, if I really think about it. I'll let you know if I remember anymore." The detail wasn't much, but hopefully it helped some. As far as he had heard from his brother, Nero didn't know his mother at all, so even if it was small, he hoped it was better than nothing.

"Yeah, um… thanks. It's more than I've ever heard, so… yeah." Nero stood up at that, grabbing his weapons and his bottle of water. "And uh, thanks for today. It was fun," the teen added and then headed for the shop.

"Anytime…" Vergil nodded as he watched him go. He let Nero leave, deciding to wait it out and give him some space to shower and do whatever else he needed to do. Vergil felt sticky and in need of a shower as well, but there was only one, and he sort of wanted to avoid any lingering awkwardness by not hanging around where they might cross paths again in the next hour or two. He felt better about things though; some barriers had been cleared between them, at least he thought so.

Things weren't perfect, but for the first time in a long time, Vergil was feeling a little hopeful that things would be alright.