"No."

I opened my mouth to speak, but nothing came out. No? Did Vergil just say no?

"What!? Why the hell not!?" Leo roared.

I looked over to and saw that he was veggie wrapped in Zack's vines. While managing to still hold onto an entire handful of Zack's hair. I decided to just ignore it and focus back on Vergil.

His eyes were focused on the ground, and I could see his right arm shaking.

"I-Its because I don't deserve to, I've done horrible things." He held out his hand and scanned over his palm. "This hand is soaked in so much blood."

"But you already made up for it when you slayed Charizard!" Zack croaked, still in pain from Leo's hair pulling.

"This isn't some stupid game! Those people had lives, they had families!" He moved his hand over his face. "I don't deserve anything but to rot in a cell. I deserve to be tortured. I'm a terrible person."

"How is rotting in a cell gonna help anything?" I asked and moved my hand on his shoulder. "In order to repent, you need to live to make up for your wrongs."

Vergil promptly smacked my hand away.

"And what would you know about it!? I read your file, I know about your mom. Yours was an accident. My victims begged me to stop, and I still did it anyway. Because I was so worried about myself."

Leo blew flames from his mouth and burned the vines off. Then he finally dropped Zack’s hair.

"Then what about me?" Leo said as he stomped over to Vergil. "Am I not a living testament to what Stryder says? If I decided to rot in a cell I wouldn't have been able to talk to you, and we wouldn't have defeated father."

Vergil looked away.

"Let me ask you, Leo. Do you know what it's like to have nightmares of things you've done?"

"What?"

"I remember them, I remember each and every person I've killed. I remember their names, and sometimes at night I can even hear them." He grabbed his head and started to chuckle. "You were able to turn off how you felt, I wasn't. I don't understand why you're envious of me. My mind is a living hell…"

"Then let me understand, let me help bear the burden, let me walk beside you. I spent years running away from you, and I won't let you be all alone again! This is a sin we both bear, so we should finally bear it together!"

"You're different from me Leo." Vergil stood up, his blue scales consumed his body and bat-like wings sprouted from his back. "You need to be free."

Then he flapped his wings and took off into the sky. Leo growled and quickly changed himself.

"Torna qui!" He yelled and blasted off after him.

I looked over to Rushon and Jack, who just watched like we did.

"Should I go after them?" Rushon asked.

"Nah, I don't think there's much you can say here," Jack replied.

A case of content theft: this narrative is not rightfully on Amazon; if you spot it, report the violation.

Zack whistled. "It’s a problem that they can fly now."

"It's a problem that you can talk, but you don't see me complaining," Jack mumbled.

"Rude." Zack huffed.

'Not much you can say here’, that reminded me of the night Jack talked to Lux. That was something I couldn't help with. Just like right now, this wasn't something I could help with, but I know someone who can.

"I'll be back guys, I need to make a phone call," I called out.

"We should get going anyways, I need to call Arthur and see if he can fix the Jormungand mess." Jack sighed.

….

I took a deep breath and faced the hospital door. A pit grew in my stomach and I raised my hand to nibble at my nails. I caught myself and forced my hand into my pocket. Just relax, you just need to apologize. There's no reason for you to be scared.

I took another breath and pushed open the door. Alexis turned her head with Excitement, but her smile soon faded when she saw my face.

Off to a great start...

"H-hey Alexis," I said as I forced a smile on my face.

She glanced away from me and forced a smile on.

"Oh hey Stryder, good to see you." She mumbled out.

I moved and sat down in a chair next to her, then I set the flowers and Reese's next to her stand.

"Reeses? Did you know they were my favorite?" She finally looked me in the eyes, and my heart raced.

Crap! What do I say? Do I just apologize? Wait no she just asked me a question. Do I tell her I knew because I used to be obsessed with her? No that's weird, she'll think you're a creep. Wait, would doing that ease the tension? No, wait! She likes Zack, maybe I can be smooth with it.

"Reeses me loved you, sorry realization." I spat out.

Her eyes got wide, and so did mine. Smooth Stryder! You were supposed to be smooth! Then she just started to laugh.

"Oh my gosh, I haven't heard you panic in a long time!" She chuckled and bared a genuine smile.

I took a breath and facepalmed.

"I'm such a dork.."

"So were you just confessing your love to me? Or the Reeses?" She giggled.

"Wait no, no! I was trying to say I knew what you liked because I used to be obsessed with you." Did I just say that out loud!? Stop! Stop talking! "But I thought that would be weird, so I thought I should just apologize for earlier. Then I remembered you liked Zack, and I thought if I said something smooth that It would-" I clasped my mouth.

Alexis’s cheeks were red, and she couldn't stop laughing now.

"You're so adorable!" She chuckled.

I sighed and rubbed my face.

"Zack makes this whole nervous talking thing look easy.."

"Well, he is a good confidence man. I don't know why I fall for those types. But it's a good thing you're not confessing, Valentina would be pretty mad."

"Yeah, no kidding. My love life is already complicated enough.

"Trust me I know, I can see your attraction levels remember?" She teased.

"I could just die now," I mumbled.

"Don't worry, I'm flattered. Whenever I got my powers, I noticed you always thought I was beautiful. Even when I thought I was a mess. Gave me a big confidence booster."

I smiled at that.

"I'm glad my stupid thirst could be used for good." I chuckled.

She nodded.

"So, I'm guessing you still want to talk? About everything?" She asked hesitantly.

I looked up and saw the glitter in her eyes start to fade.

"Yes, and no." I took a breath. "I want to ask how you were feeling. I've come to the realization that I haven't been a good friend to you. In the past or recently. If you don't want to talk to me, that's fine. I just wanted to apologize and let you know. That I'm here for you."

Her eyes grew wide, then she looked away.

"Lux told me you lost a friend, and that was why you were so demanding. So I understand. But really, I should be the one to say sorry. I'm the one who betrayed you." She mumbled.

"Wait, what do you mean?"

"I felt so guilty seeing you two earlier, that's why I didn't want to talk." She moved her hand over her chest. "Even now my heart won't stop pounding. I don't want to lose the only real friends I ever had.." Her voice cracked and her shoulders shook.

I moved my hand on her shoulder and gave her a smile.

"Don't worry about it, we know about your dad. We know he made you help him. We don't look at you any different for it."

"You don't understand! I'm the one who told him your identities!" She cried. "I'm the reason your friend died, that you guys were hurt, that Val got hurt. I hurt everyone.."

I turned her around to face me, she was chewing on her lip and a tear was coming down her eye.

"And we're all just glad you're okay. Not one of us blames you for what happened."

"You should! I'm a terrible person! I'm just like my dad..."

"No, you're not. Those tears you have are proof of that alone. The fact you went with Valentina when you did too. You're different.

"How can you say that? I hurt you, I hurt you all."

"It's because I care about you. That small stuff doesn't matter to me. So if you can forgive me, I'll forgive you too. Then you can apologize to everyone else. Even my friend who died, he came back. So you can tell him how sorry you are."

Her eyes became watery and her lip quivered.

"Thank God." She moved her hands over her eyes and started chuckling. "I'm so pathetic, look at me crying."

"You know there's nothing wrong with tears." I chuckled. "I cry all the time."

"M-my dad used to say only weak people cried."

"That's because he's weak, it takes real strength to let your feelings out. To show your weakness to others, and Alexis you're one of the strongest people I know."

She blushed and bit her lip, then more tears streamed down from underneath her hands.

"Shut up, you're gonna make me cry a river."

Great, I've made another girl cry...

BRING! BRING! BRING!

I jumped as my phone screamed for my attention. I quickly grabbed it and went to silence it, but when I saw the contact I hesitated. I looked back at Alexis and she just waved me off.

"Well go on, shew, shew, I don't want you seeing me balling like this anyways." She chuckled.

I opened my mouth to protest, but this call was actually important.

"Thanks!" I replied and got up.

"I'll only forgive you if you go buy me a milkshake!" She called out.

"Gotcha!"

I quickly walked out of the room, then answered the phone.

"Stryder! hellao! haow ahh yah! ih' fayls loike it's bayn forevah! sohry, Oy meessed ya cohl!"

I smiled at the sound of her voice, I hadn't realized how much I missed her cheerful gleams.

"Hey don't worry about it, I know you're probably busy. But first, how have you been?"