Hellsing Fan Fiction ❯ Introspection ❯ Chapter 2 ( Chapter 2 )

Hi, everyone! First of all, I'd like to thank everyone for their comments. You really helped me to decide to write the next installment of Introspection. At the end of this chapter, there are a few responses to your comments.

Disclaimer: I do not own Hellsing, so please don't sue. Not that you'd get any money anyhow (tuition at OU is way too much!).

Warning: There's some rather gory details as the story progresses.

*****

Chapter 2

Alucard stood in Seras' room looking over each of the drawings with great interest. Each piece of art seemed to convey the young vampire's emotions during her transition, both towards life as well as him. At the beginning of the book, she portrayed Alucard as somewhat of a grinning madman focused on the kill. But as time progressed, Seras started to express more humanistic qualities in his features, such as in a charcoal of him with his hand extended towards the viewer with a genuine smile, not one of a maniacal killing machine.

The next picture in the sketchbook surprised the master vampire beyond words; it portrayed a crying Seras holding close the bloodied form of her master. Alucard recognized the background to be that of the Tower of London. He smiled fondly at the picture, a drawing that helped to confirm the depth of Seras' feelings towards the No Life King. Alucard's memory of what occurred after being assaulted by his own bullets was rather vague to say the least, with the exception of Seras taking him into her arms and Integra's release of the seals. Alucard's supposed death had obviously had a profound effect on the novice vampire.

Alucard replaced the book to where he found it upon realizing that he had been in Seras' room for close to an hour, his body alerting him it needed rest with a yawn. The master vampire's body began to disappear as he returned to his own coffin. "Sweet dreams, Seras," he whispered as he allowed sleep to claim him.

*****

As the sun descended into the horizon, the creatures of the night began to emerge from their havens across England. Sir Integra Wingates Hellsing stood on the balcony outside her office in the darkening twilight, awaiting Alucard's appearance for the night's mission assignments. She took a long drag from her cigar, and as Integra exhaled the small cloud of smoke from her lungs, the flat gray stone of the balcony began to darken and ripple as a crimson clad figure emerged from its ebony depths. "I'm glad you could make it," the platinum haired woman said with a sarcastic smirk.

Alucard flashed his master his usual toothy grin. "Your orders, master," he asked.

Integra walked back inside her office and sat down behind the massive oak desk. She picked up a piece of paper and handed it to Alucard, who stood in front of her desk. "Here are your assignments, Alucard," she stated in her usual businesslike manner. "Feel free to assist the human forces when you finish with your targets. This is going to be an eventful evening."

Alucard smiled at the thought of some activity, something to get his mind off of how to approach Seras. He did not like to admit any form of ineptness, but the master vampire had not effectively `asked anyone out' in over two centuries, and those events had ended in his capture by Integra's ancestor. "Good evening, Miss Hellsing," he said as he dispelled thoughts of Seras from his mind and disappeared into the wall.

*****

Down below the hustle and bustle of the Hellsing Manor, Seras Victoria slowly began to awaken from slumber. The young vampire rubbed her eyes, trying to force the desire to stay in bed away as the lid to her coffin began to rise. She reluctantly climbed out of bed and started to get dressed. As Seras fastened the final button on her collar, she caught a glimpse of her sketchbook lying open to her latest picture sitting on her nightstand. "I am so hopeless," she sighed as she hugged the book to her chest. "I'm nothing more that `Police Girl' in his eyes." Seras jumped as a loud knock resonated from the door. "W-Who is it?"

"Good evening, Miss Victoria," came the familiar voice of the former Angel of Death.

"Come in, Walter," she called back.

The door opened, and Walter entered with an ice bucket containing her breakfast. "Did you sleep well?"

The young woman smiled at the older gentleman, a person she had grown to see as a friend and somewhat of a surrogate father. "Yes, thank you."

As he placed the bucket on the table, Walter noticed the book in Seras' arms as well as how she seemed to stare off into the distance. "Oh, have you been drawing again?"

"Yes," Seras blushed as she answered quietly. Walter was the only person who knew of her artistic ability. Since her arrival at the Hellsing Organization, he was one of the scant few that made an effort to get to know her and show her any kindness in spite of what she was. Because of his sympathy towards her, Seras had opened up to the older gentleman when she needed to talk and had even given him a portrait of Sir Integra in appreciation for just listening when she needed a friend.

"May I," he asked, looking at the book in her arms. Seras looked down at the picture in her hands once more and then hesitantly turned the book around to allow Walter a view of the picture. "I do believe that is one of your best, Miss Victoria," he said with a smile.

Victoria blushed at his compliment. "Thank you," she smiled. "Um, you won't…"

"Of course not," he replied. "You have my word that this is still our secret." Walter then moved towards the door. "After your meal, please report to Captain Thompson for tonight's mission, and do hurry. From what Sir Integra has told me, tonight will be rather busy."

"Of course, Walter."

"Happy hunting," he said as he stepped out into the hallway and shut the door. `For someone so talented, it is a shame she is so shy about it,' the retainer thought as he began walking back to the upper levels of the manor. `Perhaps it's the subject of her art she would rather keep hidden." Walter had observed Seras' growing infatuation for Hellsing's first vampire resident, and he had hoped the young girl wouldn't be hurt as a result; she had suffered enough emotional stress in Cheddar. The one thing that he had not expected was the master vampire's own state. In all the years he had worked with Alucard, Walter had never known him to harbor many emotions, with the few exceptions being amusement, bloodlust, and disgust. But every so often, the retainer would notice the No Life King looking towards his fledgling without his usual calculating gaze, and his hard stare would soften with something akin to fondness.

*****

The night hour had reached 3:47 a.m., and outside an apartment building near Bloomsbury stood a squad of Hellsing soldiers standing at attention. Pacing before the soldiers was a man in his mid thirties with reddish-brown hair and a set of three scars that ran down the left side of his face, and amazingly whatever decided it wanted to try to claw his face did not damage either of his piercing green eyes. "All right, people," he called out. "We know of at least four freaks in this building and approximately fifteen ghouls. This is the last clean up for the night. Let's make it a good one."

"Yes, sir!" Captain Thompson had only been with the Hellsing Organization for three weeks, but his never say die attitude and camaraderie with his troops had earned the respect of those under his command.

"Officer Victoria," he called out.

"Sir!"

"It's your turn at point. Take position and lead us in."

"Yes, Captain," Seras replied and picked up a heavy machine gun as she took her position, leaving the Halconnen behind in favor of more mobility in the tight quarters. She squared herself off with the door and knocked it out of the way with a hard front heel kick, sending it into two ghouls in the process.

The only light in the building filtered through the windows from the streetlamps outside. Seras was thankful for her vampiric vision as she scanned the room, easily spotting awaiting ghouls in the darkness. "Point confirms seven ghoul targets, engaging," she said into the communications link. Several flashes illuminated the hallway as one by one the undead were exterminated, leaving behind piles of gray ash. The mission progressed like a routine sweep and clear until the squad reached the third floor and found the freak targets along with at least thirty ghouls.

Outside the building, a figure in dark blood red approached the apartment building. Alucard decided to check on his fledgling's progress having finished with silencing his targets a few moments ago. Captain Thompson acknowledged the vampire's presence with a simple nod. "Alucard."

The No Life King smiled and continued toward the building. "I hope you don't mind if I join in the fun," he said without waiting for a response from the human as he disappeared into a rippling black pool on the wall. When Alucard began to emerge from a part of the ceiling, he saw Seras, the woman he had grown to love, make a terrible mistake.

Seras was laying down a suppressing fire into a group of oncoming ghouls when a pair of punk freaks and several ghouls attacked their flank. She stayed focused on her targets until she heard a sickening rip followed by a gurgling scream. The young vampire turned towards the sound to see the throat of one of her teammates be completely torn apart and the subsequent dismemberment of his body. "NO!!! Phillip!!"

At that moment, a pair of male freaks descended upon the female officer as she tried to make her way back to her team. One grabbed a hold of her in a full nelson while the other ripped away her communications set up. "Let go of me, you bastards!" Seras struggled against her captor's grip but was unable to gain any leverage.

The freak in front of Seras stared at her with a mix of hatred and lust in his eyes. "Well lookie what we've got here, Smithie, a little Hellsing bitch to play with," he sneered as he held up a long silver blade. The Police Girl's eyes widened as she recognized the odd design as belonging to Paladin Alexander Anderson. "That's right, we picked up this trinket after one of that's damned priest's jobs. I been itchin' to try this out, right," he laughed as he drew closer.

"Such filth," a deep baritone filled the room. "Who do you think you are, you pathetic undead maggots?" The meager light in the room reflected off of a pair of orange tinted glasses as a figure stepped out from the shadows. "You freaks make me sick."

"Master," Seras smiled.

The two punk freaks did not seem to be impressed with his entrance, however. "Just what are you gonna do, Red," the freak with the blade laughed.

"Yeah, we've got this little bitch, right, Trey," Smithie laughed as he shook Seras. "You ain't gonna do jack shit."

The temperature seemed to drop as the master vampire's eyes narrowed. "Release the Police Girl now and you'll receive a quick death," he began as he took a step towards the punk freaks. "Otherwise you will die slowly before you rot in Hell."

"Here's what I think of you and your girl, asshole," Trey said with a sick grin and then plunged the blade deep into Seras' stomach. The female officer stifled a scream as he began to twist the blessed silver blade and draw it upwards.

Alucard raised his hands and his voice growled out the familiar words. "Releasing control arts restriction system to Level Two, Situation B. Keeping power unlocked until the targets have been eternally silenced." Smithie looked at Trey in utter confusion at Alucard's words, who only shrugged in response. They never had a chance. "Time to die!" the No Life King's voice boomed as an unholy aura emanated from his body.

Smithie chose that moment to loosen his grip on Seras and threw her to the floor, preparing to fend off the opposition. He was unprepared however for the strong hands that ripped his arm away from his body. His companion watched in morbid fascination and slowly back away as Alucard began to shred him to ribbons, spattering blood across the wall until Smithie collapsed in a spray of gray ash as his head exploded. The other freak, Trey, began to shake as the enraged Alucard's crimson eyes locked on him. "W-Wait a minute, dude," Trey stammered.

Alucard began stalking towards him. "You dare to harm one of my blood," he growled. "Now prepare yourself for an eternity of pain and suffering."

Seras supported herself against a wall, her eyes feeling heavy as she struggled to remain conscious and slow the blood flowing from her wound. She looked up towards her master, and through the haze, Seras was surprised by the expression that was shown on Alucard's face. The novice vampire had seen Alucard on several occasions, and his face usually held an expression of either amusement or disgust, dependant on whether his opponent was a worthy challenge or not. This time, however, the emotion conveyed by his features was complete and utter rage. Seras slipped into unconsciousness as Alucard tore the remaining freak in half. "Burn in Hell," Alucard snarled as he drove his fist through Trey's chest.

As the ash settled on the floor, the remaining members of the Hellsing squad finished dispatching the remaining freaks and ghouls and made it back to their location. Alucard ignored the human operatives' and walked over to Seras' still form, his eyes lingering on the blessed blade still embedded in her abdomen. He picked up the unconscious woman and carried her downstairs, not caring as several of the humans stared. "The targets have been silence," he grimly informed the captain as he walked past him to a darkening section of pavement. Alucard stepped into the center of the spot and sank into the rippling black surface with Seras in his arms.

*****

Seras Victoria awoke to the gentle sounds of Beethoven's Moonlight Sonata; she turned her head to see a stereo system near the bed. The young vampire slowly blinked her eyes and gingerly sat up, wincing slightly at the pain in her stomach. She looked around the unfamiliar room, trying to discern her location. The walls were adorned with various weapons ranging from medieval swords and axes to flintlock pistol and even a 50 caliber Desert Eagle. Illuminating the room were several sconces that appeared to hold candles but were in fact soft flickering electric lights. Across from the bed, a beautiful landscape painting of a mountain range offset the other elements of the room.

The young vampire brushed her long bangs away from her face and, as she did so, noticed that she was not wearing her own clothes, but instead was dressed in a long white dress shirt. Seras gasped and clutched the sheets close to her body. A flash of red caught her attention, and she saw a long red coat hanging from the wall near a stone staircase. It was then that Seras realized her exact location, Alucard's chambers. The young woman's eyes followed the wall until she saw a figure sitting near a corner with his feet propped up on a table. "Finally awake, Police Girl," Alucard said as he rose from his seat.

Seras only nodded in response as she watched him gather two wineglasses and a blood pack from the table. The young vampire's eyes scanned his form as he began to approach her and noticed the change in his attire. Alucard was dressed in a white dress shirt with the top three buttons unfastened, his usual tie discarded, a pair of his charcoal slacks, and his boots. The master vampire's customary hat, sunglasses, and gloves lay on the table from which he retrieved the blood. Seras gulped as her master sat down on the bed next to her and filled each glass with the thick red liquid.

"Drink, Seras," he said as he held a glass in front of her. "You lost a lot of blood."

"Thank you, Master," she replied as she took the glass from his hands and swallowed the liquid in two large gulps.

Alucard took a drink from his own glass and refilled hers as he studied the slight flush that spread across her face, the blood she drank giving her a bit of color. As he watched her begin to drink her second glass, Alucard remembered how fragile she looked in his arms upon returning to the Hellsing Manor. He had only given Integra a brief report and returned to his chambers to watch over Seras. The master vampire had been monitoring her recovery the entire day, periodically sleeping for a few minutes during the day. "You're lucky that blade did not pierce your heart, Police Girl" Alucard said after he finished his glass. "Especially since the toy that freak was using was one of the priest's weapons."

Seras sighed, once again her master would only be pointing out her mistakes and shortcomings. "I… I'm sorry, my master," she said quietly as she stared at her empty wineglass.

"Just be more careful next time, Seras Victoria," Alucard smiled at the obvious surprise in her eyes since he almost never addressed her by her real name, let alone her full name.

"Master Alucard," Seras began nervously. "I was wondering…."

"Yes?"

"I don't want to sound ungrateful, but why am I in your bed?" Alucard would not have thought it possible for the young vampire to become more flushed, but then again, she was always full of surprises. "And wearing your shirt?"

The master vampire chuckled at her nervousness, trying to disguise his own uneasiness. "Taking you to the infirmary is a rather moot point, wouldn't you agree? And who better to attend to the needs of a seriously injured vampire than her master," he asked as he flashed her a charming grin that made her stomach turn somersaults.

"Thank you, Master," she said once she recovered her voice, "but you didn't have to go through all this just for me."

"Why do you say that," Alucard asked as he took the glass from her hands and placed both on the nightstand.

Seras began to twist the sheets in her hands. "You could have just put me in my own room, it really wasn't necessary…" her voice drifted off when she felt Alucard's fingers lightly touch her cheek and run through her hair. Seras closed her eyes as she reveled in his soft touch.

She opened her eyes when she felt his hand gently cup her cheek and saw his blood red eyes hold onto hers in a tender gaze. Alucard lightly ran his thumb over her soft trembling lips. "Yes, I did, Seras Victoria," he whispered as he leaned forward and captured her lips in a sweet, gentle kiss.

*****

I know I just kind of leave things hanging. Hopefully, it won't take me too long to get out the next chapter. Below are comment responses.

Sam Dracula - Thank you so much for your kind words. I've been an artist for a long time and thought it'd be interesting to explore it a little more with my writing. I recently finished a pencil drawing of Seras' picture of Alucard and hope to have it posted somewhere soon (either my friend's website, become a member of Elfwood, or put it in my profile pictire here if need be). BTW, the cheesecake was delicious!

Fanfic Fan - Thanks Bunches!

The Talented Mr. Mitts - Thanks for taking the time to leave your thought, I greatly appreciate it, but I also have to disagree just a bit. Vampires, as well as people, are evolving creatures, and tastes do change with time. I do agree that, yes, Alucard would likely listen to some classical selections, as is reflected in the insertion of Beethoven's Moonlight Sonata, but I also believe that if he didn't move with the times as well, he wouldn't be the vibrant character many of us have come to enjoy. I personally think that out of today's music, Alucard would lean towards the darker tones of many rock groups, including Staind, Metallica, and even Disturbed to name a few.

Jenna1980 - Thanks for the encouragement, I hope you like this chapter.

Chiri - Thank you so much! This means a lot to me coming from you, Death Can Be a Beautiful Thing is one of my favorite fics.

Shadowfax - Thanks Bunches!

Briar - Thanks! Ever since I first saw Hellsing, I had a fic stuck in my head with that song. I'm glad you liked it.

Mizuko - Thanks Bunches!

Kamikaze the Twooth - Thanks! I'm glad I was able to snag your interest. Hope you like this chappie (BTW, I absolutely love Midnight Confessions!).

LightAMatchForIDeserveToB - Thanks for the comment. Personally, I think that deep down, Alucard still has the same desires as a human being. He's just gotten used to hiding it for so long, and Seras' innocence helped him to reconnect with what he had lost. As to the singing, I mean, everyone has a tendency to sing along with their favorite songs, right? Sometimes no matter how bad they are at it (never again going to a bar during karaoke night… shudder).