Hellsing Fan Fiction ❯ Truth Lies Within A Scarlet Rose ❯ A Magnet for Trouble ( Chapter 4 )

 

Chapter 4: Magnet for Danger

 

Days turned into weeks, and weeks turned into a month, but still there was no sign of him. Seras had never felt more alone; lying atop her bed, she stared blankly at the white ceiling before her. The emptiness sucked her into nothingness and reluctantly, she accepted it. For the first two weeks of his absence, Seras would wait faithfully for him at the park till darkness crept above the horizon. Everyday, she hoped for his return, but the reality was that he had left, and it was like ice in her veins to think of it. Once in a while she would go to sit and wait, but each time proved as futile as the last, and she would walk back home, defeated.

 

Seras stood up and padded over to the dresser to get ready for school. Summer was approaching quickly, which meant two very important things: there would be no more school and nice, warm weather to play in. No school meant no kids, and no kids meant that there would be no one to pick on her. The warm weather was a bonus that allowed her to stay outside of the house and away from her father. As long as she was home before provincial curfew, he had no reason to care.

 

Standing in front of the mirror, Seras studied her body. There were only a few recent cuts and bruises since her father's last violent attack. The angry purple markings had faded into a light yellow hue. Disgusted by her reflection, she moved away and pulled out a pair of black jeans and a green t-shirt to get dressed. It was not that she hated how she looked, in fact she actually thought she was quite pretty; it was the way her reflection seemed to judge her. It was a reminder to Seras that she was different from all the other children in school. She was unloved and strange, a freak whose mother had killed herself and an alcoholic father to punish her for it.

 

Once fully dressed and toiletries dealt with, she was ready for school. Walking over to her nightstand, Seras picked up the withered rose, a morning ritual that she had developed. A small smile appeared on her lips as she remembered the morning on which she had found it upon her pillow case. She knew it was Alucard who had put it there, and she thanked him. It was what got her through the days when all she wanted to do was break down and cry. The rose was what motivated her to push past the turmoil; it was what willed her to believe that he would come back one day.

Placing it gently into her sketchbook, she quickly slipped it underneath her mattress. With the art book completely hidden, Seras made her way downstairs and headed to the fridge to pick up a quick snack. There was a small note waiting for her on the countertop. `I'll be back; there's money on top of the fridge. Don't do anything stupid and keep your mouth shut!'

 

Pulling a chair up to the countertop, she took the ten dollars that lay there. Seras knew that she was not allowed to be home alone without supervision, but to say anything would mean dire consequences when her father got home. Claudius did this once in a while; he would disappear for about a week and come back with a large amount of money. She did not know where the money came from, but it was suicide to think of asking. Seras had no interest in her father's business, anyway; as long as there was food and shelter, she felt no need to know further information.

 

Seras left the house without grabbing anything to eat; she would buy some better food at the corner store up the street. Judging by the amount of money her father had left, he would not be gone longer then two days.

 

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Alucard took in the scents around him. There were faint fumes of ash and smoke rising in the air. What he saw before him was the remains of a village. He had taken a tour into the forest where he last remembered the goblin hideout to be located. The odd behaviour of the barghest caught his interest and he wanted to investigate. He tried to reason why someone would burn down the goblin village. Aside from being a disgusting nuisance that lived off of theft and had no sense for personal hygiene, they tended to stay away from others, with the exception of barghests. They had a deal together; the barghests protected the goblins and in return, were treated as gods.

 

Stepping over some of the rubble, he wandered around trying to find a lead as to what had happened. Alucard picked up the sound of scurrying just on the outskirts of the ruins. Turning towards the curious sounds, he caught sight of a small creature hiding among the bushes. Having been seen, it hurried in the opposite direction. Swiftly, Alucard pursued after it.

 

It was fast, and not being in a particularly spirited mood, he chose a different tactic to catch the little pest. Morphing into a mist, he followed the creature and waited for it to slow down. It slouched against the tree in relief, leaving itself vulnerable. Reappearing before it, Alucard yanked the tiny creature off the ground and pinned it against the trunk at eye level.

 

“Please don't kill me! I'll do whatever you want!” The creature pleaded in desperation.

 

Alucard realized he had been chasing a measly gnome, “I have no intention of killing you; I merely would like some questions answered. Are you from around this area?”

 

“Y-yes, M'lord.”

 

“Ah, so you know who I am. For future reference, runt, if you ever run from me again, I will kill you. As king, I deserve more respect than this.” Alucard spoke in a warning tone.

 

“I'm so sorry, M'lord, I was just frightened when you--”

 

“Silence!” He bellowed, cutting the gnome off; his patience was thinning. “I do not care about your excuses.” Placing him back on the ground, he proceeded. “If you are from around here, tell me, what has happened to this village?”

 

“I did not see it, M'lord, but there have been raids like this happening more often than not. I have heard talk of humans in armour marching towards the forests and destroying the creatures. I know not why they do it; they go around razing everything in their paths. The same happened here, M'lord; in fact, we all are slowly being pushed from the lands. Some of us have no place to go and are now trying to reside in human forests to find food and a life again.”

 

Alucard was shocked by the information; however, things were starting to fall into place. `During this attack, the barghests must have fled, leaving the goblins behind; having no place to go,they were probably trying to find food in human forests. That explains why Seras was attacked in such a strange circumstance. But that still leaves the question; who are these humans?'

 

Drawing his attention back to the gnome, he continued. “Who are these humans? Very few know where these enchanted forests are located and even if they do, penetrating the barriers are extremely difficult, if not impossible.”

 

“I don't know who they are, M'lord; I don't even know how they got through them. All I have heard is they fight in the name of God to rid the earth of `Hell's vermin'.”

 

Alucard nodded in understanding, “Thank you for the information, you may leave.” With that, the gnome bowed and continued on his way. Alucard headed back to the castle; he wanted to inform Walter of this new discovery. Hopefully, Walter could help him solve his unanswered questions. He would not allow worthless humans to destroy what he had worked so hard to uphold!

 

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Walter was lounging in his study, reading, when there was a loud knock at the door. He was curious as to who would be knocking; not many of the servants in the castle came to his private quarters. When he opened the door, he was astonished to see Alucard leaning against the door frame.

 

“In all my life, I did not think that I would see the day when you knocked and patiently waited at the door.”

 

“Yes, well, I have seen you naked one too many times while walking in unannounced.”

 

“Ah, wonderful; I was beginning to think that you enjoyed those moments, seeing as how often they occurred,” Walter teased.

 

Smirking, he replied, “Don't flatter yourself, Angel of Death; there's not much to see.”

 

Laughing, Walter moved aside to let his master in. “I haven't been called that in a while; it just goes to show you how long it's been since the last time I was in battle, but I digress. What can I do for you, Alucard?”

 

“The night that Seras was attacked by the barghest; its behaviour was very unusual. I went to go speak with the goblins, but the village had been burnt to the ground. Apparently, there are humans penetrating the barriers of the enchanted forest; I want you to try and find some information on them.”

 

“Humans in the enchanted forest; how is that possible?”

 

“I don't know, Walter, which is why I'm asking you to find out,” Alucard retorted, slightly annoyed.

 

“Sorry. Yes, I will look into it, but I cannot promise that I will find anything.” Nodding, he was about to leave when Walter added, “Care for a game in chess later on? It's been a while since I've won and my ego could use a boost.”

 

Smiling, Alucard took the bait. “You're on, but don't go crying when I destroy you.”

 

“If I do recall correctly, the only games you have won are the ones you've cheated in. No mind reading, or so help me, Alucard, I'll shove a knight so far up your arse, you'll have to get it surgically removed.”

 

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That evening, a seasonal fair was being held by her school, where all the happy families came together to chat and act absolutely perfect together. Seras loved the atmosphere it gave off; she felt normal when she attended the event. However, in previous years, she did not have money to participate in any of the activities so she ended up just watching and playing in the nearby playground. Against her better judgement, she was attracted to the fun like a moth to a flame, so she decided to use the rest of her father's money on some games.

~

 

It was around seven-thirty when everyone started to gather their families and head home. Making her way home by herself, Seras's good mood quickly turned sour as her three most obnoxious tormentors blocked her path from all sides.

 

“What do you guys want now? Can't you leave me alone for two seconds?”

 

She had not wanted to run into Alexandru, Alin, and Andrei, not when things had been going so well.

 

“One, two, time's up, stupid head.” Alin mocked, causing the other boys to giggle.

 

“Real mature; well, unlike some people, I have to go home because I have better things to do with my time! Why don't you idiots do the same?” Seras replied as she tried to push past the boys.

 

Alexandru grabbed her arm and pulled her back into the circle. “Not so fast, we're not done with you; besides, a freak like you can't be that busy. All you do is write in that stupid book of yours; losers like you have nothing better to do but be a loser.” The “A Team” laughed in unison while Seras just stood there, arms folded, watching them act like complete imbeciles.

 

Andrei was the first to sober up and advance towards her. Both parties knew what was going to happen; there was no getting out of this one. Bracing herself for the inevitable, she took the first push to the ground rather well. The kicks following after were more painful, but Seras knew it would only hurt for a bit; being kicked in the same place repeatedly resulted in the numbing of that general area. For some form of protection, she assumed the fetal position and covered her head. The kicks came fast as well as the insults thrown at her.

 

“Hey, you punks!” The boys paused as a man approached. “Yeah you, stop that!” Startled, the boys quickly forgot what they were doing and huddled closer together as the man stopped before them. “What do you think you guys are doing bullying that poor girl? Three-on-one, you shitheads are really cool, huh? Get out of here, you runts; go, scram!”

 

The boys scurried away like dogs with their tails in-between their legs. “No-good punks.” Turning his head, he asked, “Are you okay, Seras?”

 

A tall-built man with at least a week's worth of stubble on his face stood over her. He wore a worn out black wife beater with a leather jacket over it, accompanied by ripped jeans and extremely dirty, old, work boots.She was utterly confused by how this man knew her name. Internally, she debated if he was another vampire; completely oblivious to the fact that she still had a white sticker nametag on her shirt from the fair.

 

“Um, yeah I'm okay, thank you.” Picking herself up off the ground, she proceeded towards her house like she had originally planned; the last thing she needed was another vampire in her life. Something told her that not all of them would be as nice as Alucard.

 

“Wait, hold up; you are Seras, right?”

 

Rather than responding, she simply nodded. “Look, I'm here to pick you up and take you home, sweetie.” Stretching his arm out, he offered his hand to her.

 

Staring at it, she refused; she had never seen this guy before and he was starting to scare her. “N-no, it's okay; I'll just walk home. I'm used to it. Thank you, anyway.” Turning to leave, she was halted again.

 

“Come now, Seras; it is way too dark out for you to be walking home alone. Don't worry; you can trust me. My name's Ion, I'm a good friend of your mother. She told me to pick you up and take you home. Now, come with me. It's okay; I won't hurt you.”

 

The wind chilled where Seras stood. When bad things happened, they always got worse. She took a step away from the man and he went to follow her. “Stay back, I said stay back, you liar!”

 

Ion was becoming extremely agitated. “Now, why would you go and say such a mean thing like that? That hurts my feelings, Seras; I came to your rescue from those mean boys. Your mother is very worried.” He stared hungrily at her, as a predator would its prey.

 

The words ripped through her like a knife.

 

“My mother is dead.” Then, she ran.

 

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“Check.”

 

“Alucard, you can only declare check if my king is in jeopardy.”

 

“What are you talking about? It is. Look, my tower can kill your king.”

 

Walter signed, “First of all, it's called a rook, and second, that is my queen. But, thank you anyway; that move just allowed me to win.” Replacing the king with his knight, he affirmed his winning status. “Checkmate.”

 

Smiling arrogantly, Walter waited for a defeated reaction from the vampire. Getting nothing, he folded his arms and sighed knowingly. “You miss her, don't you?”

 

Standing up, Alucard started to put the game away; he took a moment to answer. “Don't be absurd; she is just a pathetic human. Why would I waste my time thinking about her?”

 

“Well for one, I've never known you to clean up after our games of chess which proves that you are bothered by something. Secondly, you've been off ever since you escorted Miss Victoria to her home. And thirdly, you have played enough chess in your undead life to know the difference between the queen and king and frankly, the way you played today was absolutely rubbish, which means that you are distracted.” Walter continued to press the situation.

 

Chuckling, Alucard leaned against a window sill while he looked beyond the glass barrier. “You think you've got me all figured out, don't you?”

 

“I know you better then you think. I've lived with you long enough to know when something is amiss and you have been quite distant lately.”

 

“You're right, Walter; I haven't been myself, but it has nothing to do with that girl; I assure you.” Alucard said, trying to convince Walter along with himself.

 

“Mhmm, if you say so. However, when you do feel up to par, I demand a rematch; I find it dissatisfying that the one time you decide to play fair is when you don't give a shit. Pardon my language, but it doesn't make my win as enjoyable.” Walter gave him a warm smile and a playful slap on the shoulder.

 

“You're a good friend, Walter; it will be a shame when you die.”

 

“Thanks,” he replied sarcastically, “I'm flattered you're so concerned with my well being.”

 

“Oh, you're very welcome. Perhaps I'll turn you into a vampire so we can be together forever.” Alucard batted his eyelashes teasingly.

 

“Right… Well, I appreciate your offer, but when I die I would prefer to actually stay dead, thank you.” Walter smiled. “While we're on such a light note, I have something I'd like to give you.”

 

“Wonderful, I love surprises. Lead the way, my good sir,” Alucard drawled in a noble tone.

~

 

Loud rustling emitted through the small storage room as Walter rummaged to find the object that he was looking for. “Ah, here it is.” Turning around, he held a transparent sphere.

 

“Uh, you wanted to give me a crystal ball? No offence, but I have no need to see into the futures of others,” Alucard stated dryly.

 

Walter rolled his eyes and brought the sphere under a lamp light. “It's not a crystal ball, you idiot. It's an orb of energy called `The Eye of the Gods.' It is an accumulation of psionic energy that has been released into the atmosphere and fused together. They are extremely hard to find unless you know where to look. Anyway, I digress; it's called `The Eye of the Gods' because it allows you to see anything happening in the present moment anywhere around the world.”

 

Feeling the orb, Alucard frowned. “It doesn't feel like energy.”

 

“Of course not. If everyone knew about them, then people would be constantly spying on each other and it would be bloody chaos.” Walter chuckled to himself, “That is just what it looks like when it's dormant; ask it a question and you will see what happens.”

 

“So, why are you giving this to me? It is not something that someone should just give away to anyone.”

 

“Yes, well, you are not anyone and more importantly, I have no need for it. I think you could benefit from it much more than I have. I never use it anymore, so it just collects dust. I was thinking that you could use it to find some information about who is destroying the forest. However, I must caution you; be careful what you ask to see. The truth can be a very hard pill to swallow, as I'm sure you very well know. Also, do not tell anyone about this; the less people who know about the orb, the better.” Walter's face was stern, leaving no room for misunderstanding.

 

“I'm not five, Walter; I think I can manage, thank you.” With that, Alucard dismissed himself and vanished from the room.

 

The elder man grinned, feeling quite victorious. He had felt that Alucard could use `The Eye of the Gods' to find information about the occurrences happening in the enchanted wood, but for the most part, he wanted the vampire to get his fix of whatever interest he had for Seras out of his system so the man could act like himself again.

 

~

 

Once in the confines of his private quarters, Alucard set the orb onto the table. Pouring himself a glass of blood wine, he settled himself in front of the majestic ball. `Hm, what should I ask?' A thought of Seras entered in his mind; pushing the thought aside, he tried to think of something else to query.

 

Remembering what Walter suggested, he took a sip from his cup and spoke. “Who is behind the pillaging of the enchanted forest?” Suddenly, the orb jerked. Levitating from the table, it started to morph into a bubble of energy, emitting immense levels of psionic power. An image started to appear within the bubble. Leaning forward, the distorted image started to become clear.

 

Alucard's eyebrows drew together; it looked like a military base. `How would the military know where the forest was? These can't be ordinary soldiers;possibly hunters, but that still doesn't explain how they're penetrating the barriers.'

 

As the moving images continued to play out, he saw that the letters that were engraved deeply in a golden plaque above the entrance doors read `Hellsing.'

 

“Where can I find this Hellsing organization?” Again, it distorted to form a new scene. Alucard recognized the city; it was located in Transylvania's capital, only about two hours north of the central Sibiu. Satisfied, he leaned back into his chair and took another sip from his cup. `What a nifty little trinket;I'll be sure to use this more often.'

 

He decided he would look into the matters of his findings on a later date; right now, all he wanted to do was relax. After trying to close his eyes, they abruptly snapped open as a premonition of Seras tore through his mind. He glared at the still orb that rested on the table. He could not understand why thoughts of her kept coming back to plague him. Looking away, he strummed his nails hard against the wood. After about a minute of battling out whether or not to ask for her, he gave in to his curiosity.

 

“Show me the girl.” Nothing happened; the Eye of the Gods lay completely still. He sighed irritably. “Where is Seras Victoria?” The orb flinched, repeating its previous display and granted him the answer to his question. As the reflection focused, Alucard's eyes filled with fury; there was a low growl at the back of his throat before he abruptly disappeared from the room.

 

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“Get back here, you little bitch!”

 

Adrenaline pumped through Seras as she sprinted across the field. She could not calculate how far away he was from her; all she cared about was running faster.

 

'Someone help me!'

 

Ion lunged at her and just managed to grab her by the ankle, causing Seras to crash onto the cool grass. The man crawled up her body and forced his weight on her so that she could not move.

 

“Stop! Help! Someone, please he-!” The man snaked his arm around her body and shoved a cloth into her mouth, shutting her up. Tears poured down her pale, cut cheeks, mixing with the dirt and blood. She tried to squirm out of the man's iron grip, but his hold on her was far too strong.

 

“Oh, you're a feisty little morsel, aren't you?” Thrusting his groin into her rear, she could feel the evidence of his arousal. “I'm really going to enjoy playing with you. How about we break you in, huh?” The man began to drag Seras away, but she refused to go without a fight; flailing her body frantically, she tried to loosen his grip on her.

 

“Stop…moving...” he panted, trying to keep her under control. A low rumble sounded out of nowhere; he paused, looking around as best he could while keeping her pinned to the ground.

 

“Who's there?” He was rewarded with a startling snarl that even caught Seras's attention. Slightly moving off of her, he looked behind him to be faced with the largest black hound he had ever seen. Ion stared fearfully at the pair of dark orbs boring angrily through him. The large dog jolted from its stance and charged at him. Pushing off of Seras, he scrambled to his feet and made a run for it.

 

Feeling the weight of the hound on his shoulders, he screamed and fell to the ground, several ribs cracking under its immense mass.

 

Seras heard him yell out in affliction and a series of cracking bones traveled into her eardrums. The hound tore at the man's back persistently, ripping large gashes into his flesh and shredding it until there were hardly any remnants of skin left. Tainted blood squirted from the open wounds and bathed the earth in polluted essence. It went for his jugular and tore a chunk from his neck; crimson fluid spluttered from his mouth, creating nauseating, gurgling sounds from deep within the attacker's throat.

 

The hound ceased its actions for a moment and turned to stare at Seras. Her eyes widened as the pair of black eyes turned red and were accompanied by four more identical ones.

 

Her attacker caught sight of a broken tree branch in range. Stretching out as far he could, he managed to grab it. Rolling over as a last attempt to get the Baskerville off him, he smashed the branch into the side of its head. It howled in pain and moved back a few steps, allowing Seras's attacker to regain a standing position. The hound recovered rapidly from the sudden blow to the head, and snarled one last time before leaping for his lower region. The man bellowed in agony; his jeans were torn apart as the hound's jaw firmly clamped around his scrotum, crushing the fragile skin.

 

Ion was paralyzed; the excruciating pain prevented him from moving any further. Suddenly, it began to rip his flesh in an agonizingly slow pace, until finally; Ion's priced possessions were completely removed from his person. Spitting out the revolting meat, blood dripped from the hound's mouth, staining its fur. It walked over to the man, now pathetically shaking and screaming on the ground; the beast watched serenely as the man seized helplessly until his movement had died down to a jerking twitch. Only when her attacker had completely stilled did it tear its gaze away, returning its attention back to Seras. The hound made its way over to her.

 

Stricken with fear, her only reaction was to hide her face, praying it would leave her alone. Moments passed and she felt no pain. Peeking out from over her arms, she saw it sitting in front of her, staring. The two extra pairs of glowing red eyes that she had seen appear rolled into the back of it head and fur grew over them.

 

In almost above a whisper, she pleaded. “Please don't hurt me.”

 

It stood up, startling Seras, who ducked back under the safety of her arms. Again, when no harm came to her for the second time, she looked back up to find the hound nowhere in sight.

 

“You are a magnet for trouble; you know that, little one?” A voice came from behind her.

 

Yelping in fright, she shot around to come face to face with the one man she had been waiting for what seemed like years. Emotions hit her full force; running towards him and embracing him; she finally allowed herself to be that scared, lonely child that was allowed to cry, and wept.

 

Tears soaked through the material of his overcoat as she choked out her sorrow in a watery mumble. “I thought I'd never see you again. Don't ever leave me again!”

 

A familiar feeling tugged at his dead heart that he had not experienced in over two centuries: pure compassion and the angry guilt of knowing he could have prevented this, but chose his pride and ignored her. Somehow, she had weaseled her way into his life and he could not seem to push her back out of it. He did not know why he felt so strongly towards the human, but he decided to accept it; she needed him and it had been a very long time since he had felt needed.

 

With a heavy sigh, Alucard scooped her up into his arms and allowed her to continue crying into his chest. After a few minutes of walking, Seras's weeping had died down to sporadic sniffles; however, she stayed nuzzled close to him.

 

Looking down at her, he smiled at her; he had no idea that such a simple action could make him feel so warm and light-hearted.

 

Seras was the first to break the silence. In a meek voice, she asked, “Can I go home with you again?”

 

Setting her on the ground, he stated, “I do not think that's a good idea; you might get in trouble.”

 

“My dad is out of town right now and I don't want to be alone; please, can I come with you?” Her eyes begged.

 

“Very well, then.” Walking towards a secluded area, he stopped when he noticed that she was not following. Looking behind him, his face twisted into a perplexed smile; Seras was jumping up and down with a grin that stretched from ear to ear on her face. “Are you coming or not?”

 

Snapping into action, she ran to follow him, her eyes twinkling with excitement. Humming a small tune, she reached up to hold Alucard's hand. He watched her in confusion and shook his head at her utter contentment, `It's ridiculous how the smallest act makes humans so happy…'

 

“Have you eaten, Seras?” Before she could respond, her stomach beat her to it, and she blushed furiously in embarrassment. He chuckled. “I guess not.”

 

~

 

“Maybe it wasn't a good idea to give her food,” Walter joked.

 

Alucard monitored Seras from his comfortable spot on the bench, who was playing with his Cerberus, Reaper, out in the gardens. She thundered around wildly with renewed energy from the meal. It was side-splitting to watch her little frame trying to run away with the giant ball, only to have it snatched away from above her. Her giggling spread throughout the grounds, brightening the atmosphere around it.

 

“I have a feeling she never gets to do this; let her have her fun. Besides, it's kind of cute watching her with Reaper.”

 

Walter froze in disbelief. Looking at his friend, he teased, “Do my ears deceive me? Did you just say cute?”

 

“Shut up; you tell anyone I said that and I'll kill you.” Turning to look at him, he grinned. “I have a reputation to hold up.”

 

“Oh yes and if the world knew that the almighty King Alucard said the word `cute', it would be bloody chaos!” Chuckling, he added, “Don't worry; your secret is safe with me; I just never thought I would see the day.”

 

Returning his gaze to Seras, his grin evolved into a genuine smile. She was dangling from the ball, refusing to let go while the three-headed dog shook it. When she could not hold on any longer, she dropped on the grass and tried to scramble away. Pouncing over her, he blocked her from continuing forward. Dodging him, she tried to go around him from the right. When Reaper again blocked her path, Seras decided to be clever; she ducked and crawled under neither the giant dog. Catching onto her plan quick, Reaper twirled to chase her. In a giggle filled scream, she scampered over to Alucard, hopping onto his lap and buried her head into his neck for security.

 

Alucard went rigid with uncertainty; he was not accustomed to such bold actions from any adult, let alone an eight year old child. Looking up at Walter as if asking what to do, he was bestowed with a soft smile and a brief shrug.

 

Noticing that Reaper had come to a halt before its master, Seras jumped off his lap as abruptly as she had hopped on, running for the ball to play more fetch.

 

Standing up, he walked over to Walter. “I need you to do me a favour.”

 

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While playing with Reaper, Seras needed a little break. Curling up beside the now panting Cerberus, she glanced over at Alucard. He was talking to Walter and by the look on both men's faces; it seemed to be about something serious. With a sharp nod from Walter, they exchanged a couple more words and then, Alucard turned to leave.

 

“Wait!”

 

He stopped to see what she wanted.

 

Reaching him, she asked, “Where are you going?”

 

Cocking a brow, he replied. “Not that it is any of your business but I'm heading to my office to get some work done.”

 

“Can I come?” Seras appealed.

 

Massaging his temples in frustration, he sternly said no.

 

Pushing the subject, she tried to assure him. “I promise you won't even notice I'm there.” Shifting her eyes from left to right, she added, “I'll be like a ninja, lurking in the shadows.”

 

Rolling his eyes, he irritably said, “Fine, I'll allow you to show off your crazy ninja skills. You can be my personal door guard and keeping all intruders out while I work, including yourself.”

 

Watching Seras run to catch up with the vampire, Walter shook his head.

 

`Hm, Alucard may be rough around the edges but I have to admit he is better with kids than he expected.'

 

Whistling, he called to Reaper who loudly stomped his way over to Walter. “Let's get you some food, you great big ball of fluff.” With that, they disappeared into the castle.

 

~

 

Alucard was thoroughly engrossed by Seras's theatrics. She was exuberantly marching back and forth, in front of the doors, in what she considered to be a “guardly” manner. Aggravated by her childish antics, he forcefully shut the doors behind him to get some overdue paperwork finished.

 

After about five minutes of pacing, she started to get extremely bored and wanted to see what Alucard was up to. She quickly opened the door and peeked inside. Before she could get a good look at what he was doing, he was yelling at her to get out.

 

“But why?” She whined, “I'm so bored!”

 

Shooting a dark look at her, he warned, “Seras, get out before I physically throw you out.”

 

“But-“

 

“Now!” Squeaking, she shut the door and huffed overdramatically. Turning back to the closed office, she shouted, “You're such a meany!”

 

Sighing, she slumped against the stone wall and settled down against on the floor, humming slightly to herself as boredom took hold of her. Soon enough, her eyes became heavy and her head dropped forward. She had not had much rest and after the day's exhausting events, she drifted off into a peaceful slumber.

 

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“I was not aware that the new trend is to have a passed out child as decoration outside doors. I think I prefer it to a greeting mat.”

 

Snapping his head up to glare at the intruder, his face quickly brightened at the man before him.

 

“Well you know, I have always been known for my exquisite taste. I strive to have my home looking its best for my guests.” Standing up, he walked around his desk to embrace his old friend.

 

“I think you're getting a little rusty, Alucard; you were so engrossed with whatever you were doing you failed to even notice me. Tsk tsk, I've never known you to be so careless.”

 

Chuckling, he offered him a chair. “Yes, well, I'm falling behind on my paperwork; I'm a very busy man, you know, ruling a kingdom and all.”

 

“I can imagine being the King of not only those who are damned, but all mystical creatures, could get quite strenuous. Nevertheless, I would be more than happy to take that title off your hands.” The man said, bearing a wicked smile.

 

“Not likely. You would have to take it by force, and well, we saw how the last attempt turned out.” Alucard mocked his friends failed efforts to take over the kingdom.

 

“Oh yes, those were the days when we absolutely hated each others existence.”

 

Grinning he inquired, “So what brings you to Romania? From what I remember, you went back to Africa?”

 

~

 

Waking up on the cold ground, Seras could hear voices coming from Alucard's office. Scrambling to her feet, she burst through the door. “Hey you, you're not supposed to be in here; Alucard has a lot to do and can't be bothered! I have to stop anyone from coming in here! So get out!”

 

“And that's my stealthy ninja guard.” Alucard nodded towards Seras.

 

“Ah, so she's not just a wall decoration. Well then, I must say she has impeccable timing; I'm surprised I even made it past the door without being stopped.” The man's comical remark earned him a thunderous laugh from across the table.

 

Shooting a dark look at the intruder, Seras took a better look of the man. He was a hideous, alien looking creature; he had grey skin with vibrant purple streaking down the left side of his face. Located in the middle of his forehead was a pink circle; within it, a yellow marking in the center. Similar yellow markings were found just above his chin, high on his scalp and on both sides of his temples. His right eye was the only normal thing on his body, it seemed. The left was abnormally large, and looked extremely bloodshot, as if he had a saver infection. To top that all off, his iris was completely black causing Seras to cringe with disgust.

 

Without even thinking, she sputtered, “Ew, what happened to your face?”

 

The man glared at her menacingly, the atmosphere in the room instantly going cold. Shuddering, Seras took a couple of steps back while his eyes continued to rake over her frame. He opened his mouth to say something but was cut off by Alucard's soft chortle.

 

“This is an old friend of mine, Incognito.”

 

“H-Hello.” Seras waved, giving him an embarrassed smile.

 

“Anyway, now that you two have been acquainted, I no longer need your prompt and on time guard skills. Go to Walter; he is in the tower. When you exit this door, take a left, go all way down to the end, and take the first two rights you see. You will come to a door; beyond it, there are a series of stairs; take them and you will reach the tower.”

 

Wanting to get out and away from Incognito as quickly as possible, she nodded and left the room.

 

Once she was gone, Incognito shifted his eyes to his friend and stared questionably. “A human child?”

 

“Yeah, well, she grows on you, believe it or not.”

 

“I don't. Alucard, what has gotten into you? Humans serve only one purpose, as our food supply, nothing else, especially not as a companion!”

 

“Do not berate me for what I choose to do. I know exactly what I'm doing, and if you saw what she has to live through, you would understand too.” Alucard did not understand why he felt so angered by Incognito's lecturing. He had never felt the need to explain his actions, simply because he did not care what people thought. But something about envisioning Seras being used as food set him off; he felt he needed to defend his position.

 

“Very well then, I just hope you really know what you're doing.” Pausing, both men bathed in the silence until his curiosity got the better of him and he inquired, “Enlighten me, what does this young human have to deal with?”

 

“Her father is...abusive.” Alucard seemed to recoil from his reply; it was pointless to try to explain; Incognito would not understand. They may be friends but he could never forget how cruel and uncaring Incognito could get with humans. He did not kill for survival, he killed for something to do and the sheer enjoyment of watching people suffer, something Alucard has very much grown out of long ago. He was far more sophisticated and mature than to lower himself to indulge in such juvenile activities.

 

“I think you've gone soft,” Incognito laughed to himself. “When did you start caring about the wellbeing of humans?”

 

“I don't; I could care less about humans, but for some reason she just seemed to attach herself to me… like a fungus.”

 

“That's disgusting, maybe if you showered, you could get rid of her.”

 

“I'll do that right after I put a bullet through your head.”

 

///////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////// /////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////

 

After the fifth yawn, Walter decided it was time to put young Seras to bed. He could tell she was struggling to keep her weary eyes open and her head erect. Walking over to her, he coaxed her to her feet.

 

“Come now, Miss Victoria. Let's get you into a warm bed, shall we.” Gently nudging her to follow, he noticed her barely dragging her feet behind him. Smiling softly, he picked her up and carried her to her room.

 

Once they had finally reached a vacant room, Walter gently laid her on the soft mattress. Peeling off her shoes and socks, he went over the nearest dresser, pulling out a long, beautiful white nightgown fit for a queen. He heard her gasp with exciting and smiled. He placed his hands on the gown, running them down the length of the gown and said, “Fio vegrandis.”

 

Right before her eyes, the dress began to shrink, fitting perfectly to her size. Excited to be privileged to wear such a gorgeous nightgown, Seras jumped out of bed and stripped down to only her underwear before Walter even had a chance to look back towards her.

 

He turned towards her and gave a warm chuckle. “Anxious, I see? Come on, let's get you dressed and into bed.” Quickly padding towards him she lifted up her arms awaiting the soft material to be slipped on. When she was dressed and ready for bed, Walter tucked her in. Sitting down beside her, he gave her nose a playful flick, “Good morning Miss Victoria.”

 

Giggling, she poked his nose back and replied, “Good nigh- I mean morning, Walter.”

 

“If you need anything, Alucard's quarters are just down the hall, and as for me, I'll be continuing the project I was working in the tower. Do not hesitate to ask us for anything you need.” Sharing a comforting hug, Walter stood up and left, closing the door behind him.

 

Shutting her tired eyes, Seras let herself drift off with a smile dancing on her face. For the first time in years, nightmares did not plague her mind, and she faded into a world of calming bliss.

 

~

 

Falling off the bed with a loud thud, Seras bolted awake, frantically looking around. Catching her breath, she nursed her pain-stricken bottom and crawled back onto the bed. With an irritated huff, she tried to go back to sleep. Hearing a sudden creak from behind her, she froze, trying to listen in. It was pitch black in the room due to the fact that no windows occupied the walls. All she could make out were the outlines of furniture and a faint glow coming from underneath the door. Again another creak came, accompanied by another shortly after. Quickly hopping out of bed, she felt her way along the walls, trying to find the light switch. Panic started to set in when she could not find where it was located. Pausing, she tried to listen for more noises but only heard the eerie silence within the room. Heart racing, Seras turned her gaze to the soft glow; she ran towards it, yanking the door open. Heading down the hallway, she came to a familiar door, Alucard's bedroom. Slowly opening the door, she snuck in only to find that she had not gone unnoticed. He was seated in his massive chair, wearing nothing but black trousers, looking up at her in surprise from the book he was reading.

 

“Seras, what are you doing up? Are you all right?”

 

Walking over to him, he allowed her to crawl onto his lap. Burying her head in his shoulder, she whispered, “I was scared; I heard noises in my room.”

 

Alucard had heard of children having nightmares and being afraid of the dark, but he had never been in such a situation. He was unsure of what to do. “Um…noises, what kind?”

 

“Like someone was in the room.” She said, snuggling closer to him for protection.

 

Sighing, he knew what he had to do, “Seras, there is nothing in your room. The sounds that you were hearing are normal, but to put your mind at ease, I'll go check; stay here.” Resting her on the chair, he headed down the hall towards her room. Sensing and seeing nothing out of the ordinary he returned back to his quarters.

 

He stopped in front of her. “Like I said, there's nothing in there; it's all clear.”

 

Looking down at her feet, she gave him an `Oh' barely above a whisper. Not wanting to be left alone, she tried to buy herself time. “So who was that guy?”

 

Amused at her pathetic attempt to change the subject, he played along. “He was my enemy for the longest time. He wanted my thrown and the only way he could take it is my defeating me. Somewhere down the road we became friends and he stopped trying to kill me. He was the strongest opponent I ever fought; I think that's why we ended up friends, we had a mutual respected each others strength. Now, story time is over, it's time for you to go back to bed, little one.” When she did not move, he pressed her. “Come on, let's go.”

 

“Um, do you mind if I stay here… with you? I don't want to be alone.”

 

Seras gazing at him with beseeching eyes, he sighed heavily again. “Very well.” Alucard went over to his coffin and opened it up for her to get in.

 

Her face brightened as she got comfortable in his bed, waves of dark energy coiling around her body while she settled herself in. It was amazing power, almost as if it was drawing her deeper and deeper into his coffin. “Wow, what is that?”

 

“Never mind what it is; I'm letting you sleep here, so be quiet and go to bed.” He returned to his chair and to the book he was reading.

 

Laying down, Seras nestled her body into the soft material and let the aura engulf her.

 

///////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////// ////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////

 

There was a frantic knock and Walter bursting through the door disrupted Alucard for the second time that night.

 

“Alucard, have you seen Miss Victoria? I went to check up on her but didn't find her in her room, and she's nowhere to be found in the castle!”

 

“Walter, if you want to wake up the child; you're doing a great job with that that noise.”

 

Confused, he questioned, “Excuse me?”

 

“She is fine; she's sleeping here.”

 

Upon hearing the soft breathing coming from the coffin, Walter went rigid from utter shock; Seras was sleeping in his master's coffin! He could not believe what he was seeing; something was definitely going on with the vampire. In all his years of knowing him, he had never allowed anyone to touch his coffin, and here, this child was sleeping in it.

 

“She's sleeping in your coffin?”

 

“So?”

 

“Alucard, you never allowed anyone in it. You told me the only ones allowed in it were you and your queen. You've never allowed any women to go near it.”

 

“Walter, she's only a child; I don't think that applies. Plus, it seems to like her presence.” He said, studying her sleeping form intently.

 

“I do not question your motives, I even happen to enjoy Miss Victoria's company a lot; however, let me remind you, children grow up.” With that said, Walter apologized for his intrusion, and before leaving, placed a small box on the table in front of Alucard.

 

Alucard picked up the item and slipped it into the pocket of his overcoat. Phasing into a shirt, he slipped into is coffin and closed the lid. Most of the time he would sleep shirtless, but he felt awkward at the idea of sleeping next to a child in such a state.

 

Finally submerged in darkness, Alucard let himself relax. Walter had a point; he had never shared his bed, not even with the women he slept with. There were other rooms for those occasions. That also allowed him to leave whenever he wanted; he never liked to be touched too much. It annoyed him that they always wanted to cuddle. Rubbing his face, he pushed the thoughts from his mind.

 

Together, both fell asleep, Seras snuggled close to his size.

 

///////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////// ///////////////////////////////////////////////////////

 

Seras awoke to her name being called. Opening her eyes, she saw Walter kindly beaming down at her.

 

“Wakey wakey, Miss Victoria; I have been ordered by Alucard to get you dressed, fed, and escorted home.”

 

Sitting up, she rubbed the sleep from her eyes. “Why, isn't he going to take me?”

 

“No, my dear, not today; he has gone on a small trip and will not be back in time. Now come on, let's get you ready.” Helping her out of the coffin, he started on his tasks.

 

///////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////// //////////////////////////////////////////////////////////

 

The moon shone bright in the sky, bathing Alucard in its glow as he approached the building he recalled seeing within the Eye of the Gods.

 

Tilting his head up, he studied the massive military base through yellow tinted goggles. Collecting his thoughts for a moment, he dissolved into a thick mass of fog. Phasing in and out of rooms, he came to one with lights flashing on the control boards and two men working on a giant computer system. `This must be the main control room for the entire building.' Deciding it would be a good idea to stick around for a bit, he blended into the ceiling, watching closely.

 

“Marin, have you obtained the position of the naga?” A man with light blonde hair asked his fellow comrade.

 

“No, this bitch is tough to track down. She's fast, really fast. I just got word from the Hungarians; their base couldn't even catch her, but they did send us the coordinates where they lost her when she entered Romania.”

 

“Man, this is ridiculous! These fuckers are multiplying too quickly; at this rate, we won't be able to wipe all those filthy vermin off the face of the earth. I think I'm going to send a message to the head office in London; maybe boss can convince the Queen to allow more Hellsing organizations around Europe. We'll need more if we want to successfully wipe all of them out.”

 

“Yeah, seriously, I think it's a good idea so get on thahh--”

 

The other male did not turn away from the computer when he asked, “Dude, what's with you and never finishing your sentences? I swear you're worse than my mother.” When he received no response, the man shifted his head to the right. “Marin?”

 

Turning, he scolded, “Marin, don't be stupi--” The man's eyes widened in horror as he watched his friend being sucked dry.

 

“Vampire!”

 

Alucard dropped the meal he was enjoying and saw the other man running towards to panic button. Appearing in front of him, he grabbed the man's arm and quickly twisted it so that the bones jutted out of his arm. Before he even had time to scream in agony, Alucard had pushed a thumb into the soft part of his throat, seizing all sounds other than choking.

 

“Your hunting days are over; I'll see to that.” But before he had a chance to react, the door burst open and a flood of troops crowded around with guns pointed at him.

 

One of the men in the group bellowed. “Drop him now, you motherfucker! I said, drop him!”

 

Grinning, he released the man and turned to face the troops. Stretching his neck from left to right, he said, “This is going to be fun.”

 

He stepped forward and they opened fire, pumping around twelve dozen bullets into Alucard's body.

 

The soldiers stood there puzzled; they could not believe that he was still standing! His shoulders shook and a dark chuckle emitted from his bowed head. Tilting his head up, he saw the fear in their eyes when he pushed the bullets from his body and healed right before their eyes.

 

“You think a few tiny bullets can defeat me?” His deep voices sent chills down the soldiers' spines. “Now, it's my turn!” He laughed sadistically.

 

Summoning his hell hounds, he released them from their binds. They shot from his arms and headed towards the frantic troops. It was a frenzy of erratic shrieking and blood splattering. The hounds ripped through the men as though they were sheets of paper, disembowelling and dismembering. Blood coated the walls. Calling back the hell hounds, he could not resist the sweet smell of blood around him. Kneeling, he leaned into a puddle of warm, fresh blood. Slithering his long tongue out, he lapped up the blood; the tastes was absolutely intoxicating.

 

Hearing a yelp from behind him, he turned and saw a young soldier that had survived the carnage. Grinning, he stood up and walked towards the unfortunate lad, blood running down his chin. The boy lifted his gun in sheer terror and repeatedly shot at Alucard until the gun ran out of bullets.

 

“I can smell your fear; it's delicious.” Getting close enough, he inhaled the adrenaline pumping through the boys veins.

 

“You-you're a mon-monster!”

 

Leaning in close to the boy's terrified face, Alucard smiled maliciously, “I know.”

 

~

 

Letting the soldier's lifeless body drop to the floor he went around and collected the explosives from the corpses scattered around the room. Grabbing a detonator off of half of a soldier's body, he proceeded to place them around the base. Once he was a good distance away from the Hellsing base, he pressed the little red button on the controller and disappeared from sight.

 

///////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////// ////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////

 

Just barely making it away from the impact of the explosion, a last surviving soldier of the Romanian Hellsing organization ducked into the bushes in fear of being seen. In all his years of training and combat experience, he had never seen such a powerful vampire capable of this mass destruction in what were mere minutes.

 

Grabbing his cell phone he dialled a number. “This is General Portman, get the boss immediately!” Looking back at the carnage and the now burial ground of all his troops, he bowed his head in respect until a voice interrupted his grieving. “Sir, we have a serious problem.”

 

///////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////// ///////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////

 

Alucard was satisfied; he had a tasty meal and a battle all in one night. Walking the dark streets, he felt a few humans staring at him. He heard their whispering but when he turned to acknowledge their presence, they abruptly looked away, pretending to be doing something. `Nosy humans, all talk but no walk.' He did not expect much from the pathetic creatures; at least they were smart enough to avoid his superiority or die.

Reaching his destination, he looked up at the dim glow emitting from a small window. Curious, he ascended to look through it; he smiled at Seras, who was lying on her stomach in her frog nightie, drawing happily in her sketchbook. Phasing into her room, he leaned against the wall and listened to her soft singing. Glancing at her alarm clock, he noticed it was past midnight. He was amazed that she was still up, but he assumed her internal clock was probably all out of whack, considering she slept through an entire day.

“You should be in bed, little one.”

Startled, Seras looked up from what she was doing, and her eyes brightened at the sight of him. “Alucard!” Jumping to her feet, she ran to hug him.

Getting used of the feeling of being hugged and having his personal space invaded, he lifted her into his arms, embracing her. “What are you drawing, troublemaker?”

Squirming out of his hold, she padded over to her book and ran back to show him her masterpiece. “Look, it's me and Reaper playing, and that's you sitting on the bench.”

The drawing actually looked more like a bunch of brown and black blobs attached together and an extremely poorly drawn Seras. As for him, he was a mass of red with uncontrollable hair and one of his eyes was noticeably larger than the other.

Taking the picture from her, he stifled a laugh. “It looks just like me.”

Nodding excitedly, her eyes twinkled with pride.

He picked her up again and placed her on her bed. “It's time for bed.”

Trying to keep down a yawn, she started to whine. “But I'm not tiiiiired.”

“Sure you're not.” Gently pushing her to lay back, he tucked her under the covers. Sitting on the mattress, his long legs were slightly crossed and intersecting because of how low it was to the floor. “I have something for you.”

Pulling a necklace from his pocket, he reached around her neck to pin it together. It was a simple tear shaped vial filled with red liquid. “This necklace is very special, Seras. I asked Walter to create it, so I want you to take good care of it. You do not have to worry about losing it because only you and I can remove it from your neck. That vial contains my blood so if you ever need me or you're in trouble, you can contact me. All you have to do is hold it and in your mind, think what you want to say to me and I will hear you. Try it.”

Obeying, she clutched the necklace around her neck and tried to think of something to say. In the process, Alucard heard all her “um's”, “uh's” and “what should I say.” Laughing, he interrupted her. “Good enough; now go to bed.” Making sure the blanket was securely wrapped around her; she mumbled a goodnight before she dozed off.

“Good night, little one,” he whispered to her tired form. Standing up, he shut off the lights and left her to sleep.

 

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