Hellsing Fan Fiction ❯ Truth Lies Within A Scarlet Rose ❯ Growing up is never easy ( Chapter 5 )

[ Y - Young Adult: Not suitable for readers under 16 ]

Disclaimer: I own nothing from Hellsing.

Okay guys thanks for being sooooooooo patient with me, I had major writer's block! I hope you enjoy this chapter because I'll be really sad if you had to wait this long and be disappointed with the quality…there is nothing worse than that. Seriously, it drives me up the wall, haha.

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Chapter 5: Growing up is never easy

Seras's eyes flew open as the irritating buzz of her alarm clock sounded the start of a new day. She slammed her fist on the snooze button, and snuggled deeper into her comforter to capture a few more minutes of blissful sleep. These were the precious moments before she had to leave for the shit hole she liked to call her elementary school.

Her door opened abruptly, and she sat up bolt upright to face her intruder. Claudiu shuffled into the room, stopping as he passed the mirror to admire himself. Burying her head back into the pillow, she bellowed in a muffled voice, “GET OUT!”

“Shut up, Seras; it's time to get up. I need to make sure everything is ready for my date today, which meansyou have to be ready.” He said, in a tone far too cheery for his usual self, while fixing his collar in the mirror.

Seras rolled her eyes dramatically, `So that's why he's so damn happy today. Just great, this is exactly what I need right now;adesperate father hopped up on a love-drug cocktail of norepinephrine, dopamine, and serotonin.'She thought, pulling herself up from the warm bed to get dressed. It was surprising that she remembered the chemicals' names from a science book she read once.

She faced her father, hands placed firmly on her hips, “Get out so I can get dressed.” Her tone was irritated and petulant.

He froze briefly in front of the mirror and spun around to meet her eyes. Fear coursed through Seras's veins, but she stood her ground. She was past grovelling at her father's feet. The very least she had in this world was her dignity; a pride that would keep her from kneeling to anyone, for anything.

Alucard had taught her that. “You either fight with everything you have or cower under a rock like the pathetic human you have allowed yourself to become. Remember this, society has given you nothing; you owe them the same.” They were strong words, but matched the harsh reality of things.

Advancing, he stopped before her. She waited for the blow. Instead, he simply stated, “I want you to be on your best behaviour, Seras; I want my date to be comfortable and see what a wonderful daughter I have.”

Gently cupping her chin in his right hand, his eyes glazed over as if he was in deep thought, Claudiu took in her features. A slight smile played upon his face. “Every day you look more and more like your beautiful mother…” His eyes searched her face. Realizing suddenly what he was doing, he quickly snapped out of the trance, releasing her as if he had been burnt.

Clearing his throat, he added, “Like I said, I want you to be on your best behaviour.” With that, he left the room in quick strides.

`Awkward,'Seras thought to herself.

Her father's actions did not surprise her. She knew why he was being so `kindly' towards her. Whenever he found a new flavour of the month, his demeanour became that of a doting father, one who was proud of his daughter. Then, when things fell apart, as they always would, he was once again the violent, uncaring monster that Seras had grown up with. She was so used to this façade he perpetrated that it scarcely fazed her anymore.

Picking out her clothes, she shook her head in disgust. The prospect of going to school was as loathsome as returning to this house.

////

As she walked to school, Seras's mind began to wander. It had been just over four years since she met Alucard, and not a day went by that she did not think of him or pass by the field where they first met.

Touching the chain around her neck, she gently clasped the crimson vial that hung from it and smiled. He was always with her. They had grown quite close over the years, forming a bond that she had never thought possible since her mother's death.

Most people who had met Alucard, and lived to tell the tale, found him cruel and heartless. Seras knew better. Yes, he was malicious and sadistic to others; however, she knew him to be honest and kind. He was not the type to disclose his true feelings; it was the little things he did that showed he cared.

Why else would he have saved her, if there were not something inside of him that called for him to do so?

Her smile widened into something indomitable, reflecting the unassailable giddiness she felt welling inside her heart.

////

Arriving at school, Seras quickly made her way to her locker to grab textbooks for class. She could see from the corner of her eye that the taunting had already begun. `Honestly, don't these people have lives?'She watched a fellow classmate rubbing two balloons against his chest, imitating a pair of large breasts. It was pathetic that these people actually premeditated their pranks instead of getting a life and doing something productive with it.

Although, she had to admit, at least there was some accuracy to their teasing this time. At the young age of twelve, Seras Victoria's breasts were already a full C cup and growing. She found what most women would consider a blessing to be a curse. It was used as another tool of torture, making her more of an outsider than she already was.

Scoffing, she trudged past them; she was in too good of a mood to be bothered. `Tomorrow is my birthday,' she recalled, with another burst of happiness. She knew Walter and Alucard had planned some sort of surprise for her and she could hardly wait for the day to come.

The bell rang and she walked into class with her head held high.

////

“If a square has a base length of six inches, what is the area of the square?” Mrs. Miruna asked her sixth grade math class.

The boy sitting across from Seras quickly raised his eager hand to answer, “You multiply six by six, and that will give you thirty-six!” he chimed proudly.

`Brown-noser,' she thought to herself, miserably sinking deeper into her chair. She found math so utterly boring. All they did was work with numbers; it involved not the slightest vestige of creativity, unlike history and art. It did not help that she hated everyone in her class, either.

“Robin, Carol, Seras, and Andrei, would you please come up to the board and solve one of the questions presented?” Mrs. Miruna smiled at the groans heard from the unfortunate students.

All four stood and made their way towards the blackboard. Seras only got as far as the desk in front of hers before the back of the class was screaming in disgust. One girl shouted, “Ew, why don't you plug it up before coming to school?”

That was it. Seras turned to give her classmates a piece of her mind, then stopped dead in her tracks. `W-why do my pants feel wet?”

Horrified, she looked down to discover that her white shorts were no longer white; a large red stain covered the inside of her thighs and created a path to the back. Tears started to pour down her cheeks as the class laughed hysterically. Suddenly, a long raincoat was draped over her shoulders and Mrs. Miruna escorted her out of the classroom.

////

Mrs. Miruna stepped back into the room with a look on her face that demanded immediate silence. The children squirmed in extreme discomfort from the eerie reticence.

“You should all be ashamed of yourselves; that poor girl is humiliated because of you! Does it feel good? Are you happy now that one of your fellow classmates is sitting in the office crying?”

“But Mrs. Miruna, it was a-”

“A JOKE? You think that was funny, because I found no humour in it whatsoever.”

“We didn't mean to-”

“QUIET! I did not ask you to speak. Believe me, ladies and gentlemen,” she sneered, “what happened today is not over. This situation will be dealt with and your parents will be informed of it; I assure all of you.” She glared at the children, who sat with their heads bowed and eyes averted from hers. She walked over to her desk. “Open your textbooks to page one hundred and five and do questions one through eighteen. You have extra homework because of this little stunt; now get started.”

Hushed whispers rose in the air, which were angrily muted in an instant. “In silence! I do not want to hear a peep from anyone; there has been enough homework assigned to easily fill not only this entire period, but some of the next so I suggest that you begin.”

As ordered, the only noise to be heard was the sound of pencils frantically writing on paper.

////

“It's all right, Seras; this happens to all girls your age.”

An utterly mortified Seras glowered at the secretary; she was in no mood to be reasoned with.

“So all girls get laughed at, humiliated, and picked on in the middle of class for getting their…” She could not finish her sentence; it was far too upsetting.

The secretary's mouth opened in shock. She tried to say some comforting words, but found instead that her mouth simply flapped opened and closed like a fish out of water. Embarrassed, the secretary clamped her mouth shut. Clearing her throat, she stood from where she had been kneeling in front of Seras and walked into the back room with as much dignity she could muster.

Seras sat in the main office quietly, waiting for the secretary to return. She felt dirty and bloated. Why did this have to happen to her?

She looked up when she heard the secretary return; the woman was holding something in her hand. “This is a sanitary napkin, and this is a video tape to help you transition yourself into this new stage of life. The bathroom is through that door to your left and the TV is already set up; just pop in the tape and press play.” She then retreated to her corner desk, refusing to look back up.

Seras stared at the items miserably. With the last shred of pride she had, she picked herself up and shuffled her way to the bathroom.

Sitting on the toilet, facing the blank TV screen, her hands shook uncontrollably. The video had been a nightmare of how to properly apply pad and help keep `fresh'. `I can't believe this is actually happening to me! I might as well crawl under a rock and die. No one will ever let me live this down; I'll never hear the end of it! I'll be the laughingstock of the whole school`till graduation!'

With her pad securely in place, she wandered back into the treacherous hallways in defeat.

////

Seras walked with her head hung low. She could not see them, but there was a distinct buzzing around her which made it clear that people were still gossiping about her horrific experience. She tried her best to ignore them and thankfully, no one approached her about it.

Even with the track pants she was given, she felt sticky and gross. All she wanted was for the bell to ring, so she could sprint back to the house and wash away her humiliation.

Seras was relieved to be sitting in history, her favourite subject and the last class of the school day, of which it was usually the best part.

Standing in front of the class was a short, rather stout old man, whose smile and jolly persona could brighten anyone's damp day. Mr. Wadim was a kind man; he reminded Seras of Professor Flitwick from Harry Potter, though he was much taller, and lacked the long white beard. He enjoyed telling tales from his younger years and making what must be the most terrible puns. Seras could not understand how this man was so happy all the time; she would have been exhausted from all the laughing.

“Good afternoon, class! Lovely to see those young, eager-to- learn faces. I noticed all of you running around today, trying to make it from class to class. I would just like to remind you; it's okay to relax and kick back a little. You don't want to be `Russian' through life!”

Watching their teacher grip his round stomach as he chuckled heartily, it took the class a moment for the class to register what he said. As the pun settled in, they joined him in a chorus of forced laughter.

“Okay, let's get down to business! Today we will be starting our new chapter, Romania: The Empire Period. Let us go back a few thousand years into the fifteenth century and dive into the lives of people living in the fourteen hundreds. This unit will be focusing on some major figureheads of the time, the invasion of the Turkish Army, Diseases and Epidemics, Romanian/Transylvanian Economics and much more. Personally, this is one of my favourite units; full of danger, blood,” Seras flinched from awful irony, “And excitement. So hop on the learning train, gang, and fasten your seatbelts; it's going to be one heck of a ride!”

Seras could not help but smile at his enthusiasm; she envied his wondrous buoyancy. If only her own life could seem as blissful and happy. Trying to snap out of her wallowing, she flipped to the page they were on and listened to the lecture, letting it take her on a journey away from this place.

////

“This has been the worst day of my life,” Seras told herself dryly. She was lying in bed after having dragged herself upstairs to the bathroom, where she had stood for an hour under the shower's steaming water. Tired of staring at the cold ceiling above her, she shut her eyes to block out the empty canvas. With a heavy sigh, she slowly opened them, as if expecting that she had somehow been transported to a better place. Her eyes drew together into slits as she scowled at the ceiling for not granting her wish.

Feeling a slight discomfort from below, she peeled herself from the bed to recommence her `cleansing' of the `wonderful' grime that would now be there, once a month, for the next forty years of her life.

Slamming the door shut, Seras irritably hit the unfortunate woof with her forehead several times before proceeding to shower, again.

////

She was sitting on the ground, finishing her homework, when she remembered her father's orders to be ready for the evening. She groaned inwardly; dealing with a drunken father was one thing, but to have the same man pretend as though they were the perfect family was disgusting to her. Broken by a tragic death, the hardship of a young girl to care for, a longing for someone to help fill the emptinesshe feltinside. She wanted nothing to do with the whole façade. She did not want to pretend she was happy, she wanted to be happy.

The outfit Seras wore was simple: a black tank top under a velvet black cardigan, trimmed with lace at the hem and cuffs, and a black Victorian skirt that ruffled at the bottom. Since this evening was going to make her feel as though she were slowly dying, she thought it appropriate to dress for the occasion.

Stepping in front of her mirror, she looked herself over in approval. Her outfit matched well with the necklace Alucard had given her; it made her look dark and more mature.

Hearing the doorbell, she took one last look in the mirror and sighed. `Let the torture begin,' she thought as she walked out the door.

////

Her father never cooked, but on these occasions, he would muster up enough energy to buy a premade dinner and pop it in the oven because he wanted to share a special “home cooked meal” with his guest. It was revolting to watch the women eat up just about anything her father gave to them, including the food. Were people generally this dumb, or was it only the ones he came across?

Seras sat at the table, staring daggers at their new houseguest. Rachael, her father's `guest', shifted from foot to foot uncomfortably, trying to ignore their eyes on her. “Thank you so much for inviting me to dinner; this smells wonderful. You shouldn't have gone through all that trouble.”

“Oh, well, you know, I thought it would be nice to share an enjoyable meal together, and of course, introduce you to my lovely little princess, Seras. I don't get to do this much, since I work night and day to keep a roof over our heads and food on the table.”

Seras gagged slightly as Claudiu motioned for Rachael to come over to the table. He placed the `home cooked' lasagne on a hot plate. Seras bit back a snide comment as she watched father pull out the chair next to hers. Mother's seat.

“You're such an incredible man, raising a child alone; it must be difficult. You must work so hard to provide for the two of you.”

Rage bubbled inside Seras as she watched the creature get comfortable in her mother's seat.

“Yes, it is tough--”

“That's my Mother's seat.” Seras's icy tone brought the tension already present in the room to unsurpassable heights.

“Seras, that was rude and uncalled for; apologize.” Claudiu spoke sternly. His eyes narrowed, telling her to drop it.

Boldly ignoring his silent threat, she stared her father down, challenging him. “No. That's Mother's spot; no one sits there but Mother. She has to move.”

Her father's eyes blazed. “Seras, that is enough!”

“No, no, let's not start fighting. It really isn't such a big deal; I'll move.” Greatly relieved to flee the impertinent child, Rachael switched to the seat farthest from Seras. “See, no harm done. I wasn't looking to upset you, princess; I hope you'll forgive me.”

Seras had a pretty image in her head of a thorn tiara wrapping itself around Rachael's neck. “Of course.” The tension subsided as Seras fell silent once more.

The dinner was quite awkward; while Seras's eyes bore holes into the side of Rachael's skull, Claudiu tried to distract her with light conversation to distract her and glared menacingly at Seras every chance he had.

“That is a very interesting necklace you have there, Seras,” Rachael pointed out. “I've seen those types of jewellery coming out more and more lately; I believe they're called blood jewellery. It's a big thing in that `Goth culture' now. Is that why you wear it, Seras; are you a Goth?”

Seras's mouth dropped at the nerve this woman had; she did not know whether to take it as a compliment or an insult. The broad was as dumb as a doorknob, making it highly possible that she had just said the first thing to enter her mind. Deciding to have some fun, she plastered on a familiar sadistic smirk that she had learned from Alucard himself.

“No, that is not why I wear it. I wear this because it protects me from demons and other kinds of creatures, like araneas, hags, and ogres. Ther other necklaces you see are fakes, filled with artificial blood; they hold no magical component, and exist only to make their wearer look more `fashionable'.”

Both adults stared stupidly at her, then started to chuckle.

“Don't be silly, Seras; I think you need to stop reading so many fairy-tale books. They're getting to your head,” her father mocked.

“Honey, those creatures are just in stories; they don't exist in real life. I think you're old enough to pull your head of out the clouds and start living in reality. It's not healthy to still be living in a fictional world,” Rachael said, gaving Seras a fake smile.

Seras's callous smirk grew even wider as she peered straight into the eyes of the woman across from her. “That is exactly what they want you to think before they rip open your jugular, tear out your oesophagus and digestive tract, then proceed to devour both you and your soul.”

Upon hearing Rachael's shocked gasp, Claudiu slammed his fist against the table. “Seras, that is quite enough! If you do not stop, I'll have to send you to your room!”

As she hoped that he would, another awkward silence settled over the room, leaving everyone uncomfortable but Seras. It was broken moments later when Rachael cleared her throat and tried once more to make pleasant conversation.

“So, Seras, how is school going?”

“I got my period today in class.” She took enormous pleasure in seeing her father's eye twitch.

“Oh dear, you don't have cramps, do you? They can tend to make you cranky,” Rachael simpered.

Seras was not amused. If anyone, especially some low-life bimbo, implied that she was acting like a bitch, they were asking for it.

“No, I think I've just been cranky since my mom killed herself. It tends to happen-”

“Seras!” Claudiu's face was bulging red like a ripe tomato.

“I'm not being rude, Dad; I am just correcting her assumption. You see, I don't mind talking about my mother.”

“Seras, I don't think Rachael-”

“She hung herself; I don't know if you knew. I was the one who found her.”

“Really, princess, I didn't mean to impose.” Rachael's face was sheet white.

The nickname set a new flame to Seras's rage. “It was funny, you know? I heard the coroner and the medical examiner talking about it afterwards. You know what they said? They weren't sure if it was the broken neck that killed her or the bruises all over-”

“SERAS! Go to your room this instant!”

Seras grinned maliciously. “Was it something I said?”

////

“I'm so sorry; she's usually not like this. I don't know what has gotten into her.” Dramatically placing his face in his hands, Claudiu gently shook his head, playing his assumed role quite well.

Buying into his pathetic display, Rachael draped her arms around him and spoke warmly. “I know you try hard, but she's still hurting from her mother's death. Maybe I should go up there and talk to her.”

“No, no, I think she's fine. Why don't we carry on with the meal? I don't want it to go to waste.”

“Nonsense, she just needs another woman to connect with and relate to. I'll be back in a moment; you won't even know I'm gone.” Gently kissing his cheek, she headed upstairs.

////

Lounging on her giant green bean bag, Seras was sketching random objects around her room and feeling quite pleased with herself when she was interrupted by a soft knock at the door. Rolling her eyes, she called out for the intruder to enter.

Rachael walked in, wearing with one of her nauseatingly sweet smiles. Gesturing to the empty spot on the floor next to Seras, she politely asked, “May I?”

“Go for it.”

Settling herself down, she turned to Seras. “You know, sweetie, I understand that this must be hard for you to cope with, having your mother gone and another woman come into your life. However, you need to give you father some credit, he loves you very much and he's trying really hard.”

Seras felt a monster lurch inside of her. If Rachael had been any closer, she would have ripped out her throat.

After a few moments of awkward silence, Rachael spoke again. “When I was your age, I acted the same way. You see, my parents were always very hard on me, but being mean and taking it out on others won't make you feel better. You shouldn't be so selfish, you know; your father can't do this on his own.”

There was nothing to hold back her fury this time. The monster inside growled with animalistic hunger.

“Well if you need anyone to talk to, I'm a real good listen-”

“Okay, then; shut up and listen. One, don't ever act like you understand what goes on in this house because once the shithead downstairs is done fucking your brains out, that is, if there are ant to begin with, he'll be back to his drunken, abusive self. Two, my mother is dead; I'm glad I never had the chance to have a sister, for a good reason. If ever I found myself unfortunate enough to have you as a friend, I would have to shoot myself for ever wanting to be friends with a mindless, cock-sucking slut! Three, if you ever call me princess again, I will rip your pretty little tongue out of your useless fucking head!”

Rachael's face morphed from its earlier saccharine form into a hollow-eyed mask; all the faux pleasantries disintegrated, revealing the creature's evil. “Now it's my turn to talk you little bitch? Just because your mommy offed herself, doesn't mean that's going to supply you with some lifelong sympathy. I don't give a shit about getting close to you; I bet if your father had the choice, he'd have given you to some boarding school long ago. Of course, the kind soul that he is, he didn't; so you can pretend like the world is against you, but nobody gives a shit!” Rachael got up and walked to the door. “Oh, and by the way, stop that demon bullshit; how old are you, five?” With that, she left.

“It's nice to know people can be honest,” Seras said loudly enough to be heard by the skank heading downstairs.

////

It was a quarter to midnight, and Seras could finally feel herself finally dozing off when a faint banging sound against her wall woke her. It started slow, but became more frequent, accompanied by throaty moans and profanity.

Disgusted, she wrapped her pillow around her head, trying to drown out the sounds, but to no avail. The sickening noises penetrated the walls of her precious haven, and there was nothing she could do to mask them.

Seras kicked off her covers in irritation and grabbed her boom box, placing it beside her. As soon as she pressed the play button, the song “Change” by the Deftones spewed from the speakers and numbed her senses. All the obscene noises faded into nothingness, inside of her however, the rage beneath the surface had not been lifted; but she did not mind it, in fact, she welcomed it. There had always been this… `thing' inside of her, lying dormant, waiting to be awakened. She felt it steer her the day she met Alucard and now, she could feel it changing her, morphing her into something else. Hewas changing her. Alucard had shown her such terrifying wonders; he had been the one who urged her to embrace to the darkness she had always possessed.

She liked what she was becoming; it made her feel so alive, so much stronger, so much like what her mother would have wanted her to be.

Allowing the stoic lullaby to work its mantra, she quickly fell into a deep slumber that nothing but the light of a new day could awake her from.

////

“Can I know now?”

“No.”

“Why not?”

“Because I said so.”

“But that's not an answer!”

“For the love of God, Seras; shut up. I told you, you're not getting your gift until after dinner. I have work to do right now, so stop pestering me; you're constantly around me, it's God damn annoying.” Alucard scolded Seras as they walked down the hallway to his office. “Why don't you go bother Walter? I'm sure he has a whole bunch of odd, new experiments to show you.”

Huffing with impatience, Seras turned on her heel and started for the tower. “Fine, but I'm not going home tonight. The idiot is eating a new flavour of the month, and I don't want to be there when things get sticky!”

Alucard smiled at her lewd analogy. As she passed him, a peculiar smell tickled his nose. Grabbing Seras's arm before she could walk any further, his unease grew when he realized that she smelled of blood and strong perfume.

`How did I missthat?'

“Are you hurt, Seras?” Alucard asked sternly. He was confused as to why he could smell such a great amount of blood without any visible sign of injury. Why would Seras even do something so uncharacteristic as wear perfume?

“No, I'm fine,” she replied, shuffling her feet uncomfortably. She had hoped the perfume would have masked the scent of her blood.

Staring at her suspiciously, he began to search her body for open wounds. “I smell blood; has someone harmed you?”

Sears jerked away from him defensively, “Nothing's wrong.” Her cheeks tinted pink, betraying her.

Taken aback by her actions, Alucard narrowed his eyes warningly. “You're hiding something from me; I would suggest that you tell me before I make you.”

Seras was more than a little annoyed that every time she did not want to share her feelings, he would threaten to read her mind. Glaring as menacingly as she could, she challenged him. She could not tell him something so… female.

`God, I can't believe he could smell it; this is so embarrassing!' She thought to herself, mortified.

Angered by her audacious behaviour, Alucard stripped away the layers of her mind to find what she had hidden from him. The attained answer was not one he had been expecting; now, he saw the reason for her reluctance to discuss the subject.

The mortified girl stood before him, red faced and teary eyed. He willed himself to think of something comforting to say.

`Fuck, this was not supposedto happen; she's only twelve! Shit, what am I supposed to tell her… I'm not cut out for this fucking stuff; this should be donebya woman…or Walter.'

Rubbing his temples, he sighed deeply and knelt down. “Seras, you should not be embarrassed by this… change. It is natural; every woman goes through it-”

“Oh, please, just don't!” Her eyes practically rolled out of the back of her head.

“What I would like to say,” he gritted out through clenched teeth. “Is that it's normal, but it may put you in danger. A creature could smell that blood, and where would you be then?”

“Well, sorry I wasn't jumping for joy to tell you! This is a big deal for me, okay? You could be a little more sensitive about it.” She said, crossing her arms over her chest.

“I apologize for being so aggressive, but we've spoken about this before. You can't keep these things like that from me, if you try, I'll only think the worst.” He lifted her chin slightly to look at him.

She nodded in understanding and hugged him fiercely. “I promise I won't.”

Alucard shook his head in relief as she disappeared around the corner to find Walter.

////

Alucard sat at his desk, quietly contemplating the recent revelation. How had four years gone by so fast? When had he grown so accustomed to having Seras around? It was not the many troubles of an adolescent girl that alarmed him, but the fear that something might happen to Seras now that she was so vulnerable. It was the fact that he felt that way at all.

“Stressed, much?”

Alucard had sensed the intruder before his familiar voice filled the room.

“You have no idea.” Looking up to see Incognito, he cocked a brow. “Don't you know how to knock?”

“Yes, but it is much more fun this way. You owe me, anyway; I've come to your human's birthday.” Watching Alucard lean back into his chair, he inquired, “So what's got your panties in a knot?”

Staring at Incognito sceptically, Alucard took a few moments to debate the wisdom of confiding in his friend. He had did have a valid inclination to do so, seeing as Incognito was anything but sympathetic. He also knew the affect blood had on a creature who cared little for self-control and rarely suppressed his urges.

“Seras is… a woman.”

Incognito stared at Alucard, visibly dumbstruck. “When did you figure that one out, Sherlock? Was it the tits? I hear those are a dead giveaway.” Suddenly, something clicked and a jeering smile played across his face. “Are you worried that your little baby is growing up too fast? Aw, it's okay; health care is very advanced these days. I give her sixty-five more years before she dies. What's that, like, six months for our kind?”

“Fuck off, you prick. I can still rip you apart, right here, right now.” Alucard warned with a glare.

“Whoa, sorry to offend; I wasn't aware that the stick in your ass had shifted sideways,” Incognito snickered.

Cracking a smirk, Alucard shook his head. “If it wasn't for the apparent fact that I enjoy your company enough to tolerate, I'd kill you. The reason I brought it up was because I don't want you killing her while she's bleeding, and don't bring it up either; she's sensitive about it. I'm serious, Incognito; I don't care how much the scent draws you. Ignore it.”

Incognito rolled his eyes. “Yeah, yeah, I understand; no eating or teasing the human. Got it; anything else?”

“Yes, hand me that blood wine before we head down to the celebration.”

“Now that's what I'm talking about!” Incognito leered. “You got any women to go with that wine?” He waggled his eyebrows suggestively.

A crooked grin spread across Alucard's face, and laughed lecherously.

A flock of servants began serving dinner along the royal banquet table. Eagerly, Seras made a beeline for her seat. In her hunger and excitement, she did not notice Incognito in her path, looking at a statue. As she whisked by, she bumped into his arm and a resounding smash was heard as his cup fell to the floor. Blood drained from her face as she recognized who he was. Slowly, she turned to stare at the intimidating purple friend of Alucard's.

“Oh…my…God, I'm so sorry! I didn't mean to; I swear I didn't see you!”

Looking down at the pieces of his supper, he scowled at Seras. “You're lucky you're under Alucard's protection, human.” He snapped his finger at one of the servants to clean up the mess and stalked past her haughtily.

Angered and somewhat prone to being what Walter liked to call a `shit disturber', she shouted after him. “I have a name, you know! It's Seras, S-e-r-a-s!”

Raising an eyebrow, his lip curled at the scent that assaulted his hypersensitive nose. “Apparently so.” A nasty gleam sparkled in his repulsive eye. “Nice perfume, it smells delicious.”

Watching her face turn red, he laughed and proceeded on.

“We'll see who's laughing when I pour holy water in your drink,” Seras mumbled to herself, stomping towards the dinner table.

Seeing Alucard enter the room, Incognito ignored the girl's remark. Of course he had heard what she said; she should have known by now how keen a vampire's hearing is. He could hear every thump that her juicy heart made within the confines of her chest.

`This kid's gotspunk;no wonder Alucard keeps her around. For a human,she has some balls talking back to me;it's actually quite entertaining.'

Seras dug into the mouth-watering feast before her. She was triumphantly stuffing her face with the best meal she had had in weeks. It was odd for her, though, with only Walter eating beside her. A thought crossed her mind.

“Alucard, do you miss eating?”

“No, it has been so long that I rarely think about it anymore. I did more so when I was new at being a vampire, when the memory of how things tasted was still fresh in my mind.”

“I disagree,” Incognito interjected. “I never craved food after being turned.”

Turning his attention to his friend, Alucard replied insolently, “I'm not surprised; you didn't eat much food to begin with, being a cannibal and all.”

Seras's eyes widened in shock. “YOU ATE PEOPLE!”

“No.” Incognito declared, glaring at Alucard.

Ignoring the look, Alucard continued, “Yes, he even ate his wife and baby, after roasting them on an open fire, as a sacrificial offering to the Gods for rain.” He nodded at Seras for further confirmation.

“OH MY GOD!”

“No, shut up, Alucard; I did not eat my wife and child!”

Alucard cackled derisively at his friend's reaction. “You're just angry because you did it for nothing.”He turned back to Seras and stated in mockingly mournful tone, “It didn't ever rained after that.”

Staring down at her food, she poked her meat questionably. “I don't think I'm very hungry anymore.”

Walter finally cut in. “I hate to be the party pooper here, but Miss Victoria, stop picking at your food; it is beef. As for you,” he said, looking pointedly at Alucard. “Stop egging him on; if you're going to tell a story, tell it right.” He gave her a comforting pat on the hand and smiled reassuringly. “Miss Victoria, Incognito did not eat his wife and child; he murdered them and threw their dead bodies over a bridge.”

Seras stared blankly at him and replied sarcastically, “Thanks, that's very reassuring,”

“Well, what was I supposed to do? She gave me no choice. I found her in bed with another man and realized the baby wasn't mine; there was no other solution.” Incognito shrugged briefly and went on nursing his drink.

`Uh,divorce?' Seras thought reproachfully.

Disbelief painted her features as her mouth hung slightly open. They were acting as if this conversation was the most casual thing in the world.

Tipping his glass to her, Alucard spoke, bearing one of his trademark grins as he did so. “Happy birthday, Seras.”

“Do I really have to be blindfolded for this?”

“Of course, how else will we be able to push you out the window?” Incognito replied.

Seras stuck up her middle finger towards what she assumed to be his direction.

“You little brat!”

“Better than an ugly purple freak!”

Incognito's eyes flashed red and his hand darted out to grab the offending finger. Before he could snap it off, however, Alucard had seized him by the shirt collar, and pushed him roughly up against the cold wall next to them.

“What did I tell you; can you not follow one simple rule? If you ever dare to try to touch her again, the consequences will be severe!” A dark aura began to emanate from Alucard as the two immortals stared each other down.

Violently, Incognito shoved the livid vampire off him. “What's with you and that human? It's sickening.” Shaking his head in disgust, he strode away. “If you need me, I'll be in my room.”

Alucard frowned at Seras. “Stop being a shit disturber; Incognito won't put up with your attitude like I do. He'd snap you in two before you could blink an eye.”

Smiling mischievously at him, she countered. “I learned from the best.”

Walter chuckled warmly, putting his two cents in. “The funny thing is that it's true.”

As they walked further, Alucard gave into his playful urges and allowed Seras to bump into something.

“Ow, what the hell?” She said to no one in particular, given that her vision was impaired.

“Forgive me; it seems you've already acquainted yourself with the surprise.”

“What! Where?” Seras could barely contain herself.

Alucard slowly untied the blindfold at an infuriatingly slow pace, adding to the overwhelming anticipation.

“Happy birthday, Seras.”

“Oh my god! Thank you, thank you, thank you!” Screaming, she ran over to her new art table: it was handmade, equipped with drawing pencils of varying size and thickness, sketch books, `How-To' drawing books, and a wide assortment of paints and pastels.

Tears welled up in her eyes as she ran her hands over the smooth surface of the beautiful desk; she hugged both of them with all the strength that she could muster. “Thank you so much, guys; this has been the best birthday ever.”

“I'm glad you like it, Seras; it is yours to use whenever you see fit and to help you stay out of my hair when Alucard pawns you off on me,” Walter teased with a friendly chuckle.

“Thanks,” she said dryly. Her sardonicism abruptly changed to confusion. “How did you manage to get all this stuff? It must have cost a fortune!”

Alucard chortled sadistically. “Oh, I have my ways.”

She covered her ears. “I don't want to know.”

“But why can't I stay?” Seras asked for what seemed to be the billionth time.

“Seras, we've been over this; you cannot live with me.” Alucard answered in irritation. He had been dreading the question all night. She seemed to have made a habit of it.

“I know we've talked about it, but that doesn't explain why.”

“I am not your parent. I cannot watch over you in the way you hope for. Think of this merely as a vacation from home.”

“I'd rather it be a permanent vacation.”

Alucard sighed. “Seras I know it seems wonderful now, and I'm… happy I could have done that for you, but…” Incognito's callous words burned in the back of his mind with striking clarity. Sixty five years, six months for our kind. “There is so much you are going to do that I can't be a part of.”

“Why not? I don't understand; if you don't want me around, why don't you just say it!”

Alucard's eyes filled with a fury that had Seras shrinking away from him in unease. “Do not speak to me in such an ungrateful tone. You are learned for your age, but you still cannot comprehend the gravity of these situations. I want what is best for you and all of this… is not.”

An listlessness settled over the pair. They sat in a heavy silence.

“Alucard?” Seras spoke in a small voice. “I'm sorry.”

“I know you are, child.” He allowed her to nestle into the warmth of his shoulder.

“Do you still want me around, then?” She enquired in a pleading whisper.

Should he promise her line, something he had no means of knowing whether or not he could keep? Alucard thought upon his earlier troubles. When did he start to feel this way? Why?

“Of course, Seras,” he answered in a comforting tone. “Forever and always if I could.”

He watched her drift into a blissful sleep; a fear crept into his mind. If I could, but one cannot overcome death. Not unless one is immortal.

“I don't understand; why a human?” Incognito asked Walter.

“I do not know the answer to that question, either; what I do know is that she gives him something to look forward to, if nothing else. Living forever can be very lonely, as you may or may not know. I am very grateful for Miss Victoria; she's made the castle a livelier place. If only you would give her a chance. Being raised by a vampire has made her unlike normal humans.” Walter left Incognito with this to ponder his words.

Incognito looked back at the scene and shook his head. `Alucard, you're becoming weak.'

////

It was an unpleasant awakening to be dropped off at her father's house after such a wondrous night. As Seras walked through the door, her nose was assaulted with the smell of smoke, alcohol and body odour. Scrunching her face in disgust, she moved further into the miasma, to remove her shoes. Sitting at the dinner table was her father and three other men she had never seen before, playing poker.

`Ugh, when it isn't floosy bimbettes, it's crack dealers andalcoholics.' Seras thought bitterly.

She had been staring too long and had caught the attention of one of the men. He winked at her, and Seras recoiled in repulsion. His smirk alerted the men beside him to her presence; they turned and stared. Seras sprinted up the steps, away from their leering eyes, and into the confines of her room.

She lay down and began reading the book which Ms. Florea had given to her, “A Little Princess.” It was one of her favourites; she could read it for hours on end.

After some time, there was a knock at the door.

“Come in!” She yelled absentmindedly, assuming it was her father.

The door opened to reveal one of the men from the dinner table.

“Get out,” she warned.

He smiled. “But you said I could come in.”

A cold shiver ran down Seras's back as uncontrollable fear wracked her body. “I thought you were my dad; now, get out.”

“Well, if you want, I can be your daddy.” The man retorted suggestively, undressing her with his eyes.

“GET OUT!” Seras saw another one come out from behind the first man. It was all becoming so surreal; her worst nightmare playing out before her eyes. She went to stand up, but one of the men forced her back down. She might have been ferocious for her age, but the sheer mass of each man was enough to immobilize her.

Terror surged through Seras as she tried in vain to free herself from their depraved clutches. The first man grabbed a pair of socks, which he used to gag her, and then held her down as the other worked on his strained jeans, licking his lips in anticipation.

“Look at this beauty, what juicy tits you have there, you little slut.” The man's revolting words had Seras seething with madness. She wanted to see them ripped apart, wanted to watch them die.

At the sound of her clothes ripping, tears poured down Seras's face. Her shirt was torn from her body and the second male latched his mouth onto her breast, roughly sucking on the sensitive flesh. She cried harder, disgusted with how vile she felt. Her pants soon accompanied the torn shirt on the floor. While the second male was busy, the first one pried her legs open, roughly shoving his fingers inside of her, and bit down harshly on her nipple. Seras wailed into her gag.

“You sure are a feisty one; let's see if your fire can handle mine!”

The depths he pursued tore through her soul as if he had reached in and cut it from her. What she had imagined of pain could not compare to this anguish. Seras could not reach her necklace, but she prayed that he could hear her. “Please, save me, Alucard.” Her tears persisted.“ALUCARD!” Nothing was real any longer, save for the incessant pulsing back and forth.

“ALUCARD!”

A surge of distress threatened to slice open the vampire's cold heart. He had been talking with Incognito for the past hour and a sensation of unease had been creeping up inside him. `Why hadn't I recognized it before!?'

“We need to go, now!”

Incognito frowned in confusion. “Go where? What's wrong?”

Taking hold of his friend's arm, he said, “I think this is a wonderful night for some bloodshed!”

The scene that played before both vampires' eyes as they entered the room shocked them to the core. Vehemence consumed Alucard; his eyes bled red and a foreboding aura seeped from every fibre of his being as he witnessed a man thrusting into Seras's trembling body while another held her down.

Snarling, he tore both men off of her and hurled them across the room. Protectively scooping up Seras's bloody and tattered body, he turned to Incognito. “The men are yours; do with them as you please!”

Within seconds, a symphony of breaking bones, tearing flesh, and splattering blood, filled the room. Hearing all the commotion upstairs, the third male and Claudiu burst through the door. Alucard gently placed Seras on her beanbag chair, draping his burgundy overcoat around her.

Refocusing on the carnage, he made easy work of the spare male. Tackling him against the wall, he dug his claws deep into the man's throat; gripping the trachea firmly, he ripped the respiratory tract clean out. He watched with a vindictive satisfaction as the man dropped dead to the floor.

Claudiu was his special orchestral ending. Alucard had been waiting for this moment to come for years. Picking him up by the throat, he watched Claudiu suffocate from the pressure. Alucard took one claw and used it to slowly slice open his stomach. Guts and blood poured out, splattering against the hardwood. He caught Claudiu's intestines as they fell, wrapping them around his enemy's neck, taking the time to enjoy the sight of his bulging face as it turned purple from asphyxiation. Finally, Alucard reached beneath the paper thin cloth and grasped Claudiu's genitals hard. Even in such agony, Claudiu could still feel his most sensitive parts being pried from his body, before they were shoved ruthlessly into his mouth.

Alucard's face was contorted with rage; even a kill such as this could not sate the vampire's fury. He was inconsolable as he spat in the man's face. “What I do now could never be enough!”

Claudiu's eyes rolled back, never to gaze upon the world again.

The nauseating stench of blood and death filled the room.

Alucard ran to Seras, taking her dazed, ashen face into his hands. “I'm so sorry, Seras. I'm so sorry I was not here sooner.”

Suddenly, the smell of burning flesh wafted through the air. Looking behind him, he saw that the bed had been set ablaze. “What do you think you're doing?” Alucard shouted at Incognito.

“What do you think; we need to get rid of the evidence! Or do you just want to leave this bloodbath here?” As the fire devoured half of the room, the faint sound of sirens approached from the street outdoors. “Leave the girl outside!”

“Are you crazy? I will not leave her here!”

“If you take her, Alucard, everyone will think she died. She needs to stay with the humans, leave her outside! She will be in good hands!”

He knew that Incognito was right; he could not force Seras to live in his world of darkness and trepidation. Phasing out of the room and floating down to the ground, he placed Seras outside of her burning house and reluctantly vanished.

Seras awoke a scene so chaotic, it was able to further disturb her already discombobulated mind. She turned to see several firefighters trying futilely to douse the growing flames of her now demolished house. `Everything…gone. It's all gone. My sketchbook… Mother.' She could not even will herself to form tears; she was far too numb to feel anything anymore. A police officer seemed to be trying to speak with her, but all she could hear was the loud ringing in her ears. Trying to focus on the officer, she felt herself falling, and then… darkness.

I would like to thank Anime WarriorSkye, Cecilia, and Heather for editing my work! You did an amazing job! <3