How Time Flies By

Seras refused to leave his bedside while he was unconscious. The hours ticked by into the early hours of dawn, and still no response. He couldn’t drink the blood, and a transfusion wouldn’t work as well as they had first thought. His normally pale complexion was turning the same hue as alabaster stone. Biting at her lower lip, she tried contacting him again.

/Alucard, don’t die on me again, please. I can’t deal with the heartbreak again, this time you will never come back./

Silence. Pure, untainted silence.

Tears hung in her eyes. /Please, there has to be something to bring you back./ She thought about feeding him her own blood, but that wouldn’t work. All it would do is initiate a ritual he would have no strength to proceed with, making him an even deadlier creature to the compound.

/Seras…/

She smiled broadly as a wave of relief washed over her. /You had me so scared./

/And so your voice saves me again. What happened?/

/You appeared in my room a bloody mess. I had never seen you this disheveled. I called for help. You’re in your coffin, of course, but they didn’t know if you’d come back./

/I’m still not fully here. Seras, I need strong blood. Strong blood of a vampire or a virgin. Bring me Integra./

/Won’t a bite kill her, or the amount you need?/

/Virgin blood will do the job of ten pouches in small doses. Tell her to fill my chalice. Seras I can’t move, you’ll have to feed me it./

She was about to ask how, when it dawned on her as a stupid question. /Yes, I will./

Once she left through her portal, he let himself drift back into the darkness, secluded from all sound and sight. It was hard to do anything right now, and even telekinesis drained him of strength. If it hadn’t had been for those damned holy bullets and lack of backup souls he would have been fine. It was hard for him to remember a time where he had been this weak. He would have laughed if he was able to at this whole thing. The only other time that came to mind was his imprisonment to the Helsing line, that became Hellsing after time.

Then, even in his dark confinement, he heard her voice. She wasn’t speaking, but singing in her mind. He couldn’t hear all of it, but straining, he caught the end.

/…I will always be with you
By the anchor of my sorrow
All I know, or ever knew,
Is I love you, I love you to death
What's tomorrow without you?
Is this our last goodbye?.../

Had she always harbored these feelings, or was it just a song that she loved? He knew she cared, that went without saying by her acceptance. What was it that she hid from him before?

/I brought what you asked for./

/…Seras, did you think I’d die?/

She was silent for a moment before answering. /With the condition you were in, and still are, yes I thought you would have./

/That song you sang, what does it mean?/

/It tells the story of a young girl and boy, desperately in love. Though they’re young, they know what they have is true. But, the girl also knows she is dying. On her dying day, she tries to comfort him, but he tries to fight the inevitable even then. Their love went on through death./

He felt his nerves coming back into function, showing that she had begun to feed him the blood. /Why sing something that brings sadness to you?/

/A lingering touch of human emotions. I’m not the hardass I let on to people. Songs of sorrow bring comfort, knowing you are not alone in the world feeling what you do./

/Yes, I suppose you are right./ The darkness was beginning to abate to the dim light of his room. /Do you sing them often?/

/Not very. I don’t think I have the best voice in the world./

“You should. You have the voice of an angel.”

She gave a large sigh of relief. “You’ve had me so scared for hours now.”

“The blood has helped. Is it gone?”

“No, I only gave you a few mouthfuls.”

Gingerly he sat up, ignoring the feeling of lightheadedness. “Good, hand me the chalice, I’ll finish it.”

She stared at him, seeming to consider his request.

“Really I’m alright. I told you this would be the equivalent of ten pouches. Right now, it’s about the same as five.”

“No, it’s not that. It’s just I’ve never seen you this beat up. You have no idea how worried I was.” She reached out and brushed a strand of shadow hair from his face. “It’s actually nice seeing a softened face and not the hardened one you always wear.”

“The perks to being you. No one else will see this face.”

Smiling softly, she handed Alucard the chalice, which he quickly drained. A bit of color returned to his skin and his eyes became a bit brighter. “Still nothing like I remember, but strong enough as it is.”

“Are you back up to par, my pet?”

They looked to his iron door to see Integra leaning on it. “Yes, your blood saves me yet again. I am back to my normal self.”

“Good to hear it. You are still off duty for the next four days. Use them wisely.”

Picking up to her hint, he nodded and grinned. “I most certainly will. I am not to be disturbed then for that amount of time.”

“Granted. Seras go to sleep, you look exhausted.” Integra shifted her weight from the door to her cane and walked back upstairs to her office.

“Listen to her,” Alucard said. “You have not drunk anything for yourself, and you are weary.”

Seras wanted to protest, but she knew the two were right. “So long as you are fine.”

“I am.” He stood from his coffin at full height, not staggering for a second. “Proof enough?”

“Yes. Good morning to you then.” Reluctantly she left to her own rooms to feed and sleep, wondering what the two had been talking about.