Hellsing - Blood Heritage

Okay, so, I have a bit of a rant before I begin this thing. For the past week, I have been restoring old wedding pictures for one of my mom's friends, and I cannot believe how awful they've been treated over the years.

For the love of god people, if you have pictures - ANY pictures that you think might POSSIBLY be important to you later on, PLEASE put them in an acid free album!!! And keep them far, far away from things like water, high temperatures, and dirt! You would not believe the things I have seen on these pictures... And it makes it much easier on people like myself who have to go back and try to make them look nice again...

~shakes head~ if people do this to wedding portraits, what is the world coming to?

So... I realize most people are probably going : "What on earth is she talking about?" It's okay. I just had to vent about it somewhere. ~hides under a bush~ please don't come after me!!!

Anywho, now that that's over...

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"Just remember - right is tight, left is loose."

"Ugh." Seras said in disgust as she got the barrel loosened. "I 'hate' doing this. You would think with all the advancements they've made over the years, someone would find a way to make this less messy."

Syn nodded in sympathy. "As long as we use gunpowder it's going to be messy I'm afraid."

She was showing the draculina how to dismantle Harkonnen for cleaning. Needless to say, the size of the gun made it a monumental task - not to mention the sheer amount of gunpowder residue that had to be scrubbed away. Syn figured since she was the one who made the thing so big, she should at least help with the cleaning. Five minutes into it, they were both covered in black grease and other gunk. Working together, they finally managed to get the thing cleaned and reassembled. Syn tossed a rag at the police girl.

"You look like you've been bathing in soot." she said, laughing at the sight.

Seras made a face at her then scrubbed away as much of the grease as she could. "I should make you do this from now on." she grumbled. "I'm supposed to help Sir Integra with the men..."

Syn straightened, suddenly interested. "That's right, the mercenaries are coming today, aren't they?" She grabbed a clean rag and wiped the gunk off her hands. "When will they be here?"

"I'm not sure." she replied with a shrug. "Walter is supposed to get me with they arrive." She looked at the ceiling as if she could think of nothing worse than meeting with a group of mercenaries. "Sir Integra wants me to be there so they can see a vampire for themselves. I don't like the idea of being put on display like a freak..."

Syn sighed. "You really need to work on your self-confidence."

"Syn, look at me. I'm the last thing anyone would think of when someone says 'vampire'. I'm short, I'm blonde, I'm scared of everything, and I've just now gotten to where the sight of blood doesn't make me sick." the girl protested. "Even Master thinks I'm pathetic..."

'Bastard probably told her that too.' Syn thought venomously. The one thing that she had learned was not to take anything the vampire said personally. Just about every word that came out of his mouth was meant to rile people up in some manner. But Seras obviously didn't take it that way. She pursed her lips thoughtfully. After a moment's deliberation, she had an idea.

"Do you like to read?"

Seras gave her an odd look. "Um... not much. I've always thought that if something was good enough, they would make a movie of it..." she admitted with a sheepish expression.

'Oh no. This is unacceptable.' Whether the girl liked it or not, there were simply too many good books in the world for her to miss out waiting for them to be filmed. And movie producers usually wound up screwing the story over anyway. Syn frowned at her. "Movies always wind up leaving out the most important parts. And reading lets you use your own imagination. We're going to have to fix this."

Without another word, she got up and began scouring her bookshelves for something for the draculina to read. A book suitable for someone who didn't read much, but still had a story she could learn something from. She pulled out a couple of selections and handed them to her. Seras looked over the covers.

"Howl's Moving Castle?" she asked, studying the book with a strange expression. She glanced at the other one. "And... Labyrinth? Aren't these children's books?"

Syn scoffed. "Children might read them, but they are perfectly acceptable for adults! And they're actually interesting, so if you don't like to read, they'll be easier to stick with than some stuffy novel." Seras opened her mouth to argue, but she stopped her with an raised hand. "Trust me. Just read the first chapter, then if you don't like them, you can bring them back."

Seras looked unconvinced, but nodded all the same. "Alright... at least I'll have something to keep me occupied for a while..."

The women's attention was drawn by a knock on the door. Walter stuck his head in and smiled.

"Miss Victoria, the new soldiers have arrived." he reported. "Sir Integra would like you to come downstairs immediately."

"God, that was fast." she commented, scurrying about to grab her things. "Let me take all this back to my room and I'll be right there!"

Seras slung the Harkonnen over her shoulder and ran out, carrying the books in her arms. Syn watched her go, hoping that she actually took the time to read them. If she could get the police girl interested in reading, she had a whole host of other books she had a mind to give her. 'I'll have to get her used to heavier material, but she should definitely read the Vampire Chronicles...'

Syn let out a sigh and went back to what she was doing before the draculina had interrupted her. She grabbed her notebook and curled up in her hammock chair to work on the subterranean escape route plans.

It was odd that what had once been her bedroom now served as an office. Alucard didn't take well to the idea of her having her own room, so he had practically forced her to move all her stuff into the dungeons with him. Syn, however, refused to give up her balcony - so Sir Integra had given her leave to convert the former bedroom into a workspace. New shelving lined most of the walls; filled with books and materials she had finally brought over from her old house. The scant pieces of wall not covered by furniture had been plastered over with notes and drawings. She had a few pictures scattered about too - old memories that she couldn't bring herself to leave behind. Then, of course, there was the hammock chair in the corner for her to lounge in when the mood struck. It was the most comfortable thing in the world, and she had fallen asleep in it more times than she could count.

The one drawback to the whole thing was getting into a position she could actually 'work' in. Hammocks being what they were, it tended to be difficult to do anything other than lay in them without straining the neck to write. Syn had just managed to twist herself into a comfy position when a familiar cold prickle went up her spine. 'Damn vampire has the worst timing in the world...'

"I certainly hope you don't have any plans, because I am NOT moving." she called out, knowing Alucard could hear her from wherever he was.

His silky chuckle filled the room as he materialized in a chair near her desk. "Why would I ask you to move after you've spent so much time getting yourself into that...'interesting' position?"

Syn snorted. I'm soo glad you find me so entertaining." she commented dryly. She glanced up from her notebook. "I hear there's fresh meat downstairs. Shouldn't you be off torturing them?"

"Integra fears that I would eat them."

"Ah... so I'm supposed to distract you?"

"Precisely." he replied with a grin. "Now... whatever shall we do to keep me occupied..."

'Oh, he is totally fishing for some action...' She thought to herself. She decided to let him fish all he liked. She would be damned if she was giving him anything. She gestured absently to the shelves around the room. "I'm sure you can find something to do in here. Knock yourself out." She went back to her notebook without giving him a second glance.

Surprisingly, Alucard wasn't phased by her actions - nor did he bother her any further. It was so surprising that Syn found she was more interested in what he was doing than her work. She focused on her notebook as much as she could, but she paid close attention to the sounds in the room. He was pulling books from the shelves, flipping through them, then placing them back, as if not finding anything interesting. She listened as he pulled something else down, then paced quietly. When he didn't immediately put it back, Syn glanced up to see what had finally captured his attention.

It was an old photo album of hers - one of the few things she had kept that belonged to her mother. She had cherished it more than anything else, and had even added a few pictures of her own over the years. When she saw him looking through it, she had the strongest urge to jump up and tear it away from him. Syn was an intensely private person, and she didn't like the idea of someone nosing around in her memories. The only thing that held her back was the realization that she had done the very same thing to him. She had poked around and read about his past - things that most people would be willing to kill to keep hidden - and he had allowed it. It was that thought, and that thought alone that made her bite her tongue.

There was really no point in pretending to work. Alucard could tell she was watching no matter what she did. And unlike her, he was more than willing to ask questions.

"Your mother was very young." he commented, not looking up from the pages as he flipped through them. "You have no pictures of your father?"

"I don't have a father." she replied quietly. Kris had been 15 when she wound up pregnant, and the guy responsible had run off the moment he found out about it. Syn had no idea who he was. Her mom had destroyed everything he had ever given her, along with every picture of him long before she was born. He might as well have never existed.

Alucard glanced up, but his only response was a thoughtful hum. He flipped further, pausing again when he reached a particular page. Suddenly he frowned, as if he was looking at something he didn't like, or didn't expect to see. Curious as to what he was looking at, Syn got up to see for herself. It was a more recent picture; one of herself as a young teenager with Jonas on a firing range. It was the first time she had ever fired a gun, she remembered. She couldn't see anything particularly disturbing about the picture, and she wondered what was bothering him so.

"What is it?" she asked, studying him in a mixture of curiosity and concern.

Alucard's eyes never left the picture. "Who is this?" the bite in his voice was masked, but unmistakable to her ears.

"My uncle, Jonas. He took me in and raised me after the attack..." she paused when his face darkened. Syn reached out and touched his shoulder. "Alucard....?"

Alucard blinked then shook his head, as if he had been somewhere else for a moment. The album snapped shut, and he placed it back in it's position on the shelf. Syn was at a complete loss of what to think. He was acting really... 'weird'. She could tell he was angry about something, but irritated as well. But the irritation was directed at himself, and she couldn't for the life of her figure out why. She hated it when he did this. It was the same thing he did when he woke up from those awful nightmares of his....

'Oh god.' she thought, her face falling. 'Maybe he saw something that reminded him....'

Damn. There was only one thing to do when he got into one of these little funks.

"You feel like being adventurous?" she asked.

Alucard glanced at her with blatant curiosity. "That depends on what you have in mind..."

Syn allowed a conspiratorial smile to cross her face. "I want to see what these mercenaries do when they see the devil himself. If you get us downstairs, I'll distract Walter for you..."

The difference in his mood was instantaneous. His eyes lit up, and his lips twisted into that evil smirk he usually wore when he was 'really' excited about something. He grabbed her arm and jerked her against him.

"You, my dear, are a wicked little minx." he growled against her ear.

Syn feigned an innocent expression. "I just want to see what they'll do." she insisted. "And Seras is down there too. You know how men tend to act around her..."

That was enough to get his attention. Alucard loved putting his fledgling on the spot - but he didn't like the idea of her being surrounded by a room full of men who would no doubt be thinking all sorts of perverted things about her. His shadows were out and swirling around them faster than she could blink.

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"Alright captain, you've kept us in the dark long enough. What're we doing here?"

Pip leaned back in his chair and lit up a cigarette. He had no idea if smoking was allowed in this place or not, but he was going to need it for the explanation he was about to give.

"I don't know 'ow else to put zhis, so 'ere it goes." he began, taking a long drag. "Zhey're going to be paying us to kill monsters."

The men's reaction was instantaneous. "Bollacks! Stop joking around Captain..."

"It's true."

Every man in the room directed their attention to the doorway, where a tall blonde woman in a business suit stood. She looked over them all with an appraising eye, then continued.

"Your enemy, gentlemen, is the ageless, immortal vampire. You will carry garlic and holy water, drive a stake into it's heart, cut off it's head, burn the body then scatter the ashes at a crossroad. If you want more details, I suggest you consult Brom Stoker."

The soldiers all looked between one another, with some of the braver ones laughing quietly. "You must be barmy. Everyone knows there's no such thing as vampires..."

Integra quirked a brow. "Then everyone is quite mistaken. Or rather, we've helped them maintain a state of blissful ignorance. The Hellsing Organization has been operating under the noses of an unsuspecting populace for over a century. We hunt down supernatural threats to crown and country, then exterminate them."

She paused a moment to let her words sink in. None of them were laughing anymore. In fact, some looked downright disturbed that such an operation could have been going on without their knowledge. The knight smirked. "For those of you who still need convincing, I present to you your enemy - a genuine vampire!"

The soldiers followed her outstretched finger and saw a short, curvaceous girl with spiky blonde hair leaning against the far wall. She was smiling at them with a sweet, but slightly embarrassed expression. None of them had seen her come in - which was unthinkable considering what a knockout she was. Pip jumped up from his chair so quick he almost knocked it over.

"Wait! Just 'old on... You're telling me zhat you are a vampire?"

Seras smiled and nodded. "Yes, I am. Hello..."

The captain's eyes flickered with amusement, and the men behind him all snickered quietly to themselves. Finally, none of them could hold back any further, and loud, booming laughter filled the room.

Seras' face darkened slightly, and she shot a pleading look at Integra. "They... they're laughing at me Sir..."

Integra crossed her arms over her chest. "Then show them something to make them stop, Police Girl."

The draculina jumped, then saluted at the order. "Right away sir!" She turned to the captain with a snap of her fingers. "Come on then!"

Pip stared at her a moment, then burst out laughing himself. "Right! If you're a vampire, zhen I'm Frankenstein's monster!" He held out his arms to fumble around in a zombie walk.

Faster than anyone could see, Seras jumped forward and flicked him in the face. The force of the blow was enough to knock the captain to the floor. Bernadette blinked in shock. "What zhe..." he was cut off by another series of flicks that sent him flying across the room.

"CAPTAIN!!??"

"What zhe hell was zhat!!!" he demanded, clutching his bloody nose. "I didn't see a zhing! She's some kind of bloody freak!!!"

Seras deflated a bit at hearing the word 'freak'. "Right. So, like she said, I'm a vampire..."

Pip and the other men stared at her in stunned disbelief. "You... you're really a vampire?" Bernadette sputtered.

Out of nowhere, a velvety voice straight from the deepest pits of hell floated through the air. "Damn right she is."

They watched in horror as an enormous figure clad in red and black stepped through the wall. Not away from the wall. 'Through' the wall. His eyes sparkled menacingly from behind his red tinted glasses. "The police girl is the lowest of the low, but she's 'obviously' a vampire."

Being in the mercenary business had afforded the men in the room sights of some pretty spectacular and horrifying things. But none of them had ever witnessed a girl throw a full grown man across the room with a flick of her fingers; nor had they ever seen a man who resembled a close relative of Lucifer walk through a wall like it was nothing more than air. Therefore, in the light of these happenings, they did the only thing that seemed logical.

They freaked out.

Some merely gaped like fish and tried their best not to pass out, while others screamed and backed as far away from the terrifying man as they could get. Captain Bernadette did his best to maintain his composure. He barked out orders to his men, yelling at them to calm down. But all the while he looked just as terrified as the rest of them.

Alucard smirked at the soldiers' reaction to him. "What a pathetic bunch of sniveling cowards. Do you really think they'll be of any use to us?"

Integra pinched the bridge of her nose in irritation. "What the hell are you doing down here Alucard? I thought I told you to entertain yourself with your human."

Alucard simply smirked at her as Walter walked in, dragging Syn behind him. "I'm so sorry Sir." he apologized. "I tried to stop him, but 'this one' kept getting in the way..." he jerked up Syn's arm as he explained.

"I wasn't trying to get in the way!" the redhead protested, not looking the least bit guilty. "I was helping!!"

Walter whirled around and planted his hands on his hips. "And just how is leading me around on a wild goose chase 'helping'?"

Syn blinked at him, a perfect picture of innocence. "I have no idea what you're talking about Walter. I thought we were taking a short cut..."

Integra finally lost her patience with all of them. "Alucard! You are confined to the dungeons for the next 3 days. You too Syn." She narrowed her eyes at both of them. "And you can expect your blood rations to be cut in half as well. And if I hear one complaint from you 'or' your human, you'll get nothing at all, do you understand me?"

"Perfectly master." Alucard practically purred.

"But sir..." Syn started.

"And while you're down there, you'll do whatever he says whether you like it or not." Integra finished.

The girl opened her mouth to argue, but quickly snapped it shut when she saw the look on Alucard's face. She bowed her head solemnly. "Yes sir."

"Good. Now get out of my sight."

Once the offending members of her organization disappeared, she turned back to the new recruits. "I apologize for the intrusion gentlemen. Welcome to Hellsing."

The members of the Wild Geese then realized that their captain was right. This job was going to be 'very' interesting indeed.

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"Does Integra know that you drink from me?" Syn asked as Alucard let her down the hallways to the basement.

The vampire's pace never faltered. "Did you tell her what you learned from those journals of yours?"

"Um... yes?"

"Then she knows."

Syn frowned. "Then how the hell is this supposed to be a punishment for you?!" she snapped. "I'm the one getting the short end of the stick here!!"

Alucard shot her a wicked grin. "My master has a very 'unique' sense of humor. Perhaps someone informed her of what today is..."

'What today is?' she thought. 'Wait...' her eyes widened with realization.

"When I see Edmund, I'm going to skin the bastard alive." she spat venomously.

The vampire's laughter echoed off the stone walls as he dragged her into his rooms, the door behind them flying shut of it's own accord. "I don't think I'll allow that." he cooed. "This cousin of yours is far too entertaining to die just yet..."

'Damn it' She should have known Ed would do something like this. He always arranged something awful for her on her birthday. She had thought she would get some kind of immunity from it since no one here knew when it was. But the evil bastard had gone and snitched when she didn't have her eye on him. The breath rushed out of her lungs when Alucard shoved her up against a wall.

"Now then." he said, his eyes blazing with intent. "Whatever shall I have you do first...?"

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Poor Seras. She's never taken seriously until she has to whup someone's butt. I feel so sorry for her sometimes. But then I remember it's Pip who usually winds up getting his ass kicked, then I don't feel so bad. Cause you know he likes it. XD

Yes, Edmund is an evil bastard. And Alucard's an evil bastard. And you know what happens when you put the minds of two evil bastards together don't you? GAH!!!! Horrible evil bastardness of death!!! But you know, Sir Integra was involved too, so you can't just blame the guys. (I wish this happened to me on MY birthday. I would be having a freakin' birthday every day of the year!)

The review button is your friend. Yes it is. You know you want to.... :)