Hellsing - Blood Heritage

I will go ahead and warn you - this chapter has a lot of internal stuff happening. So if it's difficult to get through, I apologize.

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It is quite an unusual sensation for someone feel emotions that don't belong to them. To experience them all the while knowing that they truly belong to someone else. It is a level of empathy that most people could be driven insane by... And it was precisely that swirling mass of alien emotions that kept Syn from immediately marching down to the dungeons to give Alucard a piece of her mind.

Not that she didn't intend to. Far from it in fact. Syn wanted nothing more than to beat the un-living shit out of him at the moment. But she had learned enough about the vampire to recognize that trying to argue while both of them were angry wouldn't amount to anything. He would get a perverse enjoyment out of it for one thing - and probably wind up working her up into a state where she would forget the reason they were fighting in the first place. Though she hated admitting a weakness, Syn knew that her temper was her Achilles heel. She had always prided herself on self control, but Alucard had a talent for finding the few things that could get under her skin. The longer she was around him, the easier it seemed for him to make her snap.

'It's a wonder Integra hasn't dropped dead of high blood pressure.'

She decided to wait and let herself calm down before broaching the subject again. She even went so far as to sleep in her office to avoid having to deal with him before she was ready. It was half to keep her sanity intact and half to let the vampire know just how pissed she was. Alucard was... 'clingy' when it came to things he considered belonging to him. Deliberately sleeping as far away from the dungeons as she could get was the lowest blow Syn could imagine inflicting upon him.

She didn't know if Integra had anything to do with it or not, but Alucard had been noticeably silent. She felt his presence in her mind - scanning for any stray thoughts that might betray what she was doing - but otherwise he left her alone. Either the knight had sensed her intentions and gave him an order to stay away, or he was sitting in his dark corner of the house brooding away. That seemed a fitting enough image, she thought. The imposing vampire king draped across his throne thinking dark, nightmarish thoughts while drinking his nightly blood rations.

Of course, the world didn't stop turning just because she was upset. Syn still had work to do around the manor. She oversaw construction of the various additions to the house, worked on the new armor for the men (which was taking longer to produce than she liked), and - when the situation called for it - knocked the mercenaries back in line when Integra was too busy to get away from her desk. But when she found herself with the scarce few moments of free time that appeared, she scoured her books for information that would shed some light on this new connection she shared with the Hellsing family pet.

There were a whole host of volumes that provided insight. As she was searching through the texts recovered from Jonas' secret room, she found one in particular that was dedicated to the subject of vampiric mating practices. Upon finding what was in her opinion, the holy grail at the moment, she grabbed a notebook to take notes and settled down to read.

'The mental and emotional connection between mated vampires is probably one of the strongest magical forces known to mankind. It is forged by a fusion of two souls. Both parties enter into this state willingly, allowing their powers to merge - which in essence, makes both stronger and more powerful than they would be alone. Various experts on supernatural creatures speculate that this power exchange is the primary driving force behind the vampire's compulsion to take a mate.'

'Both parties have to be willing?' Syn thought to herself, snorting at the idea. 'I wonder where they got that crock of...' She stopped herself. If she looked at the situation logically, Alucard really hadn't forced anything. Depending on your definition of 'forced'. He did ask if she trusted him first. And maybe the fact that she had come to accept the terms of that damn promise had something to do with it. This mating business was a lot more complex than she had originally imagined... She pursed her lips and read further.

'Each vampire has a small piece of the other's soul locked inside of them. It is by this that they can feel each other's emotions and read each other's thoughts as if they were their own. If the pair happens to be separated, one has only to look for that soul fragment within them and follow it's signature to the original host to locate their position and make contact. These communication channels can only be used by the mated pair, and are impossible for other vampires or magic users to penetrate.'

Syn stared at the passage for a moment, letting the information sink in. No wonder he said marriage was a weak comparison. This was a very literal joining of souls. Most of the vampiric literature written by humans refused to acknowledge that the creatures even had souls. The idea that she had a small piece of Alucard inside of her - actually interwoven into the fiber of her being - made the whole thing a lot more harrowing. It made her wonder just why he had done it. She wasn't a vampire, and while she had some abilities of her own, they were nothing compared to his. He stood to gain no more power than he already possessed. In fact, when she thought about it, tying them together like this would only make 'her' stronger. That was... well... it implied things about him that she wasn't sure she wanted to think about.

She sighed and put down her pen to rub her eyes. She had kept her nose pinned into these books so long they were starting to ache. When a gentle tap sounded on her door, it was a welcome distraction. She lifted her eyes to find Seras peeking her head around the door.

"Um... Syn? Are you busy?" the draculina asked, glancing at the stack of books on her desk.

Syn offered her a friendly smile. "Not really." when Seras stepped into the room, she noticed she was carrying the books she had let her borrow. "Finished already?"

The blonde shuffled her feet, almost as if she were embarrassed by it. "They were really good. I just wanted to bring them back and see if you had anything else..."

Syn felt the tiniest trace of a smirk tug at her lips. "I'm sure I've got something here you'll like."

She got up to re-shelve the books the girl had brought back, while Seras searched for something she found interesting.

"God, you have so many!" she commented, running her fingers along the spines. She looked at Syn curiously. "Have you really read all of these?"

"Most of them." she admitted. "My uncle used to read to me when I was little - then when I got older I would read everything I could get my hands on. There were never any people my own age around, so my books and my music were my friends."

"At least you had family." Seras pointed out. "I can remember my dad reading to me when he put me to bed, but it's been so long ago, the memories have gotten fuzzy..."

Syn fell silent. She only knew bits and pieces about the girl's past. Most of it was little tidbits garnered from Walter during random conversation. Her parents had died when she was very young and she had been placed into an orphanage. Syn honestly didn't know much about them - but she had heard stories about how awful some of those places were. She imagined she was lucky to have escaped that particular fate.

"You didn't have any family to take you in?" she asked, hoping the girl wouldn't be upset by the question.

Seras shook her head. "I suppose I have some distant relatives floating around somewhere, but none that would know me." she shrugged. "I guess it doesn't really matter now, does it? I mean... I think of Master as my family now. Everyone at Hellsing really. It's not exactly 'normal', but it's better than having nothing at all."

Syn nodded absently. She couldn't imagine not having some sort of family to turn to. But, Hellsing was like a family in a way. They certainly looked out for each other like one. She supposed that was just something that happened when you lived and worked with the same people day in and day out. She was so absorbed in her thoughts that she didn't notice the police girl studying her.

"Can I ask you a question?"

Syn blinked. "Of course. What is it?"

"Well..." Seras began. "Why do you wear one of Master's bullets all the time?"

Syn opened her mouth to answer, then closed it again quickly. She hadn't really thought about it. She certainly hadn't asked for the necklace. Jonas had made it for her after they recovered the slug and she had worn it ever since. It just... seemed like the natural thing to do.

"I guess it reminds me that I'm too stubborn to die." she said finally. "That no matter how bad things get, I should never give up."

She realized how stupid it sounded. Like a line out of cheesy feel good movie or something. But it was honestly the best response she could think of. The draculina, however, didn't take it that way. She gave Syn a small smile.

"He shot me too you know. I'm starting to wonder if hurting people is his way of showing affection..."

The comment was innocent enough - something intended to be a joke. But something about it struck Syn in a very deep place.

"That does sound like him, doesn't it?" she asked conversationally, hoping the girl wouldn't see how her words had affected her.

Thankfully, she didn't seem to notice. "Master is very odd that way. Maybe that's why he likes you so much. He's always telling me that I should try to be more like you..."

'What the hell?' Syn thought, sitting up straighter. "He said what?"

"Well, when we first brought you here, I was curious about why he was so interested in you. Master usually doesn't care what happens to people who are attacked by vampires." she explained. "He told me about seeing you try to fight off a vampire when you were a little girl. You never can tell with Master... but he seemed really impressed by that. He said something about people who refuse to give up are the ones who earn the right to be called human. I never really understood what he meant by that, but now..." she pursed her lips, thinking. "I think it has something to do with respect. There aren't many people that Master actually 'likes'. I mean... there's Walter, Sir Integra, and you. Edmund too, I think. You guys aren't afraid of 'anything' and you're willing to do things that no one else would ever think about doing. I think that sets you guys apart from everyone else in his eyes."

Syn stared at her in disbelief. She couldn't fathom Alucard thinking that for one thing - and she was blown away by Seras grouping her in with the people that she obviously had a high regard for.

She took a deep breath. "I really don't think that sounds like me." she replied quietly. "There are lots of things that scare me..."

Seras snorted. "Yeah right. I can't imagine you being scared of something. And nothing seems to bother you. I wish I could tell someone off like you did that mercenary the other day..."

"You just need to learn to stand up for yourself." Syn piped up. "People can only treat you as badly as you let them. As long as you let them know you wont put up with their bullshit, they'll back down and treat you with respect. They might not see you as a cuddly little teddy bear - but at least they'll know not to mess with you."

"Yeah... but..." the draculina sighed. "I just don't like hurting people. It's bad enough everyone sees the fangs and starts running. I... I just don't want to be a monster."

Syn sighed and got up to take the girl by the shoulders. "You are a good person Seras. But you can't go around trying to make everyone happy. Don't try to be me, or Sir Integra, or Walter or Alucard... just... find out who YOU are and stay true to that. And if there's anybody who doesn't like that, well... fuck them. It's their loss."

The police girl stared at her a moment, then slowly broke into a sideways grin. "Do you realize how much like a 'mom' you sound?" she asked, looking like she was trying to suppress a giggle.

"Yeah, that's me - Syn the mother hen." she huffed, fighting the urge to roll her eyes. That seemed to be a role she slipped into a lot. She had been famous for it at the bar. It was hard not to act that way with the draculina. She was such a sweet girl... and she just naturally seemed to bring out a protective instinct in her.

Seras hung around for a while until she found a book that caught her interest. Syn wasn't paying close attention, so she had no way of knowing what it was. She only hoped that the girl had picked something that wasn't too heavy. When she excused herself with her new reading material, Syn closed her book and decided to go downstairs to face the music. Now that she had more information about what was going on - along with the new insight from Seras - she felt more prepared for the conversation that lay ahead. She only hoped that Alucard didn't try to avoid the questions she was going to hit him with.

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The vampire was still in his coffin when she got downstairs, so Syn decided to wait in the only chair that was available. Which just so happened to be his prized 'throne'. She felt the stirring of his mind as he noticed her presence, as well as a small twinge of surprise. But that was nothing compared to the look on his face when he appeared and saw her sitting calmly in his chair. She had the smallest concern that he might be mad about it - but instead he looked completely taken aback, as well as a bit amused.

Just seeing the look on his face was worth the risk.

"You do know that I have killed people for taking such liberties with my belongings?" he asked, quirking a brow.

Syn merely folded her hands in her lap demurely. "I figured as much." she replied. "But it's really your fault, since you only have one chair down here. Unless you have a thing for seeing me sit on the floor, this is the only other option..."

She paused when she saw his eyes light up. 'The bastard would have a weird fetish for seeing people kneeling at his feet, wouldn't he?' she thought. Her eyes narrowed slightly. "I'm 'not' sitting on the floor for you."

"Of course not." he replied, his voice pure silk.

He stepped toward her and pulled her up from the chair - then surprised her to no end when he sat down and pulled her down into his lap.

"What the hell are you doing?" she demanded as he locked his arms around her so she couldn't get away.

He gave her a look that was pure innocence. "I would 'hate' to force you to do something you don't want..." he purred. "Since you don't wish to sit on the floor, you'll just have to sit on me instead."

Syn glared at him, but she had to admit she had walked right into it. The damn vampire could find a loophole for anything... Still, she refused to be distracted from her purpose.

"You've been watching me." she accused.

One of his brows went up a notch. "Of course. You have been going to your precious books for information again."

Syn knew he wanted her to ask him about what she wanted to know. But then, she wanted him to stop being a jerk all the time. She obviously wasn't going to get what she wanted, so she didn't see why he should.

"Sometimes the written word can explain things better than hearing it." she shot back. She waited for his reaction.

"Indeed it does." he conceded. "But if it explained everything, you wouldn't be here right now, would you?"

Syn frowned. She had intended to come down here and maintain control of the situation, but somehow, he had managed to turn the tables like he always did. She took a deep breath and tried to gather up the remnants of her objective.

"From what I understand, this..." she faltered momentarily. "This..."

"Mating?" he offered helpfully.

She made a face at him. "Yes. this 'mating' allows our powers to merge?"

Alucard nodded.

"And our souls are intertwined now?"

He nodded again, still not saying anything. Even his mind was blank, forcing her to come up with her own conclusions without relying on his thoughts.

"Well, it seems to me that you aren't getting nearly as much out of this as I am." she said, finally admitting out loud what she had been confused about since discovering it. "You don't need to merge with anyone to make yourself stronger, and the few things I can do that you can't won't really add much..."

He shot her a slight patronizing look. "You are looking at this in terms of power alone. It may appear that you are receiving more than I when you view it along those lines. Strength, power, fewer weaknesses... As I already have these things, I have little need for them. What I receive from our bond is much simpler."

"And that would be?"

"You."

His gaze was so intense she had to fight the urge to look away. Syn straightened her posture. "And here I thought you already had that." she replied, the bite in her tone contained, but still noticeable.

The corner of his mouth turned upwards a hair. "As a servant, yes. But I neither want nor need another of those. I have the Police Girl for that. And I have a Master in Integra. The only thing I have been lacking, until now, is an equal. A consort if you wish."

Syn blinked at him, understanding beginning to dawn. 'Consort...' That was eerily close to 'wife' in her book. But then, since the mating was a more intense version of a marriage, perhaps it shouldn't have been such a shock. But actually thinking about it... hearing him say it made it real. She glanced down at the ring he had given her. Even when she had been so upset, she had refused to take it off.

"Is that was this was about?"

He didn't have to look down to know what she was referring to. "It is."

Wow... well, there went her whole argument. She couldn't say she wasn't willing, because a part of her had been - no matter how deeply hidden it was. She couldn't say he had taken advantage of her either. He was setting her on the same level as himself, which was something that, while she wasn't really sure she was cut out for, was a great show of respect for her on his part. There was really only one beef she had left.

"Um... may I make a request? As an equal?" she asked, adding the last bit quickly.

Alucard looked at her expectantly. "Yes?"

"If you ever decide to spring something like this on me again, would you let me know before hand?" at the look on his face she went on. "And 'do you trust me' does not count as a warning."

The vampire sighed deeply. "You still do not trust me to look out for your best interests..."

He made it sound like a statement of fact instead of a question. Syn frowned at his tone. "I didn't say that. I just think that if you expect me to be on equal footing with you, I should be able to give my opinion on decisions. That's the 'fair' thing to do."

Alucard looked unconvinced. "The world is not 'fair' my dear. And while your little temper tantrums can be quite entertaining, they do tend to... interfere with your decision making processes."

"Well, if you didn't force everything onto me like I don't have a brain, then maybe I wouldn't get mad so much!" She huffed, feeling her irritation rise.

He smirked as if she had just proven his point for him. "You see? You're angry now..."

"I am NOT angry." she snapped. "I am not a nice little Victorian minded woman who will let you do whatever you please because you're a man and that's the way things are done. I said I trusted you, and I do. And I'll go so far as to acknowledge that you have more knowledge and experience than me, and that should be taken into account. But don't you dare try to say that you don't ever do things for selfish reasons because it would be a bold faced lie."

Alucard grew more and more amused the longer she went on. "Are you quite finished?" he asked with a lop sided grin.

Syn had the distinct impression he wasn't taking this seriously. "No, I'm not. I'm trying to get through your thick skull that I'm not going to put up with..." she trailed off, staring at him in shock.

Well, to be honest, she couldn't really say she was staring at a 'him'. At the moment, she was staring at and sitting in the lap of a 'her'. A very pretty 'her' to be exact. She was wearing the same clothes and had the same eyes... but everything else was distinctly feminine looking. Hell, he/she even had 'breasts'. Syn blinked at the transformation before coming to her senses.

"If you're trying to distract me, it's not going to work." she said, trying to convince herself more than him/her. She was feeling 'very' distracted at the moment. 'How the bloody hell did he DO that?!' she wondered.

The feminine Alucard giggled. Yes, that's right. GIGGLED. "I can take any form I choose." he/she said in a light, sing-song voice. "And I'm not trying to distract you. I simply want to emphasize that my being a man has nothing to do with this."

'Like hell.' she thought, knowing he could hear the thought. Still, she wanted to stay on topic for the time being. "Okay, fine. You're not 'always' a man. Now have you been listening to me, or have I been talking to myself this whole time?" She would have put her hands on her hips if she wasn't in her current position.

Alucard rolled his/her eyes. "Fine. I will give you forewarning if any important decisions are to be made." he/she said as if it were the most boring subject in the world.

"Thank you." Syn replied, looking him up and down. She was still more than a little taken aback by the change. It was just so... different. Finally, her curiosity got the better of her.

"Okay, you have my attention. What else can you do?"

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Well, I think I've given you guys a long enough breather. There will probably be some action sequences in the next chapter or so. (Note the 'or so' in that statement. I'm aiming for next chapter, but don't hold your breath. Every time I say something will 'definitely' happen, it winds up messing up. I'm not going to jinx myself.) We need the Wild Geese to get some experience under their belts damn it! I can't wait to throw some zombies at them and see what they'll do! ~evil plotting~

Random Soapbox moment: Okay peoples. Since Hellsing is a story involving vampires, I don't think anyone would be squicked out if I talked about blood donation...

So... I do my best to give blood every three months like a good little donor should - and I get this notice in the mail. When I go next month to give again, I will have donated 5 gallons of blood so far. 0.0 WOOT!!! That's a lot of A+ blood that's out there in the world now...

~Thinks to self~ I would ask Alucard for a hug... but I think he'd just shoot me. Or something equally awful that I wouldn't enjoy in the least. 0.o'

Review!!! Do it now, or the Nazis will come for you in your sleep!!! GAH!!! ~runs from the crazy Nazis~