Hellhounds

This really wasn’t fair, thought Seras as she ran down one of the many halls in the Hellsing mansion, what exactly had she done to deserve this? All she had done was wake up to the sound of what could have been an explosion, grabbed her Harkonnen and raced to the entrance of the sublevels intent on discovering the source of the noise. The next thing she knew she was being chanced by the massive barking dog that, she was fairly certain, belonged to that William bloke they met the other day.

As she neared the top of the large entrance hall stairway she jumped, propelling herself far enough into the air to grab onto the large chandelier in the centre of the ceiling. Dangling there she saw the dog, Murrfy was it? Run down the stairs and try to jump up directly below her, barking all the time. After a while he gave up and simply sat there looking up at her expectantly wagging his tail.

‘Bloody hell’ she though begrudgingly ‘doesn’t this thing ever give up?’

“Evidently not, Police Girl.” Sounded the disembodied voice of her Master, just before the Vampire himself materialized upside down from the shadows right next to her.

“Master!” yelled Seras happily, a large smile on her face, which slid off her face when she realized that he had used her old nickname, “Master why did you call me Police Girl? You haven’t called me that since the Millennium attack.”

“Evidently I need to use it” said the annoyed tones of her Master “seeming as you have forgotten what you are, Police Girl.”

“What…” Seras then remembered that she was no longer the weakling she once was and could now use many of the strengths her Master could…including travelling in the shadows.

Realizing her childish forgetfulness she fussed with the shadows of the chandelier, much to Murrfys dismay, and disappeared followed shortly after by Alucard. The two Vampires reappeared back in the sublevels in Seras room; where the female Vampire discarded her Harkonnen, now no longer needed, against a nearby wall.

“I’m sorry Master,” she said sadly “I wasn’t thinking, you know what I’m like when I’ve just woken up and then having that monster of a dog chasing after me the moment I left the sublevels…sorry.” She finished in a defeated tone, had she just destroyed any respect she had managed to gain with her Master.

“It is of no consequence, Seras.” Said her Master slowly, apparently lost in thought.

Smiling at the use of her name, Seras turned to face her Master, who had a look of deep concentration on his face. For a moment she wondered whether it was a good idea to ask what was on his mind but was spared the trouble of asking by her Master who, realizing what she wanted to know, answered her unasked question.

“It’s that man, William.” he said slowly, looking at his servant

“So that was him I saw when I ran passed you and Sir Integra Master.”

“Yes, I believe he is here to join Hellsing.” Said Alucard more to himself than Seras, “But why he would do that I am not sure.”

“Join us? He made it clear last night that he didn’t want to join us, what do you thinks’ changed?”

“I am not sure,” said Alucard quietly, “, but his right hand…” he added tapering off into silence.

“Master?” Asked Seras looking at her Masters distant expression

“It was bandaged; right over the area Integra poured the holy water…no…he couldn’t be…”

“Couldn’t be what Master? A Vampire? We proved he wasn’t last night…didn’t we? The holy water didn’t react.”

“I know, Seras,” said Alucard annoyed, turning away from the young Draculina, “but it is of no consequence, I shall find out soon enough.”

With that said he faded through the large door of Seras bedroom and then, smiling wickedly upon seeing what was waiting on the other side, opened the door before heading to his Masters office. Seras looked at the door in surprise as it slowly glided open revealing the large, black, panting, patiently sitting form of Murrfy who barked once in delight at successfully re-finding his current plaything.

Eyes widening in shocked disbelief at how the animal had managed to find her again, Seras screamed bloody murder before disappearing into the shadows of the floor intent on getting far, far away from the thing. Little did she know that Murrfy, somehow, was right on her trail the whole time, more than ready and willing to continue playing with the amusing Vampire.

William distantly heard the screams of the girl, Seras, something about Headless and Murrfy. But that was unimportant; all that was important right now was the response of the women standing right infront of him, the response that would determine his fate. Never once removing his gaze from Integras he knelt there, for what seemed an eternity, waiting, waiting for the simply answer he could see building slowly, even now, in the back of the women’s mind.

She blushed, looking down at the man, Vampire, who had just sworn to fight and die, not for her country or her Queen, but for her. For me, she thought never removing her gaze from his, for me he said. She had never expected him to say such a thing. If she was honest with herself she never even expected him to kneel, he didn’t seem the type. But she was wrong, so very wrong; he had knelt and made his own oath to her, to her personally. Who was this man? Stepping forwards so she was less than a foot away from him she looked down, with eyes full of uncertainty, she looked at him.

“I…do you mean what you say, Vampire?” she asked in a cold voice she didn’t really want to adopt

“Every last word my lady.” He answered, bowing his head low once more. “I will fight, kill and, should you command it, die for you.”

Without knowing what compelled her to do so, and the her own stunnded disbeleif, Integra knelt and cupped the Vampires cheek. She was shocked to find that it was warm, so very warm and comforting; like the rest of him, not at all what she expected. I raised my head in surprise, not expecting to feel the touch of her smooth skin on my cheek, she was touching me, why? I had made that oath because I hated what she had asked me to fight for, to die for, but it seemed to have hit home with her.

I honestly despised most things about the world I found myself in, its people, its religions its…well everything, I found it all far too self-absorbed. I had sworn to fight and die for her, for Integra, because she seemed like a much better reason than most things to die for. Evidently though I had hit a nerve, of some form, which I was not intending to, had what I said affected her that much?

I expected her to keep her cool demeanour, to act like to cold and hardened knight I could already tell she was and either accept or reject my oath. I had never expected her to kneel down and touch me…why the hell was she touching me anyway? Not that I was complaining, it had been far too long since I last felt the touch of a woman’s skin, but this was Integra Hellsing for Christ’s sake! I didn’t know much, okay anything, about her but even I could tell that this was not her normal behaviour.

“Sir Integra?” I asked uncertainly, not sure how to react to her actions.

“I accept your Oath to me William,” she said quietly in a soft, smooth voice which sent shivers down my spine “Now rise and be a knight of Hellsing; to fight and, if need be, die…for me.” she finished, saying the last two words in almost a whisper.

“As you wish,” I said regaining my composure “Sir Integra, My Lady.”

Together we stood, soldier and Commander, knight and Queen, servant and Master. Quickly removing her hand from my face she returned to her seat whilst I did not move from the spot, standing there facing the image of her father. He looked down at me with what I swore was a knowing smile on his face.

Standing there, looking into those compelling blue eyes, I contemplated her actions, why had she done that? As she sat and picked up her cigar I felt an annoying and familiar presence slowly revealing itself behind and just to the right of Sir Integra…a very angry annoying presence.

Alucard had arrived on the scene in time to see HIS Master kneel down and touch that bastards’ face! She kneeled! She, Integra Hellsing, kneeled down and touched the face of that…that human bastard! That pathetic creature kneeling before her, that thing that had decapitated him, that man now looking at HIS Master with eyes full of lust, he could see it! How dare she betray him like this, how dare she!

With pure rage coursing through his dead veins he watched as Integra accepted whatever oath the oaf had made. DAMN IT! So the bastard was here to join Hellsing after all, that bastard had probably come to steal his Integra away from him, that damn human was going to pay for this or by the Devil himself he was no ‘No Life King’!

Watching the two stand in unison he felt another wave of furry wash over him at the sight of the blush on his Masters cheeks as she returned to her seat. She was blushing! Only he, only ever he, could do that to his Master, no one else was allowed to do that to her! Someone was going to die a very, very slow and painful death.

Slowly revealing his form right behind his Master he saw that the bastard glanced towards him, could he feel him before he wanted any to know he was there? That bastard, now he really had to die. Stepping out of his shadow realm he glared at the human as his Master realized he was there.

“Ah, Alucard,” said Integra coughing slightly, puffing her cigar, “I’m glad you’re here.”

“Are you?” asked the annoyed Vampire

“Yes,” said Integra slightly confused at her servants tone, he hadn’t seen…no, he couldn’t have, not without her knowing it, “I’m happy to report that we have a new soldier joining the Hellsing Organization. William here has agreed to work for us.”

“He has, has he? Oh, joyous nights.” Said Alucard mutely, never once taking his flaming red eyes off the man, who returned the glare with interest.

“There is, however, something important you should know Alucard,” continued Integra still puffing on her cigar to calm her racing nerves, “our new comrade is, in fact, a Vampire.”

Alucards eyes narrowed; a vampire? How was that possible? The holy water had had no effect on the bastards’ skin, then again if it had had no effect why was he now wearing bandages on his hand? If it had affected him it should have been instantaneous, even diluted his skin would have shown some effects straight away.

“A Vampire?” he asked in disbelief “But Master we tested his skin with holy water and it…”

“Took a delayed amount of time to affect him,” Interrupted Integra, “I have seen the wound with my own eyes Alucard, I trust you have faith in my abilities to know what a wound from holy water looks like?”

“Of course Master,” said an irritated Alucard bowing his head “it’s just even I would have instantly reacted to that holy water. For a youngling such as him not to, it is…”

“Watch who you’re calling youngling, Headless.” Snapped William at the comment

“Compared to me you are nothing more than a toddler in diapers, barely able to crawl, Youngling.” Was the retort of the elder Vampire with an evil smirk, looking at William with glowing red eyes.

Smiling at the childish banter between the two vampires, Integra coughed to gain their attention.

“Perhaps we could leave such behaviour for another occasion? Right now Alucard I wish you to show our now comrade to the lower levels, select a room for him to stay in and tell him all the necessary protocol for your kind. I shall notify storage that we are in need of another coffin, which reminds me,” said Integra looking William over, “What are your measurements?”

“Measurements? Coffin?” asked William in disbelief, “Don’t tell me I actually have to sleep in a coffin? I’ve been fine in a bed for the last month, why do I…”

“Perhaps that is why you are so weak then,” said Alucard in a distant voice, “if you are a Vampire then sleeping in a coffin filled with the soil of your birth place is needed to rejuvenate your body.”

“What?” yelled William in dismay, “I am not sleeping in a coffin, especially one filled with soil! No thank you!”

“Seras was just as adamant about the idea,” said Integra, remembering what Walter had told her about the young Vampires complaints when first confronted by the news “To my understanding she now finds it rather comfortable, isn’t that right Alucard.” She finished looking at the Vampire, who simply nodded his head once with his characteristic wicked grin on his face.

“You must be joking.” Said William weakly, ‘What have I gotten myself into?’

‘More than you know, Youngling.’ Came the mental reply he was once again unprepared for.

Managing not to jump out of his skin this time, William sighed, he really didn’t want to sleep in a blooming coffin, but if it made him stronger and made him understand more about his true…new self, then why the hell not?

“Measurements?” he repeated the word looking at Integra “I’m around six four and that’s all I know. As for birth place, that’s a little bit more tricky.” He added with a small smile.

“And why is that?” asked Integra intrigued.

“I was born in a small village in the middle of nowhere Indonesia, probably couldn’t pronounce its name even if I knew it.”

“Why the hell were you born all the way out there?” asked Integra shocked.

“Family used to travel because of my dads job, mother didn’t listen to the midwife and went with him. At the time my dad was in the middle of the Indonesian outback doing some geological survey or something and my mother, being the fool she could be sometimes, was with him and gave birth to me in the small village they were staying in. I don’t even know if the place is still there or not.” Explained William with a sad look in his eyes.

“Right,” said Integra thinking quickly, this was a complication she hadnt foreseen, “Alucard,” she continued turning to the Vampire, “Will any serious harm come to him not sleeping in the soil of his birth place?”

Thinking on how to answer the question, whether to lie or not, Alucard decided on the truth, if only for Integras sake. Glancing at the man before them he said simply.

“No, he just won’t be as powerful as he could be.”

“Very well then, I shall have a coffin prepared of the same general size as yours Alucard and have it sent down to the room you select for William. In the mean time please show our guest to the sublevels. And,” she added quickly “do try to be civil with him Alucard.”

“Aren’t I always civil Master?” said the vampire with his smile full in place as he bowed then vanished into the shadows, intending on fulfilling his orders, even if he would prefer to simply behead the little whelp right there and then.