It had the makings of a perfect day; one of those picturesque mornings where the sky seemed too beautiful to be real. The sun's rays were driving away the darkness and creating a multitude of bright colors in the heavens. Dew was clinging to every blade of grass and the air was crisp. Even the sounds of the city seemed to quiet at such beauty.
"What a gorgeous dawn..." Integra mused quietly as she gazed out her bedroom window. For her, such beauty and calm atmosphere were rare occurrences.
She should have been sleeping, but as it often was, sleep eluded her. Too many thoughts, ideas and plans were racing through her mind to allow her to sleep. This problem never truly affected her; she would simply return to her office and pick up the latest piece of paper work. On this lovely morning, however, there was no paper work to be done. The demons of the world seemed to be taking a day off, something that seemed to be both a blessing and a curse for the young Hellsing.
Integra wondered what to do with her rare gift of 'free time'. She could spend the day reading in the library?... No, it held no appeal on a day like this. The shooting range? Ah, but it was simply too nice to stay inside... Then she realized what she wanted to do.
"It's been far too long," she said aloud as she slipped on a pair of running shoes.
After changing into a grey sweatshirt and matching sweat-pants, Integra Hellsing left the mansion. With a polite wave to the guards, she took off at quick walk. It was cool and quiet on the road just beyond the Hellsing manor. There was a couple jogging just ahead of her; they too were taking advantage of the lovely morning. Integra took a few moments to admire the trees and listen to the birds singing happily. How often had she ignored such frivolous joys? After admiring the scenery, Integra began to focus on a steady jogging rhythm and matched her breathing with her strides. Within minutes of leaving home, she had settled into a relaxed pace.
She was approaching a local park when the endorphin rush began. It had been ages since she had the time for running, but that did not detract from the bliss of an endorphin rush. It was like nothing she could describe; the odd waves of joy and pleasure that came with this type physical exertion. It made her feel invincible, confident, and fearless. This sensation multiplied her iron will and pride ten fold. It doubled her fortitude and self-possession; with this, she could conquer the world in the blink of an eye. She was lost in it, the odd feeling of power and indomitable strength. Before she knew it, Integra was reaching the end of the path she had chosen upon entering the park.
After taking a moment to ignore her inner cadence and admire the scenic pond in the center of the preserve, she considered jogging around the park a second time. Her concern for leaving the manor quickly masked the thought. As she was turning to the road that led home, she felt a presence approach. Without looking, she spoke between timed breaths.
"Alucard, is nothing in my life sacred?" Integra asked as the vampire came trotting up.
"Good morning, master. Enjoying the sights?" Alucard questioned in an almost cheery manor. With a quick glance, Integra noted his odd attire. No wide brimmed hat, no sunglass; he wore a plain black t-shirt, black cotton pants and...
"Nice shoes. Nikes?" to say she was amused by her servant's footwear would be a severe understatement.
"Correct. I'm not fond of modern shoes, but these seemed appropriate." Alucard answered nonchalantly.
Integra scoffed. Although the site of Alucard dressed as a mortal was entertaining, he had still interrupted her peaceful morning. She also, to her annoyance, noted that he had matched her strides.
"Do you need something?" she asked after a few minutes of silence.
"No, I simply wanted to join the...fun." Alucard responded.
"You consider this fun?" Integra chuckled at the irony.
"You seem to be enjoying yourself"
"I was until you came along," she said rather harshly. Perhaps a bit too harsh. She considered apologizing, but assumed that he was unaffected by her tone.
"What would you say to a race, master?" Alucard smirked. Her assumption had been correct.
"A race?" Integra found the idea derisive, "I'd hardly call it a fair one, if I agreed."
"I could make some exceptions. But if you don't think you can keep up with me..." Alucard provoked. Integra was going to ignore his challenge, but she was rather blissful thanks to the chemical rush, so she indulged him.
"How far?" she returned his smirk.
"Back to the manor: the gardens, specifically" he answered.
"And the conditions?" she raised a brow.
"I'll run as I did when I was human." Alucard seemed rather predatory for such a simple promise.
"And the winner gets?" Integra turned her head just enough to make eye contact with him.
"Bragging rights. And a reward of their choice?" he stated as he met her gaze.
She was going to ignore it, maybe chastise him for suggesting something so foolish. In her mind, she began to berate him "Of all the ridiculous ideas you--" but her thought ended abruptly and she broke into an electric sprint.
"You're on!" she shouted back to Alucard who, to her delight, had been caught off guard by her mental trick. Alucard let out a growl as Integra's strides lengthened and quickened far beyond what he assumed she was capable. He had underestimated her. Just a few meters ahead, Alucard heard Integra laugh breathlessly.
"Come, Count! You're not even trying!" she goaded him; something she quickly understood was a mistake. She had been sprinting meters ahead of him, her feet striking the pavement with lightening speed. Now, above the roar of wind and her own pulse, she heard his heavier strides quickly approaching. Within seconds, he was at her side again. Desperate times were calling for desperate measures. Integra reached towards Alucard and gave him a less than playful push.
"Cheat!" Alucard yelled above their crashing strides.
"You said nothing about me cheating!" Integra called in return.
When they had begun their race they had been just a kilometer away from the mansion. Now the front gates were appearing quickly in the distance. The gates guards seemed intrigued by what was speeding towards them. The soldiers looked to each other, to the fast approaching runners, then to the gate. Apparently not recognizing their administrator at such a distance (or speed), they did not open the barrier.
"The gates?!" Integra called to Alucard. With a wave of his hand, Alucard flung the gates of the mansion open, and the pair dashed past the confused guards.
Integra risked a glance at Alucard, who, to her amazement, was keeping his bargain. He wasn't using any supernatural ability (that she could see, she concluded), he even appeared to be breathing in large, steadied gasps. They sprinted up the gravel driveway, weaving between trees and bushes. The manor was in front of them now, with the gardens just a hundred meters away: the homestretch. Integra ignored breathing techniques and threw everything into her strides. Alucard did the same.
The gardens were visible now and the scent of roses was becoming thick. A lone ficus was the marker of the garden's entrance. Integra could practically see her victory, but then, to her horror, Alucard pulled ahead of her. With less than a meter between them, Alucard sprinted into the garden. Integra cursed as she came to a halt, taking in large breaths to slow her heart-rate. Alucard stood just meters from her, a victorious smirk plastered across his face. He allowed her to catch her breath before he spoke.
"I seem to have won." Alucard said matter-of-factly.
"So it seems." Integra responded, her pride just a bit bruised. "You were actually breathing?"
"It made for a rather difficult process, actually..." Alucard shrugged.
"What guarantee do I have that you didn't cheat?" Integra scrutinized.
"You have my word." Alucard replied. When Integra's eyes narrowed at his response, he grinned. "Who pushed whom?"
"Touché." She gave him a small smile before turning to go inside. "Congratulations."
"And what of my reward?" he called.
It was then she realized how foolish she had been, and she had only herself to blame. While she had taken his competition as another form of dominance play, he had been doing so much more than pressing his boundaries; and he had been rather clever. He had noted the chemical changes within her as she jogged, and he pounced when he knew she was too excited to deny his game. What was worse was that she had made a type of pact when she agreed to his scheme. Now he had won and he wanted his reward.
She had a faint idea as to what he would ask for.
"I'll have Walter bring you a packet of my blood." she announced. Again, she turned to go inside, but Alucard stopped her.
"No."
"No?" she was taken aback, to say the least.
"No...Unless it is directly from the source." Alucard fixed his gaze on her as he took a step closer.
"Never." Integra said sternly.
"Then I will chose another." he continued to walk forward. His sudden proximity made Integra ridged. At that moment, he seemed far too dangerous for such a short distance between them.
"You're close enough, Alucard. Now, what do you want?"
Once more, Alucard took a step forward. Another form of pressing boundaries, she determined. Or was it something else? Integra crouched down, preparing to draw a knife from an ankle holster she had concealed beneath her sweat-pants. Alucard stopped inches from Integra, just as her fingers wrapped around the hilt of the knife.
"No need for weapons, master." He purred. His statement brought her no comfort, so she drew the knife and placed the point of the weapon just beneath his chin.
"Back away, Alucard. You forget your place." Integra commanded as she pressed the dagger into the underside of his chin.
"Hardly, master. I simply want to claim my prize."
"Pray tell, what would your prize--?" But his movements had been too swift to counter.
Alucard placed two fingers beneath Integra's chin and tilted her face up to his. When his lips pressed against hers, she froze. Integra felt a jolt of surprise; his lips were soft and his kiss was feather light. He was far from the ravaging monster she had imagined (not that she spent time imagining such things). When her initial surprise dissipated, Integra felt something else pulling her. Everything she'd been taught told her to turn away, but something else was lingering at the back of her mind and it rooted her to the ground. Integra lowered the dagger from Alucard's chin. Slowly, her free hand rose and grabbed a fistful of his jet hair. Alucard looped an arm around her waist, growling into her mouth as he pulled her into his arms.
It ended as quickly as it had occurred. He had been holding her seconds before, but now Integra stood alone on the deck facing the gardens. She blinked, confused and furious with what had just transpired. How dare he take such liberties?...And how dare he leave them unfinished?
"It was a magnificent prize, master" Alucard's voice whispered in her ear, though physically he was nowhere to be seen.
For a moment, Integra wanted to scream at him, call him back to her side so she could ram the knife into his thick skull. However, she refused the urge, knowing that would bring him far too much pleasure. She glared out at the gardens before opening the door, which she slammed shut out of sheer fury.
A/N: I was inspired while I was jogging one day. First off, Integra strikes me as one of those people who can run non-stop for 27 hours and make it look easy. People like that drive me crazy! Whatever, Integra, I could elliptical your ass all over town!...Ahem, anywho...
I wanted to take this little one-shot in a different direction. There are a ton of fics that have these two going at it (in many ways immature snort) but I wanted to put them into an unusual situation. Of course, the dynamics between them had to stay the same: competition, struggle for control, Alucard pushing boundaries, etc, etc.
I wanted the basics to stay the same, but the situation to be out of the ordinary and original. I certainly hope that aspect came through while it stayed entertaining and remained a classic Hellsing 'battle for dominance'. Hope ya'll enjoyed it!