-The Other Path-
The idea for this fic was brewing in my head over Xmas break, where I was able to watch all the shows I've had on my list.
-Everything here is a one-shot or two chapters per storyline at most, unless I receive positive reviews asking me for more.
-Each chapter will be dedicated to Minato being raised by X person or organization, anime or wherever else they came from.
-The characters that had a hand in raising him won't be directly intervening, flashbacks and maybe cameos because what's important is how they've molded the MC to the person that he is.
-Chapter title will indicate what entity took him in after the 1999 car crash.
-Hellsing-
After the tragic death of his parents, Minato Arisato was taken in by the Kirijo Group for temporary care.
"..." the little boy looked up, seeing a girl around his age, perhaps older and waved at her.
"Hi," the girl said sweetly, "my name is Mitsuru Kirijo, my daddy is the big boss of this company, but don't be fooled by the eyepatch, he's a really nice guy at heart."
"That's enough Mitsuru," a man with an eyepatch groaned, "Mister Arisato here has suffered a terrible loss."
"Really," the redhead said with a shocked expression on her face, "does he need our help to find it, the thing that he lost?"
Patting his daughter's head, Takeharu Kirijo motioned for her to wait for him outside the office.
"I'm sorry about that," the man apologized, "she means well."
"I know," the boy replied.
"About what happened that night..." the President trailed off.
"I dunno," the bluenette looked sullen, "I remember the car crashing then blacking out soon after."
"I see," the adult pondered.
Suddenly, one of Kirijo's bodyguards burst thru the wooden doors.
"Sir," the man announced, "there are some people here for the boy."
"People?" Takeharu needed more than the vaguest of descriptions.
"My apologies," the body guard bowed, "they're from England, they call themselves-"
"The Hellsing Organization," a dark skinned blonde interrupted with a slight smirk on her face, "we've come as soon as we heard the news."
"How are you related to young Arisato-kun here?" the man gazed with his remaining eye.
"His parents worked with our organization," the woman answered, "it was stated in their will that should anything untoward happen to them, that he be placed in our care."
"Is that so?" Takeharu eyed the woman and her butler suspiciously.
"I see," the woman groaned before snapping her fingers, "Walter."
"Yes Sir Integra," the butler bowed in respect to the order.
"I understand your concerns," the blonde smiled, "but I assure you, all the paperwork is already in order."
"Here you go sir," the raven-haired butler handed the paperwork to the company president, "I do so hope that we can finish this business soon, Sir Integra has much to do back in the motherland."
"I've been looking into your organization," the president offered the woman one of his cigars, "I believe you've done the same with mine."
"Minato, please wait with Walter outside," the woman directed the boy to the butler.
The confused boy held on to the raven-haired butler, following the Englishman out of the conference room.
"Now...Takeharu-san?" the blonde struggled with her Japanese.
"It's alright Sir Integra, the time for formalities is done," the man faked a cough, "I'm aware you have a vampire under your command."
"!" the woman broke her usually stoic demeanor, "How did you-"
"Sir Integra," Takeharu puffed from his cigar, "while the Kirijo Group is not as experienced or old as your Organization, it does not seem wise for you underestimate possible opposition."
"Opposition?" the head of Hellsing scowled, "And for what reason would you be threatened by my vampire?"
"We've been keeping tabs since my father's run as president," the man replied.
"I see," the woman understood then and there what the intimidating corporate executive meant.
Takeharu's father had become obsessed with bringing about The Fall, the end of all life.
"This incident happened because my father took a group of like minded scientists to achieve his sick goal," the Kirijo Group head took a seat and took out the research notes his father had kept.
"Time travel?" Integra scoffed, "You must be joking."
"Nothing here is a joke," the man replied with graveness in his voice, "our men have yet to determine the long effects of the experiment, but we're working on it."
"Very well," the woman pocketed the research, "I'll be on my way then."
The meeting concluded, Integra and Walter were preparing to leave Japan, Minato said his goodbyes to the little redhaired girl who tried to cheer him up. It was the bluenette's first time on an airplane, his parents would go on trips and leave him with his grandfather, although the circumstances could have been better.
"Are you certain that you had nothing left in Japan?" the kindly gentleman asked politely.
"Nothing," the bluenette answered in his usual briefness.
"I'll run this by you now so that Walter and I can answer any questions you may have," Integra said with a scowl, not out of disrespect, but as the natural setting of her face, "you will be staying with us at the Hellsing manor."
"All your meals, clothing, education and personal finances will be taken care of," the butler continued with a smile, "by the generosity of the Queen and the Royal Treasury."
"The Queen?" the boy asked in awe, "Of England?"
"Yes," the blonde woman suppressed a chuckle, "of course we have some ground rules."
"There aren't any other children in the grounds," Walter began, "we've taken you in because your parents have done a lot of work for us, any trouble you might've been in otherwise would be our responsibility."
"You are to stay in your room," the blonde fixed her glasses, "of course at day you are free to explore the grounds."
"Except, of course," the raven haired man interrupted, "the basement."
"Okay," the bluenette agreed, "mom and dad didn't like me wandering off. What's wrong with the basement?"
"A lot of old things are being kept there," the butler said, pouring himself a fresh cup of tea, "we wouldn't want you breaking anything now would we?"
"I guess not," Minato understood.
After a short flight which felt like an eternity to the young lad, they were picked up by a fancy black car that proceeded to take them to the biggest house that the boy had ever seen. Walter then escorted the boy to a room that was furnished for a child his age, a comfortable bed, a television and clothes to his size, surprising since he had arrived just hours earlier.
"Mister Arisato," the butler addressed the boy politely, "if there is anything you need, please don't hesitate to ask the maids for assistance."
"Walter-san..." the boy spoke with what little English he knew, "will I see my parents again."
"..." the butler froze before he could leave the room, "I'm sorry, but I don't know, I wouldn't know, and if I could I would tell you, but I do not have the answer."
"Thank you," the bluenette said gratefully before taking his first rest in a foreign land.
-Meanwhile-
...Integra Fairbrook Wingates Hellsing, Head of Hellsing's Office...
There was a single person in the room, a bespectacled woman who took a fancy to smoking a cigar to keep her mind off of things. Eventually, she was joined by her butler who seemed rather distraught.
"Sir Integra..." the butler addressed his master.
"I know what you're thinking," the woman cut him off, "but you also know the answer to your own question don't you?"
"Knowing doesn't make it any easier," Walter countered, "it never does."
Suddenly, an unearthly presence entered the room. From the shadows, a figure in red walked out into the moonlight room.
"Those two knew what their choice would lead to," the man in red pointed at a photo of Minato's deceased parents, "they chose this path for him."
"Less he fall prey to their adversaries," the blonde woman held her hands just under her nose, "the world of information is fraught with such things after all."
"Well said sir," the butler smiled if only to lift the ache that scowling left him, "though I feel that this boy will see far more than he should very soon."
"Millenium?" the man in red raised an eyebrow, "they have been making more noise lately, haven't they?"
"We'll be meeting with Iscariot in a week's time," Integra stated, "tomorrow, our new security team should arrive."
"I'm looking forward to that," the man in red's voice echoed, "and meeting our new ward."
"Alucard," the woman set her cold gaze at the man, "do try your best not to traumatize the boy."
"As you wish my master," Alucard bowed before sinking back into the shadows.
-The next day-
The bluenette took the stern woman's words to heart and stayed in his room until the sun rose, he did have his first bout of jet lag after all. Minato then shifted his gaze to an antique clock and realized that he hadn't had anything for breakfast.
"So hungry..." the boy thought aloud, "I wonder if mom can..."
A sharp pain shot through his mind, "That's right...They're dead." the boy reminded himself. In silence, the now stoic child walked to the nearest maid, asking her where he could get some breakfast. The girl escorted him to a large dining room, but suddenly left in a hurry.
"Why'd she leave so fast?" Minato wondered, "There's a girl here."
Staring at the dining table, the Japanese boy saw a lavish spread, bread, smoked ham, sausages, omelets, fruits, vegetables, soup and just about any food one can imagine. At the edge of the table sat a blonde woman, fairly young, who seemed to be having difficulty on what to eat as she had barely touched the food on her plate.
"Ex-cuse me," the boy said in his accented English, "can I join you?"
"Hm?" the blonde shifted her gaze from her plate to the young lad, "Oh, er, of course."
Quietly, the boy took a few loaves of bread, buttered them and ate them in peace. Afterwards, he took a small serving of omelets and ate them with a few slices of ham. Looking up, the boy noticed that the girl was staring at him, as if in envy of something.
"Sorry," the boy apologized as he set his fork down, "I didn't mean to disturb you."
"No, not at all," the girl said sheepishly, "I'm just very busy, thinking about work and all."
"Oh," the bluenette replied plainly, his face expressing little to no emotion, "I'm Minato Arisato by the way."
"I'm Seras, Seras Victoria," the blonde introduced herself before heading to the basement.
"She didn't even touch her food," the boy said, looking at a nearly full plate of omelets and bread.
-Later that day-
The boy was not exactly adventurous, instead, he had taken up the exploration of the estate as a means of taking his mind off of...recent events. So far, Minato had been everywhere except the library, the basement, and Sir Integra's office. Since two out of three were off-limits, the boy decided to search the library, a good book could help him kill time.
*Creak*
The wooden doors that lead to the library were clearly aged, making sounds as they were pulled from their state of rest. The room itself was fairly large, around nine times more spacious than the bluenette's room. Looking around the room, it was obvious to the youth that the library was still well maintained by the staff of the manor.
"Where do I look for a nice book to read?" Minato thought to himself, "I don't even think I can reach the third row of the shelf."
"I recommend that you read the works of Tolkien," a deep voice boomed from the corner of the room, "good literature is so hard to find nowadays, soon, the children of the future will be fawning over pathetic vampire wannabes."
The boy was paralyzed at the sight of the man, it was so familiar, like the presence of the 'thing' on the night of the crash,so dark, so filled with evil.
"..." the boy covered his mouth, about to scream.
"What's wrong," the man in red raised an eyebrow at the child's reaction, "cat got your tongue?"
"What are you?" Minato asked, his instincts telling him to run as fast as he could.
"I see," the man scowled, not angry at the boy, but himself "Sir Integra calls me...Alucard."
"Alucard..." the boy filed the name in his 'Names to Run Away From' list.
Strangely, the man in red took a single book and laid it on the table before leaving the boy on his own.
"?" the bluenette kept his sights on the man until Alucard disappeared into the shadows.
Looking at the strange book that was left on the table, the young lad reached for it and opened the piece of literature as it was quite old, not even a title in its cover.
"The Lord of the Rings," the bluenette read, "maybe that man isn't as bad as I thought."
-Elsewhere, moments later-
Sir Integra Fairbrook Wingates Hellsing wasn't really much for sports, she learned fencing and shooting, but for self defense purposes due to the nature of her occupation. As such, the woman would stay in her office during the day to look over the bureaucratic headaches that managing her family's 'dark secret' often resulted in.
"Good afternoon," a deep voice said, coming out of nowhere, "my Master."
"What are you doing awake in the middle of the day?" Integra complained, "If it isn't obvious enough to you, I'm dealing with the damages that we suffered at the hands of those Valentine Brothers."
"How goes the search for our new security then?" the man in red asked.
"Since when is a vampire concerned with security?" the blonde raised an eyebrow.
"When the security in question is designated to keep his coffin intact," Alucard said matter-of-factly.
"I suppose that is acceptable," Integra sighed.
"Oh," the vampire snapped his fingers, "I've met our young guest."
"What did you do?" the woman said with a tone that made it clear that she was not pleased.
"I've given him a reading assignment," Alucard sighed, "Tolkien seemed appropriate."
"You know what I'm referring to," Integra fumed.
"Oh that," the vampire feigned ignorance, "I did nothing of the sort, my Master, the lad figured it out on his own."
"Really?" the woman said mockingly, "You expect me to believe that?"
"Since you returned from Japan," Alucard spoke, his glasses coming off to look his Master in the eyes, "I've been feeling something, and meeting him has only confirmed my suspicions."
"Is he a threat?" Integra asked, the conversation turning serious, the woman placed a paperweight over the documentation.
"That isn't the right question," the vampire removed his hat, removing some unsightly wrinkles, "it's how much of a threat he could become."
"Explain yourself vampire," the blonde did not have the liberty of immortality, time was precious.
"There are two options," Alucard gestured lifting his hand.
"Two?" the woman scowled, "I don't like the lack of options."
"One," the man in red grinned devilishly, "we keep him away from Japan, and allow whatever unholy existence to prevail like an annoying itch that never leaves."
"When you say itch," the blonde lit a cigar and puffed twice, "you're implying that there would still be a problem, if I'm not mistaken."
"Yes," Alucard answered, "people would probably fall ill and some may die."
"The second option?" the woman rested her head on her hand, struggling to take in the information of how a small boy could be the center of so much trouble.
"Two," the vampire's grin grew wider, "we allow him to go back, with two possible outcomes, cutting of this accursed tumor, or making it spread like a wildfire."
"The second would involve judicious use of violence wouldn't it?" Integra groaned.
"Yes, my Master," the man in red agreed, "so much, that the blood of his enemies shall flood the streets he chooses to walk in."
"Now may I ask how you know all this?" the head of the Organization huffed.
"The feeling I've been getting is quite nostalgic," the vampire's grin died down to a neutral expression, "you could say I haven't felt it since I was a man, a man on his last days, to be executed by his enemies."
"You don't mean..." the woman looked down, she hated when the monster would stop wearing the mask of immortality, when Alucard would reveal the tortured existence of a man pushed to the brink.
"Yes, the entity that made me into what I am today," the man's voice boomed in the small office, "that which made me a Nosferatu!"
-That Evening-
The bluenette could hardly get any sleep, it seemed that a rowdy bunch of men have found their way to the mansion. Opening the window, the boy was quite annoyed by the noise, he might as well listen in, it should be fine, he wasn't English after all.
*Creak*
The windows were just as old as the library door, well maintained by the staff, but there was a certain charmed to its age, still too noisy for the bluenette in the end.
"I wonder what they're talking about," the boy thought aloud.
The boy first heard a man with a French accent, accompanied by the laughter of what could possibly be a battalion. Later, the familiar voice of Sir Integra Hellsing seemed to be chiding the men. Next, a feminine voice, one Minato heard not too long ago, that of Seras Victoria, who was strangely followed by what could only be gunshots of some kind, and grown men seemingly cowering in fear.
Then...
His voice echoed in that room, the man in red who filled the boy with a fear in the library. The one who wasn't human. And everything fell silent.
"That's weird," Minato sighed as he turned his back on the window to reach the light switch, ready to turn in for the night.
"Didn't anyone tell you it's rude to eavesdrop?" the deep voice said unusually near, "And didn't Walter tell you to keep the windows closed a t night?"
"Gah," the boy fell on the floor in shock.
Alucard was standing outside the bedroom window, with no balcony that could possibly support him, his raven hair flowed in the night sky.
"Get used to it kid," the vampire scolded the youth, "your parents entrusted you to us to keep you safe, but they also knew that what we do would put you at risk, so imagine how much worse it could be had you been anywhere else."
Shaking at the sight of supernatural power, the boy kept his silence.
"..." the vampire sighed as he removed his glasses and looked the boy in the eyes, "Go to sleep now, child, you have a long Journey ahead of you."
With some psychic assistance, the bluenette was able to sleep peacefully that night.
-End Hellsing -