Hello everyone and welcome to my fanfiction! A couple of things I thought you should know before reading:
1. Alucard didn't take 30 years to return after the events of Hellsing Ultimate (Or the manga version- they're essentially the same)
2. The beginning is GOING to be weird, and you're going to be under the impression that this is going to be less than it actually is. Please power through this first chapter. The way they meet is a bit strange, but if you can get through this, you should be good.
3. I devour reviews. I could care less about favorites or follows because that just shows me someone just likes the story. I want you people to give me feedback! Every day I check the review portion of my stories, and it always excites me to see that someone new has commented.
4. When you see this thing: 0o0, that means there is a separation between scenes.
5. I don't do first person. If you've read everything else, you've noticed that it's all been third person. I don't intend for that to change.
6. If you mention anywhere I might have screwed up and were nice about criticizing me, I will love you forever.
Disclaimer: GUESS WHAT? I OWN HELLSING! Just kidding. I fooled you there, didn't I?
Angry Thieves and Mortal Vampires
Alucard remembered nothing as his red eyes gradually opened to take in the sight of a full, blood-moon silently staring down at him, stars bright and ever watchful. He breathed in the scent of crisp night air, stood up, and began to walk.
0o0
It was the night of her escape. The night the young fourteen year old girl would finally get the hell away from that wretched orphanage. The problem was, after taking a spare change of clothes, the two hundred dollars she had stored from her job working as a part-time babysitter, a sack of granola bars, chips, gummy worms, and about a gallon's worth of water bottles, she was a magnet for thievery.
Her bus stopped by a gas station and took off. The next one wouldn't come for about an hour or so. Jenny decided to sleep on the bench until then.
Wrapping her thick coat around herself to ward off the cold December air, it was exactly what she did. That was until she was jerked awake and a gun was pointed to her temple with a strange man standing in front of her. She couldn't scream. He cocked the gun.
"Give me every dollar you have in that cute little pink backpack and you'll live," the man said in a gruff voice. She could see his eyes, cold and unyielding.
Slowly, she got up and observed him. She was resting on her elbows, still lying down. The man was standing next to her leg. So, after waiting a moment to assess her situation, she curtly whipped her leg over and kicked the man square in his balls.
The gun fired off right next to her head. Pale, but wasting no time getting up and running, she made her way into the thick forest ahead of her that lay just behind the gas station.
The man rose after about thirty seconds clutching his sore area and gave chase.
And so, that brought Jenny to the ever so cliché scenario of running through the woods with a crazed, gun-wielding maniac with sore testicles tromping after her.
She prided herself on her ability to run. Before being stuck in that awful orphanage, she was a part of her middle school's cross-country team. But after about an hour of running through the forest, she was beginning to tire, while the man behind her was beginning to get closer and closer. She could hear him moving after her.
You know, I actually, for a split second, though that kicking the fully grown man with a gun pointed to my temple in the balls was a good idea.
And it was just as she was reflecting on what had done that she suddenly rammed face-first into a soft tree. But when she managed to come back to her senses, she realized it wasn't a tree, but a very tall man. He must be very good at basketball, she thought.
The first thing she noticed was the way he was dressed. It wasn't every day that someone like him was wandering around the middle of the forest so late at night with nothing around but the trees, but it was even stranger that he was wearing what he was. A red coat sat over a charcoal-black suit and black leather riding pants and boots. A red, intricately designed cravat was tied around his neck, and he wore a floppy, wide-brimmed fedora. Orange goggle-glasses sat atop his pale nose, and an angry scowl complete with pointed fangs struck fear deep into her heart. She heard her assailant approaching behind her.
Choosing the lesser of two evils, she swiftly got up and moved behind him, leaving him to deal with the man with the gun. "He's trying to kill me!" was all Jenny said as she watched the man emerge.
The man paused and groaned, panting at the sight of the new company. "Shit," he cursed, pointing his gun at the man in red. "Give me the girl," he growled.
The man wearing red didn't seem afraid as he lifted his head, turning from the girl. "What an odd night this is," he remarked, stepping forward. He smirked, his large fangs glistening under the red moon. "Go on, shoot me."
The thief didn't pause as he unloaded half his clip into the man. "Dumbass," the thief scoffed as he turned to her.
Jenny stared at the ground as blood splattered everywhere, some splashing on her face. She had seen people die on television, but watching it right before her eyes was a scarring thing. She kept trying to look away, trying to run, but she couldn't move. She just couldn't believe it had happened, and to a complete stranger!
"Now die," the man said, moving the gun towards her. And then, the strangest thing happened. The blood that had leaked onto the ground and splattered over her face, began to stream slowly towards the body. Both the thief and girl could only watch as the bullet wounds in the man slowly started to heal, with all the blood flowing back through the holes.
A dark laugh started to sound from the man as he slowly got on his feet, glasses having fallen off his face. Red eyes gleamed bright and full of bloodlust as he stared at the man. "Normally, I'm in charge of silencing members of the undead. But I suppose due to the circumstances, I can make do with killing a human. After all, Integra isn't around to order otherwise," he growled.
The man kept unloading his clip into the man- or monster- that stood before him. Only this time, the… thing did not fall back, or even flinch. No, this time, the thing moved with speed that Jenny didn't quite catch and suddenly, her thief had a large arm impaled straight through his chest. And that was when she witnessed her first real death. Because despite what the thing in red had done when shot, she didn't think her thief was not a human.
She stood there in silence, staring at the crumpled body. The tall thing slowly turned around to look her over carefully, as if judging what his next action should be. Its eyes blazed brightly, as if they were little flames all their own. His lips were pressed together. He looked so much more sober than when he delightfully murdered the thief. Now he just seemed to be intently watching her.
Jenny's knees were practically knocking together as it stared at her without moving. She felt as if his eyes were holding her soul captive, and she lost all ability to run.
"What are you?" she whispered, taking a step back.
A slow smile spread its way across his cheeks, revealing his sharp fangs, which were not only his two top canines as most vampires were portrayed but all of his teeth. "A vampire. A monster. The No-Life King. Whatever you want to call me." He spoke with the most authority Jenny had ever heard. It was as deep as a growl, but even enough to form comprehensible words. The vampire took no step toward her, and gave no indication he had any intention of harming her. Still, she had to be certain of something.
"Are you going to eat me?" It was a simple question, but it had to be asked. She finally regained some feeling in her legs, and though she was certain that she could not possibly outrun him, she was certainly going to try if he gave her the wrong answer.
The vampire chuckled darkly. "No, but I can't say the same for the idiot I shot."
Jenny shuddered and took several steps back, keeping her eyes trained on him as she began to make her escape into the forest. She really didn't want to be around to watch him eat the thief. In fact, she didn't want to be in his presence at all. The vampire held out his hand and took a step forward, the maniacal grin on his face having vanished into something akin to worry. "No, wait," he said, and for whatever reason, she waited, just as he asked. She stood there in silence, waiting for him to say something. He sighed. "I've found myself in a bit of a predicament. And while I hate to ask the assistance of a child, you're the only live human around here that can help me."
"What can I possibly help you with?" she asked angrily, eyeing the vampire's soon-to-be food.
He seemed to hesitate, taking in her appearance with critical red orbs. He reminded her, oddly enough in that moment, of an old group of supposed "friends" she managed to claim back at the orphanage. As if she were a piece of gum stuck to the bottom of his gigantic boot.
"Tell me where I am, point me in the direction of the nearest street, and keep your mouth shut about my existence, or else I really will have to come back and kill you. Not that anyone will believe a runaway," he added with a smirk, and Jenny seethed.
"And if I don't?" she asked, already knowing the answer but being too angry to care.
He turned his nose down at her and looked amused. "Oh but why wouldn't you?" The question caught her off-guard. He continued. "The fact is, you owe me a debt for saving- and sparing- your life. The very least you could do is give me what I want."
Jenny narrowed her eyes and sighed. At least he wouldn't kill her. He was being fair enough. "Sorry," she mumbled through gritted teeth.
The vampire chuckled, crossed his arms, and casually leaned on the side of a tree. "Now, where am I?"
"You're in Texas; Houston to be specific."
He narrowed his eyes. It was impossible. There was no way that they could be in Texas, all the way across such a distance in such a short period of time. There was no way. "Are you lying to me?" his voice was laced with danger.
Jenny frowned. "No, why would you think I was?"
"Because the last place I remember staying in is London, England."
There was a long pause.
"Well, that sucks," was her empathetic reply.
The vampire pinched the bridge of his nose. He believed the girl after she told him his location, but he still had no idea how he managed to get so far away, and to Texas, no less. Why on Earth had he ended up all the way across the pond? "Get me directions to the nearest street and I'll find some sort of way out of this country."
Jenny tilted her head. "I honestly have no idea. I got kind of lost running from the murderer."
The vampire growled in irritation and clenched his fists. "Damn it!" he cursed. He ground his fangs, making a very unpleasant sound for the girl, as he thought about what he could do. He was stuck in a country he knew very little about and no idea how to get home. The only way he could manage to get out would be by a boat, as the airports obviously wouldn't let him on. He carried guns, had no money to pay for tickets, and couldn't manipulate that many people into letting him fly.
The only way would be by boat, and he had no idea the names of the east coast cities. He had lived a long life, but hadn't paid much attention to America. Suddenly, his interest in geography was piqued again. Unfortunately, it was a bit late to study up.
Jenny looked at him sympathetically, even though she was even more afraid of him because she was certain she had made him angry. "So you have no idea how you ended up here?"
"No," he answered tersely.
She seemed to debate something within herself before she turned around. "After you're done with the thief, I'll… I'll see what I can do to help you out."
The vampire eyed her suspiciously. "What's in it for you?"
She gave him a mischievous look over her shoulder, green eyes twinkling in the blood red light of the full moon. "I've wanted to visit England all my life, and you're my ticket out. If you form a sort of truce with me, I'll be your guide out of here." Here she turned around and stuck out her hand, a determined look on her face. "My name's Jenny."
He eyed her pale little hand for the longest time before deciding to accept it. "Alucard," he said hesitantly. It wasn't every day he needed an ally, much less a little girl.
She nodded in approval and turned around. "I'll walk ahead for a few feet and wait up behind that tree. I don't want to watch what you're going to do, but I suggest you do it fast before it all leaks out on the ground. I don't want you biting me."
Alucard snorted indignantly and watched her retreating form. What a strange human. Once she couldn't see him, he turned back to the body he had shot that had already begun to chill in the cold air. He unhinged his jaw. The vampire really was hungry.
When he rejoined her, she seemed a little awkward as to how to act. He wasn't going to bite her, but the fact she was travelling around with a vampire in the middle of the night put her nerves on edge. Luckily, she decided to ask him questions.
"Soooo… do you sparkle?"
Alucard gave her a sideways smirk. "Ah, yes. Did I mention I only feast upon wildlife? And that I have a beautiful but rather expressionless girlfriend? What about the fact I secretly have the hots for a wolf-puppy-man who has some sort of fetish for not wearing any shirts?"
Jenny snickered. "I'll take that as a no. And although I hate Twilight, I'm certain the Edward is not secretly gay for Jacob. They hate each other's guts. All right, does garlic or sunlight burn you? Does crucifixes and holy stuff work? What about wooden stakes or salt?"
Alucard arched an eyebrow. "Planning on killing me, are you?"
Her eyes widened and she took a step to the side awkwardly. "Pshhht… noooo... Maybe planning out a little self-defense in case you decide to go crazy and drink my blood or turn on me and kill me."
He laughed. "Though you don't know me, you should know that I keep my word. I may be a monster, but I consider myself an honorable one."
"Uh-huh."
"Furthermore, you wouldn't be able to kill me with any of those things. Salt is for demons, not vampires, and I don't even think that would do anything against one anyways."
"So… what would hold you back?"
He stopped walking and turned to face her, casting a tall shadow over her small form. His blood red eyes glinted behind the glasses he must have picked up after drinking from the thief. He smirked, and those razor-sharp fangs gleamed back at her. "That's just it. There would be nothing you could do if I decided to have a little snack. Are you certain you want to continue travelling with me? Wouldn't it be better to turn your back on me, and walk on alone, wondering for the rest of your life whether or not I was a simple illusion, a dream like the monster under your bed or the boogeyman?"
Jenny took a shuddering breath and looked him in the eye. In that moment, it felt as if she were looking into his soul, as if he were allowing her access to the darkest recesses within his person. It was always her superpower, in a sense, her ability to see into people. What she saw when she looked within him was a being who could kill without hesitation, a human weapon. He enjoyed fear, terror, and bloodshed. He lived to hear the pained screams of his victims. His soul was the darkest black she had ever seen, as if she were staring deep into a bottomless abyss. And she knew, as the famous quote said, that abyss was in turn staring deep into her. But she didn't mind. It was the reason she wore her heart on her sleeve. She exposed her soul to everyone and anyone, no matter who was looking in. The difference was, she could tell that he didn't.
Because behind that darkness was a small light. It was so small that she almost didn't see it, but upon further inspection, there it was. A shred of humanity. A dash of pain and sadness. He wasn't afraid of anything. He didn't fear his own loss because it was the thing he wanted most. There was a yearning in those eyes, but for what she knew not.
She shut her eyes for several moments, removing her thick-rimmed glasses to rub away the fatigue. "Yes. I am certain," she said, replacing her spectacles. Though she didn't know why, she knew that she had some sort of connection with the vampire. She knew she had to keep going.
His crimson orbs narrowed and he leaned in so that they were face to face. He inspected her carefully, almost seeming angry with her by the way his eyes were narrowed. But then he pulled away, his face melted away to acceptance. He gave her a nod. "Then, if you're aware of the danger, if you're either brave or foolish enough to, I will allow you to travel with me to London. But after that, you'll have to find your own way. It was your choice to follow me, and I won't be held responsible for you when I get back or if you get hurt."
Jenny scoffed and looked behind her. Up ahead was a long, long road. A breeze rustled the leaves around her, and though it was cold, she drew a breath of the air just to feel alive. The danger made her heart race. The freedom that rode on that wind made her feel light. Everything around her was suddenly real, the brevity of the situation finally made contact with her brain, and she shut her eyes against the night. This was the point in time she could make her decision. She could call it all off and tell the vampire, Alucard, that she didn't want to continue. That she would return to her orphanage. That she would continue to lead on with her normal life.
No.
She turned back around, straightened her back, lifted her chin, and walked on into the dark night.
0o0
"Alucard?" the young girl asked after thirty minutes of walking. They had emerged on the side of the road, and the vampire was still walking. He ignored her and continued on. "Alucard," she called again, but he still didn't turn. She knew he heard her. Vampires, no matter what version one observed, had amazing hearing. And she was speaking loud enough for a half-deaf geezer to understand her. Jenny snorted and eyed the hat resting on his head. A mischievous grin plastered on her face as she thought up an idea.
Jumping up, she was about to grab that ridiculous fedora off his head, but just as she was in the air, she found herself incapable of moving. A hand had grabbed the back of her shirt and the offending arm that was about to steal his clothes. She was lifted up to his glaring eyes and she gave him a happy smile. "Yay! You finally acknowledged me!"
The vampire rolled his eyes and let her drop to the ground. She moaned as her bottom landed for the second time that night rather unceremoniously on the ground. "That's going to hurt in the morning. What is it with you and giving me a bruised butt?" She leaned over and grabbed her fallen spectacles, wiping them on her shirt and replacing them on the bridge of her nose.
"What is it with you and your incessant badgering?" he bit back, moving forward, not even bothering to help her.
Jenny 'hmph'ed and got up herself. "Well we did just meet a few minutes ago. Besides the ways to kill you, which apparently there aren't any, what else is there about you? Who was that Integra-chick you mentioned earlier? Where do you work? How old are you?"
Alucard stopped moving. He looked at the horizon before him. In a few hours, the sun would rise. And while he was accustomed to sleeping at day and travelling at night, the girl wasn't. She was practically dead on her feet, and she dragged on behind him, determined to keep going. He wasn't going to carry her dead weight if she needed to sleep. He assumed this was her way of keeping awake, her amusement with talking with him. But he wasn't ready to tell a stranger that information. She didn't deserve it, not yet anyways. "Integra is my current keeper. That is why I am so obligated to return, to obey my Master. And as far as my past goes… you don't need to know that yet. And I am neither old nor am I young."
Jenny kicked a rock at him, which tapped his boot. He wondered if she was ever going to mature. "All right, then what do you do? For your master, I mean."
Alucard kept moving. "I hunt other vampires and their ghouls."
"What are ghouls?"
He laughed. Jenny could see his broad shoulders shaking as he walked. "Ghouls are the minions of a vampire. When a vampire bites a human, there are two things that have to meet the criteria for that human to become one of us: the first being their virginity, and the second being that the human that has been bitten is a member of the opposite sex. Technically, if I so chose, I could make you into a vampire, though I find the idea repulsive."
"Gee, thanks," Jenny said sarcastically, trudging even slower. Her long black bangs covered both her eyes, and she kept her head drooping, her shoulders sagging. If Alucard didn't know any better, he would say she looked just like any other ghoul he killed.
"Don't mention it. Vampirism is unfit for a child."
"Yeah, except I'm a teenager. And I'm sorry you think I'm repulsive."
"I never said that. I said the idea that a little one like you turning into a monster was repulsive." She lifted her head a little. He turned his head to look at her. "Of course, I also find you quite repulsive as well," he said with a smirk.
"Stuff it," she said with an angry glare, kicking another rock at him. He laughed again. She rolled her eyes. "What makes you so powerful that you can hunt other vampires?" It was a sudden question that was met with a sudden silence, though not an uncomfortable one. Alucard seemed to be contemplating his next answer.
"Well, all my life I've been met with adversity. So when I turned into a vampire, I was nearly unstoppable." He didn't leave in the fact that although he was a powerful vampire on his own, that the seals the Hellsing family placed on him worked to make him the true king of the undead.
"You said "nearly unstoppable.""
"There are no immortals," he said blatantly.
"So you lied to me."
"I said there was nothing you could do to stop me. But if there were a strong enough human, then I would die by their hands gladly. But sadly, there were only two humans that would ever have been able to kill me."
Jenny's interest was sparked. "What happened to them?"
Alucard looked angrily down to the human who strode behind him. The fury wasn't directed at her, however. "One decided that I was too difficult to conquer on his own, and forsook his own soul in an attempt to kill me. After becoming a monster himself, as I had said many times before, "Only a human can kill a monster." I decided not to lay down for him, and silenced him just like any other beast: without any restraint. The other… well, maybe I'll tell you about the other one later on."
"You were going to let him kill you before you fought? But that doesn't make sense! Why would you want to die? Why would you let that human kill you when you didn't let others? And if you wanted to die, and it was that easy to let someone kill you, wouldn't you want to go the quickest route and let some weakling or even a monster kill you than to wait for so long for a human strong enough to do it?"
She was an intelligent child, he mused, though she didn't show it behind her façade of immaturity. "Because, Little One, if I am to die, it will inevitably be a human who shall strike the final blow. It is the way of the world. There is no monster I am willing to lay down my life for, and if I am to die by a human, it will be a human with a will of titanium and unmatched strength. One who will not give up until they have my head on a silver platter. And as far as my wish for death," here he turned around and looked her in her tired eyes rimmed with dark circles. "Every monster desires a release."
"Yeah, well, I think it's stupid. You became a vampire because that was what you wanted: power and immortality. You obviously enjoy bloodshed, so why would you want it to end? You have everything you could ever want."
He took off his glasses and gazed at her solemnly. "Do you really think, after such a long life of having to live down what I have had to go through, that I would want to continue suffering with the choices I've made? There will one day be a worthy and valiant human that will slay me, and I will rest in peace with the knowledge that a human was capable of it. Until then I shall live on and serve my master, but I will not enjoy it. No, life is no longer something I am capable of enjoying."
They continued walking on in silence for a few more minutes until the girl broke the silence again. "So… you mentioned ghouls earlier," she said. He arched an eyebrow. "How do you kill those- if I ever encounter them?"
"You render their brains and hearts inoperable. Usually by shooting them."
"Ah," came her unusually short reply. Alucard turned to look at her.
He sighed when he saw the state of her physical appearance. The girl looked ragged and tired. Dark circles rimmed her eyes, her skin was pale, and her ears and nose were red from the cold chill of the night air. It suddenly occurred to him that she would have found a place to rest by then, and that she was keeping up out of her own willpower, trying to match his long strides. She was far shorter than he was, and she had to work harder to travel distances. She was a child.
Turning around, he quickly lifted her up into his arms. Jenny gasped at the sudden change in altitude. Before she could protest, he frowned at her. "I'm only doing this because you're my guide around this filthy country. So get some sleep, human, and I'll wake you when necessary."
Jenny groaned and tucked her head into his shoulder. "Such kindness. However can I thank you?" she asked sarcastically.
"By shutting up."
"Amen."
Don't you just love their relationship? Ah, this came about with a rocky start, but hopefully everything after this should be cool.
Alucard: You stuck me with a midget.
Jenny: I'm not a midget! I'm a teenager! *Huffs* Maybe if you weren't so freakishly tall...
Alucard: Maybe I'm only slightly above the average height for humans and you've been living in a town of little people.
Jenny: Yeah, and maybe a snowball can sit comfortably in Hell!
Alucard: As I recall, there is a level of Hell which is particularly frozen. There is most likely a snowball somewhere in that icy tundra.
Jenny: That's a theory in Dante's Inferno.
Alucard: Can you prove to me that Hell is hot?
Jenny: Can you prove to me that it's cold?
Alucard: Maybe you should have used a different example.
Jenny: Maybe you shouldn't be such a smartass!
Alucard: But I am smart. And an ass.
Yeah... hopefully it will cool down...