I don't own Vampire Hunter D, the carbuncle/parasite/hand, Alucard, Walter, Integra, Seras, or anybody else from the Vampire Hunter D series or the Hellsing series. Darn.

There's foul language in here. You've been warned. So don't shoot me.

Immortal Blood: Present & Future

Chapter 1

A man rode into a small town. His attire was rather plain and was as black as his hair: a wide-brimmed traveler's hat, well-worn long coat, form-fitting shirt and pants, and a scuffed pair of boots. The regularity of the man ended there. A sheathed longsword limned an elegant arc at his back, and a combat utility belt was about his waist. A deep blue pendant hung at his chest, eerily bright in the darkening twilight. He had a powerful frame that sat straight upon the black cyborg horse that was his steed. And perhaps his most notable characteristic was his gorgeous face.

His clear dark eyes held no trace of emotion.

Having disappeared into shops and houses as he passed, the people of the town reappeared with weapons in their grasps and fear in their hearts. They followed him at a respectable distance. The horse came to a halt at the front steps of the mayor's home. Anxiety emanating from the growing crowd, the townsfolk formed a circle about the man and the house. The door swung open as the mayor stepped outdoors, a grim expression upon his face. He stopped at the edge of the porch, still below eye-level of the rider. "Well, Vampire Hunter. How goes your job?" he asked, his deep voice flecked with scorn he felt too powerfully to hide.

"It's finished," murmured the Hunter, his voice low and laced with rust.

"Already?" The mayor's expression of surprise quickly became one of suspicion. "What proof do you have?"

The Hunter's face remained as emotionless as ever as he plucked a bloody mass from a bag tied to the saddle. Those townsfolk who could see what it was gasped in horrified shock at the fanged countenance that twisted above the severed neck, covered in gore.

The mayor pulled back in disgust. "What the hell were you thinking, bringing that thing here? I suppose I should've expected no less from a dhampir." He spoke the last word as though it were a curse.

Angry muttering began to fill the crowd.

The mayor reached into his pocket and removed a small bag that he tossed to the Hunter with a chink. The latter gazed calmly down at him. "This isn't the agreed amount," he murmured.

A hard look came to the mayor's eyes. "You're lucky we even hired you, dhampir!" he spat. "Now take it and get out of town!"

The cheated Vampire Hunter continued to gaze calmly at the mayor before lightly tapping the horse with his heels. However, the cyborg took only a few steps before defensive townspeople barred the way.

"Don't go deeper into our town, dhampir! We care about our families, go back the way you came and go around!" yelled what looked like a shopkeeper.

"Fuck that!" yelled an enraged voice in return, heard only by those nearest to the rider. The identity of the speaker was known only to itself and the Hunter.

The unwelcome man guided the horse back to where he'd entered the town in the first place, followed always by the mob that had hired him. At one point, a man in his early twenties brought back his arm to throw a stone but lowered it, icy fear filling his eyes at the Hunter's glance.

At the edge of town, the Vampire Hunter's horse came to a sudden stop.

"Keep going, you bastard!" cried a woman.

"Fuck off!" yelled the enraged voice from before.

"Get the hell out of town!" shrieked a boy in his early teens.

The mayor had managed to get to the front of the crowd within the protective circle of five beefy men. "Get out of my town," he said in a quieter but threatening tone. Four of the men pulled out stakes while the fifth fished something out of a bag. And yet the Hunter held his ground. A dark expression came over the mayor's face. "You give me no choice, dhampir!" he growled as the fifth man shook something in the air.

A candle.

There was a strange sensation, as if night had suddenly become a hot day, and the crowd pulled back in confusion.

The Vampire Hunter gasped sharply. An expression of agony marred his features.

"What the hell!" cried the same voice from before. "The bastards're using Time-Bewitching Incense! The fuckers, you just saved their asses, and they go and pull this shit?"

Time-Bewitching Incense had been created as an attempt to counteract a vampire's need to sleep during the day. It could be used to convince the body it was night, and thus it would be fine. However, the Incense could be used for the opposite, making a vampire feel as though it was in sunlight, causing intense pain. The result for a dhampir was milder but still effective.

"Either get your ass out of town or be staked, half-breed! What'll it be?" yelled the mayor.

The Hunter had already slammed his heels into the horse's sides, curled over its back in pain. He wasn't prepared for the cyborg rearing in fear and was thrown to the ground.

"The beasts, the dimension-ripping beasts!" screamed the voice, terrified.

One of the many strange and horrible things created through biological engineering, dimension-ripping beasts could do just that: rip holes in dimensions. This was useful for sending away danger or bringing prey closer.

The horse disappeared and reappeared simultaneously some yards away.

Dimension-ripping beasts had converged on the area, and their mysterious abilty now came into play as they chose the prey and the predator.

The last the townsfolk saw of the Vampire Hunter was his pained face smoothing back to calm, and then he was gone.

ooo

Places and times flashed about the Vampire Hunter as other dimensions overlapped with the tear.

He found himself high above a cityscape.

"Shit!" yelled the strange voice as the Hunter plumeted downward.

He gazed calmly down at the roof that was racing up to meet him.

The Vampire hunter slammed through a skylight and the top four floors.

City life continued on, oblivious to the strange occurance.

ooo

The many-eyed hellhound had been tearing into the vampire's throat when something crashed through the ceiling and floor with incredible force. The wounded vampire was still staring in confusion as a gloved hand rammed through its heart. And instead of the hellhound, a black-haired man clad in red stared in consternation as more of the floor crumbled and fell through the hole. He stepped to the edge and gazed at the rubble that lay a few floors down.

He grimaced.

They'd probably blame it on him.

ooo

The Vampire Hunter groaned. He felt numb. "You okay?" he asked gruffly.

There was no answer.

He tried to look to his left, but his head was pinned. As was the rest of him. He cleared his throat. "Are you alright?"

The voice he'd gotten so used to was not to be heard.

"Damn," he muttered. The scent of his own blood filled his nostrils. He focused on his body. It felt to him as though he was stomach down, and there was pain everywhere. Everywhere but his left arm, that is. "Damn!" he snarled vehemently. He shoved upward with his back and shoulders with all the strength he could manage. Concrete, steel, and glass crashed down about him. He was continuing to work his way up when a bloody hunk of flesh fell into view. Anger boiled over as he grabbed his unattatched left arm and shoved his shoulders upwards with a violent snarl. The Hunter's beauty was gone when he clawed free of the rubble. In its place was the visage of what was normally his prey: a vampire.

"What's your outlook on human blood?" asked someone the Hunter hadn't noticed.

He turned his red-tinged eyes toward the speaker and paused, struggling with the urges within him. "Wh...what?" he managed.

It was a man dressed almost completely in vermilion. He too wore a wide-brimmed hat, although of a different style than the Hunter's. A pair of orange-red glasses loosely covered his eyes. The man's white gloves contrasted sharply, with strange symbols across the backs. His clothing looked like a combination between the Hunter's own outfit and that of someone heading to a dressy ball, or even a classic vampire. In fact...

"What's your outlook on human blood?" repeated the red-clad figure.

The Vampire Hunter was shaking. He held his left arm in place, although he was unsure of his healing abilities at the moment. He wanted to check his left palm, but he couldn't continue to hold his arm and turn his wrist at the same time. His anger had faded to confusion. He looked back up at the man. "What do you mean?" he asked the stranger. He focused on calming himself, and slowly the white fangs that had appeared with his anger shrunk down to the size of regular, if rather pointed, human canines. He closed his eyes and shuddered, and when he opened them again they had returned to their dark coloration. He stared at his arm in concern and tried to move a finger. It twitched. He sighed in relief and realized the stranger was still watching him.

"You're a vampire as well." It wasn't a question. "Do you enjoy draining human throats?"

"I wouldn't know." The Hunter's voice was hard and cold.

The vampire tilted his head and smiled. His fangs were much in evidence. "You deny your blood?"

The Hunter said nothing.

The vampire studied him for another moment before giving a slight nod. "I think you should meet my master."

The Hunter stared at him in silence. Then he looked back at his arm and carefully took his right hand away. The arm held. He sighed quietly. His raised his eyes toward the vampire, who hadn't moved. "Your master?"

"You seem surprised." The vampire grinned. "I'd prefer her as a master in comparison to most other humans I've met... You know what? I think you're part human. There's something just too human about you. It would explain a lot. One human parent, one vampire. Now that's a union I've never seen before."

The Hunter's right hand was balled into a fist, the knuckles white.

The vampire saw his reaction. "For someone in your position, you're pretty biased against vampires."

"It's probably a side-effect of my occupation. I'm a Vampire Hunter," murmured the Hunter with narrowed eyes.

Surprise flickered on the vampire's face, and then he grinned toothily. "What d'you know, we have the same profession. Allow me to introduce myself. I'm Alucard, of the Hellsing Agency."

The faint crease of the Hunter's brow revealed his own surprise. He said one thing. "D."

Alucard raised an eyebrow. "Short and sweet. And easy to remember."

The Hunter was silent.

"So, I believe my master's wondering what the hell's going on by now. Ready for a meeting?"

"I have to grab something first." The Hunter strode smoothly over the unbalanced mound to a black thing protruding from the rubble. He withdrew the sword from the scabbard that was sticking up, his gaze traveling along the curving blade. Apparently satisfied, he sheathed it and pulled its dusty housing from the pile. His expression didn't change as he noted the sliced material that had kept the scabbard to his back, damage that had most likely been caused by the metal that had neatly removed his arm.

"Say, D, have you had your arm cut off before?" asked Alucard conversationally.

"It's not a new experience." D turned his left wrist experimentally, then more vigorously. He repeated the process with his elbow by bending it, then raised his arm and looked at the place where the dismemberment had occured.

There wasn't even a mark.

"Huh. I've known vampires who can't even do that."

D raised an eyebrow.

Alucard smiled.

"Hellsing Agency?" asked D, the faintest twinge of curiousity coloring his voice.

"You've never heard of it?" Alucard asked mildly.

"Can't say that I have," D murmured.

"The Order of Royal Protestant Knights. Personally, I think 'Hellsing Agency' has a nicer ring to it."

The Hunter's eyes widened slightly. "Late twentieth century?"

Alucard stared at him. "I was meaning to ask you how you ended up falling through the roof. You'd have to be pretty far up to go through all those floors," he murmured. "What century were you expecting?"

D stared back. "One-hundred twenty-first."

Alucard raised an eyebrow. "...Uh-huh. You're pretty damn creepy, you know that?"

"So I've guessed," D muttered. He lifted his left hand and gazed at the palm. He tapped it.

Alucard stared.

D grimaced. "You happen to have any dirt around?"

"Dirt's on the menu, is it? Glad I'm not a half-vampire," said Alucard innocently.

D scowled slightly. "It's not for me to eat. And since when was blood any better?"

"Touché," the vampire said with a grin. "Is it alright if it takes awhile? My master won't appreciate the wait."

"She sounds impatient," murmured D.

"She's human."

Alucard led the way through the damaged building, down the stairwell encrusted with bodily fluids, and out into the glare of a spotlight. Five blasts rang out, and the vampire's arm, extended in front of D's chest, intercepted four. The other slammed into the palm of the Hunter's left hand...and remained jutting outward, not a single drop of the half-vampire's blood having been spilled. The round fell to the pavement with a clink.

Alucard turned sideways, to stare at D. "Neat little trick you've got there."

"I had help," the Hunter murmured, glancing at his palm in concern before returning his gaze to the armed men who stared in consternation at himself and the shooter.

"What the hell were you trying to do!" yelled what appeared to be a high-rank officer at a fearful man in uniform. "You could've killed him! He's on our side!"

"I'm...sorry sir, I...I thought the other was coming up on him by surprise...," stuttered the man. He had his weapon pointed at the ground, avoiding any more chances of injuring an ally.

"So much like the police girl," muttered Alucard.

D spared him the minutest of glances.

"Alucard!"

The Hunter studied the stern-looking woman who approached the pair quickly.

"What the hell happened?" Irritation was evident in her voice. Her eyes flicked to D. "And who's your friend?"

"Sir Integra Hellsing, Vampire Hunter D. D, this is my master."

"It's a pleasure." If so, her voice didn't show it.

D nodded.

"Vampire hunter?"

D nodded once again.

Integra Hellsing turned to Alucard. "You still haven't told me what happened."

"Well, it went like this. I was fighting the vampire and was going in for the kill when D here fell from the sky, crashed through the skylight, and ended up a couple floors below mine. I finished off the target and went down to investigate. He was what I found. I spoke with him to determine whether or not he was a danger, and here we are." Alucard held open his arms with a grin to demonstrate.

The Hunter's eyes flitted to the vampire with a hint of consternation. The conversation hadn't been much of a safety check.

The head of the Hellsing Agency seemed to share his opinion. "Alucard, are you suggesting he become a part of the agency, because if so we'll need more than just a round of twenty questions."

The vampire grimaced. "I don't think you'll find anything of his background."

D stared at him in surprise. How could he believe his story? It hadn't been a story anyway, just a mention of time.

"I don't think you're the kind of person to lie," added Alucard dryly.

Integra Hellsing raised an eyebrow. "Is he human? If so, he's the first you've ever wanted to be a part of the agency." She noticed the slight tightening of the muscles in D's cheek.

Strangely enough, he answered. "Half human."

Hellsing's eyes narrowed as she thought this over and then widened in realization. "And half vampire?"

D nodded.

"That could only happen if you were born that way. What other way could there be?" Something in the woman's eyes brought to mind an innocent child. "A human-vampire mix. But which characteristics would be passed on?"

"I can live in the daylight," murmured the Hunter. "But it catches up to me later. I'm stronger and faster at night." He gazed up at the dark sky, starless because of light-pollution. The spotlight cast odd shadows about his face. "A dhampir's body craves the night."

"Dhampir?"

"Half human, half vampire."

"Ah. What of aging?"

D's eyes flickered in the light. "I'm older than I appear."

"And what of blood?" interrupted Alucard. "Do you need it to live?"

The Hunter closed his eyes and nodded. He reopened them and turned to Alucard. "The dirt?"

"Oh, yeah. What do you need it for, anyway?"

"My left hand," D murmured.

Alucard raised an eyebrow. Integra Hellsing was utterly confused, having not been present at the first request of earth, although she didn't show it.

"Hmm, yes, you lost that didn't you." The vampire wasn't sure what the Hunter would do with the dirt, but he thought it had something to do with the dismemberment. "His arm was cut off in the fall," he said to his master in afterthought.

"Uh-huh. He's your responsibility Alucard." Curiosity still flashing in her eyes, Integra Hellsing turned toward the Hunter. "I hope things work out for you."

D nodded.

"Alright," the woman said, returning to business. "Time for the clean-up."