Interlude of A Beginning
By Aoyuki Hikari
It was over. He fell down heavily, his face mirrored the disbelief and hate as a thirteen-year old gunned him down.
Integra dropped the still smoking pistol; it seemed to burn her nerveless fingers. The sound of the clattering metal on the flagstones of the dank dungeon seemed like an explosion to her ears. The initial numbness when she dispassionately fired the pistol to kill her treacherous uncle was beginning to wear off. She tried to stand but she felt her head reeling, not because of the shock of killing a man for the first time in her life but due to blood loss. Her arm was throbbing painfully now, her body becoming aware of the tolls of pain, fear, grief, disgust and exhaustion. She sank back to her knees but instead of collapsing in a weary heap, she felt a solid wall of a body supporting her. Gloved hands pulled her up to her feet, a presence she had almost forgotten. She raised her wary blue eyes, meeting the hooded scarlet gaze. They were regarding her with almost an amused scrutiny.
Alucard. A monster locked up in this dungeon had become her "knight in shining armor". He bowed to her again; his burning eyes level to hers and his red lips were curved into a manic smile. "Arthur's daughter and my new master, I gather?"
She nodded, unable to speak. Although still nervous with the prospect of being left alone with a vampire, she felt her fear towards him vanishing, replaced by open curiosity. Remembering her manners, she said simply. "Thank you."
The vampire laughed. "There is no need to thank me. I am entirely at your disposal, Master. I am called Alucard." He now formally bowed with a flourish as he repeated his words as she had first beheld him, the gun in her trembling hands had been pointed at him unwaveringly and she had courageously defied him by stating her proud lineage.
Calmer now, she introduced herself. "I am Integral Fairbrook Wingates Hellsing, heir to the Hellsing Institute."
He grinned at her impudently. "And a courageous girl you are, my Master."
She almost shook her head but her eyes caught sight of the carnage the vampire made out of her uncle's henchmen to protect her. In spite of their attempt to murder a hapless girl of thirteen, she felt a surprising twinge of regret for the need to kill them. Poor foolish creatures...their lives wasted because of greed and ambition of one man.
She felt a gloved hand touch her hand gently. She turned and saw that Alucard was staring at her wounded arm. His eyes gleamed with something she couldn't define. It made her shiver with its intensity yet she forced herself to stand her ground. This monster—the vampire, Alucard called her his master. She knew he would not dare harm her, no matter how tempting her vulnerability was.
"Your wounds need tending, master." His deep voice was strangely soothing.
"It's just a nick. I'll be fine for a few more minutes," she said absently. He gaze went to the sprawled body of her Uncle Richard. His face, even in death, was contorted with hate and disbelief. Her disgust for the man upon learning his perfidy was still strong; pity and pain welled from her young heart. How could you betray our family, Uncle?
The vampire followed her gaze. With a mocking smirk, he spoke through her mind. You need not to pity trash, master. Least of all, the trash of a man you call your uncle.
She gasped, whirling around, nearly made her fall. The vampire stood calmly beside her and steadied her by putting his hands on her shoulders. Speaking aloud, he told her solemnly, "As you grow older, you will see more of these trash sprawled at your feet. Regret for killing them is about as useful as the ability to regurgitate whole lobsters in battle. It would be either your life or your foe."
She again looked at her dead uncle and the mutilated corpses of his men. After a long while, she said without looking at him, "My only regret is that they are also human beings—wasted because of greed and ambition. And he," she nodded at her Uncle Richard's direction. "He was my own flesh and blood."
For the first time they met, a flash of disapproval crossed his patrician face. "There are human beings who are more vicious than the monsters you were taught to kill. If you are to be the next leader of Hellsing, heed these words. Regret and pity will get you nowhere," he stated scathingly.
"I do not regret I killed him," she finally whispered, looking up at his sardonic face. "He tried to kill me but I killed him first. He's gone now."
He nodded, almost approvingly. "So you did, my Master."
"What happens now?"
"What do you wish to do now, Master?"
She considered this as she took a deep breath. The scent of blood did not repel her as much as before. "You said that you've been here for twenty years. You might still be hungry." She gestured at the bloody corpses scattered. With a small smile, she said, "I leave them at your disposal."
He chuckled. "My hunger can wait, although, I prefer your blood to nourish me first before those pitiful excuse for humans." His gaze was again on her wounded arm.
She understood his wish. Still wary, she also felt that he deserved it for saving her life. "Very well," she conceded. She held out her hand. "You may tend to my wound, then." She watched him clean and bind her wound efficiently, his fingers mopping her blood. He licked with relish.
"Ah, most delicious," he informed her, grinning wickedly. He executed another small bow. "Thank you, Master."
She wasn't able to acknowledge his gratitude for she was almost nodding off, her body unused with the battering she had experienced in one day. She felt him hold her close to his chest, inhaling the scent of depravity of his last 20 years. Unrepelled, she allowed herself to lean against him, feeling strangely safe in the embrace of the monster she was taught to kill and detest. She closed her eyes, letting the weariness take over. "Take me away from here," she murmured, looking the child she was. As if almost an after thought, she added softly, "Please?"
"As you wish, Master." He swept her into his arms and carried her out of the dungeon.
A/N/D: Whew, that was quite a long one-shot! Anyway, Hellsing does not belong to me but to Hirano-sama and YKO. I am just a demented fan who writes what she wills. Mild AxI. Thirteen-year old Integra had freed Alucard from his 20-year imprisonment and had killed her treacherous Uncle Richard in the process. Missing manga scenes. This was written for 31days—a lj writing community under the theme, "about as useful as regurgitating whole lobsters" (thus the "funny line"). Thank you for the reviews!
There was a request that I do a follow-up but I'm afraid this would stay as a one-shot unless there are more requests or I actually pull off the POVs. But we have to wait and see…
Again, thank you for your nice feedbacks and reviews!