Disclaimers: Hellsing, Vampire Hunter D and all it's characters do not belong to me. I am making no profit from this fiction; I am only having a bit of fun before putting the characters back.
Author's Notes: This fiction came about when I was thinking over the history of D's world and the future in Alucard's world. That plus NaNo giving me grief and wanting to see how these two would interact brought about this fiction.
The people of Codder stood outside the rough hewn gates armed with various weapons and showing the bleak faces of people bested by more than the elements and the horror's of the night. The leader of the villagers – a burly man nearly seven feet tall – scowled at the beautiful youth that stopped just in front of them, his fingers reflectively going for the rough lance slung over his shoulder. The other villagers stood tense around him, readying weapons with grim faces wetted with concern. A few tense moments passed, then the youth raised his head, revealing features flush with the first spring of life and far too beautiful to belong to a normal man.
In a voice soft as the wind, the youth asked, "Which way did the vampires go?"
"So you're a Hunter?" the giant replied, keeping his hand on his heavy lance. Around him, the villagers tensed more. Sometimes, people claiming to be Hunters have used the trust they gain to slaughter whole villages. The survivors spread the word and now all villages on the Frontier grew cautious when one of those strange wanders approached their borders.
"That's right," the youth replied, his voice sounding bored. "Which way did the vampires go?"
The giant jerked his head towards the rocky hills stretching icy fingers towards the low laying moon. "They went up there three, four hours ago, but you ain't the first to come out here looking for them."
"Oh?" The gorgeous youth was not looking at the giant or sounded too interested in his information but the man ignored the Hunter's tone of voice as he continued speaking. "A guy dressed in red was here a few minutes ago askin' the same thing"
The youth nudged his horse forward, moving past the villagers, his face a mask of serenity underneath the wide brimmed hat he wore. He ignored the giant's yell for him to stop as the horse picked up speed and left the village behind him, the cybernetic horse galloping easily over the rocky, broken terrain, jumping obstacles made invisible by the lack of light. The youth rode on, neither looking right or left at the strange twisted forms that loomed in the darkness, knowing that they were the wrecks of a forgotten civilization destroyed before the Nobility took over the world. The horse sailed over a crumbling twisted form of iron and weaved out of the ruins and onto a hard packed trail leading up.
He had been hearing a muted howl since he had hit the ruins and now free of them he saw the source. A pack of werewolves were chasing another rider, their twisted limbs easily gaining on the cybernetic horse. The youth heard the other traveler swear as he released the reins and pulled a large handgun out from under his traveler's coat and shot two of the werewolves. Brains and blood splattered the flanks of his mount but the rest of the pack continued their pursuit instead of stopping to feast on their fallen brethren.
The youth drew even with the pack and drew his long sword. A streak of white followed and three of the pack fell, their bodies cut cleanly in half. The rest of the pack fell to the gun of the traveler in red. The youth slid his sword back into his sheath. The other traveler turned his head, the wide red traveling hat he wore throwing his face in shadows. The youth caught a glimpse of yellow glasses and a wide sneering grin. The youth frowned and his hand went to his sword, but the scarlet-clad stranger was faster. The youth let go of his sword as he looked down the barrel of a large black gun.
"I wouldn't do that if I was you, kid," the scarlet-cloaked traveler said, easing the hammer of his weapon back. "No matter how fast you are you won't be able to dodge this bullet."
"Who are you?" the youth asked, his pale face remaining impassive at the large gun aimed for his head. The two of them kept their positions, unmoving even as their horses climbed over a crumbling slope and pressed through seven-inch high sword weeds.
"Stoker is as good as a name as any," the scarlet traveler said, his grin widening revealing fangs. "What's yours?"
"D," the youth said, frowning. "You're of the Nobility."
Stoker laughed, his thin lips twisting into a mocking grin. "There's no such thing as Nobility." He spat that word, the glasses slipping down his thin, aristocratic nose, revealing red chaotic eyes. "All there is are the remnants of a shattered world that should go back to the Hell that spawned them."
D's fingers uncurled, and he frowned at the other rider. He had heard a few of the Nobles speak those words, but only as quotes from the Most Noble of Ancestors. But the Noble that rode neck to neck with him spoke as if the words actually held meaning and were not just another mad fancy of the greatest of their kind.
"You're hunting them too," D said, looking straight into the barrel of the heavy gunmetal gun pointed at him. The thin lips twisted in a merciless grin and the gun was lowered.
"Idiotic punks took something they shouldn't have," Stoker confirmed, tucking the gun away. D continued to frown, something about the Noble oddly familiar. Not the voice, but the carriage, the proud lift of his head, the set of his shoulders, the absolute ease in which he controlled his horse. The youth could not place the Noble's features in the memories of a different time.
"What are you hunting them for?"
"They took ten children from a town nearby," D replied, seeing no reason why he shouldn't answer the Noble. "I was hired to return them."
Stoker shook his head, looking at the trail ahead of them. "They've gone to ground up ahead. An old fort it looks like." He glanced at D, left eyebrow arched and lips set in a smirk. "It'll be easier if we work together."
D shrugged, slowing his horse down. The other rider followed his lead and they soon passed into the weed-choked courtyard of a ruined building. The out structures lay in moss-covered piles, a few walls still standing upright, and the main building was full of large gapping holes and deadly night blooming vines. They brought their horses to a halt next to a large covered wagon and both riders dismounted, their movements almost synchronized. D raised an eyebrow at Stoker, watching the scarlet clad Noble as he took something off his saddle and stuffed it into a coat pocket. Then glancing at D, Stoker smirked and touched the brim of his hat.
"Beauty first."
Turning on his heel, D moved for the doorway, conscious of the form stalking close to him. If he felt any nervousness at being near a Noble, he did not show it. D drew his sword and pushed open the broken door, pausing as he looked down the moon-flecked hallway in front of him. An eerie blue light emanated from the pendant he wore, chasing away the shadows and laying bare the stained and warped wooden floors of the once grand house. His footsteps silent, the Hunter moved down the hall, only the chill of a Noble telling him that his scarlet-clad companion was still with him. D showed no nervousness at the Noble's closeness nor did he flinch when a hand as strong and cold as death touched his shoulder and a long pale hand pointed towards a double set of doors. A few more steps and he could also hear what had alerted the Noble – a subtle hissing breath and the chick of some kind of machinery. Then the presence at his back was gone and the shadows grew even darker before lifting again.
"What was that?" a voice from D's left hand spoke.
"It seems he is an older Noble than I had thought," D replied, sounding unconcerned. He continued walking towards the door. His sword was a blinding streak of light as he swung it through the heavy wood and iron, the doors crashing inwards. There had been no screams or sounds of a struggle beyond the doors yet when D stepped inside there was no sign of anyone laying in wait – there was only an energy cannon torn in two and a smear of blood. The scarlet-clad Noble was now hatless and his long black hair fell past his shoulders in soft waves, his head bowed as he looked down at the blood smear. He turned, his harsh cold features stirring a memory in D's mind before it faded.
"There's two paths," Stoker said, red eyes looking over the rims of his yellow glasses before he pushed them back up his nose. "We can each take one unless you don't trust me."
"Will you harm the children?"
"What kind of monster do you think I am?" Stoker asked, sneering.
"Will you harm the children?" D repeated, shifting his grip on his sword.
"Don't be stupid," Stoker said turning and heading for the stairs to the left. "Why the hell would I go through all this shit to attack ten kids? I can get that many women by walking into a bar."
D frowned, watching the Noble yank the door off its hinges and head down the stairs. He looked at the blood smear on the warped floorboards and moved to the right door, shouldering it open. The lock ripped out of the rotting wood and he headed down the stairs, the eerie blue light lighting his way. Again, the small dry voice came from the vicinity of his left hand.
"That is one strange Noble. Are you going to kill him too?"
"I don't know."
"Why not? He is just another vampire."
"He reminds me of someone."
The voice laughed. "After a few centuries, everyone reminds you of someone."
D did not answer, reaching the bottom of the stairs. A long, low stone hall stretched out before him, lit only by the weak moonlight from the cracked flooring above. Standing a few feet away was a gang of vampires, grotesque fangs digging into their ruby stained lips and their arms ending in huge distorted claws. The Hunter continued walking, his left hand a blur as he threw two spikes of wood at two of the vampires. Both let out yelps pf pain as they were hit and he came fast on the heels of the spikes, slicing them apart with his sword. It happened in an instant, the other vampires scattering as he hit the group but before D could do anything more, shots rang out, and the vampires exploded into dust. D raised his head, catching sight of the scarlet-clad figure of the Noble as he ejected a cartridge and slammed a new one home. Stoker chambered a round with one gloved hand and tilted his head at D before looking to his left. D followed his gaze and frowned down the last hallway.
The last of the vampires stood in front of a doorway, one clawed hand holding a child in front of him like a shield, a curved nail pressing against the boy's neck. "One more move and he's dead."
"Big fucking deal," Stoker said, raising his gun. D reached over and rested his hand on top of it, trying to force the Noble to lower his weapon. He glanced at D and then the Hunter was able to push the gun down and away, the steel of his arm fading to fluid mobility with a blink of an eye. A slow grin spread across the Noble's face and D found himself releasing the Noble's arm without a thought.
D clenched his left hand to keep his symbiot quiet, looking over at the vampire with the child in his arms. "It would seem we are at an impasse," he stated, sounding bored. He ignored the snort the red-clad Noble made.
The vampire shift minutely and D moved, his long sword leading the way. But before he could bring his sword into play, the vampire screamed dropping the child and throwing himself back against the door. D stopped in front of the child, glancing back and saw the shape the Noble held out, old gold and rubies forming a shape that was both a dragon with outstretched wings and like a small t. Stoker looked unaffected even though the other vampire was trying to rip open the door behind him in an attempt to get away. D nodded and moved, swinging his sword in a delicate arch that severed the cowering vampire's head off.
Dust settled around him even as the door opened. D glanced again at the Nobel, watching him tuck away the old dragon into his huge red coat with one hand, his other hand dropping. And then a blond girl bounced out from the dark room, one hand raised in a fist and her lips peeled back in a snarl. D readied his weapon, but she stumbled, righted herself and laughed. The two dainty fangs her laughter revealed had him swing his sword reflectively.
A gloved hand caught his sword's blade and pushed both him and the weapon away. D looked at Stoker and then down at blond Noblewoman. "Is that what they stole?"
Stoker sneered showing his fangs and D tightened his grip on his weapon. The idea of fighting this old vampire did not scare him, but Stoker did not make a move for attack. Instead he grabbed the Noblewoman's arm and started walking, ignoring her yelp of surprise. D blinked lowering his weapon and looked into the chamber, noticing the small sleeping forms of the children, all of them – including the one the deceased vampire had used for a hostage – still sleeping. He frowned, sheathing his weapon slowly. He checked the child for a bite mark, one eye on the Noble couple, as they seem to argue at the foot of the stairs, the tiny blond stomping her foot as they talked.
"They haven't been bitten."
A tiny twisted face appeared in the palm of his left hand, appearing to sniff the child's skin before announcing. "It looks like a normal sleep too."
D stood up, closing his left hand tightly to prevent his parasite from speaking, his eyes on the two Nobles. There were too many coincidences for him to ignore this, too many signs he had been expecting to see. The reasons behind the whys he never questioned as he said a single name.
"Alucard."
The argument stopped. Two sets of eyes looked at him, the Noblewoman's blue eyes growing wide while the Nobleman's eyes narrowing. The blond grabbed at Stoker's sleeve and was shaken off; he half turned and pressed the tips of his fingers against her lips. He smirked and straightened, moving towards D with all the bearing of royalty. Each step, something about him would change – first the coat deepen in color and shifted to a cloak flaring behind him, the hat disappeared and his hair straighten itself from its messy ponytail, falling in soft waves from a high widow's peak. His clothing went from an old fashioned riding suit to a richly appointed suit of the finest materials. Hanging from a chain around his neck were that dragon-cross, its ruby eyes glittering in the feeble light. On his hip hung a heavy sword, the hilt covered in worn gilt.
The Noble stopped in front of D, his smirk spreading as he tilted his head to the side. D held still, his face expressionless as he looked into those burning red eyes. Alucard raised his right hand and brushed his cold fingers ever so lightly against D's cheek.
"You have your mother's eyes," Alucard said.
He was cold, the unearthly chill of a hungry Noble. D didn't move, didn't flinch, keeping his gaze steady on the pale features of the mocking Most Honorable Noble. Those words struck home and unbidden memories stirred. A huge empty manor home filled with a light that stunned his eyes. A tall woman with dark skin smoking as she looked out a window, clipped words without meanings falling on his ears. A vampire in a tight fitting butler's uniform showing him the use of gun, sword, and knife, rings glittering on his fingers as he talked. A formal dinner, a visiting group of vampires saying something that had his father casually decapitated the group's leader, gutting him where he sat, and then turning to the next in line with a sneer. Lessons in the sun – hunting, stalking, killing, math and science in his mother's airy rooms, weapons and lore with the butler and a tiny blond vampire with a sunny smile showing him what they were trying to protect, her and the tall, one-eyed man that sometime accompanied her.
"So. This was your plan." D sounded resigned; his eyes showing neither regret or despair.
"For God and Queen, that had always been her creed." Alucard let his hand drop, arching an eyebrow. "Did you think that she would stop when the world changed around her?"
"She said she loved you." He still remembered the blood and his mother sitting in a pool of it, his father's staked corpse laid out in front of her.
Alucard chuckled softly. "Like a master would for a well-mannered pet. Do not confuse the arrangement we had with that of a true partnership."
"I understand." And he did. D had long ago given up the idea of living as a normal human. The lessons and skills were all geared to the life of a hunter. And he had two more vampires to dispatch.
He brought his sword down but struck nothing. The pale Noble in front of him turned to mist and flowed away, laughter echoing through the stony corridor. D held his sword at the ready, but the mist only drifted up and went through the broken slats of the ceiling. He glanced at the stairs, but the blonde Noble was gone as well. He straightened from his crouch and then heard the Noble's voice, echoing as if from some distance.
"A few more centuries, and then you'll be strong enough to hunt me."
D slid his sword into its sheath and he nodded. "When all the rest are gone, father. I'll end this."