Singe

The Return

Disclaimer: Hellsing belongs to People who are not me. I am making £0.00 out of this fic, it is written purely because I have a burning need to create. Castlevania belongs to Konami who are also not me. I make no claim on any characters from either Hellsing or Castlevania I'm simply borrowing them without permission.

Rating: PG-13

Part: One of ?

Authoress note: The Castle rises again in an unexpected place.

IMPORTANT NOTE: You do not need to know anything about Castlevania to understand this fic, all Castlevania references are explained in the fic.

Italics are thoughts, metal speak, and flashbacks

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Chapter One

Integra Wingate Hellsing was not amused.

London was under attack. Demons were stalking the streets and the city was in a subdued panic. People were talking of rival gangs, a war in the shadows. The local police force was running triple shifts just to keep the masses from entering a full-blown panic. It fell to Integra to manage the demons when the knights had quickly and unanimously decided that this was similar enough to vampires that it should be Integra's sole responsibility to deal with it.

Some of the demons were dangerous and had done serious damage but, fortunately, most were little more of an irritant. But Integra knew that if she left the situation unchallenged it would quickly worsen. She had devised to act fast, but her vampire, who was perfectly capable of tearing a variety of creatures into small manageable pieces was making things difficult. When she demanded to know why he was being so argumentative he had only admitted that he found the current missions to be distasteful.

"Why is it so hard?" she asked no one in particular.

"Maybe if you slept more it would be less so," Walter answered as he entered. Integra looked up at him and frowned. The aged butler gestured to an untouched tea tray, Integra huffed.

"I sleep as much now as I always have," Integra muttered, standing to stretch her legs. "What I need is fewer problems."

"Then I fear what I have to say then will not be well received." Walter walked over to a small room that branched off from Integra's office. "If you would follow Sir." Integra rose and followed Walter into the small room that used to be a cupboard but now contained the new security screens installed after the Valentine attack. Walter gestured Integra to the basement screens and waited while she watched.

"What am I looking for Walter?" Integra asked.

"You requested that I look into what has Alucard so distracted recently," Walter began, Integra nodded. "I suspected that he had found a new way to torment Mr. Anderson, however, it is not the case." He pointed to a screen containing the vampire in question. Integra watched.

The basement screens showed various hallways, each screen showing a different angle of a different hallway. It was a bit difficult to follow the vampire's movements, but it was by no means impossible. He flitted about from screen to screen, laughing. It was odd, but again it was not the oddest thing she had seen him do; she'd once watched him eat cheesecake in order to win a bet. He seemed to be playing, by himself. However, after a few minutes of watching Integra saw Seras, also frolicking. The two vampires ran and hid in shadows as if playing some distorted version of hide and seek, jumping from shadow to shadow as if hiding from an invisible enemy.

Which it turned out was exactly what they were doing.

It took a few minutes of watching for Integra to spot the daemon. It was large and kept flickering in and out of focus as if it were only half in this realm. From what she could see it appeared dog-like, but it stood tall on two legs. It had scales and a long whip-like tail. It was terrifying, with claws like scythes and teeth like a mythical dragon. It was horrifying and Alucard and Seras were playing with it.

"That wanker," Integra snarled. "That complete and total tosspot!"

"Language," tutted Walter. Integra glared at the butler for a few seconds before letting the wind out of her sails.

"If he thinks for one moment that I'm going to let him keep the damn thing he is sorely mistaken!" she snapped

"Things," Walter corrected, Integra gave him a look. "Things, as in more than one."

"What?" Integra pinched the bridge of her nose.

"I've counted five so far and that's not including the horse," Walter moved away to collect the tea tray.

"Horse!" Integra snapped, throwing her hands up into the air. "For the love of God ... Alucard," the vampire on the screen froze and looked up tilting his head.

"Yes, my master?" he answered, Integra suppressed a shudder that she always felt when he spoke into her mind.

"Come here, now," she growled, "and don't look so confused, you know exactly what this is about." The vampire on the screen looked around in an idiotic fashion for a moment before spotting the camera and waving. Integra snarled wordlessly and stormed back into her office where Alucard was already waiting and trying to look innocent.

"My Master," he bowed lower than usual, then spotting Walter gave a glare "Traitor." Walter shrugged.

"Integra is in charge, not you Vampire," Walter smiled. "But I am sorry." Alucard sighed and slumped down, clearly sulking that his friend had 'tattled' on him.

"I want to know what in Hells name that monster is doing in my basement," Integra snarled at her vampire.

"Anderson has been here now for a while, you said he could stay," Alucard muttered looking away from his master.

"You know what I meant Alucard, now answer me," she said feeling her anger fade into tiredness

"I didn't think you would notice."

"Well I did," Integra said.

"You've already got three down in the basement; I thought a few more would be ... Acceptable," Alucard said slowly.

"It isn't," Integra muttered, pinching the bridge of her nose. "I want them gone, now, Alucard," Alucard said nothing, simply looked at his master in what he clearly hoped was an endearing fashion.

"No Alucard, pets do not get to have pets of their own," she regretted the use of the word pet in reference to him almost instantly but let it hang in the air. He stood and sighed, looked at her again before melting into the shadows.

"Why do I fell bad?" she said after a moment.

"Do not feel too bad, Sir Integra, they did make an awful mess down there."

"Daemons in the basement, and I feel bad for kicking them out," Integra sighed, "typical." She heard footsteps outside the door before the knock. She schooled her face to neutrality and called out for the person to enter. Anderson walked in looking exhausted.

"Sir Hellsing," he dipped his head.

"Anderson," she said. "You are here to report." He nodded and dropped papers on her desk. Integra glanced at them.

"We found nothing," he said. "Surely there is more we can do other than scouring the streets." Integra sighed loudly.

"We've been over this Anderson," she said. "We've looked at the options, and until we think of something better this is what we do."

"If ye ask me, the monster would know," Anderson snarled.

"We keep looking," She breathed and gestured to the door. "Go, apparently group beta six managed to find some tracks in the docks, down on the east side." Anderson looked at her for what felt like an age but nodded and stood to leave.

"You will force him," he said. "If someone is hurt." It was not a question, Integra nodded and the former paladin left.

"Walter please tell me I'm doing the right thing," she said softly when Anderson had left.

"It is not a butlers place to question a leader," Walter answered with a smile. Integra glared and pushed the report away.

"But if I may point out," Walter smirked pulling the report back to Integra. "This photo, doesn't it look familiar to you?"

"What are you..." Integra looked at the badly focused photo. It showed a creature, it was small, purple and was armed with a short spear.

"It does rather doesn't it."

* * * 3 Days later * * *

The basement was the same as it always was. Although it was a bit quieter than it had been recently Seras thought as she walked through the hallways with a blood pack in her hands. The irony of the current situation should amuse her; it would amuse her if it wasn't so damn frustrating. Her master wasn't eating, so she was feeding him, or more accurately, she was impotently nagging him to eat. She was starting to understand why he had always been so irate with her.

"Great big bloody dork," she muttered walking up to the door and pushing it open. It was heavy and ill-used as Alucard did not bother with doors.

He was in the chair, in the same position he had been in for the last three nights. Seras rolled her eyes, it was ridiculous, it was childish, but it was also sad. It was pathetic that he threw a tantrum and then went into a huff just because he could not have his way, but it was sad, for what else could he do? Seras sighed imagining what it would be like to have once been so powerful then to have absolutely no power but what was given to you by one who could just as easily snatch it away.

"Still not talking then?" Seras asked, he looked at her and grunted. "I brought foooooood." She grinned trying to make the offer sound tempting. He made no response and Seras sighed dropping the bag on the table next to him and plonking herself down on the floor at his feet.

She had done this every day for the last three nights. They had been mostly silent, but occasionally he would speak to her. She hated this; she hated seeing him so obviously upset over something that a couple of months ago would have made her relieved. Since her visit to the Castle, she had come to understand that demons were similar to people in many ways. Some were gits and some were not. Many just wanted to be left alone to get on with their lives, but there were some who hunted out humans for reasons best left to the imagination.

The fact that the castle had been crawling with demons and no one had gotten hurt was amazing in Seras view and gave her a little bit more faith in herself. If a monstrous creature such as the gorgon could control herself then why couldn't Seras. Watching Alucard play with monsters had been amusing as well. It was so similar to what was happening just a few short days ago. Even the demons had been similar. Something struck Seras then and she almost slapped herself. It was something so damn obvious that anyone would have noticed it. He wasn't merely upset about having to get rid of the demons he was upset because of something else.

"You know what's going on don't you?" Seras asked quietly

"Maybe," Alucard muttered it was the biggest response she had gotten out of him for the last few days.

"Integra will ask you," Seras sighed running a hand down the back of his leg feeling the muscle twitch. "She will order an answer."

"I know."

"Then what do you gain by drawing it out, by fighting her?" Seras asked softly, Alucard sighed and shivered. Seras waited for an answer, wrapping her hand around his ankle.

"She will know that she had to force me," he answered slowly,

"You want her to feel guilty?" Seras said firmly, looking up at him. He looked bloody awful, this sulk was getting stupid, he wasn't eating or sleeping, and he was deteriorating surprisingly quickly, already his eyes were sunken and his cheekbones more prominent.

"Maybe," he answered again looking away. Seras sighed, it was foolish and cruel but in a way she couldn't blame him. So she changed the subject.

"They reminded me of the castle," Seras smiled. She missed the castle and the return of the demons had eased that pain a little, she missed not being the most dangerous or the strangest creature in the room. She sighed understanding that her master must have felt the pain of leaving even more keenly than she had, no wonder he was loath to get rid of the demons.

"I liked the last one," she smiled a little, remembering the game of chase they had played

"Yes Chimera's are fun," his voice sounding lighter than a few moments ago. "They can be a bit foolish, however."

"Coming from you that's rich," Seras muttered and laughed when his foot moved to nudge her in a pathetic version of a kick. "Where did you send them?"

"Away."

"They did not want to leave."

"I know," Alucard said. Seras sighed and curled closer to him.

"I'm still here."

"I know," he smiled.

"So," she said, "you know where they are coming from?" he nodded, "how?"

"They told me," he smirked a little. "I'm shocked you did not recognize it yourself."

"Well excuse me," Seras muttered. "I've only ever met daemons once before and I did not memorize their smells."

She huffed and turned away from him, only to jump when she felt him turn her head back to meet his eyes. He was giving her the look he usually gave when she did something really dumb. Seras took a deep breath and went over what she had just said, she had only met daemons once before when they were in the castle, apparently these ones smelt familiar.

"I think you're getting there," her master almost purred, watching her expression.

"You can't mean … how did they get here from Romania?" she asked. Alucard slapped himself.

"You. Are. Very. Stupid," he groaned. Seras gave an indignant squeak.

"The castle police girl they came from the castle."

"Yeah which is in Romania!" she yelled back at him. He looked at her for a few moments before sniggering.

"It moves," he said simply. She just looked at him.

"Like a caravan?" They were silent for a moment after her question, Alucard stood up and walked away from her. "What?" she called chasing after him "What did I say?" she chased him until he walked into a shadow and vanished.

Seras rolled her eyes and wandered into the kitchen. Walter was making tea, Seras smiled seeing him, she wondered if he made tea constantly. Whenever she came into the kitchen he was making tea, regardless of the hour or situation.

"Good evening Miss Victoria," Walter smiled. "How is your master this evening?"

"Same as yesterday," Seras said. "But he's moved tonight."

"That will be because Sir Integra has called him," Walter said. "He has forced her hand." Seras sighed.

"It was not fair of him to do that," Seras said. "But I understand why he did."

"He still feels the need to protect them, his imprisonment here has not changed that," Walter said.

"Do you really think she will make him hunt them?" Seras said. Walter moved the teapot onto the tray.

"I doubt it, she will make him tell us where they are coming from but she doesn't enjoy hurting him," Walter said and lifted the tray.

"Good," Seras said, following as Walter walked up to Integra's office. They walked in together to see Alucard in front of Integra's desk.

"The Castle?" Integra snapped, Alucard nodded.

"But …but how?"

"It has been known to move, it is not overly surprising that it would follow me," he looked smug; Integra took a deep breath. Seras walked to her master and put her hand on his arm.

"OK," she said softly. "You claim the daemons are coming from the castle." He nodded. "So where is the castle, I think we would have noticed if it just popped up." Alucard shrugged

"I have no idea," he said still looking somewhat smug.

"Can you find it?" Integra growled feeling her blood pressure rise. Seras watched her master tense.

"Probably," he admitted. Integra pinched the bridge of her nose and took several deep breaths. "Before you say it, no I am not making this easy, it was my home."

"I know it was your home," Integra said, "and you know I would not attack it if it behaved itself."

"You want it destroyed?" he asked, Integra blinked, she had thought that much was obvious.

"I could control it if we found it," he said quietly and Integra felt her stomach roll. He was going to ask to keep it like the Castle was a puppy.

"Alucard," she began, but he held up his hands

"I know but if you just listen," he said softly and Integra felt her stomach clench, he was actually going to try and be reasonable. "If I can control it, we wouldn't need to destroy it."

"It is a giant frigging castle filled with horrors beyond mortal imagining. Not a puppy," Integra snapped. Alucard looked about to reply but was interrupted by the phone.

Integra glared for a few moments at the phone then at Alucard before finally picking up the receiver. Seras swallowed while Integra muttered into the phone, she had been sure Integra would have been reasonable about the castle, but then perhaps she was, after all what would people say when an ancient Romanian castle was discovered in the heart of London?

"Well," Integra snapped putting the phone down hard. "We have more daemons in the city."

"They are looking for me," Alucard once again sounded smug.

"Well good, because you are going to go looking for them, then you are going to go looking for that castle," Integra growled.

End Chapter

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My first Novel, Grey Wings has now been released!

GREY WINGS

Jason is stranded in a dark city, and is in desperate need of help when he has no idea how he will get home.

So, when he collides with Aurelius, an Angel only in the mildest sense of the word – who has committed a crime worthy of great punishment, but has been handed a rare chance at redemption – Jason can see a way home.

However, their journey will be hampered by Fallen Angels, Earth Spirits, and Griffons – and none can say if everyone will make it home.