Sanctuary

by stooone

Disclaimer : I don't own Hellsing, nor any of the characters. sob

Chapter 2.


She was getting better with the sword. Actually, she was getting damn good with the sword. And she had an undeniable gift with any kind of gun. Alucard grinned.

Why he had elected to teach her those skills he didn't really know, but he sure enjoyed seeing Integra's proper education go flying out of the window in the heat of their not-completely-mock battles. Her carefully schooled features would contort into a snarl as she attacked, her hair tousled, her breath short.

"Focus, Master." his tone was amused, and his smirk barely respectful as he lightly tapped her left hip with the point of his sword. Of course the Seals prevented him from actually hurting her ; but he certainly could wound her pride.

It was rather amusing, too. He would talk to her while they fought, sometimes just taunting her, or commenting on a lesson one of her teachers had given her, criticizing, adding his own observations on the subject discussed, forcing the conversation into a debate. He enjoyed her sharp wits, and reveled in their banter. He kept her on her toes, never letting her attention waver from either their talk or their more physical battle.

She released an irritated sigh as she went back in the "en garde" position.

"Achilles was a fool. There is no honor in pursuing glory for the sake of glory, nor in killing for the sake of killing."

"Ah but my dear master, one doesn't necessarily need any extra motivation to kill ; the act in itself is quite enjoyable." The vampire's grin grew to show too many pointed teeth. Integra rolled her eyes in a very unladylike fashion, having gotten used her servant's pseudo attempts at intimidation.

"Yes, Alucard, you like tearing people to pieces, and virgin blood tastes like summer rain. You mentioned it already. But you know" she parried his attack. "you don't need to remind me that you're an abomination" she advanced "a monster from the bowels of Hell" she lunged "I know you're a vamp-"

Her sword pierced his shirt, his flesh, and embedded itself in his unbeating heart. Both set of eyes opened wide.

A moment of utter silence. Then :

"Yes..." he rasped, blood trickling out of his mouth. "I'm a vampire. And to kill a vampire..." he blinked. "... you have to pierce his heart." He fell backward.

Integra was frozen in place.

"Alucard ?" barely a whisper. She fell on her knees next to him, staring uncomprehending at the growing red stain on his white shirt.

"Alucard !" No response from the unblinking red eyes.

"ALUCARD !" She gripped his shoulders and shook him with all her strengh. "ANSWER ME, SERVANT !"

In the blink of an eye the sword had disappeared and his face was right in front of hers, mad grin perfectly in place, looking very smug. "But then, Master, I'm no ordinary vampire."

He was very surprised to realize that what came next shocked him to the core. The girl's face crumbled as she hit him with all her strength, hit him over and over again.

"I HATE you you MORRON ! You stupid, useless vampire TRASH ! I thought you were dead ! I thought you were gone too you BASTARD !" And then she dissolved into tears, never stopping her bruising assault on his chest.

A completely stunned Nosferatu found his arms closing around the twelve year old, in a very human reflex he thought long forgotten.

"I'm... I'm sorry" he heard his voice say. He clasped her against him, telling himself that he was just preventing her from bruising him even more. He felt her fists clench in his shirt.

"I thought you were gone too..." her voice trembled as she desperately tried to take deep breaths and to regain some sort of composure. Her frail body was rigid with tension, and she was shaking. She tried to move away from him but the vampire, resolutely NOT thinking about what he was doing and why he was doing it, tucked her head under his chin and held her tight, rocking slightly.

"I'm sorry." he repeated. She resisted a bit at first, but then she curled more tightly against him and let the grief of everything she had lived, survived really, in the last few months pour forth from her. She cried her sorrow for her father's death, she cried her terror, she cried the heavy burden her frail shoulders had to carry, she cried her loneliness and despair. She cried without a sound, great sobs wracking her body, and all the while the vampire held her.

After a time she began to calm down. Neither moved. Then she asked, in a voice so soft he almost didn't hear it :

"It is you, isn't it ?" a pause. "the man in my dreams..." he swallowed.

"I have nightmares, and there used to be just darkness and teeth and screams, but now when I dream this knight comes and fights it all away..." She raised her head to meet his eyes. "It's you, right ?"

He didn't answer. He didn't want to think about acknowledging the fact that maybe, he had done just that.

"Well I don't need a knight in shining armor." she stood up. "I'm supposed to be the knight." She retrieved her sword, walk a few paces away, and raised the blade once again.

"Come on," she lifted her chin defiantly. "make me a knight."

He stood to face her.

"Yes, sir."


hm. r&r ? pretty please ?