THE BLOODLUST CHAPTERS: #3
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This chapter contains a sex scene…
Please read with an open mind… if you are uncomfortable with it, you don't have to read it.
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"They're coming!"
"What?!" asked Anna looking around.
Everyone looked at her.
"No one said anything…" Said Ceres giving Anna a strange look.
"Great!" Said Anna angrily waving her arms in the air. "Now I'm hearing voices!"
Ceres walked over to Anna and touched her arm.
"Anna, do you need to lie down?"She asked.
"No I'm fine…" Said Anna massaging her forehead.
She had a small headache and her ears were ringing.
"Something's wrong…" Said Alucard looking up at the ceiling.
"You feel it too?" Asked Ceres turning to him.
Anna hurried to her room to grab her sword. On her way back to Ceres' room she heard gunshots erupting upstairs. The lights in her room and the corridor started flickering and for a moment looked as if they were going to go out. Luckily they managed to stay on.
"Guns!" She cried running into Ceres' room. "There are gunshots upstairs!"
"Yes we heard them as well…" Said Walter, who seemed unusually calm. He speaking with someone on the phone on Ceres' desk.
Ceres was running about the room nervously. Alucard was leaning against the wall in the corner, his usual grin in place. Anna unsheathed Nema and swung her through the air. Nema's wings flared to life.
"I'm going up there!" she said. "I want to know what's going on! …And we can't let Sir Integra get hurt!"
She turned around but before she could get a foot out the door Alucard had rushed up behind her and grabbed her arm.
"No." He said. "We must wait here until we have a plan of action.""But…" Anna started to object but Alucard angrily grabbed her by her collar and shook her.
"Don't be stupid!" He snarled. "We don't know what we are up against! What will you do if you go up there and find an entire army ready to kill YOU?"
Anna frowned and looked away from him. She was determined not to look him in the eyes. Alucard dropped her and she stumbled, catching herself on the doorframe.
"Fine…" She growled. "But how are we supposed to know what we're up against?!"
As soon as the words had left Anna's lips there was a beep on the phone Walter was tinkering with and an unfamiliar voice of a young man came out of the speaker on the dock.
"Ahem… hello? Is this think on? Cool! This message is going out to the round table conference! And a very personal and heartfelt shout out to the queen bitch herself Mrs. Hellsing! All RIGHT! Your ass is currently being kicked by the Valentine brothers! My name is Yan Valentine and I can't wait to meet each and every one of you! We'll be getting intimate as soon as me and the boys finish lunch… let me be the first to thank you for providing us with all these tasty snacks! By tomorrow Hellsing will be nothing but a pile of shit! You've got nowhere left to run and nowhere to hide cuz now I'm coming to kill you! I wanna see you cry and beg! In the meantime I highly recommend pissing yourself! Followed by a chorus of praying to your impotent god! But hey! There's always time to just be a man and kill yourself! Thank you LONDON! WE LOVE YOU! GOODNIIGHT!
"Oh that's nice…" Anna said sarcastically. "That kid thinks he's being funny?"
Alucard was looking absolutely disgusted. Anna remembered seeing a look on his face when he killed the two young vampires that tried to kill her. She knew he absolutely despised weak vampires that abused their power, and this young man sounded as if she fit the part perfectly. Moments later, Integra's voice came through the speaker. She sounded calm but Anna could tell she was suppressing an intense amount of rage.
"What's your position Walter?" she asked.
Walter picked up the hand set and replied:
"Miss Victoria's room in the Sub-Basement. I've already been brought up to speed on the current situation… outside communication has been cut off so I wouldn't expect re-enforcements for at least four hours… maybe five… In the meantime our current forces have been ordered to defend the conference room with their lives."
"What do you recommend?" Asked Integra.
"Well for starters…" Walter replied. "Please fortify the door to the conference room… since Alucard, Annaleah and Miss Victoria are all in the basement with me down in the sub-basement, I propose we divide into two teams. Alucard will head upstairs… Annaleah Miss Victoria and I will make our way to the conference room."
"How will you manage?" Asked Integra. "The hallway is full of ghouls…"
"How did you manage to find Alucard's cell ten years ago?" Asked Walter.
"The air ducts! Of course!" said Integra.
"…seems to be the best option at the moment. We'll be there shortly!" Said Walter. "Good luck!"
As he was hanging up the handset Integra spoke again.
"Walter…" she said. "These animals are eating my people! Show no mercy! DO NOT LET THEM LEAVE THE GROUNDS ALIVE!"
Walter hung up the phone and turned to Anna, Ceres and Alucard. He whipped his hand through the air and Anna saw near-invisible lengths of sliver wire wave from his fingertips.
"By your orders then, Sir Integra." He said.
"Oh!" Said Alucard happily. "Does Walter Dolneaz: the Angel of Death ride again?"
Ceres looked confused. She looked from Walter to Alucard and back again a few times.
"Come on!' she said. "What are you two talking about?!"
"You'll see soon enough!" Said Alucard.
"put the veteran and the rookie together and you may as well have one normal soldier." Said Walter.
He and Alucard chuckled to themselves.
"This could actually end up being fun!" Said Alucard.
"Hang on! Said Anna. "Shouldn't we split into two groups of two? Wouldn't it be better if I went with Walter and Ceres went with Alucard?"
"You'd think so…" Said Walter. "But Alucard can manage better on his own."
"You'd only be burden to me anyway…" Said Alucard looking at Anna and grinning.
"I didn't say me!" Anna snapped. "I said…"
"I know what you said…" Interrupted Alucard. "But you meant something else!"
With that, he vanished into thin air.
Anna gave an angry growl and clenched her fists.
"Anna!" Said Ceres, snickering. "Your face is all red!"
Anna let out a moan and planted her face in her hands.
"If you are quite done…" Said Walter. "I believe it is time for us to get moving!"
He had staked up a bunch of furniture making the air ducts more accessible.
"Ladies first!" He said with a flourish of his arm.
Ceres climbed into the air ducts first, carrying her new Harconan Cannon. She was closely followed by Anna. While they were in the ducts together Ceres looked around at Anna.
"Makes you wonder doesn't it?" She said.
"What?" Asked Anna.
"If there are any normal people working in this bloody place…"
They both snickered and began moving forward. It felt like they were crawling through the air ducts for hours before Walter told them to stop. They had reached the conference room. Anna could hear chitchat as well as one man having an emotional breakdown. Ceres knocked the vent down and squeezed through the opening first. She crash landed on one of the gentlemen in the room. The Harconan Cannon missed them by inches.
"Oh for god's sake…" Said Anna.
She slipped through the opening and swung herself down to the floor. Walter came down next, landing on the table with his hands and gracefully vaulting himself to his feet.
"Are you alright Miss Victoria?" He asked Ceres, who was having trouble getting to her feet.
"Ceres! Walter! Anna!" said Integra.
She looked thoroughly relieved.
"I do apologize for the delay…" Said Walter turning to face Integra.
"Hi…" Said Ceres nervously as Anna helped her to her feet.
"The Manor's defensive forces have been roundly decimated…" Said Walter, lighting Integra's cigar for her. "I don't know who armed and trained these creatures… but whoever did… is a tactical genius… they knew exactly how and where to hit us."
"Walter…" Said Integra. "Honestly… Do you think we're done for?"
"No." Said Walter. "Of course not. Compared with the sorts of trouble Van Hellsing faced a century ago… I think it's fair to say this hardly rates as a crisis. The plan is as follows Sir Integra… Alucard will intercept our attackers in the sub-level. Ceres, Annaleah and I will clear this floor. Your standing orders will be followed to the letter. I promise that not one of these Villains will ever see the light of day again…now with your permission sir… I believe it's time to give these young people… a proper lesson in violence!"
Integra smiled. Ceres was looking confused, as always.
"Let's go!" Said Walter "Miss Victoria, please bring that cannon with you…"
"Y-Yes sir!" Said Ceres, picking up her new weapon.
They three made their way into the hallway. Ceres set up her cannon behind the door of a room facing the only corridor that has access to the corridor leading to the conference room.
Anna and Walter waited outside the conference room for the sound of marching feet and ghoul cries. Anna summoned her Spartan Shield, just in case. Then she heard it. The sound of the young man Yan's voice she had heard before.
"Little Hellsing chickie!" he said tauntingly. "Were coming to fiiind you…. c'mon out and play little Hellsing! I promise it's gonna be a lot of fun! We just wanna torture you! Kill you… maybe skull fuck your corpse a couple of times… burn your house to the ground, go home and masturbate, okay?"
Anna was about to lunge forward but Walter held out his arm and stopped her. He walked forward and stood in front of the young man who was followed by a troupe of ghouls. Anna followed him and watched as he, with a single whip of his silver wires from his hand, took out the first two rows of ghouls and sliced the cigar that was in the young man's mouth. He had obviously stolen it from Integra's office. The young man was tall and thin, with tan skin, multiple piercings on his face and dark brown hair. He wore a blue track suit and a cap on his head that had an ornate looking eye on it.
"Oh dear…" Said Walter calmly. "Did I miss? I guess I'm not as spry as I used to be… My name is Walter C Dolneaz! Butler to the Hellsing family and former master vampire hunter!"
"FIRE!" Cried Yan, looking terrified.
The ghouls obeyed with a barrage of bullets. Anna leapt backwards but Walter sprang forward, dodging the bullets and whipping his silver wires through the air. Within seconds he had wrapped another handful of ghouls in the wires.
"…Bit on the slow side aren't they?" He said, this time he was the one with the taunting tone. "After all, a ghoul is just a ghoul…. In theory, threatening… certainly tenacious… but honestly they're quite a distance from indestructible or invincible…"
He pulled the wires and the ghouls he had entrapped fell to pieces. The young man was standing motionless, in shock. Walter approached him. Anna approached as well.
"I highly recommend pissing yourself…"Said Walter maliciously. "…Followed by a chorus of praying to your impotent god…"
Yan suddenly burst out laughing.
"Now that's fucking great!" He said excitedly. "Cuz I gotta tell ya, plowing through you people was really starting to bore the FUCK out of me!
He snapped his fingers and the ghouls formed a barricade around him.
"Oh my!" Said Walter, more amused than scared.
The ghouls readied their weapons and began to move forward.
"Annaleah, Miss Victoria… now would be a good time for some support!" Said Walter.
"RIGHT!" Ceres called from behind them.
"I'm on it!" Said Anna.
She leaped forward and swung her Spartan shield so hard it knocked the first ghoul it came in contact with clean over. Anna plunged Nema directly though the ghoul's swat shield and into its heart. Ceres fired a round from her Harconan cannon and took out an entire row of ghouls. Anna leapt into the air and, through a forward flip, speared two more ghouls through the heart with Nema. She leapt up and sliced through the rest of the row of ghouls in front of her.
"Fall back Anna!" Said Walter.
Anna obeyed and leapt backwards to Walter's side.
"Second volley!" Walter cried to Ceres. "Fire an incendiary round with the VT fuse straight through their center ranks!"
"Yes Sir!" Ceres called back.
She reloaded and aimed the cannon at the ghouls. Yan's eyes widened.
"Oh FUCK YOU!" he screamed.
Ceres fired. There was an explosion and Anna saw Yan leap up through the mess and fire his weapons at Walter. He laughed hysterically while doing so.
"Like that?!" he snarled. "You old fuck!"
He was about to fire again but something stopped him. When the smoke cleared, Anna saw one of Walter's wires had snagged one of Yan's lip rings. He pulled and the lip ring ripped out of its place. Yan spat the blood from his lip onto the floor.
"OWW!!!" He screamed, pointing his guns at Walter again. "DIE!"
Anna leapt forward and delivered a high kick to Yan's face. As he stumbled in pain Anna disarmed him by roundhouse kicking his weapons and they flew through the air. Ceres ran up behind him, tackled him to the ground and held his arms at a position that made him immobile.
"I've got him Walter!" She shouted. "Are you alright?!"
Yan struggled under her grip and growled:"Get off bitch! I'm supposed to be on top!"
Walter got to his feet and turned to look at Ceres.
"I think I'm starting to feel my age…" he said approaching Ceres. "That is quite an Impressive hold… Where did you learn it?"
"Well…" Said Ceres. "I was a police officer once…"
"GET THE FUCK OFF ME, YOU FUCKING VAMPIRE SLUT!" Yan shrieked. "Is this chick the best you got? No wonder you all went down like a fucking bunch of pussies…"
"…And yet look who's got the upper hand right now…" Said Anna poking Yan in the nose. He glared at her.
"I'll be asking the questions!" said Walter angrily. "What is the objective of this attack?!Who are you taking orders from?!"
"Me?" Said Yan. "I'm just a tourist! I was passing by… totally minding my own business and thought I'd have a look! So we cool, dude?"
Walter replied by stomping on Yan's hand.
"Young man…" he said. "The left one's next!
Yan growled.
"We were following orders alright?!" he snarled. "We were told to attack the Hellsing headquarters and kill everyone we found inside! We were supposed to confirm the deaths of the round table… and your pet vampire!"
"Hold on…" Said Walter. "You're not the only one in charge here? Who else?!"
Yan laughed.
"Wow! You're quick!" He said. "Right now, big brother Valentine is downstairs beating Alucard into a carpet stain!"
Something stirred inside Anna. She knew he must have been exaggerating but the thought of Alucard actually losing a fight… and dying… Ceres looked worried as well.
"Alucard…" Anna murmured.
Suddenly nothing mattered any more, suddenly she didn't care what happened to Integra or the men at the round table… she had to go after Alucard… she didn't want to lose him… she hadn't felt this way about anybody since Sephiroth, she knew now what her heart wanted and she wouldn't let it be broken again. She returned her Spartan shield to its crest on Nema's hilt and dashed down the hall.
"Miss Anna!" Cried Walter. "Stop!"
Anna made her way down the hallway for a few minutes before she saw another horde of ghouls ahead of her. These ghouls were bloody, unorganized and not heavily armed. Anna felt her heart sink when she saw the Hellsing Crest on their uniforms. They were all the Soldiers that Yan and his ghouls had slaughtered earlier. She didn't want to fight them and didn't have the time. With a few clean sweeps of Nema she carved a path through the ghouls. They didn't seem to even take notice of her. They were probably fixated on getting to Yan. She didn't care. She had to get to Alucard.
She ran from bloodstained corridor to bloodstained corridor, leaping over dismembered corpses and pool after pool of blood. Her heart was pounding faster and faster with each moment that passed by. Through the entrance hall, through another corridor, down the stairs, down more stairs. She heard an inhuman roar from somewhere below her. She felt her stomach and chest grow cold. She ran down another flight of stairs. She had never been down this far but there was only one door at the end of the corridor. That had to be it. She ran to it, pushed it open and began to descend a stone, spiral staircase. When she neared the bottom, she froze. Keeping herself concealed in the shadows she watched as the most horrible thing she had ever seen come to life before her very eyes. A blonde haired man in a white tuxedo was at the bottom of the stairs, his legs were ripped off… but that wasn't the most gruesome sight.
"WHAT ARE YOU?" Screamed the man. "WHAT IN THE HELL ARE YOU?!"
Alucard stood in the middle of the hallway, or… something stood there anyway… his whole body was veiled in black, there was black smoke surrounding him and millions of eyes within the smoke and all over Alucard's body, including a single enormous one in the center of his chest. Each eye was watching the man writhing in pain on the floor. There was, also, what appeared to be an enormous, menacing black dog forming out of Alucard's body. Anna could barely see his face, just his eyes, red and glowing menacingly. She could almost feel the demonic presence crawling all over the walls and floor, like thousands of millipedes. She was too frightened to move.
"Come on!!" Alucard shouted. "GET UP! ATTACK ME! You've only suffered the loss of your legs! Summon up your familiars, transform your body! HEAL YOUR SEVERED LEGS AND STAND!
Anna saw Alucard holding one of the man's missing legs in one hand. With one swift motion he crushed it to a bloody mess.
"The evening is still so young!" he continued to shout, a look of near insanity upon his face. "Come on! Hurry. Hurry! HURRY! Pull yourself together! The fun has just begun! HURRY!"
The man shook his head and screamed:
"MONSTER!"
Alucard's grin vanished. He looked at the man with pure hatred in his eyes. The black smoke seemed to fade a little.
"So…" He said. "I see you for what you really are! You're pathetic! Nothing but a useless sniveling lump of meat!"
"Shut up!" The man screamed. "You're nothing but the Hellsing family toy! A dog for the Church of England not even fit to call himself a vampire! A…"
"SILENCE!" Alucard roared. "I'm a dog? Then you're dog food!"
As he said this, the dog from Alucard's body lunged forth, barking and bearing its fangs. The man screamed and turned to look up the stairs, his eyes met with Anna's he reached out a hand. Anna looked away and shut her eyes. She heard him cry out one last time then was silenced as she felt his blood spatter her cheek, the dog roared triumphantly as it feasted on its prey. Anna opened her eyes in time to see it chomp down the last bit of the man's body.
"Is that really all you had…?" Alucard Said to the pool of blood at the bottom of the stairs. "Such a shame I overestimated you… as a vampire you were just a pathetic piece of shit…now you're nothing but dog shit…"
Anna stood there in silence, unsure if she should even move. She didn't know if he knew she was there or not but his next words answered her question.
"Well?" Said Alucard. "What do you think? I thought you weren't afraid of monsters… even ones like me! You even said I wasn't a monster, do you think so now?"
He was right. She wouldn't allow herself to be afraid. Without thinking she stepped out of the shadows and approached him. The dog still stood there growling and bearing its blood soaked teeth. She was not afraid of the wolf, she would not be afraid of a dog! She reached out her hand and placed it on the dog's head. Alucard's eyes widened. She stroked the dog's cold smoke-like fur between its ears. The dog stopped growling, it looked at Anna. She couldn't tell what was in its eyes. She continued to pet the ferocious beast. She realized that she didn't feel threatened by it at all. The dog faded away, as did the rest of the black smoke, eyes and the demonic presence. All that was standing there was Alucard. He had no grin on his face. He seemed almost shocked.
Anna suddenly realized what it was about Alucard that she never was able to put her finger on… despite his maliciousness, despite how sadistic and bloodthirsty he was, she smelled no darkness on him. He was not corrupted by darkness. He still had a pure heart… no matter how buried it was in his love of killing.
"I said it before…" said Anna approaching him. "And I'll say it again… You're not a monster… you care about people even though you don't like to show it… you don't follow a selfish cause… and you don't take innocent lives…"
Alucard stretched out his hand and placed it upon Anna's cheek. His eyes stopped glowing; they were fixed on her, unblinking.
"I don't know what to say…" he said in a low tone. "This is the first time in a long time someone has ever told me something like that…"
Anna suddenly remembered that she had left Walter and Ceres upstairs alone with Yan and a horde of ghouls.
"Oh god!" She said "I have to go make sure the others are okay!"
She attempted to turn around and run back upstairs but Alucard grabbed her arm and stopped her.
"They're fine…" He said. "Don't go…"
Anna turned back to face Alucard. He still wasn't smiling. His eyes were wide and there was a mixture of anticipation and determination on his face. There was a moment of silence. Then he grabbed Anna's shoulders and pushed her against the dungeon wall. He headed for her neck Anna panicked, thinking he was going to bite her but instead the only thing she felt was his lips, slowly and tenderly kissing her neck in various places. He moved down to her chest then up to her cheeks and forehead. Anna felt as if she was becoming limp in his arms all over again. Her palms had gone cold and she was trembling once again as well. He was mere centimeters from her lips when Anna saw Sephiroth's face and felt the familiar chill down her spine. She instinctively pushed him away again. He gave an aggravated groan.
"What?" He asked angrily. "What is it? Why do you taunt me like this?!"
"I'm sorry…" Said Anna, her heart began to ache again.
Even her heart knew she wanted Alucard… why couldn't she let him in?
"It's that man isn't it?" Asked Alucard giving her a hard look. "The man who's name you were shouting when I found you half dead on the road!"
"Alucard…" Said Anna. "You have to understand…I loved him for such a long time…"
"He left you to die!" Alucard said, raising his voice. "You need to understand that your old life is gone Anna! You're here now whether you want to be or not, and you're never going to leave! You'll never be able to adjust to life here if you never let go of your past! You'll be unhappy for the rest of your life and you'll never move on!"
"Wait how did you know…?" Anna started.
"About where you really come from?" Alucard interrupted. "I snuck a taste of your blood the night I found you, remember? It wasn't enough to tell me a lot… but it told me enough about where you came from and why you're here. It's a shame but you're never going back now!"
Images of Cloud, Cid, Zack, Aries, Yuffie, Leon, Merlin, Yen Sid, and the rest of her old friends flashed through Anna's mind. She came to the sudden realization that she would never see them again… she felt agony overcome her heart. Her eyes welled up with tears. She broke away from Alucard and ran as fast as she could out of the dungeon, to the sub-basement and into her room. She shut the door, locked it, shut the lights off and jumped into her bed.
This wasn't the first time she left everything behind… this wasn't the first time she had to start all over… she was tired of it, tired of having to rebuild her life over and over again… she couldn't do it… she missed her friends back in Traverse town… she missed Cloud… she couldn't bear to think what he was doing without her… and she missed her father… she couldn't even remember what his voice sounded like… all her memories of him were growing hazier and hazier… would that happen to everyone she left behind? Would she forget Leon's cool demeanor, Aries' sweet voice, or Zack's cunning remarks?
Anna got off her bed. She turned her bedside lamp on, opened her wardrobe and slipped into a nightgown. She walked past her table and looked at her flowers. They were almost completely dead now… she picked up a petal and brushed it across her lips… such soft innocence taken away so easily, never to return… she tossed the petal back on the table and collapsed back into her bed.
She turned the lamp off. Then she buried her face in her pillow and wept. She was so tired of crying but she couldn't stop… she was a full grown woman and she couldn't control her emotions… she even made herself sick. She closed her eyes and, once again, cried herself to sleep.
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"What are you going to do?"
"I don't know yet…"
"He's right you know…"
"I know… I just…"
Anna reached out her hand and scratched the wolf between the ears.
"If I had never left…" She said. "I wouldn't be stuck here… and I wouldn't hate myself so much…"
The wolf turned and looked at her. She was a beautiful creature; Anna didn't understand why she didn't see it before… her fur was pure white and billowed gracefully in the tundra wind. She had a bright orange stripe that started on her muzzle and glided over her head and down her back, eventually fading into white.
"You followed your heart Anna…" said the wolf. "If you hadn't… I wouldn't have found you… every outcome has a good and bad side to it… if you had stayed in traverse town you would have been miserable and regretted not finding out what happened to Sephiroth."
"Just who are you anyway…?" Anna asked, laying back into the snow.
"You'll find out soon enough…" Said the wolf.
"What have you turned me into?" Anna asked. "I don't want to be some freak werewolf…"
"You're not a werewolf…" said the wolf. "That dog bite you received in Raccoon City had a different role than you think…"
Anna let out an exasperated sigh.
"I don't get this at all…" she said.
"You were Immune to the T-Virus's negative effects because I was forced to enter your body and stimulate the Immunity… you were not like Alice at all…"Said the wolf. "Since then you have become my vessel… whenever you are in a certain receptive state… like when you are emotionally fragile or in serious danger I can take over your body and lend you my power. What you need to learn is how to gain control over me so you can wield my power freely. If you do so you will be near indestructible!"
"But…" Anna said sitting up. "What about what happened when Alucard gave me his blood? And why did you want to help me?"
"You chose me Anna…" Said the wolf. "…And the incident with Alucard's blood was similar to that with the T-Virus. I provided protection from it turning you into a ghoul but allowed it to give you some of his vampiric strengths…"
"Why do you keep testing me?" Asked Anna. "Why do you keep threatening me and…"
"I haven't lately have I?" The wolf interrupted. "I wanted to know if you had the courage to use my power… now that you have proved you are brave enough, you need only to gain control over me…"
"But…" Anna protested. "I didn't want this! I don't want to use your power… I hardly feel human enough as it is!"
"I told you Anna…" Said the wolf, getting to her feet. "You chose this path… if you don't learn to control me you will continue to be tormented by my power… each time you unleash me without having control over me, your body will become weaker and weaker until you are torn apart."
"I didn't choose this!" Anna cried angrily. "I think I would remember if I wanted to have my humanity compromised by a demon wolf!"
"I am not a demon…" Said the wolf, beginning to walk away.
"Then what are you?!" Anna snapped jumping to her feet.
"I told you…" Said the wolf. "You'll find out soon enough…"
Anna wanted to follow the wolf but she had vanished in the whirling snow. There was also a strange red light dancing in and out of her line of vision. She swatted at it. It dodged out of the way of her fingers. She swatted at it again, it was starting to annoy her. Again it dodged her. With an angry growl she lunged forward in an attempt to catch it and, instead, sat up in bed.
The red light was still hovering above her. It moved away from her a few feet and stopped. She stared at it. It moved a few inches and stopped again. Anna realized that whatever this light was, it wanted her to follow it. She slipped out of her bed and approached it. The light danced out of her way and to the door. Anna walked to the door. The light passed through it to the other side. Anna opened her door and looked down the hall. It was near the stairs. She walked to the stairs. The light disappeared up the stairwell. Anna followed it up the stairs, through a few corridors and through a pair of enormous doors she had never been through before. The halls were clean and everything was quiet. Anna figured that the mess from earlier had finally been cleaned up, although she could still see some blood stains on the walls here and there. She pushed the doors open and gasped.
Behind the doors was an elegant ballroom. It was a rectangular room with large black marble pillars lining the walls. The room was two floors in height and on the back wall was an enormous two story window. Anna could see the stars from that window… and the beautiful gardens behind the castle lit in the moonlight. The room itself was lit up just barely by more small red lights floating around the walls. A dark figure stood in the center of the ballroom. Anna could hear music playing somewhere inside. She didn't want to walk in wearing nothing but her nightgown so she stayed behind one of the doors, peering around it. Then she heard Alucard's voice from inside the ballroom.
"Are you going to make me wait here all night?"
"What are you…?" Anna began but a mysterious force suddenly propelled her inside and the doors shut behind her.
The red light that had led her there flew down towards her. It suddenly grew brighter and brighter. Anna shielded her eyes and she felt a sudden change in what she was wearing. The light faded away and Anna looked at herself. She was wearing a large, beautiful ball dress. The base material of the gown was red silk, lined with black silk underneath. The top piece of the gown was a black corset and underneath it was the red silk top of the dress that just barely covered her breasts enough. She was also wearing long black gloves lined with black lace. Her hair had even been restored to its most prominent state right after Ceres styled it.
Alucard approached her from the shadows. He wasn't wearing his usual black tuxedo and red overcoat. He was wearing a different long black tuxedo with long coat tails, a red vest and matching black, pressed pants. He looked… almost human… his hair was still wild and untamed, though. Although, she had to admit he looked a lot better without his silly hat on…
The music in the ballroom grew louder as he drew closer to her.
"What is all this?" Anna asked, in near disbelief.
Alucard grabbed her arm with one hand and put his other on her back. He drew her in so close to him there was no room between them. Anna looked up into his eyes. He grinned. This time, though, Anna could see affection and sincerity in his face.
"I realized that the main reason you keep distancing yourself from me is because of how rudely I have been treating you…" He said. "So I decided to make it up to you… just you… me… and this blood-soaked night… we'll dance until the sun rises."
"No…" Anna said. "Alucard… you were right… I…"
Alucard put his fingers to her lips.
"Shh…" he whispered. "We've spoken enough… no more damage… just dance…"
He swung Anna around.
"…But Alucard!" she protested. "I don't know how to dance!"
"It's easy." He said. "Just follow my lead."
Anna looked down at his feet and tired to follow them. He was right… it was easy! She was gracefully gliding across the ballroom floor in no time.
"You're a natural." Alucard murmured into her ear.
"No offense Alucard…" Said Anna. "But you never struck me as the type to do something so romantic like this…"
"You'll find I'm full of surprises…" Said Alucard playfully.
He swung her around and dipped her so low she could feel her hair brushing the floor. She shut her eyes. He swung her back up quickly and it made her feel dizzy. She opened her eyes and found her face so close to Alucard's that their noses were practically touching. Her heart began to beat faster and faster. He grinned and swung her around again.
"Hold on tight…" He said.
Anna looked down and cried out. They were dancing on thin air, and they were rising higher and higher with each step. It felt strange… every step she could feel her feet on solid ground… but there was none below her. They eventually were so high up Anna lost control of her fear. She stopped dancing and clung to Alucard for dear life. She buried her face in his chest, not wanting to look down anymore. Alucard chuckled and wrapped her in his arms. Anna felt something strange. Alucard's chest was warm, yet something was wrong…
"Alucard…" Anna murmured. "You feel… sad…"
"What?" Alucard asked pulling away from her slightly.
"Your heart…" Said Anna. "It's… in pain…"
Alucard frowned and looked away from her.
"Understand one thing…" He said. "Having eternal life has cursed me with very little happiness… but when you live this long… you learn to accept the pain as a part of yourself."
Anna put her hands on Alucard's cheeks.
"Has working for Hellsing given you this pain?" She asked.
"That is a long and complicated story…" Said Alucard. "Anyone who has lived as short of a life as you would never understand…"
"I see…" said Anna bringing her hands back around to Alucard's back and resting her head on his chest again. "I won't pretend to know what it's like to live for such a long time… but… maybe you're right about accepting pain as a part of yourself… I think…. I think that's what I've needed to do all along…"
Alucard pushed her away slightly again but this time he lifter her so she was face to face with him. Anna could feel the blood rushing to her cheeks again. This time she wouldn't let herself push him away, this time Sephiroth would not stop her from showing how she felt about Alucard… she shut her eyes braced herself.
At first Alucard only touched his lips to hers slightly. It was barely a breath of a kiss, but before Anna could even react he pulled her into a tight embrace and pressed his lips to hers, then their mouths opened and Anna allowed his tongue to intertwine with hers. The feeling she experienced then and there made her feel positively exhilarated. His hand running through her hair, his tongue seeking out every corner of her mouth, the bright moonlight shining through the two story window… there was nothing in the universe that could replace this moment… her heart fluttered weightlessly in her chest.
Alucard broke away from her just slightly.
"Hang on…" he murmured.
Anna gasped. They had started to fall through the air. She cried out and clutched Alucard in terror. They fell faster and faster. Then, as they were about to hit the floor, a gaping hole opened up beneath them and they fell through it. For a few moments they were rushing through cold blackness. Soon they slowed down, and Anna felt her feet hit solid ground. She looked around. They had somehow warped to her bedroom. Anna's dress had vanished and she was wearing her nightgown again.
"Alucard…" She said "what are you…?"
Before she could finish her sentence Alucard swept her up in his arms. He carried her to her bed and gently laid her upon it.
"Would you forgive me…" he whispered, leaning down touching his forehead to hers. "…If I took you here and now?"
"Do it…" Anna whispered "Make me yours!"
Alucard grinned. He gently slipped Anna's nightgown from her body. He subjected her to a flurry of kisses that started at her naval and ended on her neck. As he did this his own clothes seemed to melt away from his body into the darkness that surrounded them. His tall lanky body was more muscular than Anna had imagined. It wasn't an awkward musculature either, it fit his form perfectly. His skin bore neither sweat nor grease, it was beautifully smooth. He pressed his body against hers.
"You're so warm…" Anna whispered as he ran his hands along the curvature of her torso.
Alucard pressed his lips against hers. The passion inside Anna was rising like boiling lava in a volcano. She grasped Alucard's back tightly with both hands, digging her fingernails into his flesh. This act seemed to stir a fire in Alucard. He broke away from her lips and began licking her chest and neck like a hungry animal. Anna let out a small passionate moan. Alucard pinned her arms to the bed.
"Hold still!" he murmured.
He opened his mouth. Anna could see his fangs bared. She panicked.
"No!" she cried. "Alucard! Don't!"
He ignored her. He clasped Anna's neck in his jaws. Anna braced herself for the worst. But he didn't bite down… his teeth rested on her skin but did not break it. He laughed quietly. Anna shut her eyes as she felt his hands gently part her legs and penetrate her. She gasped and began to breathe quicker and quicker. With each breath her breasts heaved up and down. Alucard's body began moving, gently at first but then his motions grew faster and rougher. Anna opened her eyes again. With each thrust of his body she gasped and groaned more passionately.
No matter how rough Alucard's motions became, though, his jaw's grip on her neck neither tightened nor loosened. Anna's moans soon became cries. She clasped the sheets of her bed in her hands so tightly she could feel the fabric tearing. With every moment Anna could feel the passion inside her rising higher and higher. Alucard wasn't just making love to her, he was dominating her. What little tender sweetness he had was gone but it didn't matter, Anna was already so intoxicated she would take anything he gave her. He was ready to rip her to shreds and relished every minute of it. He held her there, on the boarder of pure wrath for what must have been an hour, but to Anna it felt much shorter.
Finally, she couldn't hold it back anymore and gave one last loud scream as Alucard unleashed his vampiric fury into her womb. He gave a single final grunt and released Anna from his jaws, withdrawing from her.
He passed his tongue over the spot where his teeth had been and unpinned her arms from the mattress. Anna placed her hands on his cheeks and began kissing his face in various places. Once she had caught her breath she laid, weakly, back onto her bed. Alucard kissed her forehead, her neck and then her breasts before he too lay back, next to her, on her bed.
"The sun is almost up…" He said. "I have to go to sleep…"
He stood up. Within moments his body was covered in dark smoke then it faded away and he was completely clothed in his usual black tuxedo and red overcoat. Anna didn't say anything. She rolled over and covered herself with her blankets. Her whole body and mind was still recovering from the thralls of passion she experienced only moments earlier.
"Promise me something Anna…" Said Alucard, quietly.
"Mmm…?" Anna grunted rolling over to look at him. His back was turned to her.
She looked over his tall form with nothing less than pure affection. She finally was able to fulfill what her heart wanted. In fact, her heart still wanted him so badly it ached just to see him leave.
"Promise me… that you will cherish your mortality…" he said.
Anna sat up but before she could answer he had vanished.
"Alucard…" She murmured.
She looked down at her hands. There was a moment when she saw the wolf's claws there. She blinked and they vanished.
"I would cherish it…" she mumbled to herself. "But… what if… I've already lost it…?"
She sighed and curled back up under her covers.
"Well…" She said to herself. "No going back now…"
She closed her eyes and entered the tundra once more. This time, however, the wolf did not come. She stood there, the cold wind whipping her hair across her face, wondering what this meant.
"You claim to not want my power…" Said the wolf's voice, suddenly. "Yet you continue to allow yourself to be violated… would you rather suffer a slow and painful death?"
Anna whirled around. She still couldn't see the wolf… where was she?
"What do you mean?" She shouted. "Alucard didn't violate me!"
"Those blessed with my influence should never fraternize with servants of hell itself!"Said the wolf. "Alucard is the worst sort of tainted souls. I thought you learned your lesson when you received his blood!"
Anna remembered the searing pain she felt when his blood entered her wounds…
"My father taught me something a long time ago…" She said. "He told me…hearts are unpredictable… I have feelings for Alucard even though I never wanted them… I'm tired of hurting, I'm sick of crying, and I'm not abandoning anyone anymore! I'm going follow my heart and stay with Alucard no matter what!"
"You're making a mistake…" Said the wolf. "No matter what you want to believe he will eventually hurt you, and then you are going to regret ever falling for him…"
"You give him too little credit!" Anna said turning about, still trying to locate the wolf.
"…And you give him too much…"Said the wolf.
It was at this point that Anna realized that the words of the wolf were coming from her own mouth. She did a double take and looked at herself. Shehad become the wolf. She was standing on four legs, her skin was covered in flowing white fur and she even had the wolf's muzzle. She backed up, shaking her head. No… no… this couldn't be happening!
"The more you let him inside you…" Said the wolf through her mouth. "The less control you will have over me… and the more pain and suffering you will have to endure."
Anna stopped panicking and calmed herself. She wouldn't let the wolf get to her.
"I will endure it …" She said. "For him…"
"A foolish choice…" Said the wolf.
"ENOUGH!" Anna screamed.
She looked down. She had somehow transformed back into herself. Now she stood alone and naked in the middle of a tundra.
She awoke moments later. There was someone knocking on her door.
"Hang on!" She shouted.
She threw her nightgown back on and ran to the door. She opened it a crack and saw Ceres standing on the other side. She looked paler than usual and practically heartbroken.
"Ceres!" Anna cried, swinging the door open fully.
"Can I… sleep in your room today…?" She asked, not making eye contact with Anna. "I… I can't sleep…"
"What's wrong?" Asked Anna letting Ceres in and closing the door behind her.
"You left before…"Ceres began. "Before…I… I… killed…all those Hellsing soldiers…"
"You mean the ghouls?"Anna Asked.
Ceres planted her face in her hands.
"They had families…" She said. "They weren't alone like us… they had lives… now they are all gone… we're the only ones left!"
"Wait!" Anna said. "Who's left?!"
"You, me, master, Walter and Sir Integra…"
"You mean… everyone else…"
"…Is dead!" Ceres moaned.
Anna looked down in disbelief.
"I can't believe this…" She murmured. "I mean… I knew there were casualties but… everyone…"
She sat on her bed and stared at the floor. Ceres climbed in bed behind her and wrapped herself in Anna's comforter.
"Sir Integra is holding a mass funeral tomorrow…" Said Ceres. "I don't think I can handle it… I killed a lot of them…"
"Why did you kill them?" Anna asked.
"They were about to kill me and… I lost control…" Said Ceres. "God knows what I would have done if sir Integra hadn't stopped me!"
Anna turned and wrapped her arms around Ceres.
"You did what you had to…" Said Anna. "I'm sure their families would be glad to know they didn't suffer long…"
This didn't seem to cheer Ceres up too much. She brought her knees to her chest and buried her face in them.
Anna lay down on her back.
"What happened to you last night?" Asked Ceres. "You ran off… after you heard about master…"
"I… I don't know what came over me…" Said Anna. "I should have known he could have taken care of it…"
"You're in love!" Said Ceres, Anna spotted a grin behind her knees.
"L…love? Don't be silly!" Anna stammered. "I'm not in love…."
"Oh come on!" Said Ceres, she finally seemed to be happily distracted. "You're positively glowing… and you've been sighing a lot all week!"
"That's silly!" Said Anna looking away. "I'll admit there are some feelings between myself and Alucard but… love?"
Ceres snickered and buried herself in Anna's covers.
"Just go to sleep…" said Anna irritably "you need your strength and Alucard would kill me if he found out you weren't in your coffin!"
As she said the word coffin she was forced to stifle a laugh.
"I don't like sleeping in that thing!" Ceres growled. "I tried… it's stuffy and it makes me claustrophobic…"
"You'll get used to it…" Said Anna. "After all… you are a vampire…"
Ceres grumbled and turned away from her. Anna couldn't hear what she was saying exactly but she was able to make out the words: try, bloody, and vampire. Anna herself was still sleepy so she yanked some of her covers away from Ceres, cuddled up in them and drifted back off to sleep.
