This is one of the more fun chapters! Well, I had a lot of fun writing it anyways. It might get a little confusing, but everything comes together in the end.
On a side note, there is a bit of a gruesome scene in this chapter. It's not that bad since it's my first attempt at something like that. But I thought I'd warn you, just in case.
Me no own, you no sue. Please just read and review!
(morning! 8:27 a.m.)
Yme snapped awake, sitting up suddenly. There was no fear or panic about her, actually she appeared elated. She looked over at the clock, but was distracted by a bright red. The fabric called her full attention, and she followed it to a head of black. The girl tilted her head in confusion before checking where the other end was. A small blush lit her face and she let go of the coat.
Noticing that the vampire hadn't moved, a rather evil grin spread across the child's face. It vanished, replaced with an air of pure innocence. Her hands went to either side of the male's head and quickly tugged on his ears. The male jumped slightly, then turned with a slight glare on his face.
"Good morning," Yme smiled. "Are you up for going out?"
An eyebrow rose in a silent question. Yme hopped out of bed and started to the bathroom, talking over her shoulder.
"Today's a free day! Places to go, people to see, you know?"
She disappeared and left the vampire to consider the offer. When the child came out she went straight into the closet. She emerged in a casual green tee-shirt and denim jeans. Her hair was pulled back in a loose ponytail, a few strands escaping to fall around her face. Her eyes shifted to the male in askance.
"You're going to see that priest?"
"Yes," she chirped.
"And you want me to come," he questioned, disbelief clear in his voice.
"If you behave and change forms no one will be the wiser," she reasoned. "You'll have to join me after I ditch the guard, though."
"Hmm."
The vampire nodded slowly, and the child smiled. In a second the male had shifted to another form, a girl dressed in winter-suited clothes. Yme paused and looked over the other carefully. She shook her head and grabbed the female's wrist, dragging her to the closet.
"What are you doing?" the now soft, childish voice asked.
"There is no way you're going out in those clothes. Come on, we don't have all day!"
Yme rummaged through the closet, picking out a lightweight outfit for the vampire. As she changed the child looked around and found a pair of sunglasses that suited the outfit she'd put together. A few minutes later the transformed vampire moved into the bedroom, a slight pout on her face.
"I don't know about this," she muttered.
"Oh, calm down. You look great!"
The outfit was simple, yet elegant. A dark blue, long sleeved shirt and black pants covered most of the vampire's body. Her hair was left loose, a blue headband keeping it out of her face. Yme smiled brightly and handed over the sunglasses. They complemented the look and hid the always-red eyes.
After a bit more encouragement the temporarily named Lue agreed to meet Yme down the street from the orphanage. Yme moved quickly to get out of the mansion, finding out that her guard was a new one to her delight. The ride took longer than she wished, but eventually they arrived in the village. In a few minutes she had lost her guard and was headed for the orphanage.
Lue joined her as planned. A quick, sharp nudge from the child had the maniacal grin gone from the vampire's face. The nosferatu pouted at her, only to receive a silent lesson on how to properly smile. In a playful spirit, she stuck out her tongue at the other. Yme grinned at the antic, then grabbed a hand as she led the way into the yard.
A few children were playing outside, and they recognized Yme. The commotion they caused drew more children, and a few nuns. They all greeted Yme with enthusiasm, and she did in return. Lue was overwhelmed with the interest shown to her, being introduced time and again to others. She was automatically liked simply by being with Yme.
They were invited inside, to with both girls softly protested, but were convinced anyways. The nuns brought out lunch: sandwiches, carrots, grapes, milk, and cookies for dessert. Lue was actually able to relax and join in on some of the conversation. She noticed how Yme placed careful questions that gave her answers that no adult would have gotten.
After lunch the children went back outside to play. Yme remained with the nuns, helping to clean up the mess. Lue grudgingly helped as well, not wanting to miss anything. A few minutes into playful conversation while the nuns washed dishes footsteps sounded on the stairs. Lue, with her enhanced hearing, could tell it was two people.
Yme was more towards the stairs the Lue, and therefore turned to them expectantly. Her eyes widened when the first person came into the room. It was obvious by his robes that he was a priest. But the robes were black, his cross unusual with additions to the design. He wore glasses and a kind smile, his winter-lake-blue eyes scanning the room. Though he looked very young, perhaps late twenties, his hair was a beautiful silver. He noticed Yme first, and his smile widened as he greeted her.
"Well, hello. I don't believe I've seen you here before."
"Tha's cause she likes to dro' by aun occasion," came a voice from behind him.
Yme snapped out of her stupor and stood, smiling brightly at the second male. Father Anderson moved from behind the silver-haired priest and knelt to allow a hug from the girl. Lue's eyes narrowed behind the sunglasses, she was fighting the urge to reveal herself to her rival.
"Oh? Such a young and cute visitor you have," the male teased lightly.
"True. An' she's no' haf bad a cook either," Anderson shot back.
"Um, Father... Who's your friend?" Yme softly and shyly asked.
"Righ', righ'. Yme, this is Father Able Nightroad. Able, this is Yme."
"It's nice to meet you," Able grinned.
"L-likewise," Yme said.
The three separated, and Yme moved carefully towards her vampire. The two priests continued talking lightly, the subject nothing important. A small tug on Lue's sleeve made her attention switch to Yme. The two went outside to play with the children, but after a bit Yme pulled Lue into the shadows of a tree. She looked around to make sure there wasn't anyone near, then turned with a serious expression to the other.
"There's something off about that priest," she stated softly.
"Really? I didn't notice anything."
"That's because you were focused on Anderson. I just wish I could put my finger on this feeling."
"You know what it is?"
"I think so. Not sure. So familiar, though. It's going to bug me to death," Yme huffed.
Lue shrugged and looked towards the entrance. Yme followed her gaze to see the two priests heading out. A blank looked crossed her face before it was replaced by a sly smirk. She turned to the other female, the expression a little startling.
"What do you say we follow them? I don't have to be back for some time yet."
"Sounds like fun," grinned Lue.
And so the two girls followed silently after the priests. They kept a decent distance away, hiding whenever one of the men would glance around. After about an hour of walking, they could hear a commotion ahead. There was a road block keeping people back, but the priests got through it easily.
Lue pouted and huffed, thinking this was the end of their game. She was surprised when Yme went to the policemen and started interrogating them. Of course, to most it wouldn't seem like that. She was acting shy and hesitant, but friendly, dropping the occasional question. In minutes she had gotten the entire situation out of the guards.
Yme turned and walked back towards her vampire, a satisfied smile on her face. But before she could close the distance, an explosion rang out from the building behind her. She turned in time to see a dark shadow moving swiftly towards her, then she was snatched up. A brief shriek escaped her, then she turned her head to see her captor.
It was a male vampire. He snarled and skidded to a halt quite a distance away from the police. A large handgun was pressed to Yme's temple, stopping any movement that the police might have made.
"No one follows me or the kid gets it!" shouted the vampire. "Especially you Vatican scum!"
Any who looked at the situation had a grim face. Yme searched through the crowd and spotted Lue. She looked furious and ready to take action. Yme slowly shook her head and whispered "don't". A confused look passed over both vampires' features, but her captor shrugged it off. He shifted into haste mode and ran, still clutching the child.
(note: I'll be splitting this up slightly, but you'll get everything in the end.)
(with Yme)
The vampire ran for awhile before tiring out. He broke into an empty house and took refuge in an upper room. A pleased look stretched across his face. He had evaded them for now, and with his hostage they wouldn't dare come after him. What did slightly irk him was how calm said hostage was. He looked down, only to see ocean blue eyes peering up at him.
"Um, mister, would you please put me down now? I'd like to go home," the girl asked with a slight whine.
"Sorry," the vampire leered, "You're my ticket out of this place."
"What'd you do to have so many people after you?"
"I stole secret information and killed a few terran along the way," he boasted. "And don't think I'll hesitate to kill you, either."
There was a silence while Yme processed this. The vampire got comfortable, planning to wait for nighttime. His thoughts were interrupted when the girl spoke up again.
"So are they trying to take you alive?" she questioned.
"Nah. I memorized all that stuff and burned the copies I'd gotten."
"So then nobody will mind if I kill you," she stated, sounding very pleased.
"Wha-"
The brief sound of confusion was all the vampire was able to get out before he felt a searing pain lance through his body. His mouth opened in a silent scream as the world went black.
(with Alucard a.k.a. Lue, the police, and the priests)
Lue stared after the suddenly gone form of the vampire. She was livid that he would dare to touch her master. But she was also confused, why had Yme stopped her? The answer to that came quickly in the form of raised voices behind her.
"How cou' yeh let 'im git away?!? I though' yeh said yeh'd got 'im covered!" yelled a very familiar voice.
The nosferatu turned to see the two priests moving through the crowd. They were looking around for the vampire terrorist.
"How was I supposed to know he had a bomb??? And besides, you were backup, why didn't you back me up?" asked the silver-haired priest.
"Ah was, didn' yeh see all those damn minions!? Ah took care o' them, yeh were suppos' teh git teh easy one!"
"Easy?!?"
Lue rolled her eyes at the bickering priests. They had finally reached her level, and it was harder now not to fight with the Paladin. The priests stopped arguing when a police officer approached them.
"There you two are! Things have gotten out of hand," the officer panicked.
"Really, Ah wouldn' uh guessed," growled Anderson.
"The vampire took a hostage, a little girl!"
"WHAT?!?" "WHIT?!?"
"You just missed him. Poor thing, there's no hope for her."
"Her?!? Whit'd she look like?" yelled Anderson, shaking the policeman.
"Black--hair--and--pale skin.....Green tee-shirt--and--blue jeans," managed the male.
"NO!" cried both the priests.
Anderson started in the direction the vampire had gone off in, Able following after he apologized to the police officer. Lue shadowed them, making sure not to be spotted. She would make sure that her master was unharmed and safe. These priests would not be able to get Yme out in one piece.
It took awhile for them to track down the vampire. But with luck and a few eye-witnesses, the three found themselves in front of the obviously broken into building. All of them surveyed it for a potential entry point. Lue snuck around back and went to one of the low windows. Just as she was about to phase through the wall, a small hand grabbed her shoulder.
She whirled around, ready to defend herself, then stopped. There stood Yme, perfectly intact and a huge grin on her face. Not a single hair was out of place, but Lue could smell the copper tinge that belied blood.
"I was wondering when you'd show up. Come on, it's time to go home," Yme stated.
"But... what about..... how did.... and you-"
Yme laughed and tugged the vampire along. They ran through the city until Yme spotted her 'guard', then split. The worried guard fussed over the child and put her in the car. The drive back was uneventful, and the only thing of note was how fast Yme was to get to her room once they had gotten back. She changed into a fresh outfit and then had a glass of water.
Alucard had returned the borrowed clothes and shifted back into his usual form. He was very curious as to what had happened, but he couldn't get Yme to say anything on the matter. That was due to her conversation skills. One minute he'd be questioning her, the next they were discussing something completely different like uniforms, folklore, war tactics, or weapon maintenance. He eventually gave up and decided to get what information he could later.
(with the priests, shortly after Yme grabbed Lue)
Fathers Alexander Anderson and Able Nightroad grimly took in the building. The area was far too quiet for their liking. They just hoped that they weren't too late to save the child. As Anderson worked on the door, Able spoke softly to himself.
"I can't believe she followed us," he muttered.
"She's dun it afore. Curious 'bout e'ry little thin'," whispered the paladin.
"But how'd we not notice?"
"..."
Anderson finally got the door open, but he had no answer for the other. It was only by chance that he'd ever spotted the child trailing him before. He didn't know how often she shadowed him.
The priests moved silently, searching for the vampire. There was nothing on the first two floors, leaving only the four rooms on the third. Due to the layout, they were quick to figure out the room the fugitive was in. They took a side of the door each, Able with his revolver drawn and Anderson's bayonets gleaming.
With little options left they kicked down the door and yelled into the room. The only thing that greeted them was silence, and an unmoving body. Both men's eyes widened at the gruesome scene. Able hastily put his gun away, his hands shaking badly. Anderson started muttering scriptures under his breath, his eyes scanning for the other supposed occupant.
There was nothing in the room but two shredded chairs, a discarded gun, and the dead vampire. The arms, legs, and head had been cut from the body, but everything was nailed to the wall. A wooden stake ran through each palm, upper arm, thigh, and foot to place them where they should be. The torso was pinned with stakes through the heart and groin. The head, minus eyes, had a stake shoved at an upwards angle through the mouth.
But this was only the least of the mystery left for the males. Despite the savage image left, there was not a spot of blood to be seen. In fact, the body was shriveled into a husk. The only holes in it besides the ones made by the stakes were six small incisions into the chest in two vertical lines of three.
Able left the room as soon as the shock had lightened. He felt very sick, though there had been no smell within the room the picture was enough to turn his stomach. Anderson completed his scan of the room, then noticed that his partner was gone. He went just outside the room and confronted Able.
"Whit are yeh doin' out here?"
"Sorry. I've seen some pretty bad things before but that..."
"Ah know. Still, we got ae job tah do. Do yeh still have tha' camera?"
"Uh, yeah. Here."
The blonde took the camera and did a thorough job with it. He gave it back to Able, then proceeded to tear the body from the wall. After the deed was done the two lugged the body outside and burned it. While they were making sure none came to interfere, Anderson spoke to Able.
"Ah've seen this kin' o' sadistic violence afore," he stated dryly.
"Oh? Then we have a lead?" asked Able.
"Dunno. The only un tha' Ah know who'd do this sort o' thing is suppos' tah be locked up tight."
"...Who are you talking about?"
"No' who, whit. Tha' accursed beast o' Hellsing's, teh vampire Alucard."
Able Nightroad turned surprised eyes to the other male. The serious look on the blonde's face was enough to convince him that the second wasn't joking. If Anderson was right they would have some major issues in the near future.
Soon the task of disposing the vampire's body was finished. The two priests left the area, Able walking Anderson to the orphanage.
"I think it would be best to arrange a visit to the Hellsing manor," Able stated.
"Whit?!? Are ye daft? Tha' protestant is no friend aun will see us as ae threat."
"But how else will we be sure if it's really who you think it is without confirming it ourselves?"
Anderson grumbled but gave his silver-haired companion a point. They decided to write a formal letter to Integral Hellsing, signed by Able so as not to raise suspicion. It was a request for opinion on the case, and would be accompanied with a few of the photos Anderson had taken. With any luck, the two priests would be able to confirm whether or not the nosferatu had been re-awakened.
(note: and thus the first split ends. ^_^)
I think you people should be happy with this. At least I didn't do what I'd planned before, cutting off at the switch between Yme and the priests plus Alucard. No, the evil cliffie of doom will come at a later date. Beware!
ZD: (ducks behind Alucard) I'm sorry if I got Anderson's accent wrong! I can't write him without one, so I did the best I could.
Alucard: I am not a shield.
ZD: You are now. B-chan let you to me just for this.
Alucard: muttergrumblemutter