Disclaimer: One last time, I don't own anything worth viewing or reading – if I can then let me know how.
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Kurt looked about his institute room and wondered how he should do this without being shot at in the process – a new healing ability would raise questions and he didn't feel like answering too many. Then he caught sight of himself in the mirror, the war weaponry on his back and across his chest. Perhaps he should have come in more casual dress?
Then again, why? This was who he was now, a fighter, a hunter. He stalked silently over to his CD's and selected one, putting it into then player and paused. Again, why something old when he was so different? Kurt took the CD out and placed one of his new ones in. Instantly, the heavy heart beat pulsing music filled the room, causing the mutant to smile as he remembered some of the women he had danced with to that song.
As he waited, he decided to look at the pictures on the wall – why were they up again? They seemed so tacky to him now, so...pointless.
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Music had caught the attention of the gathered X-men downstairs. Instantly they were all suited up and ready to face the intruder, Logan at the forefront of the group. Marching, they went upstairs and finally stopped outside of the elf's room. Interesting.
Logan kicked the door open and spotted a figure in a large red coat with swords over his back. There was a flash of blue but by then, Wolverine was already charging. He collided with a...cloud of smoke?
"Herr Logan? Vhen did you become so small?" Kurt laughed; he was crouched on the ground and as he stood up, took a moment to indulge in his extra six inches or so.
"Kurt?" Kitty stepped forward and paused. "Is that you?"
"Are zere two blue furry demons valking around?" He laughed. "I think not. But tell me, how long have I been gone here?"
"Kurt!" Rogue ran forward and hugged her brother, pausing to take a step back. "Wow, have yah been bench pressin'?"
"Nein, zat stuff is still for morons." He waved a three fingered hand absently in such a way that it 'happened' to indicate Scott and Logan. "I've spent a lot of time on ze trapeze, got interested in some fighting and ze like. But tell me, vhat have I missed?"
"Yah've only bin gone for eighteen days Kurt."
He chuckled dryly. "Feels a lot longer Rogue." With that said, he looked at his reflection in the mirror. Everyone got the point very quickly.
"What happened?" Ororo took one of his hands and was shocked at the speed that the blue mutant jerked away from her. He chuckled to hide the gesture then took her hand, kissing the knuckles lightly.
"How about you make up some cookies and I'll tell you zen?"
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The entire assembly of X-men, old and new, had gathered in the kitchen as the requested cookies where being made in murmured silence. Kurt was just resting against a wall, watching everyone with unblinking eyes and a slight smirk the entire time. Everyone else stared at him, well, tried but they all kept blinking.
Scott was asked to fetch something and he walked past Kurt in his usual, slightly swaggering manner. There was an unmistakable snort.
"What?" The leader of the X-men asked with his hands on his hips, waiting for Kurt to back down bashfully as he always done.
The vampire straightened up, held himself to his full height in his easy straight backed stance. He grinned brightly, revealing large fangs that were long enough to rest where the lower teeth started. "I can't believe zat I ever vore spandex." He confessed and indicated the room. "Vhy?"
"To allow full movement." Scott replied back, annoyed at his comrades abrupt change in behaviour. It seemed that the Kurt of eighteen days ago had died long ago to this Kurt.
"Ach, ignore me. But you're right, I have changed a lot since I left. Arucard is particularly proud of zat fact."
"I didn't say that." Cyclops had gone very still and everyone was watching curiously. The professor and Jean tried to probe the blue mutants mind and found themselves completely shut out.
"Kurt? Am I correct in guessing that telepathy has become a new gift?" Xavier asked carefully.
"Cookies." Ororo provided just the ice breaker that was needed and she indicated for everyone to sit down. Kurt held the seat out for every female in the house before sitting down himself, pushing the tails of the coat back as he done so.
"Are those guns?" Evan asked abruptly.
Kurt looked aghast. "Guns? Nein, zey are Jackals." He produced one from his belt at the back and easily initiated both the safety and the removal of the bullet clip. "Zey're slightly smaller zan Arucards and I had zem modified because of mein hands. Zey fire a 13mm silver bullet at a couple of hundred miles an hour. Valter is very proud of zem." The gun was placed on the table; everyone had their eyes on it.
Kitty had to comment on the inscription. "Jesus is in heaven now? What's that supposed to mean?"
"He's left us far behind. I asked ze same thing. Integra vas quite fond on it apparently." He chuckled dryly as he expertly placed the clip back in and slung it behind him once more out of sight. "However I prefer mein swords. How have you all been?" He bit into a biscuit. "Zese are vunderful, Ororo."
"Why thank you, Kurt." She smiled. "We have been doing well, you've missed a few tests but I daresay that you don't plan on sitting them."
Kurt nodded and smirked. "Got all ze qualifications I need for mein work."
The lycanthrope Rahne looked at him quizzically. "Kurt, why 'as yer scent changed?"
"She's right." Logan added and sniffed the air to emphasise this.
The vampire shrugged and bit into a biscuit thoughtfully. "You should add in a pinch of aniseed Ororo for an extra kick, though ze cinnamon alvays reminds me of you."
The weather witch blushed and laughed as Kurt made his rounds with the charm.
"Kurt?" Evan piped up. "Please don't flirt with aunty O, it makes me goose bump."
The vampire smirked and chuckled. "I forget how it vas." He shrugged. "But at least now I appreciate fine beauty vhen -"
"Kurt!" The spine grower clamped his hands over his ears. "You're banned from Errol Flynn, do you hear me?"
There was a mock sigh before Kurt stretched cat like thoughtfully. "Speaking of Errol Flynn, could ve vatch vun of his movies tonight? Its harder to find his films in ze other dimension."
"Kurt? How long have you spent in this 'other dimension'?" The professor asked curiously. "My guess is a while due to the obvious..." he waved a hand.
"A few years." Kurt replied slightly guarded.
Rogue had to ask. "Anything interestin' about tha' other dimension of yours?"
"You don't need to vorry about mein having a girlfriend Rogue, ze people zere gawk as much as ze people here. It took a long time to explain zat zey hadn't picked up a demon."
"So they're a little behind us then?" Scott asked as he shot a few daggers at the blue mutant who found this hilarious.
"Oh ja, so backvard zat zey have such technology zat even ze professor has still to put on cerebro for your average computer." He shook his head. "And ze veapons? Zey vould have Logan skipping like a school girl."
Everyone looked at Logan who growled. "What are you implying elf?"
"Zat you'd be as happy zere as a vegetarian in Eden."
"Lots to maim is there?" He released his adimantium claws pointedly.
Kurt couldn't help the smirk. "Oh ja, but you vould need some silver plating on zhose claws to do any damage." The vampire shook his head. "Zey had regiments specifically to eradicate zese things."
"An' tha's where yah ended up, right?" Rogue smiled. "Ah knew tha' yah'd be fine on yah own, Kurt."
He smiled softly and cupped her chin with his hand. "You don't know ze half of it." He frowned when she jerked away. "Vas?"
"Ah didn't absorb yah." She frowned. "Why didn't I absorb yah?"
"You don't vant to know." The vampire shook his head and looked at his hands. Death had some unseen advantages after all. "Vhat have you told mein mother of mein...adventure?"
The professor raised his eyebrows. "We informed her as is protocol Kurt; do you wish for me to arrange a meeting?"
"It vont be necessary, just let her know I'm back. She'll come in her own style and terms." He shook his head, noticed the odd looks and shrugged at them all. "More cookies?"
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The male populous of the household had gathered in the kitchen, discussing Kurt and the way he had just charmed every female around his little finger. They were notably depressed about it and tried to figure out what could have happened to get the lovable blue elf to change so drastically.
In the rec room, the female populous giggled away like teenagers (well, most of them were, so that was ok) and they discussed the way Kurt had changed to a total charmer. His physique was also taken into account and they speculated what sort of training was involved to keep the figure like that.
Kurt himself was alone in his room, listening to his music. He frowned, trying to block out the conversations he could hear and the heartbeats of so many people. His emergency bottle of blood was opened and he sipped it, watching a film with half an ear. He had too much energy and decided to tour the institute in his favourite fashion. Multiple bamfs.
It was the danger room that finally brought the vampire to a halt. He was still wearing his full fighting gear and the swords on his back made a great temptation. Considering the chances of being caught, he paced about slowly.
"I was wondering when you'd be here." Logan came into the room, his cigar creating a foul smoke. "You look the type who has a certain amount of energy to burn."
"Is zat a challenge, Herr Logan?" The vampire smirked. "For I vould like zat to be vun." He chuckled softly as the mutant popped out his claws.
"Alright then." Wolverine darted forward and expected the blue mutant to teleport. He was stunned as the swords were drawn and raised, Kurt prepared to do battle.
By this point, a small audience had gathered in the control room in search of the blue furry mutant. They all stopped to watch what they classed as was a sure slaughter.
"Kurt is going to get creamed." Evan sighed.
Scott raised his eyebrows. "I wonder why he wants to challenge Logan, he can't win."
Kurt chuckled, easily hearing the people in the control room. Crouching down, he leapt up and twirled in the air, only just missing the healer. Logan turned and was thrown over the vampires shoulder. They squared up, then things went weird.
The blue mutant had forgotten his vows to hide his new abilities and merged into the shadows, vanishing from reality before reappearing through the ceiling. It was time for some real fun and he tossed the swords on the ground, letting the guns join them and the silver stakes too.
"Don't hold back." Kurt grinned and teleported, booting Wolverine in the crook of the knee. "I alvays vanted to fight you properly."
"Well you're going to lose, bub." Logan managed to snag the vampires tail and pulled him. He wound up being slammed onto his back by a sly teleport.
"Really? Regenerators are not zat hard to defeat."
Regenerator? Where had he heard that before? Logan just missed the punch and he unleashed his claws again, not caring in the slightest about the elf's health anymore.
"Logan!" Ororo paused suddenly as she watched Kurt stagger back and his skin heal, fur sprouting over it at the end so that it blended in perfectly.
He smirked. The fight was on. With two quick teleports and a sly blow to the head, Kurt grabbed Logan and teleported again, very high. The ceiling provided a suitable surface to stick to and the vampire watched the progress of the healer who, in effect, was being hung by the tail. It was quite interesting really.
Logan batted the tail uselessly a few times then was abruptly dropped onto the ground. He took in a few deep breaths, gasping like a beached whale before sitting up slowly. The vampire was crouching, a smirk on his face. Kurt stood up and offered his hand.
"Good fight, Logan."
Wolverine accepted the hand and allowed himself to be pulled to his feet, a few conflicting thoughts in his mind. He knew with certainty however that he would never be 'Herr Logan' again; the elf saw him as an equal now. "Kurt? What are you? You're not human anymore."
Kurt chuckled lightly. "I've spent eight years in a dimension vere the boundaries of life and death, magic and peace are very blurred. Everyday I fight zose creatures. Its only to be expected zat I come back a little scratched." He watched blandly as everyone else ran into the danger room to see if Logan was alright. "Vell I'm pleased."
Scott glared. "For what? Nearly killing Logan?"
"For proving mein self to another doubter." The vampire picked up his weaponry, easily swinging them back into place. "Ze only vay to deal vith zem is to beat zem in zier own games." Teleporting, he left for his room again.
"Logan?" The professor frowned.
"I'm alright Chuck, and I wouldn't worry about Kurt either, he's a lot more dangerous than he looks and he doesn't look exactly cute and innocent anymore."
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Evan, Rogue, Jean, Scott and Kitty all decided to enter Kurt's room to have a private, non adult supervised talk with their missing member. They all paused and waited to be acknowledged as they took in the lean, well muscled frame of Kurt.
The vampire was reading a book he had started eight years ago and was only in his combats. His jacket and weapons neatly lined up on the bed. He ignored them.
They continued to wait.
He continued to ignore them.
Eventually, Evan decided to break the silence by attempting to pick up one of the guns. He couldn't as he could barely raise them three inches off the bed. "These are really, really heavy."
"Zere only ze babies, twelve pounds to each gun. If Arucards in a good mood, he lets me use ze daddies, fifteen each."
"But that's twenty four pounds of metal so far!"
"And ze ammunition adds veight." Kurt added to the disbelief of Evans ears. "Ze stakes each veigh a pound, and ze bullet cartridges half each. Ze swords veigh only twenty each."
"Twenty!"
The vampire nodded sadly. "Ja, it vas decided zat se bigger swords vere not sleek enough for mein tactics. I liked ze blow of ze thirty pound swords but..." He shrugged. "It's efficiency over preference."
"Kurt? Tha's over eighty pounds with just th' swords an' th' guns." Rogue frowned and turned to face her brother. "Just how much weight can yah carry?"
"How much do you weigh?" He stood up, finally remembering why he wasn't bothered about the book in his eight years absence. "Vell?" With ease, he scooped her onto his shoulder.
"Jus' under one fifty." She confessed and noticed that she was now being put onto his arm like a bird of prey and then held out. His arm was perfectly straight and didn't even shake.
"Good enough?" He smiled, flicking his arm to catch her before putting her back on the floor. Kurt seemed oblivious to the envious glares he was getting from Scott and Evan and blind to the puppy eyes from Kitty and Jean. "Vell, since every vun is so touchy at ze moment, I vunder if you'll give me a few straight answers?"
"We're cryptic?" Scott snorted. "You haven't answered one question from us yet!"
Kurt shrugged. "I do ze best I can. Vould somevun like to tell me if all ze buildings are still standing?"
Kitty giggled. "Nothings been destroyed, or even damaged. The brotherhood are like, totally lying low because Mystique -" She stopped.
He waited for a moment. "Mein mother...?"
"Well, she's a little...angry?"
"Arucard vill love zat, alvays asks whose side I get it from. He likes to think it's his fault." The vampire smiled fondly at the memories. "Zis vill devastate him – I can't vait." He chuckled then shook his head. "Ok, is ze food still terrible at school?"
"...yeah..."
"Ah, so ze constant bad canteen food has not changed, ze vorld is safe." The vampire yawned absently. "Its getting light, I need to sleep."
"Huh?" Jean frowned. "But you sleep during the night, not the day."
"I've become a little nocturnal of late. I'll see you all in...four hours?" He jumped up and landed neatly on the ceiling with a wry grin. "I have to vatch ze sunrise first." That said, he slipped through the ceiling and out of sight.
Kitty crossed her arms. "Like when could he phase?"
"Some time in the past couple of years?" Suggested Evan who was still trying to pick up some of the weaponry. "Man, he's strong." He rubbed his sore arms. "And obsessed with silver."
"Huh?"
"All of this stuff is silver plated, the bullets too, remember? Maybe whatever he hunts can only be killed with silver – we'd better not tell Rahne."
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As expected, Rahne found out instantly and went to confront Kurt on the subject of werewolf hunting. She found him fast asleep, curled up with a peaceful air to him, as if the battle could be rested for a little while. Except that he happened to be on the bed with a severe lack of movement.
"Kurt?" She poked him, wanting to know if the scent of death had been an early indication that he had been about to pass onto the next plain. She tried again and was suddenly grabbed, flicked onto the bed with her mouth covered and being pinned by a well toned mutant.
Kurt stopped growling then smiled sheepishly. "You startled me."
"Startled? Yae gave me an 'eart attack!"
"Zat so?" He sat back then noticed that he was straddling her. "Traurig." He moved off and easily pulled her to her feet with a wry grin. "Can I do something for you?"
She looked at the extremely handsome, well toned and yummy looking mutant and had to dispel the first thought out of her mind immediately. "I wanted ta know why yer stuffs all silver – Evan was goin' on about werewolf 'untin'."
"Nein." Kurt laughed. "I haven't seen a verevolf yet." He chuckled. "Many things, but not verevolves. You need not vorry about ze big cousins, ja?"
She blushed. "Sorry, it was just Evan goin' on an' on about it and – well, why dae ya 'ave only silver?"
"It's for ze vampires."
"What!"
"Vampires." He rubbed his cheek as he was promptly slapped. "I'm being serious, Rahne. Ze bullets come from melted crosses, ze swords are blessed and so are ze stakes. I hunt vampires."
The lycanthrope was stock still. "Vampires?"
He nodded and was shocked as she hugged him suddenly.
"Yer secrets safe, Kurt. Wha' happened then?"
"I don't catch your drift."
"You're a vampire, aren't ya? I can smell death. Wha' 'appened?" She sat down on the bed and smiled. "It's obvious now, the extra abilities, being so strong." The lycanthrope paused for a moment. "But there are no werewolves."
"None."
She shrugged sheepishly. "Well I'd best leave you to your sleep – err, don't you have to have a coffin?"
"Nein."
"What about sunlight."
"Ze fur."
"Garlic?"
"I love garlic."
"Ok, crosses."
"Ze fur again."
She paused for a moment. "Ok...the whole blood sucking thing."
"Ja."
"What about – what?"
Kurt waved a three fingered hand for her to sit down. "I'm perfectly harmless, I vas housetrained years ago. As for ze blood zing? Vell, I hunt vhen I need it but it isn't like 'I vant to suck your blood' all ze time."
Rahne decided that she had bitten off more than she could chew. "Ok, so...we're all safe."
"Ja."
"And..."
He chuckled lightly and raised a hand. "In ze name of god, impure souls of ze living dead shall be banished into eternal damnation, amen."
"Err, aren't you one of the living dead?"
Kurt smirked. "Ja, but I kill zem to keep mein hide intact. If I get a little too vampiric just remind me zat I took ze pledge." He stretched before dropping down onto the bed and closed his eyes. After a moment, he opened one up. "You can stay here if you vant but I've been informed zat I kick."
She blinked. "Oh!" And bolted to the door, positive that Kurt's chuckle was still in her ears when she got downstairs. Rahne narrowed her eyes at Evan.
"Well?" The spike grower grinned lazily. "Does he hunt werewolves?"
"No." She kicked him in the shins before walking off, her head held high. "Just the impure souls of the living dead."
"Huh?"
She chuckled and closed the door.
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The sight caused the X-men, a rag tag group of mutants with powers that ranged from optic beams coming out of their eyes to flying; to stop in their tracks. Kurt was dancing along to a CD, the music completely unknown but carrying a heavy beat.
Laughing, the vampire spotted them and stopped, pausing to let his tail check that all his weapons were there and safe. He looked set to go to battle, and indeed he was. The battle was coming to him; he was going to see his mother.
"Kurt." The professor smiled, happy to see an edge of the old Kurt in this new one. "You mother will be here any moment."
"What? Mystique's coming here?" Scott frowned and shook his head. "I think that's a bad idea-"
"Scott, I haven't seen her in eight years. She vont get ze chance to do anything rash, I assure you." The vampire licked a fang, indicating what he meant when he said that nothing was going to go wrong.
"Pledge." The lycanthrope smiled.
"Who said I vas going to break it?" Kurt smiled and flicked his ears, picking up the sounds of several heartbeats. "Here she comes, complete vith entourage."
Sure enough, the bell rang, signalling the arrival of the brotherhood. They were invited in common courtesy and Kurt watched in interest from a hidden point. He wanted to see the reaction once they had all sat down.
"Well Charles? Where is my son?"
"Here." Kurt moved out from the shadows and smiled as all of the arrivals jaws hit the ground. He smirked, taking specific note of his mother's expression, her son all grown up now; once again she had missed the chance of seeing him grow up.
"Kurt?" Mystique moved forward. She was in her natural blue form and gently reached out to touch her sons face. "How...?"
"Eight." He filled in for her and smiled, producing yellow tinted glasses from his pocket. He put them on to save his eyes the harshness of the sunlight that streamed through the windows.
"What happened to you?" Her hand traced over the tattooed scar.
"Had a run in vith a priest." The vampire chuckled and let the woman continue her path over the changes. The swords were next to be noticed, but the mother was more interested in his physical state.
"What have you been doing?" She indicated his physique and took a step back to take in his height, his voice already music to her ears.
"Hunting." He smirked, bringing his hands behind his back to rest on the guns. The movement was noticed and commented on immediately.
"Yo, he's got guns on him." Toad bit his finger nails and was hit over the back of the head by the massive Fred.
"You don't go pointing that out, now he knows that we know."
"No vorries, I vouldn't dream of vasting good bullets on you." The blue furred mutant yawned lightly, his impressive fangs easily seen.
"What have you been hunting?" Mystique folded her arms and tapped her foot. "I don't want riddles, Kurt."
"Ghouls and zeir masters." Kurt smiled and moved away to sit down, offering her a seat before he took his. "I've been in ze army as such." He chuckled at the terrified looks he was being given, if only they knew.
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The brotherhood had decided that they needed fresh air, conveniently, so had the young X-men. Both groups stood in strongly segregated bunches, making a point that they weren't going to mix. Then Kitty went over to see Lance, Toad went to flirt unsuccessfully with Rogue and Evan and Peitro decided to have a little fight.
Now that they were all forced to mix, conversation fell onto what was occurring inside the mansion, or more specifically, the blue furred mutant.
"Ah've nevah seen her look so proud o' him." Rogue confessed. "Th' way Mystique couldn't stop touchin' him. She looked...proud."
"Well he looks like he would slit your throat for blinking wrong." Lance mumbled and was hit by Kitty. "Ow!"
"Like, Kurt is totally not like that."
"The Kurt you know maybe, but that isn't Kurt."
"Ah have tah agree with Toad, but not th' slittin' the throat thing." Rogue tossed her head and smiled. "He's exactly wha' ah imagined he would be when he grew up. He aint Kurt 'coz we missed him change."
"Of course you would stick up for your brother." Peitro sneered and yelped as Todd turned on him.
"She agreed with me, speed freak."
"So? Thatdoesn'tmeanthatyou'regoingtogetmarried."
"What? Slow down!"
"That doesn't mean that you're going to get married." He translated.
"Ah heard tha'!"
Kurt suddenly appeared from the mansion, Mystique following him, and Logan, Ororo and the professor following her. The vampire made a show of sitting down on the grass to keep away from his mother for a moment and he looked at them.
"I could hear you vhen I vas inside. Rogue, you are not to marry Toad, ja?"
"Ok, bro." She smiled brightly and laughed. "Sorry 'bout talkin' about yah."
"Zat's ok." He smirked suddenly, picking up some stray thoughts. He desperately hoped someone would voice them. That somebody proved to be Tabitha.
"You look like a vigilante or something."
"I am a vigilante in a vay, I guess." Kurt chuckled and shook his head.
"You're way too dark for the X-men." Lance smiled. "You should join us."
Kurt looked over the top of his yellow tinted glasses, ones he had stolen off Arucard at some point, and he laughed. "Traurig, I just thought zat you suggested I join your side of zis pointless var."
"Well..." Avalanche fell silent as the X-men all laughed.
"See, Kurt's like, totally on our – pointless?"
"Ja. Don't you see zat if ve leave zem to it, ze vorld vill be all mutants vun day anyvay. Peaceful co-existence vill only occur if you stay honourable and keep your head down. Humans have a limited time span in zis vorld; all you need to do is vait."
"Kurt? That would take hundreds of years." Jean reasoned.
"It vould, but I've been looking at ze bigger picture lately."
"Pledge."
"I vasn't about to break it, Rahne."
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Finally, the brotherhood had left and Kurt knew that he was in the proverbial doghouse. He ran his stakes across a leather strap, keeping them nice and sharp. Next he picked up polish for his gun then paused, tilting his head.
"Vas?" He stood up and noticed that he was being watched. "Can you feel zat?"
"Feel what?" Logan frowned.
"I forget, you've never seen somevun travel dimensions before, at least, not like Arucard." The vampire frowned, the link he shared with the older vampire suddenly becoming stronger, signalling that they were getting closer together.
Chuckling resounded throughout the room, red eyes appearing in the darkest shadows. The shadows started to turn red, forming a cloak –
"Quit vith ze dramatic entrance, Arucard." Kurt laughed, aware that all of the X-men were watching his conversation with the half formed vampire.
"Need you spoil everything?" The vampire stepped out of the wall and dusted himself down. It was dark outside so he was safe from the possibility of bursting into flames. He laughed, showing off fangs and glowing red eyes.
"My god." Rahne stood up and frowned, smelling a similarity in scent. "Kurt? Is he yer sire?"
"You told them?" Arucard frowned.
"Nein, she figured it out. Only vun, and zats vith two telepaths." Kurt held his hand out. "Come on, I told you ze verevolf vould be ze first, you owe."
"Damn you." Arucard smirked and handed over a small hip flask. "Finest whiskey I could steal from the larder."
"Valter vill kill you."
"What with? A giant cross-"
"Pledge." The lycanthrope cut in, not feeling very comfortable as everyone was watching her.
"Oh, I forgot." The older vampire skipped back a step and saluted, shaking his head, the blue mutant done the same.
"In the name of god, impure souls of the living dead shall be banished into eternal damnation." They smirked in unison. "Amen." Guns were pulled out at the exact same time, pointing them at each other and the vampires laughed, lowering them again.
"Excuse me, bub-"
"The regenerator!" The vampire laughed and skipped beside Logan, tossing an arm over his shoulder. "I need a picture of this one; Integra will never believe that Canadians can be so short."
"Arucard..." Kurt scolded gently then burst out laughing. "Vhat are you doing here? I thought you didn't know ze vay."
"Followed your scent. It gets boring without my favourite little blue furry mutant to annoy." He attempted to mess up said mutant's hair, but utterly failed.
"You mean zat you got bored without me beating you all ze time."
"Please, you never-" Arucard was cut off as Kurt clenched his teeth, put his hands in the act of clawing and made funny muffled squeaks as he staggered about. "Once, you did that once."
"Ach, you're right." Kurt went over and offered his hand. It was taken and he pulled the vampire into a friendly pat on the back. Shifting his weight, Arucard was suddenly tossed over the mutants shoulder and pinned down. "And it vas more zan vunce." He laughed and shoved the lower jaw up as hard as he could. Rolling off, he laughed as the vampire staggered about, trying to sort his jaw out.
Arucard growled and bared his teeth. Putting his hands on the lower teeth, he wrenched the jaws down and it clicked, blood pouring from the mangled gums. Grinning mischievously, Kurt wiped his finger through some of the blood and licked it clean.
"Pledge!"
"Ja, Rahne." The blue mutant sighed theatrically and turned to go. He was caught suddenly and dragged back by the other vampire.
"You're not getting away with-" He was holding a cloud of smoke. "Kurt!"
"Um, excuse me?" The professor smiled, noting that this man had similar mental blocks as Kurt did. "But may I ask who you are?"
"Arucard." Said vampire held his hand out and smiled. "Been training Kurt last eight years, made him what he is, so to speak."
Evan frowned. "What's that mumbo jumbo on your glove?"
"This? It's a seal that binds me to my master." Arucard smirked. "But I'm on vacation at the moment, so let's not talk about such depressing issues. Now, where's Kurt gone so that I can beat the undead daylights out of him?"
"Behind you?" Kurt swept the feet from under Arucard then pulled the vampire to his feet. "Now, vill you behave for a few moments?"
"I guess so, why?" He looked over to where Kurt simply pointed to.
Logan growled and popped his claws out. "Bub, I want to know what the hell you are and then I want you gone."
"I was hoping he'd ask." The older vampire turned to face the elf. "Can you demonstrate?" He took a sword and handed it to the mutant.
"Vith pleasure." Kurt turned the blade and staked the vampire to the wall with it. Arucard laughed and pulled it out of himself, turning it then staking Kurt to the wall with it.
"Vampires." Arucard explained and watched as Kurt got himself down then licked the blade clean before putting it back in its scabbard.
"He's big on dramatics." The blue mutant confessed then noticed the lycanthrope hitting her head off the wall. "Rahne?"
"He is yer sire, isn't he?" She frowned. "I thought-"
"I never told you ze circumstances in vhich I joined ze undead. But ja, Arucard sired me." Kurt sighed and noticed the odd looks he was being given. Time for the truth, he figured. "Two years ago, I vas turned into a vampire. Since zen, I have not aged and never vill."
"The bigger picture..." Jean mumbled.
"I can valk through valls, turn into bats. Strength, speed. Unlimited teleporting ranges and power." He shook his head. "I also kill vampires every night. I've been doing so for eight years. Arucard is ze pet of ze organisation zat I vork for."
"You're a vampire?" Logan frowned. "But that's not possible."
"Here, it is. But in my dimension, it isn't." The sire smirked. "And it seems the better one for it. That's why Integra wasn't keen on you coming, Kurt. She didn't want you accidentally spreading it."
"I figured zat, but I'm alvays careful." Kurt shrugged then smiled brightly. "If it's any consolation, it's a good story."
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They had now moved to the main dining room, all of them sitting around the table in an oddly set order that saw the adults in the middle, separating the kids from the two vampires. Arucard was laughing as always, and Kurt seemed to have sobered a fair bit. The story might have been good, but he hated hearing it.
He knew that his sire was doing the right thing, explaining how the mutant actually came to be a vampire. The older vampire insisted that he start at the very start of the tale, at least, the start for him.
"I was skipping about in the sub-dimensions – I use them to travel through walls and the like. Well, I got lost and came here instead if you remember."
"It was only twenty or so days ago." Logan growled.
"Was it? Been eight years for me, but anyway, I accidentally ended up taking home a stowaway." Arucard indicated Kurt.
"I vas squished vhen he landed on me."
"And so he comes home. Everyone finds out and we decided to keep him, alls happy and well."
Kurt noisily cleared his throat then smiled with innocence.
"Enter the priest." The sire laughed. "Paladin Alexander Anderson isn't your normal priest, by the way. This is your real, god almighty; I will do anything to kill anything I don't think is holy, kind of priest." He chuckled. "And so he shoots me a few times, no bother. But Kurt here sees and decides that the priest is in the wrong. So, one, two, three, forgive me father, and I've just seen the best fight in my entire undead life." The chuckling intensified. "And then he realises that I'm ok and it's, you made me hit a priest! Classic, it was brilliant. From that moment, I wanted to sire him."
"You decided then that you wanted to kill Kurt?" The weather witch shook her head and frowned.
"Give me a break; he refused for six years, didn't he? In the end, it's our good friend Paladin Alexander Anderson. He's been trying to kill Kurt every chance he gets, and finally, it's a knife straight through the heart."
Unconsciously, the blue mutant fingered the place were it would have been, the process of being turned having eradicated the chance of it scarring.
"I take him back to Hellsing and my master. I asked her how willing she was to save her best soldier. She could have said anything, I must obey her. These symbols see to that. She said that I was to do whatever it took."
"I had no say in ze matter." Kurt spoke the only point he could see in the story.
"But you took to it quick." The sire smiled proudly. "Refused to stay in limbo, didn't want me as a master, did you?"
"No, Arucard." Kurt yawned. "Well, now zat zat's over, I'm heading to bed."
"The sun's yet to rise."
"So?"
"You haven't missed it once in eight years if you could help it. I doubt you'll start now. Anyway, as I was saying, he took to it quick, no master for-"
"Master? How does that work?" Xavier asked, actually sounding interested as he waited for an explanation.
"We're bound by blood, there's still a bond now. But at the start, as the sire I'm in complete control of that bond. He's a servant in all technicalities. Kurt refused that idea, hated it to be more precise."
"And how was this eradicated?" Logan growled.
"He had to willingly take my blood."
There was a deafening silence. Kurt whistled a long, low note.
"Too much information zere, Arucard." He stood up, glancing outside. "Ze sun is about to rise, I'll be going to bed aftervards. If your staying ze day, I vant you to know zat zere is to be no, and I mean no, shenanigans. Do you hear me?"
"Yes." Arucard rolled his eyes. "No biting, no killing, no shooting and definitely no harassing. I got it."
"Good." Teleporting, Kurt left for the night.
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The vampires gone, having retired for the day, conversation turned to them. Logan seemed to have gone into shock, and some of the younger ones were pretty upset. Surprisingly, Rogue didn't seem too bothered about her brother's condition.
"He beat up a priest." Wolverine shook his head.
"I can't believe that the most religious among us is now a vampire." Scott shook his head. "But I guess it makes sense."
"It is a curious story." Ororo admitted. "And he wasn't given the choice."
"He beat up a priest." The healer repeated.
"Can you believe that though? Vampires?" Evan shook his head. "What a world that would be."
"Well, ah say good on him. If he's makin' th' most of it an' doin' th' right thing, who says we're tah judge him?" Rogue interjected her view in the argument.
"He beat up a priest."
"Yes Rogue, but we must take into consideration what this Arucard means by 'taking' to it. Your brother may have killed innocents." The professor sighed.
"Yah're gonna lynch him?"
"He beat up a priest." Logan had yet to realise that no one was listening to him.
"It might not be the wisest of ideas to let him stay-"
"Tha's it. Ah'm not takin' tha'." The Goth stood up and smartly left, upset in the change of attitude towards her fuzzy elf of a brother.
"He beat up a priest."
"Sheesh." Scott shook his head. "Doesn't she realise-"
"Scott, Rogue is more than aware of what Kurt may or may not have done. She does have a point though, we all care for Kurt. This is his trying to say sorry, to let us know what he's become."
"I hope he goes."
"Scott," Logan finally changed his tune, "the elf will be going. You can tell that this is only a visit, he's not comfortable here."
"But he beat up a priest!"
"Well, no, I didn't realise."
-------------------------------------------
Rogue was angry, why couldn't they realise that her brother was still the same? She could see it so plainly, he had only defined those traits to be as sharp as his swords. Pausing outside his room, the Goth peeked inside and frowned, noting that her brother was talking to Arucard in a hushed conversation.
"...wanted home." The sire sighed. "We all miss you."
"I know, it's just zat..."
"There's too much to say?"
"Ja."
From her advantage point, Rogue was surprised to see so many similarities between the vampires. Kurt hadn't just picked up traits from his sire; Arucard had also picked up some from the mutant. The pair had fallen into a light silence.
"I need to go hunt." Arucard smiled. "You coming?"
"Ve cant, Integra specifically said no hunting. It's going against your master."
"Oh." He drummed his fingers. "Got anything to drink?"
"Just some whisky and a little blood."
"You ever mixed them before?"
"Something tells me zat it's an incredibly stupid idea."
"Yeah."
Another silence, it was a friendly one though, the kind shared between two close friends. The older vampire stretched then lay back on the bed. He was roughly shoved aside and they started laughing, battling playfully for the bed.
"Go sleep on the rafters."
"Zere's a perfectly good chair zere, Arucard."
"Move over."
"No, you." The sire watched in dismay as the mutant promptly lay down and closed his eyes, curling up under the blankets. Not to be put off, Arucard stole some back and curled down himself, he'd be damned if he let the runt get the best bed.
Kurt grinned and kicked.
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Grumbling, the blue furry mutant tried to wriggle out of the bed and he froze, just why was he wriggling? A glance revealed that Arucard had managed to stay in the bed and had got his arm around Kurt's waist, effectively preventing himself from being kicked off.
Kurt tried shoving the vampire off and failed. He tried wriggling again and failed. He tried squirming and failed. Out of ideas, he licked his fangs and rolled over to face his sire, gently pushing the head up.
With a choke, Arucard jerked up and tried to prise the mutant off him. Kurt had gotten a good bite and was hanging on tightly, happily feeding. Growling, the sire sat back and forced himself to relax, it had been a while since his charge had indulged in the act. Arucard smiled as he was lazily curled up against, the blue mutant not having the energy to do anything pretty inventive.
It was time to get off, Kurt realised suddenly that the position had changed and he tried to back off, only to discover that his sire was preventing him from escape. The mutant growled, trying to twist out of the hold and annoyed that he had actually started feeding in the first place.
Whining, he tried backing off again and picked up the sounds of footsteps. The sire chuckled lightly as the annoying noise instantly stopped. Unless Kurt wanted to attract attention to himself like this, he had to stay quiet. The footsteps passed and he was let go. Panting, he shot Arucard a glare.
"And there was me thinking that you'd grown out of that delightful little habit." The vampire chuckled, his neck already healed. "Its nice to still see a little bit of good old fashioned bonding every now and again."
"I didn't mean to..."
"I know, that daft ban of masters against hunting is making me desperate to bite anything too." He sighed at the cold look. "I'm sure I can control myself around these supposed friends of yours."
"I vont be staying much longer."
"You won't? Good." Arucard yawned then smirked. "You make a great pillow by the way, so soft."
"Don't push your luck." Kurt grinned and watched with glee as the other vampire wrinkled his nose. "Got a hairball?"
Arucard removed a blue hair from his mouth with distaste and slowly levelled a dark look at his fledgling.
With a chuckle, Kurt jumped onto one of the bed posts with ease and stretched. He spotted the sire waiting to flick him. "Don't even-"
"Bye." Arucard flicked and laughed as the mutant hit the floor in an ungainly bundle. "See, this is why I miss you."
"I'm flattered." Kurt spotted his swords and grinned.
--------------------------------------------
"Come on!"
Scott and Jean looked up from their lunch. All of the windows had been blacked out for the presence of the sire, they had been told about his somewhat explosive reactions to sunlight, and it was him that they could now hear.
"Please? Oh, come on."
A quick check revealed that Arucard was following Kurt, begging apparently for something. Suspecting the worst, the teens fell in line beside the other gatherers. And so it went until the whole crew was following the vampires.
"Pretty, pretty please?" The sire grinned as they stopped outside a simple door.
Kurt rolled his eyes.
"Yes!"
"Vhat you are about to see, is nothing." The blue mutant opened the door to the danger room and entered, admiring the metal walls and floor.
"This is it?"
"Computer: run programme fight six." Kurt commanded and grinned as he saw his comrade's shock as the room transformed into a large field littered with poppies. Soldiers started running towards them.
"Alright." Arucard frowned as his hand was caught.
"Guns vont vork. Swords do, as vill physical contact."
The sire nodded and grinned, ramming his hand through one of the holograms and he watched it die. "I got one."
"That's lovely." Kurt flipped, pivoted and then raised his blades, around him, twelve holograms were deleted.
"Show off."
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The X-men watched in shock from the control room as the war raged below them in splendid fury. The vampires finally eliminated the enemy and turned on each other, circling like animals about to fight.
It was truly a sight to see as both of them gave everything they got, proving that in terms of just one to one fighting, they were equal, Kurt's extra abilities making up for his lack of strength. Whenever Arucard started with the magic though, Kurt was still far behind.
Today though, they were keeping the fight as fair as they could, wanting to just work out all the aggression they had. The vampires snarled, baring impressive fangs as they attacked each other, desperate to see who would win.
"If I win, I want your neck." The sire smirked.
"And if I vin, I get yours." Kurt replied before the fight started again in a flurry of swords and expert manoeuvres.
They had been fighting intensely for three hours, the younger of the two notably starting to wear out. Kurt smiled as he was pinned against the wall, the simulated field having vanished long ago. His head was jerked back, allowing the throat to be exposed and his sire's sharp fangs easily found their way to it.
The bizarre union was to last for a few minutes before the mutant finally broke free, Kurt panting as his wound healed. He bared his fangs as he was picked up again, Arucard still wanting to bite and feed.
Kurt decided that it was his turn and he reversed the hold, forcing the other vampire to expose his throat. After a moment, the mutant bit down as hard as he could, unaware of the deep purr that always made the sire smile. Arucard looked up and spotted that the control tower was full of gawking humans.
"We're getting watched." He growled around the fangs that penetrated his neck.
"Let zem." Kurt shifted his weight and was annoyed as he was knocked off just at the critical moment as he changed bite. "Vas?"
The sire smiled. "Feeding is something I prefer to do privately."
Growling, the mutant looked up and licked a bloodied fang, his hunger gone for the time being. "I vant to go home."
"So do I."
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Kurt collected the last few items before he started his midnight journeying. He had some important things to do and the night had just taken on its darkest shade. His first stop was with Rogue and he watched her sleep for several moments, a light cough arousing her from her slumber.
"Wha'?" She asked sleepily.
"Sh." He pressed a long finger against her lips. "I don't vant Kitty to vake." Kurt smiled and swept some of the hair off his sister's face. "I'm saying mein goodbyes."
"Kurt, yah cant."
"Rogue, please zink about zis, I am not ze mutant who lived here."
She bit into her lip and looked away. The Goth knew he was right, deep in her heart; she just didn't want to admit it.
"I vont forget you, I'll try and visit soon, ja?" He took her hand and placed something in it as he gently kissed the knuckles. "Auf weidersien, schwester." He hugged her then moved back before teleporting.
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The blue vampire looked around at the room; it hadn't changed since his last visit of...twenty days ago in this realm. It was completely wrecked, as always, and a tip, as always. He smiled, finding it strange to see the healer look so vulnerable.
That changed immediately as Logan leapt to his feet and slammed the intruder against the wall, claws out and through his chest. He realised then that it was the vampire softly chuckling.
"Sorry." He retracted them.
"Zats all right, I can get Arucard to get me a new coat." He shrugged then jumped nimbly onto the most stable looking object in the room. Logan.
"Get off me, elf."
He smirked. "I'm not elf."
"Yeah, you're a psychopath."
Kurt feigned delight. "Vow, ve're family now." He clapped his hands to his chest and batted his eyes to add an exaggerated humour to the comment.
"I walked into that one, right?"
"Ja."
"I take it this is your way of saying goodbye?"
"Ja."
"How many you visiting?" Logan lit a cigar.
"Just five people."
"Who?"
"Zats for me to know and you to find out. No vun can keep a secret from you for long." The blue mutant chuckled. "I've come to expect zat from you. Keep harassing zem, ok?"
"Sure...Kurt."
"Thank you Logan." The mutant tensed to jump off. "Can you give Scott extra drills for me?"
"Sure."
"Danke." He leapt off, high into the air and teleported just as he completed the arc of his leap.
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His next port of call was one he didn't particularly appreciate in doing except out of common courtesy. The professor. Kurt paused to look at the man who he had once thought of as a king, a hero worthy of any role and now...the man looked so frail, so mortal.
"Kurt?" The man pushed himself up slightly and squinted into the darkness, the cold locked mind indicating that a vampire rested in his shadows.
"Ja, it's only me."
He sighed a thankful release that it wasn't Arucard. "Why are you here?"
A light chuckle. "Surely it doesn't take a mind reader to figure zat vun out." Yellow eyes glinted in the almost non-existent light.
"This is your goodbye."
Kurt walked over to the professor, letting the weak moonbeams catch and shift his features into one that was only half recognisable for the mutant. "Think of it as mein resignation from ze X-men."
"I'm sad to hear that."
He shrugged. "Goodbye Charles." With a slow step, he melted into the shadows and was gone.
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The last visit in the mansion was only for the sake of Kurt's humour as he settled down at the edge of the bed and posed in the classic pose of about to attack vampires. That meant that he was leaning slightly forward, claws out and fangs bared. It was all he could do to stop laughing.
Rahne rolled in her sleep and opened an eye to see a blue vampire about to attack. She nestled into the blankets then froze. "Pledge!"
Kurt fell onto the floor he was laughing so hard. "In ze name of god, impure souls of ze living dead shall be banished into eternal damnation, amen." He saluted her and grinned.
"This is a joke on ma part, right?"
"Ja."
"I'm goin' ta kill ya!"
He raised a hand to stop her as she was about to dive for him. "I'm sorry, but zis is ze last time I plan on seeing you."
Her anger crumpled. "Wha'?"
"I'm leaving."
"Oh." She thought for a moment then got to her feet and brought back something that was vaguely familiar. "I borrowed it a while ago."
He looked at the ornate dog brush he had been given by his foster parents to keep his fur tidy, it had been leant to Rahne when she was suffering 'wet dog syndrome' one day. "Danke."
"Goodbye Kurt."
"Auf Weidersien, volf." He kissed her hand and teleported to his last place of visit leaving behind several sad yet grateful people.
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The vampire smiled and watched his mother reading on her bed. After a moment, he rapped the window and waved to her, waiting to be let in. Almost instantly, the window was open and he was dragged inside, being roughly wiped down as a light rain had started.
"You'll catch your death out there." She smiled and frowned as her hands were caught. With ease, Kurt placed them on his chest, letting her feel the lack of a heartbeat.
"Zink of me as a doppelganger." That said, he kissed her cheek then stood back, teleporting away from her life forever.
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Arucard waited impatiently for his fledgling to arrive on the rooftop. A moment passed and he was booted right over the edge.
"You're getting slow, old man."
He smirked at the mutant. "And what is your excuse then?" He grabbed the mutant suddenly from behind with vampiric ease. He winced as a wry tail thwacked him between the legs.
"I'm still young and learning. I can't run until I can valk, Arucard." Kurt smiled and crouched down; pausing to study the stars he had longed to see for so long. Now though, they were no different to those back home.
"Where's the ankh I gave you?"
"Another needed it more zan I do." Kurt smiled sadly, keeping his eyes trained on the softly warming sky.
"Are you ready?"
"I have vun more sunrise to vatch."
"And after that?"
"Nein, I'll never be ready, but if I vaited I'd be here till ze end of eternity."
Arucard clapped his hand on the mutants shoulder. "It's a hard lesson to learn, that mortality is fatal and that its fatality can even affect our own dead hearts."
"Amen." In silence, they watched the stars pass until a rosy glow filled the eastern sky. Then they went home.
The End.
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