I woke up and asked myself was that just a dream? It felt so real.

"It was no dream, it was real. I just noticed something; it seems as though whenever you dream lately, even before you lost your memories, you seem to naturally dream while within your soul. Your 'inner world' seems to co-exist alongside your mind, which probably explains why it seems so deserted until you began regaining memories."

"Inner world? Are you saying that another world exists within me?"

"Not quite, but to simply put it, your soul and my soul are intertwined. Due to our 'special' arrangement, your soul acts a like a personal plane of existence where I dwell when you are not in your 'true' form."

"My…true form?"

"You bear a unique power, which until you can remember, you should not do anything that can harm your life."

"Does that mean your life…depends on mine?"

"Essentially, yes. For now, lets not dwell on your abilities until you gain enough memories to even handle your powers."

"These powers of mine…are they dangerous?"

"With great power comes great responsibility. Only use your powers when necessary, but for now, that won't be a problem when you can't even remember your abilities. Also, Sir Integra instructed us to examine and field test the new recruits, so at the very least, we can take some lessons in ballistics with firearms."

"Okay, first off, I may have amnesia, but I know you just quoted Spiderman, and second, it might not be a bad idea for me to learn to use a gun. Worst case scenario, if we are ever in danger and I still can't use my powers, I can at least defend myself. If your life depends on my mortality, I want at least fend for my self and not have to rely on you all the time. I still need your assistance, but I want to learn to defend myself at least."

"Very well master. Let's make preparations for the day. Sir Integra has provided some clothes for you after taking measurements from the doctors that analyzed you yesterday. Be grateful that she is giving us so much hospitality, otherwise she would have us in a cage to be analyzed if we opposed her and the Hellsing Organization."

"I am grateful. What I am most grateful that I am not alone in this endeavor. I hate to know what it would be like without any memories, all alone in a dangerous world full of monsters that go bump in the night. I probably wouldn't last a day."

"Let us go then sir."

Tsuwamono thought to herself…if only your soul reaper badge did not break upon entering this world, otherwise you could access you true power and become stronger.

We headed downstairs as Sir Integra directed us toward a car upfront to take to the recruits, or should I say an armored personnel carrier. The APC held a full squadron of soldiers as hopped out of the carrier, saluting Sir Integra.

Sir Integra then declared, "My fellow recruits, you have been selected from the best officer schools in all of England to be a part of the Hellsing Organization. As you may know by our briefing process, the job of the Hellsing Organization prioritizes protecting this great country from ALL threats that may attempt to destroy it. The manner in which we conduct this mission has to remain classified, even to new recruits as it is a matter of national security and the sanctity of this organization. A full briefing on your job here will be done after the next week of training to see if any of you are qualified and can meet the demand this job takes in the name of god and country. As our best operatives are on duty in the field, we are going to have a couple of special guests who will assist and train amongst you to make the selection process go more smoothly. Allow me to introduce our guests, 'Sebastian Michaelis' and 'Ciel Phantomhive'. They will accompany you as fellow recruits and improvised instructors when the time is right."

The soldiers saluted and replied, "Sergeant major May, reporting for duty sir."

"First Lieutenant Deacon, reporting for duty sir."

"Warrant Officer Taylor, reporting for duty sir."

"Second Lieutenant Jones, reporting for duty sir."

"Captain Bulsara, reporting for duty sir."

"Gentleman, let us now go to the training grounds."

We drove alongside the rest of soldiers with the new soldiers for several miles until we reached what appeared to be an ordinary military base. When we got past the main gatehouse, I realized just how abnormal it was when all the buildings were fake, as though we were inside a giant movie set. Then, out of nowhere, the floor in front of us opened to reveal a tunnel to the actual base underground.

"Gentleman, welcome to Fort Tintagel. This shall be your new home, training ground, and barracks for the next week. Today, we will begin with ballistics training as a warm up, a refresher course in melee and hand-to-hand combat, and choose a load out for tomorrow's war games. The war games are created to test your skills in combat against our veteran soldiers. The goal of the war games is not victory or defeat, but to see your skills in teamwork, as it can be the vital skills that could mean life or death in this line of work. As you have probably have noticed by now, the surface of the actual base is designed to mislead any enemy and the general public from our actual training regiment to keep our personnel and practices a secret."

The soldiers in the carrier replied with passion, "Understood sir!"

We headed west into an underground shooting range, where right behind the complex, there was a 2,500 square foot warehouse of nothing but guns, guns for days. Pistols, light machine guns, assault rifles, rocket launchers, grenades, every type of small arm one could possibly think of dwelled within that warehouse. On the walls held a variety of body armor, combat equipment like rucksacks, and sniper rifles.

" 'Ciel', what kind of firearm would you like to start off with? Come to think of it, do you have any training with firearms?"

"No Sir Integra, I don't have any formal training with firearms. I think I want to start off with a pistol, to warm up to eventually wielding a rifle. Lets see now."

I surveyed the pistols on the table in front of me and noticed a pistol that appeared to be awfully familiar.

"Wait a minute, is that a Beretta 9mm sword cutlass! I want to start off with this!"

"I never would have thought you would be so excited just to use a gun. Don't be so hasty and blow a hole into your foot, the last thing I need is blood on the floor and someone in the hospital."

Excited to get some practice, Sebastian proceeded to help me suit with a Kevlar suit and noise canceling head phones. After being shown by the soldiers how to hold, fire, reload, and use the safety on the pistol, I began to practice firing down range. A bit startled by the recoil, I completely missed the target on the first shot.

"Hold on kid, you need to hold the pistol steady like so, now fire! There, you see, you need to hold the pistol steady not in only in your hand, but in your arms as well. Doing so will help you handle even the most powerful of recoil with proper practice of course."

"Thank you Captain Bulsara."

"Call me Freddy."

"Ok, Freddy."

Freddy Bulsara, the name seems kind of familiar…

After practicing with a couple pistols, Sir Integra insisted I used a stronger firearm, so I traded up to a Remington 870 tactical shotgun. I immediately noticed while it was a devastating weapon at mid-range, the shotgun was too long and weighty for movement.

"I going to need to use something a little shorter, but just as deadly. Let's see now, I will try out the AA12 fully automatic shotgun!"

Sir Integra replied, "Are you crazy? There is no way you can handle the recoil on such a weapon!"

"Actually, the AA12 has a recoil spring and has a propriety gas system that cuts down the recoil so much that a five year old could use it with one hand."

"Prove it. I have yet to try out some of the new arms around, so this should be an interesting demonstration."

I took the AA12, put in all twenty shells into the drum bell cartridge, loaded the cartridge, and fired at a 60-ft target while holding the shotgun with one hand. Long story short, the target was barely recognizable as it looked more like Swiss cheese than anything. The only reason I was so confident in this endeavor was because I remembered almost randomly some guy with a Russian accent on you tube called FPSRussia show boating just how ridiculously useful the AA12 shotgun was, even dueling wielding for the sake of demonstration.

"Very well, since you seem to handle such a ridiculous weapon with relative ease, you can keep it in your room back in the manor. There is a secret compartment above your bed where you can keep it just in case it is needed."

"Th…Thank you. Are you sure a kid like me should even have a gun?"

"You proven in a matter of a couple of hours your discipline and responsibility around a firearm even when being so elated to use a firearm. Also, everyone that is a part of the Hellsing Organization, whether personnel or guest like yourself should always carry and know how to use a gun in this dangerous world."

"Good point. The Hellsing Organization does have enemies, so I shouldn't be surprised at the tight security to protect its personal interests and the country it strives to protect."

After practicing with the L129A1 assault rifle for a little while, the rest of soldiers, Sebastian and I headed to lunch. The new recruits seemed a bit uneasy as the rest of the soldiers started to give them a hard time. I just assumed that since this is their first week on the base, the soldiers are only just giving them flak because it was hell week for the recruits. When lunch was finished, Integra came in with a couple of soldiers carrying large metal cases.

"Gentleman, I am going to test your physical might in the simplest manner that I know, sword dueling. The point of this exercise is not to test your swordsmanship, but rather your intuition when it comes to melee combat, especially against a superior opponent. So, shall we begin?"

Each of us was given fencing attire, a saber, and a fencing mask. To be honest, I felt at a significant disadvantage as EVERYONE was taller than me. My first opponent seemed a bit cocky this predicament and said, "Well shorty, let's get this over with before I have time to train with 'real' soldiers."

Who are you calling shorty you piece of shit?

Now master, focus on the task at hand. Yes, you are shorter than the rest of the combatants, but you can use that to your advantage. Since they are taller, they have a higher reach, but…

They have a harder time reaching a low target, got it!

Master, you hold the saber with one hand, not two.

Oh…yeah, I almost forgot about that. I don't know why, but I have the feeling I have wielded a sword before. It feels so…familiar.

Sir Integra announced, "En garde…Pret…Allez!" (The following terms basically mean in fencing to be at the ready, ready for match, and begin. Also in saber fencing, the waist up, not including the arms are areas if hit are considering kill hits).

My opponent as anticipated tried to thrust straight at my head, so I parried with my right hand and pushed his saber to my left side. He then attempted to sweep back up to get a hit on my armpit, so in desperation, I tossed my saber into my left hand, deflected his attack just far enough for me to land a hit on his midsection. In total shock, began to sweat and dropped his saber. The rest of the soldiers were shocked at my skill, even I was amazed as I stared at my own hands and thought to myself did I really just do that?

What did you expect master? Before you had amnesia, you received some rudimentary training in sword fighting, but with real swords. It seems your body is started to catch with your own motor skills gained from such brief training.

Why would I need to learn such a skill in an age where the gun is WAY mightier than the sword?

Lets just say, the power you hold within you requires an adept skill in melee combat to use effectively.

Still though…

"How…how did you do that?"

"What did you say about training with 'real' soldiers? Also, don't call me shorty, unless you want to get hit in the crotch and collapse to my level."

Integra walked up to us and said, "Well this is a surprise. I did not think you would have any skill with a sword, but nonetheless, I am glad there is more to you than a pretty face and a resourceful butler."

A pretty face? Is she implying that I look like a girl?

Oh, it would be so adorable if you wore this pink dress I found back at the manor.

I swear if you try to make me wear a dress, one of these days I am going to kick your ass when you least expect it.

Oh I surely doubt that master.

Integra then walked to me and said, "Let's make things interesting. I want to see what you are capable of with a sword, so to make things fair, if you can land a hit before I land ten hits, you win the match. Otherwise, it counts as a loss."

Sounds like a challenge Akune would use (Medaka Box).

It does, doesn't it.

"Are you ready 'Ciel'?"

"En Garde!"

I knew that in jousting from reading wikipedia, it is not a matter of strength that won a duel, but skill and taking the initiative to sway the course of a battle. So, if I wanted to win this fight quickly, I would have to outwit Sir Integra to land a hit. I charged first and attempted to lunge at the chest. Integra almost completely ignored my attack and just as she was about to walk past me, she swung right at my neck and said, "Know this when it comes to me and fencing, I fight old school, which means I prefer a real blade and free moment in a duel, and I absolutely loathe hesitation. If you are to ever strike me, be ready for a long duel. How about we use real blades for the duration the duel?"

"Sure, I have a feeling I would better off with the real thing."

"Follow me, and choose your sword."

We entered into a smaller room within the gun warehouse where the walls and tables were aligned with swords of all sorts, sabers, long swords, claymores, rapiers, and even a couple katanas. I noticed a sword that personally stood out from the others.

"Is this an Espada Ropera?"

"Why yes, I earned this blade from personally completing a mission at the request of a very unrelenting Spanish Cardinal to quell 'terrorists' that were spreading a plaque on immigrants heading to English shores from his congregation. Oh, and don't worry if it is a replica or not, this blade is of Toledo work."

"Toledo work, considered some of the best in metalwork, even making steel armor and blades for the Roman Empire."

"Well, sounds like you have an admiration for history."

"The history of Rome has changed the fate of Western Europe as we know it. As it fell, France, Germany, Spain, England, and modern day Italy would not be as they are today."

"Shall we continue our match then, I assume this shall be your blade."

"Yes."

"Then, lets continue, I have my blade, and you have yours."

As the second round was about to begin, Integra seemed to take the initiative and began to lunge for my shoulder, so I parried and attempted to replicate the same attack as last time. Integra then grabbed my face, pointed her blade in my face and said, "What do you think you are doing? Sneak attacks only work once. Also, why don't you use any means necessary to beat me. Lately, I have grown tired of dull matches, so at least make this match interesting, no holds barred, and don't hold back."

Don't hold back. What should I do?

Do what you want, it is your fight, not mine.

Okay.

By the way, Medaka-chan told me to tell you to strive to make yourself better.

Understood! I have an idea that is crazy enough to work.

I held the Espada Ropeda tightly and remembered that one could use it as a two-handed weapon, so I did.

"Wielding the sword with two hands is not going to make a difference. This is a duel using one-handed weapons, not a sword fight with two handed weapons."

"You are half wrong, in kendo, one of the basic principles of sword fighting is that to hold the blade with both hands makes attacking stronger. Also, You can wield the Espada Ropeda with two hands."

"Fencing is not about strength."

"I know, but if I am going to win a match against you…"

I swung my sword while holding it high above my head as Integra held her rapier high to block. I suddenly felt a sudden vigor of energy running through my body for a brief moment that went from legs to my hands, and it felt as though my blade began to warm up.

"I need to use my own strength to defeat you wit!"

As I swung my sword, the force created was so great that in a bright flash, I completely shattered Integra's blade. I did not notice until after I pointed my blade at her face to announce my victory that she had a look of utter shock on her face. Sebastian seemed just as surprised as he immediately ran up to me and said, "How did you do it?"

"I….I don't know."

"How did you use your own power, you shouldn't be able to do that right now!"

"My power? But isn't that a good thing…"

As I said this, I body felt extremely hot, in fact, my skin started to steam profusely as I began to feel dizzy. It felt like my body was a sauna, and my heartbeats were earthquakes as the room started to shake a little and the rhythm of my heartbeat. The soldiers in confusion started to panic. Sparks of energy began emitting off the sword, and the last thing I remembered was getting punched in the gut by Sebastian. Why did he punch me in the…

A/N: Sorry if it took longer than unusual for this chapter, but chapter 12 is now finished! Hopefully I can get chapter 13 done before the end of the month. How did Al use his spirit energy? Why did 'Sebastian' punch him in the gut? Why do I keep addressing the audience like this? Find out in the next chapter of The Ironic Reality of a Normal College Student.