Sorry it took so long! I've been on holiday =) Hope you enjoy!
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"Integra." …Nothing. "Integra."
Next was the soft dull throbbing. Ba-doom. Ba-doom. Ba-doom. She welcomed the rest in-between, but dreaded the soft impact where pain would pulse dangerously. Then she noticed the tender area around her eye, where Jan had hit her. The ach of her leg where Luke had swept her feet from under her had returned. Then of course the dull burning off her stomach, which thankfully had died down considerably.
All in all she wasn't feeling too great. She tried to fall back into a deep slumber so as to bypass the pain.
"Integra." Again that insistent little voice clawing her away from her sleep. She groaned softly, she should probably open her eyes.
Slowly, oh so slowly and with more difficulty then she usually had, she peered through half closed lids. For the first few seconds she merely blinked until the hazy figure above her cleared. A few more seconds passed and then she gasped.
"You!" She rose her body slightly so she didn't feel entirely helpless beneath him. Her stomach didn't thank her for doing this, nor wiggling backwards either. Gritting her teeth she repressing another groan as she slowly proper herself up against the wall behind her, anger rising at her obvious the back of her mind, the part used to notice pointless stuff, she realised she was now on a bed. The room was in fact her dorm room, and everything was as it should be, except of course for the Alucard leaning forwards on his hands.
He smirked, somewhat nastily down at her. "Yes. Me."
At the expression on his face she seemed to withdraw into herself. He noticed and rose an eyebrow. "You know." He crawled forwards slightly. "When someone saves someone else." He was inches from her now. "You don't respond by cracking their nose with the back of your skull." His grin was gone now, replaced with a cold demeanour.
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She swallowed, remembering his reaction to getting bitten in the supply closet. "I thought you were one of them….wait..." Her eyes widened. "Where are…!"
"Shshshs!" He hushed, placing a somewhat cold finger on her lips. "They've been sent running. And I doubt they will return any time soon."
She frowned, the pounding of her head was getting worse again but she still tried to concentrate. Taking a shaky breath she continued. "There were…gun shots."
He gave a small nod. "Quite a few actually. It's a wonder no one came to see why. Then again most people actually avoid those things don't they…"
"What the hell were you doing with a gun!"
"Saving you." He deadpanned, she almost missed that annoying smirk of his, it was better than the look of contempt and annoyance on his face.
She bowed her head a little. "If it helps, head butting you hurt me too."
He smirked, she was wrong, she didn't miss it at all. "A little yes."
She took a breath through the nose and closed her eyes. Oh how she wanted to sleep! She wanted her headache to piss off and her stomach to just stop hurting. However there were still questions on her mind, like how the hell he had come across a gun with silver bullets.
"Alucard?"
"Hmm?" When she opened her eyes again he was sat back, cross legged, chin resting on his hand-supported by his knee.
"Did you know what the valentine brothers were?"
"Vampires. Why, didn't you?"
She didn't respond, instead staring at him. "Sooo…the bullets…"
"Silver obviously."
"You didn't appear too…scared."
At this he laughed and Integra could feel the annoyance growing. "Of those vermin? Please, I wouldn't dare eat shit like that for fear of catching worms."
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She blinked. "P-pardon? Eat?"
He cocked his head at her. "Of cour….oh."
She swallowed, sitting up a tiny bit more. "Aluc…" She froze as his eyes swam. The darkness was transforming, as if ruby roses were blooming in his pupils, the beauty of them almost dazing Integra, causing her to forget what creature lurked behind them. Almost, but not quite.
Her skin became hot, her insides cold, her stomach lurched and for the second time bile rose. She barely managed to role to the edge of the bed before she emptied her stomach's contents into the well-coincidently-put-there bin.
.
…
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He had waited patiently as she recovered from being sick. He barely had time to even think about going to help her before he received a kick to his legs. She repeated the action, shouting at him to get off her bed that instant. He obliged begrudgingly after a few more kicks and some fairly violent swearing. Silence perused in which Alucard received numerous death glares if he so much as shuffled his feet. From the en suite he brought her a glass of water which she accepted with great reluctance and only once he'd set it down on her bedside table. After that it went back to death glares.
.
So we join them now after ten minutes. She sat shaking slightly-more from anger than fear- at the corner of her bed. Her knees were pulled close to her chest. She still ached everywhere and her skin had turned pale and sickly, sweat causing her blond locks to stick to her forehead, the tips of which she noticed with disgust, were red. He stood leaning against the wall, red eyes glowing slightly in the dark. Slowly he took a step forwards. Her head shot up and she instantly regretted it as her vision swam.
He continued to walk towards her. Panic rose in her but she forced herself to stay still, instead looking down so he didn't see her eyes squeezed shut to stop the nausea rising. She realised now that if he did mean to attack her there wasn't a lot she could do, that by no means meant she would stop fighting. She would always fight, but running away from a beast when she was in that condition meant more embarrassment than anything else.
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Suddenly a hand was on her head. She jolted back- again, nausea. He was kneeling on the bed in front of her, face neutral. His hand remained on her head and she froze, her legs now pushing hard against his legs to get him of the bed again. Her hands were clamped across her stomach, as if holding them there would protect him from deepening those wounds.
"If I wanted to kill you I would have done so by now."
She said nothing. To her complete dismay she could feel the tears welling up behind her eyes, she was in pain and wanted nothing more than to be home and asleep. She blinked them away fiercely, she would not cry in front of him. She would not. Without her permission a tear slowly fell from her left eye, traveling down her cheek and falling silently from her chin.
She heard him sigh and gritted her teeth. "Oh shut up." She muttered.
"Close your eyes." He said.
She almost laughed. "Excuse me?"
"Close them."
"…Why."
"You received multiple blows to the head, I'm helping."
Tears fought again, but this time stayed in her eyes, never falling. "Why."
He groaned. "You received multiple blows to th…"
"Why are you helping me!"
"Hmm? Oh. I figure you'll stop looking so depressed if your head stops pounding."
She frowned and he swiftly slipped his hand down her head, thus covering her eyes. She froze, her legs starting to push against his again.
.
Then she noticed it, the steady beating in her head was dying down, more and more, quieter and quieter, until the pain was a small, fading buzzing sensation.
"I didn't know vampires could heal." She cursed herself immediately afterwards, why on earth did she let on her ignorance to this creature!
He gave a small laugh, less mocking and more amused. "There's probably a lot of things you don't know teggy."
She huffed at the name. "I know a lot more than- what are you doing?"
His hand was now cupping the left side of her face, including her eye. "Reducing swelling, you still need to go to class tomorrow."
"Oh…Why do you go to school?"
He shrugged. "It amuses me. I get to play with people like you!"
She shook off his hand and glared at him, he returned with a smirk. She deflated somewhat. Memories of science came back to her and she felt somewhat saddened to realise he was a vampire. The games they'd played-when they weren't including her legs, had been almost fun.
Speaking of legs his hand had now travelled down to her left calf. She noticed with shock that a large purple and blue bruise had already formed there. As his hand rested there she watched as the bruise faded ever so slightly, the pain numbed.
.
"You're powerful." She said.
He grinned smugly. "Yes. How can you tell?"
She shifted uncomfortably. "Besides defeating two other vampires? I'm covered in blood and you're not ripping out my throat right now."
This was true. Her blouse was soaked through, her hair and even her knees and fingernails were crusted over with a thin layer of red. She reeked of it, both of her own and their blood and yet he did nothing.
Something about the way he was grinning though made her lean backwards into the wall. She'd been stupid to think she was safe with him.
"Oh I already had a taste, don't you worry."
She tensed. "….hu?"
He fell back, leaning on his elbows and still smirking at her through ebony hair. "You were bleeding quite a bit so I healed that too. It'll hurt for a while, but most of the damage is cleared up.
"I…I don't underst-"
"A vampire's spit can heal."
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She was stunned into silence.
Then gritting her teeth she pulled herself further up. "My blood." She practically snarled. "You drank, my blood! How dare you!"
"I saved you." He growled back.
"You SAVED me?"
"Yes."
"LOOK at me!" She was fighting hard to hold back tears now. "I, I'm a mess! My stomach is fucked, Jan GROPED me! School is NOT meant to be THIS! It's normal! There are no vampires! There aren't any, any, YOU!"
His face was deadpan. "So school is more exciting than you thou-"
"-WHY do you go to school!"
He let out a shallow laugh. "Well thank Christ I did or you'd be dead in some ally." He leaned forwards. "And I doubt Jan would have stopped at groping." He snarled.
She was silent, shaking from rage and pain. A vampire had tasted her blood.
"Ya'know." He sat back again. "I've saved you three times from those loathsome creatures, and still all you do is whine. Usually I don't press for this but a "thankyou" would not go amiss occasionally."
Thankyou? To a vampire? He did save you! The young knight frowned at the little pestering voice but couldn't deny it.
She sighed… "Thank you." She mumbled, anger decreasing somewhat into guilt and humiliation.
He gave a nod.
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Her situation was odd, she knew that much. Then again, growing up as Hellsing's daughter, it always had been. Now she was attending school she had far less time to learn about vampires, but this was her first chance to turn that around.
"Teach." She whispered, it was to herself but Alucard had of course still heard it.
She looked up at him and he frowned, confused. "Teach me."
He quirked an eyebrow. "About?"
"Vampires clearly!"
"Oh." He frowned. "No."
Anger flared. "Why not? I must be the only one here who know's you're a vampire. Wouldn't be nice to converse with someone who knew? You wouldn't have to hide it!"
"You're overbearing and clearly stupid."
"Excuse me!"
"Besides, wont you just run off and tell daddy about me? No thank you, I'm fine not being hunted down."
She frowned. Of course, she'd hadn't thought about her farther until then. Initially she had intended to warn him immediately of the valentine brothers, but Alucard proved a problem. Admittedly as she watched him now, cleaning out his ear with his pinky, she didn't feel quite right calling in Hellsing. They would search throughout the entire school for traces of any other vampires, and if they found Alucard they would surely exterminate him on the spot.
After all, he had saved her.
She shook her head, her mind made up. "I won't call in farther. You've shown you can deal with the Valentine brothers, and of course if they come back you will have to protect me again."
"Wait…what?"
"And you can teach me one lesson about vampires every day!
"I said no to that."
"No you're right, father's lesson and dinner is then. Every evening!"
"Integra…"
"Oh come on! If you help me I'll stand a better chance against them and won't need to save me!"
He growled, it came from the back of his throat and she paused as his crimson eyes narrowed. "Integra?"
Suddenly a hand was on her throat, it wasn't rough nor did it squeeze. It merely rest there, but she still knew he could crush her windpipe with a single motion.
"What you can learn from me." His voice was low, sending shivers down Integra's spine. "Is that we are dangerous beasts in a familiar form. And that you would be a fool to trust me."
She glared back, undeterred from her tutoring plan. He hadn't hurt her before now… god she hoped that would continue. "I think a lifetime of killing them along with last night has taught me that. I'm not a complete fool."
Fighting the urge to claw at his hand, she instead focusing on breathing calmly.
"If you had any sense you'd have been plastered in silver so if that scum came near you his flesh would be seared just by standing next to you."
She swallowed at that. She really didn't want him to know that she had no idea Jan was a vampire.
He continued. "And still you are here, alone in a room with me. No silver, no gun, no garlic."
She sniffed indifferently. "Garlic does nothing."
He grinned, removing his hand from her pale throat. "At least you know that much."
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She let out a shaky breath, even more confident now that he wouldn't hurt her. "So? Will you teach me vampire?"
He sent her a death glare. "I don't know yet girl. I'll think it over."
She blinked stupidly as he climbed of the bed and went to sit in a chair in the corner of the room. For the first time in her life she felt mildly guilty for talking down to a vampire. The shame grew as she rose to change, memories of his numerous rescues and of her heeled headache returning.
She was about to unbutton the top button of her shirt when she realised the figure still staring at her from the chair.
She blinked at him…then gave a small cough. If anything his grin grew.
She gave in. "Aren't you going back to your dorm yet?"
He shook his head. "No. You still have use of me."
At this Integra scowled, how dare he! She deliberately crossed her arms across her chest. "If you think for one second that's saving me means…"
He laughed, cutting her rant short. "Such a dirty mind Integra! Trust me if ever you intended to reward me I wouldn't turn you down." She huffed. "But that is not what I meant."
She rolled her eyes. "Very well, at the very least turn around!"
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For a second she thought he'd refuse, but then he did as she asked. Keeping an eye on him the entire time she quickly peeled of her filthy clothing. Wiping down her stomach, neck, hands and face with a wash cloth, she then proceeded to quickly dress into her pajamas. She gave a small cough, confirming she was ready when she'd slipped down under her duvet.
With the many events that happened that day you would have thought Integra would be awake for hours thinking it over. However as soon as the young Hellsing's head hit the pillow, her eyes closed and she was asleep, guarded by the pair of crimson brooding eyes which never left her form.
.
…
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She was running. Yet with every step she took it were as if Integra was running straight towards them than away from them. She was running down an alleyway, a sharp left which led to another alleyway, and then another, and another. No matter how many times she turned she was surrounded by brick walls ascending into the sky either side of her, the dirty ground beneath her rough and uneven. The pain was back. Each time her foot hit the floor, her head would pound. They were getting closer, she could hear Jan's insane laugh, Luke's snide remarks, definitely closer than they were before.
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She could hear running now and forced herself to go quicker. It seemed the quicker she tried to go, the harder it was to move, like moving through water. The pain in her stomach was back now. Blood, it cascaded from her under her shirt, turning her legs and the floor beneath her scarlet. Occasionally she slipped on the blood but she still tried to keep moving. A hand on her shoulder and she turned quick as lightning in fear, and stopped. The air calmed, the blood gone, the shadows of the walls receding into a gentle light.
"Alucard." She smiled.
He smiled back, but something was wrong. The way his smile didn't seem to belong to him, it almost reminded her of… before she could back away his face morphed. His skin melted, a bubbling oozing mess trying to reassemble again. His hair lightened and shortened to a brown mop. Crimson eyes turned yellow and Integra stared in horror at Jan Valentine.
She couldn't move as he came closer. She couldn't even scream as he opened his mouth, rows of canines already stained with blood aiming for her throat. Suddenly there was a tight grip on her shoulder, it wrenched.
.
The young Hellsing woke with a shuddering gasp, her hand clenched onto something and didn't let go. It took a few seconds of flailing to realise she was back in her room…no, not her room, her dorm room. That knowledge burrowed deeper into her sadness and she merely sat quietly before realising what her hand had grabbed onto. She blinked stupidly at Alucard, he was standing, leaning over the bed and she realised with annoyance that it was his shirt she'd grabbed onto. She released and gave a small cough. "hello."
He said nothing, instead sitting down next to her. "I told you you had further use of me."
She frowned, her heart rate decreasing again. "What, waking me from a dream?"
He shook his head. "You re-opened your wounds."
…"Hu?"
He glanced down. She did likewise and groaned to see the faint red marks already appearing across her pajama top, the faint burning sensation rearing again as well.
"Dam, I have to get plasters." She realised once she'd spoken how ridiculous it sounded and so refused to look at him. She could practically feel his smirk burning her skin.
"Orrrr." He stated. "You could simply let me heal you again."
"Why because it worked so well last time?"
He scowled. "At least it stopped bleeding, if you hadn't flailed around so much the scab would be fine!"
She sneered. "So much for a powerfull vam-what are you doing?"
She watched as he peeled up her shirt, but her hands caught his own. "Excuse me?"
He blinked at her. "No your right, the matron will have plenty of plasters. Now run along and tell her you tripped down the stairs."
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"I am not letting you….!"
"Then bleed out for I care!" He snarled, she froze. It was the first time she'd seen his fangs, his eyes seeming to dance with fire. Tears pricked her eyes and she screwed them tightly shut to stop it. Her dream swam in her vision again…no…Alucard has saved her from the real nightmare.
Slowly she leant back and he raised an eyebrow. Then without a word between them he continued to peel up her top, she was ready in case he tried to pull it past her chest but thankfully he didn't.
I must be mad. She thought. He's a vampire! STOP him! He lowered his head. And what, walk around bleeding all of tomorrow? She could feel his cool breath on her skin now and repressed a shiver. Call farther! …He saved your-before Integra could continue her inner dialogue a cold tongue flickered across her stomach and she froze. She stared at him intently, gauging his reaction, but he merely continued. The more he seemed to lick the wounds, the more the pain ebbed away and the young knight began to breath easily again.
"You can go to sleep if you wish." He said, pausing before continuing his work.
She was stupid if she fell asleep in front of a vampire. But you were asleep before in front of him…
And her eyelids were so heavy, with a small yawn Integra allowed herself to close her eyes, exhaustion making sure she didn't open them again.
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