RED SCARS

It felt hot. As if her whole body was on fire and burning away all the blood in her veins. Anna opened her mouth to scream or cry but no sound escaped from her parted lips despite the urge. And even though her body felt hot, there was still this unmistakable coldness that came from her neck. Like frigid wind seeping under her skin.

"L…let…" Anna choked out while trying to lift her arms that were as heavy as lead. "Please…let go…Alu…card."

She tried to push against his shoulders, but his grip only tightened like cold chains wrapped around her thin body. This immediately caused panic to surge up inside her throat and her breathing soon became rugged.

"Let…go…" she pleaded again, but this time more forcefully with alarm swelling in her voice. She lifted her hands again and grabbed a fistful of his black hair. "Let go, let go, let go, let go! LET GO OF ME RIGHT NOW!" her voice cracked out into a full-fledged scream that ripped through the room, igniting a spark of light from her body that quickly set Anna ablaze in red and orange flames. This forced Alucard to retract his fangs from her neck and step away from the fire.

"Sir Integra, stay back!" Walter cried out while stepping in front of a completely stunned Integra.

Anna began to hyperventilate while clenching her cold and bleeding neck. Flames still ablaze and hotter than hell itself. "Why would you do that? Why would you do that? I told you never to hide in my shadow without letting me know…and you do this to me? You weren't supposed to see those memories! Why?" she cried out in inconsolable panic.

Alucard wiped the blood from his lips before letting his arms fall loosely at his side. "I see now. I completely get it. You're regrets, your shame, your humiliation. Those dark years haven't been kind to you…my dear Anna," he said with a deep voice, rasped with emotions.

Anna flinched at the sound of his raw voice and looked up. She let out a shuddering breath when she met his eyes and saw the frames of his face. He appeared no different than when he usually looked at her. So lovingly and adoringly.

"Quit looking at me like that!" Anna croaked out in pain. "Like I'm the most beautiful thing you have ever laid your eyes on!"

"It's because you are," Alucard answered back without a bit of doubt in his voice. "Even when you were burning on a stake, covered in blood, crying, laughing, smiling...you are enchanting."

Anna was at a loss for words as the pain in her eyes turned into despair. Her knees finally buckled and she collapsed to the scorched floor. The flames eventually died out, smoldering under the weight of her shame that was practically eating her alive.

"I…never wanted this to happen. I…I." she gasped sharply before holding her breath, slowly letting herself surrender into Alucard's open arms as he knelt down in front of her. "All I ever wanted was to go back to the time where I was your beautiful treasure hidden in the woods. Like I was a fraction of Heaven falling into your eyes."

"Oh…now wouldn't that be a beautiful dream," he said in a husky whisper before burying his head in her golden hair.

The days following the incident with Anna hadn't subsided much. Seras could still feel the tension in the building and how heavy it was around both Integra and Anna. Those two hadn't spoken to each other since the day her secret was revealed, and Seras could tell Integra was far from ever forgiving her too. It seems Anna has accepted that and reserved herself in the basement to avoid running into each other. Doing nothing but writing red letter after red letter. Every time Seras went to visit her, it seemed that was all Anna was doing, and today was no different.

"Mistress, are you feeling alright?" Seras asked while stepping shyly into Anna's room.

Anna stopped moving her quill pen and looked up to smile at her. This way, Seras could see how worn-down Anna really was. Her eyes looked exhausted, and her smile seemed very forced too. Like it was straining her just to keep up appearances like nothing was wrong.

"It appears today…is no different from yesterday…or the day before that," Anna said with a gentle sigh.

Seras furrowed her brows since it didn't really answer her question. "Uh, I…I don't think I understand."

"It's alright, Seras. I don't think I understand either," Anna shrugged. "I've been hiding this secret of mine for years…but for it to now be in the open? It leaves me feeling…numb. That's all I feel right now." she said with a flattened voice void of emotion.

Seras frowned and gave her words a bit of thought. "Maybe you're still in shock?"

"That doesn't really sound like a vampire thing, now does it," Anna pointed out.

"It doesn't, but Miss Anna…you're not really a normal vampire, you know."

Anna perked up to the sound of that and genuinely looked curious. "Am I?"

Seras nodded vigorously. "You don't come off as anything like Master."

"Then what does that make you? You're not really a normal vampire yourself, Seras," Anna said with a weak laugh before jabbing her finger into Seras's forehead.

Seras looked somewhat taken back at first but then quickly perked up when she heard Anna's sweet and childlike laugh. It was worn but she could still tell it was genuine. Which was something she hadn't heard in a very long time, it seems.

"I think that's because I'm still new to all this," Seras said with a touch of pink flushing up into her cheeks.

Anna's smile soon melted into a tender one as she stared at Seras. She then began to gesture her over with her hand. Seras looked curious at first but got up anyway and walked over to her. She was greatly surprised though when Anna pulled her down to her knees and wrapped her up in a gentle hug.

"Thank you, Seras," Anna began while whispering. "For everything you and Alucard have done for me up to now. You have no idea how much your kindness means to me."

Seras didn't know what to say to those kind yet strange words, but she also couldn't deny the hug either. Anna's skin was cold but yet still comforting and affectionate. Reminding her a lot of how a mother would hug her own daughter. Seras didn't even think twice about hugging her back.

Alucard stepped slowly through the dark and stony halls before coming to a halt in front of a darkened corridor where he couldn't see the end. He knew something was there though. Leering within the obscurity like an unnamed specter.

"I don't know you're name, your birth into darkness, or your form. I don't know anything about you…and I don't care either," he said through gritted teeth and seething anger. "Come out. I believe it's time we have a chat."

Alucard kept his red gaze keenly on the darkness in front of him as it began to morph and change shape. He watched with little to no surprise as a tall and gangly vampire stepped out from the abyss dressed in a beige trench coat.

"You're Vermilion's…Alucard." Incognito spoke drearily

Alucard cocked a brow. "By Vermilion, I assume you mean Anna, correct?"

"She's not with you…" he said with wondering eyes in search of the lovely vampire.

"She doesn't need to be here with me to end you," Alucard said with a sharp grin. He reached into his coat and slowly began to pull out his pistol. "If the situation was different then I would've enjoyed this…but you tainted that pleasure by manipulating the one woman who matters." He raised his weapon and pointed it straight at the intruder. "So do us all a favor and disappear from our sight."