Ack, once again, I really did not want to take this long to get this chapter out. I had a bunch of unexpected overtime at work again which is always fun. Not to mention there was a bunch of drama going on to a point where it was like watching a reality TV show. I just tried to keep my head low, but humans, even just simply watching them from the side-lines, drain me. I'm like the ultimate introvert lol. But I hope that you have all been keeping well, and thank you so much for your wonderful reviews and for following the story! I really do appreciate it!


Chapter VIII – The First Lesson


The air was as dark and still as it always was deep in the dungeon-like basement of the Hellsing estate. Not even rodents and insects dared to venture this far down, too instinctively fearful of the powerful aura that lingered, even after twenty long years of the creature's absence. Nothing apart from one small figure dared enter these chambers. It had become almost like a daily ritual. She would follow the long and winding corridors when she had some time to herself after completing any mission that Sir Integra had set for her.

Red eyes glowed ominously, providing the only vague light source as the lamps of these hallways had been extinguished long ago. Even after Millennium had attacked the manor, the underground chambers of the mansion had remained largely untouched and unchanged. The memories flooded through the female vampire's mind as she thought back to that night. Zorin had been her first true battle and victory as a vampire. Though Seras could never deny the much needed help she had received from Pip and the Wild Geese, as well as… her master…

Not a single day went by where she didn't think of him. Integra had now long since lost hope of him ever returning, but Seras knew better. Her faith was as unshakable now as it had been since the day she had been told of his disappearance. He wasn't dead. He couldn't be. Not only did Seras refuse to believe it, but she knew deep within every cell in her body that he was not forever gone from this world. She couldn't quite explain it, but it was almost akin to a gut feeling. It tingled her skin and swirled within her undead heart. Alucard wasn't gone. She could sense it. He still existed… somewhere… somewhere far out of her reach, no matter how better she got at being able to stretch her third eye, her aura always seeking out the one of her master.

Seras sighed to herself as she finally approached the old, thick metal door, decorated in painted occult symbols. The young vampire had never even thought to ask what all of those symbols meant. She never felt anything when she touched them or brushed past them, so were they merely just for show? An experiment to see if they could keep her master at bay? She supposed that was just part of the never ending list of questions she had never gotten to ask her master before his disappearance.

Easily pushing the metal door out of the way, Seras stared into the large empty chamber that held only a single dark coffin with that morbid bloodstained concrete stone sitting on top of it. The blood had long since dried, marking the stone with the symbol of her master's bindings in a gruesome cenotaph that never ceased to give Seras flashbacks of that dreadful night in 1999.

Looking at the city of London now, one wouldn't think it had been the site of an apocalyptic-like scene all those years ago. Just like after the Great Fire of London, the city had re-built itself from the ashes, standing tall and proud once again as Britain's iconic capital. All potential witnesses that day had perished in the chaos, and the Vatican had long since hidden their accounts away in the vault like they always did. The Hellsing Organisation had re-built itself from the ashes too. But still… it wasn't the same…

Taking a deep breath, Seras forced herself forward and slowly sat down next to the coffin of her master, linking her fingers together as she placed her hands on her lap in front of her. Anyone who walked in would probably think she was praying. Maybe she was. Praying for her master's return. Hoping that wherever he was, whatever he was doing, that he was alright.

Sneaking into his chambers every night had long since become a source of comfort for Seras. Integra would either be distracted with paperwork or fast asleep. Her body was aging. Every day, Seras saw the tell-tale signs of her human body beginning to wither. Every so often, a new wrinkle would appear on her coffee coloured skin. She could hear the knight's joints clicking more often when she moved. Her smoker's cough had grown worse and worse over the years. These last few days, Seras had even begun to smell the hormone changes in her boss' body. No matter how many times the other knights begged her to produce an heir, Seras knew that very soon it would be too late. Though of course, Seras never mentioned anything through fear of getting shot in the head at point-blank range… again.

"I think Sir Integra has lost hope…" Seras found herself speaking out loud to her master like she did every other night. He probably couldn't hear her, but it comforted the young vampire greatly when she did this. It was almost therapeutic. "She asks if I can sense your return, but she does it less and less often now…"

The room remained silent except for Seras' own steady breathing.

"But I will never lose hope in you, master. I trust you with every fibre of my being," she continued talking. "I wish you were here. There is so much I want to learn. I'm sure you'll be pleased to know that I am drinking blood a lot better now. I guess it's not so bad once you get used to it, and because it's donated blood, it's not like I'm killing anybody – not that you would care about that I suppose."

She chuckled to herself before sighing. "I've accomplished so much, yet I feel like I have barely scratched the surface. I wonder if you would be proud of me. I'm getting better with my powers every day, but there's no way that I could ever match you. I still get stuck in the odd wall or piece of furniture, and Pip never lets me hear the end of it. Of course he takes that as the perfect opportunity to sexual harass me." She rolled her eyes but still found herself giggling.

There had been plenty of times that Pip had allowed himself to cop a feel whenever Seras had found herself stuck. Not that she could feel it as much as she used to when he was still alive. His touch now was merely ghostly; a faint whisper against her skin. Dare she say that she almost missed the feeling of his solid physical touch? It never ceased to remind Seras of how she had failed that night. She had failed her men. She had failed Pip. She was weak. He died because she wasn't strong enough. And now she had trapped his soul for all eternity.

Seras shook her head. "Still, Pip makes an excellent guard dog though. I have gotten much better at controlling him… as awful as that sounds." Seras sighed. "I miss the true Pip, not this echo that I have trapped inside me. I can't even begin to imagine how it must have felt to you when you had all of those familiars."

The chambers remained silent for a few moments before Seras spoke again. "I miss you, master. I've learnt plenty of things on my own, but… I need you… my master. You're the only person who never really gave up on me. You're the only person who gave me a chance, no questions asked. You… you killed me… and yet you saved me at the same time. I don't know what you saw in me, or why you turned me into a vampire, but I never got to truly thank you for this gift you have given me. I used to think of it as a curse, but now I see. I have a second chance at life. I'm free. I can continue to fight all the true evil in the world that I swore to do the moment I watch my parents killed and defiled in front of me."

Seras clenched her fists tightly, her teeth beginning to grit together as she struggled to fight back against the force of her clearest human memories. The sound of the gunshots; the laughter of the thugs as her father lay lifeless at their feet; the screams of her mother; the sickening moans as one of them penetrated her mother's body. That night, she had felt death watching over her shoulder, lurking behind her as she slowly bled out onto the carpet of her living room, waiting for the moment where Seras would surrender herself to him. But she refused. She never surrendered. She never gave up.

"And I won't give up on you, my master." Seras glanced back up with a hard look of determination on her face. "I know you will return. I will make you proud."

Closing her eyes, Seras gently placed a kiss on the cold dark wood of the coffin.

Rays of moonlight danced across Seras' closed eyelids, causing her to groan. She had been having a rather decent day's sleep for a change, and the coffin she was in was so comfy that she never wanted to leave. The silk caressed her skin like soft, fluffy clouds, making it very easy for the draculina to turn over and allow herself to drift back into the land of unconsciousness.

A giggle interrupted those plans though.

"Rise and shine, Seras," the familiar voice of Eva greeted her, and Seras groaned again, burying her face into the silk.

"Five more minutes," she grumbled.

Eva laughed again. "As much as I would be happy to let you sleep, I am under strict orders from mistress Anastasia. She wants you dressed and in her office as soon as possible. She's not a very patient woman I'm afraid."

Seras huffed, but finally forced herself to open her eyes. Her eyelids were heavy and screamed at her in protest. Once again her body felt like it had been run over multiple times by a monster truck, but Seras got the feeling that was more from mental exhaustion than physical exhaustion. Memories of yesterday caused her to wince. Her brain finally fully caught up and she remembered where she was and why she was here. The smell of dried blood almost made her gag and was all the motivation she needed to throw herself out of her coffin before yawning and rubbing the sleep out of her eyes.

"I hope you slept well, Seras," Eva spoke again as she began mulling around the room, straightening things out and cleaning things that honestly didn't look like they needed to be cleaned.

"Yeah, I did actually," the blonde vampire replied, rubbing the back of her neck awkwardly as she had no idea what to do with herself. Was she supposed to just go and get ready or did she have to wait for Eva for something? Seras had long since become unaccustomed to company, and had never experienced having a servant before (not that she wanted one in the first place). How did people like Integra and Anastasia handle it? But Seras supposed it must have just been a normal way of life for them having been born into nobility. However, Seras was very much a late twentieth century working class woman. The idea of having servants at your beck and call was always some far off fantasy, and to actually be placed in that situation was rather worrying and awkward. It was cool, but at the same time, it didn't feel right.

"Is everything okay?" Eva's question snatched Seras away from her musings again.

"Hmm?"

"You were staring at me. Did I do something wrong?" Eva had stopped what she was doing and instead was now facing Seras, looking at her with a worried expression.

Seras eyes widened. "No! No, no, no, don't be daft! I was just lost in my thoughts." She added an awkward chuckle in the hopes of further reassuring the brunette.

"Are you sure?" Eva asked. "Do you need some help getting ready?"

"Errr, no… thanks. I'll be fine." Seras shuffled her way towards where she remembered the giant closet had been and all but slammed the dark wooden doors behind her. She released a breath she didn't realise she was holding before she pressed her back against the doors and slumped down slightly.

Once again, she found herself having second thoughts over this whole situation. She couldn't believe that they were doing all of this for her. Gut instinct was screaming at her that there had to be more to this situation than met the eye. There was no way that Anastasia was going to give her food, shelter, education and her own servant for… for the satisfaction of her own curiosity. It just didn't seem right. Perhaps maybe Seras could probe the red-headed vampire later.

Right now, the last thing Seras wanted to do was get into trouble for keeping the noble vampire waiting, so she quickly pushed herself off the door and began searching for something new to wear. Her accidental battle yesterday had ruined the nice shirt and jeans she had chosen for herself. Did vampires keep washing machines in their palaces? Seras shook her head and forced herself to focus, trying to ignore the smell of dry blood and the way it chafed against her skin when she moved.

Unable to take it anymore, Seras stripped down to her underwear and tossed the ruined clothing items aside. She then grabbed one of the first items of clothing she saw, sighing with relief when she realised it was a simple pair of black leggings and a red sweatshirt. At least if she ruined these items, she wouldn't feel as guilty. After pulling the sweatshirt over her head, Seras caught sight of herself in a wall length mirror and glared at her reflection. She looked the same as she always did. Over sixty years old now and not a single wrinkle or blemish on her skin. Would she ever get used to this? She looked exactly as she did all those years ago. Eternally frozen. Never aging and never changing. Her hair and nails had not grown a single inch since the night she was turned. Her body remained the exact same weight, height, size – everything!

The same reflection stared back at Seras every single time she looked in a mirror. It was almost starting to unnerve her. Yet, she had seen her master change his appearance countless times. He seemed to appear as whatever his mood decided in a particular moment. She had seen him with long hair, short hair, and hell, he could even switch genders it seemed. But it did get Seras wondering… could she do all of that?

Her eyes locked with her own in the reflection, a thoughtful dent forming between her eyebrows. Not that Seras wanted to change her gender; she was quite happy as a female. However, if she had gotten bored with her hairstyle, could she change it? She had also never been any good at applying make-up to herself, so could she just will it onto her skin in whatever style took her fancy? That was something she rarely thought about and had never even attempted to master back when she worked for Hellsing. The only time her appearance had changed was when she had drunk Pip's blood. But she'd had no control over that. She guessed it was just her body finally becoming a full vampire after months of practically starving herself.

Seras focused, though she wasn't actually sure what she was trying to do. She wanted to change her appearance, just to see if she could, but instead, all she managed to do was make herself look constipated. Sighing to herself, Seras gave up trying and instead reached down for a comfy looking pair of trainers that again didn't look too expensive and posh. She just hoped that Anastasia wasn't particularly attached to anything in this closet, because Seras didn't exactly have the best of luck when it came to keeping clothes intact on her body. Of course, the other soldiers had always gotten great pleasure out of that.

Once she was satisfied with her appearance, the blonde vampire slowly made her way out of the gigantic closet, peaking her head around the door. Her eyes met Eva's brown ones as she waited for her by the door, and Seras could no longer fight off the nervous churning of her stomach. Her outing with Anastasia yesterday had been a disaster, so she dared not imagine the amount of fuck ups that she would likely achieve today.

Eva's warm smile for once did nothing to reassure the draculina. She couldn't even manage to return the gesture. As if sensing the blonde vampire's anxieties, Eva turned and began quickly leading Seras out of the room and down the winding stone steps that led down from the tower that contained her chambers. Dimly lit torches illuminated the never ending spiral staircase. The occasional door appeared that led to what Seras presumed were other parts of the castle. But finally, the two of them approached the door that led to their intended destination.

This time, Seras was led into a long corridor that was filled with more light from the large windows that had their thick curtains drawn back, allowing rays of moonlight to shine through. The stars seemed to glitter more brightly from behind the glass, and Seras focused on the points of light to hopefully distract her from her nerves.

However, her attention was soon caught by the sound of Eva knocking on another large wooden door. The powerful presence that Seras could sense behind it was unmistakable, and the doors opened on their own to reveal the office that Seras had managed to clumsily materialise herself in the previous day. Again, Anastasia could be found sat behind her desk with stacks of paperwork. For a moment, Seras was briefly – and rather painfully – reminded of Sir Integra.

Still, Seras couldn't deny that it looked like Anastasia belonged behind that desk. She had such a hard-working and authoritative air that it reminded the draculina of her religious teachers back in the orphanage. Only Anastasia appeared as the exact opposite of her conservative teachers. Seras maybe would have laughed at the irony if she wasn't so nervous.

"Thank you, Eva." Anastasia looked up from her work, offering the servant girl a small smile. "You may leave us now."

Eva curtsied, and Seras watched her retreating form leave the room, closing the door behind her, and trapping her in a room with the strange woman who seemed so determined to meld Seras into her definition of a true vampire. Both her heart and stomach sank as the seals on the door clicked back into place.

"Good evening, Draculina," Anastasia greeted her, snapping Seras' attention back towards her. "I trust that you are well rested after your… little incident."

Seras gulped but managed to small nod.

Anastasia chuckled. "There is nothing to be ashamed of; he got what was coming to him."

"Is… is he…?" Seras found herself squeaking out in a pitiful stutter.

"Dead?" Anastasia laughed louder this time. "No. But he will be the next time I see him. He should be thanking his lucky stars right now that you neglected to finish him off. A mercy that he is unworthy of."

"I-I never wanted to hurt him," Seras admitted, biting her lip as she looked away from Anastasia's intense red eyes.

The red vampire sighed in response. "But he wanted to hurt you. You need to cease this naïve and innocent way of thinking, Seras Victoria. There is no room for acts of mercy or kindness; you'll only get yourself killed."

Seras jolted as she couldn't help but be reminded of how her master had said a very similar thing to her long ago. It was when they were both sent to Rio de Janeiro, if she recalled correctly. It was one of the first times she had witnessed her master in all of his deadly glory. He mocked her attitude, but… he never forced his beliefs on her, nor did he force her to participate. He so easily could have done so. One order was all it would take and Seras would have had to obey. But he didn't. He let her choose. Seras had never really thought about all of this before, and it made her heart twist painfully in her chest.

"But…" Anastasia's voice drew her out of her thoughts again. "Perhaps that's what he saw in you." She cocked her head to one side as Seras felt her red eyes studying her form intensely. "But then again, no one knows how the King's mind works."

Seras could at least agree with Anastasia on that one. Her master was such a mystery to her.

"But you should not let the events of yesterday trouble you. Though you were well within your right to do what you did, your work was, quite frankly, sloppy." Anastasia chuckled again, earning a glare from the draculina, but nonetheless continued her observations unaffected. "You seem to always rely on your base instincts. I see that you are skilled with your shadow abilities, however, I have not seen you use much beyond that. How do you fair with your other powers the King has gifted to you?"

Seras' eyes widened at the question before she looked away awkwardly, rubbing the arm that had once been a shadow for many years.

Anastasia sighed at Seras' reluctance. "Seras Victoria, you must be honest with me if I am to teach you. I need to know your strengths and weaknesses."

"I… I can do most things…"

"Such as…?"

Seras sighed. "I can control my basic powers. My speed, my strength, my third eye, I'm particularly skilled with my shadows and familiar, but I've never been able to do anything beyond that. My master was gone for so long…" Her heart clenched again. "And when he returned, he never seemed to teach me anything. I think Sir Integra didn't want him to for some reason."

Anastasia leaned forward and rested her right cheek in her hand as she continued to study Seras closely. "Yes, that does indeed sound accurate. That foul woman has stunted you and held you back for too long."

Seras let out a growl before she could stop herself. "Hey! Don't talk about Sir Integra like that!"

"Why do you defend her?" Seras could sense the impatience seeping into the red vampire's tone.

"Because she took me in! She looked after me! We were friends!"

"HA!" Anastasia bellowed. "The woman was a vampire hunter! Hell-bent on the destruction of our kind. Did you think that she wanted to take you in? Do you think she was pleased when Dracula turned you into a vampire? I don't doubt that he had to manipulate the situation in order to keep you alive."

Seras almost fell backwards with a startled and disbelieving gasp. "Wh-what?"

"You need to stop being so naïve, child!" Anastasia continued to snap at her, abruptly standing from her seat and slamming her palms down on the desk. "Integra could never have possibly cared for you. If she did, then where is she now?!"

The draculina was stunned to silence.

"When that foul bitch finally dies, she would have locked you away, leaving you to starve and rot. Perhaps she may have even had you destroyed completely. She used you, Seras Victoria. You were merely a weapon to her and nothing more. This loyalty you feel for her is merely the result of brainwashing and you knowing nothing else."

Seras' vision turned red with unshed tears.

"And here is where your first lesson begins!" Anastasia shouted, and Seras gasped as an intense pain began pounding at her skull.

Bang! Bang!

Gunshots?

What was going on?

The throbbing within her mind only grew worse and Seras staggered forward, barely registering that she had collapsed onto her hands and knees. She panted as it felt like a snake had coiled around her mind, squeezing the life out of her brain every time she fought back against it. It weighed her down as if her skull was now suddenly made of lead instead of bone. Lead that was currently being smelted in a furnace and hammered into a new shape, each stroke of the hammer sending painful vibrations throughout the rest of her body.

Someone screamed. Was that me? Seras wasn't too sure. All she could focus on was the pain. Then she felt it. Fingers. Fingers digging through her brain… her mind! Memories flashed before her vision so quick that Seras barely even caught fleeting glimpses of them. But there were some that always stood out from the rest.

"Seras!"

She gasped.

"Seras, hide in here and don't come out no matter what!"

Mother?

Darkness. The sound of gunshots.

"NO!" Seras screamed before she could stop herself, leaping out of the cupboard and grabbing the nearest item to her: a fork. She launched herself at her parents' attackers, plunging the fork into one of their eyes. Blood squirted over her and there was a sickening squelching sound as she dug the fork deeper into the eye socket, trying to cause as much damage as possible.

The man screamed, much to Seras' satisfaction.

However, that satisfaction was short lived, swiftly ended by the sound of another gunshot. Then she was flying. No. No she wasn't. She was falling. Her back collided with the wall before her whole body collapsed back down onto the floor. A sharp burning pain erupted from Seras' side as a pool of blood began to form around her. She forced herself to move her head, to look upon the pleased faces of her attackers. The one still held his hand to his eye, staring at her with a murderous rage.

Satisfied that Seras seemed to be dying, he turned his attention back towards the lifeless body of her mother. His remaining eye was hungry as it raked over her form and he stood over her, a large bulge forming in the crotch area of his pants.

"Ew, dude, no, what the fuck?" The other exclaimed when he too took note of his partner's behaviour.

"What? She's still warm!" He laughed as he unzipped his jeans. "Besides, you promised me some fun with his bitch of a wife."

"You're really fucked up, man. With the kid watching and everything?"

"Ah she'll be dead soon enough anyway. Besides, I'm sure she's old enough to know about the birds and the bees. She'll see her mother for the whore that she really is. What is it they say in the Bible? An eye for an eye?"

"NO!" Seras screamed.

The images changed.

Dead. All of them were dead.

But the monsters just kept coming. She was the only one left. She raised her pistol, even though she had seen first-hand that it wouldn't do her any good. She was down to only her last few bullets and there appeared to be hundreds of them! Her uniform was already stained with all their blood, and Seras had to fight back the urge to be sick as the smell of rotting flesh was wafted towards her by the night's cool breeze.

No. She wouldn't – couldn't – give up. So she ran. She ran as fast as her legs could carry her. In the process, she tripped over the roots of trees and smacked into branches, but she refused to give up. She wouldn't die here. She refused! She would not fall victim to those mindless monsters! She had a job to do! Though protocol never took into account encounters with seemingly supernatural forces. Right now, her badge was meaningless. Right now, she was simply human. A human desperate to get out of this situation alive.

Seras could feel her nails digging into the floorboards.

A flash of red.

Arms wrapped around her; trapping her; holding her hostage.

A promise. A question.

A bullet through her chest.

New arms wrapped around her, only these ones were different. These ones held her gently and reached to pull her head up before blocking her view of the stars. Was he an angel? Was she already dead? He was so beautiful, Seras couldn't help but think to herself. There was something mystical and powerful about this man who was now holding her in his arms. Seras didn't know why, but she felt a connection to him, as if they had shared in similar sufferings.

His skin was smooth and the palest tone that Seras had ever seen. She had seen him earlier, and she had ran in fear after her bullets shot through him and he brushed them off as if they had been made out of foam. She couldn't help but think he was beautiful then, despite her realisation that this man too was not human.

Now here he was, holding her and showing her more kindness than she had ever received from a human. Her eyes blurred with tears and she desperately tried to blink them away, not wanting to lose sight of the dark man who leaned over her. His lips moved as he spoke to her, but she couldn't understand what he was saying. Her ears were still ringing from the loud gunshot. He stared down at her with those intense red eyes that she could just about see beyond the strange orange sunglasses he wore.

It was becoming more and more difficult to breathe. Her breathing was becoming shallower as her lungs filled up with blood, leaving little space for air. She could feel death once again leering over her shoulder like it had done the last time she had been shot by those monsters. It was waiting. Waiting for her to give up. But she couldn't… she wouldn't… she refused!

"I'm sorry, but you're dying," the man spoke and Seras let out a gurgled gasp as she finally managed to hear and understand what he was saying to her. "You need to make a choice."

A choice? She wanted to fight on! This couldn't be the end!

Instinctively, she reached up a hand to hold onto the strange man. Even though she refused to die, an even bigger fear that consumed her right now was dying alone. She had always been alone. It seemed that even in death that was to be her destiny – always alone. But right now, she didn't want to be. Someone was here for her. More tears trailed down her cheeks, and a small smile graced her lips as the man grasped her hand in return, holding onto it tightly as if he was pulling her from a near fall down the edge of a cliff. His hand was cold, but Seras didn't mind. She knew that as long as she held this hand in hers, she would never be alone again.

"STOP IT!"

"Ma-master… I'm sorry!"

No. Not that! Anything but that!

"You're so weak and pathetic! I don't know what I ever saw in you. You are not worthy of my gift! You waste it! Defile it! Make a mockery of it! Make a mockery of me!"

"Please, sir," she pitifully begged, "that soldier… he… he…"

"ENOUGH!"

SMACK!

Seras blinked. Then she blinked again. Hadn't she just been standing? Why was she now suddenly on the floor? Why was her cheek burning?

There was nothing but silence in the room, and Seras didn't dare move. Her breathing came out in harsh gasps. He was no longer leering over her. But she could still sense him in the room. He was angry. Pained. She had done this to him. This was all her fault.

But he hit her…

But he was half mad with hunger… because of her…

But he had never hit her before…

He never laid a finger on her. He'd scared her. Shouted at her. Berated her. Punished her. But no… never… never hit her…

It was her fault.

No it wasn't!

She was the reason he was in this state. If she had just controlled herself, then Integra never would have had to punish them both like this. Her master bore the brunt and the worst of it. She deserved this…

No she didn't! No matter what she had done, it didn't warrant… that.

"You have disappointed me for the last time…" His voice was eerily calm.

Seras remained still, almost as if she was playing dead like a wounded animal, hoping in vain that everything would go away and be alright if she just remained still and ignored it. Her body was still in shock. Her brain could barely process the stinging sensation on her cheek, no matter how painfully it throbbed. No, right now all her brain could focus on was the guilt that swirled around like a black hole in her torso, devouring everything else around it.

"I rue the day I ever created you."

Please no!

"You're weak!"

No!

"You're pathetic!"

NO!

"You're nothing but scum!"

"NOOOOOO!" Seras screamed, pushing and forcing Anastasia from her mind with all her might. The pressure within her mind disappeared and her vision cleared, revealing that she was still in the red headed vampire's office and that she wasn't back there in the dungeon. She panted, desperate for air as she remained on her hands and knees. A fine layer of cold sweat covered her skin, and she didn't dare close her eyes in case her mind was invaded again and she would end up back there.

"Very good, Draculina," Anastasia purred, and Seras looked up to see the woman sat on top of her desk, one leg crossed over the other as she smirked down at her. "You put up a good fight and mastered shutting your mind shield a lot faster than I thought you would."

"What?" Seras barely managed to gasp out.

Anastasia continued smirking. "You have a remarkable mind. So full of pain and bad memories –"

"SHUT UP!" Seras screamed.

The amusement faded from Anastasia's eyes, however, her casual position remained unchanging. "But now that pain can be used as a titanium shield against your enemies."

Seras hissed.

"Here endeth the first lesson."

Seras couldn't take it anymore. She need out of this office and out of Anastasia's presence. She had seen all of that. She had seen too much. She had seen how weak Seras really was and seen things that she had never wanted to share with anyone. She had invaded the deepest and most private places of her mind and spread it all out on full display. She felt disgusted. She felt violated. She felt like she was going to be sick.

Still gasping for air, Seras bolted from the room as fast as could. Her cheek now burned with the ghostly reminder of her lowest moment. The moment that she once again became alone…


Well that sure got intense. Anastasia's teaching methods aren't exactly ethical to say the least. What did you guys think overall? Reviews are always a big help, so please leave one, no matter how small! It all helps! I'm not too sure when my next update will be, but hopefully once again it won't be as long of a wait this time. Famous last words…