I entered the large room from the darkest corner. I could see a form, standing before the window. The moon was shining at its fullest… such a beautiful night.

"Alucard." She felt my presence as I fully entered this room still as an illusion. She's got quite good senses, I think … Isn't it?

I turned myself into a visible shape slowly. Her voice was loud in this large room. I walked toward her as I responded. "Yes…" I stopped my steps beside her before the window. She took a side-glance towards me as she puffed her cigar. Although not blatantly, her questioning gaze met mine. I just laughed a little and answered her unvoiced question. "No business at all… No orders from you yet."

"…Hm."

She turned her gaze back to the window. I, too moved my gaze toward the night scenery. Again, I mused... the moon was shining unusually bright in the deep, dark blue sky. Even it was rather different, the scenery almost looked just the same as the night when I went to that mission in Cheders… the first time I met the policewoman, and turned her to one of our kind.

On that night, I had asked her to move the policewoman into this organization. What an amusing face she had given me … pissed off?

I couldn't help myself but chuckle at those thoughts… As a result, she turned to me.

"What is it?" she asked.

I saw her move her cigar to the ashtray, letting the ashes dropped into it while looking at me. I stopped my chuckling slowly. Still smirking, I stared back at her. "Nothing… nothing at all."

She narrowed her eyes slightly at my response. "You are... somewhat different tonight." She took her previous favorite cigar from the ashtray before continuing her sentences. "What exactly is on your mind…?"

"My mind…?" I did not turn away my gaze from her. My mind, she asks? Now who's acting differently? I smiled a little as I replied her. "I was just thinking about why I heard some gun shots while back ago… rather unusual for being heard in these kind of hours…"

I kept my smile lightly as she raised an eyebrow. She showed a slightly annoyed expression, and then she said, "I thought the wall was sound- proofed…"

"It is."

"And so it's to the night creature's senses that I owe this visit."

"And so, it seems our Master is annoyed just now…"

"…And why should I be annoyed?" She smiled dryly.

"If not by my statements…" I turned around slowly as I indicated the expanse of the room. I took a side-glance towards her, leaned myself against the window. She inhaled her cigar before took it away again into the ashtray, crushed its top lightly. She narrowed her eyes as she moved her gaze towards me.

"Iscariots."

"Ah." My eyes lit up in excitement as I heard the name of those Vatican's institution escape her lips. Father Alexander Anderson… with his so-called Master, Enrico Maxwell, were suddenly visible in my mind. I crossed my arms as she moved to pick up papers on the table. I could see she was holding back her anger, which amused me… Seems I do really like to watch her get angry or upset. "What about them?" I asked her.

"Small incident happened in their so-called 'territory', and they sent us these letters…" In frustration, she crushed the papers in her grasp, though her expression didn't change a bit. "They demand us to take responsibility, and from what I see in this case… most of the responsibilities should be taken by them, not us." She set the papers back onto the table as she sighed. "And that swine, again sent us a letter of 'friendly arrangement'… heh."

She threw the paper loosely into the trash-bin. Compared to few minutes ago, her eyes had softened a little. She gave a light smile as she leaned herself to the side of her chair, crossed her arms and kept her gaze on the remaining letters.

I narrowed my eyes as I hid my smile. "…I guess, I'll never understand the way humans think."

"Hm." She turned to face the window. "And what makes you think like that?"

"Well…" I tilted my head to the left, closed my eyes. "I find this rivalry between humans amusing." I opened my right eye a little and look at her. She wasn't staring at me but she was listening. Again, I closed my eyes. "Humans tend to get themselves into certain situation when they shouldn't actually be involved … even if it means fatal…" I chuckled a little "Even a small incident can cause war among them… I don't even know if I should call it 'rivalry' or just pure instinct..."

She narrowed her eyes and I had no intention of stopping my own 'speech'. "True vampires in the past could live peacefully in our own world, without bothering any others of own kind… But your kind seems enjoyed that sort of trouble."

"…I see."

I stared at her. Surprisingly, she just smiled as a response. She kept staring forward with a peculiar gaze that even I couldn't describe. She picked up another cigar and lit it up as I brought my right hand to my pocket.

She blew the smoke from her mouth, slowly moved the hand that held her cigar to her chin as the room become silent once again. The sound of the clock could be heard clearly in the wide room, and I assumed her pausing was an awkward silence. "Is that so?" Finally, she said.

I shrugged lightly as I gave her a half smile. She let out a small sigh before rubbed her own eyes.

She continued "… I do think that's the reason why our population is above all creatures." I raised an eyebrow as she began to talk more.

"Humans are not individualists. Unlike your kind, we are social creatures from the start. This is both advantageous and disadvantageous." She stopped for a few seconds, and then continued her speech. "I can't blame you for thinking like that, because it's the truth and I cannot deny it. We humans have our little side in our own mind… and most likely, 'rivalry' is one of our basics." She paused.

"The control of this basic urge is in each human's own hands.... the one that can control it, will come to no harm."

She placed her hand onto her chair while she puffed her tobacco. It was silent. I narrowed my eyes as I kept staring at her, waiting for her to continue.

"As for the ones that cannot control this, their minds will be taken over by a lust of power to overpower others… Besides, humans have the ability to do whatever they want… even if it may sound impossible."

"And pathetic." I interrupted her.

She instantly looked up and moved her gaze towards me but saying nothing. I just snickered. Sure they are pathetic, their ideas for accomplishing their own lust and desires are not understandable. "Should I correct my previous statement?" I responded to her gaze with a sardonic smile. While she didn't respond, I began to talk. "Based on your opinion, humans' mind could be easily led by their emotions… with no thought as to whether their acts make any sense or not. So… I don't think I was incorrect." I smiled at her, a bit playfully, I should say.

"Silence."

Her 'Silence' word sounded like 'That's right' or 'I agree' to me. Seeing her annoyed like this, I couldn't help but hid my smile. However, she's still a human.

"…That's why."

Again I raised my eyebrow with her sudden words. She exhaled smoke before continuing her speech. "The reason why the population of human is above anything else. This may sound like a cliché, but even you can't deny the fact that humans themselves are varied..." I narrowed my eyes and drew my lips to a thin line before she finished her sentences. "…Probably far beyond your views or expectations, even your imaginations."

She looked at me with half-closed eyes. I gazed back at her. I didn't respond nor denied it. Neither one of us tried to break the gaze nor said a word. It was quite a strange moment.

She tilted her head to her side, never breaking the eye contact. "And on top of all that, I am sure your kind cannot live without any humans in this world, no matter how pathetic they are in your opinion, of course." She chuckled.

I gave her a half-smile, slightly narrowing my eyes while she brought back her gaze to the window, breaking our eye contact. As soon as she moved hers, I too moved mine to look at a painting of Sir Hellsing, her father my previous master that sealed me around thirty years ago… twenty years before I met my current Master, that is. To think of being sealed due to my 'too- playful' behavior in that time… And how should I know that he would use his oldest ancestor's tricks, the ones that once used to me when the first time I met the first Hellsing? Perhaps, I messed around 'slightly' too much, or just being unaware…

Still looking at the painting, I began to talk "It seems that man has taught you a lot of things when he was alive…being the daughter of his, isn't it?" I blinked slowly as I snickered a little.

However, she did not move at all, even though I am sure she was listening. She put her arms on her back. "It is." Her voice was stern, and I turned my head to look at her. She didn't look at me but she continued. "But it has nothing to do with my status, or my father's name, …because" I raised my eyebrow before suddenly she glanced at me with her icy blue eyes.

"My father-"

She spoke sternly.

"-Is my father."

Her expression didn't change even a bit, though I was expecting she would show her annoyed expression. But surprisingly, despite her voice tone, she was unusually… calm. Rather soft even. "I do admit I inherited my father's knowledge, but I forbid myself to learn the further experiences of his, with a warning it will affect my way of ruling this organization."

"Even though not all of the members were quite happy because of these changes?" I snickered.

"I took this matter as a serious task. The changes will always be there. As long as I don't interfere their works…" She rubbed her hair strands aside. "As long as I don't fail my way, or breaking the rules which I'll NEVER fail at, they can't judge me." Her voice was so determined and full of confidence. I sometimes admire, or being amused by her confidence, stubbornness and her determined behavior whenever I thought about her younger times, before she became the true woman of steel. Humans can change so much in such short time… I guess it is my other reason why I can never fully understand humans.

Or her.

"Overly confident, aren't we?" I laughed a little. She had no reply other than glaring at me with an annoyed looks.

"Well, same goes to you, Mr. Invincible." She smirked at me before she brought her cigar onto the ashtray. Again crushing its top. "Actually I have been thinking about this… about the reason why you are so devoted to our family…" She looked at me with half closed eyes, while I drew my lips into a thin line. "…But I guess, it's hard to tell, isn't it?" she smiled, rather mockingly, should I say. I gave her a small, sarcastic grin. She laughed a little as she raised her hand slightly, telling me to not talk about it if it's too hard for me to tell, in a mockingly way, of course.

On a second thought, she, the one who has really high pride and dignity, may have speculated it. That couldn't be far too wrong, perhaps. She finally stopped laughing and brought her gaze back to the window, staring back into the deep, dark blue sky. Her eyes were tender. Her gaze, other than filled with all her determination and all, always implied some sadness. I moved myself, standing beside her and brought my gaze into the blue sky. It was a tender silence.

"…A strangely beautiful night, isn't it?" She asked me with a light smile without looking at me. I took a side-glance toward her as she spoke before staring back into the sky. I smiled.

"Yes, it is."





"It's late already."

She spoke suddenly, looking at her wristwatch before walked to her study, re-arranging her papers for tomorrow's needs. I watched her in silence, smiled at her as she finished her last-minute work. She tapped her study before she slowly walked to the door in silence. She opened the door and stopped. I raised an eyebrow. She took a side-glance towards me and smiled lightly.

"It was a pleasant conversation."

I looked at her and smiled back at her. Strangely pleasant conversation, I should admit.

"Yes, it is."

She lowered her head slightly as she closed her eyes, smiling. She stepped out from the door and quietly closed it. The room filled with darkness once more. I chuckled a little as I turned myself into black fog, quietly left the room with emptiness.