Chapter 25

                Seras blinked and walked over, seeing that this was her cue for her to become useful and help him. Standing inches away from him, she grabbed him around his middle and hauled him up over her head with her incredible strength. Alucard looked dumbfounded, his eyes slightly widened, as the girl below him picked up his six-foot-nothing self so easily.

                "Hmmm...I knew you were good for something, eh Seras...?" He grinned with playfulness as he was hauled up above her shoulders, and then dropped down onto the bed with a thud. She tried her best not to drop him too heavily.

                "Naaa...I guess I'm here for something," She cracked her wrists and fixed her gloves, standing at the side of his bed, happy with completing her task. Alucard's eyes looked her over meekly as they got heavy, and not being able to lift himself up didn't help any.

                His eyes dilated as he brought them to focus on her. He didn't know how to say it, so he did it the only way he could.

                "Seras...thanks..." He said awkwardly, but meaning it as he moved his arms to hug the woman standing over his bedside. 

                As she was pulled into a weak, yet still a hug, she turned her face at the right moment, keeping her face from smashing into his tie/chest. Her cheek rested on the red tie, rather, and she half-hung off the bed strangely. Dangling her legs, she raised an eyebrow and sweatdropped.

                "Don't mention it...demo, it's what I can do for you, you know..."

                Alucard's eyes turned a deep crimson red as he fought with himself to hold onto her. However, his strength was giving out on him.

                He winced as the burns became unbearable for a moment, his eyes starting to tear a little. "...I know...but still...thanks..."

                She felt his hold on her give away little by little, and noticed the crack and strain in his voice as he spoke. Seras jumped back, her hands propping herself up on either side of his shoulders while her feet regained their balance on the floor.

                She looked at him, wondering what the hell was going to happen, and what she should do...because, again, she had no idea.

                "...Master??"                            

                He strained to see her, as his vision was getting blurry from the pain of decay, and from his overexposure to the sun. His eye continued to tear.

                "...Seras...I...am so tired..." And he practically fell over the side of the bed. Seras stared at him as she kept him from falling by pushing him back onto the bed, and held him there, talking in a quiet, soothing voice.

                "If you're tired, just rest..."

                His eyes never left her, even as Seras helped him back onto the bed. He lied on his side, just looking at her, or at least trying. "...You did well tonight."

                She kneeled down at the edge of the bed, sitting on her knees on the floor and peeked up from above the edge of the bed. She brought her arms away from her master, and used them to support her head.

                "Arigato, master..." She grinned. "I told ya I'd learn..."

                Alucard shut his eyes and let the sleep take him over, his left hand under his head and his right by his side. His sunburned face and legs and other parts of him still gave him some pain. "...That you did...Seras..." His voice seemed to fade. Seras half-closed her eyes and quietly watched him.

                "Just get some sleep, master..."

                His body lied there; not breathing, as there was no need, totally asleep with the comfort of being watched over. Just before the coffin lid closed above him, Seras heard a whisper of thanks in her head, followed by silence.

                Seras rose to her feet and made her way to the door and left, knowing that he would be okay. She walked down to her own quarters, opening the door and afterwards closing it shut behind her. She stared at the wall for a moment, and then walked a beeline to her bed, not even bothering to get changed out of her clothes.

                Flopping onto the comfortable mattress she rolled over, falling asleep almost instantly.

                Simultaneous with the moon rising, Alucard's eyes opened groggily. He still felt weak, but stronger than he was previously. After a bit of struggling, he sat up, not realizing the coffin lid was still closed. His head went right through it, his head and upper neck showing from the top of the coffin, making a strange picture for anybody who would have walked in at that moment.

                "Oh...mwahahaha..." He laughed, and tried to get out of bed, allowing the coffin top to rise now. However, his legs were still pretty weak, and he was forced to lean on the table in the middle of the room to prevent him from falling. He stared at the wood grain for a moment as he slowly realized that his hovering ability was back, so it made it all so much more convenient as he glided down the corridor to Seras' room, entering stealthily, and hovering in place for awhile.

                Seras had forgotten to close the lid above her, and he took this to his own advantage, slipping in and lying down next to her.

                "Seras..."

                But she was still asleep, knocked out cold from last night.

                Alucard, knowing now that she wouldn't wake up, put his arm around her middle and hugged her gently as the previous night still weighed on him. He lay there for a little while in silence, just thinking, hearing almost nothing as his eyes focused in on her.

                "SERAS..." He said louder, still having difficulty in his deep voice.