Well, more responses to reviewers- in general, I'm really flattered that
the lot of you enjoy this fic so much ^_^ I know I call Seras red haired in
Disregard chapter 6, but to call her blond, what would I call
Argetni/Integral and Devries then? I guess I can add words by calling her
strawberry blond. . . .and that's a good thing when I've decided to have a
1000 word minimum on chapters.
As for the Millennium Organization and Crossfire, nope. Not going to happen in this fic. It's winding down and going to finish here shortly as I'm running out of ideas. I do adore Heinkel though, and maybe I'll just have to work on some Anderson/Heinkel fic for my sheer enjoyment if the urge strikes me.
But once this is done, I'll only have 2 fics left to complete! That's just exciting!
~*~*~*~*~
December 23, London
I do not understand what is happening anymore. Yesterday, I went directly to Father's office after breakfast, knowing that I would catch him before he retired for his daily rest, in order to tell him that I will petition the Royal Family to have my knighting ceremony before my eighteenth birthday as to stop the quarrels within our own family.
I caught him just as he was locking the chamber door, and setting all pleasantries aside, I explained my case to him, then watched him as he enjoyed a cigarette as we stood in the hallway leading from the office.
"Devries, are you doing this because you really wish to lead Hellsing, or are you doing this because of your mother?"
When have I ever been asked my opinion about anything important during my entire life? Granted, I can make small choices in what I wish to have for my meals or for what I wish to purchase, but to give me a life- changing decision so casually is not like my father.
When I did not reply for a few moments because of the shock the words he spoke sent through me, Father sighed, exhaling a thin trail of menthol smoke before looking across the hall at me with tears in his eyes. We then returned to his office, where he proceeded to speak of his childhood and of how he had been trained alongside my mother, but he was always told in the training that dearest Integral would be the leader. He was never given a choice in the matter of marrying her, and though he tried to be happy in his vows, he could not while he was married to that demon.
Father then lit a cigar taken from the box that he keeps in the top desk drawer, wiping the tears from his cheeks before continuing with how his father had become disillusioned with power as soon as Arthur had the Queen officially name his daughter as successor, which is why as a child my mother was forced to kill a man.
He fully understood what a feud in the Hellsing family could do to the successor and those wishing to take command of the troops and vampires, and he admitted in a whisper that he could not bear to see me mentally destroyed like so many others because of the game one must play in order to launch a successful coup in any form.
And then he set the cigar down in the glass ashtray on the desk, sighing as he looked up at the portrait of my mother.
"I don't want to see you become like her. You must be strong, Devries, and never allow the cunning of the vampire to confuse you or make you believe that they are superior to us."
Leaning down, Father unlocked the bottom desk drawer of the mahogany masterpiece that he always sits behind when discussing the Organization, lifting a heavy metallic box from the inside and placing it on the desk with a thud. Explaining that he asked Walter to create a weapon suitable of my talents and overcoming my weaknesses many months ago when I began my training and that he had wanted to give me this for my Christmas present, he opened the case to reveal a near-replica of Alucard's Jackal, engraved with the same "Jesus Christ is in heaven Now" on the barrel. Besides the obvious smaller size of my gun, the only other difference is that our prayer, Impure souls of the living dead shall be banished to eternal damnation, is etched on to the handle. I even have a cache of the same blessed bullets used in the Jackal.
How I wish to head to the basement to see how powerful my new weapon truly is.
I am quite happy with a present such as this, and I can fully understand that Father would not wish to present me with such a gift in front of everyone.
Thanking him, I took the gun and its case from the office and returned to my room, uncertain if he was relieved that I have finally decided to accept my role in the family wholeheartedly, or if he is disappointed and offering me the only means of protection that he feels is adequate in dealing with such creatures.
Seras has been avoiding me since we secretly went out to the pubs on the outskirts of the city in our unsuccessful attempt to find someone for me, and I did not get a chance to ask if she was given holiday leave or if she has been sent on a mission. I fear that after Argetni discovered that the two of us spent a night out in London together chasing after men and having a fabulous time that a new, unexpected mission was just discovered, and Seras had to go on it without telling anyone else of her trip.
I wonder if our vampires celebrate Christmas, because neither Argetni nor Alucard has mentioned plans or if they are going to spend the holiday with my family during the training sessions I have been forced in to starting two nights ago. One would assume that they do not follow any holidays associated with any church, but on that same note, it is common knowledge that Argetni was an Anglican Protestant for her entire life. She must still cling to some remnants of her humanity, for she has only been undead for less than twenty years.
Alas, I must finish this quickly, as Walter has promised to take me shopping for Christmas gifts and he said he would be here as soon as he prepared breakfast for Father. Perhaps a day of celebration, good food and spirits, and well thought-out gifts will improve the mood of the lot of the Hellsing family. God knows we do need help this year.
Devries
As for the Millennium Organization and Crossfire, nope. Not going to happen in this fic. It's winding down and going to finish here shortly as I'm running out of ideas. I do adore Heinkel though, and maybe I'll just have to work on some Anderson/Heinkel fic for my sheer enjoyment if the urge strikes me.
But once this is done, I'll only have 2 fics left to complete! That's just exciting!
~*~*~*~*~
December 23, London
I do not understand what is happening anymore. Yesterday, I went directly to Father's office after breakfast, knowing that I would catch him before he retired for his daily rest, in order to tell him that I will petition the Royal Family to have my knighting ceremony before my eighteenth birthday as to stop the quarrels within our own family.
I caught him just as he was locking the chamber door, and setting all pleasantries aside, I explained my case to him, then watched him as he enjoyed a cigarette as we stood in the hallway leading from the office.
"Devries, are you doing this because you really wish to lead Hellsing, or are you doing this because of your mother?"
When have I ever been asked my opinion about anything important during my entire life? Granted, I can make small choices in what I wish to have for my meals or for what I wish to purchase, but to give me a life- changing decision so casually is not like my father.
When I did not reply for a few moments because of the shock the words he spoke sent through me, Father sighed, exhaling a thin trail of menthol smoke before looking across the hall at me with tears in his eyes. We then returned to his office, where he proceeded to speak of his childhood and of how he had been trained alongside my mother, but he was always told in the training that dearest Integral would be the leader. He was never given a choice in the matter of marrying her, and though he tried to be happy in his vows, he could not while he was married to that demon.
Father then lit a cigar taken from the box that he keeps in the top desk drawer, wiping the tears from his cheeks before continuing with how his father had become disillusioned with power as soon as Arthur had the Queen officially name his daughter as successor, which is why as a child my mother was forced to kill a man.
He fully understood what a feud in the Hellsing family could do to the successor and those wishing to take command of the troops and vampires, and he admitted in a whisper that he could not bear to see me mentally destroyed like so many others because of the game one must play in order to launch a successful coup in any form.
And then he set the cigar down in the glass ashtray on the desk, sighing as he looked up at the portrait of my mother.
"I don't want to see you become like her. You must be strong, Devries, and never allow the cunning of the vampire to confuse you or make you believe that they are superior to us."
Leaning down, Father unlocked the bottom desk drawer of the mahogany masterpiece that he always sits behind when discussing the Organization, lifting a heavy metallic box from the inside and placing it on the desk with a thud. Explaining that he asked Walter to create a weapon suitable of my talents and overcoming my weaknesses many months ago when I began my training and that he had wanted to give me this for my Christmas present, he opened the case to reveal a near-replica of Alucard's Jackal, engraved with the same "Jesus Christ is in heaven Now" on the barrel. Besides the obvious smaller size of my gun, the only other difference is that our prayer, Impure souls of the living dead shall be banished to eternal damnation, is etched on to the handle. I even have a cache of the same blessed bullets used in the Jackal.
How I wish to head to the basement to see how powerful my new weapon truly is.
I am quite happy with a present such as this, and I can fully understand that Father would not wish to present me with such a gift in front of everyone.
Thanking him, I took the gun and its case from the office and returned to my room, uncertain if he was relieved that I have finally decided to accept my role in the family wholeheartedly, or if he is disappointed and offering me the only means of protection that he feels is adequate in dealing with such creatures.
Seras has been avoiding me since we secretly went out to the pubs on the outskirts of the city in our unsuccessful attempt to find someone for me, and I did not get a chance to ask if she was given holiday leave or if she has been sent on a mission. I fear that after Argetni discovered that the two of us spent a night out in London together chasing after men and having a fabulous time that a new, unexpected mission was just discovered, and Seras had to go on it without telling anyone else of her trip.
I wonder if our vampires celebrate Christmas, because neither Argetni nor Alucard has mentioned plans or if they are going to spend the holiday with my family during the training sessions I have been forced in to starting two nights ago. One would assume that they do not follow any holidays associated with any church, but on that same note, it is common knowledge that Argetni was an Anglican Protestant for her entire life. She must still cling to some remnants of her humanity, for she has only been undead for less than twenty years.
Alas, I must finish this quickly, as Walter has promised to take me shopping for Christmas gifts and he said he would be here as soon as he prepared breakfast for Father. Perhaps a day of celebration, good food and spirits, and well thought-out gifts will improve the mood of the lot of the Hellsing family. God knows we do need help this year.
Devries