Drowning in Darkness.

By: Lazeralk.

Standard disclaimers apply.

In the name of God, impure souls of the living dead shall be banished into eternal damnation. Amen.

Part 12

0o0o0

To my reviewers, my eternal gratitude, I have taken all of your suggestion and comments to heart.

Sera Luanma – You're suggestion is rather interesting, and I have consulted my muse on it. She said that she considered putting another blade in to balance Allen, but she won't because it would leave a lose end. That's all I'm allowed to tell you. Sorry!

Plaid cat – Please don't feed the muse, she has enough of an ego already. Thanks for your support, I know you've been with me since the beginning.

0o0o0

Arucard let Shadow and himself into Walter's room, gracefully setting himself in the overstuffed chair in front of the computer and booted it up. Seras slid in behind them and confined herself to a corner, looking miserable. Shadow moved to stand behind him, watching the screen with mild fascination. He signed in as himself and pulled up a browser.

"Shadow Walkers huh? Let's see what we got." He mumbled to himself as he typed the words in.

They waited for a few moments before pulling up several pages of information.

"RPG Character guides? No, a witch's book of Shadows? What the hell?"

"There." Said Shadow, pointing to a link in some other language. He glanced back at her but clicked on it anyway. The page opened to display a simple list of blue links all in that strange language.

"First one." Commanded Shadow her voice hardening.

He did as he was asked, scowling and mocking her in his head. He had a sudden image of her and Integra switching places. They had similar enough attitudes to pass.

A page that looked scanned in scrolled down the screen, written in something vaguely resembling a combination of hieroglyphics and kanji.

"Bastard." Shadow whispered.

"What is it?"

"These are files from our archives, the Library that I work for. These are written in my language, or rather the language we adopted to write in. We usually store information in Access Balls, there're little bubbles that contain psychic impressions. Someone gave these records away."

"You had a traitor."

"Yes. Get the last link, these are in order I bet." She said, leaning over his shoulder.

He clicked and Shadow glanced over it quickly, and then did something of a double take. She raised her hand to her mouth and her face twisted with rage.

"I get it now." She hissed, throwing the files that Sir Integra had given her on the desk beside them.

"Mauve the Tormentor is looking for god-hood."

"Explain."

"These documents are really maps. They're codes for different worlds that the Shadow Walkers have catalogued. One of them, this one here," she pointed to a piece of the text.

"This one has a fountain that is supposed to grant the power to rule a universe. In all truth however, the fountain just kills you. The people of this particular world believe that when you are living you create your own afterlife. That the experiences you gain build a new universe for you to inhabit and control after you are dead. The fountain is means to reach that universe."

"So Mauve got it wrong and thinks the fountain will grant her the power of a god?"

"Yes, and in order to reach it, she must pass through the Deep, which explains why she started a demon worshiping cult. Other than Shadow Walkers, demons are the only things that can pass through on their own. It also explains her little killing spree. Demons that possess people will often hide themselves by making the person appear to be crazy. She was searching for a demon."

"She obviously got what she was looking for then no? I know Mauve, and she's crazy, even crazier than I am. This whole demon thing is right up her ally too, she was made about the same time I was and even before she died she was into this kind of shit. She hates the church; she blames it and God for the death of her family and her husband. She's been doing everything opposite Christianity ever since."

"Beautiful. Just what we need, more psycho paths." Drawled Shadow sarcastically.

Seras was absolutely mortified by what she'd done to her master. Her master! How could she?

'God, look at me! I'm such an animal! Why didn't he hit me? I'd hit me!' she though dejectedly.

She rubbed her hands up and down her arms trying to warm her pale flesh. She hated herself, hated her child. The feeding had been both painful and wondrous, and still she craved. Her master didn't look too drained, a testament to his great power.

'Seras you monster, after all that, how could I still want to do it again? How could I want to hurt my master like that again? What have I become?'

0o0o0

"They aren't monsters Anderson, they're people. Not all of them are pure evil."

"So what, you're saying that vampires are poor misunderstood people? That they can go on killing sprees and we should just turn the other cheek because they're people too?"

"No! Alex, why are you so against the idea that maybe, just maybe, Arucard could have a heart?"

"That man is a freak Kai, I chop him to bits and he comes right back-"

"Now isn't that the pot calling the kettle black regenerator?" quipped Malikai with a frown. Alex knew better than that.

"And the hellhounds? How do you explain that one Kai?"

"I said he had a heart, that he had feelings and emotions, not that he was human. Okay, lets try this Alex. You are a regenerator yes?"

"I thought we were past that. Yes Kai, I'm a regenerator." Sneered the priest, not really seeing where this conversation was going.

"You use that power to protect those weaker than yourself right? You can take hits that other people can't so you do, not because the church orders you too but because you know it's the right thing to do."

"Of course. Protecting those weaker than you is a very honorable thing to do. It's only right."

"Arucard uses his vampirism to protect the troops of Hellsing, to protect Sir Integra, to protect his child. I've watched him go out of his way to take bullets for the men; I've seen him go berserk to save his master. I watched him nearly die to rescue Seras."

"You really believe he's a good man don't you?" asked Alex, and there was something in his voice, something not so much curious and scornful, but almost accepting. The sheer power of Malikai's belief in his words made the paladin hesitate, made him reconsider, and it gave him hope.

"He's not evil Alex. He is a good man, at least where it counts. He's no saint, he's not even sane half the time and he hates my guts, but he's a good man." Said Malikai with conviction. He really believed.

"You know what this means don't you? You've betrayed the ideals of the church." Alex's voice was soft, uncertain. He genuinely liked Kai, they were good friends. It would kill something in him to take this man's life.

"No, Alex, it's you that doesn't know what this means. What if the church has been preaching wrong all this time? I mean, not everything, they got a lot of things right, but not everything. They teach temperance, acceptance, good will, and fairness. They praise love and peace to all of God's creatures."

"Vampire's are not God's creatures." Challenged Alex.

"God made the earth and placed upon it all life. He dictated the cycles of life and death, for all things that are and will be. How do you suppose vampire's came to be at all Brother? How are they even here if not by God's gracious hand?"

"The devil-"

"Was once an angel."

To that, Alexander had nothing to say. He knew there was a reason Kai taught English. He looked into himself and saw his friend's words ring true. How could his faith teach such wonderful things and yet condone absolute hate? How could his order encourage people to be such hypocrites?

0o0o0

"Sir Integra?"

"Come in Walter."

The aging retainer of the Hellsing house strode in carrying a large black box. He placed in on the floor next to his feet and put a videotape in front of his employer.

"What's this?" she asked.

"Did you know that Father Anderson is here, sitting down with Professor Olsen and discussing vampire ethics? Our man is trying to convert him I think." Said Walter.

"He's doing what?" asked Integra incredulously.

"I know, it's quite disturbing."

0o0o0

"Run that by me again. Slowly." Said Arucard.

"Mauve goes on a killing spree, searching for a demon. She finds one, starts a cult to worship it and convinces it to help her cross the worlds. The demon wants the Shadow Walkers out of the way to do this, so he sends one of his lessers with a spell attached to it into the deep. He kills the demon and the spell is activated, using the demon energy to create a sort of prison."

"But he missed you."

"Yes he missed me, and that mistake is going to come back and bite him on the ass. The only thing that's got me confused is why she and her little demon buddy haven't tried to Shadow Walk yet. What's holding her back?"

"You said Walking Worlds took a lot of power, maybe she doesn't have it yet."

"No, the demon would have enough power to Walk on it's own."

"So then what's blocking them?"

"I have no idea."

0o0o0

Allen was what you'd call a little tipsy. He'd just recently discovered that he could drink the power in the Deep even though he couldn't retain it. As soon as he got it, it slipped away again, but the rush was worth it. Combined with Arucard's power, the demon energy made quite a cocktail and he was rather drunk.

-Mother! – He called, feeling her presence and calling out to her happily.

-Yes Allen? What do you want? – She asked grumpily.

-Did you know that it's impossum. Bull. Em….. –

-What's wrong with you? – Asked Seras even though she didn't really want the answer.

-Impossible for me to lie to you? To you, and to you and just one other person, I must be truthful. And that's you. Wait. –

-Allen, are you drunk? –

-No of course not. What kind of silly animal is that? –

-Allen, it's not an animal. –

-Well of course it is! What else do you call it? Wait, what were talking about again? –

-You're drunk Allen. –

-Drunk? Now don't be absurd Father. –

-I'm your mother. –

-Shut up woman, that's what I said! –

Seras sighed.

0o0o0

Walter knocked on the door and let himself in when a voice beckoned him fourth. He walked inside, shutting the door to his own room. He placed the black box on the table where he kept his private stock of brandy and popped open the lid.

"Miss Shadow, the blades you ordered just came it. The Smithy said they were the strangest things he'd ever forged." Said Walter, lifting the five-foot plus blades up.

"They're ultra light, due to the metal, but the edges are razor sharp. The balance is perfect, and all of your specifications match perfectly." He said, handing them over.

Shadow held them by the police baton hilts and swung them around a few times testing them.

"They are light, and I certainly hope the metal holds. I don't have much faith in human weapons."

"Aww, why not? Human weapons are just so much fun." Said Arucard, grinning like a mad man.

Shadow gave him a disgusted look before twisting her wrists and holding out her now empty hand to Walter to shake.

"Thank you for getting them on such short notice Walter. I truly appreciate it."

"Not at all Miss Shadow." He replied, he shook her hand and smiled for her, ever polite.

"Hey Arucard?" she said as she turned to look at him.

"What?"

"Feel like killing something?"

"Oh, always."

The smile that curved his lips then was nothing short of bloodthirsty.

0o0o0

-Allen, why were you born? –

-Well that's a stupid question mother. What am I? – Said Allen, his tone quite bubbly.

-You're a weapon. –

-Oh good girl! Smart girl! Have a cookie! –

-Allen, you're starting to irritate me. –

-So sorry mummy! Mummy! Ha! Blah! I vant to suck your blood! –

-That's Count Dracula, not a mummy. –

-I know that! Anyway, what were talking about? –

-Why you were born. –

-To kill something duh! I'm a blade. Isn't it obvious? I mean, what were you expecting? Plant the Blade to Call All Darkness and grow a tree. Save the Rainforest! – The most powerful dark weapon to ever grace the hands of a vampire began to giggle, and couldn't seem to stop.

-Allen, you are really creeping me out right now….. –

0o0o0

End part 12. Wow, this story just keeps coming. I don't know what's gotten into her. It must be the reviews, you're all slave drivers ya know!