Disclaimer: I do not own the X-men or Hellsing, now please, stop asking.
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There were four on his tail. This was Kurt's second year now and he had finally been allowed to deal with real vampires and not the ghouls, although this was more than accidental as he ran through the city.
He could hear the vampires commenting on 'Hellsings little demon', they were actually admiring his movement as he used one building and then the next, leading them away from the main slaughter. Kurt knew that word about him had gotten out, but he didn't realise that he would be this desirable a kill.
Finally, he came to a stop in a play park, the wind causing the swings to rock and the round-about to turn. Slowly, he turned to face the four and watched as they all smiled in unison, taking their time about the fight.
"Cuter than I thought he'd be." A woman laughed and playfully sniffed the air.
"He's been chosen already." A male frowned. "Tell me how someone who is to kill our kind has come to be chosen?"
Kurt smiled darkly, shifting his weight quickly to grab the two swords on his back as he jumped. After slashing the air in an X, he smirked and watched as the vampire disintegrated. "I'm tired of talking." He spun, twisting the blades around him and severing another two heads, leaving just the female who had been the first to speak.
"You..." She tailed off and was shocked as her hand was taken and the knuckles lightly kissed. The fur on his lips was amazingly soft and she stood in utter shock.
"Auf weidersien." He smirked as his tail jerked sharply, the blade it held severing her head also. Standing back, Kurt admired his handiwork with a smile.
Hands suddenly caught him and dragged him back.
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Kurt was finally let go and he looked around a familiar and bare room. Growling in annoyance, he caught his blades and whirled round, annoyed as Arucard just laughed despite the fact that they rested on his throat.
"Vhat do zey mean by chosen?" The blue mutant started the questions with a deep growl. The chuckle made him snarl. "Tell me, vampire."
"They know that there's a vampire who wants to sire you."
"How?"
That took the vampire back a bit. "Scent, I think. It's just something we can tell in all honesty." His smirk dropped as the sword was placed harder against his throat. "You can't kill me."
"I know, but I can enjoy hurting you. Now, undo vhatever you did to me, I don't vant to be more of a target zan I already am."
"But why? You can more than handle yourself." Arucards smirk returned as he pushed the blades away, their wielder more intent of working out some aggression than actually using them, he also seemed to have struck a nerve.
Kurt shook his head and put the swords back in their respective scabbards, annoyed that a vampire trusted him more than his own family. He wondered, after two years, how many of them thought he was dead.
"If I got my way, you already would be." The vampire licked his lips and stared at the bamf cloud in amazement. "Damn, he's getting too good at that, I can't even tell when he's about to teleport anymore."
"Arucard!"
"Masters calling, I wonder why."
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The last two years had barely affected Integra. She sat at the same desk wearing the same style of men's suit. She had just dismissed a soldier who had given his account of what had happened that night.
"A charmer, as always." The boss smiled to herself and waited for her vampire servant to arrive. According to the soldier, Kurt was dragged off by Arucard after killing the four vampires, a kiss included.
"You wanted me, master?" Arucard had appeared from the ceiling and he drifted down to the floor before standing in front of the desk.
"Where's Kurt?"
"His room, I presume, do you wish to speak to him too?"
"Not right now."
"He killed four vampires."
"So I'm told."
Arucard seemed to be formulating a question. "Do you think a weapons upgrade is in order? I would prefer it if he carried a gun or a crossbow, he gets too close with the swords."
"He can't use a gun because of his mutation, as for a crossbow? Too slow, even for vampires weaker than yourself."
"Why don't you get Walter to modify a gun?"
Integra paused, it was a good idea. She decided not to admit that but only shuffled her papers. "Tell me, why are you so bothered?" She smiled at the carefully blank look. "Is it because you've 'chosen' him?"
"I had that choice made the second I saw him."
"What is meant by chosen, Arucard? I have a suspicion but I really hope I'm wrong about it."
"If he was to die in the field tomorrow, how far would you go to save your best soldier?" The vampire licked a fang and smirked. "I only gave him the same offer I give you so often."
"And his response?"
"A more solid no than yours, but he's weakening, soon he may agree."
"Arucard, I forbid you to play these mind games on him. He's..."
"Nineteen next week. I picked up a stray thought about his birthday yesterday, he really hopes no one will ask or attempt a fuss."
"Nineteen?" The boss sat back and sighed. "He's younger than all the other soldiers; the youngest are usually about twenty eight." A smile perked her lips. "Well, if he doesn't want a fuss, I think we can see to it that Walter can keep things discrete."
"Of course, master." Arucard started to fade with the shadows, another visit to Kurt on his mind.
"Arucard?"
"Yes?" The detached voice echoed around the room.
"See to it that Kurt doesn't catch wind of this."
"Of course."
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Kurt was instantly suspicious when the vampire returned. The penguins in the South Pole could have heard the shout made for the vampire to see his master and the mutant was sure that he had been on the topic of conversation. He watched as Arucard made himself comfortable and he watched the freshly showered teleporter.
It was getting too much and Kurt could feel his nerves slowly start to snap as he got dressed into clean clothes and examined himself in the mirror.
"Handsome as ever, Kurt. And may I say that you have matured well these last two years?" The vampire smirked from his seat and noticed the glance made for the swords. "Try if you want, Kurt, but until you accept my blood, you will always be too weak."
"Arucard, must you do zis? I tire of zis game." He sighed and turned to face the vampire, his tail swinging casually from side to side.
"It's amazing to think."
"Vhat is?" Kurt sighed heavily and felt a smile tug his lips; he knew that his physique was being referred to. It was one of the main topics at the moment that the skinny runt had actually developed some proper muscles through all his acrobatic training. Such comments were usually reserved to when someone saw him without a shirt which was generally a rare sight.
"You're right." Arucard smirked, tuning into the thoughts. "Tell me," he leaned forward slightly and couldn't hide the manacle grin, "why do you refuse my offer? Are you worried that you'll be made a real demon?"
"In ze eyes of man, I already am one, no amount of prayers vill make zem realise zat I'm just human." The mutant shook his head. "Vhy do I refuse? How about ze fact zat I just don't like ze idea of being a vampire?"
The vampire pinned him against the wall, the movement so fast that it wasn't even seen by the mutant. "I'd like the truth Kurt, you're smart, I know that, but you're also a really bad liar."
"Can you tell by looking at me? Or looking in mein head?"
"Both." Arucard staggered back as he was booted in the stomach and watched as Kurt rolled, scooping up his blades as he returned to standing.
"You're not ze only rotten liar, you're here for more reasons zan to talk about killing me." Kurt smirked, not realising just how strongly the gesture reflected the vampires. "Vhen you tell me zat, I'll tell you vhy I refuse your blood."
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Arucard stood dumbfounded as, after a sly teleport by the mutant, he had one sword threatening to behead him, another about to gut him like a fish and the final blade casually suggesting castration.
"Vell?" Kurt's voice had become a deep throaty purr these days as he chuckled softly, it only added to the intimidation now, but with the ladies, it added to charm. He would never admit to the vampire, but this exact moment in time was very important, he had to see how he was compared to Arucard.
The vampire snarled and tried to look at his angles, he was well and truly stuck, the mutant blocking the way back and the swords offering decapitation at three levels. Finally, Arucard smirked, what did he have to fear from the swords? He sharply twisted, obviously startling Kurt with the idea as blood flowed from wounds.
"You cheated." The mutant growled as he was slammed against the wall, annoyed that he had failed again against this vampire.
Arucard had picked up the annoyed note of defeat and he smirked, letting his sharp fangs be seen as he moved in for the bite.
Kurt tilted his weight, pulling the vampire down before punching the jaw as hard as he could. There was a crunch as fangs severed the jaw and Arucard staggered back, trying to wrench his lower jaw off his teeth. Grinning, the mutant teleported and kicked the feet out from under the vampire.
What the hell? Arucard blinked and growled as best as he could as he tried to wrench his jaws free, a hard back handed punch into the nose stopped that line of thought as another one took its place. Kill the elf.
This was good, Kurt grinned, something to work his aggression out of. Another teleport was used, making sure he was close so that he would disorientate the vampire's delicate senses. Sort of like a close range smoke bomb. He kicked the feet under him again, this time pinning Arucard down so that he could just start punching whilst the vampire was helpless.
Of course, the vampire was one of the strongest known so being used as a punching bag actually had little effect. He just waited for the right moment and hit the mutant hard, the creature flying across the room where he teleported before hitting the wall. What?
Kurt reappeared behind the vampire and barrelled into him, easily somersaulting so that he wasn't injured. It appeared that the training was paying off and the mutant was enjoying every moment of cutting loose. The trick was to keep moving, not to let himself get caught.
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Walter smiled as he carried a box of chocolate chip cookies. He had decided to use them as a bargaining chip, no pun intended, to discuss the recent ideas of a birthday. Crashing could be heard from the mutant's room and, frowning, the angel of death, looped on the wires before slowly moving to the door.
The actual sound of it being kicked open was drowned out by angry shouts from the vampire, angry snarls and growls from the mutant and furniture being tossed, knocked over, tripped over or flung about the room. It was very noisy. Walter felt his arms drop. He couldn't believe his eyes.
Kurt was literally running rings around the vampire, teleporting and jumping, running and pouncing. He never stayed still enough to receive a blow, and if he did, he simply teleported and used the force against the vampire. Arucard was trying to catch him, but failing due to the tactic.
"Fine then, let's raise the stakes." Arucard smirked, blood red eyes appearing all over his body as his arms turned into black tendrils, the end taking on the form of a dog's head.
Kurt done the only thing appropriate in such a situation, he froze and looked around wildly for an exit, instead he spotted Walter. "Err, Valter?" He grinned. "It's good to see you."
The vampire looked over to the door and snarled, his body once more resuming its natural state. He glared at the butler then took a few steps back, vanishing in the shadows. He didn't need to speak to get the message across; it was a fight that they were going to end.
"Kurt?" Walter looked at the mess and assisted the mutant in tidying up. "What was that about?"
"Oh, ve had a little fight. Nothing serious." He shrugged nonchalantly then grinned darkly as he spotted his favourite treat. "Are zey chocolate chip cookies?"
"Yes, and -"
"Are zey for Miss Integra?"
"You mean Sir Integra?"
The cookies where in the mutants mouth and the jar held by a long blue prehensile tail as the mutant thought that comment over.
Walter sighed when he realised that his bargaining chip was nothing more than cannon fodder now. Still, he might as well do what he came to do. Sitting down, he smiled and watched Kurt. "You've grown so much these last...two years has it been now?"
"Ja." The blue mutant noticed his state of dress and decided to find a shirt somewhere amongst the wreckage.
"You'll be...how old now?"
"Eighteen." Kurt replied slowly.
"I'd have thought nineteen; you were seventeen when you came." The butler frowned at the suddenly oppressive silence. "It's a shame you missed your eighteenth, it's a big one here."
The mutant was pointedly scraping splinters off the floor and then picked up the broken chair legs in silence.
Walter continued the difficult task – if he had managed to get Sir Integra to go and attend one of the social functions then he sure as hell could arrange a birthday party. Just the date was proving difficult. "When is your birthday? Is it this month?"
Silence.
"Kurt?"
The mutant sighed. "Vas?"
"Sir Integra wishes to do something for your birthday, I think it's a chocolate cake with full trimmings she has in mind." He noticed wryly the dreamy expression that flitted across the mutants face. One thing that had never changed was the mutant's love of anything sweet.
"Vell..." Kurt sighed and moved over to sit on the desk which was still intact across from Walter who had made do with the only remaining chair. "I don't vant any fuss." He reflected on the 'small' parties that Integra had had thrown for herself, Seras, Walter, and occasionally one or two of the honorary soldiers. Even a death-day party for Arucard, although the date was actually the one that he had been brought into service by the Hellsing organisation.
"There won't be if that's what you wish for." Walter folded his gloved hands and waited for the torn mutant to finally tell him.
"By small I mean a cake – a one tower cake now, vith only room for three candles – actually if its chocolate maybe make it big enough for one slice for everyone and half for me." He shook his head. "As I vas saying, small. No huge party, no dancing, no strippers or magicians and certainly no clowns, only a quick congratulation by yourself, Miss Integra -"
"Sir Integra." Walter amended.
"Me and...maybe Seras if she promises to behave and is reminded zat mistletoe is only for Christmas." He mused for a moment longer. "And no alcohol, drunken karaoke or going out. Just a quick round of 'happy birthday', a slice of cake and me going to bed."
"Have you had a bad experience concerning parties?"
Where to start? "Vhen I vas six, the clown tried to shoot me, vhen I was seven, the clown tried to strangle me. It vas no clowns after zat. The year after mein uncle had a little too much to drink and I vas a little over exposed to the finesse of a divorce..."
The butler raised his eyebrows. "Was it the magician at eight?"
"Nein, it vas my first mob attack." He smiled darkly. "Nine it vas my first real attack by a mob – of karaoke singers."
Walter nodded slowly in a daze. "And when is your birthday?"
"Are you sure you vant to risk it?"
"Most certainly."
"Only, mein eighteenth vas mein best because no vun tried to kill me."
He sighed. "What about at the institute?"
"Vell...lets just say third vheel and everyone acting overly polite. Ze atmosphere vas sharp enough to cut and I ended up just saying I vasn't vell and let zem all go and have fun at a friend's party."
"And you miss these people?"
"Ja, zey vere ze first I met like me."
"There's more blue people?"
"Mein mother but I don't vant to go zere, and she shape shifts so it doesn't count." The mutant mused for a moment. "Hanks blue too, but only because he drank some odd potion. Though my foster sister Rogue has it rough – no touch you see and zen zeres mien adopted parents who found me in ze river -"
"River?"
"Mein mother tossed me over ze waterfall and I don't vant to talk about zis." He shook his head. "Its nicer to focus on ze nice things, like Christmas at ze institute. Every vuns happy. It's nice."
"And the mistletoe?"
The mutant chuckled. "Ah ze girls run from ze blue fuzzy demon and flock like flies to Scott – he is muscled and furless."
"I'm sure he is remarkably lucky."
"But he has no humour, zen zere is ze fact zat removing his glasses could kill you."
"Your dimension is seriously screwed up. And I thought vampires were different."
"I'll drink to zat." He stood up and opened the door, indicating for Walter to leave.
"Kurt?"
"Ja?"
"You still have to tell me when your birthday is."
"Oh, how could I forget?"
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Kurt stood in shock. They had gone completely overboard. There was a banner. And balloons. It was way too much and he could feel himself slowly trying to retreat. Unfortunately, Walter stopped that line of thought as he pushed the mutant into the room.
"Sorry it's not much." Integra smiled.
"Don't vorry, its more zan enough." The mutant warily looked for any signs of a mob, or a crucifix, or a freak show, or, worst of all, a clown.
"It's a shame you missed your eighteenth." The female vampire sighed; she had been slightly annoyed when Walter had informed her that Kurt wasn't feeling up to too much cuddling and pampering. And she had specifically thought of giving him a billion different massage idea things.
"Nein, it isn't." He growled darkly and edged into the room cautiously, watchful for anything that might slightly go awry. Though he did have to admit that this party didn't have such an icy atmosphere as his last birthday party. Unless you counted his eighteenth which was a nice sip of scotch, a good Errol Flynn movie and peace.
"Hello." A hand clamped on the mutants shoulder.
"Arucard." Kurt smiled brightly and glanced up, perhaps he had spoken too soon about this not turning into a disaster.
Seras walked over and interrupted any threats. "Hey Kurt, when are you going to open your presents?"
"Presents?" Oh no, this had just gotten a whole lot worse. "Zats far too much, I couldn't-"
"Oh come off it." Integra smiled and puffed on her cigar. "Mines the blue one."
Kurt looked at the bundle of presents – he actually had a bundle – and noted half heartedly that they were all blue. With blue ribbons. And blue tags. And blue bows. Having been born blue, didn't people ever think that he might occasionally be a little tired of blue? "Danke."
"Well?"
"Vas?" He realised with doom that everyone – Seras, Walter, Arucard, Integra – where all waiting. Why did so many people have to come and watch him have a rubbish day? Sighing, he begrudgingly walked over to the bundle – how on earth did he have a bundle of presents? – and picked up the first box.
"It's the one over, Kurt." Integra warned.
Laughing nervously, the mutant picked up the said box. It was a very long and thin blue box and there were three of them in total. They were suspiciously heavy. His look of awaiting terror turned into shock as he unwrapped the sword.
"Kurt?" The boss laughed. "You've still got some more presents there." She smiled as he tested the swords balance before swiping the air with it, testing its feel in his hands. "Its had a silver cross melted into its metal and has been blessed by several priests – just in case – and soaked in holy water as part of its preparation."
"So its pretty vampire proof?"
"Hmm? Oh, that's just standard procedure. I'm most proud of the fact that its handles are designed for three and not five fingers."
He looked suspiciously at the black handle with the looping yellow ribbon around it and sure enough, the many grooves had been reduced and widened specifically for him. The scabbards were black with orange and yellow crossing ribbons and had leather straps to be worn with. They had a distinct oriental feel and Kurt doubted it was coincidence – was his computer monitored by any chance? In total, he gained a full set of three.
Walters's gift turned out to be highly interesting – modified 'jackals' to be exact. By jackal, animal cruelty was not to be called; it was the design name of the gun, the same as the ones Arucard used. Inscribed on its silver side was 'Jesus Christ is in heaven now' and it contained 13mm silver bullets, created through the melting of silver crosses and blessed by yet more priests. Did they have a blessing production line or was it just by the lorry load?
The gift Seras gave him promised two things, one) panic and two) a lot of fun. She had given him a set of massagers and a selection of silver stakes. He planned on burning the massage stuff and sharpening the stakes a bit more before setting up a nice deadly trap for a certain blood sucker.
It was Arucard who was the last to give his gift. In truth, no one had even expected the vampire to consider a gift so everyone was as shocked as Kurt when he was passed a crimson red package.
Kurt looked at it as if it was a bomb with one hundredth of a second before detonation. After it failed to explode, he prodded the package suspiciously with his tail.
"Sorry its red, but I don't like to match." The vampire smiled and watched with obvious glee Kurt's discomfort.
The mutant growled. "Are you sure?"
"Of course."
Sighing to himself, he opened it then waited for the explosion, or at least loud noise – perhaps an embarrassing noise or nasty smell? Or crude joke toy? It wasn't any of them. "Vas?"
"Well?"
Everyone was edging closer to see so Kurt decided to do what everyone would have automatically done on receiving that particular present which was not to torch it but to put it on and twirl like an idiot. He refused the twirling part and played instead with the material of the ankle length red jacket. Once again, it held a hint of the priest, or perhaps a more holy feel with its collar, and was a simpler version of the vampires.
"I just knew that it'd go great with the blue."
Kurt forced out a deep growling 'danke.'
Seras suddenly cuddled him. "Wow – you look great in that! Much better than master does in his."
"Hey!"
"The swords would look good with it, I'll confess." Integra smiled, waiting for the major hint to be acknowledged. "But you should probably loose the shirt; you might overheat with the fur and all."
What was with this lot of hyenas and his fur? Growling with the knowledge that if he failed to comply he was likely to have an 'accident', he took off the shirt, ignored the obvious stares and pulled on the leather bands so that they crossed his chest in an X. Suddenly he felt like he was back at the institute, the professor was after all a little too happy on the X theme.
"Here you are." Arucard smirked as he passed the jacket back over. "And it's already got slits for the swords."
"Danke." Did that come out a little too growled? When Arucard was concerned it was impossible. The scabbards where easily moved through the cloth with the help of his tail and the swords slipped in like a dream. Another two belts where put on around his waist – one with the sword, the other filled with the bullet refills.
Seras quickly went over and put the stakes into the loops over his chest, he doubted if it was necessary but he decided that since it was his birthday he'd ignore her. And the 'sly' petting.
"Miss Victoria?" Walter smirked and handed the guns over with obvious glee. He noticed Kurt's moment of bafflement and smiled again. "Try the belt loops."
Sure enough, there was just enough room at the back for two loops that held the 'jackals' as if they were designed for it. The thought didn't surprise Kurt as it probably was. Why else would Seras give him stakes and not a tonne of petting products?
Everyone nodded in approval at the mutant, in his new outfit his already rugged looks made him look feral and a dark smile made him seem like the demon he appeared to be. Also, he looked deadly sexy to the girls and just deadly to the men.
"I like." Seras nodded.
"I agree with Seras." Integra smiled, stubbing out her cigar before moving over to Kurt to sort out the collar of the jacket so that it stood up at the back, the way she personally preferred and the look suited him. "You know, if it wasn't for the fur or the tail or the eyes, feet, hands and dimension swapping, you'd have suited a priest's garb."
The mutant snorted. "Actually I did consider being vun at vun point."
They all started to laugh.
Kurt decided not to tell them that he was actually serious – only the tantalising lure of fun and teasing dragged him away happily. Good thing too, one look and the priests would probably have tried to exorcise him – a new experience that would probably have wound up on his birthday.
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Things were getting distressing. A week had passed, just about three years in the other realm, and everyone at the institute had come to realise that Kurt was probably never going to be seen again. It was a sombre dinner without the blue furred mutant teleporting to try and steal the last bit of each food choice.
Kitty snapped first and she couldn't stop crying once she started, Jean joined the tears as did the other girls apart from Rogue who rolled her eyes at them.
"Yah are all ovah reactin'." She shook her brown and white locks. "He can take care of himself, we don' have anyt'ing tah worry about."
"He's your brother, well, foster brother, but still," Scott shook his head, "how can you say that you're not worried?"
"Ah am worried, ah just think that cryin' aint goin' tah solve matters." She rose to her feet. "Professah may ah be excused?"
"Of course."
The girl left the room and cold glares behind with the idea in mind to go to her room and vent her own worries out in her own way. First, loud music. Second, find appropriate pillow to start hitting. After a good ten minutes of such activities, she flopped down on her bed to stare at the ceiling.
"Ah jus' hope tha' ya're ok, Kurt." She smiled, not caring about the fact that she was talking to herself. "Ah don' care if yah love or hate wherever yah are, ah just wan' yah back for ten minutes."
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It was strange, after four years of living such a rigorous existence, with no links to any family or loved ones, with new kinds of hates and greater nightmares than ever before, that Kurt felt truly happy.
He walked with feral confidence, winking at all the female soldiers and kissing a few of the higher ups hands and even bowing to a few lucky ones – just Sir Integra really – and he was actually the envy of a lot of the men.
How this happened was odd but it had materialised somewhere between having ten times as many kisses under the mistletoe at Christmas as the other soldiers and being personally required for when Integra went to pay the queen a very important visit. In fact, it must have started when he was first seen on the trapeze and flashed that charming grin of his as he flourished in a bow.
Kurt was twenty one years old, still blue, still furry – coarser than before but still tantalisingly soft for every females touch – which was indeed proven on such a regular basis that the other soldiers were petitioning a ban on it. He walked with more pride and grace in his steps than ever before; he was faster, stronger and quicker with his abilities and reactions, making his heart stopping trapeze performances more into coffin performances.
Mentally, he was in the best frame of mind he had been in quite a while. He had finally got himself out of whatever form of depression he was in, and had long grown out of the hyper activities that marked his youth. Level headed and with a good sense of humour – something he planned never to lose even in the darkest hour for fear of becoming a robotic clone of Scott – he had become an efficient and somewhat loving soldier.
One thing though, had still to change. The vampire. There was now only one, Seras had decided to leave the previous year for her family had grown ill and she couldn't hack the vampire hunting lifestyle. Last he heard, she was happily opening up a small chocolate shop, he knew the business was going well as she sent him a box every week. So, the problem was down to Arucard.
After losing one charge, it gave the vampire more time to focus and attempt to groom his next one. So far, he was failing on the grooming in the metaphorical sense, but the literal...
"Get zat brush avay from me!" Kurt snarled as he was pinned down.
The vampire smirked. "No."
What could he say to that? "Get off!"
"No." The vampire started to carefully groom the exposed fur on the mutants back; it shone in health with a coat every dog advert desired. "You know something?"
"I know lots of things, but vhat in particular are you requesting?"
Arucard bit back the urge to strangle the blue mutant. "Well, I've been thinking."
"Zeres a first for everything, but for you mien Teufel, I vould advise against such activities, you might blow a brain cell and you have so few."
That quirky humour had long since been sharpened to a dry blade. However, the vampire's ability at ignoring it had also increased. "You're in your prime now, the perfect-"
"Not zis madness again." Kurt shook his head. "You're obsessed, I vould see a shrink about zat. Get some medicine."
"But the medicine is in your veins." The vampire ran a finger across Kurt's throat and chuckled. "But tell me, after four years I think I deserve to know why you refuse."
Rolling his eyes, Kurt smiled. "Vhy?"
"Yes, why? Your mortal lives are so short-"
"Precisely, I vant to make ze most of mine vilst I have it. Tomorrow I may be dead." The mutant smiled sadly.
Arucard failed to see this as he was trying to control a tail which had somehow acquired a long sword. Perhaps trying to brush Kurt in the mutants own room wasn't such a stroke of genius at all. "Exactly, and I would rather you undead than dead, wouldn't you?"
"Nein, I'd rather I vas alive zan dead at all."
Damn, the guy was good. "Ok then, what do you want to do with your measly existence?"
"Vhere to start? Zere is so much to do. Perhaps vunce I've done it all then you could sire me and-"
"Great!" Arucard laughed manically. "I know a brilliant place where you can get laid."
"Vhat?! Nein! I mean, sure, but zeres other stuff to do first, like a girlfriend."
"Huh?"
"I may not get to see the priests eye to eye anymore, but I'm still-"
"You thrashed Anderson."
"Vell it vas more...selective tripping."
"You beat him black and blue – no pun intended."
Shaking his head, Kurt tried to get the conversation back on track. "And I didn't agree to get sired, after I live a full life, I'll think about it."
Arucard growled. "You're wasting your prime on indecision!"
"Nein, it's called thinking, if you tried it zen your head vould probably explode – I recommend it."
The vampire frowned, why would he – "that's it – you're dead!"
Laughing, Kurt teleported into one of his most favourite places. The trapeze part of the gymnasium. It was fun to watch the vampire blink in confusion, look around then suddenly start to fall and land in an ungraceful heap. It was even better to stick his tongue out, one off the few childish things he liked to indulge in, and teleport back to safety.
That safety happened to be another favourite spot, the roof, and it also happened to be nearly sunrise so it was conveniently vampire free. The mutant chuckled and leant back against the hard tiles, life was good.
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Papers were shuffled and a cigar stubbed out. Growling in annoyance, Integra looked up at Walter. The butler physically cringed back, fearing his master's wrath.
"What do you mean that they don't sell red, white and most importantly blue flower arrangements? We live in Britain! It's our flag colours!"
"It's the blue part, Sir Integra, you see, there aren't any natural blue flowers."
"Bluebells?"
"Too small I'm afraid."
"Damn. I'll have to think of something else."
"I'm sure Kurt will bring enough blue into the room."
She raised her blonde eyebrows up then slowly sat back, a cloud of icy wrath being allowed to simmer as she asked him calmly. "And what do you mean by that, Walter?"
The butler swallowed. "He tends to attract more attention than the wildest decorations do, Sir Integra. And his dancing? And his womanising charm? And the fact that he happens to be blue, furry and, what some people seem to think, highly attractive."
Well, she couldn't argue with that. It amazed her that after four years, the mutant had changed to be so handsome. He had lost the puppy fat, bulked up in a gymnastic sense, grown, that gorgeous purr and, most importantly, watched too many movies. Errol Flynn had a lot to explain.
"Sir Integra?"
"Hhmm?" She blinked behind her large glasses before frowning. "Yes Walter?"
The butler smiled slightly. "I was inquiring whether you would like me to prepare a cake of a rampant couple and you just nodded."
"You did not."
"I did, I said, to be exact, 'the cake needs to be eye-catching, why not you and a blue figure-"
"You did not!" She blushed deeply.
"You're right, I did."
"Arucard! Don't sneak up on me like that!" She whirled round to see the smirking Arucard; the man hadn't changed in centuries. Except in perfecting his ways to annoy her, of course.
"Indeed." The butler smiled. "Would you like the cake or not?"
"Something a little less creative, Walter."
"May I suggest a simple five tier Victorian sponge cake with chocolate icing and blue flowers?"
"What was that last bit?" She asked suspiciously.
"With icing sugar flowers."
Integra lit a cigar. "You said blue."
"I did not."
"Did to."
"Did not."
Arucard coughed politely. "Children." They both stared at him. "And you called me childish." He shook his head. "I was only eavesdropping to find out the arrangements to see whether or not my presence is needed."
"Why?"
"I plan on taking Kurt out on a night on the town – twenty one and he's never seen the inside of a disco."
"Twenty one? He let us miss his birthday again?" Walter scowled as Sir Integra laughed lightly at his annoyance.
"He seems to be very good at it, doesn't he? I want to know though how he managed to get into my computer and take off the electronic reminder with only his three fingers and my electronic voice recognition security password."
"He must have connections." The butler froze, trying desperately not to laugh. "Well, I'll go see about that cake."
"Not the rampant couple, Walter."
Arucard chuckled. "Master, you'll spoil the only fun he's had in over a decade."
Walter turned an odd shade of purple before sternly turning round and marching out with his back poker straight. After a moment, the woman was annoyed to realise that the vampire was still there. After another moment, he hadn't even blinked.
"Why are you here?" She gave in.
"I want to know when I can take Kurt out."
"Why?"
"So that he realises how boring human existence really is."
The woman sighed and stubbed out her half smoked cigar. "Arucard, he doesn't want to be a vampire."
"He said he might consider it once he's lived a full life."
"You do realise that a full life in his opinion means a wife and three kids? I wonder if they'll have tails and pointy ears too..."
Arucard watched his master day dream for a few moments on what Kurt's offspring could possibly end up like before interrupting her most interesting, and slightly strange, thought. "Master, can I take him out?"
She looked at him. "And how do you propose to smuggle a fully grown, five foot nine blue furry demon into a club?"
"You'd be surprised."
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Integra couldn't believe it. They were short one blue, furry, five foot nine, full grown and highly attractive mutant. Damn that vampire.
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The music pulsed in waves, its rhythm making the dancers move and sway to its caress in the hot, sweltering club. Kurt had to admit that he was amazed at the fact that Arucard had remembered the tradition called Halloween. Damn that vampire.
After smiling off another compliment to his outfit, the mutant marched over to the vampire before getting directly to the point.
"I don't see any 'brain sucking ghouls zat are terrorising civilians in a nightclub just in the outskirts of London'."
"Really, they must have heard you were coming and ran." The vampire smirked infuriatingly then bowed slightly at a girl who approached them.
"Hey." She smiled and toyed with her long brown hair that was tied up in a high pony, false bat wings adorned her torn outfit. She reminded Kurt of someone but he couldn't quite place who. "Sorry, I was just really curious to know but..."
The vampire smirked. "He's a demon from the northern pits of hell. The fur is to keep him warm and blue lets him blend in."
Kurt was about to try and kill the vampire when he noticed the girl frowning before she spoke. "Like hell no, I wanted to know what on earth you were supposed to be – a really bad pirate or something? Only, me and my mates have been trying to figure it out."
"Really?" Arucard grinned.
"Get off it." The blue mutant smiled, he'd wipe the grin off that face if it was the last thing he'd ever do. "I do apologise for him, Fraulein, but he's a little single minded."
The girl frowned again and edged a little away from the vampire.
"You need not vorry, mien freundin." He offered his hand and kissed her knuckles lightly. "How about a dance?"
"Sure." She smiled bashfully. "But can I ask you something first?"
"Anything for such a sweet face."
More blushing. "Was he like, totally trying to really piss you off by, like, saying you were a blue snow demon?"
Kurt chuckled softly. "Ja, you see, I'm really a mutant from another dimension."
"That's, like, just totally original, you know?"
"Ja." He took her arm and led her to the dance floor, pausing to throw a sly wink at the astonished vampire.
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Morning sunlight streamed into the Hellsing mansion and a certain blue furry mutant snuck into the grounds and passed the defences without breaking into a sweat or tripping off any alarms. Proud of this, he slipped into his room with the thought in mind of changing into some clean clothes and sneaking past Walters's latest trap to reach the chocolate chip cookies.
"Enjoy yourself last night, did you?" Arucard smirked from his position on the lone chair. The light caught his glasses, covering any emotion held in the eyes. "Certainly smells like it."
Ok, that was creepy. Kurt paused at the image of Logan and he shook his head, looking for some clean clothes. Perhaps he'd get a well earned nap at some point. "I don't know vhat you mean."
"Like cats, there's always a certain smell the males pick up."
"Arucard, I have no idea vhat you mean."
"I think you should check the meaning of chastity in a dictionary." The vampire smiled as the other chocked on the water he was drinking.
"You can smell zat?"
"Yep."
Kurt turned to the nearest wall and hit his head off it.
"So, how's living life to the full?"
The mutant stopped hitting his head and turned to slowly face the vampire, an ice cold wrath burning in him suddenly as he walked over to his swords. "Zis is all a game to you."
Arucard smirked, tipping his head down slightly so that he could look over his yellow tinted glasses. "To us immortals, mortality is a game but I want the best vampire."
"But you are ze best vampire – ze strongest out zere."
He lifted one eyebrow. "Of course I'm not." He smirked. "And anyway, being at the top of the food chain gets a bit boring, it's always funnier when there's fresh blood."
"Ze only fresh blood vill be zat which I'll carve out of your undead limbs." The mutant's hands touched the silver swords gently, as if they were living things. "Eine." Kurt held one in his left hand.
"Now, there's no need -"
"Zwei." He held one in his right hand.
"Kurt, put the swords down."
"Drei." The final one was flicked in his tail. "Viel Glueck."
---------------------------------
The sounds of crashing and furniture breaking awoke Integra and, annoyed, she decided to investigate. A lead knot of worry built up in her stomach as she followed it, entering the wing that was reserved to the more...interesting rooms. She froze in her tracks at the sight.
"Integra, I was expecting you." Walter handed her a cup of warm tea and indicated the closed door that was the only physical entrance into the mutant's room. "I'm afraid that those two are at it again."
She accepted the tea and took a sip, wondering if the man ever slept or if it was just an uncanny premonition. "Are you aware that..."
"Arucard has been desperate to sire Kurt since day one? Yes, I am aware of it."
"Then what do you think about it?"
"In all honesty? Kurt would probably view it as an upgrade."
Integra had to ask, but in such a way so that it sounded merely as an off handed comment only being spoken for the sake of conversation as a war raged behind a piece of suddenly flimsy seeming wood. "Upgrade?"
Walter nodded, knowing that the probing question was supposed to sound like a casual inquiry. "Yes, you see, Kurt has developed this idea that he has to get better. He wants to be in the best condition possible so that he could survive anything the vampires throw at him. Hence these fights, he does it to see if he's strong enough to defeat who he believes to be one of the strongest -"
A flying ball of blue fur exploded out of the door and vanished in a puff of smoke above their heads, a moment later and a flying ball of vampire crashed into the wall next to them. Integra brushed a speck of settling plaster off her night gown.
"-vampires in the country." He eyed the slightly dazed vampire who shook his head to clear it then slipped through the floor, deciding that the fight wasn't yet over.
"So this is a test in his opinion?"
"Yes, when he wins, he'll probably accept the blood. As for Arucard, these are unsuccessful attempts at mind games to coax Kurt into becoming a vampire."
Integra frowned. "But Kurt can't win even if he's at the best of his physical condition for Arucard is too strong, and Arucard can't get Kurt to turn for he's determined to win a battle he cant win." She laughed brightly. "A stalemate – perfect!"
"I'm afraid its not." The butler sipped his tea and paused, picking out a blue hair and then raised the cup to allow the guilty party to fly past. "It will reach the point were someone is going to get hurt."
"Shame." Integra looked into her tea before pulling out a blue hair. "Gets everywhere this."
"What does Sir Integra?"
"Blue hair. Reminds me of a cat I used to know."
"What does, Kurt or the fighting?"
"The hair, Walter, I'm talking about the hairs I find everywhere. How I get them in my medicine cupboard I've yet to know, and I'm not mentioning any more than my underwear drawer as well."
Walter nearly choked. "Hair." He explained politely.
"Of course." Integra tilted to one side, making enough room for the six eyed hell hound to fly past. It bounced off the wall then charged back into the room. "But as you were saying?"
"Huh? Oh, yes. Well, I'm thinking of investing in the dust-buster fifteen-thousand which is supposed to be the most effective pet hair remover in the market."
"Will it work for mutant hair?"
The butler sighed as a large hell hound ran out of the door with a sword stuck in its back, Kurt chasing after it to retrieve his beloved weapon. "I hope so for I can't stand another moulting season."
"When's it due?"
"The winter coat comes in next week."
"I'll sign the cheque."
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Nine days had passed since the disappearance of their most hyper member of the X-men and the group of teenagers found themselves sitting outside of their school at one of the benches during lunch. Their thoughts were on their lost team mate.
"Like, remember when he got, like, totally excited about that, like, party?" Kitty smiled at no one as she remembered Scott pulling the mutants tail and the subsequent bamfing leading them on yet another wacky adventure.
"Maybe he's just stuck somewhere like that again." Evan suggested as he downed his second carton of milk. "It's happened once."
Rogue rolled her heavily made up eyes and she stood up. "Get real, yah all. If he's anywhere, it'll be somewhere he wants tah be."
"No he wont – he's probably being tortured!" Kitty wailed miserably. "They're probably pulling his tail."
"And shaving him."
Everyone looked over at Evan for a long moment.
"What? It's just something he said once about how being furless would be so cold and miserable."
"Well, if yah want tah know, his biggest fear is tah be put in a glass box." The Goth shook her head. "An' he wont evah let tha' happen if he has a say in it."
"Rogues right." Jean informed them all. "If Kurt wants to get out, he also has in the past so no doubt he will now."
Scott smiled and nodded. "Anyway, we have double drills with Logan to worry about as well as those papers for homework."
"Tell me about it." Evan sighed. "I've been given another English literature one!"
Kitty looked at him for a moment. "Evan, you like, have to hand half a dozen of them to the board for your grade."
"No!"
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