A/N: I'm back with another chapter!!!The last few chapters were more of a character study, but I'll try to make use of the PG-13 rating soon. I also reloaded the first four chapters, making them more descriptive. As always, thanks to my readers and reviewers!!

Heart closed to the conflict within

Eyes shut to the obvious sin.

After the memory confrontation, Seras did not attempt to escape anymore. She wasn't sure why, but the castle felt a little more like home to her. Besides, Alucard now allowed her to leave her room and explore her surroundings, with him as a chaperone.

So at her request, Alucard and Seras were walking the grounds of the castle. It was early in the evening, and the cloudless sky showed a full moon just rising above the high peaked mountains. With the old castle showing in the foreground, with its many towers and picturesque gothic masonry, the sight was breathtaking. However, only Seras was enjoying the view. Alucard was too deep in thought to pay heed to the surroundings.

This girl is more stubborn than I thought. She had repeatedly refused his offer, which frustrated his plans. Not that Alucard couldn't take her anyway, but the power transfer by blood would be stronger if she took it willingly. And he wanted his first fledgling to be as strong as he knew she could be. Suddenly, a thought struck him.

"I ask again, will you join me?" he questioned, knowing the answer before she spoke.

"No thanks, I don't like the idea of being a walking corpse for eternity" she said sarcastically. Seras was becoming really irritated with his continuous pestering. Since he had revived her memory of their first meeting, Alucard had asked her that question at least a dozen times. Always she had given him a definite 'no'.

Seras was fully aware of the price the gift being offered to her brought, having read vampire stories as a child. She wasn't sure she liked the idea of living forever, and definitely did not want to survive by preying on others. She knew her guilt would grow with the endless years. That kind of existence didn't interest her one bit. Seras was snapped out of her thoughts by Alucard's voice.

"What if I took you by force?" he asked, a hint of malice in his voice. He approached her slowly, watching her reactions.

She moved away from Alucard quickly, her heart rate increasing with each step. All Seras could think was, if he wanted to, he could take her. And she nor anyone else would be able to stop him. Not that there was anyone else who came near this old decrepit castle. Suddenly her back hit the crumbling wall that surrounded the castle. She was trapped.

Alucard removed his gun from his inner coat pocket and aimed it at the girl's heart. "Answer me this, Police Girl. Do you want to die?"

"Not especially." My God, is he going to shoot me!?

"Then why do you refuse my offer of immortality? You know that all humans die eventually. I could shoot you right now and your life would end. So why do you hang onto your humanity? Why not embrace what you can be?" To emphasize his point, Alucard cocked the gun.

"Why do you hang onto your humanity?" What was he trying to do, scare her into joining him? If so, then she wasn't going to let him.

"What are you talking about?!" snarled Alucard, clearly angered and confused by the question.

"Taking pleasure in others pain is not something limited to vampires, Alucard."

For a moment Seras truly believed he was going to shoot her. Then he slowly lowered the gun, letting a small chuckle escape his lips.

"As insightful as ever, Police Girl. Still the same little girl I met all those years ago."

Seras breathed a sigh of relief, then thought about what he just said.

"You'll never use my real name, will you Alucard?"

Alucard merely laughed in response.

The Village Near the Castle

The train arrived, late as usual. None of the villagers were sure why there was a station here in the first place. It was a rare sight to see a traveler and the locals did not leave their tiny village.

So the small groups of men discussing business around the station were surprised to see a stranger step off the train. The man stood near the train, apparently looking around. This gave the locals an opportunity to examine his appearance. He was dressed in a large grey overcoat and around his neck he wore a large silver cross. His blond hair was cut short and the large glasses on his face hid his eyes, which were a piercing green.

But what the villager men really took heed of was the aura that surrounded the stranger. There was a feeling of age, as if someone had placed an old man's soul into this young man's body. An untold amount of experience lay behind those eyes that inspected the surroundings.

Having taken note of every detail, the man began to walk along the station platform with an imposing stride. One thing was certain, this man was here for a purpose, and no one could stop him from completing it.

No one spoke to him as he left the station. The villagers kept mostly to themselves, unconcerned with the business of outsiders. Also, this man with the strange feel about him frightened them.

The stranger had been searching for a long time. And now, he'd finally found him. The demon had returned to his homeland while the man had traveled the globe, destroying the filth's kind.

He no longer cared about freeing the monster's soul. He was out for revenge. The bastard had killed his friends and destroyed his home. And he would pay dearly.

A grin filled with malice spread across his face as he made his way into the sleepy village.