The name "Mince" (Pronounced 'Min-See') was inspired by an anime called "Excel Saga." I won't explain it here, but it is HILARIOUS, has almost no plot, and makes fun of just about every anime/game cliche you can think of! Mince is actually a little dog, but she's adorable...and can be used as an emergency ration... Good job, Rob!
To NalaravatheRed: The next chapters will be dedicated to pulling the ball off. Thank you for not forgetting!
As always, thanks for the great reviews. I'd also like to see Alucard and Seras' pose, but that totally depends on Itaki, the Beta-Beta Reader. (Right now she's doing a manga for an original story I'm writing, so it's entirely up to her if she wants to.)
Disclaimer: I only own Harley. That's it. Period.
This chapter was fueled by cold medicine, since my allergies are kicking in, and FLCL music. Because grunge hamsters rock.
"Good morning, Harley,"Walter greeted the teen as she walked into the kitchen. He caught sight of Mince and blinked. "...Harley?...There's a cat on your shoulder..."
"I know," She answered, pulling some milk out of the fridge. "I found it yesterday. Poor thing...She was all alone. And she's so tiny. But, she's so cute!" She patted the kitten, smiling. "Guess what?"
"What?"
"Alucard gave her to Seras," She said proudly. "It was my idea." Walter chuckled.
"You're dead-set on bringing them together, aren't you?" He asked with a smile. Harley smiled back. "I have to admit, I haven't heard them argue. It is nice that they're being decent to each other..."
"You should see them right now...They're sleeping with each other!" Harley said happily. Walter spit out the tea he was drinking, not sure he should trust his ears. The teenager blinked. "What? They are; They're in my bed right now, sleeping like babies."
"You just gave me a heart attack," The butler mumbled. "Specify next time.." She just gave him a curoius look and shrugged. "Harley, we should probably start figuring out what we're going to do for your ball. Sir Integra has been dealing with such things as decorations, but she wants us to find a band to invite..."
"Sweet!" The teen exclaimed, setting Mince down with a bowl of milk. "We really get to choose?"
"Well, of course, we can't invite Metallica, U2, Red Hot Chili Peppers, A-Teens, Sugar Ray, Duran Duran..."
Harley's eye was twitching slightly. Apparently, Integra noticed what type of music Harley was into. And she was not about to have a mosh pit in her house.
"...Marilyn Manson, Slayers, Megedeth, CKY, The Backstreet Boys, In Flames, Rob Zombie, and/or anyone who does any sort of satanic rock, heavy metal, and pop."
"Did you get them all, Walter?" She growled, sulking. Integra had really done her homework. Walter gave her an apologetic look.
"Harley, Valetine's Day is a week and a half away. We want music that will put our guests into the romantic mood. Surely there is some band you listen to that doesn't burst your eardrums?" The teenager thought about it. The butler watched her go deep into thought. "Wait right there, Harley; I have an idea."
She watched him leave, petting Mince. She really didn't listen to much romantic music. It made her feel all gushy and mushy. But it did make sense to get a band that does a bunch of those kinds of songs. She sat on the counter next to the kitten, thinking about Alucard and Seras. To be completely honest, she was also a little surprised that her plan was also working. Alucard wasn't exactly the touchy-feely type, much less a sappy, love-sick girly-man.
She knew he was a monster; He was a vampire. But that didn't mean he didn't have a heart. "Love is a bird.." She sang softly. "She needs to fly...Gotta love Madonna..." She smiled slightly as Walter walked back in with some CD's and a small stereo. He handed her the CD's as he plugged the stereo in.
"Let's see...Elvis..Sting...Bryan Adams..Motley Crue? Kiss? Ozzy Osbourne? Walter!" She laughed, as he gave her a sly look.
"What? Even I enjoy a good rock ballad every now and then." The teenager just giggled as she surveyed the rest.
"Classical Music...Seal...Eminem? DMX? Jimmy Buffet?" Harley started bursting out laughing at the mental picture of Walter dressed up like a thug. "You gotta be the coolest adult ever, Walter..."
"Thank you for the compliment, Harley. Now, let's get to work."
A few hours later, Walter and Harley had finally narrowed it down to who they liked the most. It wouldn't have taken as long if Harley had insisted that they listen to every CD, whether it was rap or not. The butler hadn't minded; It was amusing to watch the teenager become serious as she decided what music she liked and didn't. She hadn't like Kiss, DMX, or Jimmy Buffet.
What she had really enjoyed was Seal, Bryan Adams, and, a little suprisingly, Elvis. "Walter? I really like this Bryan Adams dude...But isn't he some big music star back in America?" She asked, petting Mince and looking at the CD's.
Walter nodded. "When I was younger, I went to a few of his concerts when he was here in Englad," He mused, smiling. "He's an extremely nice man. And he has wonderful music..." He eyed the teenager. "You thinking what I'm thinking?"
"Walter, if you can manage to get this guy to come here...Hell, I'll sit down and act like a friggin' doll!" She exclaimed, grinning. "That'd be awesome! This stuff'sguaranteed to make everyone all fuzzy on the inside! Even a stiff like Alucard!" Walter gently bonked the girl on the head.
"Now, now, no need to name names." He stood up. "I'm going to go talk with Sir Integra. Would you like to come along?" Harley shrugged.
"Sure. Why not? I'll get to show her the kitty!" Walter sweatdropped slightly as they walked out of the kitchen.
"What is the cat's name?"
"I dunno. Ask sleeping beauty and her beast when they wake up."
Seras pillow was hard.
Very hard.
Without opening her eyes, she frowned. Since when did she have a rock for a pillow? This was strange. The young vampire hit it with a fist, trying to soften it. And nearly jumped when she heard a grunt. Pillows don't grunt. Pillows just pillow. She inhaled and opened her eyes at the scents. Blood, old leather, gunpowder, and she could have sworn she smelled roses.
Seras found herself face to face with a sleeping Alucard and blushed all of a sudden. She was laying on his chest, her arms wrapped around under him, while one of his arms was draped around her back, the other under his own head. And both holds were pretty tight. "..Master?" She whispered softly, unable to pull her arms out from under him. No reply; The vampire was out like a light.
The blonde sighed softly, looking over at a clock. It was five in the afternoon, a little early. She looked back at her Master, squirming slightly. "Master? Wake up..." She begged, her blush deepening.
Good girls don't wake up on top of their Masters. She thought, then shook her head. If one wanted to get technical, she wouldn't be classified as a "good girl" anymore; She was a vampire. But she had never been this close to any male before in her life, much less her Master. He's never going to let me forget this...
"Master!" She said a little louder. This time he grunted, and, to her horror, turned over. Now, he was on top of her. She froze instantly, her cheeks burning. Her eye twitched, and she was forced to refrain from slapping him. He was asleep; He had no idea what he was doing.
Right? Right.
"Master! Wake up!" Her voice was more frantic now. She wanted him off, but his grip was like steel. Plus, he slept like a rock. Deciding that there was only one way to do this, she took a deep breath.
"MASTER! WAKE! UP!"
The elder vampire jumped up and promptly fell off the bed in surprise. Seras pulled the blanket over her head to hide her blush. Alucard sat up, rubbing the bump on his head, looking very confused and sleepy. "What? What's happening?" He asked, yawning. "And why did you yell?"
"Because you wouldn't wake up, Master..."She answered in a shaky voice.
"Why did I need to wake up?" He was a little annoyed that it was so early, though he blinked as he saw Seras with a blanket over her head. "..Why are you hiding under a blanket?"
"I'm cold." This was a lie, and both knew it. Alucard stood up, stretching and yawning widely. "And...you...wouldn't let go of me.." Her blush was so deep, she was sure Alucard could see it. And before she could even think of reacting, the blanket was pulled off, and Seras once again found herself face to face with Alucard.
"Master!"
"What?" He asked, blinking. "Why are you blushing so much? I don't see what all the fuss is for."
Seras was at a loss. She didn't think she could explain to him why sleeping on top of him was wrong without dying of embarassment. Instead, she just bowed her head, trying not to blush further. The elder vampire watched her before understanding.
"Ah..I see," He said softly. He grinned, chuckling and patting her on the head. "Police Girl, you're so innocent. It's adorable." She watched him suspiciously for any signs of deception. Suprisingly, there was none, which confused her.
"...Thank...you?"
"Don't mention it, and I won't mention that we were sleeping together." He grinned wickedly. There was the Master she knew. Though still trying not to blush, she grinned back, climbing out of the bed and rubbing the wrinkles out of her clothes. He yawned and stretched once more before cocking his head, listening.
"What is it?" Seras asked. She didn't hear anything. Alucard chuckled, grabbing Seras' hand.
"Seems like the shrimp is trying to play the piano again," He mused, chuckling and walking out, pulling her along. She walked faster to keep up, ignoring the fact that he was holding her hand.
"We have a piano?"
"In the library. And by the sound of it, Harley's rusty..."
Sure enough, as they got closer, the sound of music reached the blonde's ears. It was Fur Elise, though a few notes were off. They walked into the library, looking around. Harley was extremely focused on a piece of music while Walter sipped tea in a chair. He smiled at them. "Good evening," He greeted. "Sleep well?"
Alucard shrugged, walking over to him. "I've slept better," He replied vaguely, noting how Harley messed up slightly at the ridicule of her bed. She stopped, glaring knives at him, but staying silent. He smirked at her. "What's the matter? Woke up on the wrong side of the bed?"
"No, my guardian's an ass," She growled softly as Seras sat down beside her, smiling. "He's dumb, stupid, and should go back to Germany and drop dead."
Seras blinked when Mince hopped into her lap, purring loudly when she got petted. "What happened?" She asked as Harley tried playing the piano again.
"Mr.Anders called and..well...He wanted to take Harley back early," Walter started to explain but silenced when the piano became louder.
"Wow! When you're upset, you're actually GOOD!" Alucard teased to her over the music.
"One more word out of you, and I swear, I will make your undead life a living hell!" She snarled. She was in a bad mood, and he wasn't helping at all. Seras patted her head soothingly, though it made Harley feel like a puppy. "Sorry, Seras...I'm just...I wanna scream...Jerk wants me to come back when the house ain't even done. Claims we can stay at a hotel. Yeah. Right. Like I'm stayin' at a hotel. And before the Valentine's Day Ball even! The nerve..."
This was the first Seras had heard of the ball and looked up at her Master questioningly. "You haven't heard yet?" He said, surprised. He was sure Harley would have ran all over the place screaming about it. "Shrimp here convinced Integra to have a ball on Valentine's Day..."
"It's for you, Seras," The teen replied a little vaguely as she tried her luck on Moonlight Sonata. "To cheer you up."
"Me?" She exclaimed, a little shocked. "Harley..You don't have to go through too much-"
"Shush, it's too late now. We're pulling everything together. We thought it'd be good for the soldiers, too. Everyone gets a chance to chill and have a good time..." She missed a note, causing her eye to twitch as Alucard chuckled. "Okay, smart-ass, YOU come over here and do it!"
She stood up and pointed to the piano bench. He smirked and sat down, cracking his knuckles. The teen sat down beside Walter, sulking. "Don't hurt yourself," She growled. He only grinned as he started to play. And the vampire was actually very good. He played Moonlight Sonata the entire way through, and just to get on Harley's nerves, then played the Turkish March.
Harley would have left the room if it hadn't been for Walter's suggestion: "Why don't we teach Seras how to waltz?"
Both Seras and Harley blinked. "Just the Waltz?" She said, crossing her arms. "How about the Gavotte too?" The butler nodded, and she grinned, grabbing Alucard's arm and pulling him away from the piano.
"What? Why do you need me?" He snapped, glaring at her.
"Because you're old, therefore you know the Gavotte," She replied, smirking. The vampire rolled his eyes as Walter started to play themusic.
The Gavotte was an extremely entertaining dance. What made it even better was the fact that Alucard and Harley looked dead serious as they did it. Seras couldn't help but laugh out loud. While they danced, Walter was explaining the dance to her. It was from France, consisting of a large circle of couples, the main one in the center. They would bow and curtesy to each other before the male would stamp his foot impatiently while the female took her sweet time taking his hand.
They would circle each other before being pulled into each other arms, the female looking over her shoulder at him. She would spin out, nod her head, and move to the next partner. Seras would have never gotten it, though, without a visual reference. What made it even funnier was the death threats the two spat at each other as they danced.
Finally, both got bored and seperated. "You stepped on my foot, vampire..."
"It's cause you're so short, human..."
They glared at each other steadily before Harley grabbed Seras' arm and pushed her toward Alucard. "Alright, your turn, chick!" She proclaimed, grinning with satisfaction at the blush on the older woman's cheeks. "Don't worry; It's a lot easier than you think. Just have fun with it!"
Seras looked a little unsure as Walter and Harley shared a knowing look. "I'll help, Police Girl," Alucard reassured, smiling. Walter started playing slowly at first, so Seras could get used to it. She missed the steps a few times, but the elder vampire guided her through it. And after a few tries, she started getting the hang of it.
"Seras and Alucard are good dance partners," The teen whispered to Walter when they were sure the two were distracted. The butler nodded, chuckling.
"Harley, you little scamp..." He scolded gently.
"Hey, they're dancing together willingly. All I did was push."
"What are you two over there whispering about?" Alucard called, giving them a slightly wary look.
"About how your timing was off!" Harley replied, laughing. "Getting tired, vamp?"
"In your dreams, human..."
Finally, Seras could perform the Gavotte very well, well enough for her to start getting tired of it. "I know how to waltz a little," She told the teen, who was petting Mince happily. "And before I forget, the cat's name is Mince."
"Sweet!" She exclaimed, grinning and then looking at Walter. "Hey, do you remember that play you made me and Integra go to a couple years ago?"
"I did NOT make you go," Walter corrected. "I just strongly urged you to. And the play was Cinderella..."
"Yeah, yeah! What was the song playing when all the peeps started waltzing? Something about meeting you?" She asked, ignoring Alucard's groan from behind her.
Walter played a few chords. "This one?" Harley nodded, once again pushing Seras and Alucard together.
"You play that," She instructed, resuming her position by the piano. "Alucard, go slow so Seras can keep up."
"Yes, Master," The vampire grumbled mockingly. "But only if you sing the words. Period." Harley shot him a very, very dark look but sighed and nodded.
"Fine. Jerk."
Walter started playing while the teen crossed her arms, clearing her throat. "Ten minutes ago, I saw you. I looked up when you came through the door," She sang slowly, keeping up with both Walter and the dancing couple. "My head starting reeling! You gave me the feeling the room had no cieling or floor!"
"Count to six," Alucard whispered to Seras, who stumbled a few times. "Just keep repeating it over and over. It's just a rhythm thing."
"Ten minutes ago, I met you, and we murmered our how-do-you-do's. I wanted to ring out the bells, and fling out my arms, and to sing out the news! I have found her; She's an angel, with the dust of the stars in her eyes. We are dancing; We are flying! And she's taking me back to the skies!"
Seras giggled as Alucard rolled his eyes at the lyrics. "Cheer up, Master!" She said. "Get into the spirit!"
"Of what?"
"The music!"
"In the arms of my love, I'm flying over moutain and meadow and glenn. And I like it so well that for all I can tell I may never come down again!" Harley started over, picking up speed with the music. The blonde started to hum it softly, finding it helping her keep count. And soon, she didn't even need to count.
Of course, all this was causing much noise, so Integra came to investigate. She stared at everyone in surprise, even more so when Harley grabbed her. "Come on, Integra!" She said, laughing. "It's the song from Cinderella! We're teaching Seras how to dance!"
The woman protested, but it fell onto deaf ears as the teen just started singing again, making her dance. At this point, Seras was singing, while Alucard was humming it under his breath. Walter was just laughing at the sight of the Ice Queen and aristocratic vampire of Hellsing waltzing and singing.
They all danced for a good hour, switching partners and making up their own lyrics, such as Alucard's lovely: "Ten minutes, I bit you! I looked down when you fell to the floor!" Finally, Integra and Harley were tired, Walter's fingers hurt, and Alucard had the song permanently stuck in his head.
"Alright, alright, enough!" Integra panted, laughing. "No more dancing, Harley; I'm tired now."
Harley smiled at her, wiping some sweat from her brow. "Nice workout, eh?" She asked. She turned to Seras, who had a slightly dreamy look in her crimson eyes. "How about it, Seras? Think you got it now?" The draculina could only nod. "Good."
She grabbed Integra and Walter suddenly. "I'm hungry! Let's order pizza!" She suggested, walking quickly away, leaving Alucard and Seras alone.
"You're a good dancer, Police Girl," The vampire complimented, cracking his knuckles. "A natural even. How do you feel?"
Seras just smiled at him, pretty sure that, for the first time in a while, she couldn't be happier.
(squeals) I LOVE FLUFF! (runs around) FLUFFY FLUFF, COTTON CANDY FLUFF! I hope this satisfies your fluffy sweet tooth! I had a lot of fun writing this chapter. I hope you all did too.
Adios!