Illness

by: Alucard's Bane

Disclaimer- ...yeah, you know it.

Helloooooooooooooo! and welcome to chapter seven! HAHAHA! I have a feeling this will be drawing to a close soon, but not that soon. haha. Anyways, I've been feeling depressed lately, so it may not be very good.

Chapter 7

Alucard sat on the top of his coffin, panting. He loosened his cravat for the umpteenth time and turned on his side, staring at Integral. He groaned and flipped on his other side, his stomach churning as he began to retch. He felt Integral's hand on his back as blood started to make it's way up his throat and out his mouth. He stifled a cry as he felt more blood burbling up his throat, he continued the same process until his face and his coffin were covered in hot, sticky blood.

"Alucard," he felt Integral's hands trying to undo his shirt, her hands fumbling with the buttons because of their new blood coat. A rotten smell filled her nostrils, and she held back a gag. Rotten blood. "Alucard," she shook him a bit as he started to doze off. The fever had come back as soon as it had left, seemingly. He wasn't cured...but that journal held all the answers. If only the last entry was completed! She grimaced as she felt his chest heaving again.

Alucard became still after that last bout, apparently asleep. Integral sighed as she picked up the telephone sitting at the entrance to Alucard's quarters. "Walter," she spoke into the receiver.

"Yes, Integral?"

"Get someone down here to clean up this rotten mess..." she sighed as she looked at her fingers. They were covered in his blood. "And bring me a fresh suit and gloves."

"Yes, Integral."

break-

Alucard tossed and turned in his fevered sleep, occasionally yelling out random things. Integral gathered that most of them had to do with when he was human, for she caught the name 'Radu', which she knew had been one of his brothers. She brushed a lock of his raven hair out of his face as he furrowed his eyebrows and yelled. "RADU! Te urasc!" and with that he began to thrash about, his arms and legs flailing as if fighting some unknown enemy.

He suddenly calmed as Integral began to caress his forehead, but he was still mumbling odd words and phrases. As a matter of fact, she was sure she caught the word 'school' once or twice. Integral sighed gently as she heard a clap of thunder, that would be the perfect setting for the evening, she would imagine. She gasped as Alucard's eye suddenly flew open at the sound of the thunder, he was awake, but the glaze over his eyes said he didn't know where he was.

"Mama," he whispered, he clutched at Integral and she gaped at him as he crawled over to her like a scared child. "Nu imi place tunetul..." he whimpered as another clap of thunder sounded. "NU IMI PLACE TUNETUL!" his hands clutched at her white blouse as he hid his face in her chest. He whimpered again. "Mama,"

"Shh..." Integral draped an arm around him in a motherly fashion and began to rock him gently. She remembered when she used to be frightened of storms. "Alucard, linisteste-te, este in regula, nuo sa te raneasca..." she whispered as she rocked him in a gentle back and forth motion, his whimpers seemed to quiet as she stroked his hair. She felt him relax into the rocking motion, making it easier on her.

"Mama..." he muttered as his eyelids started to droop, the thunder now forgotten. "Nu pleca..."

"No, Alucard," she whispered as she kissed him gently on the forehead. "No, I won't leave." she felt a gentle smile creep onto her face as he finally drifted back into sleep. Is this what it would be like if she ever had a child? She sighed and lay the vampire in a position so that his head was lying on her lap.

"Integral?"

Integral snapped out of the doze she has sunk into to look at the intruder. It was Walter. "Oh, Walter," she lean back against the chair and shifted her legs, which had gone to sleep under Alucard's weight.

"Was I interrupting something?" she felt her cheeks tinge pink as she realized how this must have looked.

"Um. No." she cleared her throat. "I didn't know there was any rain in the forecast."

"Rain?" the former butler arched an eyebrow. "It's not raining, there's not a cloud in the sky. Are you feeling all right?"

"But I heard it thundering earlier, it scared Alucard out of his poor wits. Are you sure...?"

"Yes, Integral. Quite sure. But, the men were shooting off one of the new weapons I designed."

She looked down at the vampire slumbering happily in her lap. "Cannon fire?" she looked up at Walter, who nodded.

"Yes sir, it is similar to Miss Victoria's Harkonnen, but is fit for human use."

"I see," she muttered, involuntarily brushing a lock of hair out of Alucard's face.

"Anyway, Integral, the reason I came down here was to bring you some tea and to inquire as to wether you will take your supper down here or in the dining hall."

"I will take it here tonight, Walter. After all, I promised."

"Promised, Integral?"

"Nothing Walter," she replied as she gave him a wave of the hand, signaling him to leave. "I'll be waiting on that tea."

"Yes, Integral." the former butler and turned on his heel as a slight smile broke out on his face.

break-

Integral stood up and stretched her legs for the first time in hours, Alucard was still sleeping, but she had replaced her legs with a pillow. He apparently didn't notice the difference. She walked around a bit slowly at first, trying to rid herself of the feeling of walking on pins. She smiled as Seras walked into the room.

"Ah, hello, Sir Integral." she returned her gracious leader's smile as she set a tray full of food down on Alucard's rather small table. "Walter said to bring this down to you."

"Oh, good," she said, picking up the fork from the tray. "I'm starving." she poked the fork into the porkchop sitting on the plate and cut a piece of with the knife, stuffing the meat into her mouth.

"How's Master?" Seras asked as she poured Integral's wine.

"He's fairing rather well, I think." she took a sip and a moment to savor the taste on her tongue. "The cannon firing earlier scared him, but he's sleeping now." she took another bite of the porkchop and then a spoonful of peas.

"Oh, I'm glad to hear that he's feeling better." she sat down on the floor. "What about you, Sir? How are you feeling?"

"Tired..." she replied, swallowing her food. "But that is the price for having a pet like Alucard...I have to take care of him, do I not?"

"Yes, sir, but I'm sure Master wouldn't want you to get sick because of him."

"I'm sure he wouldn't, but that's not his say, now is it?" Seras remained quiet for the rest of the meal, and took the tray when Integral had finished. "That was delicious, my thanks to the cook."

"Why, thank you, Integral." Seras smiled.

"You cooked that, Seras?" Integral gaped at the young vampire, apparently dumbfounded that she could cook.

"Of course, I can cook. I did live practically on my own since I was five."

A half-smile found its way onto Integral's face. "Of course, Seras. Thank you for the lovely meal." she watched as the blonde vampire ascended the stairs.

"Your welcome," drifted down the steps and Integral returned to finishing her glass of wine as she glanced over at the still slumbering vampire.

TBC...

WHEW! That was fun, haha! Okay, here's the translations:

RADU! te urasc! RADU! I HATE YOU!

Mama, nu imi place tunetul Mama, I don't like the thunder

Alucard, linsteste-te, este in regula, nuo sa te raneasca Alucard, calm down, it won't hurt you.

okay ,she was sitting on the floor with a vampire's head on her lap, and her legs went to sleep...she was trying to walk off the tingling sensation...it feels like you're walking on pins...this was from experience. SO IS THE DELIRIUM BECAUSE I WAS DELIRIOUS ONCE!

Oh, and BTW, MUSTY PRAWNS AND TIMBUCKTU!