Disclaimer: I only own myself, Niko and the plot. Everything else I borrowed it from someone much more intelligent.
Special thanks to CrypticShadowWriter AKA my editor. This chapter is for you!
OK, so this one is a bit more fun, 'cause there's a lot of Kazuhiko.
OH, I have to make a correction. It's Ishtar Darkside, not Darkness. I'm sorry, I'm stupid.
Walter followed Gingetsu through the hallway a little ashamed. He had been asked to wake the captain up, and had found it was a much more difficult task than what it seemed. Kazuhiko had a very deep sleep, or pretended to very well. Gingetsu was pissed.
The Lieutenant Colonel slammed the wooden door open and stormed into the room. Kazuhiko was either drugged or dead not to be woken by that. Gingetsu rounded the bed, took the sheets and pulled them away without ceremony. Kazuhiko moaned before taking his hands to his face. His torso was naked, and he was wearing baggy pants. He was a very attractive man.
"Get up already." Gingetsu said expressionlessly. "We have work."
And with that he left the room. Kazuhiko sat and flashed at him with anger.
"I hope something really painful happens to you soon!" he yelled at his superior's back. Gingetsu didn't show signs of hearing him. Kazuhiko lie down on the pillow again and covered his face with both hands. "Damn. My mother was right. Never should have entered the Military."
"What did she want you to be?"
"Mmmm I don't know. What every mother wants I guess. Rich. Definitely not getting to that." Walter laughed as the captain got up and sat on the edge of the bed. "I wanna sleep!" he moaned running a hand through his black hair. "I'm never gonna get used to this shitty schedule. I need to have a whole night's sleep again."
"You get used to it after a while." Walter comforted him. Kazuhiko glanced at him.
"I better not hear you asked him to wake me, Walter."
Walter merely chuckled, confirming his suspicions. The Japanese man glared at him, getting up from the bed.
"You'll pay me that one Dornez." He warned. "I'm gonna take a bath. See you when I look like a human being."
Walter laughed and went to the kitchen. He liked having Kazuhiko in the manor. It was like having another child. He was noisy, cheerful and playful. Walter sat on the kitchen table reading the newspaper calmly.
Gingetsu had let his friend sleep late after all. There were nine hours between seven in the morning and four in the afternoon. The Lieutenant had gotten up at noon. The man was a machine.
Fifteen minutes later Kazuhiko entered the kitchen, miraculously, without getting lost, not even once, and sat at the table next to the butler. He had the expression of a kid whose favourite toy has been taken away.
"I wanna sleep," he said.
"Apart from that, do you want tea?"
"No." Kazuhiko dropped his head on the table lazily. "Coffee. Black." Walter chuckled and went to the coffee machine.
Gingetsu got in the kitchen and dropped a file on the table in front of Kazuhiko.
"Straighten up." He ordered taking the cup of tea Walter offered him. "I want that translated in an hour."
"What for?" Kazuhiko moaned straightening up and looking at the folder distastefully.
"Because Sir Hellsing wants to read it and she doesn't read Japanese." Was the reply.
"Why can't you just tell her?"
"Because I avoid speaking when I can." Kazuhiko growled at him and drank from the coffee cup. He murmured something like "antisocial bastard" and Walter had to contain a laugh. "Don't complain." Gingetsu said. "You asked to be transferred to my unit."
"I was supposed to be a field agent!"
"After seven Court Martials?" Gingetsu leaned against the near wall, one hand in his pocket, one holding the cup. "You're kidding." Kazuhiko glared at him, but didn't answer. Walter looked stunned.
"Seven Court Martials? That's a lot! What were they for?"
"Each one?"
"In general" Gingetsu answered "Disobedience, disregard of the given orders, insolence, lack of team work, excessive individuality…"
"…having a mind of my own, thinking by myself, not blindly following my superior's orders…" Kazuhiko interrupted raising his fingers as he counted.
"…always acting alone, no proper follow of the military procedures, excessive pride and always thinking he's got all the right answers, a basic 'Told-Ya-So' attitude. " Gingetsu finished, calmly. Then he sipped from the cup. Walter stared in awe.
"Yeah, that's about it. But I think they over reacted. Nothing bad ever happened because I disobeyed someone."
"You lost your left hand, Kazuhiko."
"So? I didn't get anyone else hurt. Besides… I lost my hand risking my life for my country! And what do I get for serving? I get Court Martial-ed. Life sucks. What do you reckon, Walter?"
"Well, you did disobey…"
"Forget it. I don't wanna hear it. "
Walter chuckled. Gingetsu did nothing (as always).
Kazuhiko obediently translated the archive to English in an hour and then took it to Sir Hellsing and went to the training room to practice some of his martial arts while waiting for the sunset. Gingetsu sat on the training room watching him absently. Though Kazuhiko may not seem the strongest, he was a very good fighter and a real adversary with the sword he could summon through the modem on the back oh his artificial left hand. That was probably why that pervert from Azurite, Barus, liked him so. Gingetsu had already saved him from Barus three times. And the chances of him giving up on his "Prince" were slim.
Gingetsu looked at Kazuhiko as he punched the bag and thought that that man had been the one thing linking him to the world outside himself. Kazuhiko was his first and only friend, at least until Ran came along. But then, since Ran had died…
Kazuhiko took him out of his thoughts when he leaned near him to grab a towel and take it across his wet forehead.
"Something bothering you Gingetsu?"
"No."
"Are you sure? You know you can tell me."
"I'm fine." Kazuhiko stared a minute more. Then he sat next to him and crossed his legs, silent. He knew that when Gingetsu was like that the only thing he could do was sit with him. They sat there quietly a long moment. Then the Lieutenant Colonel moved and got up. Kazuhiko looked at him lazily.
"I bet that means I have to get up too." He said sadly.
"We have to prepare for tonight's hunt."
Kazuhiko took another shower and dressed in his uniform. Then he went to the sublevels to get Niko and Alucard. Seras would provide long range support as she regularly did. But that was just a precaution; they didn't intend to kill Tsukishiro.
Niko was dressed to hunt. She was wearing a long skirt, her Stilettos, a black shirt and a knee-long black overcoat. Her long soft hair was tied up in a tail with a silk blue ribbon. Blue was Niko's favourite colour.
They sat in one of the strategy rooms in the manor while Gingetsu explained that Tsukishiro was hiding his coffin in an abandoned warehouse near the docks. The idea was to go there and ambush him. He was young so the chances of him sensing both Alucard's or Niko's presence were slim.
They got into a Hellsing van and waited calmly. Gingetsu wouldn't allow Kazuhiko to smoke on duty so the captain taught Seras a Japanese hand game on the way. Niko observed them with eyes full of sweetness and that didn't go unnoticed by Alucard. The elder vampire made a mental connection with Niko.
"You like him don't you?"
Niko looked at him a long minute, thinking.
"I guess I do."
"That sounded sad."
"Kazuhiko is just recovering of the death of his lover Oruha. He is not ready for a relationship and I don't know when he will be."
"You can wait. I waited for you."
"I would if I knew he is interested, but his mind is a chaos. I know he likes being with me and finds me attractive, but sometimes I really scare him. And he's never even seen me in full bloodlust, so… "
"Noticed he is not altogether that different from me?"
"WHAT?"
"I mean physically."
"Oh… yeah, I guess that's just my type."
They got to the docks. The van pulled over and the five of them got off it. They hid behind another warehouse close to that one. Seras readied her Halconnen and aimed at the warehouse door. She could easily see the insides of it through the windows thanks to her potent vampiric eyes.
"I'll patrol around." Gingetsu said calmly. "Nagisa you go inside with Alucard. Be in touch with Kazuhiko, if you need support he'll contact me."
"Regular routine then." Niko said. Seras smiled.
Kazuhiko leaned against the wall near her and watched the two vampires walk to the warehouse. The night was silent and they could only hear some of the typical marine noises, like the whispering of the water, the moving of the larger ships, and the sweet noises of the sailing ships hitting against one another's masts.
Alucard signalled gently to Niko for her to go inside first. Very gentlemanly of him.
Seras watched the windows carefully.
"Kazuhiko?"
"Yes?"
"How long have Niko and my Master been apart?"
"Um…let's see, they separated in 1868, just for the Meiji Restoring, so, we're in 2005… about 137 years, if I'm still good at math."
"That's a lot," Seras though aloud. Kazuhiko looked at her raising an eyebrow.
"What, hoping he's over her already?"
"What?" Seras turned to look at him, bright red. "What is that supposed to mean?"
"Oh, just nothing. He is quite the nice looking man though."
"You can be with him then! I'm not interested."
"No, thank you! I already have one freak pervert behind as it is. I certainly don't need another one." He stopped, taking his hand to his round glasses. "Yes, Gingetsu, I hear you."
"There are ghouls everywhere Kazuhiko. I need backup."
"I'm on my way."
Kazuhiko passed beside Seras and started running towards the spot in the radar of his glasses that pointed to Gingetsu. When he got there, he looked stunned a second. He should have known; Gingetsu never asked for help unless he really needed it.
There was around forty ghouls surrounding him and straining to get a chance to bite him. Gingetsu's white hair could be easily seen among their heads.
Kazuhiko summoned his long sword and jumped right to the crowd of ghouls, immediately dissecting two by their waists. Then he started opening a way through the mass of undead to get to his friend.
He kept swinging his sword to the sides and in front of him chopping the undead in half, but always found new ones to get rid of. He was starting to think he wasn't going to get to Gingetsu, but then the Lieutenant turned and saw him, and started working his own way to him.
They stood back to back fighting everything that got too close to their blades for longer minutes than they would have liked. Gingetsu might be in-exhausted, but Kazuhiko was starting to lose his strength. And the worse part is, if he got to a point in which his strength was too down to maintain his summoning, the sword would automatically disappear. Now that would be bad. Very bad.
Fortunely the ghouls kept dying easily so the amount of attackers was lessening. Then when there were only about sixteen ghouls left he ran his sword through one of them, and the blade disappeared without a noise. He looked at his artifical hand a second, stunned, and then felt the ghoul jumping on him.
They both felt to the ground. Gingetsu turned to help but his attention was immediately caught by another ghoul. Kazuhiko would have to deal with it alone.
The captain shifted his and stayed on top of the ghoul, keeping its chest pressed to the ground. He needed to regain strength to summon at least the small laser. But he was panting, bleeding and that old freekin' wound from the Fairy Park was starting to ache again, on his chest. He started thinking quickly. He had to do something. Soon.
Then his already fading compel gave up on him. The ghoul tossed him back and jumped over him. Still, Kazuhiko managed to raise his arms and keep it away from his neck, but it was hitting him hard with his arms. He heard Gingetsu yell something but didn't quite understand what.
And with a very good timing a bullet opened its way right through the ghouls head, and it turned into dust and ashes.
Kazuhiko looked at the canon of the .357 Magnun Dakki and at the blood red eyes looking behind it. Niko smiled weakly. She gave him her hand to help him sit down.
"Are you alright?" she asked worried, kneeling beside him. Kazuhiko gasped for air and nodded, breathless. He looked up suddenly remembering Gingetsu.
The Lieutenant cut off a ghoul's head, and a silver cored blessed bullet coming from the .454 Casull killed the last one. Alucard kept smiling. Gingetsu stayed still a moment regain his breath and then turned to Kazuhiko. He looked at him, towering over his sitting figure, frowning behind his visor.
"Maybe I shouldn't have brought you." He said softly. Kazuhiko shook his head.
"It's better like this. I'm fine, it's just that stupid wound. It drains my strength."
"You should be resting." Gingetsu said offering him his hand.
Alucard frowned. He had been looking at Kazuhiko, studying him, and when he turned he discovered much to his surprise that Gingetsu no longer held his sword. He wasn't carrying a sheath for it, so where was it? The vampire had sensed something strange a minute ago but it didn't look like it came from that man. He looked up at Niko to ask her but she wasn't listening to her mind.
Kazuhiko took Gingetsu's hand and got up. Then he shook his head, absent look in his brown eyes. Alucard sensed a lot of confusion and pain coming from him and frowned more deeply. His mind was a mystery to him; it was not only well guarded by a strong will but also it was ravelled in a chaos of pain, anger and mixed memories, along with much information he had but did not understand. Niko hadn't lied to him earlier; Kazuhiko was far from being ready for a new relationship.
Then again Gingetsu was quite the mystery man himself. His powers were certainly beyond those of a regular human, and yet he was nothing more than that. He smelled different, however, and moved differently too. He moved as if he was restraining something inside him. No human could tell, of course, but to a vampire as old as Alucard that was obvious. And his mind was absolutely inaccessible. Whether he had will walls around it, his mind was in chaos, or he did not think at all, the fact was that Alucard had no access to his thoughts. He just couldn't reach them.
He was absently looking at him when the blonde man turned his head to him. They stared at each other only a second. It was the first time Gingetsu directly looked at him.
Behind his blue-violet visor, Gingetsu narrowed his eyes. Commonly he had nothing personal against vampires, but that one he did not like at all.
Kazuhiko had fallen asleep on the journey back to the manor. He rested his head on the van wall and simply let himself sleep, sitting beside Gingetsu. Obviously he had nothing to worry about, having the Lieutenant Colonel, Niko, Seras and Alucard there with him. Alucard almost wished he could sleep as deeply and peacefully as that man.
He caught Niko looking at him between sadness and sweetness. He felt a bit sorry for her. He didn't think Kazuhiko was absolutely unconscious about her feelings towards him, but as confused and messed up as he was, he was probably trying to ignore them for the time being. Perhaps later on…
They arrived at the Hellsing manor. Alucard phased out of the van and went directly to Integra's study. He found the blonde staring out the window to the van. Alucard looked over her shoulder.
Gingetsu and Niko were standing beside the van, talking. Niko seemed worried. Gingetsu put a hand on her shoulder to make her stop talking and went in the manor.
"He is an interesting man." Alucard purred into Integra's ear.
Integra almost jumped. She turned and slapped him hard on the face.
"Back off, vampire. And I demand an explanation on what you just said."
"Come now Master. We have known each other for a long time. Will you not accept that you like him? I promise I won't tell."
"Not another word, Alucard." Integra hissed dangerously. "What about the mission?"
"We searched the warehouse. It's been abandoned for some time now. He took his coffin with him, naturally. But left us a nice gift; about seventy ghouls."
"Seventy… What vampire can eat that much blood in a week and a half?"
"One that is preparing himself for a long starve, or not one but two." Alucard answered, now seriously. "This is starting to smell bad, Master. This Tsukishiro vampire will require attention."
"Focus completely on it then." Integra said sitting back on her chair. "I will have Seras and the men deal with whatever comes bothering us while you are at it."
"Seras… on a lone mission? Already?" Alucard seemed really worried. Integra smiled dimly. He did care for Seras after all. He wasn't as impenetrable as he liked to believe.
"I'll have her doing long range support if that makes you fell better." Alucard chose not to answer.
"By the way about Gingetsu." He started. "I don't think he is a common human. He smells different, and besides his powers are too large. Do you know anything about that, Master?"
Integra thought for a moment, trying to put things together.
"No, I don't. I'll have Walter look into it though."
"Of course. Surely you would like to know the most about him, Master.
"Get lost Alucard. Now."
Integra stayed alone in her huge study. She accommodated her glasses on her nose, though they hadn't slipped down, thinking about what was said.
Alucard's jokes were starting to get annoying.
But then again, he did match her character…
There was a knock on the door.
"Come in."
Niko opened the door slowly and came in. Then she closed it behind her.
"What did you needed agent Nagisa?"
"Well Sir Hellsing, I know this is definitely not the best of times for this, but… I would like to ask you for one night off for agent Victoria."
"You were right. This is not the best of times. I have just told Alucard that I will have agent Victoria on lone missions while he works with you."
"That might not be the best idea Sir Hellsing. Seras is still very dependant on Alucard. But still, that's not the matter. I just think it would be good for her to have some girl's time. She needs a friend. We all know Alucard can be very intolerant and I've noticed he hasn't explained many things to her that she needs to know. This will help her fell better with her current situation. Do you understand what I mean?"
"I think I do. And you are probably right. Seras is very innocent and Alucard is not helping her adapt. If you can help her, then please do."
"Thank you Sir Hellsing. Tomorrow?"
"Yes."
"Wonderful." Niko made a little bow and turned to leave, but as she took the door handle an idea popped on her mind. It was insane, but there was a little chance… She turned again, eyes narrowing, her hand still on the handle.
Integra's icy eyes lifted up back to her from the paperwork.
"Yes?"
"I don't suppose you would think of joining us if I invited would you Sir?"
"No."
"Right. Well the invitation still stands. If there's a chance…"
"No."
"Alright then. Good day."
Niko left the study and closed the door at her back. Then she phased though the floor to the sublevels and Seras's room.
Gingetsu insisted on Kazuhiko going to rest, so the Captain was sleeping. The Lieutenant Colonel sat on his own room, smoking now that he was off duty. His visor was on the table in front of him. His eyes were closed.
His eyes slowly opened and he looked at his inner right wrist, where the Clover Leaf Project tattoo showed him to be a Two Leaf.
Well, that's about it for now. Oh and I just got in the testing season in school, so until the 18th you shouldn't be too hopeful. I'm going to study to death. Or otherwise be killed by my parents…
--
Until I'm sure I'm passing through this trimester unharmed:
Namariel out