Chapter 19 on the desk. I thought I was quite bitchy with the last cliffhanger so I decided to update sooner this time. Don't hate me, I had to keep you interested!

Um… see if you enjoy it…

TWO DOWN, ONE TO GO

Gingetsu stood still, facing Barus. Walter was beside him, his wires tense in his fingers, ready for the attack. Barus, however, kept smiling insanely.

"So?" he asked. "Where is the Prince?"

"Don't worry about him Barus." Was the cold answer as Gingetsu summoned his sword and gave a step forward. "Worry about us."

Without another word he jumped to the attack. Walter followed him suit. He was quite sick of this man and his games. He wanted him gone.

Barus dodged Gingetsu's first attack and summoned his two big blades chained to his wrists. He assumed a defensive position with both of them in his sight.

This time Walter made the first move. Barus succesfully got away from most of his wires, but three of them held his right arm, keeping him still enough time for Gingetsu to jump over him and make a deep cut on his chest. Barus rolled to the side and pressed his sword against the wires.

Walter was surprised by a shock shot coming to him through the monowires that knocked him off his feet, but did not leave him unconscious.

Barus got rid of the wires and stood again, smiling.

A second later Gingetsu and him were trapped in a fight that most clearly was to death. They were both formidable. A low cut was followed by a hit, a high one by a kick. They turned and faced each other again without losing a second. Neither left an opportunity without taking advantage of it.

For long minutes Walter watched them fight fascinated by their fluid movements. They were as quick as Alucard, and just as viscious. They didn't follow any rules of engagement. Gingetsu had seemed to forget them, as all he cared was to finally kill Barus.

Barus sent a blade to Gingetsu's side. He stopped it with his. At the same time he turned to avoid the second blade, and inmediately assumed his position again. Barus jumped a few feet back, to gain distance. He kept smiling.

"Are you bored yet?" he asked, cleaning a trickle of blood down his cheek with his thumb, the one he then took to his mouth, licking the blood off it.

Gingetsu didn't flinch. "Not until you're dead." He said coldly.

"How rude. You know, we're gonna be at this all day. Why not try something different? I have a little experiment I'd like to try."

"Play time is over, Barus. You're dying tonight." Gingetsu growled low, and gave a step forward to rise into another engagement.

But something was off. Gingetsu stopped dead on his track and stumbled a little. Walter immediately felt alarmed.

Gingetsu half turned his head to the side, and shook it slightly, like trying to clear his vision. Walter saw him taking his left hand to his temple.

"Any change?" asked Barus, almost sing-songing it. Walter stared in horror as Gingetsu stumbled and swayed on his feet. However he remained standing, somewhat regaining his balance by moving his feet.

He raised his head and looked at barus, clenching his teeth. "What are you doing?" he hissed.

Barus pouted. "Only dizzyness? Oh... I was going for something a little more... radical." He smiled wickedly.

"What are you doing?" Gingetsu repeated. Walter was at his side in a second, ready to catch him if he fell, but Gingetsu seemed stable.

"Oh, you want to know? Alright." Barus stuck his hand on his pocket and reached for something in it. After a second he emerged with some kind of device on his hand. "This" he showed the device "Is an ultrasound emisor. This is the one thing that can make the Lt. fall into a coma and do us, poor mortals no harm. He is the only one that can hear it."

Walter inmediately sent his wires against him to retrieve the device. Barus jumped off his range like a gigantic cat.

"No no, Mr. Butler. Try that little tantrum again and I'll make sure the Lt. doesn't live through the hour."

Walter glared pure hatred but drew back his wires.

Barus smiled again. "Let's see what we can do with this little thing." He said. He moved his fingers over the device.

Gingetsu's sword fell to the ground and disappeared in a flash of light. The Lt. took his hands to his head and moaned softly. Walter put a hand in his back, desperately looking for a solution, but Barus seemed to be in control right now.

Gingetsu felt needles were stabbing his head continuously. Through the clouds that were forming in his mind he could see Barus and the thing in his hands, and knew that he had to stop this. But his body didn't respond to him anymore. He could barely stand, and Walter was helping him, although he hated to admit it.

Then there was Walter... he was skilfull enough to help him, at least distracting Barus for a second, but he most likely would not be able to take Barus alone. At least, not in his current injured state.

Gingetsu felt a terrible pain going through his body, from his head. He moaned again and went down to a knee. Walter tried to support him, but ended up simply softening the fall. He kneeled beside him with an arm around his back, trying to calm him. Gingetsu barely heard his voice. He felt in too much pain to listen.

He hadn't felt that much pain in years, since leaving the Lab. And it was getting worse. He gritted his teeth and his jaw, effectively avoiding a scream, but moaned one more time, now louder.

"Lieutenant, God, try to resist." He heard Walter whisper. He felt him leaving his side and knew he was going to attack Barus. He tried to catch him to keep him from doing it but he felt numb and slow. He didn't reach him.

Walter threw his wires right to Barus. The Azuritian only reacted at last moment, dodging and turning to a side, drawing his long blades. Walter knew he had to evoid them now, after the shock shot he had received from them. It would be difficult, but he was a skilled warrior.

Barus hissed and touched the device. Walter heard Gingetsu shortly scream in pain but chose to push back the distraction and get fully into the fight.

Barus was fast. He dodged the wires turning and jumping like a sick mix between a ballet dancer and a huge wild cat. Walter soon realised his strategy was going to get him tired. He narrowed his eyes as Barus jumped back to avoid his wires. That wouldn't work. Using his monowires didn't tire Walter. It was more likely Barus would get tired first.

"Now Butler" Barus said smiling. "Played enough already? I can see why Gingetsu and Kazuhiko like you, but you're still in disadvantage. I'll show you."

Barus effectively dodged his wires by jumping in the air and lunged down to attack him. Walter, looking up at him and following his trajectory, assumed a defense position tensing back his wires.

Right then a powerful light blast hit Barus in the shoulder. Barus hissed and changed his movement, falling to the floor far from Walter, on his feet. He smiled. Walter half turned, still keeping him on his line of vision.

Kazuhiko was standing, though barely, next to Gingetsu. His right sleeve and his right thigh were covered in blood, apparently his own, because he was favouring his right side and panting heavily.

His left arm was still extended, steam coming from the barrel of the laser he had summoned.

"Hi, Prince. I missed you." Barus said. Walter turned to attack again, furious.

"Stop." Kazuhiko lowered his hand, breathing heavily. He looked at Walter, shaking his head, smiling sadly. "You'll never defeat him, Walter. Not before he kills Gingetsu."

Walter stared, frozen. Barus laughed softly.

"True, very true. So what do you suggest, Prince? You think that in that state you can make his mark? Or are you two going to fight together."

"There won't be a fight." Kazuhiko answered. Walter felt puzzled.

"Oh?" Barus smirked, interested.

"There will be a bargain." Kazuhiko explained. He slowly, painfully, leaned down to Gingetsu and touched his back. He whispered some words to his ear.

Then he straightened and started walking to Barus, slowly. Walter's eyes widened. He reached and grabbed his arm. Kazuhiko looked at him with dark eyes.

"What are you doing?" Walter hissed.

"Let go, Walter, I know what I'm doing."

"I will not allow you to surrender to him!" Walter hissed again, enraged at his lack of spirit.

Kazuhiko took his arm away from his grip. "I know what I'm doing." He repeated calmly. "Trust me. Please, trust me." He said. Walter saw something in his eyes that disturbed him. He nodded with a knot on his throat and backed off.

The Captain walked to Barus and stood a few feet from him. He extended his hand, palm up. "Give me that thing. I'll go with you."

"What?"

"You heard me. I won't fight. Just leave Gingetsu alone."

"Why?"

"He's my best friend, Barus... "

"And you would do this for all your friends?"

"It doesn't matter. I'm doing it for him. Give it to me, Barus, please." He was calm, serene. A cold serenity that gave Walter the chills.

Walter had never seen an image that seemed so deeply wrong. He constantly felt the impulse of using his wires to tear Barus apart. Only his steel-like self-control kept him from it.

Barus hesitated, like considering what he wanted more, to have Kazuhiko at his whole disposition, without struggle, or to kill Gingetsu in a painful way. Maybe he liked to fight Kazuhiko better than to have him willingly.

Finally he smiled a pleased smile and opened his hand, offering the device. Kazuhiko inmediately reached for it, but Barus closed it again. "Give me your word."

"You have it. I won't fight you." Kazuhiko answered.

Walter felt like screaming.

Barus gave him the device. Kazuhiko took it in his mechanical hand and destroyed it quickly. He turned to see over his shoulder at Gingetsu.

Barus caught his chin. He turned his face back to face his. He leaned forward to kiss him. Kazuhiko instinctively fought the grip, but after a split second he contained himself. He closed his eyes and just let it happen.

Walter didn't know what he felt anymore, all the emotions mixed, messed up. He didn't want this to happen. But what could he do? It was up to Kazuhiko now...

Barus's kiss was not gentle, nor short in his exploration. When he backed off, they were both panting hard.

Then it all happened so quickly Walter didn't even see it.

Something hit him in the back. Walter gave a step forward to mantain his balance, but felt like he couldn't breath as shadows repetedly passed around him, above him, leaving him alone but destroying everything else. Kazuhiko opened his eyes and jumped to the side. He leaned on his bad leg and fell to the ground.

Barus was instantly dead. A huge wave of unknown power tore him apart with such a fierce rage, that, in the comparacy, Alucard would have seemed a nice, soft kitten.

Kazuhiko sat up. "Took you long enough." He barked.

"I didn't have any motor activities." Was the cold reply. Walter turned gasping for the air he still couldn't gather and saw Gingetsu on his knees, back straight, and incredibly pale. Then he fell to the side and layed there. Walter went to his side, worried, and turned him so he would be facing up. He felt his pulse. Slow, weak, but steady.

He was just unconscious. The butler looked at Kazuhiko.

"You had that planned all the way, didn't you?" he accused. Kazuhiko smiled and nodded.

"Of course. I wasn't sure he could do it, but I trusted him." He stood, though barely, and walked to them. He crumbled at Walter's side, pressing his thigh.

"What would have happened if he was unable to help you?" Walter was furious at him.

"Um, I would have had a very miserable existence until I could find a way to kill myself." He cocked up his eyebrows. "Satisfied?"

"No!" was the bark he got as a reply.

"Oh, don't be like that. We are all Ok, are we not?"

"It could have gone terribly wrong."

"Well it didn't. Be happy. C'mon Walter I couldn't let you get killed by him. Then Gingetsu would have died and I... I don't know what I would be."

Walter didn't have anything to say to that. Kazuhiko gently moved Gingetsu's head and removed the visor. He placed it aside and stroked the blonde hair.

"He promised me he would die after me." He said softly. He looked up. "That's the best gift you can give the people you love, right? To live after them. Niko and I are everything he has. He would have done the same thing for me. Do you understand?"

"Yes, Kazuhiko. But it was still riskfull."

Kazuhiko smiled again. "Sorry. You're upset because you thought Barus would have me. But there was no way I could tell you. I promise not to worry you like that again."

"You should reconsider your promise." A voice with a thick accent replied. They both turned.

There stood Alexander Anderson, blades drawn and feet separated. He was ready to fight.

"Oh bloody hell." Walter stood again, tensing his wires. Kazuhiko was in no condition of fighting and Gingetsu was very, very unconsious.

Walter sighed. He shoulder hurt terribly by now. Waves of pain continuosly shot from it. But he had to do this. He was the only one that could do it right now.

"C'mon, Hellsing dog" Anderson said. "Show your abilities!"

Walter shot his wires at him. At the same time Kazuhiko shot his laser. But weak, and pained as he was, the blasts didn't have great aiming, and soon he wasn't able to keep laser summoned.

So Walter was alone.

For long minutes they kept fighting. Alexander was continuosly injured by the wires but then again, he didn't have to worry about his injuries. They healed almost instantly. Walter, on the other hand, had to back off and lose ground whenever Anderson got through his guard and got too close.

The thing wasn't going any well. Walter was injured and had already sustained two fights.

He stood, panting, recovering his wires tainted in blood and sending them again.

Suddenly Anderson jumped on him. Walter effectively defended himself pushing his wires, but Anderson ignored the wounds and got to him. Walter turned to his side to avoid his blade. Then the other one went in his right thigh. Walter hissed and fell to the ground.

Anderson smiled, towering over him and prepared to finish him with his other blade.

Then he wasn't there anymore.

Niko and him rolled on the ground struggling, until they separated. They both jumped back assuming fighting positions.

Niko lifted her Dakki and emptied the case on his body. Then, when out of bullets, she carelessly threw it aside.

"There will be no killing my friends today, priest." She said coldly. Her eyes diverted to his blades. "Priest wants to play with knives?" she asked very low. Her Dakki disappeared and her shadows started dancing around her, twirling, twisting and making soft sounds, like singing softly.

She dove her hands in her shadows and extracted two blade weapons; a long, magnificent katana and a smaller wakizashi. She grabbed them both as their sheaths appeared on her waist. She slowly sheathed them, always looking at Anderson.

"Then so we shall." She added, baring her fangs at him.

Anderson took the first step. He dove forward to attack her. She waited for him, her sword still sheathed, leaning forward and grabbing its handle. Then when he was only inches away she brusquely pulled her sword from the sheath, describing a wide circle with its blade at the time she moved to the side.

Anderson fell and rolled away from her. When he got up, Walter saw a deep cut across his chest. That would have killed any human. Anderson, however...

He attacked again. Niko docked the first, turned for the second and sent the wakizashi against his face. The cut healed instantly and he moved again. Niko jumped backwards, turning on the air like the most skillful gymnastic, and fell back on her boots. She re-sheathed the sword.

Anderson assumed a defensive position, his swords crossed in front of him. Niko narrowed her eyes. She would have to make the first move now. For a second neither of them moved.

Niko leaned forward and ran to him. Anderson patiently waited for her. Like she had done, he waited for her to be close enough not to be able to dodge. But Niko was more prepared for that kind of attack than him. It was a very common Japanese techinique.

She jumped in the air and fell on top of him, aiming the wakizashi at his forehead. But Anderson was faster than she thought; he moved, saving his head, but the wakizasghi went deep in his shoulder.

Anderson moved his arm and made a cut across her stomach. Niko jumped back again and kneeled on the floor, waiting. Anderson growled as he took the blade off his flesh and tossed it aside.

Niko smiled as he recovered. The wakizashi flew to her hand. "Tell me, Alexander." She started. "Did you ever wonder what death looks like?"

Anderson didn't bother answering. He attacked. Niko, who was kneeling on the ground, lifted her knees and sat on her heels. Still in that position, she turned to dodge his attack. She made a full turn, and describing a circle attacked.

The blade made contact with his right leg, neatly cutting it below the knee. Anderson growled and fell to the ground, bleeding profusely. He turned to defend himself but Niko was already on him.

She grabbed on the blades with her hand, not caring about the deep wounds it made on her flesh, and pinned the other wrist to the ground with the wakizashi. Anderson sat up trying to rip his wrist off the floor, but Niko didn't give him time to do much more.

She kneeled over him and ran him through with her katana, diving the edge in the ground, making him scream in pain. She stayed there, knees at either sides of his legs, leaning forward over him. Her black hair fell forward covering them like a curtain of darkness.

She smiled tenderly at him, touching the katana's handle lightly with the tips of her fingers.

"I'll tell you, priest." She said low. "Death... has my face."

Anderson growled. Blood dripped down the sword's blade, to the ground.

"Did you know that ancient Mongols used to believe that the soul, was in the blood?" she continued cooly, always smiling affectionally at him. "They drank the blood of their enemies to acquire his soul and his courage. You are a worthy enemy, Alexander Anderson, Paladin of the Catholics." she added stroking his hair. "Had we met in different circumstances, you would have been a great friend. Perhaps in other life."

She softly, but firmly turned his head to the side and sank her fangs in his neck. The loss of blood off the wounds, and her sucking, coming with the swoon of pleasure a vampire's bite causes, quickly took a toll on him.

For a long minute she just sucked from him. Everything was quiet and in deep silence. The only heard from time to time a pained moan coming from Alexander, while his mind still tried to fight what his body could not.

Finally Niko pushed away, licking the wound, and got up. She walked away slowly, looking at the body, impaled to her sword.

She turned her head to the warehouse, indifferent to it. Hundreds of scriptures papers flew around Alexander's body and took him away. Walter blinked.

"You didn't kill him." He said.

Niko didn't look at him. "That's Alucard's prerogative." She replied monotonously.

Her hair started twirling and twisted itself into a braid. She cleaned a drop of blood off the corner of her mouth. She turned to Kazuhiko and Gingetsu. "How is he?" she asked, concerned.

"Weak. But he'll make it through tonight." Was the answer.

She gave a step to them and Kazuhiko instinctively moved his biomechanical hand, ready to summon a laser. Walter gasped. She stopped dead.

"You are in bloodlust Niko. I don't want you near us like this." He said harshly. Walter didn't believe what he was hearing.

"You're scared." Niko said.

"No. But if I were, could you blame me?"

Silence.

"You knew." Niko said softly. "You knew all along."

"I need time. It never took these dimensions before. I need to understand." Now Kazuhiko's voice was soft and gentle.

Niko nodded. Walter wondered if she really realised what Kazuhiko was saying. She seemed to be unscathed by his words, as if they slipped off the shield surrounding her. It must have been the bloodlust she was in.

They heard an explotion. All of them looked at the warehouse. The windows had exploded in thousands of pieces and a wave of power hit them even at that distance.

Niko's hair moved, uneasy, just like Alucard's did when his power fluctuated.

"So much power..." she gasped when the wave reached her, as she closed her eyes.

"Sir Integra is in there." Walter tried to stand but his leg refused. "And Alucard."

Niko nodded, but didn't move.

"Go." Kazuhiko told her gently. "Go help him. We'll be alright."

Niko nodded again, smiling.

Off her shadows came two great forms. They fell to the ground and rolled, and slowly they started defining a form, and finally turned into two huge black panthers, with red eyes and two furry tails each.

The panthers purred when Niko stroked their heads, and rubbed their gigantic noses against her legs.

"These will stay with you." She said. "Just in case." She scratched one of them behind the ear while whispering an order in Japanese. The panther purred and headed to Walter, that was sitting on the floor pressing his thigh to stop the bleeding.

The butler flinched when the panther grabbed his shirt with its huge fangs and pulled him to his feet, encouraging him to use his back for support. Walter did it and the panther slowly lead him towards Kazuhiko and Gingetsu.

He sat next to Kazuhiko and the panther sat beside him, sniffing his leg slightly but promply losing interest. The other one layed beside Kazuhiko, resting its head on Gingetsu's shoulder.

The Lt., Walter observed, seemed now more asleep than unconscious. He breahed deeply and rythimically, his face looked calm and serene. He would be alright.

"We'll take care of your wounds later, boys." Niko said vaguely. The katana and the wakizashi, still pinned to the floor, flew to her hands, coated in Anderson's blood.

Her trail exploded, her hair flying in every direction until it silently fell around her figure like a cape. She was magnificent in her beauty. Her power was overwhelming... Walter thought that Alucard must have loved her much to give her that.

Niko elevated some inches from the ground and shot herself towards the building, flying near the ground, her hair around her like a halum.

Walter looked at Kazuhiko. The Captain turned his head to look at the fences. The battle there was still important. The snipers were helping a lot. Kazuhiko thought that Seras would join them once the fight ended, and help. He felt a little guilty of wanting Seras to come to their rescue, but, being realistic, Walter and him were both severly injured, and Gingetsu was in the deepest sleep he had seen him in in about three years. Things did not look too good. Little comfort was to have a familiar shadow panther resting its head over Gingetsu's shoulder. Niko had all the good intentions, but seriously...

"You know" he said, looking at Gingetsu's sleeping face. Walter looked at him. "I think that today we demonstrated Gingetsu is a Three Leaf. A Two Leaf would be dead, after that ultrasound attack."

"It affected him baldy, though." Walter replied.

"Yeah, and it broke my modem, but he is alive. He shouldn't be. I'm happier that he is than to see Barus is finally dead. If he were dead, Walter..."

"You would be alone, with Niko." The butler finished the sentence coldly. Kazuhiko turned his eyes away. For a minute he didn't look at him. Then he stared into his green eyes.

"You think I'm scared of her. But I'm not. I'm impressed. Things were never that bad before."

"It is what she is." Walter said softly.

"I know. I accept that. I understand what she is, Walter. I'm not a kid. That's not the thing."

"Then what is it?"

"There is no thing. I'm just impressed. I need to swallow this. Is that so hard to understand?"

"Gingetsu has been far more bloody and agressive than her, never the less..." he trailed off. Kazuhiko glared at him.

"It's different. I'm not starting a possible relationship with Gingetsu."

"It's always a relief." A soft voice. They both looked down. Gingetsu looked at them from the floor. Kazuhiko glared. He said something to him in Japanese that Walter obviously didn't understand, but sounded nasty. Gingetsu flinched. "I'm too tired to argue with you." He said, turning his head and closing his eyes.

Then he opened them again. "You're injured." He said, to no one in particular.

Walter nodded. "Nothing bad though. Kazuhiko is the gravest."

"No I'm not."

"Quiet." Gingetsu looked up at him.

"You're hardly in a position to give me orders..."

"I'm always in a position to give you orders." Was the answer. But he didn't move.

"You alright?" Kazuhiko asked concerned.

"My whole body aches. And there's a panther sleeping on my shoulder. From that on..."

They heard a terrible blast and something flew out of the warehouse, fell to the ground and rolled a few meters more until it was still, on the floor. The three of them stared, surprised.

The panthers moaned and disappeared. Kazuhiko's eyes widened. He got up in a terrible effort and walked to the black mass lying on the floor. Walter made an attempt to follow him, but Gingetsu caught his hand. He shook his head slowly, looking at him with piercing bluegreen eyes.

Kazuhiko fell to his knees and turned Niko so her face would be up. He gently moved the hair out of her face and held her carefuly.

She opened her eyes, pale red piercing to kazuhiko's chocolate orbs and her eyes filled with red tears. Kazuhiko stroked her cheek.

"He has Seras." She whispered. Kazuhiko paled. "He's using her against Alucard. He..." she interrupted herself to swallow blood coming from inner injuries. "He is using Alucard's blood for the ritual." She fell silent for a second, closing her eyes.

Kazuhiko raised his head, desperately looking at Walter and Gingetsu. The Lt. sat up, but shaking uncontrollably. He couldn't help anyone in that state. Neither could he or Walter.

Niko opened her eyes again and grabbed his hand. Kazuhiko looked down at her.

"I'm sorry about what I did." She said softly. "Are you upset at me? I didn't kill him." She added, tears running down her cheeks.

Kazuhiko smiled tenderly and brushed the tears away. "I'm an idiot, Niko. You did what you had to. I'm not upset. He deserved it anyway. I'm so sorry."

Niko hid her face in his shirt. Kazuhiko hold her close against his chest and looked at the warehouse, terribly worried. Things were going bad. Very bad. If Alucard couldn't do anything against this Shamshiel guy... who could?

A/N: I decided to divide the fight in two chapters so I could put in anything I wanted. I don't want it to happen fast and lightly. I know, it's a very Tarantino attitude, but I had to. Sorry.

Namariel Out!