Chapter 20, guys. Promised something was about to happen, so… you'll be surprised to find out who's saving the world in this fic.
Read on!
HIDDEN IN FEAR
Alucard stared at him. His hands went to the security bars and he looked down at the ritual being performed. He grabbed the bars so hard they twisted under his fingers.
"I didn't believe you." He commented coolly, monotonously. "When you said I would have a future with her." He explained. "If I do this, I'm not living through tonight. I know it. I am not stupid like Tsukishiro to believe I am powerful enough to open a Hell Gate and live to tell it." He looked at Shamshiel out of the corner of his eye, very still.
"You can have my word that she will." Shamshiel said. Alucard lowered his eyes.
"How could I trust your word, Demon?" he asked low.
Shamshiel narrowed his eyes. "I know you will do it. What is keeping you?"
"I want a reassurance that Seras and the others will live through your apocalypse." Was the harsh answer. Seras moaned and Shamshiel pressed her more so she couldn't speak. Alucard didn't look at her.
"The others...?"
"Niko, Walter, Kazuhiko, Gingetsu... the others. You know who."
"Ah, yes. But do you need a reassurance? Is it not enough with my word?" he asked playfully. Alucard glared again, not facing him.
"No."
"Isn't it sad that we live in a world of pessimism?" Shamshiel moved his head dramatically. "Oh well. Alright" he moved his hand and a black ribbon ravelled around it tightly, sealing the deal. "There you go. I am bound to you by promise. Now, go."
Alucard stood still a second more, thinking, looking down at the wide circle. He slowly turned and looked direclty into Seras's eyes. She was crying. But he showed no expression.
"I'm sorry." He simply said. Then he jumped over the bars and landed on the circle.
He kneeled over Tsukishiro's ashes and used his own fangs to open deep wound in his wrist. He made himself stop his healing abilities as he watched the blood slowly run down the engraved drawing in the stone floor and down the pool to join the others.
The moment his powerful blood mixed there, a wave of power came off the portal and hit the air out of everyone's lungs. Seras gasped, stunned. If Shamshiel hadn't been holding her up she would have fallen.
The wave hit eveything around the pool of mixed bloods, making the windows explode out of the building and the floor move.
Alucard expresionlessly watched his blood run down the drawings. Distracted, he also saw Integra's. His eyes diverted all around him, Integra, the Angel, the Elf, and himself. He didn't dare look at Seras.
Then, a noise. He half turned to see Niko entering through a newly made hole in the wall, blades in her hands and in full bloodlust.
His eyes widened as he saw her. She was not only at full bloodlust, but was much, much more powerful than half an hour ago. He wondered what kind of blood she had ingested to be in that powerful state.
Niko's eyes ran across the warehouse. She saw the girls, the sorcerers, Integra, Alucard. She stared at him, frowning, then turned to Shamshiel and Seras. Her frown got deeper.
Alucard knew she couldn't deal with Shamshiel, but maybe she could free Seras and give him a chance to attack again.
Niko lowered off her hovering and stood in the floor right in front of Shamshiel. Seras couldn't speak, but the look of hope in her eyes was very eloquent. The Japanese vampire looked at Shamshiel who narrowed his eyes at the annoying interruption.
"Let go of her." She said calmly.
"I don't think so." Was the reply.
Niko authomatically jumped to him. But Eric, who showed up with a long blade drawn, intercepted her.
He had a long, magnificent saber made out of magic steel, unbreakable. It met her katana and Niko felt the vibrations coming to her hand from the hit. But she maintained her place, not even backing up to regain her position.
It was only instants of battle of wills that they both backed away. The blades were starting to complain on the pressure and it was no time to lose their weapons.
Niko made a try to get to Shamshiel but it was pointless. She was again intercEpeted. Like that, two or three times more.
The boy was good. He was skilfull.
But Niko had no patience to deal with him right now. She decided to leave behing the correct rules of engagement and taking advantage of her far superior powers, she faded to reappear right behind him and ran him through with her katana, with no ceremony. She decapitated the body, though it was a human, just to make sure, and carelessly threw the head to the side. It fell near the Elf, the skull cracking with a sickening sound.
Alucard felt a little reanimated. She was almost as powerful as him.
Shamshiel was distracted. He took advantage of that, and directed all his mind to waking Integra.
For a minute nothing happened. Then finally she slightly moved her head. But she didn't wake. Alucard was starting to feel weak of the blood loss. His mind powers were fluctuating and he couldn't focus just as well.
He looked up. Niko was rejected back and she fell back to her heels, inmediately attacking again.
Shamshiel narrowed his eyes and they started glowing. Alucard's eyes widened.
"You made a vow!" he roared.
The riboon started glowing on Shamshiel's hand. The Demon flinched and closed his eyes.
"Very well." He said through gritted teeth.
He simply moved his hand in a vague gesture. Niko flew across the warehouse, through the wall and out of sight. Alucard gasped.
"No one's coming to your rescue, No Life King." Shamshiel said coldly. "Your time has come to leave this world. But don't worry" he added smiling pleasently. "I have heard you are quite liked in hell. It shouldn't be that bad."
Alucard looked to the pool of blood and the wide golden circle opening above it; the Portal. The Hell Gate. He swallowed. He realised he was, in fact, quite fond of living. He didn't want to die. Not in a definitive way, anyway.
Seras kept crying. Shamshiel ignored her coldly. Seras still held his arm with her claws drawn, but he didn't even flinch at them.
She couldn't see him there, kneeled, bleeding to death so she could live! He, her Master, Alucard, the great No Life King, kneeled at the mercy of a Demon...!
She closed her eyes, though she didn't want to. She thought she owed him that much, to be brave and stay with him 'till the end. 'Till he fell. But she couldn't.
She started praying. With all her will, with her whole heart, with everything she had. She prayed whoever was listening, God or Devil. After all, a vampire had contact with both... right?
Alucard lowered his head and his hair covered his face, like a courtain, hiding it from Seras. He closed his eyes and opened them again, looking at his cut wrist, the blood quickly running away from him. So this was how he was going to die? Bled to death to open a Hell Gate against his will. This was his end.
For love, said a little voice in his head. He closed his eyes. And to think he had never told her. But then again, they had had so little time...
Seras kept praying. She repeated the same words, over and over again, calling God, calling the Devil. Calling everyone, anyone. Just listen, please... whoever you are.
Alucard felt something off. He raised his head. Shamshiel looked back at him, eyes narrow, coldly. But the vampire looked at Seras. Her face was blank, her eyes wide open and a glassy look to them. He gasped. What...?
Seras's body exploded into golden flames. Alucard moaned. Shamshiel backed off from her, susprised and angered. He didn't get it. What was going on?
Alucard tried to stand but found himself too weak.
He could see Seras through the beautiful, and yet horrible flames. She elevated a few inches from the floor. Her eyes were wide open, and completely blank.
The flames slowly extinguished, leving her glowing a golden light, her hair straight and unruly, her fangs elongated, her claws extended.
Alucard swallowed.
"Who dares disturb my dream?" Seras spoke with a voice that was not hers, deep and strong, that traveled everywhere flooding the warehouse, reverberating everywhere, even in the souls of the ones that were there gathered. Alucard shook slightly. What was going on?
"Who are you?" Shamshiel called irritated, but a little scared. Seras turned to him slowly.
"I am she who you call the Lord of the Darkness, the Lord of Nigtmares, the Lord of Death, but I am a goddess. I rule the Night, and so my kingdom is darker than Night itself. I rule Death and Life. I take and give souls. I have slept for milleniums. Who dares disturb my rest?" she repeated, this time the voice resonant, angered.
Shamshiel gasped. Had he brought her back? He had not wanted to go that far...
Seras's absent eyes fixed on him.
"You." She hissed. "You woke me from my millenium sleep."
Shamshiel felt fear flood him like a virus. He was terrified. What had he done?
The Hell Gate disappeared. Alucard stared at Seras's golden body. His wounds healed, but he was too weak to move.
"You wanted massacre... you wanted destruction... you wanted death." The Goddess said very low. Every sorcerer in the room dropped inmediately dead. Alucard flashed a look at them, then immediately turned back to Seras. "You will have your wish." She hissed. She extended her hand and a blue flame lit in it. Slowly, she turned her head and blew softly the flame. It flickered and weakly trembled. Then, it disappeared.
Shamshiel screamed horribly and fell to the ground, as horrible blue flames consumed him. He died slowly, until there were only ashes and dust still smoking, and the echo of his screams kept repeating itself darkly in Alucard's mind.
Seras stood there still looking at nothing in particular. Then, slowly, she turned and flew down to the level where Alucard and the rest were.
The floor beneath her feet burned and melted until it was glowing red.
Alucard looked up at her, still too weak to stand. Seras looked back at him. Seras or whoever was in her body.
"I do not usually answer prayers, King of the Dead." She said coldly. "But it is not time for my children to come up to your world." She gracefully walked to him and passed him towards the pool. "I will remedy my mistake." She said. Alucard saw the blood in the pool heading back to its owners, as if it was a living entity. It crawled back to his wrist, to Integra's body, to everyone that had shed blood into the pool.
Alucard felt weak and tired, even when his blood was all back in his body.
"Rise, King of the Dead." She turned to him sharply. "It's not your time yet. We shall see each other again, somewhere else."
Alucard stood with some difficulty. She looked at him with blank eyes. Alucard felt pain to see Seras like that. It was awful.
"I will not take this soul." She said somewhat soflty. Alucard raised his head. "She called out, and I heard. But she does not belong to me."
Again she was sorrounded by flames, and started hovering until her head was above Alucard's.
"I will claim you for me, but not today." Her voice died, resonating around the place, and the flames slowly extinguished.
Seras hovered some more. Alucard carefully put his hands under her arms and she fell to him.
He held her close, lifting her head and brushing the hair away from her eyes. She was asleep. Alucard gathered her into his arms and held her close to his chest, shaking slightly.
Integra moaned and opened her eyes. She slowly sat up, grabbing her head. She moved her eyes around the warehouse and saw Alucard standing there with Seras in his arms.
She stood, feeling perfectly fine and walked to him. He was covered in blood and terribly pale, shaking.
Integra felt worried about him. She softly touched his arm. He turned his head to look at her, eyes bright.
"Let's go, Alucard." She said gently, looking at Seras with concern. "Let's leave this place."
Alucard nodded in silence and followed her out of the warehouse.
break+
Niko opened her eyes and looked up at Kazuhiko.
"I'm OK." She said, a little surprised. "I'm alright. My powers... are back." Kazuhiko looked down at her and smiled, confused.
"What does that mean?" he asked hesitant.
"Sir Integra!" Walter saw her and Alucard walking to them. Everyone looked that direction.
Niko stood and helped Kazuhiko get up. Integra passed them and went to Walter and Gingetsu. "Are you badly injured?" she asked the butler. He shook his head.
"It's not bad. Kazuhiko is the worse." 'As always' Integra thought, though she didn't say it.
Integra nodded and looked at the fences. Her men were there, standing alone looking at each other, confused looks on their faces.
Niko carressed Seras's hair gently.
"She'll be fine, Vlad." She said touching his hand. Alucard nodded silently.
"I'm going to the Manor." He said quietly. "I need... to lie down. Stay... help... I don't know." He was very confused, and he felt as if he hadn't been this tired in ages.
"I'll take care of the rest." Niko said calmly. "Go."
Alucard nodded again and disappeared to a dark portal.
Niko looked at Integra and approached her. The Hellsing looked at her interrogatively.
"You're the leader, Sir Hellsing..." she said half smiling. "What's next?"
"Attend to the wounded, look for the bodies, take care of the girls in the warehouse, get back to the manor." Was the answer.
"Sir Hellsing... There are no bodies." Niko quicly examined the place around them and behind the fences.
"What?" Integra turned to see around her. True, there was not one single body lying anywhere. Not one casualty.
"I don't know what just happened, but whatever it was, it brought back the souls that had been taken, and it took away all the creatures of darkness. I know... I can feel it. It gave me back my powers and restored Alucard's, when they were nearly gone..."
"Alucard's?" Integra looked at her sideways. "What happened while I was out?"
"I think that to say the least we received an outsider's help." She thought for a moment, then looked at the men that were heading in their direction. "There was something different in Seras's scent... I don't know what happened, exactly, but... I have the feeling she had something big to do with it."
break+
Alucard sat on his coffin bed, the lid up, his back against the wall. Crossed on his lap, her head resting on his shoulder, Seras kept sleeping peacefully. He held her close, with his arms around her small figure, his head down, looking at her with half lidded eyes.
He was exhausted... so tired he could barely keep his eyes open. He had been restored of his blood, but the whole thing had taken a toll on him. He swallowed and leaned his head back against the wall, closing his eyes. He didn't want to fall asleep, but...
break+
He was awoken by something cold touching his cheek. He moved his head and opened his eyes, still very tired. His body protested; he needed more rest.
But he found himself looking right into Seras's eyes. She was touching his cheek. They stared at each other. Her eyes filled with tears.
"I thought it was the end." She said. "When you..."
"For a moment so did I." He interrupted stroking her cheek. "But you saved us, Seras. I don't know how, but you did."
She smiled. "I was trying to save you. I'm glad it worked out like that."
Alucard laughed softly and hugged her tightly. "Thank you." He said.
"Master?" she shyly asked. Alucard separated her only a bit to see her face. "Will you stay with me? Just for today?"
He stroked her cheek tenderly and pushed some bangs away from her face, smiling lovingly. "I'm not going anywhere, Seras. Not ever."
She smiled and hid her face in the curve of his shoulder, curling up to be more close to him. Alucard stretched and covered her and himself with a blanket. He needed blood to gain his powers back, but he really didn't want to leave this position. He could stand a few more hours.
For now, all he needed was to keep Seras close to him, protected, safe. As long as he could.
Well... yeah, that's how that thing ended. But that doesn't mean it's the end to the story, so wait around some more.
So? Was it up to your expectations? Someone asked me to give Seras an important role in the ending, so there you go. That was planned since the beginning. Liked it? Hated it? 1-800-review me! That button down there guys.
Namariel Out!
Ps: there's one more chapter coming, so stay around.