Hello once again ladies and gentleman. As usual I don't own Hellsing, that's Kohta Hirano's property, but my characters are my own and well this plot, which will shortly be jump started. Yay. Read and Review!

Ceres Victoria stood in silence, transfixed. Her wide shock filled eyes were focused not on her master and the brutality visited upon him, she had watched, but had been forced to turn away. It was horrible. It was disgusting. It was…a deep dark part of her was enticed. As she had looked at the blood; watching as it began to splatter, a part of her had pictured falling to all fours and lapping at the swelling pool of crimson. That part yearned for it, could taste it, and that part was the first thing she slapped aside as she turned away.

Ceres was scared stiff, and it wasn't from any enemy.

Even after her master's voice reverberated throughout the hall, once again proving his immortality, she still couldn't look. After all the blood was still there, the scent of violence and the promise of more. It made her mouth water and she hated it.

This perhaps was what brought the vampire's attention to the lycanthrope and Sir Integra Hellsing. Sir Integra was in front of her now, closer to the devil and the blood shed, he, the werewolf, Jonathan was standing in front of her. He was a living shield between her and the devil. It seemed a sad and futile resistance against the smiling beast that was mauling her master, and yet even as she watched him crouch down and growl, bulging muscles flexing with pure primitive fury and adrenaline, she couldn't help but consider him a powerful new ally.

He was an ally after all wasn't he? She remembered the words of the young man that had metamorphosed. He had said he was there to rescue her, them. He was standing with them, against this…this…thing. Could she, could any of them trust him?

What happened next made Ceres more than consider the possibility. The ebony furred wolf-man let out a savage snarl, he dashed forward several steps, and his black taloned nails tore forward in a blur. The vampire smelled blood. It wasn't the devil's.

Ceres watched in stock horror as the devil held the clawed hand that had lashed out. He held it at the wrist and just like that she heard snapping bones and heard Jon all but yelp as the devil sent his other hand into the wolf-man's side. Finger tips tore through flesh and again bone cracked., the devil pulled the fingers back out again and then the werewolf was sailing back down the hall.

"Watch out Sir Integra." The vampiress pulled the last Hellsing backward with a single hand under her left arm, and both hugged the opposite side of the hallway as the werewolf landed near them with a heavy thud.

Both looked as if they might regard the fallen lycanthrope, but they dared not as they watched the devil smile at them, smoothing a vagrant strand of hair behind his ear with an almost feminine smile.

"Go ahead. Help him." It offered.

Neither woman moved.

Then the laugh came again, flowing like water. It was dark and a bit thick. It was obviously Alucard and he chuckled his amusement.

"Not bad." The voice complimented.

Astaroth smiled, his strange eyes suddenly searching for his abandoned prey. To his surprise though, it was nowhere to be found. Alucard's remains were gone, disappeared, in its place there was only blood. More blood than the devil remembered. Before it had been a splashed and seeped draught, but now pool wasn't simply a figure of speech. No, as Astaroth approached, it was like looking into an abyss. This made him smile.

"Come to me little brother." He whispered.

With that came a laugh, but it wasn't the devil's.

"Oh, I'm coming." The laughing voice said and it was still filled with amusement.

A grin.

A grin was the first sign of life. It gleamed wide and devilish, that of the Cheshire Cat gone mad. It appeared in the blood pool like a hideous lucky charm in the cereal bowl from hell, and then it began to rise as the blood did likewise.

The crimson ichor moved like a living thing, a monstrous serpent. And that smile opened wide becoming a fang filled maw that snapped close just before opening wide again and striking outward with a movement that was truly serpentine. This more than anything that had happened thus far seemed to surprise the devil and he leapt backward, but not before the monstrous snake's fangs sunk into his flesh. The snake bit once, only to open its jaws and strike again. Again and again it struck, that was until the devil let out a hiss low in his throat and that blade that had been a flicker of movement before at his elbow lashed out at the strange snake thing that had just sunken fangs again into the monster's left arm.

The snake's crimson tube like body was dissected in an instant. That didn't stop the thing's head from striking again though. That nasty maw opened once again and tore into flesh. The devil for his part grabbed at its base and tore it away, taking with it a good amount of flesh.

The devil let out a roar, but it was less pained than it was annoyed. And the beast's eyes locked on the disembodied stump as he tossed it to the ground. He watched as it and the other half dissolved back into blood, and a sneer washed over his beautiful features.

"Stop these games and fight me!" He snapped, his gaze stuck on the pool of blood.

Even as he said this, the being was cradling his injured arm. It was savaged, torn and bleeding, missing a chunk of flesh that had come off with the serpent thing's head, and yet despite that, his expression was still fierce and hungry. He still wanted to fight.

At a whimper, Ceres redirected her attention from the devil where it had wandered despite herself and the blood, to suddenly take in the wounded form of the werewolf. His body was healing, healing much faster than any human ever could and he was moving, he hadn't been doing that before. Ceres wanted to help him, but at the same time she wondered about the devil. Was he waiting for her to go to the werewolf, but before the vampire could consider this further, she was watching Sir. Integra kneel at the wounded lycanthrope's side.

"Police girl." She called.

Ceres moved without further word, and it was a moment later that she was kneeling with Sir. Integra.

"Police girl, hold him. I'll use my jacket to staunch the bleeding."

For a moment Ceres looked confused. He was healing, wasn't he?

"Staunch the bleeding?" She asked, confused.

Integra took her confusion badly.

"Damn it girl, listen. He won't die of these wounds, but if we don't keep enough blood in him, he'll be useless in this or any other fight. We might even be forced to carry him."

Ceres really didn't want to try carrying the seven foot beast man, and there was no way Integra could. Obeying, Ceres took the wolf-man's massive shoulders in her petite hands and held as best she could. Integra stood, pulling off her jacket. She balled up the olive green cloth, and kneeled again before pressing the cloth into the bloody wound that was torn but healing at the creature's side.

Ceres really had to hold. The lycanthrope thrashed at the pain, but he was still finally after a few moments and he let out a low growl of annoyance. It was obvious that he wasn't too keen on them hurting him, or maybe he was embarrassed at being helped.

That last made Ceres smile, and that smile in return got an annoyed grunt from the wolf. Ceres realized that she had been right. It wasn't them, he didn't like the help. She could empathize, she felt the same way sometime. Being helped made Ceres feel weak. She'd been weak too long. She wasn't the same person, she wasn't Kitten anymore. After all that had happened, after Incognito, and what had happened to Helena, no she wasn't the same. She couldn't be weak.

"It's alright," She whispered. "You're not weak. You'll just have to be stronger next time. We'll both be stronger."

The werewolf growled, but finally he gave a gruff.

"Yea. Stronger."

The devil had not even spared a glance at Integra or Ceres. Instead Astaroth's full attention was on the blood, and he saw the changes in it before it moved again. And yet even as it moved he did not disturb it as it slithered toward the nearest wall. Again it moved like a living thing, but this time as it moved toward the wall and the shadows that were dark and abundant given the harsh candle light. Blood and shadow then mixed and out of that mix step the vampire Alucard.

The devil smiled as he regarded the vampire. The blood sucker's clothing had changed, his smart cut suit and crimson duster had disappeared and now instead he was wearing what very much resembled a straight jacket. It was crimson leather, with black buttons, and its straps rained lose as the vampire gave a slight bow. His face was all alight with amusement, and his eyes glinted with malicious intent.

"Ah, you are strong. I'm glad. It has been so long since I had a good fight."

The devil grinned. He grinned as the vampire grinned, and this had the vampire fangs visible from his mirth.

"You agree then?" Alucard asked.

"Oh, yes little brother. I want to fight. I want you to give me everything you have…"

"Exactly what I had in mind." The vampire laughed.

Alucard's movement was like a single step. That was all that anyone could have seen, and yet suddenly he was standing face to face with Astaroth, his left hand raising and driving forward. That hand tore through flesh like it was wet tissue paper and Alucard's gloved fingers suddenly appeared out of his opponent's back.

The vampire chuckled at the sight.

That was until he felt the beating of the devil's heart slow and then come to an abrupt halt. Alucard's expression was well and truly crestfallen.

"Truly disappointing." He whispered to the corpse.

Grabbing the waste of flesh's shoulder, Alucard gave a sharp and sudden pull, and his left hand slid from the muscle and crushed bone just under the heart. It made a wet sound that instantly made Alucard thirsty, but the Hellsing vampire was many things, but never a scavenger. He didn't feed on the dead, the dying, but not the dead. Especially those with hearts as still as the creature that had died so easily.

"Besides I think I've had more than enough weak blood." The vampire said, vocalizing his thoughts.

"That goes for me as well."

Alucard was caught off guard by the words and in an instant he was surprised as pain tore through his entire right side in a diagonal across his chest. The vampire didn't need to see the damage to know that his foe was alive and well, or to know that the devil had tore at him with that odd right hand of his.

"Playing possum?" Alucard asked, stepping backward, still not bothering to worry about the wound that set his front bloody.

The devil grinned, the wound in his chest still wide. So wide that through the ruined flesh and bone, Alucard could see the bottom of his heart, still round and intact. And just like that it gave a simple beat and then another and another. Following Alucard's gaze, Astaroth chuckled.

"You did so enjoy playing games before…" He ran a hand over his wound and it closed instantly. "I simply thought I play my own game. Did you enjoy it."

Alucard sneered and for a moment is seemed that he wouldn't answer, but then he laughed.

"Oh yes. I did, but enough games. I'll have your heart for my master's sake."

This seemed for all the world to amuse Astaroth very much and a genuine smile of mirth passed over his too beautiful features as he said.

"Then you have only death, for that shall be Integra's only benefit gained through me."

Alucard grimaced at the bold claim and once again he attacked in a blur of speed. The devil reacted likewise, and he captured the gloved hand aimed at this heart in the scale covered monstrosity at his right and crunched the bone as easily as stale crackers. The sound of cracking bone was loud and fierce, the pain was likewise. It was a fierceness that tore up the vampire's appendage and before he could react there was another sharp crack and the vampire's shoulder was shattered like his hand.

Astaroth then released him, and the devil made a slight retreat as he lifted his clawed right hand's finger tips to his lips, lapping at the blood that had come from his earlier attack.

"Perhaps not so weak after all?" He asked, the comment rending at Alucard's sensibilities.

Calling on his regeneration, Alucard healed all of his wounds with a slightly dramatic flare. He glared at the other then, fangs bared, though his voice was still smooth and relaxed.

"No, perhaps not so weak."

The devil grinned.

"You've no idea, but soon, very soon you will."