Desperately, Constance tried not to cough, as it would echo throughout the dusty vents that she was making her escape through and alert everyone and anyone who was close enough to her of her presence. She had no idea why, but these vents were big enough for an adult to grow through, let alone a fourteen year old girl. This was actually by design on HELLSING's part, given how vital the vents were during the first attack on the base in 1999. She was ignorant of this history, however, and did not care even if she did. All she knew is that it was working, so she was going to go with it.

Looking down through the slits of an opening below her, Constance could see soldiers walking around and held her breath. She hoped that none of them were going to check on her room, especially since she didn't have a plan for if they did. Luck was what this plan was hinging on, and there wasn't a lot there to begin with. Constance had no choice but to play this by ear.

She was searching for some kind of exit that she could escape from, but had proven to be unsuccessful, thus far. It was imperative that she got to the battlefield. She didn't know why, but she was compelled to do so. That beast was one that she was worried could not be stopped by the duo. Even if they could, her mind would not be put at ease until she saw it dead.

At that moment, the girl felt as though she had the entire world on her shoulders. That beast was her responsibility. It was really her fight and not that of the demons. Constance knew that she should have killed that thing when she had the chance, but at the time, her priority was running away, far and fast. What else was she supposed to do? A fourteen year old child against a fully grown brute like that? She had every right to be afraid! Yet, Constance didn't think of it that way. It was her fault, she just knew it! Only she was too weak to do what is required of her! What kind of person does that? What kind of person allows another, who had shown her such kindness throughout this endeavor, go fight on her behalf while she sits in her room and twiddles her thumbs? A coward and a weakling, that's what.

There were many things she did not get to tell Ciel and she wondered if she would ever be able to. She related to him, even if their stories weren't entirely similar. There was enough common ground in the mere fact that they were both thrust into an impossible situation and bound to make an impossible choice at a young age, yet, she truly appreciated it. She appreciated how he spoke to her on her level. She appreciated Ciel for being the good person that he is.

Yet, the truth was far more than what could be brought up in casual conversation. Constance knew Belmont. She knew him well. He was the monster that prowled outside her bedroom door at night, forcing her to push her dresser in front of it each evening to dissuade him from entering. He was the monsters who destroyed her family's hopes, dreams, and very sanity for his own amusement and gain. He tore her whole world apart and broke her once he broke down that door. Her head was scarred from the needles and incisions, but her hair grew to cover it, just as her skin covers the scars in her brain, yet those were not hidden. They were with her in everything she did and they would never ever heal. She could still see his smile and hear his laugh when she seemingly stared a thousand meters into space, looking at nothing, seeing nothing, and feeling nothing but fear and revulsion. She could still remember his favourite thing to say to her. "Don't worry, it'll all be over in a second. Won't hurt a bit."

All lies. She knew it, too. Each time, however, she hoped that he might be telling the truth.

Blinking, she reflexively pulled her face away in a swift motion, hitting the back of her head on the roof of the vent as a sword was thrust through the gaps. Constance's eyes focused on it while sweat trickled down her forehead. Suddenly, she heard a voice.

"What the hell was that for?!" It was a man's voice. An unfamiliar face to her, but known to the duo. Oliver Midford, the middle child of Sir Rupert, was dressed in full uniform as he was technically at work, but his little sister was here while hiding from the Belmont Organisation. Needless to say, she was being difficult, yet mysterious as usual. "You could've killed somebody!"

"I thought I saw something." his sister replied bluntly. With that, Geraldine took a running start in order to leap high enough to retrieve her weapon.

"What the hell could you have seen there? A spider? Do you throw swords at spiders now?" Oliver questioned, only for Geraldine to stare at the vent for a while longer before continuing to walk down the hallway.

"I want to go practise." was all she said, prompting the other Midford to shake his head.

"Still weird as ever..." the man sighed. "I mean, it's wonderful, but you can't just go punching holes in vents!" He continued to scold the girl for damaging other people's property as they both walked, his voice growing more faint with distance. Finally, after a while of waiting, Constance finally let out a breath after she felt that they had gone. Thus, she continued her search.

As she continued, she found a new room. It was completely white with white walls and a white floor to match the massively heavy door that was locked from the other side. Peering through the slits in the vent, she could see a demon behind a red-coloured barrier sitting silently with nothing to do. It was her demon. Rue. While she didn't have any sort of official contract with her, she considered the demoness as such given how Rue took care of her while down in the bunker. It seemed that Rue also knew that she was there, as she began to stir, looking in the direction of the vent with a surprised expression and a soft gasp before looking in one of the corners of the room.

Security cameras. They were in Rue's cell, but not in the room that Constance occupied in the basement. Desperately, the girl wanted to talk to her, but couldn't so long as people were watching. Thus, she had to make sure that no one could see her.

Furrowing her brow, she focused intensely on the object. Gritting her teeth, she clenched her fist and in an instant, the camera was crushed by an unseen force. The other cameras soon followed, startling the still restrained demon.

"Get out of here!" Rue said in a hushed tone. "As soon as they realise the cameras went out, they'll be down here! Go back to your room!"

"I wanted to talk to you before I go." the girl replied.

"Go?"

"I'm going to help Ciel and the others. There's something there that they aren't going to anticipate and they need me."

"Let them handle it. Even if they don't expect something, they're professionals. They can deal with whatever's coming."

"No. I have to. It's only right that I help take down that monster. It's the only way."

Her expression softening, Rue took on a slightly more melancholic appearance. With sad eyes, she looked at the floor. "I won't be able to help you from in here." the demon said. "You might die."

"I don't know about that yet. Either way, it doesn't matter. David has to go. I should have killed him while I had the chance, but I didn't. Now he's their problem, now. That's not fair."

"Don't worry about that! Let it be their problem! They volunteered to take him on!"

"I can't. I just… I can't..." Constance replied, prompting the other to close her eyes.

"I don't need to be psychic to know you'd say that." Rue somberly chuckled with a small smile. "You can't let go of the past. You can't forgive yourself… I can understand this..."

Pausing, Constance reflected on that for a moment. "I know. You even picked your name based on that..."

"Yeah… 'Rue.' Verb meaning 'to bitterly regret.' Noun: 'regret and repentance.' I can't ever take back what I did, but I remember it better than I can remember my original name..." the demon replied.

"You only did that because you were desperate and scared. You wouldn't do that now." answered the other. "I know you'd protect your kid at all costs."

"Indeed… What kind of mother abandons her own child for her own sake?" Rue questioned to no one in particular. "Still, I am not certain. That is why I want you to stay here, where I know you will be safe… While I'm trapped here in this cell, I cannot protect you… I'm not like the blonde one who can break through barriers with his fists. If you go, there is nothing I can do..."

Upon hearing the demon's words become shaky, Constance's face softened. "Rue, don't cry… I'll come back, I promise! Then, when this is all over, you can come live with me! My dad won't mind!"

"That sounds… nice." the older woman said while struggling to smile. "But please, I beg of you, don't go… I know that you feel as though you must, but… It's far too dangerous."

"I'm sorry. I just have to. You don't understa-"

She was cut off by the sound of the large door creaking. It was being unlocked from the other side. Quickly, the girl had to get away, so she frantically began to crawl further into the vent.

"Constance!" Rue called after her, but it was too late. Constance was gone and the door opened. From the other side came an angel accompanied by two gaurds.

Elizabeth looked at her and then looked at the cameras only once before asking: "What exactly happened here, Rue?" causing a deep feeling of dread to well up in the demoness.

Constance had to hurry, as Elizabeth was no fool. She would immediately check the girl's room after this, or send someone to do so. Once it was found empty, the entire base would be after her. Hurry, Constance did as she soon found what she believed to be an exit. As she had no time for subtlety, she simply broke the vent opening with a psychic blast and sent it flying before crawling out, herself.

Panting, she felt grass against her palms and fingertips and sighed in relief. While she was far from free of the base, she had at least made it out of her building. Then, she jumped when she heard a thud behind her. Whipping her head around, she saw the girl from before, knees bent as she landed on her feet from her place in a nearby tree. Reflexively, Constance held out her hand and expelled a psychic wave in Geraldine's direction, hitting her. The blonde tightened her grip on her sword so she wouldn't drop it and braced for impact. When her back hit the wall behind her, she was bruised, but otherwise unharmed.

"Wait! I'm not here to fight!" Geraldine informed.

"You've got a sword!" barked a rather unconvinced Constance as she attempted to crawl away.

"I always have a sword. You're not special. Besides, I didn't know if you were gonna attack me first. And you did." The blonde girl said. "You're Constance, right? You're a few years below me at Warwick. Sound familiar?"

"I know Warwick, but I don't know you!"

"Well, it doesn't matter, because if you want to escape from here, you're gonna need me, anyway." Geraldine presented. "My dad's an important official here, and I'm related to Elizabeth, Ciel, and the big boss lady here, as well."

"Ciel?" questioned the other girl. "How are you related?"

"I'm his first cousin four times removed."

"I'm leaving." Constance said, wobbling to her feet and dusting of her sore knees. That was not a really impressive relation, and sounded more like a joke than anything.

"Dressed like that?" questioned Geraldine. Constance only stopped when she heard shuffling going on in the older girl's direction, only to jump when a backpack was tossed at her. "You were supposed to catch it."

"Why are you throwing a backpack at me?"

"There's clothes in it. You look suspicious. Make yourself look less suspicious, and then this might be doable."

"I still didn't ask for your help."

"Too bad. You got it." Raising her sword, Geraldine scared the other once again by using it as a pointer. "See those walls? They're too tall to climb. Even if the height wasn't an issue, they're designed to be slick and have an electrified lining at the top. Then, there's a patrol of gaurds that cycle through on a regular basis. No holes. They're very efficient. Too efficient. You need another way."

"And you know of one?" the psychic inquired with a cocked eyebrow.

"Several." Geraldine bluntly replied. "We gotta hurry, though. We only have seconds before they realise you're missing. Follow me."

Watching as the blonde walked past, Constance merely stared after her, failing to follow instructions right away. "You're very intense, aren't you?"

To this, the Midford finally did pause. "I get that a lot."


A/N: This was done several hours ago, but I didn't feel like writing an A/N, so I put it off. Forgive me if this is short. I really wanna get back to angsty, philosophical stuff, but Geraldine being, well, Geraldine is kinda nice. Wonder where she gets that intensity from... hmmm... It's such a mystery...

The stuff with Rue will be important later, I hope. If everything goes according to plan, I'll have a rather nice subplot/mini-arc/whatever you wanna call it! Remember that, now.

Also, remember the dream sequence back in Chapter 441? That might make things in some of the upcoming chapters seem more important if you look at that again. It's the one where Ciel dreams about Walter. They have some pretty interesting stuff to say...

Eh, that's about all I have to say for now...

Until the next chapter, my duckies~!