Ah, finally… My next full length crossover fic is here. Another shot at WHR and Hellsing. But this time, I'm including some more elements from Inuyasha. This story takes place sometime after Hunting Dogs 2. Just as in HD3, I'm using the Hellsing anime and NOT the manga. I'll only be handling the language issue when it comes to writing and not speaking. And of course, I don't own any of these characters except for Travisian. He's my favorite of all my OCs so far. Anyone who uses him without permission will be cursed to the third generation. Please note: I usually finish a story before I start posting it. But this one is especially long and it's been giving me some trouble. So I got tired of waiting and decided to start posting now. But that means that I may need to make slight alterations later. If I find I have to do that, I'll note it when I post the new chapter. I apologize if this annoys anyone. I'm just trying to make it all perfect for my dear readers. Enjoy!
Hunting Dogs 4: Sword Quest
1
Nagira stuck his head out the door into the alley. He looked both ways, confirming the white delivery van that sat waiting at the loading dock on one end of the narrow passage. The other end was open to the street and he could hear the boisterous calls of the shop owners and sidewalk vendors. It seemed to Nagira that life was going on as usual everywhere except in the room behind him. The restaurant up front was owned by a friend, a fellow believer in justice. Nagira let the door close and turned around to face the pair of bloodshot eyes that had been glued to him all day. They belonged to a middle aged man in thin, dirt-smudged clothes. He was scrawny and pale like he hadn't seen the sun in months. He gave Nagira the creeps.
"Alright," Nagira said. "We're all set. You'll be leaving in a few minutes."
"I cannot thank you enough," the ghostly man wheezed in a thick European accent.
"It's no big deal," Nagira said. "You sure you know what to do? Once you leave here, I won't be around to hold your hand."
"I know. Flight 436 to Singapore."
"So tell me, why are they chasing you?"
"I cannot say. Knowing these things would put you in danger."
"Okay, if that's the way you want it…" Nagira said with a smirk. "I just had to ask, you know."
"Yes, I understand. But curiosity is a luxury men like us can ill afford."
A knock on the door made them both fall silent. Nagira opened the door just a crack and peered out at the teenage boy standing in the alley. He turned again and nodded to the pale man.
"Okay, tt's time," he said.
The pale man rose from his seat on a wooden crate and moved haltingly towards the door.
"Don't forget your luggage," Nagira said, handing him an old leather valise. He opened the door again but the pale man didn't move. Instead, he reached into the valise and pulled out a tube-shaped container. He held it out to Nagira with a shaky hand.
"Please, accept this as a token of my gratitude," he said as Nagira took it. "Be careful. It is very valuable."
Before Nagira could respond, the pale man was already walking down the alley toward the van. Nagira would have called out to him but he didn't want to draw attention. He looked down at the container in his hand. It was small, about the length of his forearm. What could be in there that was so valuable? A painting? Secret documents maybe? Nagira didn't know much about art, and he knew even less about secret documents. But he knew someone who could help.
2
The afternoon was fast approaching when Dojima pulled her car into her favorite space in the underground garage. She knew that the office above in Raven's Flat would already be bustling. Could she slip in unnoticed? No, that was impossible. Her best bet was to just walk in like always and pretend nothing was wrong. While the elevator rose to the fifth floor, she concocted the most ridiculous excuses. She knew that she wouldn't need them though. The others never asked why she was late anymore. They just accepted it. Since Amon and Robin had come home from their world tour, nobody seemed to care what Dojima did. And that suited her just fine. The elevator doors opened on the office and Dojima walked in. But right away, she knew that something different was happening. The others were all looking at her.
"What?" she asked defensively.
Sakaki sighed. "It's just Dojima," he said, exasperated.
Dojima was taken aback. "What do you mean it's just me?"
"We thought it was Nagira," Sakaki said. "He's supposed to be here soon."
Dojima caught her breath. "Nagira! He's coming here? Why didn't anyone warn me?"
"You would have known if you'd gotten here on time," Karasuma said.
"Hey, didn't you guys break up?" Sakaki asked.
"Of course we did!" Dojima wailed. "Why is he coming here?"
"He said he had something he wanted us to check out," Michael said as he continued clicking away at his keyboard.
"Wonderful! Fantastic! What am I supposed to do? He'll be here any minute." Dojima raved.
"You could go hide in the chief's office," Sakaki suggested with a smile.
"Yeah, sure. Thanks a lot," Dojima snapped.
The elevator bell pinged and Dojima gasped. She sprinted around the corner into the conference room and pressed herself against the wall in the dark. She knew she was being immature. But she and Nagira had only split about a month ago. She wasn't ready to see him yet. Even hearing his voice was painful.
"You guys ready to see it?" he was saying.
"Yeah," Sakaki answered, enthusiastic as always. "Cummon, open it up."
A faint popping sound and the shuffling of paper announced the revelation.
"What the… Is that medieval writing?" Michael asked.
"I was hoping you guys could tell me," Nagira said. "This scroll looks pretty old and the guy who gave it to me said it was valuable."
"Is there a date written somewhere?" Karasuma asked.
"I don't see one," Amon said. "We'll just have to read through it."
By that time, Dojima's curiosity was starting to overcome her heartbreak. She slipped quietly out of the conference room, making sure that the others had their backs turned. The scroll was spread out on the chief's old desk. Dojima looked over Karasuma's shoulder and caught a glimpse of the handwriting. Handwriting she recognized.
"What do you know…" she said without thinking.
The others jumped and looked at her.
"Dojima! Don't scare us like that," Sakaki complained.
"Well, excuse me. For your information, that scroll is from the sixteenth century," Dojima said.
"How do you know that?" Michael asked.
"I've seen that kind of writing before, that's all. I don't remember where," she lied.
The others looked around at each other.
"The sixteenth century, hmm?" Nagira mused, obviously trying to ignore Dojima's presence.
"We still have to read it," Amon said.