After a few minutes, Alister explained the process of the ritual for entering the Gateway. As this went on, Alucard gave a look that seemed emotionless, but his eyes were ones of both fear and uncertainty. The way that Alister was describing the process definitely did sound like a true test of trust between him and his new friends and truth be told, he wasn't sure if he was indeed up for it.

"I can tell that you look uncertain about this, Alucard. But listen, no one is pressuring you here. If you feel uncomfortable, then we can see about another day" Crina said as she looked at Alucard.

The blonde dhampir stayed silent for a few minutes, thinking about all that was said to him. He then looked at the trio before looking back at his hands, debating what to do. He was indeed anxious to see this almost mythical place of dhampir kind and seeing people who were interested in science and learning, but at the same time, seeing so many people at once when he only just started to open up to just this group of people, it seemed like a rather large step. Not to mention the fact that both Taka and Sumi still haunt his mind every now and then, reminding him of how disgusting humanity can be at times. But just when those memories come up, they instantly fade when he recalls his time with Crina, her family, and now Alister and Yohei. If these guys weren't terrible people, then maybe the people of the Gateway would be tolerable. After much debate, Alucard then gave a sigh and looked at the group.

"No. I appreciate the offer, Crina, but I do feel comfortable enough to go through with this and see if I can be accepted by the Chief" he said with a small smile.

In that instant, all three of Alister, Crina and Yohei's faces relaxed, exchanging smiles as they went on to finish their meal. Alucard did the same and soon all four fighters were ready to move, bellies full and energy restored.

Alucard then looked at Crina, "So then, what now?" he asked.

"Well, now that we have our items, I believe we should be good for selling next month. So, another thing about entering the Gateway should you be accepted by the chief" Crina said as she turned to Alucard, her face turning a little stern, "Once accepted, you will be my responsibility as the one who brought you there. Any actions you cause will fall back on me, so if you're accepted, don't get into trouble. Weather it'd be fights, arguments, fight over beliefs, anything of the sort, it falls back on me. So while I know you won't do anything like that, I'm saying for you not to do it or anything related to it. Understand?" Crina asked.

Alucard felt a little intimidated by the sight of Crina being so close to him, but he nodded all the same. "Of course. I will do no such thing" he said.

Crina then pulled back and smiled, "Good. Also, don't let Alister drag you into something stupid, cause if he gets ahold of you, better brace yourself for mischief. He's notorious for it" she said with a roll of her eyes.

Alucard raised an eyebrow, but he shrugged it off. However, he looked over to both Alister and Yohei, wondering what sort of mischief those two get into, but he then shook his head and made his way to the wagon.

_*v*v*v*v*v*v*v*v*v*_

A while later, both parties made their way on the road back to the Lupo residence. Alucard insisted on controlling the wagon since he still felt a little uncomfortable riding on the saddle, so Crina took up the reigns. Alister rode on his own magnificent steed, a fine brown stallion with a shiny black mane. Yohei rode a dapple grey mare with a dark grey mane.

"So….I meant to ask you two. How exactly did you guys meet?" Alister asked.

Crina immediately tensed, "Uhh, well, it's uh…kinda a long story really…" she started, clearly embarrassed.

Alucard looked at her and then looked at Alister, "Basically, Crina set off bombs at about an hour to an hour and a half before dawn, waking up me up from an already bad night" he said straightforwardly.

"Alucard!" Crina said in a begging tone, face red as an apple from embarrassment.

Both young men stayed quiet until Yohei gave a huff and the two of them then burst out laughing.

"Hey, come on, it's not that funny" Crina said, keeping her face hidden behind her hair.

"Oh, yes it is. Didn't think you'd go back to your rebel days" Alister said, smirking darkly at her.

Crina then turned to him, "Don't talk about that! That's a time that is dead and buried" she said as she turned her head and kept her face ahead.

"Oh come on, Crina. Those are always interesting stories" Alister said. He then got a mischievous glint in his eye and looked at Alucard. "Say Alucard, has Crina ever told you stories from her training days?" he asked the blonde man.

Alucard looked at Alister with a raised eyebrow, "No. Although hearing how embarrassed Crina is, it's peaked my curiosity" he said simply, being honest.

Crina felt herself shrinking behind her hair as Alister began.

"Oh yeah, Crina was a real mess back when she was a kid. Always acting like one of the guys and often getting into skirmishes and back alley fights. In fact, there were particular fights that got her the nickname the 'Monstrous Rebel', such as ripping a testicle off someone, biting someone's ear off, breaking weapons with her teeth and more. Anything to prove that she was the top predator. Of course she was using both her fighting gift and the power of her vampiric ring, but still, she was a beast!" Alister explained.

As this happened, Crina didn't look back, but Alucard kept listening, wanting to know more about Crina.

"She…really ripped a testicle off?" he asked, speaking in a calm disbelief.

Alister nodded, "Yep. The guy had to get surgery and a blood transfusion to recover, but he's still got one on him" he said. He then looked to Crina, "Don't you still have the one you took as a trophy?" he asked her.

Crina didn't say anything but she nodded her head.

"Come on Crina, nothing to be embarrassed about. Truth be told, the guy was a jerk anyway. One of those self-obsessed narcissists who wanted everything to be about them. So really, he deserved it" Alister said, coming to her defense and trying to cheer her up.

Crina once again nodded. "Yes, he did deserve it. And it also got me suspended for three months because of backlash from his family. It would've been worse if it wasn't for you stepping in and saving me…" Crina said simply.

Alucard looked at Crina, clearly seeing that she wasn't fond of these stories being brought up again. Just looking at her, face flushed with embarrassment and clearly evident pain in her voice from the whole ordeal, it did make him feel bad for being curious.

Alister then turned to Alucard, "There was also the time-"

Alucard then raised his hand, "No. It's fine, I think one story is enough for now" he said, looking at Crina.

Crina looked back at Alucard, a little shocked, but then her face changed to one of gratitude, clearly happy that no more embarrassing stories will come up on this trip.

"Huh? Hahhh, alright. I'll save them for later then" Alister said as the group started to come into view of the Lupo Residence. "Alright, guess we better head back before mother has a fit about me being gone for so long" said the young prince as he then gave his cousin a slap on the shoulder. "If you have any more panic attacks, you let me know, alright? I worry about you, cousin" he said.

Crina gave a small grunt from the slap, but she accepted it nonetheless. "Thanks and I will. Take care, cousin" she said.

Alister then turned to get started on the road, but Yohei didn't leave yet.

"What is it, Yohei?" Crina asked.

Yohei then made his way on his horse around Crina to where both riders were eye level with each other. It was then that Yohei put his hand on Crina's shoulder and brought her ear close to his mouth and he whispered something in her ear. Once he was finished, he then pulled back and gave Crina a reassuring smile while she gave him a confused look after showing a small flash of shock. However, after a moment, Crina's face relaxed and then she gave an amused huff.

"Maybe…" was all that Crina said before she saw Yohei leaving with Alister.

After the two of them left, Crina and Alucard went back to going back to the Lupo residence.

"What was it that Yohei told you?" Alucard asked.

Crina looked back at Alucard in confusion, but then her face relaxed and she shook her head. "Sorry. Inside joke between us" she said calmly. However, deep down she was pondering the words he said to her, but she soon stopped as they entered the Lupo property.

_*v*v*v*v*v*v*v*v*v*_

A few hours later, Crina and Alucard finished unloading the items they gathered for the Gateway into the nearby shed for temporary protection against the elements and had dinner with Maria and Edmund again. With the meal of individual meat pies and hearty vegetable soup in their bellies, Crina then made her way to take Alucard home as the sun had yet to set. As much as Edmund said that it was fine for him to stay the night, Alucard was getting a bit worried about being away from the castle after these many adventures. He figured that he could take a few days to stay in the castle, catch up on his reading and try out some recipes that Maria gave him. However, part of him didn't want Crina to leave, as he had grown fond of her company, but he knew that she had family to take care of, not to mention other people who had requests from the Gateway.

"Um…Alucard? Are you alright?" Crina asked.

Alucard then snapped out of his thoughts and turned to Crina, "Hm? Sorry, I didn't catch that…" he said, unsure if she said anything to him as he was deep in thought.

Crina then gave a huff and shook her head, "All I asked was if you're alright. You seemed to be troubled" she said, concern evident in her eyes.

Alucard then shook his head, "No, no trouble. I was just thinking about all that occurred recently as well as thinking about what the Gateway could look like" he said, being honest.

Crina then gave a 'ahh' look to him, "I see. Yeah, many people often have thoughts on what the Gateway could look like before they actually enter it. As far as what I can tell you…think of Targoviste and double its size. It's grown over the past millennia, and it's still growing. Thankfully, the architects in the area know how to make some good pillars to keep the ceiling from collapsing on everyone" Crina explained.

Alucard looked at her with slight shock, "Wait, what? It's that big? I never would've imagined a place like that…" he said, speaking in a calm manner but his eyes shown with excitement.

Crina chuckled at that, "Yeah, it's pretty amazing," she said. However, just as the two of them came close to the entrance of the castle, a strange sound started making its presence known. Crina looked around and then up to the sky, only for a large lightning bolt to come down upon the ground right before her and Alucard, with the latter reaching across her, wrapping it around her body and shielding her from whatever force was there as it suddenly grew and exploded before them, blinding them with a bright white light. After a moment, the light faded and both young fighters started to recover from the flash, realizing how close they were and quickly moved off each other, blushing bright red from the ordeal.

"S-Sorry…just…instinct I suppose" Alucard said.

"N-No, you were just protecting me…and it's greatly appreciated" Crina said as she then gave a cough to calm herself, "Anyway, what just happened?" she asked. She then looked out only to find a very large alchemy circle and several scattered items throughout it. However, at the very center of the circle was a body, one that almost looked dead. Crina got off the wagon and looked, immediately recognizing it after a moment.

"Father!" she shouted as she ran to the body. Alucard followed swiftly behind.

Once Crina got to the body and moved him, she gently shook him.

"Father! Father, wake up!" she said, clearly worried.

Alucard watched on, unsure of what he could do, but he looked over the gentleman.

Dressed in long robes of crimson, with gold and black ornate trimming along the bottom, neck and long sleeves, the man appeared to be shorter than Alucard, but taller than Crina. It was a slim man before the dhampir, one of a tanned complexion with freckles dappled everywhere on his face, even some on his hands. His hair was short, dark brown in color and wavy in texture, all while sporting a beard in the fashion of a goatee, indicating that he kept his beard shapely, but not his hair. When the man started to open his eyes, a pair of tired yet warm amber met the dhampir's own bright gold. The man looked around for a bit before his eyes laid upon his daughter.

"Crina? Is that you mia figlia?" the man asked, an accent that seemed typical of northern Italy laced his tired voice. The man tried to sit up, rubbing his head as he did so. "Wait…but if you're here…then I must have landed at the-" he then opened his eyes and saw the large intimidating castle before him, "house" he finished, feeling a sense of fright.

Crina put a hand to her face and gave a small groan. "No father, you are an hour away. I will admit, this is the closest that you got to the house, but it's not enough to count. Where is the teleportation stone?" she asked.

The man then fiddled through his pockets until he pulled out a small chain with what appeared to be a quartz crystal, but it was sparking and clearly cracked. The moment Crina tried to touch the stone, it disintegrated into nothing.

Crina then gave a hard sigh, "Not again. It seems like every time I give you a new stone which only has one destination, you tend to break it and end up in an area too far from home" she said with slight irritability in her voice. "I don't understand why the blasted thing doesn't work. It works when I do it, yet it doesn't work with you" she said.

Her father gave a wince followed by a chuckle, "Well, I was often bad at directions, so it might be that too" he said.

Alucard watched the semi-comedic scene before him, feeling a small trickle of laughter building up in his throat while father and daughter argue. After a few more minutes of this, the laughter finally made its way out in the form of a deep yet airy chuckle, distracting the two.

"Oh, I'm sorry, I didn't see you there, young man" said the Father.

Crina then cleared her throat, "Well, I suppose since we're here, I might as well introduce you, Father" she said as she stood. She then helped her father stand and dust off his robes before turning him to look at the young dhampir.

"Father, this is Alucard, also known as Adrian Tepes. He's the man that Grandfather Edmund says is his grandson figure and the man who he thought was dead after a year" Crina explained, motioning to Alucard, who gave a small bow to the man before him. "Alucard, this is my father, Nero Lupo, a highly skilled alchemist as well as a knowledge trader for the Gateway who specializes in politics" she explained, which Nero bowed in return to Alucard.

"It's nice to finally meet the man who taught Crina alchemy" Alucard said with a smile, happy to meet another member of Crina's family.

Nero looked at Alucard with a small gaze of scrutiny. He then looked him over, from his eyes to his boots, from the sword on his hilt to the waves of his blonde hair. After a moment he finally moved to say something but Crina raised a hand.

"No father, he's not trying to court me. I know that look on your face, it was the same when you first met Lumin and no, he has no interest. We're close friends, nothing more" Crina said.

Alucard looked at Crina, unsure of what to make of that, but he then looked to Nero, who had a look of slight relief on his face.

"Good. You've already been through one heartbreak, and I won't tolerate any more. No one hurts my precious daughter and gets away with it" Nero said with a stern look at Alucard.

The young dhampir looked at Nero, standing tall, "I will do no such thing" he said, just as sternly back to Nero.

Nero then smiled, "Good. Now that is the tone of a man who keeps to his word" he said. He then extended his hand, "Good to meet you, young Adrian. Or, should I call you Alucard?" he asked.

Alucard relaxed as he took the man's hand and shook it, "Just Alucard will do fine" he said with a smile.

"Very well then. Now, I know I just met you, but could I ask you a favor?" Nero asked.

Alucard nodded, "What is it?" he asked.

"Could you help me in gathering these gifts that are scattered about here? I hope nothing was damaged after using my circle…" Nero asked.

Both Crina and Alucard looked around and saw everything on the ground before them, looking like a terrible windstorm blew through and tossed everything aside. The two of them looked at each other and nodded, agreeing to help Nero out.

As they worked things out, Crina looked at her Father.

"Why did you get so many things, Father? You said they were gifts, but for who exactly? Surely not Mother? You got her enough items already" Crina asked as she picked up a few items.

"I brought them for your siblings. Haven't you forgotten what is coming up?" Nero asked his daughter.

Crina thought about it and then covered her eyes, "Oh right, I completely forgot…family reunion season" she said.

Nero nodded, "Yep. Since the Summer Solstice is coming up, the family will be coming soon" he said.

Alucard looked at the pair, "Family reunion? As in all the siblings and their families?" he asked.

Crina nodded, "Yeah, it's a monstrous ordeal, but it's a wonderful occasion. Everyone brings food, we discuss the changes, play music, sing and dance, you name it, it happens. And when Nestor and Eli get into the mix, especially if they're drunk, you better prepare yourself as some even say the moon could fall because of their shouting into the night" she said, thinking back to previous events.

"The Summer Solstice….that's in a few weeks….I'd be willing to help any way that I can" Alucard said.

Crina smiled, "That would be appreciate- ah!" Crina exclaimed in a yip. She dropped the fragments of a pot that broke and one of the pieces scrapped against her hand, making it bleed a bit.

Alucard went over to her, "What's wrong?" he asked, but then he froze when the scent of fresh blood hit his noise.

Crina's eyes widened, "It-It's alright Alucard…it's not a big scratch…" she said, hiding her cut.

However, Alucard took a deep breath and kneeled to Crina, "Let me see…" he said.

"But…what about…" Crina hesitated, as she wasn't sure how well his blood lust was controlled. But the fact that he had a calm demeanor about him gave her an indication that he had it under control.

"It's fine. I don't like the taste, as I discovered when I was younger. And a little bit of blood won't set me off. Come on, let me see…please" he said, looking at Crina with concern.

Crina looked at him for a moment but then sighed, "Alright…" she said as she finally showed him her cut.

He looked at it carefully, but didn't say anything for a bit.

"I can use Alchemy to heal, it's not gonna take long…" Crina said reassuringly.

"Don't bother, it's not that bad. Besides, better to use Alchemy for more serious cases, wouldn't you agree?" Alucard asked.

Crina thought about it, thinking about her major cuts that she used Alchemy on and nodded, "You do have a point" she said.

"Wait here" Alucard said as he rushed back to the wagon. He then grabbed a small bag, one that he took to the lake in case either of them got hurt. He then walked back to Crina and opened it up. Grabbing two small cloths and some medicinal fluid in a bottle, he took the first rag and gently wiped off the blood that was already there, setting the rag off to the side. Taking the second rag, he dampened it with medicine, gently washed Crina's wound, let it set for a moment or two and then worked to wrap it up in gaze.

"There we are, that should do it" Alucard said.

Crina looked over her wound, "Impressive. Lisa would be proud" she said with a smile, which made Alucard smile.

The two of them looked at each other for a bit before Nero gave a cough, separating the two's gaze. It was then that Crina realized the sun was starting to set.

"Well, we better get going before the Night Creatures start coming" Crina said, mostly to her father. The older man nodded his head and they finished packing up the wagon.

"Thanks again for the healing, Alucard. I'll see you soon?" Crina asked as she got on the wagon.

Alucard nodded, "I'll see you in a few days. Could use a few to get back to watching the castle and the hold. I'll be in touch" he said as he gave a wave.

Crina nodded, "Sounds good. See you then" she said as the wagon started to turn.

"Nice meeting you, Alucard" Nero said, taking the reigns and guiding the horses, leaving the young dhampir to return to his home.

As they rode along, Nero looked at his daughter, who was looking at her now bandaged hand, examining the work of her dhampir friend.

"Interesting fellow, isn't he?" Nero said.

Crina looked at him, gave him a smile with a nod and then back to her bandaged hand, gently holding it while a faint blush adorned her cheeks.

'Yes...yes he is', she said to herself.

Back with Alucard, he fiddled in his pockets and found the first rag that absorbed Crina's dried blood. He hesitated at first, but he then brought the blood up to his nose and gave a soft sniff. Almost immediately the smell of pine wood, morning dew and wood smoke with a hint of lily mixed in filled his nose to the point where he almost gave a moan. Instead he leaned up against the front door and panted a bit as he pulled the rag away from him, letting him calm down. Chills were sent up his spine as flashes of Crina filled his head as he felt his body growing hot with desire, not for her but for her blood.

"Bad move…very bad move…" he said to himself as he tried to calm down from the high he just had, "Rrrr, what is wrong with me? Calm down you idiot…" he said, scolding himself a little.

However, as he came down from this high, an idea popped in his head.

"I wonder if Father wrote down his experiences with Mother? Maybe his diary could provide some insight into this. But first, I should get some water to cool down" Alucard said as he went to the kitchen.

Notes:

Alrighty. So now I have time, another chapter is up and more of Alucard and Crina's many adventures. I forgot to mention in previous chapters about Minerva, Alister's mother. She will be introduced later, so look forward to seeing her. In this chapter, we finally meet Crina's father, Nero. Brilliant in mind and in heart, but not in navigation apparently. Anyway, yes, a family reunion is coming. Will Alucard be ready to meet ALL of the Lupos? Stay tuned to see.

Now for the fun facts.
-'mia figlia' is Italian for 'my daughter'. A hint perhaps?
-Crystals, according to a few different websites, can be used for both positive and negative situations, depending on what people use them for. As I have seen in a book store I visited recently, it seems that Amethyst, Rose Quartz and Clear Quartz in a water bottle can help both give energy and prevent pollution from tainting the water. (Please feel free to correct me if this is wrong, but it does exist). Figured that this could also be used for other purposes as well, however it seems that Crina is having trouble with finding a stone that works. Anyone got a suggestion for her?
-Since Alucard said that he didn't like the taste of blood in Smash Bros Ultimate, I figured that it would be the same for this Alucard. I also figured that Lisa would have convinced Dracula to teach their son how to control his bloodlust so he wouldn't harm anyone unintentionally. This is also like the wine effect where some people have to acquire a taste for wine, but it can't be done until a few tries after the first. No tries, no acquire, no taste. Lack of exposure leads to intense first reactions. Make sense?
-As for Alucard's blood reaction, like I said above, lack of exposure leads to overwhelming reaction. In relation, I suppose that this reaction would be simular to say...entering an Olive Garden for the first time and immediately being overwhelmed by the smell of Italian food. Or the first breath you take when you enter a Perfume store. Something that just engulfs you when you first encounter it.

I think that's everything. Let me know if I missed anything that you see. Thanks for your patience and keep looking for updates!