Chapter 22: Is all this really necessary? Pt. 3

An hour has passed after the arrival of Dr. Masalis, and although Crina had no doubt that Alucard would pass, the lingering thoughts of doubt went through her head. Her hands trembled lightly as she silently prayed that Alucard would pass, all of which both Leonardo and Yohei noticed as they waited with her. They all waited a little ways away from the room where Alucard was being examined, sitting on a decorative bench, one of many that laid through the halls of the Lupo manor.

"I have a feeling that things will go well, Crina. I mean, he was quite a sight when I saw him, and quite clean when I compare him to some of the people I have seen on my travels" Leonardo reassured her.

"I know, it's just that you know how Dr. Masalis is on these things. He's forced to be extra strict when it comes to these. I mean, you remember how he rejected a former emperor's army commander because he carried a contagious sexual disease, right? It was something that could've been treatable but he chose not to take the man in because of the possibility of the illness spreading" Crina said, clearly showing her stress to the two men.

Yohei nodded, "Yes, but that was also due to the fact that the two men didn't get along well. From what I could see, both Dr. Masalis and Alucard had a good first meeting, albeit the latter being nervous about a new face, let alone a masked one. But don't underestimate him. Alucard's strong physically and mentally, he's just gotta get some exposure to new environments and new people and he will be fine. Wouldn't you say, Leonardo?" Yohei asked.

Leonardo nodded, "Yes, I think he will do just fine" he said.

And just as they said that, the door to the room opened to show a figure exiting the room. The man was dressed in black robes that went all the way to his ankles, which showed his black boot covered feet. The sleeves of a white blouse could be seen under the upper half of his robes while a belt of brown graced his waist. Along the belt were small bottles and satchels that held different medical supplies along with a small dagger, one no bigger than a man's middle finger. Along his chest was a plate of black leather adorned with metal buttons, possibly meant to hold the head covering cape that surrounded the white plague mask. A wide brim black hat adorned his head as he walked out with his brown bag of medical supplies. He then turned to the group, his grey blue gaze giving off a kind aura as he made his way to the trio.

Crina immediately stood and looked at the man who entered the hallway.

"Well, Dr. Masalis? What's your diagnosis?" she asked.

The doctor cleared his throat before continuing, "He is by far the cleanest and healthiest young man that I have come across. This was by far a record in doing an exam, which usually lasts more than two hours long" he said. His eyes then squinted slightly, indicating that he was smiling under his mask, "He passes with flying colors, so he is clear to come to the Gateway" he said.

Crina immediately gave a sigh of relief after hearing that, giving a smile of joy knowing that Alucard could enter the next phase of the process of acceptance. Now there was only one last hurdle before he could be accepted.

"See Crina, we told you that he would be fine" Yohei said.

Leonardo nodded, "You were worried all for nothing" he said.

Crina nodded and then, out of desire of wanting to share her excitement with her friend, ran to the door, ignoring what Dr. Masalis had to say to her before she rushed to Gabriel's room and swung the door open to tell Alucard the good news.

"Alucard! You pass-ah!" she stopped in mid-sentence. For as she opened up the door, there before her with his ass showing front and center was a nude Alucard working to put on his pants with a gaze of both shock and embarrassment adorned on his turned face as he locked eyes with hers.

Both of them exchanged blood red faces before Crina shut her eyes and slammed the door shut.

"Oh my god! I'm so sorry! I didn't see anything! I swear!" Crina shouted through the door to him as she put a hand to her face. 'Damn it impulsive nature!' she scolded herself.

Yohei slapped a hand to his face. "Next time, wait until the doctor had finished everything, or at least knock on the door before you do anything like that again! Your impulsiveness is annoying at times!" he said with clear annoyance in his voice.

Leonardo gave an embarrassed yet amused huff at Crina's actions, as he could recall times when they were younger when she would do things like this.

Dr. Masalis gave a chuckle himself, "You never change, Crina" he said.

Crina put a hand to her face to hide her blush, but the moment that the doctor mentioned 'never change', she then recalled something.

"Actually Dr. Masalis, do you have a moment? I wish to speak with you about something, once I've calmed down a bit…" she said.

The doctor nodded and the two of them left to go to the dining hall to discuss things, leaving Leonardo and Yohei in the halls alone.

After a few minutes, Alucard appeared from Gabriel's room, fully dressed and still having a dusting of pink on his cheeks.

"Well, that was…unexpected…" he said, mostly to himself.

Yohei and Leonardo went to him.

"You alright? It's been a while since I've seen Crina get that impulsive about things. She didn't see your sword, did she?" Yohei asked.

Alucard brought a fist to his mouth and gave a cough, "No, no she didn't. But she did see the back" he said as the pink slowly turned to red, his eyes looking to the side.

Leonardo came over and put a hand on his shoulder, "She didn't mean it. She was just worried about what would happen if you didn't pass it, so the relief she felt must have overflowed her sense of…well…respect, I suppose" he said with a small hesitant chuckle.

Alucard turned to him, figuring that it had something to do with her worrying about him, considering what she was doing to make sure he was comfortable about everything and not overwhelmed. 'I guess I shouldn't be surprised, yet I didn't expect her to just burst in like that without warning' he said to himself.

"Anyway," Yohei started, making both men look at him, "so now that you have passed the exam, you'll be able to move on to the last phase, the Chief's inspection. All that is required is what we went over with you before, involving the items. You'll also want to make sure you dress well for this inspection, as first impressions are always important. I assume you have an outfit planned?" he asked Alucard.

The young dhampir nodded in response, "Yes, Crina helped me with that before. She believes that it will work" he said.

Yohei nodded, "Alright, then other than that, all you have to do is wake up early tomorrow, as you're scheduled to be their first candidate of the day" he said.

Leonardo looked at Yohei with a slightly furrowed brow, "Don't you think you should tell him how he should be when the chief inspects him, amico mio (my friend)?" he asked.

Yohei looked at Leonardo and then to Alucard, "You just have to relax and…well…lets just say that…it's better to be opened minded" he said, to which Alucard gave him a raised eyebrow. "It'll make sense when the time comes" he added.

After a few more minutes, Dr. Masalis exited the room with Crina and turned to both Yohei and Leonardo, "Well then Gentlemen, shall we be off back to the Gateway? I do have a few more patients that I would at least like to check up on since their relatives came for refills of medicine" he said, earning nods from both of them.

"I will see you again, my friend" Leonardo said as he held out a hand to Alucard, "Be it in the Gateway or outside" he added.

Alucard happily shook the man's hand, "The same to you. I hope to see you tomorrow" he said.

Yohei gave Alucard a nod before heading off with Dr. Masalis.

After the guests left the house, Crina then turned to Alucard, an evident frown upon her face. She then bowed her head and put her hands up in a prayer position.

"I am so so sorry for earlier!" she cried out as her face turned red from recalling the incident, "I should've knocked. I was just so excited for you that I…well…" she trailed off, knowing that what she was rambling about wasn't helping much.

Alucard just sighed through his nose and walked to her, gently putting a hand on her shoulder, "It's fine. You did scare me, but considering all that you have been doing for me lately, I can understand. Just remember to knock before opening the door next time, alright?" he said calmly, a gentle smile gracing his features. However, deep down, he did feel a little embarrassed, but at least she didn't see his manhood, as that would've been extra embarrassing for him.

Just then the jingle of a small bell was heard from the kitchen nearby. Crina raised an eyebrow and went to look and see, only to see that the bell that lead to her Grandfather's room was ringing.

"Oh, sounds like Grandfather's awake. He's probably going to ask for lunch as I'm walking him down. Hmmm…" she said as she looked around. Just then she recalled something from this morning with her mother and immediately an idea popped into her head, "Alucard, may I ask a favor of you?" she asked, earning a nod and a 'of course' from the young dhampir. She then turned and pointed to a large door near the back entrance of the kitchen. "In the pantry there is a wooden crate of potatoes that were picked just this morning. Can you pull out six large ones? Ones that are big enough to reach the center of your middle finger from your wrist joint, and put them on the table. By the time I come back with Grandfather, I'll do the rest. We're having steamed potatoes for lunch" she said as she went to get Edmund, who appeared to be ringing hard on the bell string.

Alucard watched her go but then turned to the pantry.

"Steamed potatoes? I've had scalloped potatoes before, but I don't think I've had them steamed" he said to himself out loud as he went to gather the main ingredient from the pantry.

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Later that night, Maria returned home with spices and sauces from the Gateway along with a few chickens and a few different types of fish. With these ingredients on hand, both she and Crina worked on making dinner for the night while Alucard and Edmund spent the day talking about anything and everything under the sun. But as the day went on, Alucard started to grow more and more anxious about the whole 'Chief's inspection' situation. Just how much would the chief look into him? What questions will they ask? Will they believe his words?

All of these questions lingered in his mind the whole day, but he didn't talk about them. He didn't want to worry them, especially with how Crina worried about him during his exam. However, as the night came on and everyone went to bed, he couldn't sleep. He dressed in a nightgown that was offered by Maria, but he also wore a pair of pants that he found in Gabriel's chest drawer, out of respect for the ladies in the manor. But even with all the comforts of the home, he still couldn't sleep.

Sighing in defeat, he got up, grabbed a nearby candelabra and walked his way to the kitchen to make some tea, but not in the teapot, as he knew that the steam would cause noise for the family. After making a saucepan of tea and, he took a seat at the kitchen table and gently blew on the liquid as his mind continued to linger, distracting him from being aware of his surroundings.

"Alucard?" a voice called out, causing him to flinch lightly.

He looked around to see someone else holding a candle. Dressed in a full length long sleeved white chemise with her long black hair down and flowing was Crina, a tired and worried expression on her face.

"Crina? I'm sorry, did I wake you?" Alucard asked, slightly shocked to see her up at this hour.

She shook her head, "I was awake anyway. Couldn't keep the thoughts down" she said, giving a small embarrassed smile. She then sniffed the air and looked to the oven, "Did you…make tea?" she asked.

"Yes, I apologize for using your property, but I felt that tea would be more effective than water" Alucard explained, "That and I didn't want to wake you with the scream from the tea pot" he added.

"It's understandable. May I join you for a cup?" she asked, earning a nod from him.

Once she had her cup, she sat at the opposite end of the kitchen table. As she let it cool, she sighed.

"Can…I confess something?" she asked him, a hint of embarrassment laced in her tone.

Alucard's mind froze for a minute at hearing the term 'confess', his mind racing with thoughts for a moment.

'Wait, confess? Confess what? Wait…does she…no, no no, it's gotta be something different. Calm down Adrian, she doesn't feel the same way you do about her. Remember, you're just friends. Don't leap before you look. Just stay calm and listen to her' he told himself as he felt his heart race, a light dusting of a blush upon his pale cheeks that wasn't noticeable in the darkness. He then sighed and nodded, "Of course, what is it?" he asked in a calm voice.

"Despite knowing so much about the Gateway….this is…..the first time I've ever seen a process of acceptance" she said, the embarrassment clear now in her tones as she bowed her head a bit, the darkness from the candle hiding her eyes a bit.

This made Alucard raise his eyebrows a little, "It is? But you seemed so…informed about it" he said, a small hint of shock in his voice.

"Well, I was told a lot about it by Alister, not to mention the letter I received from Aunt Minerva when I told her about you and that I wanted you to be a candidate for the Gateway. But other than that, I didn't know much. And there is a difference between knowing it and experiencing it, which I only had the former to my advantage" she explained.

Alucard nodded, agreeing with that last sentence. But that would also explain why she was so nervous during the whole thing. How picky she was when they searched for an outfit, how cautious she was when it came to explaining the tools of the process, and of course how she happily yet impulsively burst through the door without knocking when she heard that he passed the physical. All of it, was due to never experiencing it first-hand, and not knowing what to expect.

"Anyway, I feel like my nervousness caused you a lot of trouble during this test and I want to apologize for it" she said, looking at Alucard, a clear look of guilt on her face.

Alucard looked at her, seeing the guilt in her eyes through the gentle flicker of the candelabra flame. He then gave a soft sigh through his nose and shook his head.

"Don't apologize. You had your reason to be nervous, so I forgive you" he said. "Truth be told, I'm a bit nervous myself…hence why I'm here" he added, looking off to the side a little, a small but embarrassed smile gracing his features.

Crina looked at him, "What is it that you're nervous about?" she asked.

Alucard sighed, "Well…there was something that Yohei said before he left with Leonardo and Dr. Masalis. He said…'it's better to be open minded'…but while I am familiar with the term, I feel that I am overthinking things. And, for some strange reason, it also doesn't make sense to me, but I'm not sure why" he said.

Crina looked at him confused, but then she understood what he meant. "Remember when I told you before that the chief will look through your memories? Back when we were trying on Grandfather's old wedding coat? You asked if you should prepare an offering and I told you no, to which I went on to explain more about what she would do?" she asked.

Alucard thought back to the other day and then recalled the memory. "Yes, I do" he said.

"Basically what Yohei meant was that you can't hide anything back if you want to be accepted into the Gateway. Lady Minerva will look through your mind, but if you hide anything, even your…intimate moments, you'll be seen as suspicious. So basically if you wish to be accepted, you can't hide any memories, otherwise you'll be seen as a possible threat" she explained. "But I think you should be fine. You just need to take a few deep breaths and relax. She won't discuss any intimate moments, if anything she'll just mention the names of people who may be of concern" Crina explained. Her eyebrows then raised, "Oh, and she'll also want discuss the whole situation with Trevor and Sypha, as well as the war against Dracula. If you just tell them like it is, they'll be fine with it, despite the name Belmont not being a…favorable name in the Gateway" she said.

Alucard nodded, figuring that the name Belmont was still of major concern to the vampiric race.

"I see. That does make sense" he said, feeling content.

Crina nodded, "Was there anything else you were unsure of?" she asked.

Alucard took a sip of his tea as she asked that, bringing the cup back down as he thought about it, looking down at the liquid in the candlelight.

"Other than that, there is one thing" he said, returning his gaze to her. "I'm trying to think of what sort of trade I could do for the Gateway. I've been thinking about it for a while, but I'm still not sure…" he said.

Crina gave a small smile, "Well, thankfully that's not something you have to decide right now. For some people, it takes a while to find out what they could do. Usually, newcomers are given a month to find out what they could do, so once you're a member, you still have time to figure things out" she said.

Alucard gave a small sigh of relief at hearing that. "Well…that relieves some of the pressure I'm feeling" he said, giving her a soft smile before taking another drink of his tea.

Crina also took a drink as she looked at the young dhampir before her. How his golden hair in the candlelight looked like the gentle flames of sunlight creeping over the mountains on a foggy morning. How his golden wolf-like eyes had softened and turned from a previously nervous gaze to one of content and slight exhaustion. How the way he held his tea made him look like the subject of one of Leonardo's paintings, only this was real. And seeing him like this made Crina realized just how real he was, not in terms of realism itself, but more of terms of weakness and…humanity. Despite being immortal and having the powers of a vampire, Alucard was indeed just like a human, a fragile soul that needed to heal. And just looking at how far he had come from when she first met him, seeing just how gentle he can be, how kind his heart is, all of this made Crina's heart swell with happiness and pride in seeing his human side after so much darkness had surrounded him.

And just at that thought, she realized just how far she had come too. It had been weeks since she had a horrific episode, the last one being at the lake with her and Alucard touching hands. Each time she felt like an episode was coming, she just remembered his face, his smile, his light. Just the thought of either one of those and she could feel like the calmest person in the world. When he was with her...she felt like something was filled, something that was denied to her for a long time had finally come to her possession, but what that was, she wasn't sure. It was something about him that made her feel…whole, complete…no. It wasn't just something about him, it was him. All of him, that made her feel like this, warm, complete and content, and coming to realize that made her cheeks a light pink, though the candles hid it well.

After a few more short conversations, Crina gave a yawn and a stretch as she finished the last of her third cup of tea.

"Well…I'm not sure about you, but I'm starting to feel tired again…" she said. She then got up to put her cup in the sink. She then turned to Alucard and reached her hand out to take his cup, which he did so with a gentle smile.

"Thank you for taking time to talk to me, Crina. I do feel more at ease now" he said, a gentle grateful glow adorning his eyes.

"Of course. Anything for a friend" Crina said kindly, returning his gaze to him. She then took the cups and the sauce pot of tea and took them to the sink, pouring out the tea and giving the dishes a gentle wash before drying them. Once she finished she then moved to take the candelabra back up to where she got it, but Alucard stopped her.

"Before you go, I...I feel like I haven't done this yet, and forgive me if I had, but…" he paused, clearing his throat before he continued. "I…I wish to thank you for all that has happened so far. If it hadn't been for you showing up in such an unexpected way and at a dark time in my life…I probably would've become more like my father, hating humanity, wanting to be alone…just…becoming more like him" he said, taking a breath before continuing. "I suppose, in a rather…cliché way, you saved me, and I…I'm grateful for it" he said, unsure if he was saying the right thing.

Crina felt a light heat come to her cheeks at hearing this. While she knew that he was grateful for all that happened, she wasn't expecting to hear a thank you like this.

She smiled, "Of course. It was a pleasure to help you. Anything for my friends" she said, despite an uneasy tug forming in the back of her mind. She then grabbed the candelabra and turned to Alucard again. "Shall we walk back together?" she asked.

Alucard then took his in hand and nodded, "Yes" he said. He wanted to say much more, but he knew that there was a time and a place for everything, and it was rude to keep a lady awake.

As they walked back, Alucard thought back to what he said in the kitchen. He felt like it wasn't enough to just simply say thank you for all that she did for him. He wanted to do more to show her his appreciation. Just in that moment, he thought of a phrase that his father taught him a long time ago. 'Sometimes actions speak louder than words'. The phrase stuck with him as he and Crina walked and before long they arrived at Alucard's room, where both he and Crina stood outside the door.

"Well, I suppose I'll see you in the morning" Crina said quietly, not wanting to wake her mother and Grandfather, whose rooms were nearby.

Alucard nodded, but just as he was about to go to the door, he turned to her, "Wait," he started, stopping her from leaving, "before you go…may I….see your hand for a moment" he said, a slight hesitation in his voice.

Crina looked at him with a raised brow, but she nodded, "Sure, but…why?" she asked before raising her hand to him.

Alucard then gently took her hand in his. He then moved it close to his face, but then he hesitated before taking a breath. He then closed his eyes and gently placed a light, cool kiss on her knuckle. He heard a small gasp from Crina, but he didn't move for a few seconds. When he did pull away, he looked right into her candle-lit emerald eyes, as if he was looking into her soul, his own eyes gleaming in the dimmed light with gratitude and a different emotion that Crina couldn't describe.

"Thank you…Crina" was all he said in that moment of connection. After a moment of silence, he let her hand go, giving her a soft smile as he turned to the door. "See you in the morning?" he asked.

Crina was in stoic shock at what just happened, but when she heard his question, she snapped out of it and nodded, "Um…y-yes. I'll see you then" she said. She then gave him a nod and turned on her heel to go to her room, an evident blush appearing on her face as Alucard watched her leave. After she disappeared into her room, Alucard returned to his, blowing out the candles as he went back to bed.

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The moment Crina stepped into her room, she immediately went to her bedside to put the candle down before she fell to the side of her bed, placing a hand over her now stirred and racing heart. She brought her free hand to her face, feeling the intense heat on her cheeks as she panted.

'Oh my god. Oh my god. Oh my god, what in the world was that? I mean, yeah, he was thanking me, but that was definitely not just a thank you…' she thought to herself as she continued to feel flustered from the whole ordeal. She moved her hands to fan herself of the heat that wouldn't leave her face.

After a few minutes, she managed to calm herself down to where she could get herself to settle back into bed so she could sleep. However, as she laid down to rest, she then looked at the hand that Alucard kissed, recalling what it was like. Though his hands were slightly calloused, his touch was soft, almost like feathers caressing her hand, just barely going over her skin to the point where she would shiver at the thought of it. His touch was cold, but it wasn't freezing, rather, it was a cooling touch, almost like how a breeze from the mountains cools down a hot summer day. And despite the cold, his kiss was so light and so gentle, it was like the feeling of raindrops during a spring shower upon her skin. And his gaze as he broke the kiss, the gaze that pierced her soul showing nothing but gratitude and something else that she couldn't identify. Just thinking of his gaze made her heart race again and there was no way that she could forget it. As she looked at her hand, a small smile came to her face as she brought her hand close to her, all while one final thought filled her mind before sleep at last consumed her.

'I…wouldn't mind him doing that again though'

Notes:

Another chapter up! I apologize for the wait, but I finally had a chance to put it up. Just like last time, I wasn't satisfied with how the chapter was written, so I had to start from square one. But now that I went over it, it's all good. Not a lot of fun facts this time, but it seems like Alucard is getting bolder and Crina's becoming more accepting. What will come from this? Wait and see. ^^